Nearly £4m of social care debt written off in Kent

Debts of nearly £4m for social care in Kent have been written off in the past five years, according to new figures.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that £3,919,551 of bad debts to Kent County Council (KCC) was written off between April 2020 and April 2025.

A former finance chief at KCC said the reasons for write-offs were "many and varied" and senior figures under the previous Conservative administration were aware of this.

The write-offs were not made under the new Reform UK leadership at KCC, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Social care is one of KCC statutory services under intense pressure with tight budgets, rising costs and increasing demand.

Councillor Harry Rayner, Conservative group leader at KCC and former deputy cabinet member for finance, said the debts were regularly raised and there are "all sorts of different reasons" for them being written off.

He said some families were unable to pay when an elderly relative needed residential or nursing care, while others deliberately avoided payment.

"There is no question, either, that some people wilfully do not pay and plan to do so years in advance," he said.

The FOI revealed that 125 court actions were sanctioned to recover unpaid costs by KCC but would not disclose how much, despite holding the details.

KCC claims it is exempt from divulging information because it could prejudice "any civil proceedings" brought by a public authority, as well as negatively impacting "KCC's ability to manage debt collection effectively".

Diane Morton, cabinet member for adult social care and health, said: "No council can consistently deliver the best quality care without the right funding settlement to match demand."