Kent urged to use cash windfall for youth services

Details of the cash boost are laid out in papers for the next cabinet meeting

Calls have been made for axed youth services to be reinstated after the country's largest authority received a multimillion-pound windfall.

Rates rebates to Kent County Council (KCC) will amount to nearly £6m but the real figure will settle at £1.6m as much of the money had already been drawn from reserves.

The details of the cash boost are laid out in papers for a 21 March cabinet meeting.

The money did not come through in time for the council’s budget being finalised on 19 February.

Kent County Councillor Barry Lewis (Lab) claimed the money should be used to restore services due to be cut to save cash.

The opposition Labour group member said: "KCC has closed a load of youth services all over the county to bring in the family hubs model.

"They should reinstate that funding if they have got the extra money.

“It’s a total false economy to lose those services – it will cost us all a lot more in the longer run."

Rising costs

The windfall of £5.9m came from three business rates pots and special grants, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

But Conservative-run KCC, which faced a 2024-25 budget deficit of £80m in the face of falling government funding and rising costs, had already borrowed £4.3m from a contingency fund to help balance the books.

The entire windfall will be sunk into reserves ahead of another anticipated tough year.

But councillor Harry Rayner, a Conservative deputy cabinet member for finance, said: “I note Mr Lewis’s comments, but KCC has to show prudent budget management.”