Kent County Council has opened a public consultation on how it should spend more than £2.8 billion on county services in 2027-28, with rising social care and education costs driving a projected funding gap of around £52.6 million.
How Kent spends more than £2.8 billion a year — on everything from the roads you drive to the care your elderly neighbour receives — could change, and the council wants to hear from you before it makes its choices. Kent County Council (KCC) has launched its annual budget consultation for 2027-28, asking residents across the county to say which services matter most and how the money should be divided up.
The consultation opened on 30 June 2026 and runs for ten weeks until 7 September 2026. KCC is forecasting a funding gap of around £52.6 million for 2027-28, with a further shortfall projected for 2028-29. Adult social care alone accounts for around 47–48% of the council’s day-to-day spending — roughly £787 million in 2026-27 — while children’s services, including education and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), take up around a quarter of the budget at around £421 million.
Those two areas are where the squeeze is hardest. An ageing population and growing numbers of residents with complex needs are pushing adult social care costs up year on year. SEND demand is doing the same to children’s services — affecting everything from school transport to specialist placements for families in towns and villages right across Kent.
But it’s not just care. Roads and pavements, libraries, household waste recycling centres, public health programmes — smoking cessation, weight management, sexual health services — all sit within that £2.8 billion. Budget decisions will shape how well each of those is maintained or staffed in the year ahead. Not a small thing.
KCC spends more than £2.6 billion a year on services excluding schools; the higher £2.8 billion figure used in the consultation includes schools-related funding. Once responses close on 7 September, draft proposals go through KCC committees before full council votes on the final budget — typically in February.
Key information
- Consultation deadline: 7 September 2026 — responses must be submitted by this date
- How to respond: complete the questionnaire online via KCC’s website, or request a paper copy from KCC’s Alternative Formats team by email or phone
- What the consultation covers: spending priorities across social care, education, roads, libraries, waste disposal and public health for the 2027-28 financial year
Kent County Council asks residents to help shape £2.8bn budget Quiz
5 questions