Kent Morning Briefing
Friday, 17 July 2026
The day in Kent · Kent’s entire local government structure is being torn up: ministers have confirmed the county’s 14 councils will be replaced by four new single-tier unitary authorities from April 2028, the biggest shake-up in half a century. The change ends the two-tier county-and-district system and will redraw the map of how every Kent resident receives public services.
The day ahead in Kent
Weather
Today: Mostly clear morning, becoming clear in the afternoon, high 29°C, low 16°C.
Tomorrow: Clear morning, becoming mostly clear in the afternoon, clearing in the evening, high 24°C, low 17°C.
Travel
Roads: All major Kent routes clear.
Rail: All Kent services running to schedule.
As of 00:00 from National Highways + National Rail.
Coastal tides
Dover: High 01:50 (6.61m) · Low 09:30 (0.81m) · High 14:05 (6.84m) · Low 21:49 (0.56m)
Margate: High 02:54 (4.83m) · Low 08:56 (0.85m) · High 15:08 (4.77m) · Low 21:42 (0.31m)
Tides via tidetimes.co.uk.
5 things to know
- Ashford, Swale and Folkestone & Hythe confirmed to merge into single mid-Kent council
- Kent County Council’s Mineral Sites Plan sent to independent Planning Inspector for examination
- Government formally confirms Kent and Medway two-tier council system to be abolished
- Four new Kent unitary councils replace 14 existing authorities by 1 April 2028
- Medway Council among bodies scrapped in Kent’s largest local-government restructure in 50 years
Top Kent Stories
- Ashford to join new mid Kent council with Swale and Folkestone Hythe
Published 23:52 BST
Ministers are expected to confirm that Ashford, Swale and Folkestone Hythe will merge into a single mid Kent unitary council, scrapping the current two-tier system of county and district authorities… - Kent Mineral Sites Plan to go before independent examiner
Published 23:51 BST
Kent County Council has approved sending its Pre-Submission Mineral Sites Plan to a Government-appointed Planning Inspector for independent examination, according to a County Council decision. The… - Kent and Medway councils to be replaced by new unitary authorities after government decision
Published 21:52 BST
Ministers have confirmed the future shape of local government across Kent and Medway, ending the current two-tier system and replacing existing councils with a smaller number of single-tier unitary… - Kent to be split into four new councils by 2028 in biggest shake-up in 50 years
Published 21:51 BST
Kent County Council, Medway Council and 12 district, borough and city councils will be scrapped and replaced by four new single-tier authorities from 1 April 2028, after the government confirmed its…
Crime & Justice
No additional crime stories in the last 12 hours.
Business & Economy
No additional B&E stories in the last 12 hours.
Kent Sport
No additional sport updates in the last 12 hours.
Financial markets
Bank of England (last 7 days):
- PRA and FCA propose new captive insurance regime to drive UK growth and competitiveness
- Minutes of the Money Market Committee meeting – June 2026
- UK financial regulators to begin overseeing Critical Third Parties announced by HM Treasury
Markets via Yahoo Finance; ONS + BoE via official feeds.
What’s on today
No public events scheduled today.
Coming up tomorrow
No public events scheduled tomorrow.
“Kent’s current two-tier council system dates to the Local Government Act 1972, which created Kent County Council alongside seven district councils on 1 April 1974.”
Kent fact of the day