Kent to be split into four new councils by 2028 in biggest shake-up in 50 years

Every household in Kent and Medway will be dealing with a different council from April 2028. One authority. Everything from bin collections and libraries to schools and social care — all under a single roof, instead of the current juggle between county and district. The reorganisation has been described in the official announcement as the biggest shake-up of local government in 50 years.

The Secretary of State picked option 4b from the consultation, carving Kent into four new unitary areas. Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells go West. Dartford, Gravesham and Medway form the North. Swale, Ashford and Folkestone and Hythe make up Central. And Canterbury, Thanet and Dover become the East.

What does that mean day-to-day? If you live in Maidstone right now, your rubbish is collected by the borough council but your roads are fixed by Kent County Council. From 2028, a single West Kent council does both. And everything else besides.

Around 3,000 responses came in during the consultation that shaped the decision. The new model essentially extends what Medway already does — running all local services as one authority — across the rest of the county.

Council leaders were quick to stress that nothing changes overnight. Their joint statement said residents will “still be dealing with the same council staff tomorrow and the day after that” and that the long history of joint working between Kent and Medway councils “will not change one bit” during the transition.

Matt Boughton, Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said the decision offered “the best balance of high-quality, cost-effective services and alignment with local communities,” adding that his council had “consistently supported an approach based on strong independent evidence.”

Thousands of staff across the county’s councils are directly affected. Leaders have pledged to focus on “supporting them through this change” while keeping day-to-day services running — though they acknowledge “there is a lot of work to do” before April 2028.

The new councils come into effect on 1 April 2028, at which point the current 14 authorities — including Kent County Council, Medway Council and all 12 district, borough and city councils — will cease to exist.