Kent County Council faces a huge increase in savings it must make in the near future or face going bust

New figures just published by the BBC Shared Data Unit shows Kent County Council will have to find £144m in 2026-27 – around £55m more than the current financial year.

Kent County Council will have to find £144m in savings or face going bust, new figures show.

The huge increase in savings will affect every area of the council's expenditure.

The council will have to find £144m in 2026-27 – around £55m more than the current financial year, according to figures published by the BBC Shared Data Unit.

Other large authorities facing similar deficits include Leeds (£152.4m), Surrey (£151.7m) and Somerset (£147.8m).

KCC has confirmed the BBC SDU figures are accurate but have pointed out that it is one of the biggest councils in the country.

A KCC statement said: “These figures…reflect the enormous pressures that the whole of local government has been facing for several years, mainly around adult and children’s social care, and school transport.

“Compared with other councils on the list, KCC’s figures look particularly large because we are one of the largest local authorities in the UK. However, the figures per person show we are, in fact, middle of the pack.

“We have always been open and transparent about the fact that KCC is facing some very difficult challenges, and that we are addressing these mainly through savings, some of which involve very difficult decisions around the services we provide.