Council “Hurtling towards Financial Oblivion” as Budget Black Hole hits £46.5 Million

The Leader of the Opposition at Kent County Council, Cllr Antony Hook (Liberal Democrat) has slammed the Reform Administration for “punishing residents for their incompetence and political instability”, after a new report revealed a projected budget overspend of £46.5 million for the current financial year.

The Revenue and Capital Budget Forecast Outturn Report (Quarter 2), published today, shows the Council’s forecast overspend has nearly doubled from £27.9 million in Quarter 1 (April to June) to £46.5 million at the end of September.

The report admits this scale of overspend is “unprecedented” and presents a “critical risk to the financial resilience of the authority”. In a bid to stem this, Council bosses have ordered an immediate halt to all “non-essential spend”.

Cllr Antony Hook, Leader of the Opposition (Liberal Democrat), said:

“This report is a confession of failure. Reform UK is asleep at the wheel while Kent hurtles towards financial oblivion”

“For Kent County Council to have doubled its overspend in just three months shows Reform UK has completely lost control of the budget. They are now forcing a ‘no non-essential spend’ policy that will grind council services to a halt, punishing residents for their incompetence and political instability”.

“Most shameful of all is the crisis in Adult Social Care, which is overspending by £50 million because this Council promised £20 million in savings that they knew they couldn't deliver. They are now abandoning our most vulnerable residents who will pay the price for Reform’s own gross mismanagement.”

Key Figures from the Report:

• Adult Social Care Crisis: The directorate is forecasting a £50.9 million overspend (7.2% over budget). £20.9 million of this is due to savings targets that are "no longer anticipated to be achieved".
• Special Needs Deficit: The deficit on the schools' budget (DSG) has ballooned to £133.4 million. The Council has admitted it will not meet the targets set in its ‘Safety Valve’ agreement with the Government.
• Savings Failure: A total of £27.6 million in promised savings are not expected to be delivered this year, with £18.4 million written off as completely "undeliverable".
• The Revenue and Capital Budget Forecast Outturn Report - Quarter 2 2025-26 was presented to Cabinet on 19 November 2025.
• The report identifies the current overspend as a "serious concern" that "heightens the risk to our future financial sustainability".