Government wants councils in Kent and Medway to work in a different way.
Under the current local government system, Kent County Council delivers some services like education, social services and roads, and district or borough councils deliver other services, like waste collections, planning and housing.
The Government wants to reorganise the current system to provide unitary councils that will deliver all council services in one area.
Town and parish councils would not be affected.
Government consultation
The Government has launched a consultation based on a series of options suggested by Kent's existing councils. The consultation is open until 11.59pm on Thursday 26 March 2026.
The Government should make a decision on what will happen next in summer 2026.
When will the changes happen?
Based on the Government’s timetable, the new unitary councils could be in place from April 2028.