Published: Wednesday, 25th February 2026
Sevenoaks District Council has agreed to invest more in local services when it set its budget for the coming year at last night’s Council Meeting (24 February 2026).
The Council’s budget for 2026/27 will be £22.3m, an increase of more than £2m on the current year.
This investment will protect and improve services used by all residents and help regenerate the District.
As part of the budget, Sevenoaks District Council will increase its share of the Council Tax by 2.98% from 1 April 2026. For residents living in a Band D property, this is an extra £7.47 a year or 14 pence a week.
Next year's budget will see more funding for the Council's capital programme to drive forward town centre regeneration.
These projects, to support the local economy and communities, include land east of Sevenoaks High Street, new housing in Swanley and a new community hall and shop on the Spitals Cross Estate in Edenbridge.
Improvements to the waste and environmental health services, including more resources to deal with stray dogs, also form part of the budget.
Cllr Kevin Maskell, Leader of Sevenoaks District Council, says: “We know times are challenging for many residents, which is why we have set a budget to support all our communities now and into the future.
“We are fortunate to be in a strong financial position. When Government withdrew our direct financial support more than 10 years ago, we set out to generate income through property investments, to replace some of the lost funding.
“Next year, our property investments will bring in nearly £1.5 million to help fund the services we provide to every household in the District.
“Thanks to more efficient ways of working and income from our property investments, we can once again set a balanced budget while investing more in services that are important to our residents.
“With Local Government Reorganisation on the horizon, we continue to invest in major projects that will benefit our District for generations to come long after we cease to exist in our current form.”
From April 2026, these organisations will receive the following share of the Council Tax for each pound collected.
- Kent County Council – 70p
- Kent Police and Crime Commissioner – 11p
- Sevenoaks District Council – 10p
- Town and Parish Council average – 5p
- Kent Fire and Rescue – 4p
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