Kent faces a moment of reckoning. After years of Tory financial mismanagement, spiralling care costs, and broken promises on infrastructure, residents across Folkestone & Hythe have every right to demand real answers — not more political slogans. With the May 2025 Kent County Council elections approaching, candidates must now prove they have the courage and the competence to face up to the crisis. Kent cannot afford another four years of drift, decay, and decline. Voters deserve specific, honest commitments — not vague reassurances — on how candidates will fix the damage and rebuild trust.
To that end, we are putting twenty urgent questions to every candidate standing for election. These are not optional talking points — they are the real tests of leadership. Those who seek our votes must explain exactly what they would do on the most serious issues facing Kent today:
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What is your plan to reduce Kent County Council’s overreliance on council tax as its primary funding source?
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How will you address the long-term structural deficits in adult and children’s social care spending?
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Do you support the 4.99% council tax hike imposed in 2025–26? If not, what would you have done differently?
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With the tax base growing only 1.22%, how will you ensure future funding keeps pace with service demands?
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What are your proposals for strengthening the council’s depleted reserves and financial resilience?
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Should the council reverse its policy of avoiding new borrowing, particularly for essential capital projects?
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How will you address the maintenance backlogs across Kent’s schools, roads, and public infrastructure?
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What reforms would you introduce to ensure a more sustainable adult social care model by 2028?
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How will you safeguard non-statutory services like youth centres, libraries, and community grants?
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Do you support lobbying central government for a fairer, multi-year funding settlement for Kent?
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What role do you believe preventative services should play in reducing long-term social care costs?
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How would you ensure transparency and accountability in how the council allocates its limited funds?
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Will you commit to a reserve replenishment strategy that protects future budgets from volatility?
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How will you ensure that capital receipts from asset sales are not simply used to plug revenue gaps?
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What measures would you implement to make the council more financially efficient and responsive?
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How can the council better engage residents in difficult financial decisions affecting local services?
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What steps will you take to prevent Kent from becoming ‘just a care agency’ by the end of the decade?
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Will you push for new models of care delivery that reduce dependency and improve outcomes?
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How will you ensure fairness in service delivery when care costs dominate the budget?
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What will you do to restore public trust in the council’s financial management and priorities?
The people of Kent are no longer willing to settle for weak leadership or empty promises. We expect action. We expect honesty. And we expect a clear plan to build a better future. It’s time for those who seek to lead to stand up, speak out, and fight for the communities they claim to serve — because, as Chumbawamba sang: “Open your eyes, time to wake up / Enough is enough is enough is enough.”
The Shepway Vox Team
Discernibly Different Dissent
