Kent County Council considers council tax rise

People in Kent are being asked if they will accept a council tax rise to help the county balance its books.

Kent County Council said it needed to make £80m savings in 2016/17.

It has started a six-week consultation asking people where money should be spent. It includes a proposal to increase council tax by 1.99%.

The council said a £33m cut in government funding and £58m of additional demands being placed on it, had led to the need for savings.

The council tax proposal is the largest increase allowable without triggering a referendum.

The council said the rise would raise £11m for the authority.

Council leader Paul Carter said: "Councils are facing unprecedented pressures on two major fronts - rapidly rising demand for adult social care and continuing reduction in government funding."

He said the extra costs of the national living wage and the demands placed on children's services to deal with the ongoing asylum crisis had not been accounted for, as he "fully expects" government to fund these.

"We will have an even bigger problem if they don't," Mr Carter said.

A council spokesman said the authority had made £433m of savings over the past five years.