Purpose

This
matter concerns Local Government Reorganisation in Kent and Medway.
A decision was sought as to which Unitary Council geographical
model to support, if any.

Decision

Cabinet members considered the
Business Case relating to each model and recommended Option
4B.

Reasons for the decision

Following the publication of
the English Devolution White Paper in December 2024, all councils
in Kent and Medway were invited in February 2025 by the Secretary
of State to submit proposals for local government reorganisation
(LGR) for the region of Kent. A summary of the business cases due
to be submitted to government on 28 November 2025 was considered by
Cabinet, and option 4B was agreed as the preferred option to be put
forward for consideration by government. This proposes that Thanet
will be part of an East Kent unitary together with Dover and
Canterbury.

Alternative options considered

There
were five options considered as below:
 
Option
1a – Executive summary provided at Annex 1;
 
Option
3a - Executive Summary provided at Annex 3;
 
Option
4b – Executive Summary provided as Annex 5;
 
Option
4d – Executive Summary provided as Annex 7;
 
Option
5a – Executive Summary provided as Annex 9.