00:00The Reform UK leadership crunching the numbers on their first Kent County Council budget
00:05since taking over the authority last May.
00:09And with it a 3.99% increase in council tax,
00:14lower than the nearly 5% maximum increase that many expected was inevitable.
00:22What it means for the people out there,
00:24it means we have basically reduced the amount of council tax that we could have put it up to by 20%.
00:33Now that is a direct benefit to every single council taxpayer in Kent.
00:37We've got one of the highest tax rates around the world.
00:42I mean, that's a fact when you look at what nationally is happening.
00:46So if we can give a little bit back to the residents of Kent, that's what we're going to do.
00:51But opposition groups are now concerned that the council will either have to delve into their reserves
00:57or aim for unrealistic savings to make up the difference.
01:03I'm horrified by the short-termism of it, basically.
01:07The fact that we're going to go to reserves in order to fund this.
01:12It's a really dangerous message to be sending to government
01:14that you don't need to increase your council tax by the maximum,
01:18where almost all other councils are doing exactly that.
01:21And that's what we as Liberal Democrats really fear,
01:23is to get this triple whammy of a broken promise,
01:27a raid on the reserves and cuts to vital services.
01:32£16 million is being taken from reserves
01:36to deliver a balanced budget alongside £9 million from capital receipts,
01:41which come from selling assets like buildings.
01:45But the leadership says none of this is to do with their lower-than-predicted council tax.
01:51We knew that to reduce the raise of council tax by 1%,
01:54which is what we've done, as in £4.99 to £3.99,
01:59we would have to find £10 million worth of savings.
02:01So we did. In fact, we found more.
02:03We've got £14 million overall in savings
02:07that we've identified just in eight months since taking control.
02:10We're not directly taking money from reserves
02:13to fund this council tax.
02:16Decrease, increase, if you know what I mean.
02:18This draft budget will be voted on in February at full council.
02:24But questions are still circulating here at Sessions House
02:27about how sustainable this budget really is
02:31for people living in Kent.
02:34Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:35Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:36Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:37Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:38Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:39Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:40Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:41Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:42Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:43Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:44Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:45Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:46Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:47Olly Lieder.
02:48Olly Lieder at County Hall.
02:49Olly Lieder at County Hall.
