New West Kent Council Pushed Back to 2029, as Government Reopens the Boundary Question

The government has confirmed that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Kent is still going ahead - but has withdrawn its own July 2026 decision on how many new councils should replace the current two-tier system, meaning the shape of a future West Kent authority is back under review. A revised timetable points to elections for new councils in May 2028 and a vesting day of 1 April 2029 - a year later than originally planned.

In a letter to council leaders dated 29 October 2026, Jim McMahon OBE MP, the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, confirmed that Kent and Medway is one of nine areas nationally where a decision announced in July 2026 has now been formally withdrawn. That July decision is the one this site reported at the time: four new unitary councils, with Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells forming a single new West Kent authority. The letter is explicit that the withdrawal "is not a reflection of the quality of the proposals submitted," but says more time is needed to give the decision "the careful consideration it deserves." Crucially, it adds: "all options and proposals in your area will remain under consideration as part of the review" - meaning the earlier four-council, single-West-Kent-authority model is no longer guaranteed, even though it remains one of the options still on the table.

Elections already scheduled for May 2027 will go ahead for Kent's existing councils, as already confirmed in September. Under the revised timetable set out in this latest letter, elections to the new councils - whatever shape they end up taking - would follow in May 2028, with "vesting day" (the date the new councils formally take over) set for 1 April 2029. The government says every area still awaiting a decision, Kent and Medway included, will have an outcome "by early next year," with updates for some areas promised before Christmas.

The letter also addresses funding for areas like Kent, where an announcement has now been withdrawn. The government says it will pay 50% of the previously promised £900,000 transition support per new unitary council, based on the number of unitaries in the original July announcement - guaranteed, and not dependent on the review's eventual outcome. The remaining balance, plus a further £150,000 per new unitary for "Leadership Capacity and Continuity" in children's services, adult social care and public health, would follow once a final decision is made.

Councillor Ben Chapelard, Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, welcomed the government's continued commitment to reorganisation, while noting the uncertainty that remains: “We now know that residents will have a new council for West Kent in 2029, a year later than originally planned. Unfortunately, we do not yet know which area a new West Kent unitary council will cover. The Government has gone back to reconsider the five original options for new councils across Kent submitted last year, ranging from one to five new councils.” Cllr Chapelard said he personally continues to favour a three-council option for Kent, adding: “I urge the government to complete its review of the five options as quickly as possible so that we can get on with the job of planning and establishing a new unitary council for our area.” That preference is his own council's position, not a settled outcome - the other three West Kent boroughs have not yet issued their own public response to this latest letter.

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local government reorganisation: review update letters to council leaders, 29 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Also: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.