KCC leader threatens government with legal action
Kent is preparing to launch legal proceedings against the government over the way it has handled the biggest shake-up of local councils in 50 years
Last updated 29th Sep 2026
The leader of Kent County Council (KCC) Linden Kemkaran said a “pre-action protocol letter” will be sent ahead of a deadline of mid-October, and in advance of a potential judicial review.
Cllr Kemkaran’s action follows the government announcement on July 16 that Kent would get rid of its 14 existing councils and replace them with four large unitary authorities.
She said that a letter of July 27 asking a series of questions and subsequent follow-ups have not been acknowledged by the Secretary of State for communities, housing and local government, Angela Rayner.
The KCC leader said she is not prepared to put up with “shoddy” treatment from a “careless and clueless” government after Ms Rayner paused Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) on September 7 so that the original decisions and other legal actions can be reviewed.
The pause to LGR did not withdraw Kent and Medway from the process, so any challenge must be made within three months of the original July 16 announcement, a deadline of mid-October.
A pre-action protocol letter can give both sides a chance to settle or clarify positions.
Cllr Kemkaran said: “We understand that this time limit does not stop running merely because the government has chosen to pause and review its own decision.
“The KCC administration intends to protect KCC’s position. It will send a pre-action protocol letter to the Secretary of State in the coming days.
“A pre-action letter is a measured step. It gives the government a further opportunity to answer legitimate concerns I raised on July 27.
“If we do not receive a satisfactory response, we will ask our lawyers to issue proceedings to protect KCC’s position and the interests of our 1.6m residents and service users, whose interests we were elected to protect.
“I will not accept such shoddy treatment of such a careless and clueless government.”
Cllr Kemkaran said that she was concerned ministers “are treating LGR as a game. It is not.”
She added: “Adult social care, children’s services and highways are services people depend on every day. Dividing them between four councils is risky and takes serious preparation.
“Councils across Kent and Medway have already incurred significant costs establishing an LGR programme management office – they did so on the promise from the government that funding would cover those costs this financial year.
“Will the funding now arrive? We simply don’t know.”
She said that the county should not be left paying for “Whitehall’s mistakes”.
The cost to the council of the LGR programme was approaching £1m in preparation costs and staff and councillors’ time.
All during this “uncertainty”, said Cllr Kemkaran, keeping KCC services running to its residents “remains the number one priority”.
Deputy leader of the KCC Liberal Democrat opposition, Cllr Richard Streatfeild said: “No one has seen the percentage chance the KCC lawyers have given about getting a judicial review.
“We will be asking for some transparency over the legal advice the Reform UK administration is getting.”
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) spokesperson said:
“We are reviewing the local government reorganisation programme until we are satisfied that the right process is in place, it complies with the law, and it meets the priorities of the new administration.
“We will ensure this review delivers the best possible outcome for councils and local people – including council costs - and we will move quickly to complete this work to give places certainty.”