What matters to Kent voters in the local elections

Voters in Kent will soon get to have their say over who is in charge of our local services, from education to social care, libraries and road surfaces.

The Kent County Council (KCC) elections will take place on 1 May, with residents voting for 81 councillors across 72 divisions.

Last time these seats were contested, in 2021, the Conservatives secured an overwhelming victory, with around 70% of the seats on the council.

In the past four years plenty has changed, so we went to Kent's county town of Maidstone to find out what is on the minds of some voters at the moment.

For most people we meet, the state of the roads is at the forefront of their minds including Briony Thompson, who has just passed her driving test.

"I'm a new driver, I just passed in January so potholes on the road are a big issue," she said.

But she added that it was not just a problem for drivers.

"I look after my nan who's in a wheelchair so even just potholes on the pavement when we take her down the street in the wheelchair, it's quite dangerous sometimes," she said.

"Sometimes her little wheels at the front go down a pothole and she jolts forward in the chair and you have to catch her."

Briony wants to see councillors focusing resources on residential streets and walkways.

County councils are responsible for keeping libraries running.

Mother-of-two Bina Thapa said she could not live without them.

Her primary school age son is a keen reader, often getting through a book a day.

"We can't always afford to buy the books… I can't go every day to the bookshop, spending £8-£10 for a book," she said. "That's not affordable for me."

Bina said she would like to see her local library protected.

Joseph McCarthy, 20, would like to see councils make more money available through arts and culture funds.

"Music has been part of my life for a long time now and I've grown up with music but perhaps people now won't have the same resources that I was able to get," he said.

He is part of Maidstone Symphony Orchestra, which often performs at a local leisure centre.

"It's not a very grand venue," he said. "You'd hope it would be quite nice, quite beautiful.

"Performing classical music in a sports hall is not brilliant, is it?"

He thinks public investment in this area could be beneficial for younger generations, too.

"Music allows young people to expand beyond what they think they're capable of," he added.

In past years some people have used their vote to send a message to politicians in Westminster, and issues outside the local council's remit can play a part in voting intentions.

Brian Jordan stopped to chat by the river in Maidstone. He's visiting from his home in Medway, where there aren't council elections this year.

But he said the biggest concern for him and his friends was the cost of living for pensioners.

"You've worked all your life and they put taxes on everything," he said.

"They put the pension up but I've had so many increases that that pension rise is just lost.

"Some are on the breadline."

This is the first time that most of the seats on KCC will have been voted on since the last election in 2021.

At that time Boris Johnson was prime minister and the Conservatives were benefitting from a surge in support following the introduction of the Covid vaccine.

While the council has been Conservative-run since 1997, political experts say the current climate means the outcome is by no means pre-determined.

"The national political picture has changed quite dramatically, obviously the Conservatives are no longer in power," says Prof Richard Whitman from the University of Kent.

"The last time we had the KCC elections the Conservative party performed very strongly.

"The expectation this time is that other parties will challenge that, both at the level of Reform and the Labour party. But also the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and independent candidates who have performed strongly in the past."

Voters in Kent will be asked to have their say on 1 May.

You can find a full list of candidates in your area here.

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