Kent County Council election: what you need to know

The polls will open in the Kent County Council election on 1 May.

That means the vast majority of people in Kent will get to have their say over who runs many of their local services.

It is a huge job – the local authority looks after the largest population in the UK, with more than 1.6 million residents.

As candidates pound the pavements, knocking on doors and dropping leaflets through our letterboxes, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming election.

County councils provide services that cover the whole county.

One of their biggest areas of responsibility is social care for both adults and children.

They are also in charge of education, including school places, the Kent Test, free school meals and support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send).

Councillors set policies around transport too, including bus travel and fixing road surfaces.

Libraries, community grants and youth hubs also receive council funding.

In most of Kent, borough, district and city councils act as a second tier of local government and have different responsibilities, like deciding where homes can be built.

There aren't any district, borough or city council elections in Kent this year.

If you live in Medway the set up is different. That is because council services are run through a unitary authority. That is one authority in charge of all local services.

Medway Council held its last election in May 2023, so it's not due one this year.

Polling day takes place in the rest of Kent on 1 May.

If you have registered to vote you should receive a polling card in the post. This will tell you where to go to vote.

The deadline has passed to apply for a postal vote and if you have applied for one you may have received it already. If you forget to post it before polling day, you can hand it in to your local polling station on polling day.

You'll need ID to vote, after the previous government changed the law.

That means you will need a valid form of photo ID, like a driving licence or a passport.

You can find a full list of accepted forms of ID here.

If you don't have one of these, you can apply online for a Voter Authority Certificate, but it must be done before 17:00 on 23 April.

The votes will be counted on 2 May, with the final result due by the evening.

Kent County Council has been Conservative-run for most of its existence.

In fact, since it was created in its current format in 1974, it has had a Conservative leader for all but four years.

Between 1993 and 1997 the authority was led by joint leaders from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

In 1997 the Conservatives won back their majority, which they have held onto since, although their authority was shaken in the 2013 election when Ukip became the second largest party on the council, before losing all their seats four years later.

The last election was in 2021, when Boris Johnson was still prime minister and the Conservatives were benefitting from a surge in support following the roll-out of the Covid vaccine.

The Tories secured more than 70% of the seats on the council.

This year every seat on the council is up for election - meaning residents will elect 81 councillors across 72 divisions.

This could be the last time Kent residents are asked to elect county councillors.

Neighbouring councils like Surrey, East and West Sussex have had their elections cancelled this year.

That is because they have been selected to be part of a priority programme for local government re-organisation.

The government wants to create unitary authorities in each county that are responsible for all local services and are overseen by a directly elected mayor - similar to London and Manchester.

It is thought this different structure will pave the way for more devolution of power - meaning local leaders are given more money and autonomy.

Kent and Medway had applied to be part of the priority programme, but were not successful.

But as the next county council election will not be due for another four years, the authority in Kent could well find itself part of the re-organisation programme before the next term is up.

You can find out more about the county council elections, including who is standing in your area, here.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.