A Kent Labour MP has branded the new Reform UK leadership at County Hall as “continuity Conservatives” for failing to reverse cuts.
Polly Billington, who represents East Thanet, raised the issue of Kent County Council’s (KCC) loss of support to three groups in her constituency, asking why services had not been restored.
She was referring to Millmead Children’s Centre in Margate, Pie Factory Music in Ramsgate and the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs.
Ms Billington claimed the new KCC leader Linden Kemkaran had “confirmed” the cuts despite her councillors running on a “family and community” ticket at the May elections.
She wrote to Cllr Kemkaran in June to raise her concerns and claimed she had, in her reply, tried to “bury the bad news in legalistic jargon”, but the cuts would still go ahead.
The MP added: “Whether it is Nigel Farage’s plan to charge people to use the NHS Kent Reform, slashing public services in Thanet, Reform UK have shown time and time again out public services are nit safe in their hands.
“Despite promising change, Reform UK have proven themselves to be continuity Conservatives in Thanet.”
The MP said the three centres are all “vital” services to the “most vulnerable and deprived communities”.
The Reform UK leader said that the some of Millmead’s commissioned services were taken in-house to the “family hubs” programme but still received some funding as a healthy living centre.
Former Labour county councillor Barry Lewis, who lost his seat as an independent to Reform UK in May, fought for months to save Millmead.
On Pie Factory Music and the Ramsgate Youth Centre, Cllr Kemkaran said they were linked to the delivery of youth services commissioned by KCC.
Cllr Kemkaran said: “Following the decision to stop commissioning those services, KCC considered if thre were alternative KCC uses for the property and there were none.”
On the Sarah Thorne Theatre, the KCC leader said the council has been encouraging the group to take a five year lease with a break provision to give it “some security” but so far not committed to it.
Cllr Kemkaran said that the council has to focus on priorities and disposal by auction of properties the council no longer needs will now be held in September.
She added: “With the funding it has available, (the council) must focus its resources on the most vulnerable in our communities.”
KCC, under the leadership of Conservative Roger Gough, who lost his Sevenoaks seat in Reform’s May landslide victory, adopted the government’s ‘family hubs’ model where commissioned bodies, such as Millmead, lost funding.
The hubs model was a Conservative initiative brought in by minister Andrea Leadsom during its last term in government. Sir Keir Starmer’s government did not seek to reverse it.
Former Tory KCC leader Roger Gough said: “I like Polly Billington and I think she is very bright but this stance seems a bit daft.
“You would have to reinstate what was there before and that in itself would be at considerable cost. KCC doesn’t have the funds for it, for a start.
“Her government when they come into power did not show any desire to move away from the family hubs model.”
KCC has been approached for a comment regarding Ms Billington’s latest claims.
