In the absence of any additional funding from central government, KCC say it wants to increase next year’s bill to residents by up to three per cent as well as reduce spending on some council activities.
The rise is the most County Hall can ramp up Council Tax bills without holding a public referendum and includes one per cent ring-fenced for adult social care.
The council has an annual budget of £1.8billion.
The move comes as the UK is suffering a cost-of-living crisis, inflation of nearly 10 per cent, and an average £1,000 rise expected to be added to gas and electric bills this winter due to energy price rises.
It also follows a previous rise in Council Tax of three per cent last April. That rise saw around £42 added to bills for Band D taxpayers.
If approved by County Hall, the proposed rise will be included in bills when they land on doormats in April 2023.
KCC is the main recipient of Council Tax in Tunbridge Wells, with around 75 per cent of money paid by residents sent to the authority.
The rest is distributed between Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service as well as the various parish councils.
These other organisations may also choose to increase their own share of Council Tax before next April, further adding to people’s bills.
Peter Oakford, Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services at KCC, who is a Tunbridge Wells County Councillor, said: “It’s an incredibly difficult time for all of Kent’s residents and KCC faces exactly the same amount of pressure.
“We see inflation and the cost of living rising and the fuel price increasing, higher than they have ever been. All of this impacts on KCC’s budget just as much as it does our own personal expenditure.
“KCC has faced huge challenges in recent years and has already had to make over £810million worth of savings since 2010. We already know the government doesn’t intend to provide any additional funding to us next year, so we have to make do with the money we’ve got.
“The only area where we can increase our funding is through Council Tax which of course isn’t something we want to do but during the current situation we could be forced to do it.
“We urge everyone to take part in the consultation and to have their say. It’s an important process which is fundamental in informing how this budget is shaped.
“We have an annual budget of £1.8billion which does sound like an enormous amount of money but then you look at the services that KCC provides it doesn’t go very far.
“We need to know from our residents their views on increasing Council Tax to partly help meet rising costs and demand for our services. Even with an increase in Council Tax, some new savings and additional income would still be needed to balance our budget.
“We therefore also want to hear their ideas for where they think that perhaps we could make some further savings and where those savings would have the lowest impact to our communities.”
The consultation runs until September 5. To take part, visit: kent.gov.uk/budget
