Polly and the Labour Leader of Thanet District Council have written to the embattled leader of Reform UK in Kent, Linden Kemkaran, urging her to rethink planned cuts to Age UK services in Thanet.
In their letter, Polly and Cllr Rick Everett expressed concern about “the impact of Kent County Council’s (KCC) financial cuts on the future of Age UK Thanet and the vulnerable elderly people in our community” following discussions they had had with the CEO of Age UK Thanet.
The letter set out how Thanet has the greatest need for elderly support in Kent. with the highest number of pension credit claimants, one of the largest over-65 and over-85 populations, and the highest number of older people living in deprivation. The charity employs around 40 local people and supports hundreds more, including from their new home at the Millmead Community Centre in Margate.
Planned cuts by Kent County Council under Reform have threatened the charity’s financial sustainability and their ability to continue to support elderly Thanet residents.
Reform UK won a majority on Kent County Council in May this year on a pledge to keep taxes low and slash wasteful spending. However, Labour have accused the party of having no plan to deliver the promised savings, with Reform instead pushing to make cuts to vital services in deprived parts of the county instead.
The county council has also been dogged by accusations of chaos and incompetence since Reform took control, culminating in a recent leaked video of Council Leader Kemkaran swearing at and berating colleagues who questioned her leadership. With the threat of a no confidence vote looming, Reform has begun purging councillors questioning Cllr Kemkaran’s approach, with the party having lost more than one councillor a month since their election win in May. Meanwhile, progress on improving Kent services has appeared a distant priority.
Polly said Reform’s chaotic management of Kent was no excuse for cutting vital services that vulnerable elderly people rely on. She said:
“Reform UK has said their management of Kent is an advert for what a Reform government would look like, and I’m afraid on that point they are absolutely right.
“In May, Nigel Farage’s party promised magical efficiency savings in Kent with absolutely no plan to deliver them, and now it is vulnerable elderly people being made to pay the price for their chaos and incompetence.
“Reform’s proposed cuts to Age UK in Thanet will cause serious harm to older people in one of the most deprived parts of Kent. I would urge Cllr Kemkaran to reverse course immediately and commit to protecting Thanet’s elderly residents”.
Rick Everitt, Labour Leader of Thanet District Council, said:
“Our Labour district council in Thanet are working hard to support elderly Thanet residents, but our work is made so much harder by a Reform UK council in Kent that appears determined to pull the rug out from underneath them.
“Linden Kemkaran must rethink these ill-judged and cruel cuts and get a grip of her chaotic council in Kent so she can start delivering for older people in Thanet, as she promised to do when elected.”