COUNTY Hall leaders have accused the Government of depriving Kent County Council of £9m because ministers are refusing to use new census data to calculate how much money KCC should get for services.

KCC’s Tory leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said if Kent got the money it was entitled to, council tax bills could be cut by two per cent next year. He has called on the Government to reconsider its decision to base next year’s budget allocation on census figures that are 13 years old instead of data collected three years ago.

The new census information would see Kent qualify for more money because it shows the county has a much larger population and, in particular, a larger number of elderly and vulnerable people to look after, he said. However, the Government says it will not base grants to councils on the new data until 2006 to allow time for it to be properly checked.

Sir Sandy said: “This is totally unacceptable in the so called Information Age. Frankly, figures were updated quicker in the days of the abacus.

“The 2001 census, for instance, shows that Kent had more than 10,000 more elderly over the age of 75, compared to 1991. Ordinarily Kent would receive higher grants to support social services as a consequence. But, the new figures are being ignored and Kent residents miss out.”

County Hall is so concerned it has turned to outside experts to verify the figures. In Kent’s case, the population has risen 123,000 to 1.3 million. Sir Sandy said Kent was not alone and councils across the region would be teaming up to press the Government to change its mind.

Meanwhile, KCC’s Conservative cabinet will be told by finance chiefs next week that average council tax bills – based on the Government’s expected level of funding – would have to rise by 6.7 per cent next year.

Sir Sandy said that was too high and warned Kent’s problems had been compounded by the Government’s decision to take away some £32m in grant designed to reflect the higher living and wage costs in the South East.

Opposition Labour group leader Cllr Mike Eddy dismissed the complaints. His party will highlight at a meeting on Thursday how Conservative spending plans would see Kent lose £50m for frontline services.

KCC's cabinet member for finance, Nick Chard, spoke to KM-fm...