Kent and Medway will get a strategic authority, mayoral only if reorganisation allows, the Budget says, with £8.78m of growth money pencilled in for 2027-28.

Kent and Medway are to get a strategic authority, the regional tier of government that takes powers and money from Whitehall. The government says it is “now in the final stages” of agreeing the deal.

Whether that authority has an elected mayor is not settled. The Budget 2026 document, published on Wednesday, describes it in one line:

“A Strategic Authority for Kent and Medway which will be Mayoral if the area’s Local Government Reorganisation outcome is compatible with this and Foundation if not.”

A “Foundation” strategic authority is the lighter version, without a mayor. So the shape of Medway’s future council and the shape of the new regional body are now tied together.

What the Budget says

Kent and Medway is one of 10 areas where the government says agreement is close. The others are Devon, Plymouth and Torbay; Hertfordshire; Lancashire; Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland; Stoke and Staffordshire; Surrey; Thames Valley; Wessex; and Cornwall.

The document says the next step is to “work with the relevant councils to launch local consultations with key stakeholders”. It gives no date for those consultations. The government’s aim is “full devolution coverage by the end of 2028”.

Medway Council’s leader, Cllr Vince Maple, put out a statement on Tuesday. He called it “brilliant news and most welcome”, and said the council’s ambition was for the authority to be in place by the end of 2028.

“Devolution has always been the prize for Kent and Medway,” he said. “We are hopeful for an outcome of LGR which will unlock full mayoral devolution across our region.”

He added that there was “still much work to do, including local elections in many areas of Kent and Medway next May”.

The £8.78 million on the table

The Budget sets aside £285 million for “Good Growth Funds” in 2027-28. Part of it goes to areas still working towards a strategic authority, shared out by population at a lower rate than places that already have a mayor.

Kent and Medway’s indicative allocation is £8.78 million. That is the third largest of the 14 areas on the list, behind Hampshire and Solent (£9.37 million) and Thames Valley (£9.10 million).

The money is not guaranteed. The government says these allocations are “contingent on an agreed devolution deal and geography by 2027 to 2028”.

Bar chart of indicative Good Growth Fund allocations for 2027-28 for 14 areas working towards a strategic authority: Hampshire and Solent £9.37m, Thames Valley £9.10m, Kent and Medway £8.78m, Greater Essex £8.76m, Wessex £8.69m, Sussex and Brighton £8.01m, Norfolk and Suffolk £7.85m, Lancashire £7.27m, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay £5.70m, Surrey £5.68m, Hertfordshire £5.61m, Staffordshire and Stoke £5.35m, Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland £5.34m, Cornwall £2.66m
Indicative Good Growth Fund allocations for 2027-28. Chart by Medway Live from the government's place selection note, published with the Budget.
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What a strategic authority could do

Cllr Maple’s statement lists the areas he expects local leaders to gain influence over:

  • transport
  • skills
  • infrastructure
  • housing
  • economic development

The Budget also says the government plans to legislate so that all strategic authorities can introduce an overnight visitor levy, a charge on hotel and holiday stays. Mayors get extra tax powers on top: a 20% share of locally retained business rates from next year and a share of income tax from 2028-29. Those apply to mayoral authorities only, which is why the mayoral or foundation question matters.

Why reorganisation decides it

In July the government chose to abolish Medway Council in April 2028 and merge it with Gravesham and Dartford into a new North Kent council. On 7 September it paused that decision for Kent and 13 other areas and ordered a rapid review.

That review has not yet reported. Until it does, nobody can say whether Kent and Medway’s reorganisation will produce councils that fit a mayoral model. The Budget’s wording leaves both doors open.

One fund Medway did not get

The Budget also named 60 councils for a new £125 million Derelict Buildings Fund, to bring long-empty buildings back into use. Places were picked on employment deprivation. Medway is not on the list. The two Kent districts that are get £1.36 million (Thanet) and £1.06 million (Folkestone and Hythe).

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Medway Council still runs your bins, schools, roads and social care, and your council tax is still set by it.
  • The Medway Council election goes ahead in May 2027 on today’s wards, as the government confirmed in September.
  • There will be a consultation. The government says it will launch local consultations on the new authority. We will report the dates and how to take part when they are published.
  • A Kent and Medway mayor is possible but not decided. It depends on how the reorganisation review ends.

Sources