Some “very difficult choices” may have to be made in the future to combat pressures on a local authority’s finances, says its leader.

It comes as Gravesham councillors voted to increase tax by almost 3% so it can set a balanced budget for the coming year.

Members approved the spending plan for 2025/26 at last night’s (February 25) full council meeting.

Council leader Cllr John Burden (Lab) said: “It is no secret that local authorities across the country are facing significant financial challenges, leaving some in the unenviable position of serving notice that they are only able to continue to provide services they are legally obliged to.

“It is only thanks to years of prudent financial management that this council, which faces many of those same challenges, is able to present a balanced budget this year, although we have had to draw on our reserves to do so.

“Members and officers have worked hard over the last nine years to find more than £9 million worth of savings and additional revenue to keep the council on an even keel and ensure we continue to deliver the services our community values.

“I make no secret of the fact that more needs to be found, and we must all be prepared to face some very difficult choices in future.”

Members agreed to increase council tax by 2.99% meaning those living in a band D property will pay £2,294.16 this year.

Of that, Gravesham council will receive £237.96, compared to £231.03 last year - a rise of £6.93.

Cllr Burden added: “Nobody likes paying taxes but we rely on council tax to pay for the vast majority of the services we provide.

“We collect it on behalf of ourselves, Kent County Council, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner and Kent Fire and Rescue and pass on their share to them.

“For every £1 a Gravesham resident pays in council tax, we get 10p; Kent County Council gets 74p; the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner gets 12p; and Kent Fire and Rescue Service gets 4p.

“It is a relatively small amount of money that we have to make go a long way, which I am sure the vast majority of our residents understand.”

He also emphasised that many of the challenges Gravesham and other councils face come from areas outside their direct control, such as the cost of providing temporary accommodation for families at risk of homelessness.

Cllr Burden said: “For most of the past 18 months to two years, we have had more than 200 families in temporary accommodation, often costly nightly paid rooms in B&Bs and hotels.

“Those are record levels of need from genuinely local people who face homelessness from the ongoing effects of the cost-of-living crisis, which still continues to bite so many.”

He explained that despite this the council has found ways to bring down the cost of temporary accommodation, but more still needs to be done.

He added: “As well as making more of our own council houses available, working with local housing associations, and buying properties that have come onto the market locally to move people into, we created our own social lettings agency, GBC Lettings.

“That organisation is working with local landlords to make it easy for them to bring property into use and help us to find permanent homes for those in temporary accommodation.

“The agency has been an unqualified success, attracted national attention, and a number of other local councils are now calling on our experience to help them launch similar ventures in their own areas.

“The long-term solution is to continue our work to build new, affordable homes for local people, and this budget contains the commitment to do just that.

“That is just one way we have thought creatively about the challenges we face to bring us to the point where we are able to set a balanced budget when others are struggling to do so. There are many other examples.”

Members also decided to continue to build affordable homes, push on with projects to ensure the borough has high-quality, accessible leisure centres, and focus on improving the attractiveness and people’s pride in the area.