KENT county council chiefs are to take back control over road repairs and improvements across Kent.

But the move has angered some district councils who have been doing the job in partnership with KCC for 30 years and now fear losing out.

Kent County Council is to scrap agreements with district councils under which they were largely responsible for looking after roads in their areas.

KCC insists the move will save money. The existing 15 separate headquarters will be replaced by three “divisional” offices and a central HQ.

Around 20 people are expected to lose their jobs in the shake-up although local depots across the county will stay.

Seven district councils opposed the decision and told KCC they wanted greater powers. They were Maidstone, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Ashford, Dover and Thanet.

However, three others indicated they wanted something different – Tonbridge and Malling, Swale and Shepway while Gravesham, Dartford and Tunbridge Wells argued for no change.

KCC’s Conservative cabinet has backed the plan. However, a report warned that while around £1.3million will could be saved in the long run, costs would rise in the short term.

County councillors say the move has been prompted by public dissatisfaction with the state of roads and confusion about who was responsible.

Cllr Graham Gibbens, KCC lead member for transport, said: “The public do not understand the present system and do not understand who is responsible and contractors find it hard to deal with. We need to overhaul it and make things simpler to deliver.”

Two reports commissioned by KCC both recommended ending the existing set up.

County council leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said district councils would still have a role to play and pointed out that most other counties had already done the same thing.