Councils across Kent have been told how much government money they will get next year for key services, after bracing themselves for yet another bruising round of cuts.

The government has announced that councils will have to take a 1.8% reduction in grants and any council tax increases will have to be capped at less than 2%.

Kent County Council had already warned it expected to have to find savings of £93m next year in the face of growing demands for certain services, such as adult social care.

It recently completed a public consultation on its spending plans for 2015 which included an increase in council tax bills of 1.99% - thereby avoiding the need to have a public referendum.

That would see average bills rise by about £20 for KCC’s share of the tax.

Reacting to today's announcement, KCC leader Paul Carter said: "It is no worse than we feared. Kent has ma £1.5bn budget and that is quite a significant sum on which to
deliver really efficient public services.

He said the size of Kent would make it less easy to join forces with other counties in a formal partnership but he was prepared to discuss joint arrangements on a case-by-case basis to make savings.

"Lets see if scaling up could be more efficient. You can have contracts that are too big," he added.

Mr Carter said he was confident that residents would not notice any changes or reductions in services.

"Just because you are spending less money does not mean our services will be worse."

He also warned that capping council tax bills could "not go on forever" and urged the government to give councils greater autonomy.

He added: "I do not think central government should be interfering at all."

The authority is embarking on a wide-ranging outsourcing programme to help it balance the books.

However, the LGA, body representing councils, warned services would “buckle under the strain” of more cuts.

KCC council leader Cllr Paul Carter said in October the authority’s draft budget would focus on preventative measures in social care that would be less costly without damaging the quality of services.

A further round of job cuts at County Hall are also expected, with between 250 to 400 jobs expected to be lost over the next three years, on top of hundreds that have already gone.

Cllr Carter said: “We are stepping up the pace and scale of health and social care integration and investing in preventative services that will transform the way health care is delivered in Kent.”

Meanwhile, the amount of money being allocated to Kent Police is being cut by 5.1%, which will mean "hard decisions" will have to be made according to Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes.

Mrs Barnes fears the impact of the budget will mean the county's force will have to find savings of £14.5 million.

She said: "It is not just this coming year that worries me but the years after that. The Force is already stretched very tightly yet is managing to maintain the visible community policing that people want.

"But this position is not sustainable over the next three to four years when we predict we shall be asked to make another £46 million of savings.

“To cope with this we shall have to make some difficult decisions but before that I feel that we desperately need a national debate to decide what the public want from their police force and how much and how they are prepared to pay for it."

“No-one in Kent tells me they want fewer police officers of PCSOs on our streets, but that will be the stark reality. You cannot employ people if you can’t pay them.”