Party leader cites Ministerial admission, FOIA documents and 20 April Civic Audit Notice circulated to MPs in calling for Kent residents to be heard on the principle of reorganisation, not just its mechanics.
KENT, UK — 23 APRIL 2026 — GB Freedom Party has today called for an immediate halt to the Kent Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process pending an independent legal and financial review, citing documentary evidence that the Government has confirmed in writing it “cannot impose” new unitary structures on local areas.
The call follows the publication this morning of a multi-part investigation by Kent Local News into the legal and evidential basis of the Kent LGR programme, and a Civic Audit Notice circulated by National Residents for Civic Accountability (NRCA) to MPs on 20 April — the day before Commons consideration of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill — setting out the documented absence of statutory authority across more than a dozen councils nationally.
The party’s position rests on five points it says are now established on the public record:
1. No legal authority has been identified for treating LGR participation as mandatory. The Government’s own Minister, Jim McMahon OBE MP, confirmed in writing on 7 July 2025 (MHCLG TO2025/16566): “Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, the Government cannot impose new unitary structures on local areas.”
2. No documentary foundation existed at the point of invitation. A Freedom of Information response from MHCLG dated 2 May 2025 (FOI 2025/10611) confirms the Department held no legal rationale, no consultation records, no financial impact assessment, no risk analysis and no cost-benefit report when councils were invited to submit proposals.
3. Councils across England have confirmed they hold no statutory authority for the work they are undertaking. Wealden District Council confirmed on 13 April 2026 (FOI 25-26-1030) that its entire legal basis is a ministerial invitation letter and a Cabinet decision. Arun District Council, following an internal review in April 2026, confirmed no recorded legal basis, no updated financial reassessment and no clear record of the programme’s formal status.
4. Residents are excluded from the question of principle. MHCLG confirmed on 17 April 2026 (TO2026/08935) that the statutory consultation is “not about whether local government reorganisation should take place in principle” — only how proposals meet government criteria. Residents may comment on the how. They may not be asked the whether.
5. The financial position is unverified. The Comptroller and Auditor General Gareth Davies described local government accounts on 10 February 2026 as a “cautionary tale” with backlogs cleared through disclaimed audit opinions. MHCLG admitted a £113 million systematic error in the local government finance settlement in February 2026. No council has produced a dated financial revalidation following that correction. A 24 February 2026 submission to the Comptroller documents £410 million+ immediate financial risk and approximately £730 million long-term debt across the Kent proposals.
Daniel Dabin, Leader of GB Freedom Party, said:
“What is happening in Kent is being done to residents, not with them. The Government has confirmed in writing — twice — that it cannot impose unitary structures on local areas. Councils across England have confirmed they cannot identify the law authorising the programme they are advancing. The Department has confirmed that residents are not allowed to consult on whether reorganisation should happen at all. And the financial baseline supporting it has not been revalidated since the Treasury admitted a £113 million error in February. Kent residents deserve a halt, an independent review of the legal and financial position, and a genuine consultation on the principle, not just the mechanics. GB Freedom Party will be working alongside Kent residents and elected members to make that happen.”
The party calls on:
- Members of the House of Lords, considering the Commons’ amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill today, to insist on the key Report-Stage amendments — in particular Lord Shipley’s Amendment 197 removing Clause 59 (the compulsory leader-and-cabinet governance model that abolishes the alternative committee system), the consent requirement, and the audit accountability provisions — as the revising chamber’s last opportunity to preserve resident scrutiny of local government before any Structural Changes Order starts the judicial review clock in Kent.
- Kent County Council to formally pause its current LGR proposals pending an independent legal review of the statutory basis for participation, funded by an independent reserve and reporting publicly within 90 days.
- The Secretary of State to commission an independent financial revalidation of the Kent NAO submission figures (£410m+ / £730m / £2.2m / £46.4m) before any Structural Changes Order is laid affecting Kent.
- Kent district and borough councils to publish, on each council’s own statutory governance pages, the specific statutory provision being relied on for current LGR-related expenditure and decisions, or to record formally that no such provision has been identified.
- Kent’s MPs to write jointly to the Secretary of State requesting confirmation that any Structural Changes Order affecting Kent will be preceded by a fresh consultation that includes the question of principle MHCLG has confirmed is currently excluded by design.
- Kent residents to share documentary evidence, council correspondence or recordings of council statements bearing on the legal or financial basis of LGR with GB Freedom Party, the Heritage Party / NRCA, or directly with their councils’ Section 151 and Monitoring Officers.
ENDS
About GB Freedom Party
GB Freedom Party is a registered political party committed to local accountability, evidence-based government, and the protection of communities from centralised override of local democratic decision-making. The party has consistently opposed the imposition of Kent-wide unitary structures and the erosion of local democratic accountability that follows from them.
Registered office: 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ
Website: gbfreedomparty.co.uk
Media contact
Daniel Dabin
Leader, GB Freedom Party
daniel.dabin@gbfreedom.uk
For independent journalistic coverage of the Kent LGR investigation, see Kent Local News at kentlocalnews.co.uk. GB Freedom Party makes no editorial claim on Kent Local News’ independent journalism; the two are separately constituted and operate at arm’s length.
Promoted by GB Freedom Party, 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ.
