The cost of living crisis and soaring energy prices are putting households around the country under ever increasing pressure.

Should struggling taxpayers be asked to help sort out Kent County Council's £60 million budget deficit too? Paul Francis reports

Council consultations are a bit like buses: you wait ages for one and two or three arrive at the same time.

That maybe an exaggeration but you get the point - and somewhat ironically, among the recent county council plans to go out to consultation was what bus services should be cut?

Councils genuinely view consultation as a way of gauging public opinion; the problem being that the public tends to have a view that is contrary to the authority.

This puts councils in the awkward position of being damned if they do consult and damned if they don’t.

Anyway, a big consultation is underway and involves a question of how you - or how Kent County Council (KCC) - might save £60m.

Yes, it is only a few months since council tax bills landed on doorsteps requiring householders to pay even more for the services they get and guess what? We’re already being asked for our views on 2023-24.

Like a lot councils, KCC is running on empty, and is facing a perilous year. The hangover from the Covid pandemic; the cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy prices have converged to create a particularly malevolent backdrop.

As the draft budget papers released this week put it: “Our planning so far has shown the most likely outcome could result in a budget gap of up to £60m (even after delivering £36m of savings already earmarked in the council’s medium term financial plan) but it is too early to confirm a more accurate figure until we have more information from government.”

Just to ram home the message, the papers state: “We totally understand that everyone in Kent and the country is currently dealing with a very concerning rise in the cost of living. But the deep-felt impacts of rising inflation, followed swiftly off the back of the punishing pandemic, is also presenting KCC with significant financial challenges.”

In other words: it’s not just you. The problem is that KCC hasn’t spelled out in detail any options - presenting residents with an ominous general overview instead.

The nuclear option of breaching the government’s cap on council tax increases is mentioned but with little accompanying detail - because the government has not set a limit.

Perhaps the council should consider holding a referendum on a tax hike that exceeds the limit to test the mood?

The one area where the county council might have some wriggle room is on a levy to raise more money to care for the elderly.

In recent years, this tax has been used by the county council for precisely this reason.

Could it now be jettisoned? The government has introduced its own version - known as the Health and Social Care levy - which comes into effect in April next year and adds 1.25% to the National Insurance rate.

The argument will then be why taxpayers should face a double-whammy at a time when they are struggling.

The Conservative leadership race:

It may not be on the scale of Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour but the two candidates in the Conservative leadership contest are racking up the miles in search of support.

Both have already visited the county and interestingly are opting for a strategy of small meetings with party members rather than big rallies.

Why? It’s based on the view that smaller meetings often provide a more valuable insight into voters’ thinking. Although sometimes the conversation doesn’t always flow - leaving the candidates to ‘fill.’

There was an awkward moment at one such meeting when Liz Truss outlined how she had helped “open up the apple market to India” leading to some nonplussed expressions from those present.

Is time nearly up for Rishi? Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has tried to shore up support among the traditional wing of the party with pledges to lift a ban on new grammar schools and a vow to protect the green belt from developers.

It's a bit early to say how these will play out but if the dial doesn't move in his favour, might he decide that the game is up and bow out?