Cllr George Perfect is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Medway Council.
Up until recently, Medway Council was due to be abolished on 1st April 2028, with elections next year to a new shadow authority. Fast forward to today, and we are now facing elections in May 2027 for all of Medway’s 59 seats.
Medway Council was first established in April 1998 following a local government review, which brought together Rochester-upon-Medway and Gillingham Borough Council to form a new unitary authority covering Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and the Hoo-Peninsula. Whilst Labour ran the Council from 1998 until the elections in 2000, it was under Conservative control from May 2000 until May 2023.
Under our leadership, we transformed Medway from a post-industrial area into one of the South East’s most ambitious regeneration success stories. Following the decline of traditional industries and the closure of the dockyard, Conservative administrations championed major redevelopment projects that helped attract investment, create new homes, and improve local infrastructure.
Landmark schemes such as Rochester Riverside, Chatham Waterfront, and St Mary’s Island have brought thousands of new homes, modern business space, and enhanced public areas, while supporting economic growth and job creation across the area. The council also helped drive a long-term vision for Medway’s future through strategic regeneration plans focused on attracting high-value businesses, improving skills and employment opportunities, and strengthening Medway’s reputation as a destination for education, innovation, and investment. These achievements have helped reshape Medway’s identity, laying the foundations for continued growth and prosperity for local communities.
In 2023, we lost control of the Council, at the peak of Labour’s recent local government highs. Since then, we have seen so much of what we built in peril, as a result of the current administration. Starting with finances. Medway Council’s finances are in a precarious state. Since 2024, the Council’s finances have been funded through exceptional financial support, with the gap growing every year. Whilst there are challenges to our financial position, brought about by a lower revenue grant from government, and high levels of deprivation in our urban core leading to very high need for our statutory services, the administration has not helped themselves.
The Council’s capital programme and borrowing level, will likely hit nearly £1bn by next May, with a huge capital programme of risky projects. The latest is a care home which will cost the taxpayer £50m, with the administration unable to explain how or when the project will actually be cash positive. A further £22m spent on renovating the council’s headquarters building and repairing RAAC, at a time when the future of Medway Council as an entity is uncertain. And a never-ending pile of debt from exceptional financial support, leaving the council with huge interest payments every year.
Reform UK will claim that the way out of this mess is by electing them. But their local record here in Kent and Medway shows anything but. Persistent infighting, with their Deputy Group Leader resigning earlier this year claiming, “with Reform they’re good at spin, but struggle with good governance”. Their record at Kent County Council shows anything but to be desired. Since taking control of Kent County Council in May 2025, Reform UK promised a programme of efficiency savings, reduced bureaucracy and a renewed focus on value for taxpayers’ money. However, its record has been anything but. A group in a never-ending state of chaos, savings that were claimed never delivered, and a budget with huge holes, clobbering future generations with a budget funded through asset disposals.
Next year, we will take a positive, pragmatic and future focused vision to the people of Medway. One that is anchored on good governance, delivering regeneration whilst protecting our rural communities, and a focus on getting finances back into a stable state. It will be a tough fight, but we firmly believe that the people of Kent and Medway have seen both with the incumbent administration in Medway, and with our neighbours in Kent County Council, that both Labour and Reform UK offer nothing for our place.
Only a Conservative Group, with a proven track record of delivery and strong leadership, will ensure that Medway has the brighter future it deserves.