A care charity is to lose around half its staff after missing out on support contract work at Kent County Council amid an efficiency drive by the Reform UK led local authority.

Crossroads Care Kent had been looking to retain care contract work for both the West and East Kent areas from the council.

However, “despite our best efforts” the charity says it was unsuccessful in bidding to be lead provider for a new adult carers support contract for East Kent from the council and local NHS services. From September this work will transfer to the successful bidder, the charity Involve.

The charity has retained carer support work in West Kent after partnering lead provider Imago in the bidding process to deliver short break and crisis care in the area under new contract arrangements.

But is adds that because of the specifications of the new contract the volume of short breaks it will offer has been halved. Through the new contract arrangement Imago will offer “a wider range of services and different break options”.

According to the Charity Register the charity has 156 staff, but following the two contract developments the charity has announced that 75 “wonderful, skilled and caring staff members, bringing centuries of combined experience and knowledge” will no longer work for the charity.

It added: “It is hard to put into words what a loss this is: not just for Crossroads Care Kent, but for the tens of thousands of families we have supported over the years and the thousands of professionals who have referred into our service.

“We have always strived to provide a quality, meaningful service, and have gone above and beyond to support carers and their families.”

The charity added that “we won’t pretend this isn’t a substantial change for the charity", with the contract changes coming at the same time as the ending of its 13-year partnership with Macmillan.

“Taken together, this represents a significant change in how Crossroads is funded. But we are confident in our ability to continue delivering these services and doing the work that matters, while remaining financially secure.

"We've planned carefully for how the charity operates going forward. Crossroads has adapted before over more than four decades, and we're confident we can do so again.”

Kent County Council's efficiency drive

While council documents specify that the new care support contract arrangements “have no impact” on its medium-term financial plan, the changes do come amid an efficiency drive by the Nigel Farage led party, which took control of the previously Conservative controlled local authority last year.

This summer it launched its Dolge (Delivery of Local Government Efficiency) plan at the council, which outlines its aim to “cut waste to save money” and “work smarter so we can deliver services more efficiently”.

It is also currently consulting residents around its 2027/28 budget.

The council says it has already reduced its debt by £142m but still faces “serious financial pressures” especially around demand for social care.

“Even if Council Tax is increased by the maximum allowed there could still be a significant budget gap. With no Council Tax increase there is an estimated budget gap of between £100 million and £120 million,” it warns.

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