The local authorityCouncil · Unitary · England · 1 of 63 unitary authorities

Medway.

Labour Party-controlled unitary. £285m net revenue. 24 wards across 3 parliamentary constituencies.

TypeUnitary
Seats60 councillors · 24 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Websitemedway.gov.uk
Net revenue · 2025-26
£285m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,215
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
34/60
Labour Party 57%
Westminster
3
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
29 Jun 2026

Labour Party chamber, Labour Party MPs.

Medway is a unitary controlled by Labour Party (34 of 60 seats). Net revenue is £285m for 2025-26. It covers 24 wards spanning 3 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.60 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Lab 34Con 22Ind 4

Labour Party 57% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Chris SpaldingIndAll Saints2023
Damola AnimashaunLabChatham Central & Brompton2023
Nina GurungLabChatham Central & Brompton2023
Vince MapleLabChatham Central & Brompton2023
Matt FearnConCuxton, Halling & Riverside2023
Phil FilmerConCuxton, Halling & Riverside2023
Trevor ClarkeConFort Horsted2023
Gareth MytonLabFort Pitt2023
Harinder MahilLabFort Pitt2023
Smitha CampbellLabFort Pitt2023
Adam PriceLabGillingham North2023
Douglas Kudakwashe HamandisheLabGillingham North2023
Showing 12 of 60·All 60 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

60%
Council tax
£169.5m · median 59%
30%
Central grants
£84.7m · median 30%
11%
Business rates
£30.5m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the unitary authorities median: 60% council tax, 30% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£1,842
County / upper-tier£0
Police£270
Fire & rescue£95
GLA precept£0
Parish average£8
Total Band-D£2,215

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.10 buckets · vs 62 other unitary authorities

How does Medway split its revenue across services, compared with peer unitary authoritie-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Education29.6% of net spend · cohort median 36%
45 of 61-17% vs median
Adult Social Care26.3% of net spend · cohort median 27%
39 of 61-3% vs median
Children's Services19.7% of net spend · cohort median 15%
12 of 61+33% vs median
Waste & Recycling7.4% of net spend · cohort median 6%
10 of 61+30% vs median
Public Health4.2% of net spend · cohort median 4%
22 of 61+16% vs median
Culture & Leisure3.6% of net spend · cohort median 2%
7 of 61+66% vs median
Housing & Homelessness3.4% of net spend · cohort median 2%
10 of 61+79% vs median
Corporate & Central2.7% of net spend · cohort median 3%
36 of 61-4% vs median
Highways & Transport2.0% of net spend · cohort median 3%
45 of 61-23% vs median
Planning & Economic Development0.9% of net spend · cohort median 1%
45 of 61-33% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.24 wards split across 3 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Rochester and Strood1250% Lauren EdwardsLab
Gillingham and Rainham729% Naushabah KhanLab
Chatham and Aylesford521% Tristan OsborneLab
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 62 other unitary authorities
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for Medway
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level