Kent social care chief moves on
Richard Smith spend six years at Kent County Council
Last updated 5th Oct 2025
A senior council officer who steered the county’s largest local authority through the Covid-19 pandemic has moved on.
Richard Smith spent six years at Kent County Council (KCC), five of them in charge of the under-pressure adult social care and health (ASCH) directorate.
Mr Smith was appointed as interim director in April 2020 before being given the role permanently in March 2021.
A KCC statement said he is leaving for a new role at Labour-run Nottingham City Council, five months after Reform UK swept into County Hall in a landslide victory over the Conservatives.
The statement paid tribute to Mr Smith’s “outstanding leadership” during the pandemic.
The council, like many others nationally, has struggled with soaring ASCH costs while government funding has been squeezed.
His department’s spend increased by around £260m to £740m between 2023 and 2025. The authority has an annual budget of £1.5bn, a huge chunk of which is spent on social care needs.
Colleagues have described Mr Smith, who has previously worked at Essex County Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, as “pretty laid back” and “phlegmatic” in his approach to his job.
One said: “There are pressures, deep pressures, in ASCH and KCC is not the only council suffering from that. Managing big budgets and delivering on commissioning plans are tough requirements of any authority, as Richard knows only too well.
“But he’s leaving here with a lot of goodwill. Richard’s a nice guy.”
A Kent County Council (KCC) statement said: “After six years at KCC, Richard Smith has decided to move on from his position as Corporate Director for Adult Social and Health to take up a new role at Nottingham City Council.
“In order to facilitate this move, he is leaving his role on a mutually agreed date of 30 September.
“We would like to thank Richard for his contribution to KCC since February 2019, particularly during his five years as our statutory Director of Adult Social Care (DASS).
“His lasting legacy at Kent will be particularly remembered through his outstanding leadership during the Covid pandemic, the benefits of which are still felt, and the development of a long term strategy for adult social care in Kent.”