> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.kentcurrent.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Nine more Green votes were enough to take a Tory seat in Dover - URL: https://www.kentcurrent.news/nine-more-green-votes-were-enough-to-take-a-tory-seat-in-dover/ - Published: 2026-09-01T12:47:09.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-01T12:47:09.000Z - Description: Plus who put County Hall forward for housing, a communications mishap at KCC, and the rest of the week across Kent - Author: Ed Jennings - Tags: News **Nine additional Green votes were enough to turn third place in 2023 into victory in a Dover by-election last week, as Reform and Restore helped reshape the vote around them. Elsewhere, County Hall has mysteriously appeared as a potential housing site, KCC’s communications deputy complains nobody communicated with him, Canterbury faces an unlikely threat to its city status, and Ebbsfleet United face more trouble.* ### Catch up With our week off from the news cycle last week, this Catch Up contains no council rows, planning documents or alarming spreadsheets. Instead, there is one big question and two interviews. With County Hall losing much of its power, we asked where Kent’s real centre might be instead. Maidstone has the paperwork, Canterbury the cathedral, Rochester the castle and Bluewater the car parks, but none has an uncontested claim. [The essay prompted a lively response](https://www.kentcurrent.news/where-is-the-real-heart-of-kent/), much of it from readers confidently nominating entirely different places, which rather proved the point. One possible answer is wherever people still choose to gather. Steven spoke to Martin Latham, who opened Waterstones Canterbury and spent more than three decades in bookselling, about bookshops as public spaces, readers’ pleasing refusal to behave like algorithms and the day Umberto Eco quietly worked in the basement. [Read their conversation here](https://www.kentcurrent.news/publishers-and-booksellers-underestimate-the-public/). Steven also met Sam Cox, better known as Mr Doodle, whose work has expanded from university murals to sculptures, a documentary and an extensively redecorated family home. [They discussed](https://www.kentcurrent.news/its-a-mammoth-sized-project-that-is-only-one-per-cent-complete/) turning doodling into a family business, balancing it with fatherhood and his attempt to produce one million doodles, a mammoth project currently just 1% complete. ### Nine more Green votes were enough to take a Tory seat in Dover Local elections are not controlled experiments. Even so, the numbers from Thursday’s Guston, Kingsdown and St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe by-election are striking. At the 2023 district election, the ward’s Green candidate received 758 votes and finished behind two Conservatives. Last week, Green candidate Ingrid Dodd received 767 votes and won. Nine additional Green votes were enough to turn third place into victory and make Dodd the first Green councillor in Dover District Council’s history. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4a/81/4a81a2ea-fb28-4a6c-89c9-b54d120a45ef/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-01-at-13.17.34.png) Green Party activists celebrate with Ingrid Dodd (right) following the result. The difference was everything happening around her. Reform’s James Defriend came within 34 votes of winning, while the Conservatives fell to third in a ward where the Conservatives secured both seats in 2023\. Restore Britain took another 284 votes, giving the three parties on the right 1,473 votes between them. Votes do not transfer tidily between parties, whatever losing candidates and spreadsheet enthusiasts might wish. Not everyone who supported Restore would necessarily have voted Reform, nor would every Reform voter have returned to the Conservatives. But it is difficult to escape the central fact of this result: the right divided and the Greens came through the middle. The Green vote share rose by 2.7%, while the Conservative share fell by 16%. Comparisons with 2023 are not exact because that was a two-seat election in which voters could support two candidates, but the direction is clear enough. ****Guston, Kingsdown and St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe by-election result** 🟢 Ingrid Dodd (Green) - 767 - Elected ➡️ James Defriend (Reform) - 733 🌳 David Hawkes (Conservative) - 456 🌹 Steve Wisbey (Labour) - 389 🏰 Jez Hermer (Restore) - 284 ⚪ Graham Wanstall (Independent) - 35 Dodd’s immediate reaction was restrained. “I am delighted to represent the people in my local area on Dover District Council,” she said. “I thank them for their trust, and I will do my utmost to deserve it.” Defriend had announced as polls closed that he would not attend the count because he had his three children that evening. He said he hoped nobody would interpret his absence as arrogance or an assumption that he had won. “Me being there won’t change the result,” he wrote. “Being a good dad is more important to me than being a good politician.” The following day, he congratulated Dodd and said he was proud of the campaign Reform had run. He thanked the 733 people who supported him and promised to continue “working hard, staying visible and doing everything I can for our communities.” Restore Britain was considerably more jubilant about finishing fifth. Its Dover and Deal branch described 10.6% as the party’s best by-election result so far, particularly given that it was only six months old. The branch thanked campaigners who had travelled to the ward, with a special mention for one volunteer who it said had been bitten while delivering a leaflet. No further details were offered about the assailant, their species or their political affiliation. Independent candidate Graham Wanstall had no doubts about the result. “Restore standing let the Greens in as I expected,” he wrote. Wanstall, who has stood in ten elections across 40 years, claimed he had never seen so much attention given to a local by-election. He said Reform, Restore and the Greens had delivered repeated leaflets and brought canvassers into the ward from across England. His own campaign was somewhat more analogue. At least 300 residents, he reported, now possessed a postcard bearing a pleasant photograph which he had distributed as his calling card. Labour’s Steve Wisbey took a philosophical approach to fourth place. “Today is not our day,” he said. “But there are lots more days to come.” In the end, this looked less like a Green surge than a rearrangement of the political field around a remarkably steady Green vote. Dodd takes the party onto Dover District Council for the first time, Reform has shown it can come within touching distance of winning here, Restore has a result it can present as progress, and Labour and the Conservatives have rather more difficult numbers to explain. A margin of 34 votes settles who won, but not which way the ward is heading. But for now, the Greens have the seat. ***Why Kent Current was not at the count*** *Regular readers will know that we ordinarily report from by-election counts. We have attended them across Kent without difficulty, but Dover District Council did not respond to our repeated requests for press accreditation, and we were therefore unable to attend this one.* *The BBC and KentOnline were admitted, so this was not a general exclusion of the press.* *After we raised the matter with the leader of the council the day after the election, the press office responded around an hour later. It apologised and said our earlier messages had been caught by the council’s email filters and had not reached their inbox.* *The council said it had reported the problem to its IT team and would take immediate steps to prevent it happening again.* *That means this account is based on the official declaration and the candidates’ subsequent public statements, rather than our own observations and interviews from inside the count. We don't usually need to make this distinction, but readers deserve to know.* ### Who put County Hall forward for housing? Kent County Council's headquarters, Sessions House, has appeared in Maidstone Borough Council’s Call for Sites as a potential housing site. Who put it there is less clear. The exercise is an early part of writing the borough’s next Local Plan, which will guide development for the next 15 to 20 years. It allows landowners, developers and others to suggest sites that might be useful one day. Inclusion does not mean anything has been approved. The Sessions House [entry](https://maidstone.oc2.uk/form/1736?ref=kentcurrent.news) selects 'Housing (of any type).' It suggests no number of homes and leaves the mixed-use box blank. The *Kent Current* asked Kent County Council who submitted the form, whether a planning consultant was involved, which parts of the site are no longer required and what future uses are being considered. Its reply did not answer those questions. Instead, KCC told the *Current* that Sessions House will remain its strategic headquarters “for the foreseeable future.” It said parts of the building are not currently needed for its operations, and that KCC or its successor will need flexibility over how it is used in the coming decades. It also described Sessions House as being identified for “mixed uses” in the Local Plan, despite the registered form only showing housing as a potential use. None of this amounts to a housing scheme, let alone a decision to sell. What it leaves is a public form proposing housing at Sessions House, no confirmed submitter, and a council response that talks about mixed use instead. For an exercise intended to keep the options open, it has explained remarkably little. ### The communications deputy who wasn’t told Emails seen by the *Kent Current* show Kent County Council’s deputy responsible for communications complaining that his own administration had failed to tell him about a scheme in his division. The exchange began when KCC’s communications team sent all 81 county councillors a press release on Friday afternoon. [It announced £150,000 of improvements](https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/improvement-works-to-begin-on-colonel-stephens-greenway-in-tenterden?ref=kentcurrent.news) to the Colonel Stephens Greenway in Tenterden, including the resurfacing of 650 metres of the walking and cycling route. Work is expected to begin in October. “This has been sent to all Members,” the covering email helpfully confirmed. Unfortunately, that was slightly too late for Cllr Wayne Chapman. Chapman is the county councillor for Tenterden. He is also Deputy Cabinet Member for Communications and Engagement in the Reform administration running Kent County Council. “Shame that myself as the KCC Member for the Tenterden Division has not been contacted and kept informed about this scheme,” Chapman wrote in a reply sent to all councillors. He asked for the failure to be investigated and requested all the information about the project so he could “get up to speed” before the media release caught him out if residents approached him. On the positive side, he added, the scheme appeared to be “a fantastic improvement that will be enjoyed by so many.” The release said KCC had worked closely with Tenterden Town Council, Ashford Borough Council and community groups to develop the project. It included a quote from Spencer Dixon, the Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport. Somewhere during all that close working, nobody appears to have thought to tell the councillor representing Tenterden, despite him also being the administration’s deputy responsible for communications. Having used the council-wide email list to raise this communications failure, Chapman then encountered another one. “Did we all need to receive this?” one councillor replied. “Does the Cabinet Member not keep you informed?” Another councillor agreed that members should be told about developments in their divisions, but suggested Reform had not always extended the same courtesy to others. They cited a bus issue that had been resolved without the local councillor being informed, despite them having asked to attend a meeting and prepared an alternative proposal. Perhaps, the councillor suggested, Chapman and his Reform colleagues could reflect on that before asking others for greater courtesy. A press release about an improved cycle path had therefore become a council-wide discussion about Reform’s internal communications, its communications deputy not being communicated with and whether any of this needed to be communicated to everybody else. ## ****Like what you’re reading?** Get independent reporting on the stories shaping Kent, delivered free to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### In brief 🎱 *Southborough News* has been [talking to users](https://southborough-news.com/?ref=kentcurrent.news) of a Tunbridge Wells snooker club facing demolition. 🎓 The University of Kent has [improved its finances](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/kent-finances-improve-despite-near-ps10-million-drop-fee-income?ref=kentcurrent.news) by £10m following deep cuts. ⛪ Last Kent city standing, Canterbury, [could lose its city status](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/08/31/winchester-and-canterbury-risk-losing-city-status/?ref=kentcurrent.news) as part of local government reorganisation. 🚖 Swale Borough Council has asked taxi drivers to [remove poppies](https://www.phtm.co.uk/news/9178/phtm-news/swale-council-orders-icars-to-remove-remembrance-poppies-and-stickers-from-vehicles?ref=kentcurrent.news) from their vehicles. 🌳 Katie Lam, the Conservative MP for Weald of Kent, [has been appointed](https://www.instagram.com/p/DctzRyoisZI?ref=kentcurrent.news) Shadow Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary. 🌹 *Canterbury Tales* have interviewed Kent county councillor and Lord Mayor of Canterbury, [Alister Brady](https://canterburytalesnews.substack.com/p/the-least-i-can-do-is-sweat-a-bit). 🛫 Kent-born far-right grifter Milo Yiannopoulos has been [deported from the US](https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/far-right-commentator-milo-yiannopoulos-deported-uk-2026-08-29/?ref=kentcurrent.news) back to the UK. 🛞 Kent is lacking [nearly 1,300](https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/they-have-nowhere-to-go-kent-faces-shortage-of-1-272-trav-344448/?ref=kentcurrent.news) traveller pitches. 🪏 A fascinating look at a [tunnelling operation](https://www.autonocion.com/us/german-machine-caroline-thames-flint/?ref=kentcurrent.news) under the Thames. ⚽ Ebbsfleet United are [facing expulsion](https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/step-2/national-league-north-and-south/national-league-south/622838/banned-crisis-club-may-face-explusion/?ref=kentcurrent.news) from the National League over ongoing financial issues. 🪧 Maidstone Market [might survive](https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/glimmer-of-hope-for-town-s-under-threat-historic-market-344446/?ref=kentcurrent.news) a little longer. 🏖️ Three quarters of the very expensive Folkestone Shoreline properties [have been sold](https://folkestonedispatch.substack.com/p/developers-reveal-shoreline-sales), based on new figures revealed by the *Folkestone Dispatch*. 🐟 Papa's have [opened a new fish and chip restaurant](https://frymagazine.com/features/fish/papas-moves-south-with-opening-in-kent/?ref=kentcurrent.news) in Ramsgate next to the giant Wetherspoon. 🍞 Docker Bakery have [opened an outlet](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcnkRhNtBBe/?ref=kentcurrent.news) in Dover. 🛩️ If you looked up in the air last week, you might have seen [Sydney Sweeney on top of a plane](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4jxry5nyyo?ref=kentcurrent.news). ### Council matters **Meetings this week:** - **Tonbridge & Malling:** [Cabinet](https://democracy.tmbc.gov.uk//ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=146&MId=6336&ref=kentcurrent.news) meets tonight (Tuesday) to talk about local government reorganisation, budgetary control, AI governance, and more. - **Folkestone & Hythe:** [Cabinet](https://folkestone-hythe.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=142&MId=5900&ref=kentcurrent.news) meets on Wednesday to discuss fraud, welfare, complaints, social housing, and more. - **Tonbridge & Malling:** [Council](https://democracy.tmbc.gov.uk//ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=126&MId=6727&ref=kentcurrent.news) meets on Thursday to consider the Local Plan. **New planning applications:** - **Dartford:** Use of former adventure golf course at Bluewater for [seasonal events](https://publicaccess.dartford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=TJX9W4BQMH200&ref=kentcurrent.news). - **Folkestone & Hythe:** Installation of [statue](https://folkestonehythedc.my.site.com/PR3/s/planning-application/a1nbH00000iwl70QAA/260803fh?c%5F%5Fr=Arcus%5FBE%5FPublic%5FRegister&ref=kentcurrent.news) of Jimi Hendrix bassplayer Noel Redding. - **Maidstone:** Construction of [47 retirement bungalows](https://pa.midkent.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=TJ8POHTYMP100&ref=kentcurrent.news) in Coxheath. ### Property of the week This is The Crown Inn at Stone in Oxney, although calling it a property is slightly underselling things. It is a former village pub with planning permission to become a five-bedroom house, plus a separate one-bedroom annexe, summer house, and new parking area. The old bar is even set to survive as a reception room, which feels only fair. There is a catch, though. The building needs significant restoration, so this is less a case of unpacking the removal van and more one for someone who enjoys a very ambitious project. If you've ever looked at a closed village pub and wondered what you would do with it, this is your chance. [Check out this 5 bedroom detached house for sale on Rightmove5 bedroom detached house for sale in Stone, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 for £450,000\. Marketed by Hobbs Parker Estate Agents, Tenterden![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4a/81/4a81a2ea-fb28-4a6c-89c9-b54d120a45ef/content/images/icon/favicon-32bd2439-bb28-4153-9b00-293f83e8c7c0.ico)Rightmove.co.uk![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4a/81/4a81a2ea-fb28-4a6c-89c9-b54d120a45ef/content/images/thumbnail/e3292eed9521ec1c099041929791605c-3d722ef0-6c28-49a0-be90-23b2553ce5df.jpeg)](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/92552529?ref=kentcurrent.news#/) ### Events this week 🎤 1 - 2 Sep - [**Nish Kumar: Tour Warm-Up**](https://dice.fm/event/eoxg5y-nish-kumar-tour-warm-up-1st-sep-where-else-margate-tickets?ref=kentcurrent.news) // Political comedian tries out his new show ahead of its national tour. Where Else?, Margate. Tickets £20. 🎸 Wed 2 Sep - [**Altered Images: Happy Birthday**](https://www.twforum.co.uk/events/2026-09-02-altered-images-playing-happy-birthday-in-full-the-forum?ref=kentcurrent.news) // Clare Grogan and the Scottish new-wave band perform their debut album Happy Birthday in full. Forum, Tunbridge Wells. Tickets £37. 🍺 5 - 6 Sep - [**Faversham Hop Festival**](https://www.favershamhopfestival.org/?ref=kentcurrent.news) // Two days of live music, street food, parades, Morris dancing and family entertainment celebrating the town’s hop-growing history. Faversham town centre. Free. ## ****Enjoyed this? There’s more where it came from.** Join readers across Kent receiving our independent reporting on the stories shaping the county, straight to their inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### **Footnotes** Have a Kent story you think we might be interested in? 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