Fire authority in limbo as Reform suspensions stall oversight
Plus Faversham flag wars, Thanet's last youth centre, latest financial interests of Kent MPs, a Canterbury by-election, and lots more
Good morning and welcome to your Monday briefing. We hope you managed a quiet weekend and avoided the worst of the November gloom, because things are looking pretty murky at County Hall again.
Kent’s fire and rescue service has found itself caught in the crossfire of Reform’s ongoing internal rows, with the authority that oversees it now unable to function after multiple suspensions. It’s the latest example of how political drama at County Hall keeps spilling into the machinery of government, and this time the unions are warning it’s starting to affect public safety.
We’ve got the full story below, along with the latest on this week’s by-election in Canterbury, an AI planning tool that could cause headaches for councils, and the county’s most unlikely bingo controversy. Let’s get into it.
Catch up
If you missed any of our reporting over the past week, here’s your chance to catch up:
We sat down with Joe Bill, Editorial Director at Cene Media, for our big weekend interview. ‘cene magazine is one of the shining lights of Kent independent media, so we talked to Joe about how it came about, what goes into it, and his new padel magazine venture.
Our news briefing last week was packed with news about a festive stand-off over flags in one Kent village, the latest from Kent County Council, including a very odd full council meeting, and lots more.
We also heard from Tim Aker, who wrote about the opportunities that exist to brand Kent as part of KCC’s new Brand Kent initiative in the wake of the closure of Visit Kent and Locate in Kent.
Fire authority in limbo as Reform suspensions stall oversight
Kent’s fire and rescue service is operating without full political oversight after a wave of Reform suspensions left the body that governs it unable to function.
It’s the latest sign of how Reform’s experiment in running Britain’s largest county council is colliding with the mechanics of day-to-day government.
The short version: The Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority (KMFRA), which oversees Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), has lost five of its Reform members in recent weeks, including its chair Brian Black, vice-chair Isabella Kemp, and councillors Robert Ford, Paul Thomas, and Oliver Bradshaw.
Their suspension follows earlier rows inside Reform’s new administration at County Hall, leaving KMFRA unable to carry out all its statutory functions.
Without a functioning authority, Chief Executive Ann Millington is subject to strict limits on spending without formal sign-off.
Union alarm: The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has described the situation as “a shambles and a threat to public safety.”
“Without sound governance, fire and rescue services will not be able to do their jobs properly,” said Steve Wright, the union’s general secretary.
“Kent firefighters work round the clock to keep the public safe,” added Joe Weir, the FBU’s South East executive member. “The least they deserve is political leadership that functions.”
Union representatives say they wrote to council leader Linden Kemkaran requesting a meeting, but have received no reply.
The FBU says it will continue to push for dialogue “to defend the safety and welfare of firefighters, as well as the safety of the public.”
Why it matters: KMFRA is the statutory authority responsible for firefighting, rescue and prevention work across Kent and Medway.
It usually comprises 21 Kent County Council members, four from Medway, plus the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner and an independent member.
The authority signs off on budgets, equipment procurement, and significant safety programmes.
The official KFRS website currently warns that it is “awaiting the announcement of our new Authority members from Kent County Council.”
A council in freefall: Reform UK secured a majority at County Hall in May, billing it as the party’s flagship administration.
Since then, the council has been beset by internal disputes and public rows:
A leaked video of Kemkaran telling colleagues to “fucking suck it up” led to multiple suspensions.
Further clashes followed, bringing the total to nine Reform councillors suspended, including five on the fire authority.
Other council business has been disrupted, including one committee meeting on school transport appeals, which was cancelled after its chair was suspended.
Opposition parties say the pattern has left decision-making across the council close to gridlock.
Between the lines: Fire authorities are not ceremonial. They approve capital spending, fleet renewals, and cross-border mutual aid agreements.
Until new appointments are confirmed, large-scale spending and planning decisions are effectively frozen, a situation that could delay long-term investment in safety and infrastructure.
The episode also underscores the difficulty of translating Reform’s anti-establishment message into the procedural realities of local government.
Kent’s administrative machinery runs on committees, quorums and delegated powers, and many of those are now struggling to meet.
The bottom line: Kent Fire and Rescue Service remains operational, but the elected body meant to oversee it isn’t.
Until Reform stabilises its group and reconstitutes the fire authority, one of the county’s core emergency services will be working without the political oversight the law requires.
Three big reads
1️⃣ The New Statesman has been looking at the ongoing battle between residents of Faversham pulling down flags in their streets, and the flaggers who keep putting them back up again.
2️⃣ The Guardian has visited the Pie Factory, the only remaining youth centre in Thanet, which faces closure after Kent County Council committed to sell their building.
3️⃣ The BBC has been using Kent to ponder exactly what a Reform government in the UK might look like.
Latest financial declarations of Kent MPs
The Register of Members’ Financial Interests is where all MPs must register donations, gifts, and hospitality they receive. On the most recent update to the register, some Kent MPs have had some pretty substantial additions to declare:
Laura Trott (Sevenoaks, Conservative) received £6,000 for a speech to the Association of Consulting Actuaries.
Sojan Joseph (Ashford, Labour), Kevin McKenna (Sittingbourne & Sheppey, Labour), and Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham, Labour) all received a trip to Geneva to an event on global health.
Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge, Conservative) was paid £250 for writing an article for the Telegraph.
Council matters
By-elections:
Voters go to the polls in Wincheap ward in Canterbury on Thursday, following the resignation of Lib Dem councillor Robert Franklin. Five candidates are on the ballot: Peter Campbell (Green), Elliot Curryer (Conservative), Jasmin Dallos-Foreman (Labour), Guy Meurice (Lib Dem), and Colin Spooner (Reform).
Meetings this week:
Dover: Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets tonight (Monday) to consider the district's parking strategy.
Canterbury: Planning Committee will decide on applications for 75 new homes across three different developments on Tuesday.
Folkestone & Hythe: Cabinet will discuss their carbon plan and the equality and diversity annual report on Wednesday.
Ashford: Cabinet meets on Thursday to discuss the council tax base for the coming year, the medium-term financial plan, and financial monitoring.
Medway: Full council will meet for an extraordinary meeting on Thursday, where councillors will discuss Medway’s business case for a four-unitary model under local government reorganisation. This will be followed by a second meeting to finish business from October’s meeting, which was ended suddenly due to a medical emergency.
Maidstone: Planning Committee of the Green-led council will meet on Thursday to decide on a planning application for a solar farm, which officers are recommending be refused.
New planning applications:
Tonbridge & Malling: An outline planning application has been submitted for 116 new homes in the centre of Hadlow.
In brief
🚄 Italian rail operator Trentalia hasn’t given up on its plan to run cross-Channel services and intends to announce new plans. Meanwhile, Ashford MP Sojan Joseph says he is hopeful of a return to services at the town’s abandoned international station. Meanwhile, Hastings MP Helen Dollimore has pleaded directly to Richard Branson’s ego to get the station reopened.
🏴 Flags have been removed from lampposts across Medway, with the council taking a particularly combative tone over the issue.
👨💻 A Kent couple have designed an AI tool to help people object to planning applications, which experts warn could grind the planning system to a halt.
👷 The Lower Thames Crossing has opened a skills hub in Gravesend to train a local construction workforce.
🏚️ Medway’s largest charity, the Gillingham Street Angels, has suddenly announced its closure, with trustees claiming it was no longer financially viable.
💷 A couple has left £3m to a Kent hospice. The Heart of Kent Hospice intend to use the money to build a new facility in Linton.
🌲 £500,000 in funding is being offered to support environmental initiatives in Maidstone.
🛍️ Ashford Designer Outlet has hit 100% occupancy for the first time in seven years.
🎱 A pub staff member in Northfleet has been sacked after sneaking neo-Nazi numbers into a bingo sign.
👑 Residents of Prince Andrew Road in Broadstairs want the road's name changed.
Events this week
🎷 13 - 14 Nov - Rochester Cathedral Jazz and Blues Festival // Third edition of festival features performances from BBC Big Band and James Taylor Quartet. Rochester Cathedral. Tickets from £10.
🎤 Sun 16 Nov - Harriet Kemsley // Headline show for comedian most recently seen on Last One Laughing. The Sussex Arms, Tunbridge Wells. Tickets £10.
Footnotes
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