Flags spark festive stand-off
Plus what's going on at KCC this week, a chaotic council meeting, news in brief, and more
Kent’s political divide keeps deepening, from a festive fight over flags and Christmas lights in Harrietsham to fresh chaos at County Hall, where the Reform-led administration faced new suspensions, press restrictions, and rows over the county’s direction. We’ve got the full details below, with news in brief, and lots more.
Flags spark festive stand-off
A dispute over flags and festive lights in a Kent village has become the latest point of contention over how public space is used, and who controls it.
Harrietsham Parish Council said this week its Christmas lights display may not go ahead after Kent County Council, now led by Reform, issued a permit requiring that flags attached to lampposts along the A20 be removed before the lights could be installed. The parish council warned residents that the condition could make it “unable to proceed as planned,” leaving it liable for the hire cost.
Kent County Council said the claim of extra costs was wrong. Peter Osborne, the cabinet member for highways and transport, said the parish’s lighting contractor could remove any obstructing flags as part of the same job. He said safety had to come first and that “flags on streetlight columns pose a risk during installation.”
Asked if this marked a change in policy after earlier assurances that such flags were welcome, a spokesperson said there was no backtracking, as the council had always said flags would have to come down if there was a health and safety risk. Which may be true, but suggests the council is happy to shunt responsibility for their removal onto local parishes, despite them falling under the county's remit.
KCC’s position follows a familiar line since Reform took control at County Hall. The council has resisted calls to remove street furniture flags elsewhere, arguing that it will only intervene when safety is at stake. That has left it at odds with other authorities in Kent, most notably Medway Council, which has taken the opposite approach.
Medway completed the removal of hundreds of illegally installed flags yesterday (Thu 6 Nov). In a statement, leader Vince Maple said they had breached the Highways Act and “hijacked” the national flag to sow division and intolerance. His highways and enforcement lead, Alex Paterson, said contractors had been threatened during the removals and that future illegal flags would be taken down and given to a community art project celebrating Medway’s diversity.
Paterson also released a video showing piles of the removed flags, saying the operation was not about health and safety but about confronting intimidation in public space.
The contrast between Kent and Medway has come to reflect a wider political divide. At County Hall, Reform has framed the flags as local expression, restricted only when safety demands it. In Medway, Labour has presented them as deliberate acts of provocation.
Tensions around that symbolism have already spilt into the streets, with repeated anti-immigration marches organised by the same people putting up flags across the county. In Herne Bay last week, police separated flag-waving demonstrators and counter-protestors after an anti-immigration rally at the seafront clock tower. Officers kettled counter-protestors for their own safety after attempts to set fire to their placards.
The disagreement over Harrietsham’s lampposts might seem minor, but it distils a wider divide. Reform’s Kent speaks of freedom and common sense, Labour’s Medway of law and inclusion. Between them sits a county still working out how to balance expression with order, and discovering that even Christmas lights can turn political.
What’s going on at KCC this week?
As ever, a week is a long time in politics, so let’s quickly catch up on the latest happenings at Kent County Council:
Another Reform councillor was suspended from the party this week. Cllr Isabella Kemp, who represents Sheppey, was suddenly removed ahead of yesterday’s council meeting.
Cllr Kemp also worked in a data protection role at Reform’s national HQ, where she has been dismissed. She said she was now seeking to take action over unfair dismissal.
Journalist Josiah Mortimer at Byline Times noted that Kemp didn’t declare her Reform HQ job on her register of interests as a councillor, which is potentially a criminal offence.
Two previously expelled members of the Reform group, Cllrs Bill Barrett and Robert Ford, have formed their own Independent Reformers group on the council.
Cllr Ford believes he was suspended for a reason you’ll never guess, and we really recommend you read every quote he gives in this story.
A KCC meeting was delayed earlier this week because no one from the administration initially showed up to answer questions.
Richard Tice, the new leader of Reform’s ineffective DOGE unit, didn’t take it well when asked whether data was being shared from KCC to his team.
Order breaks down at County Hall
Kent County Council’s latest full council meeting opened with confusion before a word was spoken. Reporters arriving at County Hall found the usual press benches closed and were directed into a public gallery with only 14 seats, forcing several journalists and members of the public into an overflow lecture theatre to watch a livestream.
The council said the press benches had been closed to make space for officer seating. From the gallery, though, the view told a different story. The seats were empty, used mainly for councillors’ coats and bags.
BBC journalist Michael Keohan, among those unable to enter, described being “ushered into a lecture hall to watch it with members of the public.” Shortly after, the audio in the overflow room failed. “Now the speakers have broken, so we can’t hear anything from the meeting,” he posted. “The poor security guard said he doesn’t know what to do.” A replacement speaker was eventually brought in, but the sound failed again mid-meeting.
Inside the chamber, proceedings were no calmer. Cllr Daniel Taylor (Ind), currently on bail pending trial for allegedly threatening to kill his wife, attended for the first time since his arrest, narrowly avoiding disqualification for non-attendance.
Once we got into the actual business of local government, things took on many of the usual beats.
Cllr Alister Brady (Lab) asked about leader Linden Kemkaran’s letter to the government urging it not to close the visa route for migrant social-care workers, inviting her to join him in thanking them. Cllr Diane Morton (Ref) replied instead, thanking them while also saying that British people needed to take those roles.
Cllr Andrew Kennedy (Con) asked whether Kemkaran supported the Nolan principles and the council’s code of conduct. She said “yes.” Kennedy replied that his side would be “delighted and surprised to hear that,” and asked whether her actions met those principles. Kemkaran said she was confused by the question. Kennedy was happy to clarify on social media following the meeting.
Cllr Stuart Heaver (Grn) asked what level of council-tax reduction residents could expect from the ‘DOLGE’ work. Cllr Brian Collins (Ref), deputy leader of KCC, said no decision had been made, adding, to laughter, that, “It is our intention, one day, to lower council tax.”
When the time for questions expired, Kemkaran began her Leader’s Report. She accused the Chancellor Rachel Reeves of “spreading misinformation” about KCC and said she should focus on fixing local government finances. She said Kent had overspent “far less than others,” cited councils of other parties needing emergency support, highlighted pothole repairs and plans to shift freight from road to rail.
On Virgin’s approval to run cross-Channel rail services, Kemkaran said they had assured her personally that they would stop in Kent. She also referenced her son’s army training, noting how many were dismissed for disciplinary reasons or “not being tough enough,” a pointed jab at those recently kicked out of her group.
Cllr Antony Hook (LDem) criticised the ruling Reform group, saying residents deserved better than “a punchline on Have I Got News For You.” Continuing the pop culture theme, Cllr Mark Hood (Grn) compared Reform at KCC to an episode of The Traitors. Cllr Harry Rayner (Con) said recent weeks had shown “unbelievable incompetence.” Cllr Brady (Lab) said Labour had led the fight to return cross-Channel services and noted that “the press have been banned from the chamber.”
Kemkaran described opposition responses as a “group therapy session.” She then declared “the gloves are off” with the Conservatives and then addressed Rayner directly: “I guess this means our cosy chats about you coming over to our side are off.” Yikes.
Cllr Sarah Hudson (Con) attempted a point of order, which the chair refused to allow. Hudson seemed to lose all patience at this point. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll listen to the bullshit,” she muttered as she slumped back in her chair.
The council then debated a new Strategic Statement titled Reforming Kent, a title that almost certainly breaches the Local Government Act. Cllr Richard Streatfeild (LDem) said the document read as “a political manifesto, not a strategy.” Cllr Hood (Grn) called it “an absolute shambles of a strategic document.” Cllr Heaver (Grn) said it painted a “bleak and depressing picture” of coastal communities. Cllr Paul Thomas (Ind) said only “one in 7,000” residents had responded to the consultation, while Cllr Paul Stepto (Grn) said it contained “Farage scare tactics.”
Cllr Christopher Hespe (Ref) urged opposition members to “read the document,” calling it “an innovative vision.” Cllr Dean Burns (Ref) cited his work with rough sleepers in Ashford and said the strategy emphasised early intervention. Cllr Mike Sole (LDem) criticised its stance on commercial-to-residential conversions, while Cllr Bill Barrett (Ind) said it was “rushed” and “overly partisan.” The document passed 53–21 regardless, with three abstentions.
After a break, councillors debated local government reorganisation. KCC’s proposal is for a single county-wide unitary authority, which is a clear breach of the government's requirements for the process. Kemkaran called the process “an unwanted and unwelcome distraction.”
She said alternative multi-unitary models were more expensive and slower to implement. Cllr Sole (LDem) said the plan broke government rules and would not qualify for future devolution. Opposition councillors highlighted the scale of the proposal, with 118 councillors covering all of Kent, and questioned its practicality.
Cllr Luke Evans (Ref) read out comments from Grok, the AI system on X, in support of the model, because that’s where we are now. Reform councillors said the single unitary was the “only logical option.” Cllr Hood (Grn) raised concerns about “professionalising councillors,” asking, “surely we want councillors that look like us?” prompting laughter from the Reform benches.
Cllr Thomas (Ind) defended Kemkaran and said he would vote for the single-unitary model. Cllr Brady (Lab) said it would lead to a remote, unresponsive council and block Kent from gaining a strategic mayoral authority. Cllr Robert Ford (Ind) said all the proposals would “put all of our council tax up by half,” while Cllr Hook (LDem) raised an even more chilling threat: it could ultimately see Kent forced to merge with Surrey.
Cllr David Wimble (Ref) said the process would “double council tax in ten years” and, while listing good and bad mayors around the country, praised “Andy Burnham in Birmingham.” Cllr Jamie Henderson (Ref) said dividing the county would worsen inequalities. Cllr Stuart Jeffery (Grn) noted he had been called “shockingly ignorant” by Kemkaran, who nodded in response. Cllr Maxwell Harrison (Ref) said a North Kent unitary “couldn’t survive” after the “devastation” caused by Labour running Medway.
Debate drifted, tempers frayed, and by the end, it was hard to tell what exactly had been resolved, beyond the fact that Kent’s politics remain anything but normal.
In brief
📍 The business cases for the competing new maps of Kent under local government reorganisation have been published. We’ll dig more fully into these next week.
🦡 675 homes near Sittingbourne are set to be approved, despite badgers.
🚧 Campaigners are trying to stop a 200-home development near Ramsgate because it’s a bit too near a Christian monument.
🚛 Villagers near a proposed truck stop west of Dover are not happy.
🪪 The Port of Dover has postponed registrations for car passengers under the EU Entry/Exit System at the request of French authorities.
🔎 A Thanet CIC trying to raise money for veterans has been found to be breaching several fundraising practices, the regulator has found.
🔥 Edenbridge Bonfire Society will burn an 11 metre high figure of Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday.
More Currents
For our midweek column, Tim Aker wrote about the collapse of Visit Kent and Locate in Kent, and the opportunities in replacing them.
KCC can brand Kent with Brand Kent
News hates a vacuum, and there is always opportunity in crisis. One of the issues I have been keeping an eye on over the autumn is what will replace Locate in Kent and Visit Kent. These two bodies were tasked with bringing tourists and business to the county, flying the flag for our economy and ensuring Kent’s name was on the national and international map. Regrettably, both collapsed in quick succession. To some, it barely registered. To others, it looked like a failure of leadership and vision, with two flagship organisations falling by the wayside almost like dominoes. “What’s going on in Kent?” they ask, and not for the right reasons.
Footnotes
Have a Kent story you think we might be interested in? Get in touch via hello(at)kentcurrent(dot)news - We’re always happy to talk off the record in the first instance…
Follow us on social media! We’re on Facebook, BlueSky, and Instagram for now.
Enjoying the Kent Current? Pass it on. If you know someone who’d like this too, forward this email to them and invite them to subscribe.