It’s election day in Kent
Plus exercises in futility around the county, news in brief, details of our results coverage, and more
Following one of the shortest local election campaigns in recent memory, voters in Kent will vote today to decide who will represent them on Kent County Council for the next four years. Unusually, no one seems to know what is about to happen. We look at the state of things below. Further down, we have news on some futile endeavours some councils are going through ahead of reorganisation, news in brief, some practical information about today’s election, and some details on how we’re going to cover the results. Let’s get to it.
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It’s election day in Kent
Kent goes to the polls today to elect what is likely to be the final Kent County Council, and if one thing is certain, it’s that no one really knows what is going to happen.
Activists within each of the main parties are bullish about their chances in some areas of the county, but there is no consensus on exactly what will happen today. This puts us in unprecedented waters for a county that the Conservatives have firmly controlled for most of the past 50 years.
The biggest unknown is the level of threat that Reform poses in the county. History suggests this should be a strong area for the party. The recent past saw UKIP become the official opposition in the county in 2013 before they fell apart four years later. Still, Reform seems to be slightly better organised and polling better than that party ever did. The Guardian, visiting Ramsgate this week with Nigel Farage, raised the spectre of the ‘silent Reform voter’ who might sway the election toward the party.
It is clear that the party is throwing everything they have at the county, and by everything, we mean the party leader. Farage has taken time out from representing the people of Clacton hosting shows on GB News recording thousands of Cameo videos to tour the county this week, popping up in Dover and Sittingbourne as well as the aforementioned Ramsgate. Assuming the party performs well in today’s election, it seems likely that we’ll see him back again by the end of the week.
Farage hasn’t been the only party leader in the county this week, with Green co-leader Carla Denyer campaigning in Dartford this week, where the party is increasingly optimistic that they can make in-roads. The party currently holds five councillors on KCC and is aiming to double that figure.
The Lib Dems are optimistic about their chances, particularly in some of the middle-class heartlands that the Conservatives could previously take for granted. Party leader Ed Davey visited Tunbridge Wells today and, in a very Ed Davey move, signed some ‘magic spatulas of victory’ for good measure. How successful they will prove remains to be seen, but the party is eager to be at the head of any left-leaning coalition that can be formed following the election.
The big unknown is exactly how well the Conservatives and Labour can perform, with the electoral mood seemingly against both. Labour only holds five seats on KCC, so it’s hard to see how much worse things could get for them, but anything is possible. The Conservatives have the most to lose, holding 55 of the council’s 81 seats, and no one knows how many they are likely to be left with once the votes are counted.
KentOnline Local Democracy Reporter Simon Finlay has put together a list of 12 seats that are worth watching, which includes some interesting (even bold!) choices, which only goes to show just how unpredictable this election might be.
Stick with us for what could be quite a dramatic season finale for Kent County Council. Further down, you’ll find full details on today’s election and how our coverage is going to work over the next couple of days. Strap in.
Exercises in futility
If you ever think your job is pointless, spare a thought for officers at Canterbury City Council and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, who have just spent two years redrawing the electoral map of Canterbury just in time for the council to cease existing.
With local government reorganisation on the cards, all existing district councils in Kent will likely cease to exist in the next couple of years, meaning that two years of work will have been done for nothing.
In a report set to be put to Canterbury’s full council next week, officers noted that the new boundaries that have been developed were set to be introduced in the 2027 elections, the same time that local government reorganisation is set to roll out:
“If local government reorganisation proceeds as planned, it is unlikely that the recommendations will be implemented. However, at this point in time we continue to plan for all eventualities.”
The plans would have seen a significant shakeup of Canterbury’s ward map, with an increase from 39 to 40 councillors, the city having 24 wards instead of the 21 existing ones, and changing the boundaries of 15 existing wards.
Canterbury isn’t the only area moving forward with potentially fruitless endeavours. Medway Council are embarking on a £22m project to repair and refurbish their Gun Wharf headquarters, including building a brand new council chamber for a council that likely won’t exist by the time it’s completed. A cynic could suggest the outlay helps position them as the centre of a new North Kent unitary authority that is likely to follow, but it’s a rather expensive gamble.
Ironically, the efforts to simplify local government by merging the county and district council operations into one is leading some areas to consider introducing new local representation. Parish councils exist, primarily in rural areas, to manage the affairs of small communities, and with local councils potentially moving further away, towns around Kent are considering whether they need to form new town councils to fill the gap.
Ashford Borough Council are considering carrying out a Community Governance Review on whether an Ashford Town Council should be created. A report being presented to the Selection and Constitutional Review Committee next week argues that a new town council could potentially give residents a greater say on matters in the town:
“Putting in place the most local tier of decision making could give residents more ownership and control of services delivered on their behalf. As well as taking on responsibility for some local services, parish and town councils have a strong 7 voice in planning issues, separate to the statutory planning authority. A more localised council could give residents a bigger say and there would be an additional tier of councillors to represent residents, focusing on more immediate local issues”
The report accepts that this may not be the ideal time to conduct such a review and that a similar effort in Whitstable last year found residents were largely against creating an extra layer of local democracy. As such, an alternative path is offered that would see any future authority that absorbs Ashford being required to review whether the town needs additional representation after the reorganisation has taken place.
There’s no such differing in Tunbridge Wells, where Tunbridge Wells Borough Council are going all out to have a review on whether the town needs a town council done and dusted by next year. The review covers the urban core of the town that does not currently have a parish council, and it seems clear from the report that it is likely that some kind of new arrangements are set to be introduced.
There are over 200 parish and town councils across Kent. With the possibility of new powers and resources being passed to them following any future local government reorganisation, perhaps we should be expecting more of these reviews in the near future. How many might be successful is another matter entirely.
In brief
🌹 Labour regained overall control of Medway Council last week after two councillors suspended for over a year were readmitted to the party.
🪧 200 anti-immigration protestors descended on Dover over the weekend. Counter-protestors met them, but Kent Police say the event passed without incident.
✉️ Councillors in Tonbridge and Malling say they have felt intimidated by residents visiting their homes to post objections to a housing development in East Malling.
🚄 Eurostar has proposed competing operators on cross-Channel rail routes upgrade facilities in Kent to increase capacity. Depots in Ashford, Folkestone, and Gravesend are among those suggested.
🏗️ Sevenoaks town centre is set to be redeveloped as part of a £120m project. The plans would see a new leisure centre, cultural and market hall, public spaces, access to Knole Park, and homes built on the east side of the town.
🏘️ A request for a screening opinion has been submitted to Gravesham Borough Council for two developments totalling 470 homes in Meopham.
🏡 Plans have been submitted for 35 new homes on the edge of Sandwich. The proposals are for farmland to the east of the town.
🐅 Wingham Wildlife Park near Canterbury has applied to build an extension to its facilities. The plans include new buildings to serve as pygmy hippo and tiger enclosures.
🎭 Planning permission is being sought to convert the former county court in Gravesend into a performing arts theatre, cafe, and community hub.
⛴️ Design and engineering firm Arup has assembled a 2050 Masterplan for the Port of Dover. The plan integrates all of the port’s operations with an intent to increase trade value by 20%.
🗣️ Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has called for an apology from the Prime Minister after she quit the party over disagreements with the party leadership over her views on gender.
🏳️⚧️ Apropos of nothing, the Crab Museum in Margate came out swinging following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman.
🧑⚖️ A prison officer in Kent was subjected to ‘extreme racial abuse’ by colleagues. An employment tribunal ruled in favour of the officer following his dismissal from the role at HMP Swaleside on Sheppey.
💣 Five Met Police officers are facing a misconduct hearing after launching petrol bombs at a training facility in Gravesend.
🚂 Vandals have caused £30,000 of damage to the Spa Valley Railway. Graffiti was sprayed across heritage carriages over original paintwork that can’t be replaced.
🏨 Small hotel owners in Canterbury are concerned that Airbnb and temporary university accommodation are squeezing them out.
🍛 An Indian restaurant owner in Canterbury has claimed the flagship Riverside development is like a ‘ghost town,’ leading to him moving his business into the city centre.
📽️ The Ashford Cinema will remain open for at least another 18 months. The venue was taken over by Ashford Borough Council a year ago after the original operator, Picturehouse, pulled out.
🐴 ‘cene magazine has been meeting folklore enthusiasts in Kent who uphold the county's traditions.
⚽ The New York Times have been writing about the final day of the Isthmian Premier League for some reason, which features Dartford FC’s final day battle for promotion.
🌊 The National Piers Society has named Herne Bay Pier the third best in the country.
🐄 Elmley Nature Reserve on Sheppey is trying to improve access with a new guide, group visits, and free lifts from the nearby Swale rail station.
⛲ The Canterbury penis fountain was unveiled this week.
Election notes
Polling stations across Kent are now open and will remain so until 10pm.
If you have received your polling card, you should know where you need to go to cast your ballot. If you are registered to vote but haven’t received your polling card, you do not need it to vote. Go to your polling station, confirm your name and address, and you will be allowed to vote, so long as you have an accepted form of photo ID. All voters will need to bring a form of photo ID in this election regardless.
If you do not know where your polling station is located, you can visit the Where Do I Vote? website, enter your postcode, and they will, for lack of a better term, tell you where to go.
If you have a postal vote but did not remember to return it in time, you can drop it off at your polling station until the polls close at 10pm. You do not need a photo ID to do this, but you must fill out a form when doing so.
If you were due to vote in a polling station today but can not make it due to a work or medical emergency or have lost your ID, you can contact your local council to arrange an emergency proxy vote. You can do this until 5pm today.
You may find people outside your polling station asking to see your polling card. These people are activists for political parties, and you absolutely do not have to engage with them.
Polling stations will close at 10pm, which brings us to…
Our coverage
We will be at County Hall tomorrow, getting the results from across the county as they come in.
We’ll be running live coverage through the day on our subscriber chat for our paid supporters, so please join us there. If you’d like to join us throughout the day and aren’t currently one of our lovely paid supporters, you can upgrade your subscription and get 25% off your first year.
After that, we’ll be back on Saturday with a special election results edition for everyone, analysing the new political reality for Kent, before resuming our regular schedule next week. As a bit of a palette cleanser, our Monday feature for paid supporters will very much not be politics-related.
More Current
Over the weekend, we sat down with Paul Francis, long-time political editor for the KM Group of newspapers in Kent. He recently left the organisation and reflected on his move to freelance journalism, reporting on Margaret Thatcher in Finchley, the KCC elections, and much more.
“I'm now operating as a freelancer in the wild west of local government”
Paul Francis’ ‘Paul on Politics’ has been a significant part of Kent politics reporting this century. After a long and tenured career, he has now left the Kent Messenger and recently started his own Substack newsletter. We spoke to Paul about what led to that change, reporting on Margaret Thatcher in Finchley, and what he thinks will happen in Kent at t…
Footnotes
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