KCC can brand Kent with Brand Kent

Tim Aker on promoting our county without falling into the usual mistakes

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.

Yet within that question lies opportunity. With a new administration comes new energy, new ideas, and a real chance to do things differently. The public mood has changed. People are tired of hearing about consultations and committees; they want action and delivery. They want to see something tangible, something that tells them that local government is not just managing decline but building a future.

Kent County Council has to take that opportunity and turn it into a success story. I was recently on BBC Radio Kent, where they replayed an interview with the Council’s portfolio holder who said, point blank, that the authority would create its own phoenix from the ashes of those organisations. That remark raised expectations. It must now be followed by delivery.