Reform plants its flag at County Hall

Plus Ebbsfleet to eventually get international trains again, a wild planning dispute in Tunbridge Wells, news in brief, and more

Since Reform swept to power in Kent three weeks ago, we’ve been waiting to find out what the party might actually look like when running a council. Today, we got the first example of that at their first full council meeting, and we’ve got the details below. Further down, we have good news for people who think international trains should stop at international stations, a wild planning dispute from Tunbridge Wells, news in brief, and more.

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Reform plants its flag at County Hall

If there was one overriding message from today’s first full meeting of Kent County Council since Reform swept to power on May 1, their newly elected leader, Linden Kemkaran, made it clear: Her party is going to do things differently to what came before.

“We are here to unite, not divide,” Kemkaran told the chamber shortly after her administration confirmed that pride flags are now banned from KCC buildings. Welcome to the new Kent.

Reform holds a commanding majority at KCC, with 57 of the council’s 81 seats. The Liberal Democrats, now the main opposition, have 12 seats. The Conservatives, Greens, and Labour hold five, five, and two seats, leaving them little power within this new reality.

Cllr Kemkaran introduced her full cabinet as the meeting concluded:

• Deputy Leader: Brian Collins (Ashford Rural East)

• Adult Social Care: Diane Morton (Gravesham Rural)

• Environment: David Wimble (Romney Marsh)

• Integrated Children’s Services: Christine Palmer (Swale)

• Community & Regulatory: Paul Webb (Sittingbourne South)

• Education & Skills: Beverley Fordham (Dartford West)

• Highways & Transport: Bill Barrett (Ashford Rural South)

• Department of Local Government Efficiency: Matthew Fraser Moat (Northfleet & Gravesend West)

• Economic Development & Coastal Regeneration: Paul King (Dover West)

The annual meeting opened with the election of Richard Palmer as Chair of the Council and Peter Evans as Vice Chair. This allowed Reform councillor Isabella Kemp to offer up the administration’s apparent slogan - “We’re here to make Kent great again” - which landed somewhere between political mission statement and Trumpian cosplay.

Kemkaran’s leader’s report continued the theatrical tone. She declared the country as “broken,” said housing in Kent should be “primarily for local people,” argued the need to “ween ourselves off importing labour from abroad,” and promised to only proceed with net zero initiatives that offer “tangible benefits.”

But the day’s fiercest debates were not about housing, climate or social care, but instead about flags. Lib Dem councillor Mike Sole asked if the pride flag, flown last year at County Hall, would be permitted again. Cllr Palmer replied that it would not, clarifying that only the Union flag, the flag of St George, the Kent flag, royal standards, and armed forces flags would be flown. “There should not be a hierarchy of flags,” Palmer said while constructing one at the same time.

Kemkaran backed this position, stating that the council should not promote “special interest” flags for any one group. She also used the term “invasion” in reference to Channel boat crossings, arguing that the meaning of the Kent flag (‘unconquered’) was being made a mockery of.

Labour Group leader (of two) Cllr Alister Brady focused on practical matters, asking Cllr Kemkaran whether Reform would reverse the previous administration’s budget decisions. While she confirmed a budget review will get underway, she stopped short of promising any immediate changes. She also introduced a new Cabinet post for the Department of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE), headed by Matthew Fraser Moat, who will take on the role fulfilled by Elon Musk in the US. This new role will supposedly audit and examine every aspect of council operations. The immediate headline saving was a 5% cut in councillor allowances, which Kemkaran says will save over £100,000 to be redirected to Member Community Grants, a sort of austerity with a populist spin.

Vague responses by Cllr Kemkaran met many questions on actions KCC would take under Reform’s administration. On bus cuts near Tunbridge Wells? No firm commitments. On the Road of Remembrance landslip in Folkestone? Engineers are “costing it.” On renewable energy? If it’s cheap, maybe.

When asked about potential 20mph zones near schools, she said Reform UK didn’t believe in “one-size-fits-all” and would listen to what residents wanted. On renewable energy, the message was that anything offering clear financial or practical benefits might survive—but don’t expect wind turbines to enjoy a friendly breeze at County Hall.

One thing that became clear was that future local government reorganisation and devolution is potentially going to face more resistance from KCC. Cllr Kemkaran made her scepticism clear, saying, “I’m not entirely convinced it’s the right thing for Kent,” and raised concerns that the conversion to multiple unitary authorities would “remove our unique identity.”

Lib Dem opposition leader Cllr Antony Hook reiterated his party’s opposition to the proposed “Mayor of Kent” plan, calling it “too much power for one individual.” Cllr Lehmann, in the most Green way possible, said his own group had “varied views” on the upcoming changes but that those affected by them should make the decisions.

It will take some time to see whether Reform can deliver any meaningful changes for residents beyond slogans and symbolism. One thing is clear though: We are in for a very different kind of local politics under their stewardship.

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Ebbsfleet to get international trains again… eventually

Last month, we looked at the absurd scenario where Kent has two ‘international’ railway stations with no international trains and the gradual changes that might result in services returning to the county.

This week, Uber announced that it had signed a deal to use its branding on a new international rail operation with Gemini Trains. The initial routes from the company would see trains running from London to Paris and Brussels, but most importantly for a Kent-based news outlet, they will also stop at Ebbsfleet International. But not Ashford. Small steps and all that.

None of this is going to change anything overnight, either. The company anticipates starting services in 2029, and challenges still remain in getting new operators running on the Channel Tunnel route. Services at Ebbsfleet carry additional logistical issues too, and the more elaborate border control facilities introduced at St Pancras will need to be replicated there.

Still, there is at least a chance that at least one of our international stations might actually be able to live up to its name by the end of the decade.

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Cheeky planning application ruined by pandemic and Google Maps

An absolutely wild planning report from Tunbridge Wells, where an application over a 1.5m strip of land being used by a restaurant as an outdoor seating area has resulted in a lengthy document involving Google Maps, the pandemic, pedantry, and accusations of image doctoring.

The argument centres around Sankey’s in the Pantiles area of the town centre, who have supposedly been using a larger area for outdoor seating than they have permission for. However, they have submitted a planning application for the additional land they have encroached onto to make it lawful as they have been getting away with it for ten years, and if you manage that continuously, the law says whatever breach you’ve committed should be deemed acceptable.

The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells.

Au contraire, says Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, noting that the outdoor seating couldn’t possibly have been used continuously for ten years because the 2020 lockdown meant the area outside the restaurant was cleared. To back up their case, their report includes Google satellite imagery and a bunch of other photos comparing old images of the restaurant to manholes on the pavement. It’s the kind of dorky, impressive work that only a disgruntled planning officer could put together.

The argument also features a number of supporting characters, with the Pantiles Residents Association (PRA) seemingly so incensed about the 1.5m overreach that they sent in a ton of photos, maps, and screenshots from YouTube videos to make their case against Sankey’s. In response, the restaurant accuses them of manipulating and editing the photos, which only irritates the PRA further. Spicy stuff.

Ultimately, despite all of the evidence in play, the case seems likely to hinge on whether the ‘continuous’ ten-year period counts if it runs through a pandemic where everything was shut down and put away. Tunbridge Wells’ Planning Committee will hand down their judgement on the matter at a meeting next week. In the meantime, you can read the full 15-page report (one for every 10cm of land being argued about) here.

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In brief

🚛 The government is considering selling off the Sevington border check facility. Created in 2021 as part of a Brexit panic, the vast facility saw a large area on the edge of Ashford concreted over to hold up to 1,300 lorries waiting to cross the channel. In light of the recent UK-EU deal, the facility is unlikely to be needed going forward, leaving a giant lorry park up for grabs, with the government eyeing Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover as potential new owners.

⛴️ Speaking of the Port of Dover, they had a bit of a good news, bad scenario this week. The port was very happy about the new UK-EU deal, while also warning that there isn’t enough funding to stop foot-and-mouth disease from getting into the country.

🌳 The Conservatives have lost majority control of Sevenoaks District Council after nine councillors resigned from the party to sit as a new West Kent Independents group. The move follows infighting over cabinet roles and leaves the Conservative administration with just 24 of the district’s 54 seats.

🧑‍⚕️ The Care Quality Commission has judged that adult social care in Kent needs to improve, highlighting ‘stark differences’ and ‘health inequalities’ across the county.

🔍 The Planning Inspectorate is set to begin a four-week enquiry into a £40m development in Northfleet. The plans were called in by the government despite Gravesham Borough Council approving them, and most remarkably for a large development, letters of support outweighed letters of opposition nearly ten to one.

💰 Medway Council has issued over £2m in fines during the first year of enforcing Moving Traffic Offences and School Street restrictions in just 14 locations. Data obtained by our Medway-focused sister title Local Authority found nearly 35,000 fines were issued in the first year of the schemes.

💣 A Met Police instructor committed gross misconduct when he drunkenly threw a petrol bomb at a training centre in Gravesend. The instructor proceeded to try to put it out himself rather than call the fire brigade, using 150 fire extinguishers in the process. For his part, he claimed he had "no recollection of personally ever throwing a petrol bomb."

🎓 The University of Greenwich is looking to cut 319 jobs, a quarter of its workforce, with many jobs set to go at Medway's Faculty of Engineering and Science. The University and College Union responded by calling the institution a ‘rogue employer.’

🚄 Southeastern has completed refreshing the interiors of its high-speed Javelin trains. The project's next stage will see passenger information improved and a new, more boring, external livery.

🎚️ Folkestone music venue The Music Workshop is under threat after being served a noise abatement notice from Folkestone & Hythe District Council.

🍟 Swale Borough Council officers recommend approving a new McDonald’s near Canterbury. The fast food outlet wants to take over the former Travelodge at Gate Services, but the final decision will be down to the council’s planning committee tonight.

🍅 Thanet Earth, the UK’s largest glasshouse complex, has begun constructing a seventh building. The 6.5 additional hectares of space will allow them to grow 150m more tomatoes yearly.

🚰 Ground investigations are set to begin as the first stage of building a new reservoir near Canterbury. Southern Water is spearheading the Broad Oak scheme, which will be able to yield 22m litres of water each day.

🪲 Alan Titchmarsh wants you to look out for a beetle that has been found in Kent after 50 years and has the potential to ruin potato crops.

⚽ Ashford Utd’s Gary Lockyer has become the top scorer in this season’s FA Cup despite the eighth-tier side being eliminated in the tournament's third round.

🏨 ‘cene magazine has been exploring the delightfully vintage Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate.

🏖️ Tabloids have been having a fun week discovering Kent’s seaside towns. The Mirror is very excited about ‘hidden gem’ Broadstairs, the Daily Express have found the ‘forgotten’ (by who is unclear) Margate, while the Standard thinks people should visit Folkestone before it becomes ‘too Margate.’

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More Currents

Earlier this week, we examined the current state of local government reorganisation in Kent, which will ultimately see the demise of 14 existing Kent councils, including KCC. Local leaders have six months to work out exactly what they think the future should look like, but agreement might be further away than ever.

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Footnotes

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