Local News
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Local News South East Water outage leaves hundreds of Ashford-area homes dry during hottest May weekend on record
Technical failure at Charing pumping station and heatwave demand blamed as villagers queue for bottled water in Charing, Challock and…
27 May 2026 -
Council Updates Kent County Council votes to add Lord’s Prayer and national anthem to meetings
Reform UK-led authority approves constitutional changes despite opposition from Liberal Democrats and secular campaigners. Prayers are…
27 May 2026 -
Council Updates Name the lawful authority: fourteen Kent councils asked to justify LGR spending
Two days after this newspaper put a single legal question to the senior officers of every council in Kent, only two automated replies have…
26 May 2026 -
Council Updates Kent’s housing targets: the demographic engine
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not hold data on how many of the homes that Kent councils are required to…
25 May 2026 -
Council Updates Amber heat-health alert issued for Tunbridge Wells as temperatures soar
Health officials warn of significant risks to vulnerable residents and care services during five-day hot weather period from 22 to 27 May…
23 May 2026 - Council Updates
Kent’s statutory officers put on notice over pre-Royal-Assent reorganisation spending
A formal Notice of Post-Royal-Assent Candour and Personal Statutory Liability has placed the Section 151 Officers and Monitoring Officers…
22 May 2026 -
Council Updates Maidstone Borough Council presses South East Water to improve emergency bottled water distribution after supply outages
Councillors Jeffery and Harwood meet South East Water to address access problems at bottled water stations during recent Maidstone supply…
21 May 2026 -
Council Updates Canterbury City Council recovers three-bedroom home through tenancy fraud investigation
A successful housing tenancy fraud investigation by Canterbury City Council has freed up a three-bedroom property for re-letting to a…
18 May 2026 -
Economy Iran War Fuel Shock Hits Kent’s Tourism and Channel Trade Hard
A near-20% jump in petrol and one-third surge in diesel since late February are already filtering through to ferry surcharges and day-trip…
18 May 2026 -
Council Updates Reform UK takes first Medway Council committee seats for 2026/27
Reform UK has been allocated formal seats on six Medway Council committees for the 2026/27 municipal year, the council’s Annual Meeting…
16 May 2026 - Local News
Mental health nurse Cllr Douglas Hamandishe elected Mayor of Medway for 2026/27
Cllr Douglas Hamandishe (Gillingham North) has been elected Mayor of Medway for the 2026/27 civic year, with Cllr Sharon Jackson (Strood…
15 May 2026 -
Investigations Westminster’s New Barons: Mayors will be granted new powers
On 29 April the Lord Privy Seal told Parliament on the King’s behalf that “Mayors have been granted new powers.” Notice the verb. Granted…
14 May 2026