Doc Sarah Lonsdale

Reform poised to raise Kent council tax as Musk-inspired attack on costs falters ANNA GROSS - KENT Kent's local authority will probably raise council tax rates next year as Reform UK strugglesto find big savings under an Elon Musk-inspired cost-cutting drive. Kent was one of 10 councils that Nigel Farage's rightwing populist party seized in a swath of local election victories in May. He vowed to save "a lot of money" by abolishing "wasteful" spending. But Diane Morton, Reform's cabinet member for adult social care on Kent county council, told the Financial Times that services were already "down to the bare bones". "We've got more demand than ever before and it's growing." she said, stressing she did not believe access to those services should be limited. "We just want more money." As with many local authorities in England, the bulk of declined to say whether council tax Kent's budget went on adult and chil- would be raised but other Reform coun- dren's social care, as well as on children cillors said they wanted to avoid hitting with special educational needs, which the full 5 percent. together accounted for about 50 per Reform's experience highlights some cent of its £2.5bn annual expenditure. of the obstacles it may face in national All councils have a legal duty to bal- government if it won the next general ance their books and will set next year's election and pursued its pledge to slash budgets in February or March. Ahead of taxes and spending. "Everyone thought that, most councils in England are we d come in and there were going to be expected to increase council tax by 5 per these huge costs we could cut away but cent, the maximum allowed. there just aren't," said a third senior "I think it's going to be 5 per cent," Reform cabinet member in Kent. Morton said of where Kent would land Farage has set up a Reform Depart- on tax rises, adding that every 1 per cent ment of Government Efficiency team - increase equated to an extra E10mn. modelled on Musk's "Doge" i…

Anyone remember Reform promising to go into their new councils with DOGE-style units to slash “waste” and stop taxes from rising? Yeah, it went exactly as you’d expect if you put people in charge who have no idea how anything works.

Yet so many seem to think that's a reasonable basis for giving a candidate power....

Whoever thought Reform would be effective, capable, truthful or simply plain competent in government, more fool you. Remember this at the next election please.

Today is the 89th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street. On 4 October 1936, ordinary east end Londoners stood up to Mosley and his British Union of Fascists, refusing to let them march through east London.

Honour their legacy. Don't ignore fascists. Stop them.

They shall not pass. No pasarán.

A bit too much sewage around Deal for that 🙃

Greetings from a bright, blustery east Kent. No fish today though.

What???

The most horrific thing about this is the comments suggesting there ANY possible circumstances that this could be valid.

Anyone who is up in the #LakeDistrict today and can tell me the weather isn't actually that bad, I would be really grateful

Be Part of Britain's Weekend of HOPE 💛

hopenothate.org.uk/weekend-of-h...

Dear Lord, it’s actually worse than the extract @stephenkb.bsky.social shared. Quite a lot worse.

Not a big fan of organised religion but this is good news, I think

What an inspiration Jane Goodall was to everyone working in nature and conservation. I'll never forget reading that she had to take her mother with her on her first field trip because women weren't "allowed" to study in the wild alone. I wonder what her mother made of it all. #wildlydifferent

If you live near Westwell in Kent, where Evelyn Cheesman grew up and first fell in love with nature, I'm speaking at Westwell Vineyard about Evelyn and her life on December 4! Do please come for a glass of wine and hear about giant spiders and centipedes
www.westwellwines.com/products/an-...

This is Jane Goodall with David Greybeard. He was her favourite chimp, the first chimp to trust her, and the first chimp she (or anyone) saw using a tool. Their relationship changed the world.

A sketch of a small pile of books with the words “Meet the Author” superimposed

Let's hear from you writers, tell us a little bit about yourself, what projects you've on the go, what you've written, any events in the near future, or just drop your bio and links and follow and support each other

#WritersLiftWednesday #Writers #Authors #WritersLift #BookSky 💙📚

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All The Devils Are Here by David Seabrook part 2

I bought a remaindered copy of All the Devils Are Here ('local interest') in 2005, recommended it to my editor at Penguin, who in turn recommended it to Rachel Cooke, who wrote about it and made a podcast with us, which led to it being republished, which led to this. open.spotify.com/episode/6ZlW...

Folks — this is not a normal government shutdown.

Let me explain the stakes and how we got here.

Terrific article by Richard Ovenden: energetic advocacy for the goods of public libraries (& a challenge to tech giants’ claims to offer free access to unlimited information). I’ll always be grateful that my local library allowed me to explore widely in my reading as a child.

Is there a reason I ask that the Times are using a picture of asylum seekers in a boat to describe rules for migrants who came on legal routes such as skilled worker visas for doctors?

I normally try to wait till October but was feeling sorry for myself...

I've cracked

They look like baguettes with different degrees of seedy toppings! (Sorry, not very scientific!)

I should have had an acknowledgements page, the numbers of lovely people who responded to my request!

Almost as interesting as the book itself was the letter tucked inside it, several decades old, from a jilted young woman to her callous boyfriend...it started for me a hunt for other things left in books, aided by dozens of Bluesky users, resulting in an essay for Slightly Foxed next quarter!

On this date in 2022, @sarahjlonsdale.bsky.social wrote about Stephen McKenna's Sonia (1917), a perhaps not fully successful novel that nonetheless stands as one of the earliest accounts of the fracturing of British social structures that would result from the Great War.

neglectedbooks.com/?...

white circle in a blue background and the words "It's Monday! What are you reading?" in the circle

It's Monday again and today I'm about to start Revenge by Yoko Ogawa

What book(s) are you reading this week?

💙📚 #BookSky #AmReading #MondayReads #TBR

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An old orange Penguin paperback edition of Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

This has been on my tbr list for about 20 years and now starting with a little trepidation. I know it's a classic but worried I'll find some of its values and attitudes to women particularly, obnoxious. Wish me luck!

"DANCING WITH BEES: A Journey Back to Nature" at Millpool Centre Tickets are now available for DANCING WITH BEES: A Journey Back to Nature at Millpool Centre, Cornwall on Sunday 5th October 2025 at 2:00PM. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

This Sunday I'm speaking at The Looe Festival of Words, about my book 'Dancing with Bees - a Journey back to #Nature' - and about some of my favourite #bee species 🐝

Starts 2pm at The Millpool Centre in Looe, #Cornwall. Do come along if you can! 👇

www.ticketsource.co.uk/looe-festiva...

Team Europe trolling Trump after winning The Ryder Cup 🤣💀