Ed Jennings

This is a very good write up of the water situation in Tunbridge Wells.

I don't want to say that everyone is struggling these days, but the local church has sent us a bookmark instead of a Christmas card this year.

Yeah, it's a bit of a minefield. I think we've worked through everything with the team at Ghost, but I also expect there will be some teething issues.

This is part of the problem - Substack has gone from being this open thing to trying to lock us more and more into their ecosystem.

It's a big, slightly scary day for us as we move @kentcurrent.news to Ghost.

Substack has been good for us, but we reached the point where too many things there were working against us.

We'll be doing the same with @localauthority.news in the coming weeks.

British public’s verdict is in: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie Survey also reveals Britons’ favourite festive film, views on tear-jerkers and family cinema trips

Finally, the British public gets something right in a poll.

I didn't get into local journalism to set up a pen pal scheme with another Medway in Canada, but that's where life takes you sometimes.

Reform’s sinking Kent flagship The council was supposed to show how effective Nigel Farage’s party would be in power. Those watching from close quarters have instead been treated to a spectacle of chaos, spite and division

Hardly any of the newly elected Reform councillors had experience of local government. Among their ranks were decorators, landlords, gas engineers, teachers, a carpet-store owner, a photographer and a paramedic

✏️ @edjennings.bsky.social

🗞️ Our latest issue is on sale - Welcome to Kent: A Reform UK council

Featuring @edjennings.bsky.social, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social, Jessica Cecil, @jamesrball.com, @sonia-sodha.bsky.social and more

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Some personal news.

Kent politics keeps getting weirder.

Local Authority | Substack Award-winning independent Medway news covering local news, politics, culture, and the weirder side of our towns. Click to read Local Authority, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

The meeting has now concluded.

Thanks for joining me tonight.

Don't forget that we publish a Medway newsletter with all of the latest news from our towns sent straight to your inbox each week:

Vote to limit motions to mostly two main parties:

For: Labour, Conservative
Against: IndGroup, Reform, Cllr Spalding (Ind)

Proposal passes 42-9.

Independent Group, Reform, and Cllr Spalding (Ind) no longer entitled to bring motions to council meetings.

Labour councillors laughing and making boohoo hand gestures to councillors in groups who will no longer have the right to bring motions to council really isn't a good look.

Cllr Finch (Ref) says "Medway doesn't need less debate, it needs better debate." Says there is no coincidence that the parties pushing the changes are the ones losing ground.

Cllr Crozer (IndGroup) says much of the streamlining is positive, reducing motions is a stark departure from previous aims.

Cllr Lammas (Ref) says "we are seeing the emergence of the uni-party." Says it's ironic that while "Labour are rigging the rules, they are simultaneously pulling down flags in Medway."

Cllr Maple (Lab) asks if Lammas endorses lawbreaking and which laws he wants to break? Mayor says not relevant.

Cllr Lammas (Ref) says that before he defected from the Conservatives, the cross-party group claimed the move was to "clip Reform's wings." Cllr Perfect (Con) says that it is "factually incorrect" and asks him to withdraw it. Cllr Lammas refuses. Says legal advice says changes are likely unlawful.

Cllr Turpin (IndGroup) says the proposals will create officer-led censorship. Cllr Murray (Lab) says she should apologise for suggesting officers are part of a conspiracy. "This is one of the most shameful and anti-democratic changes to be put forward to the constitution."

Cllr Pearce (IndGroup) says this is "an abuse of power" by the Labour administration, supported by the "so-called opposition group" of the Conservatives. He goes on to quote Spider-Man, and calls this "gaslighting." Says he hopes the legal challenge to the proposal is successful.

Cllr Murray (Lab) begins her seconding of the proposal by intensely praising Cllr Maple, saying he would never do anything to reduce democracy, a level of brown-nosing not seen since the grand tradition of Cllr Doe praising Cllr Jarrett under the former Conservative administration.

Cllr Maple (Lab) says "we have a collective duty of care to streamline our meetings." Says other councils have made similar changes, but no other council has faced a judicial review over them.

Lists increased democracy in other areas, but it is unclear how one thing justifies the other.

We now move on to a Review of the Constitution, which will see smaller council groups lose their automatic right to submit motions at council meetings.

Reform are very unhappy about this change, and are threatening legal action over the changes.

Cllr Spalding (Ind) says he will be launching High Court action against the nursery owner next week for defamation.

Cllr McDonald (Lab) says this is the first censure issued at Medway Council, and it was not done lightly.

Council agrees to the censure.

Cllr Spalding gets another cup of tea.

Cllr Spalding (Ind) says the process for councillor conduct was not followed. Says he didn't continue to visit the nursery after being asked to. "Do members really think I'm that stupid?" Says what the complainant said happened did not happen. "I did not harass or bully anybody."

Cllr Kemp (Con) supports the censure and says he "will be brief as we have already wasted too many hours on this regrettable case." He challenges Cllr Spalding to set out his supposed recognised legal credentials. Says behaviour "falls solely outside the remit of his duties as a councillor."

Cllr Spalding (Ind) was supposed to write a letter of apology to the member of the public and undergo further training, but has so far refused to do so.

Cllr McDonald (Lab) says the "code of conduct exists to respect the integrity of this council." Says censure is the strongest measure available.

We are now moving to a councillor conduct matter, where Cllr Spalding (Ind) is due to be censured after the Councillor Conduct Committee found him guilty of bullying and harassing a member of the public in a dispute over a nursery in Allhallows.

Cllr McDonald (Lab) is setting out the findings.

We are now voting on Medway Council building it's own care home.

For: Labour, IndGroup, Cllr Spalding (Ind)
Against: Conservatives, Reform

Proposal passes 34-17.

Cllr Hackwell (Con) says his group won't support the plan, despite its strengths.

Cllr Spalding (Ind) talks about his father, who was stuck in hospital because an appropriate care space wasn't available for him. Says he fully supports the proposal because we need the beds.

Cllr Wildey (Con) says it would be better if the entire facility were used for residential care rather than a mix of residential and respite care, but "overall it is a good idea."

Conservatives also raising issues that it won't be built before LGR, meaning beds will be for wider area than Medway.

We are back underway, discussing plans for an 80-bed care facility to be built by Medway Council on the former Innovation Park Medway site.

Cllr Murray (Lab) says the new care home will be "big and beautiful," adding a Trumpian flourish to proceedings.