£500, one single, no plan. That’s how @damagedgoodsrecs.bsky.social started in 1988. Steven met Ian Ballard in Broadstairs to talk 38 years of punk, releasing the Manics’ first EP, the brutal economics of vinyl, and why failing is basically the job description.

Tunbridge Wells will trial weekend voting in May, with three 'voting hubs' open on Saturday and Sunday alongside the usual Thursday polling day. We’ve got what’s changing, why the council wants it, and whether it might shift turnout.

Specialist teachers who support mainstream schools with children who need extra help have started strike action in Kent after the service was brought in-house. We explain what’s changing, why staff are walking out, and what it means for schools and families.

What does Kent need to grow its economy? In our latest interview, Andrew Metcalf, the new chair of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, talks planning, development, local government reorganisation, and why growth slogans only work if the foundations are right.

A KCC councillor has been jailed, triggering a by-election in Cliftonville. We explain what happens next, alongside a packed week of budget votes, fresh water problems, planning rows and local stories from across Kent.

🚨 By-election klaxon! Cllr Daniel Taylor (Ind, formerly Reform) has been disqualified by Kent County Council after being jailed for a year over coercive and controlling behaviour toward his wife. A by-election will be held in his Cliftonville ward within 35 working days.

Kent Current is doing essential journalism that no one else is – strongly recommend subscribing to support them.

Seven KCC councillors have formed a new Restore Britain group at County Hall, giving a national hard-right project a foothold in Kent. We unpack who’s moved, why Reform fractured, and what Restore’s first real test has looked like.

Interview: @helenzaltzman.bsky.social grew up in Tunbridge Wells before becoming one of podcasting’s longest-running voices. We spoke to her about nearly 20 years of making Answer Me This! and The Allusionist, burnout, leaving the UK, and lots more.

Unsurprisingly, we'll have a lot on this in the coming days.

Reform at County Hall gets criticised, and a cabinet member responds by hinting he could pull funding for Margate’s Turner Contemporary. Robust politics or treating public money like leverage? Plus Sevenoaks by-election, water disruption, the Canterbury Odeon fire, and lots more.

We met @sundersays.bsky.social in a Dartford café for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation where we talked about identity, immigration, free speech and the 'anxious middle'...

Ed is live at today's KCC budget meeting. Follow below 👇

Reform’s flagship 'efficiency' project at KCC has a new lead. After last week’s resignation over budget comments, the replacement is a councillor whose public feed is heavy on conspiracies and culture-war reposts.

Dreamland’s Scenic Railway has been shut, with key evidence still unseen. Councillors, heritage groups and residents are now asking how a publicly funded landmark became 'unviable' overnight. Plus planning, council scrutiny and more from across Kent.

Kent County Council billed it as a friendly “cuppa and a chat” with MPs. It ended in complaints about attendance, effort and political optics. We look at how an attempt at cooperation turned awkward, plus the latest from across Kent. Our full briefing:

Kent’s taps are running again, but the water system behind them is still broken. Regulators are investigating, and politicians want heads to roll. Today's Kent Current briefing:

KCC has balanced its £1.6bn budget for next year, but only by selling assets and raiding reserves, with a £95m funding gap already looming. Plus storm damage across Kent and another major water crisis.

Some of Canterbury’s Victorian lampposts are being removed and replaced after years of unresolved communication between councils, leaving replacement as the default outcome rather than a decision. Our latest briefing explains what’s happening and why it matters.

The final Kent County Council meeting of the year is happening this morning.

Large illegal waste sites continue to operate across Kent despite regulators knowing about them. Around Sittingbourne, dumping has continued after repeated interventions, raising questions about whether enforcement can keep up.

More great journalism from London Centric Really encouraging to see increasing quality local media with rise of @millmedia.bsky.social @kentcurrent.news and many others

A Swale Borough Council meeting was suspended after coordinated far-right activists disrupted a debate on becoming a District of Sanctuary. Councillors reported abuse, intimidation and damage to the building. What happened, and why it matters:

Our big weekend interview is with Sittingbourne & Sheppey MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk. He spoke about becoming an MP, ICU nursing, living with HIV, and the challenge of uniting a constituency split between mainland and island.

Unauthorised lamppost flags in Kent are now incurring damage bills, with FOIs showing more than £4,000 has been spent by Kent County Council, which still has no checks in place to spot risks. Our Monday briefing is out now:

Best article that I have read so far on the inept shambles that have been happening where I live in Tunbridge Wells. I still think not enough is made of the fact they sent the emergency water to a completely different town.

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

Tunbridge Wells has endured nearly a week of water failures, broken deadlines and a boil notice that will stretch well beyond the return of supply, exposing long-flagged weaknesses in South East Water’s network and a collapse of trust across the town.

Hopefully you won't notice much difference, but today, we have left Substack and migrated our work to Ghost. Read more about why we've done it here:

Maidstone leader Stuart Jeffery faces a no-confidence vote this week. Conservatives say the council has been distracted by “symbolic” projects. Jeffery calls it “silly posturing” and expects to survive. Today’s Kent Current briefing is out now.

Had the pleasure of sitting down with Lupen Crook in his studio and talking about his art and music. www.kentcurrent.news/p/ive-got-en...

Docker is a Folkestone-based brewery and bakery. Steven talks to Head Brewer and Director Pete Nelson to talk about how he got into brewing, why they opened a new bakery in Ashford, and his advice for new brewers.

📣 Kent's far right moves into the mainstream 🚨 A fake town for civil unrest near Gravesend ➡️ More analysis of Reform at County Hall 🌹 Folkestone MP speaks out 🗞️ News in brief, our Kent event calendar, and lots more

The FAR Academy is an award-winning education provider for students with special educational needs. We spoke with headteacher Brent Lewis about the dispute they are now facing with Kent County Council over funding, which could detrimentally affect their students.

🚓 Kent to lose its Police Commissioner in 2028 ☀️ The mega-solar farms of the future 🧑‍💼 Senior staff at Manston suspended ➡️ More Reform expulsions, and lots more

🗳️ Wincheap (Canterbury) by-election result: 🟢 Peter Campbell (Green): 842 🔶 Guy Meurice (Lib Dem): 518 ➡️ Colin Spooner (Reform): 351 🌹 Jasmin Dallos-Foreman (Labour): 276 🌳 Elliott Curryer (Conservative): 166 Green GAIN from Liberal Democrat

Joe Bill is the Editorial Director at the award-winning ‘cene magazine, who has recently launched a new magazine looking at the world of padel. Padel is growing as a sport across Kent, so we sat down with him to discuss his route from the Medway News to ‘cene, publishing, and just what is padel?

🚒 Fire authority in limbo as Reform suspensions stall oversight 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Faversham flag wars latest 🎤 Thanet's last youth centre 💷 Latest financial interests of Kent MPs 🗳️ Canterbury by-election, and lots more

🎄 Flags spark as a festive stand-off, with one village claiming it can't put up Christmas lights until flags come down 🗣️ A chaotic Kent County Council meeting ➡️ What else is happening at KCC this week? 🗞️ News in brief, and more

KCC is underway and it's already a bit weird.

Another one gone in Kent. Cllr Isabella Kemp, elected for Reform in May, is now listed as an independent. It is unclear at this point precisely why Cllr Kemp has exited the party. This means Reform has now lost 9 of the 57 councillors they saw elected only six months ago.

In the course of three years, @stuartjeffery.bsky.social went from being the only Green on Maidstone Borough Council to leading it. We talk to him about his journey to becoming leader, the recent by-election around Lenham, and his support for new Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

🚄 A win for Virgin, but not for Kent. As a new operator is granted permission to run cross-Channel services, is there any prospect of them actually stopping in Kent? Plus: ➡️ Reform fractures deepen 🗳️ Two very different by-elections 🗞️ News in brief, and more

We lead our Monday briefing with the horrifying fact that 56 children have vanished after arriving in Kent as unaccompanied child refugees. Plus: ➡️ Assessing Reform's running of Kent ⬅️ A Dartford defection 🚛 New truck stop proposed, and lots more

St John's, Tunbridge Wells by-election result: Joe Dore (TW Independents) - 20 Kit Hawes-Webb (TW Alliance) - 105 Chris Hoare (Reform) - 177 Ukonu Obasi (Lib Dem) - 629 - ELECTED Kate Sargeant (Green) - 160 David Sumner (Conservative) - 90 Turnout: 28.4%

➡️ A week of reckoning for Reform at County Hall 💷 Kent firms caught underpaying staff 📖 Latest financial declarations for Kent MPs 🗞️ News in brief, and more

Three more Kent Reform councillors have been expelled from the party. Cllrs Brian Black, Oliver Bradshaw, and Paul Thomas have all been kicked out for showing "a lack of integrity" and "a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour."

Our Monday briefing leads with - and we can only apologise - more Reform shenanigans as two councillors are expelled from the party. Plus: Two by-elections this week, a new solar conflict, a head-spinning song and dance routine, and lots more.

Two Kent Reform councillors have been formally expelled from the party. Cllr Robert Ford and Cllr Bill Barrett have been kicked out after being suspended over the last fortnight for "bringing the party into disrepute."

For our weekend interview, we sat down with Tonbridge and Malling leader Matt Boughton. We discuss his route to becoming a Conservative councillor and council leader, his thoughts on local government reorganisation, flags, his confidence that there won’t be any defections from his group, and more.