Southern Water says smart gates are helping reduce storm overflows, but the broader fix still depends on years of work to stop rainwater from overwhelming the network. Plus fire station risks, toxic caterpillars, NIMBY lizards, motorbikes, and lots more from Kent.

Kent’s county cup finals week should have been about the football. Instead, two finals ended in disorder, statements and investigations. We look at what happened, plus rising complaints at County Hall and Reform drifting back into AI slop.

In our latest interview, we spoke to @oliverdouble.bsky.social, Reader in Comic and Popular Performance at the University of Kent, about the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive, Kent's relationship with comedy, and why stand-up should be taken seriously.

KCC is suddenly very keen to celebrate Turner Contemporary after Arts Council England awarded the gallery £865,000 for essential works. We look at why that lands awkwardly after February’s funding row, plus the rest of the stories from across Kent this week.

KCC has confirmed it sold Antony Gormley’s Two Stones from outside Maidstone library, but won’t say what it got, who signed it off, or what scrutiny the sale went through. Plus County Hall’s first political assistant exits early, and the Swanscombe Hole enters a funding race.

Kent Police has improved call handling and outcomes for victims, but a new inspection raises concerns about how it records and scrutinises the use of force. Plus local government reorganisation, planning, and the rest of Kent this week.

The Greens have won the Cliftonville by-election, taking a seat that Reform should have been able to hold. We look at how Rob Yates took the party from fourth place last year to victory, why Labour’s anti-Reform pitch collapsed, and what the result says about Reform’s position in Kent.

The Greens have taken a Kent County Council seat from Reform in Cliftonville.

Ed is in Thanet for the Cliftonville by-election count, a contest triggered by the jailing of former Reform Kent county councillor Daniel Taylor.

Some reflections on our first year. The Kent Current is still a small operation, but year one has confirmed that there is an appetite for journalism in Kent that goes deeper, joins the dots, and treats what happens here as worth understanding properly.

Andy Zaltzman grew up in Tunbridge Wells and still plays cricket at Penshurst. We spoke to him ahead of shows in Folkestone and Maidstone about The Bugle, Taskmaster, political comedy and a world that, by his own assessment, could do better.

Kent has spent years preparing for Europe’s new border regime. It is officially meant to begin this week, but for most cross-Channel passengers using Dover and Folkestone, the old passport stamp will still be doing the job. Plus Cliftonville votes, Medway borrows, and the rest of Kent this week.

Reform has rearranged its top team at County Hall again. We look at what the latest reshuffle says about the administration, plus the final week of the Cliftonville by-election campaign and one more addition to Kent’s Town of Culture pile-on.

What can Cliftonville tell us about Kent politics beyond Cliftonville? Former political editor Paul Francis looks at who might be gaining ground, who might be slipping, and why this by-election matters beyond one seaside division.

We spoke to Mark Hood, leader of the Green Group at KCC, about local government reorganisation, Cliftonville, Reform, and why he thinks Kent is being pushed towards the wrong kind of politics and the wrong kind of power.

Kent’s Town of Culture pile-on is well underway with at least eight towns now publicly in the running, turning the county’s contribution to the new competition into a full-blown cultural scrum. Plus Sevenoaks by-election latest, planning, council news and more.

The Conservatives have held a seat on Sevenoaks District Council, in an election triggered by the death of the sitting councillor.

Nothing was announced for Kent this week, but Whitehall still shifted the council reorganisation debate in the county. We look at what ministers’ choices elsewhere now suggest about Kent’s future, plus the latest on the Canterbury meningitis outbreak and County Hall’s newest splinter party.

We spoke to Jordan Chan ahead of the launch of Trans Pride Kent about why the event matters, what it was like growing up gay and mixed race on Sheppey, and why visibility still matters for LGBT people in places that can feel isolated.

Manston’s latest consultation is about flight paths. In reality, it revives the bigger argument about what reopening the airport would mean for people in Ramsgate, Herne Bay and beyond. We break down the plans, plus the latest on meningitis, planning, and the week in Kent.

KCC descended into chaos today after opposition parties walked out, accusing Reform of turning full council into a political stunt and making meaningful debate impossible. Reform then voted through its migration motion alone. We’ve got the full story, plus Swale security and meningitis latest.

Ed is covering today's Kent County Council meeting live 👇

New interview: We spoke to Paul Thomas, the new leader of Restore’s group at KCC, about why he has joined one of the newest and most controversial forces on Kent’s right. From leaving the Tories and Reform to mass deportation, party discipline and voter mandates, there was a lot to get into.

Two young people have died as Canterbury confronts a meningitis outbreak that has already reshaped life in the city. We pull together what is actually known so far, plus the latest from the Cliftonville by-election and the rest from across the county this week.

Swale has backed a 2,500-home Duchy of Cornwall expansion south east of Faversham. We look at what was approved, why councillors still said yes, and what this means for the town. Plus KCC’s pot plant confusion, Reform’s council tax doublespeak, and a councillor's latest party switch.

Some notes on our upcoming interview...

Cliftonville should have been a straightforward KCC by-election. Instead, every serious party thinks it can win, and at least some of the candidates appear to treat party labels as a temporary lifestyle choice. We break down the race, plus the rest of news from across the county.

A good example of how ideologically complicated real people are. A @kentcurrent.news interview with a former prisoner turned police officer, who is a life-long Green Party member, yet praises Margaret Thatcher. www.kentcurrent.news/being-grey-a...

Ofwat has proposed a £22.46m fine for South East Water over supply failures affecting 286,000+ people between 2020 and 2023. We explain what the regulator says went wrong, why this is separate from the recent Tunbridge Wells mess, and what happens next.

The Conservatives have won the Hextable by-election on Sevenoaks District Council, triggered by the death of sitting independent councillor.

£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.

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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.