Local Authority
@localauthority.news
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Award-winning independent news for Medway Subscribe for free at
https://www.localauthority.news/
Medway wants new housing developments to pay more towards schools, healthcare, open space and local services. Developers are pushing back, warning that higher obligations could make some schemes unviable. We look at the argument beneath the next wave of Medway housing decisions.
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Developers push back as Medway tries to make growth pay for itself
New charges for growth leads to backlash from developers, plus the week ahead, news in brief, what’s on, and more
https://www.localauthority.news/developers-push-back-as-medway-tries-to-make-growth-pay-for-itself/
about 8 hours ago
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New interview: Jody Carrington talks to us about running Poco Loco, keeping grassroots music alive, Medway Pride Fringe, parklets, IntraFest, and why Intra has become such an important part of Medway’s cultural life.
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“It’s a constant battle to pay everything”
What Steven asked Jody Carrington, general manager of Poco Loco and project manager for the Intra Community Trust
https://www.localauthority.news/its-a-constant-battle-to-pay-everything/
about 23 hours ago
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Can a ÂŁ15m health centre help Chatham live longer? A major new NHS facility has opened inside the Pentagon, bringing GP and community health services into the heart of Chatham. We visited the new James Williams Healthy Living Centre and looked at the challenge it has been built to address.
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Can a ÂŁ15m health centre help Chatham live longer?
What Chatham’s new NHS hub can and cannot fix, plus an update on Medway’s missing monument and The Brook car park
https://www.localauthority.news/can-a-15m-health-centre-help-chatham-live-longer/
4 days ago
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What did Medway culture look like in May? A Singing Loins book launch, Sweeps Festival, Bez in Rainham, new music from South Shore, a standout meal in Chatham, and more. Our latest Culture Review is out now.
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The May Culture Review
Music, books, food, and more from across our towns
https://www.localauthority.news/the-may-culture-review/
6 days ago
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Medway is preparing to spend £7m on local government reorganisation while still dealing with overspends and low reserves. Plus the rest of next week’s Cabinet papers, planning news, the latest Medway stories, events and more.
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Medway finds ÂŁ7m for a council that does not exist yet
Plus the rest of next week's Cabinet reports, planning latest, news in brief, events, and more
https://www.localauthority.news/medway-finds-7m/
9 days ago
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reposted by
Local Authority
Ed Jennings
9 days ago
Local news is incredibly difficult. So this post from
@publicinterestnews.org.uk
is a joy to read, highlighting wins across the sector during 2026. It's an honour to have
@localauthority.news
featured alongside some heroic outlets from across the country.
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Local news wins: awards, milestones and impact from the first half of 2026
Beckie Shuker, PINF's Campaign and Comms Manager, rounds up the milestones, wins and celebratory moments from 2026 so far.
https://www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/blog/local-news-wins-awards-milestones-and-impact-from-the-first-half-of-2026/
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Local Authority is now on WhatsApp. Mostly new stories, with occasional major Medway updates. The usual council dysfunction, planning rows, and weirdness from across our towns, but now in another app you already check too often.
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Local Authority
Channel • 38 followers • Independent, reader-supported news for Medway, covering the biggest stories, politics, and culture of our towns and villages.
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8BTeEDzgTKTFi4Qv3H
10 days ago
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Upnor Castle used to be open six days a week. Now it opens once a month. We look at what Medway has lost, and why the public still does not know what saving justified it. Plus: School exclusion data and a new Kent-branded party with some very old politics.
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Upnor Castle was open six days a week. Now it opens once a month
The cost of thinning out public access, plus school exclusion data, and a new Kent-branded party
https://www.localauthority.news/upnor-castle-was-open-six-days-a-week-now-it-opens-once-a-month/
11 days ago
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For our latest interview, we spoke to Rochester Radar editor Rachel Woollett about launching a new hyperlocal magazine focused on the people, businesses and creative life that make up modern Rochester.
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“What we want to cover is the people of Rochester”
What Steven asked Rachel Woollett, editor of the new Rochester Radar magazine
https://www.localauthority.news/what-we-want-to-cover-is-the-people-of-rochester/
12 days ago
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Patrick Minhard runs Three Sheets to the Wind in Rochester. We spoke to him about independent pubs, local music, comedy bookings, Austrian beer, Ranscombe Studios, IntraFest, and why opening a pub is not for anyone who enjoys sleep, money or an easy life.
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“I do love being the centre of attention”
What Steven asked Patrick Minhard, owner of Rochester pub Three Sheets to the Wind
https://www.localauthority.news/i-do-love-being-the-centre-of-attention/
16 days ago
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The Royal Function Rooms in Rochester could be converted into housing under new plans submitted to Medway Council. The stage and the theatre hall would stay, but the public use would not. We look at what Medway loses when venues disappear.
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The long goodbye of the Royal Function Rooms
Plans have been submitted to turn the Rochester venue into housing
https://www.localauthority.news/the-long-goodbye-of-the-royal-function-rooms/
16 days ago
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Medway Council is preparing to crack down on unlicensed tables and chairs on the pavement, with warning notices and furniture seizures now being lined up. Plus IntraFest arrives in June with live music, theatre, street food, art, drag, barges and a celebration of Medway’s scrappy cultural strip.
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Medway Council is coming for your furniture
Unlicensed tables and chairs face enforcement, plus a free festival for Intra
https://www.localauthority.news/medway-council-is-coming-for-your-furniture/
18 days ago
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reposted by
Local Authority
Ian Hunt
19 days ago
It's great news that Local Authority is now bringing out some of its journalism for the
#Medway
area in print. Local news is an essential part of the grain of democracy at the granular level and I have been really impressed by the quality of the reporting.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Have you spotted our first proper print edition in the wild yet? đź‘€
19 days ago
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The season is over, the retained list is out, and Gillingham’s rebuild is underway. Ben Hopkins on the exits, the players staying, Gareth Ainsworth’s future, and why the club still hasn’t solved its goalscoring problem.
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End of another season for the Gills
Ben Hopkins on what needs to come next for the struggling Gills.
https://www.localauthority.news/end-of-another-season-for-the-gills/
20 days ago
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What can Medway actually do about climate change? Residents, councillors and campaigners gathered in Rochester for a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing and a discussion about what local action is possible. Plus planning, news in brief, events and more.
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Medway's emergency briefing
Residents and councillors talk climate in Rochester, plus planning, news in brief, what's on, and more
https://www.localauthority.news/medways-emergency-briefing-2/
20 days ago
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Ed is liveblooting tonight's largely ceremonial meeting of Medway Council.
add a skeleton here at some point
25 days ago
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Gillingham and Rainham MP Naushabah Khan has called for Keir Starmer to resign. Less than two years after Medway went red in Westminster, one of its MPs has stepped away from the government and told the Prime Minister to go.
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Medway MP turns on Starmer
A Labour resignation, more School Streets, and another near-miss for Mark Reckless
https://www.localauthority.news/medway-mp-turns-on-starmer/
26 days ago
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Richard Lightman is Head of Music and Audio Technology at the University of Kent, but the department is closing and he will be made redundant. In our latest interview, he talks about music education, Bhangra, his role in Superman's flying sounds, and why his main instrument is the recording studio.
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“My main instrument is the recording studio”
What Steven asked Richard Lightman, Head of Music and Audio Technology at the University of Kent.
https://www.localauthority.news/my-main-instrument-is-the-recording-studio/
27 days ago
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The Who’d Ha Thought It has survived bankruptcy, covid, and everything else the pub trade has thrown at it. Now, after 20 years of quietly getting the important things right, the Rochester pub has been named Medway CAMRA Pub of the Year.
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The Rochester pub that kept getting it right
After surviving bankruptcy, covid and everything else thrown at the trade, the Who’d Ha Thought It has taken CAMRA’s top local award
https://www.localauthority.news/the-rochester-pub-that-kept-getting-it-right/
about 1 month ago
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Long-serving Conservative councillor Phil Filmer has died at 74, ending a Medway political career that began before Medway Council existed. We look at his record, the tributes paid across the chamber, and the questions facing a Chatham trading card shop after transphobic posts resurfaced online.
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Long-serving Medway councillor Phil Filmer dies
Plus a Chatham shop faces questions, and Medway Council talks about what comes next
https://www.localauthority.news/long-serving-medway-councillor-phil-filmer-dies/
about 1 month ago
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In our latest interview, Medway-based film critic Matt Maytum talks about becoming the final editor of Total Film, launching The Movie Wingman, growing up here, interviewing Christopher Nolan, cinema behaviour, and the restorative power of The Naked Gun.
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“Sadly, I was the last editor of the magazine”
What Steven asked Matt Maytum, film critic at the Movie Wingman, and the final editor of Total Film magazine.
https://www.localauthority.news/sadly-i-was-the-last-editor-of-the-magazine/
about 1 month ago
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Medway Council asked people what was wrong with transport in the area. The answer was traffic, buses, roadworks, potholes, cost, and the grim feeling that getting around without a car often isn’t realistic.
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Next transport plan starts with a collective scream
Transport frustration in numbers and quotes, plus the week ahead, free buses, property, events, and lots more
https://www.localauthority.news/next-transport-plan-starts-with-a-collective-scream/
about 1 month ago
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Our monthly Medway culture round-up takes in a lost Rochester department store, Little Storping in the Swuff’s brilliant new album, chimney cakes, witchcraft history, and a Grammy-winning bluesman in Rainham.
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The April Culture Review
Little Storpings, iconic department stores, chimney cakes, and more...
https://www.localauthority.news/the-april-culture-review/
about 1 month ago
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A monument near Cuxton marking the UK rail speed record has disappeared from its hillside home. We investigate what happened to it, where it went, and what Medway has lost, plus a useful budget chart and the latest Gun Wharf shuffle.
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The plaque that couldn't survive Medway
A rail mystery near Cuxton, a useful budget chart, and the latest Gun Wharf shuffle
https://www.localauthority.news/the-plaque-that-couldnt-survive-medway/
about 1 month ago
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In our latest interview, Cllr Mark Joy talks about his route through the Conservatives, UKIP and independence before returning to the Conservatives, plus Mark Reckless, nearly joining Labour, education, children’s services, and life as a football referee.
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“I wish party politics was just for elections”
What Steven asked Cllr Mark Joy, Conservative Shadow Portfolio Holder for Education and Children's Services
https://www.localauthority.news/i-wish-party-politics-was-just-for-elections/
about 1 month ago
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Medway Council voted to move a ÂŁ45.95m plan to buy 791 homes from social housing provider L&Q forward. The decisive debate took place behind closed doors, with the press and public excluded for 45 minutes. We report on what was decided, what we were allowed to hear, and what stayed out of sight.
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The £46m housing plan behind Medway’s closed door
Council votes to press ahead with buying 791 L&Q homes, but decisive debate happens off stage
https://www.localauthority.news/the-46m-housing-plan-behind-medways-closed-door/
about 1 month ago
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Medway’s new full council rules face their first proper test on Thursday, with a thinner agenda showing what a leaner chamber now looks like in practice. Plus the final Court of Appeal ruling on a Rainham traveller site and a very Medway bus moment.
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Medway’s new rules face their first proper test
A thinner council agenda for Thursday, Rainham traveller site saga reaches end, and a very Medway bus moment
https://www.localauthority.news/medways-new-rules/
about 2 months ago
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We spoke to David Goggin, the musician behind Little Storping in the Swuff, ahead of new album Hassle Olympics. He talks about the absurdity of live performance, his past musical ventures, and making music that actually sounds like a person made it.
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“It's because I've got a bag on my head”
What Steven asked David Goggin, the musician behind Little Storping in the Swuff
https://www.localauthority.news/its-because-ive-got-a-bag-on-my-head/
about 2 months ago
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Medway Council’s new AI website search fell over almost immediately, serving up stale and wrong civic information in early testing. We look at what went wrong, what’s now been fixed, and what it says about putting AI on top of messy public websites.
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Medway’s new AI search fell over almost immediately
The council’s shiny new search box served up stale information, plus Full Council next week, planning, news in brief, and more
https://www.localauthority.news/medways-new-ai-search-fell-over-almost-immediately/
about 2 months ago
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A new bar and restaurant in Strood has been granted a licence after a hearing that the applicant did not bother attending. We look at what that says about Medway’s priorities, why Medway and Dartford are already fighting over the future map, and Kent and Medway’s revived joint tourism push.
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What Medway’s licensing decisions say about its priorities
Plus Medway and Dartford jockey for position, and Kent and Medway finally manage to work together
https://www.localauthority.news/what-medways-licensing-decisions-say-about-its-priorities/
about 2 months ago
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Gillingham’s season remains a slog. Our Gills columnist Ben Hopkins on a run of mostly bad performances, a few faint signs of life, Brad Galinson’s “shit season” verdict, and what’s left in the final weeks.
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No denying shit season
Ben Hopkins on another season to forget for Gillingham FC
https://www.localauthority.news/no-denying-shit-season/
about 2 months ago
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A new Marmot report says life expectancy in Medway can vary by more than a decade depending on where you live. We look at the scale of that divide, what becoming a Marmot Place is meant to change, and whether any of it will be felt beyond the policy language.
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A decade of life can depend on which bit of Medway you live in
A Marmot report puts a number on Medway’s health divide, plus the week ahead, news in brief, and lots more
https://www.localauthority.news/a-decade-of-life-can-depend-on-which-bit-of-medway-you-live-in/
about 2 months ago
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We talk to Harinder Mahil, Medway Council’s regeneration portfolio holder and co-owner of Gurkha Fire, on the smear campaign around his family, calling a resident a prick in a meeting, redrawing Medway’s political map, and why he says he is not doing any of this for the sake of a political career.
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“I’m not doing this for the sake of a political career“
What Steven asked Cllr Harinder Mahil, Medway Council portfolio holder for Economic and Social Regeneration and Inward Investment, and co-owner of Gurkha Fire
https://www.localauthority.news/im-not-doing-this-for-the-sake-of-a-political-career/
2 months ago
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Medway’s Local Plan has reached examination, but the inspectors’ first letter suggests the hard part may only just be starting. We look at the concerns raised over legal compliance, Green Belt release, traveller provision, consultation gaps and more.
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Medway’s Local Plan is starting to wobble
First response from inspectors suggests Medway’s examination will be anything but straightforward
https://www.localauthority.news/medways-local-plan-is-starting-to-wobble/
2 months ago
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A boardwalk next to St Mary’s Island has reopened, but the problem behind it hasn’t gone away. We look at the Basin 2 water loss and the responsibility gap, as well as next week’s Medway Council agenda, and a £4m Upnor property.
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When the dock stops working, who owns the plumbing?
A closed waterfront route exposes a responsibility gap, plus next week’s council agenda, news in brief, and a £4m property
https://www.localauthority.news/when-the-dock-stops-working-who-owns-the-plumbing/
2 months ago
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Our latest column by one of Medway's elected representatives sees Chatham and Aylesford MP Tristan Osborne writing about pride in local communities, regeneration, housing, health, crime and the issues shaping daily life across Medway.
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Voice of the MP - Chatham and Aylesford
Tristan Osborne MP on putting pride back into our communities.
https://www.localauthority.news/voice-of-the-mp-chatham-and-aylesford-2/
2 months ago
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Medway is preparing to borrow nearly ÂŁ46m to buy 569 homes from an unnamed provider in one of the biggest housing acquisitions it has ever attempted. We look at that, the ÂŁ22m Gun Wharf rebuild, and two major Hoo schemes already heading to the Planning Inspectorate.
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Medway eyes ÂŁ46m housing buy from mystery provider
Plus Gun Wharf gets a glow-up, and Hoo developments go to the Planning Inspectorate
https://www.localauthority.news/medway-eyes-46m-housing-buy-from-mystery-provider/
2 months ago
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Paul Kasey has appeared in more episodes of modern Doctor Who than anyone else. We spoke to him about creature performance, Star Wars, hours in prosthetics, and how physical movement brings characters to life even when the actor disappears under the makeup.
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"Movement can tell you a thousand things without even a word being said"
What Steven asked Paul Kasey, creature movement director and star of Doctor Who, Star Wars and Blade II
https://www.localauthority.news/movement-can-tell-you-a-thousand-things-without-even-a-word-being-said/
2 months ago
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Age UK Kent Rivers says it is heading towards insolvency, with services at the Mackenney Centre in Gillingham closing today after barely two days’ warning. We look at what has happened, what the service meant locally, and what comes next. Plus planning news, political rows, and more.
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Age UK Kent Rivers heads for insolvency
Major local support service shuts abruptly, plus planning applications, NHS leadership change, political battles, and lots more
https://www.localauthority.news/age-uk-kent-rivers-heads-for-insolvency/
2 months ago
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We spoke to Alex Cameron MBE, co-chair of the Intra Community Trust, about retirement, faith, old buildings, and why he thinks if you’ve got tools, use them. We also get into what Intra is, what the trust wants to do there, and where the area actually starts and ends.
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“If you've got tools, use them”
What Steven asked Alex Cameron MBE, co-chair of the Intra Community Trust
https://www.localauthority.news/if-youve-got-tools-use-them/
2 months ago
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Medway’s £60m Pride in Place funding is real. The maps behind it are more awkward. We look at the actual areas selected, why the political messaging has been broader than the geography, the commute chaos caused by two closures before breakfast, and Reform’s AI slop problem.
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The maps behind the ÂŁ60m
Morning traffic chaos, awkward Pride in Place boundaries, and Reform’s AI slop problem
https://www.localauthority.news/the-maps-behind-the-60m/
3 months ago
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A huge happy birthday to
@stevenkeevil.bsky.social
, our Chief Conversationalist and the more socially functional half of Local Authority.
3 months ago
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Medway is getting ÂŁ42m in long-term funding for Strood, Twydall, and Luton. The bigger question is who actually gets to shape it, and what will it buy on the ground? We break down the Pride in Place money, plus the week in planning, council business and lots more.
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ÂŁ42m Pride in Place funding for three Medway areas
Long-term funding awarded by the government for community projects, plus council meetings, planning updates, news in brief, and lots more
https://www.localauthority.news/42m-pride-in-place-funding-for-three-medway-areas/
3 months ago
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Could Medway turn turquoise? Medway Elects founder Alan Collins argues that Britain’s political fragmentation may now be opening the door to a Reform breakthrough locally, and that Medway could be more vulnerable to that shift than many on the left would like to admit.
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Will Medway turn turquoise?
How Britain’s fractured politics could reshape Medway and open the door to a Reform breakthrough
https://www.localauthority.news/will-medway-turn-turquoise/
3 months ago
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Medway says its first School Streets are working. In Rochester, residents say the next scheme has grown far beyond a school gate issue. We look at the council’s case and the backlash, as well as meningitis fears spreading into Medway, and a Gillingham Pier sign that needed another draft.
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Medway backs School Streets as Rochester opposition grows
Plus Medway watches Kent meningitis outbreak and a sign that needed another draft
https://www.localauthority.news/medway-backs-school-streets-as-rochester-opposition-grows/
3 months ago
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In our latest interview, we talk to Martyn Reeves, chief executive of Wisdom Hospice Charity, to talk about end-of-life care in Medway, how the charity supports the hospice, and how a former car salesman ended up in one of the area’s most important jobs.
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“You don't come here just to die”
What Steven asked Martyn Reeves, Chief Executive of Wisdom Hospice Charity
https://www.localauthority.news/you-dont-come-here-just-to-die/
3 months ago
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Two major housing approvals this week showed there is no painless way for Medway to grow. High Halstow got a huge village expansion, while Gillingham got up to 500 homes on a difficult brownfield site. We look at what both decisions say about the trade-offs now shaping Medway.
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Two approvals show Medway’s growth dilemma
Big developments in High Halstow and Gillingham get the green light, plus the Hoo by-election result, news in brief, and lots more
https://www.localauthority.news/two-approvals-show-medways-growth-dilemma/
3 months ago
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Gillingham are officially the inbetweeners: Too far off the play-offs, too far clear of trouble, and stuck in the lower-middle of League Two. Ben Hopkins looks at six more games, a 5-1 hiding from MK Dons, and the increasingly awkward glance toward next season.
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What does this mean for the table?
The Shouting Ben on the progress, or lack thereof, of Gillingham FC
https://www.localauthority.news/what-does-this-mean-for-the-table/
3 months ago
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Catriona Faulkner’s work looks opulent and intricate. Look closer, and the objects tell a different story. The Strood artist stitches together found objects to reflect chronic pain after an accident that changed her life. Steven met her in Rochester to talk about art, Medway and making meaning.
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"Everything within my work means something"
What Steven asked Catriona Faulkner, hand stitch and assemblage artist
https://www.localauthority.news/everything-within-my-work-means-something/
3 months ago
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