Medway will balance its budget again, but only just. Today we look at what a 'balanced' budget really means, why Exceptional Financial Support still underpins the numbers, and how much resilience the council actually has going forward.

The Isle of Grain has one road in and out. Next month, it closes for 29 hours. We look at what that means for a village of 1,700 people, why a promised tree in Hoo was felled anyway, and what the latest rail stats say about Medway. Our full briefing:

Ed is live tweeting (or blooting or whatever) tonight's full Medway Council meeting.

Medway’s full council meets this week to decide where it draws the line on intimidation at council meetings, as changes to the constitution shrink the voice of smaller political groups. Plus the reality behind Medway hospital’s 74,000-strong waiting list.

After years of legal battles, the fight over Chatham Docks has reached a turning point. The High Court has dismissed ArcelorMittal’s challenge, clearing the way for Peel Waters’ long-planned redevelopment of Basin 3.

Medway’s Local Plan has gone to inspection, with formal objections from two Labour councillors in the ruling administration, who warn it is unsound and not legally compliant. Plus Ofsted on children’s services and Medway on standby as Kent’s water network came under strain.

Hoo’s Christmas lights were so disappointing that Medway Council has cancelled the invoice to the parish. The council says its festive lighting stock is “extremely limited” after years of under-investment, and the programme relies on sponsorship to have any lights at all.

Our weekend interview is with Jack Packman, the new CEO of Medway Voluntary Action, on what MVA does, the pressures facing the voluntary sector, and why he says he doesn’t sit on boards to be important.

Our interview this week is with Philip Hesketh, Dean of Rochester, on what it costs to keep Rochester Cathedral running, how the church works in practice, and why “people are always searching for something."

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:

New interview: Musician Pete Molinari went from recording his first album in Billy Childish’s house to performing globally and working with some of the biggest names in music. Now living in LA, he spoke to us about leaving Medway, recording with Childish, performing with Yoko Ono, and lots more.

🚑 Ambulance service criticised after secret Medway filming 🏥 Inspection finds Medway A&E still not good enough 💷 Councillor allowances admin error 🗞️ News in brief, and more

Cllr Louwella Prenter speaks to us about housing, homelessness, Love Gillingham and why being a YIMBY doesn’t mean harming the local environment. This week’s Sunday interview:

I really enjoyed this excellent and very timely article on the Medway Towns’ many lost pubs, by Chris de Coulon Berthoud, and published by @localauthority.news #Bskybeer #Beersky open.substack.com/pub/localaut...

Record label @spinoutnuggets.bsky.social have released some of the best Medway music of the last decade. Steven met owner and DJ Lee Grimshaw to discuss why he set up the label, how he came to release the latest 5.6.7.8’s single, and what counts as success in the modern music business.

🛍️ Gillingham Street Angels has closed. What comes next? 🗳️ Politics latest ⛪ St. John's Church reopens 🗞️ News in brief, and more

📮 We've launched something different: A pen pal scheme between Medway and a tiny village called Port Medway in Nova Scotia, Canada. Learn more about the project and how to get involved here 👇

In our latest column by Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott, he talks about his Annual Policing Survey, the Police Property Fund, and the Safer Streets initiative. www.localauthority.news/p/voice-of-t...

🤏 Medway shrinks its democracy 📍 4D for the future 👨‍⚕️ Medway to build care home 🗣️ Spalding censured 🗞️ News in brief, and more

Tonight's full Medway Council meeting is underway. @edjennings.bsky.social is covering it live.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Flags down 💷 Medway still struggling to balance the books 📚 Strood Library finally gets a new lift 🗞️ News in brief, and more

⛺ Medway Streets Angels are not closing ⚽ Gills latest ✉️ The Silent Postman 🎸 adults at Poco Loco 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

🔐 Gillingham Street Angels suddenly announces closure 🔵 Conservative defects from Conservatives to Conservatives 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The latest flag-off 🗞️ News in brief, and more

📚 Medway River Lit returns 🧑‍🎨 Requiem for a hoodie 🪕 New Singing Loins album 🎨 Give art a second chance 🎟️ Our weekly events guide, and more

From Militant to TUSC and now Your Party, Chas Berry, who has long been at the forefront of leftist politics in Medway. We talk to him about his journey, leaving Labour, his hopes for the new party, and lots more.

🗣️ Kent and Medway's relationship seems increasingly strained 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Anti-immigration march for this weekend is off 🗞️ News in brief, and more

🇺🇳 Medway marks 80 years of the UN 🪕 Music supergroup South Shore launches crowdfunder 🎭 Play by Medway creatives reaches the London stage 🎟️ Our weekly events guide, and more

We've shared lots more photos from Saturday's UKIP march and counter-protest in Rochester over on our Instagram:

📣 UKIP's march on Rochester fails to find an audience 🗣️ Medway Council meeting comes to an abrupt end 📸 The return of Rehman 🗞️ News in brief, and more

For our weekend interview, we sat down with David Cramer Smith, the author of Medway: A Novel. They discuss growing up in Medway and moving away, a possible sequel, mushrooms, and lots more.

🕌 Faith, safety and human connection in Medway 🗼 New EP links Tokyo and Chatham 🍲 We review the Royal Crown 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

🧱 Labour office vandalised amid rising tensions 🗣️ A stacked full council agenda 📣 The latest Medway Matters Live 🪧 UKIP return to Rochester 🗞️ News in brief, and more

Can Medway make you happy? It's an idea we're keen to explore with our new live event concept. Find out how to get involved 👇

➡️ Princes Park councillor defects to Reform 🕍 Faith and fear in Medway's Jewish community 🗞️ News in brief, and more

Multiple Conservative councillors in Kent are defecting to Reform today. Cllr Robbie Lammas in Medway, a former staffer to Richard Holden, has jumped. Cllr Gary Harding, Cllr David Beattie, Cllr Emma Elliott, and Cllr Aaron Elliott in Gravesham defected en masse this morning in Gravesham.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 As the far-right plots two protests for Medway, just how seriously should we be taking them? 📍 Medway's lonely reorganisation 🗞️ News in brief, and more.

🎖️ Medway's overlooked treasure trove of military history 🗣️ Glassbox lecture casts a spell 🥓 We review Piggyz 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

As ministers demand fewer, bigger councils, Kent’s authorities struggle to agree on who goes where. Bob Collins digs into what's going on and where Medway might end up.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Council pledges to remove Medway's lamppost flags 🧑‍💻 Medway integrates more AI into services 🏗️ Brownfield scheme gets funding boost 🗞️ News in brief, and more

⛵ Barges find new life on the Medway ⚓ Festival of Chatham Reach returns ➡️ Reform school latest 🚜 Farmers' market turns 25 🐟 We review Fish at 55 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

A Medway school is giving away a Reform football shirt as part of an essay writing contest on how the party has 'obliterated' the two-party system. They say this is all normal, and they do this for all parties. Students, parents, and other politicians disagree. Our exclusive story:

🎭 From page to stage - Medway author's book on Bosnian genocide is adapted into play 🎸 Theatre Royal at Three Sheets to the Wind 🍣 We review Boba Tigers 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

My latest article for @localauthority.news is now out, and you can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/localaut... 🌱 #Gardening #UKGardening

🏠 The fight over Medway's HMOs 📍 Two Kent maps left standing 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 MP supports flag erections 🗞️ News in brief, and more

⚽ Gillingham are top of the league, but can it last? 🗳️ Results from yesterday's Grain by-election 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

🗣️ Councillor found to have bullied nursery boss insists 'all is not as it seems' 🗳️ Democracy on a rota 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Flag wars keep raging 🗞️ News in brief, and more

For our weekend interview, Steven sat down with Phil Bungay and Martin Nagler of the Medway Neurological Network. They talk about their respective conditions, the upcoming conference Neuro-Tech 25 in Medway, and the work of the network.

🎭 Playtime for grown-ups - how one organisation is encouraging creativity through improv 🏗️ The bridge trust helping students into engineering 🎟️ Our weekly events guide 🗞️ News in brief, and more

In the latest in our series of columns by Medway's elected representatives, Gillingham and Rainham MP @naushabahkhanmp.bsky.social writes for us about flags, the challenges facing the constituency, and work to regenerate town centres.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 We have to talk about flags, apparently 💸 Medway debt surges 36% in a year 🏢 Council staff happy with pay but other problems linger 🗞️ News in brief, and more