For our eyes only: the library report KCC doesn't want anyone to see
A RARE revolt by Conservative backbenchers recently put paid to plans to close or end KCC funding for between 40 and 50 libraries.Members of the Conservative group were reported to be aghast at the...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - Gills stadium saga set to come to a head
The Gills stadium saga could come to a head this week, with the Planning Committee set to grant outline permission to Peel's plans for Chatham Docks.If that's the case, expect there to be plenty of...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - Where's Chishti?
A quick glance at the diary for the coming week reveals a grand total of zero meetings.But there are always issues knocking around which will have those inside and outside of Gun Wharf talking.The...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - Balfour Day Centre set to be given a reprieve
One of the biggest controversies last year was the Balfour Day Centre being earmarked for closure.Tomorrow (Tuesday) its future should be temporarily secured under the stewardship of Medway Community...
View ArticleLive long and prosper: KCC and its executive payoffs
There was, inevitably, a certain amount of spin and bluster as KCC's PR machine sought to put the best possible gloss on the disclosure that KCC's former managing director Katherine Kerswell received a...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - Police Commissioner questions and a change of tone on...
No sooner had news filtered through that Cllr Craig Mackinlay had been chosen as the Conservative candidate for police commissioner, questions began to be asked.Word spread that the turnout was paltry...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - a letter to PM David Cameron
Dear Dave,For around about the past five years, we’ve been wondering if we’re going to have a massive airport plonked on our Towns.We’ve had to deal with speculation, smoke signals, winks and nods....
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - SEN jargon, "two-faced Tories" and House of Lords reform
A decision on changes to transport for children with special needs is close - and we’ve been given a flavour of the thoughts of parents in a report out this week.The changes include sharing lifts and...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - Hospital charges set to dominate full council
The St George’s Centre will reverberate to the sound of political point scoring on Thursday – that’s right, it’s full council time.Expect much discussion of the decision to charge blue badge holders...
View ArticleMcGuinness on Monday - the SS Richard Montgomery, possible council tax rise...
It is often mentioned as one of the stumbling blocks to any airport being built in the Thames Estuary, and this week the SS Richard Montgomery will make a reappearance on the political agenda.A public...
View ArticleConservative back-pedalling on grammar school transport.
Conservatives at County Hall are acutely sensitive to suggestions that grammar schools are increasingly dominated by children who have got there because they are somehow privileged.The fact the county...
View ArticleThe battle for County Hall: Who will get to the magic number of 43?
UP-DATED, Thursday May 2.If I knew who was going to take control of Kent County Council in tomorrow's election, I would, of course, be hurrying down to the bookmakers to place my house on the...
View ArticleCounty councillors wield the axe...over themselves.
Councillors can get a bit touchy about their allowances and at £1.8m last year, you can understand why KCC 84 members might find the subject of how much it costs the taxpayer a little sensitive.So,...
View ArticleThe Pfizer blueprint - will the rhetoric be matched by action?
It is hard to dissent from much of what the government taskforce calls for to limit the impact of the closure of Pfizer's Sandwich plant in 2012.The key recommendations in the 21-page report published...
View ArticleAfter damning Ofsted report, how much progress has KCC made improving...
Just how much progress has Kent County Council made in responding to a damning Ofsted report issued last year that said it was failing to provide looked after children with adequate services?The report...
View ArticleAre council interim managers value for money? Plus: Should Kent have a 'C'...
IS employing interim managers cost-effective? KCC has a few on its books at the moment as it continues with a rather complex re-organisation that has seen several experienced senior officers recently...
View ArticleIs the cost of FOI really too high? Plus: Why Labour are cautious about the...
Politicians are prone to grumble that Freedom of Information requests cost too much time and money councils and others spend dealing with them - particularly from the media - might be better put to...
View ArticleWhy a 1.5 per cent pay cut for councillors is too little. Plus: KCC and...
County councillors have, after much hand-wringing, agreed to take a pay cut. It's a small gesture in every way. The 1.5 per cent cut in their basic yearly allowance will lop a modest £200 off their...
View ArticleFor our eyes only: the library report KCC doesn't want anyone to see
A RARE revolt by Conservative backbenchers recently put paid to plans to close or end KCC funding for between 40 and 50 libraries.Members of the Conservative group were reported to be aghast at the...
View ArticleThe demise of some of Kent County Council's business ventures.Plus: Why a...
With a turnover of £600m and a workforce of 800, Kent County Council has one of the biggest commercial trading organisations in local government. And if you believe the hype, it has - at least...
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