I sincerely hope that we never have to implement any of our contingency plans and that the UK has a smooth exit from Europe. However, we don’t know whether or not that will be the case. We must never forget the chaos that we had across half of this county in 2015. The M20 was…
Pupils, families, staff and special guests marked the opening of a new £1.9m building at The Craylands School with singing and the ceremonial passing of a giant pair of scissors. The brand-new block will allow the Swanscombe school to expand from a 1FE (form of entry) primary school to a 2FE one. The two-storey building,…
Kent Supported Employment, part of the Specialist Employment Service in The Education People, has been awarded Team of the Year at the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) annual, national conference. The service supports over 200 new clients per year in seeking, finding and sustaining employment using the supported employment model; working closely with employers…
NHS One You teams are gearing up for a series of special events in east Kent over the festive period which will provide free on-the-spot Health Checks and health ‘MOTs’ in local venues including high streets and pubs. Throughout December 2018 and January 2019, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s One You advisors will be…
Health experts across Kent and Medway are urging those most at risk from flu to protect themselves and their families by taking up the offer of a free flu jab. The latest statistics for England and the South East region show that excess winter deaths reached a record high last year* and the Office for…
One drink will affect your ability to drive – this Christmas, Kent County Council is asking people to make the right choice and not drink and drive. In the last three years there have been 674 crashes on Kent’s roads where a driver was impaired by alcohol, resulting in more than 1,000 people being injured…
Kent County Council (KCC) has joined forces with several major providers of homelessness support to create a fairer, more accessible and consistent service for vulnerable people. Following a competitive tender process, KCC has awarded homelessness charity Porchlight the contract to deliver support services in East and Mid Kent, while housing association and care provider Look…
One of the country’s biggest solar panel arrays on a school building has been installed at Northfleet School for Girls. At 180kWp, the panels, installed by SAS Energy, provide enough power for 30% of the school’s energy use. The school will save around £17,000 a year on its energy bill and will reduce its carbon emissions…
Foster carers and staff from across Kent have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to the lives of the county’s children. More than 120 people were nominated for this year’s Kent County Council’s (KCC) Fostering Appreciation Awards at Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone. Children, social workers and other foster carers put forward recommendations to a…
A review into where 20mph schemes could be introduced has been ordered by the KCC cabinet member for transport. Mike Whiting has asked officers to prepare a report following government research into the schemes. Kent County Council funds 20mph limits and there are currently over 800 roads and streets covered. There is no separate funding…
Kent residents have their chance to comment on a draft three-year strategy for the county’s Libraries, Registration and Archives service during a 10-week public consultation which opened on Wednesday (21 November). All of Kent’s libraries will continue to be maintained, although many could have their opening hours changed according to plans announced by the council.…
A consultation has been launched on changes to funding for three bus services in Thanet. The proposals could see the withdrawal of the 42/42A, 56 and 39/39A services. In its place would be new services and changes to existing commercial services along most sections of the routes. For the 39/39A service, people will be able…
It’s Alcohol Awareness Week and Kent residents are being reminded of the dangers of drinking too much and where they can find support services. Alcohol addiction can ruin lives and have lasting impact on families for generations. Drinking too much can have long term effects on you emotional and physical health. Luckily, the majority of…
Counting of the votes in the Kent County Council Canterbury North by-election has finished with the Conservatives holding the seat. Following the count at the Westgate Hall, Robert Thomas was elected as the KCC councillor for the division with 1,355 votes. Six candidates were on the ballot in yesterday’s election. The by-election was called following…
Kent County Council (KCC) has relaunched its website for children in care and care leavers to make it more accessible. Kent Cares Town was launched in 2012 as a one-stop shop for young people and professionals to access a wealth of information around being in care. The website is run by Virtual School Kent (VSK),…
The winners of the 2018 Kent Design & Development Awards have been announced, with the University of Kent’s Sibson Building named Project of the Year. More than 30 projects were shortlisted in eight categories, with nine awards being presented and the overall Project of the Year voted for among the category winners on the night.…
Two Kent social workers have been selected as finalists in the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2018 in recognition of their outstanding work with vulnerable people in the county. Kerri Davies, a care manager based at Brook House in Whitstable, has been nominated for Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year. Heidi Turtle,…
