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,…
A competition has been launched to name 17 new gritters. KCC’s 60 gritters and five mini gritters warmed up their engines last week on their first shout of the winter season. However, among Gritty McGritFace, Gritney Skiers and Snow Farah are 17 without names. The county’s children now have the opportunity to submit names they’d…
Five rural bus pilot schemes have been announced following the Big Conversation, a consultation to explore options for better transport to rural communities. A summit was held at County Hall in Maidstone on Tuesday (October 30) and revealed the schemes would run in Dover, Sevenoaks, Tenterden, West Malling and Maidstone. The Big Conversation ran for…
With the global expenditure on offshore wind expected to reach £108 billion between now and 2022, offshore wind represents a large and growing market for Kent based companies. The UK is number one in the world for offshore wind power generation in terms of installed capacity, and we have the biggest pipeline up to 2020.…
Having a furry, four-legged member of staff with a friendly wagging tail makes school extra enjoyable for children, but it also has huge benefits in terms of youngsters’ development. Maypole Primary School in Dartford is one of a growing number of schools across Kent, and indeed the country, that is realising the benefits of introducing…
The sole boss of a concrete driveway company, who conned victims across Kent out of thousands of pounds, has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. Arif Choudry, 54, from Tonbridge, was the director of Wycombe Welding Limited, previously trading as ADriveForLife.com.ltd, registered in Kings Hill. He had previously pleaded guilty to 19…
There was a buzz of excitement at three Kent schools as pupils found out they had won big prizes for their efforts to save wild bees. Youngsters at Parkside Community Primary School in Canterbury and St Lawrence CEP School in Sevenoaks were crowned joint winners of the competition, organised by Kent County Council’s Kent’s Plan…
Whatever the weather this winter, Kent’s gritters are ready for action. Today (October 26), the county’s 60 gritters and five mini gritters warmed up their engines and took part in a dry run of gritting routes. The dry run allows drivers old and new to familiarise themselves with the routes, ensure vehicles and their systems…
Plans to remove the need for planning permission to explore for shale gas and to make production proposals for government to determine have been rejected by Kent County Council. KCC has this week responded to two government consultations into whether to allow non-hydraulic fracturing exploration under Permitted Development rights and to allow plans for the…
The A26 Tonbridge Road in Maidstone will reopen on Sunday after a void was discovered in May. At a cost of over £1 million and over 8,000 hours of work to fill the void, the road is scheduled to reopen on Sunday morning. The void was first spotted on May 28 with a small hole…
KCC’s archives service has received recognition from the National Archives for the way it stores and preserves evidence of the county’s heritage and history. In a ceremony at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone, the National Archives Operations Director Paul Davies presented a certificate of accreditation, the UK quality standard which recognises good…
The importance of volunteers across the county was emphasised at an event where the efforts of KCC’s Early Help and Preventative Services (EHPS) were praised. The service has been presented with the prestigious REVAMP (Recognition of Excellence in Volunteering and Management Practice) certificate by the Stronger Kent Communities consortium at a ceremony held at a…
More than 16,500 children who sat the Kent Test last month will find out whether they have been assessed for a grammar school place this week. Families who registered online for the test will be sent an email from Kent County Council after 4pm on Thursday, October 11 with their child’s assessment result. However, the…
All children deserve a loving, permanent home, regardless of their circumstances. That’s why this National Adoption Week (15-21 Oct), Kent County Council (KCC) will be focusing its efforts on encouraging more same-sex couples and single people to adopt. In Kent, we particularly need adopters who can consider single children, boys aged between 2 to 6…
Kent County Council today launches its annual budget consultation with the endeavour to continue to protect the complex services it provides, particularly those that support the most vulnerable in our communities, both young and old, whilst continuing to support economic growth to make Kent a great place to live, work and enjoy. The council’s proposals,…
A special conference has been held in Kent today, highlighting how taking care of mental wellbeing can have positive effects on both health and productivity. This World Mental Health Day (10 October), Kent Police, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Kent County Council joined forces to invite businesses to a conference looking at mental health…
A special event has been held today, bringing together organisations from across Kent and Medway to encourage more people to become regularly active and benefit their long-term health. Led by Kent Sport and supported by Kent County Council’s Public Health team, the conference at the Detling Showground was attended by 150 people from 75 different…
