Construction work on the new £10 million community hub in Southborough has been completed and the building has officially been handed over by the contractor. The fitting out of the main building – under the new name of the Southborough Civic Centre, adopted by the town council on 8 March – will begin imminently. The…
KCC Trading Standards officers, with the support of Kent Police and immigrations teams, targeted illicit tobacco sellers in Margate, Ramsgate and Folkestone in a week-long intelligence-led operation. A total of 21 premises were visited, resulting in more than 6,000 packets of cigarettes and rolling tobacco being seized, together with £4,000 cash, and eight shops were…
A new “social prescribing” service to help tackle loneliness and isolation among the over 65s in four areas of Kent has been launched by KCC. The new pilot service is free and confidential, operating from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. It was launched on International Social Prescribing Day, 18 March, as a trial in Folkestone East…
Improvements to Sandwich railway station by Network Rail have been welcomed, as preparations get under way for The 149th Open, which will be played at Royal St George’s from 11-18 July. The improvements were designed to increase platform capacity, reduce disruption to local roads and residents, and enhance the experience for passengers and spectators. The…
The first of Kent’s new mobile library vehicles have hit the county’s roads, bringing a range of books to residents eager to nourish their love of reading during lockdown and beyond. KCC’s Libraries, Registration and Archives service has invested in five new vehicles to cover all the routes across Kent – including the surrounding areas…
Two men previously convicted of selling counterfeit clothing have been ordered to pay back a total of £136,476 of their illegal gains. Confiscation proceedings were brought at Maidstone Crown Court by KCC Trading Standards team, under the Proceeds of Crime Act, following successful prosecutions in 2019. Blaine Boon and Jagdish Naran had been sentenced to…
Kent County Council and Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce have secured £90,000 funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) to lead a new project to help small businesses to get into overseas markets. The SEED Project kicks off this month and will run for a year. While visits to major international trade shows…
KCC says it is working to a full service restoration of its Libraries, Registration and Archives service across the county over the next few months. However, the rate of progress will depend on a number of factors, including government guidelines on Covid restrictions, ensuring those libraries that have remained closed for many months are ready…
KCC is backing proposals from the campaign group Action on Empty Homes for a new nationwide strategy to deliver additional housing for those in most need, utilising properties currently left vacant or in need of renovation. Among suggestions, launched as part of Empty Homes Week, are a national fund to support councils in bringing tens…
As local authority budgets continue to reel from the financial impact of COVID-19, Kent County councillors have today voted through the authority’s spending plans for 2021-22. The budget focuses on supporting communities and residents to recover from the pandemic and keeping vital services going in the county. To achieve this, councillors agreed a ‘regrettable but…
News that more than 1,000 job opportunities for local young people from businesses and public agencies across the county have been offered as part of the Government’s Kickstart programme has been warmly welcomed by the Kent & Medway Employment Task Force. With unemployment in the county among young people increasing – and expected to rise…
A former school finance manager has pleaded guilty to committing fraud by abuse of position after spending more than £15,000 on personal purchases using a school’s corporate card. Emma Taylor, of Stone, Dartford, received a 180-day prison sentence, suspended for two years and 30 days rehabilitation with the probation service. She was also ordered to…