Emergency welfare including food and water was handed out to drivers and passengers overnight who were caught up in the ongoing disruption in Kent. Working with HM Coastguard, React, and Kent Search and Rescue, Kent County Council (KCC) co-ordinated supplies of snack packs and drinks, primarily to tourists queuing on the A20 to get to…
Kent Trading Standards is urging the county’s shoppers to shop safely online ahead of the festive break. More than 28,000 customers were conned out of their money while internet shopping last Christmas, losing £15.4 million to copies of legitimate websites, or completely fictional ones, say Action Fraud. Around £4 billion is also lost to the…
An impressive eight Kent business leaders have now been named Department for International Trade (DIT) Export Champions in a growing national peer-to-peer support network for companies looking to trade abroad. Sian Holt, Managing Director of Fudge Kitchen, based in Lyminge, and Laura Bounds, the MD of Kent Crisps, located in Bridge, near Canterbury, are among…
The patience and understanding of Kent residents and motorists is being recognised ahead of the planned removal of the Operation Brock contraflow on the M20 motorway. Highways England staff are due to remove the barrier between Junctions 9 and 8 London-bound over the weekend of Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2021, marking a return to business as…
Kent businesses needing help to navigate new trade rules will be able to put their queries directly to experts – including Kent County Council Trading Standards. Hosted by the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Tuesday’s EU Transition: Ask the Experts’ free zoom webinar, 10.30am-12.30pm, is designed to be highly interactive with the content of the…
Roger Gough, the Leader of Kent County Council, has welcomed the Government’s revised timetable for introducing new import rules as ‘good news for Kent’. The move to push the border controls schedule back by six months has been set out by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove in a Written Statement to Parliament. It means…
Kent County Council’s Trading Standards Officers are offering free specialist advice to local firms needing help to do business with the EU. The move to provide no-cost regulatory guidance to businesses via a dedicated advice line on 03333 602300 has been made possible thanks to a Kent and Medway Growth Hub grant. Open Monday-Friday (9am-6pm),…
Border-ready HGV drivers are helping reduce the risk of issues on Kent’s roads and currently enjoying smoother trips through the county, the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) said today. With COVID travel regulations tightening, and freight numbers expected to return to normal seasonal averages in the coming weeks, chair of the KRF – Assistant Chief Constable…
Tomorrow (January 1) marks the end of the EU transition period, bringing with it changes to the way businesses operate and how we travel to the continent. As well as leaving the EU single market and customs union, the coronavirus pandemic means anyone travelling from the UK must have a negative COVID-19 test within 72…
Plans on how Kent will deal with potential traffic disruption at the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1 have been published. When the transition period ends, the UK will no longer be a member of the Single Market or the Customs Union. Therefore, new border controls and checks will be implemented which…
On the eve of Britain exiting the EU, Kent County Council says it will continue to strengthen and build on its relationship with Europe and neighbouring local authorities on the Continent. KCC has strong relationships across the Channel and has longstanding connections with French and Belgian local authorities. Kent County Council Leader Roger Gough said:…
The Leader of Kent County Council has welcomed the government announcement that the Operation Brock barrier, which has been in place on the M20 since March 2019, will now be removed. The Government has announced it is standing down all contingency planning for a no-deal Brexit on 31 January. Partners of the Kent Resilience Forum…