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Catch up on all the latest political news from across Kent with Gabriel Morris.
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00:00Hello, good evening. Welcome to the Kent Politics Show live here on KNTV. I'm Gabriel Morris.
00:25Tonight, our panel tackles what more can Kent do to prevent flooding following yet another week of downpours.
00:31Some residents have been telling us surface water flooding wouldn't have been so severe if trains were cleared just a little bit more regularly.
00:38And we also explore what devolution and local government reform could mean for Kent.
00:42Plans would see all 14 councils replaced with three new unitary authorities.
00:48What would that mean for local services and do our panellists back it?
00:51And crucially, how soon might this all happen?
00:53Plus, the cost of living crisis continues to bite.
00:57Charities in the county say families are feeling the pinch more than ever.
01:01But first, we begin with this.
01:03On crime across Kent, antisocial behaviour has surged this summer as temperatures rise.
01:08Kent police say dispersal orders and increased patrols are helping, but concerns remain.
01:13Well, this week, Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has claimed that crime is now commonplace across Britain.
01:19And this party have unveiled a sweeping set of policies to tackle it.
01:24But will they work?
01:26Well, joining me on the sofa today is Maxwell Harrison.
01:29He's a councillor for Kent County Council, representing Reform UK.
01:34And Mike Soule, also on Kent County Council for the Lib Dems.
01:37Well, thank you both for joining me.
01:39Maxwell, I'll come to you first.
01:41And, Nigel Farage announced these announcements this week.
01:44A lot of money could be spent.
01:46Will they work?
01:47Well, absolutely.
01:47And there's a growing conception, not only in Kent, but across Great Britain, that crime is out of control.
01:53A growing sense that our police force are simply not up to the job.
01:57And that actually lawfulness, unlawfulness is on the rise.
02:00And so, now, I welcome, you know, the proposals Nigel announced the other day.
02:04I think it's well welcomed.
02:05Speaking to residents on the Isle of Sheppey, there's a growing sense of actually people being terrified.
02:09That crimes aren't being dealt with or investigated.
02:12That things on the rise already, we've seen since 2021 to 2025, shoplifting go up in Kent by 55%.
02:19In 2024 to 2025, again, sexual offences went up 8%.
02:24Yes, recorded crimes in Kent are going down, but things are getting worse.
02:28We can see it on the streets.
02:30Centre community is struggling.
02:32There is a sense of lacking of trust.
02:34And actually, I think it's very important that we now are serious on law and order in Kent.
02:38Mike, I don't know if you've had a chance to have a look through some of Reform UK's policies.
02:42Do you agree with any of them?
02:44How would the Lib Dems tackle crime?
02:45Because it is an issue for many residents in Kent.
02:47We go and speak to people in the public.
02:49They do say they'd like to see more bobbies on the beat.
02:51Yeah, we'd all like to see more bobbies on the beat.
02:53But you're not going to deal with crime just by locking more people up.
02:57And Nigel Farage wants to open prisons in El Salvador and Estonia.
03:01Well, it didn't work 200 years ago when we shipped people off to Australia, did it?
03:05And that's the last thing we want to do.
03:07We've got to work on what are the core issues here.
03:10What starts crime in the first place?
03:12Things like poverty, lack of education, opportunity to get to work and to work, mental health.
03:20That's where we need to focus things.
03:22And those are things we can do.
03:23Actually, I'd like to work with Maxwell on this at Kent County Council.
03:27That's where our money should be spent.
03:29Do you think preventative measures would work, as Mike just said there?
03:32Yeah, I think it is definitely a good aspiration.
03:34However, right now, for residents to get actually the grips of crime, I think it's really important to act now.
03:40If you take, for example, in Broadstairs, in Thanet, we had a young youth mob go down and attack a restaurant.
03:46You know, we need to be actually quite disciplined on our approach with how we deal with these things.
03:50That's why we've come up with the measures of trying to get an additional 30,000 police officers
03:54and cut down crime by 50% in our first five years of government.
03:58We have got to be absolutely clear-cut that if you commit a crime in this country,
04:02you will actually have some sort of sentence and that justice will prevail.
04:06That's why families up and down this country and in this county aren't reporting their crimes.
04:10They feel unheard and ignored because the police won't do anything.
04:13In two-tier Britain, you know, justice is just not simply being dished out enough
04:17and our sentencing guidelines are too weak.
04:19So, yes, I do think preventative measures will be helpful,
04:22but we have to be seen as being much harsher, much stricter,
04:25and actually having a sense of discipline once again.
04:27And as Mike was saying there about sending prisoners abroad,
04:30that could be quite a challenge.
04:31I know this is different, but you think of the Rwanda plan
04:34that the previous administration and Conservatives had.
04:37I took, well, never got off the ground.
04:40Yeah.
04:40Would that get off the ground?
04:41Would you be able to send prisoners abroad?
04:43Will other countries accept it?
04:45Will there be blocks from human rights charities?
04:49Well, of course, you know, what we're going to do when we do win the next general election,
04:52we'll leave the ECHR.
04:53So that international framework that currently stops us deporting foreign criminals,
04:56we're going to get around.
04:57And actually, we talk about foreign criminals in this country.
05:00You know, where we both operate at Maidstone, you know, in Kent County Council,
05:03right next to us is Maidstone Prison.
05:05Out of 570 inmates, 99% of them are foreign criminals.
05:09In HNP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey, where I represent, again, 18% are foreign criminals.
05:14So we will deport foreign criminals in this country once we leave the ECHR.
05:18And yes, if it means that, you know, people in this country who do commit crimes,
05:22we have to send them abroad, that's not a problem.
05:24We've already outlined how we will put £1.5 billion to do that.
05:28Yet the Rwanda scheme was never going to take flight.
05:30I know, pardon the pun, but we actually have the political will
05:33and we will have a parliamentary political party that will actually get this on the ground.
05:37Well, Mike, you say you have some reformative measures in there,
05:41rehabilitation early on, trying to stop the preventative measures.
05:44But it would take some time to hit the ground running.
05:47Crime does still exist at the moment.
05:49So we've got to tackle it.
05:50We can start tackling it now.
05:53You know, Maxwell wants to wait until the next general election
05:55and hope that reform are running the country.
05:57Why wait?
05:59You're in power now at KCC.
06:01We can do stuff now on preventative measures.
06:04We need to prevent it and we need to, you know,
06:06take action now to stop crime happening.
06:09We can do that.
06:09We can put money into services, into youth services, into sport.
06:14Get young people out of crime.
06:18Encourage them.
06:19We've all heard stories about, you know, children at boxing clubs,
06:21you know, that being the way out of gangs and things.
06:24We can do that.
06:25Kent County Council's got the power to do that.
06:27It's got the money.
06:28That's where it needs to go, into family hubs, into sport,
06:32into mental health.
06:34Do that now and we may not need to lock more people up
06:38in three or four years' time after the general election.
06:41Would you agree with what Mike said there?
06:43Yeah, it's an element.
06:43You know, there's things that Kent County Council can do.
06:46We do hold, you know, the PPC, the Crime Commissioner, to account.
06:49You know, Matthew Scott, you know,
06:50he came down to Kent County Council the other day.
06:52Pretty woeful responses from him, but that's not here nor there.
06:55Yes, we can support things.
06:56I mean, I'm very proud to be supporting the British Dance Sports Association,
07:00its national safeguarding framework.
07:02You know, in light of the horrible things that happened last year,
07:04to actually support people, getting young people into sporting activities,
07:08ensuring they're in safe environments.
07:10There are things, initiatives we can do.
07:11But at the same time, we know this week that funding for the Mill Mead Children's Centre,
07:15we think possibly seashells in your neck of the woods,
07:20and the pie factory in FANUC could be losing a lot of funding from KCC,
07:23and these, the charities there, the organisation there,
07:26would say that this is preventative measures.
07:28So what would you say to that?
07:29Yes, in terms of seashells, for example,
07:31I've had some very positive conversations with our Cabinet member.
07:34I actually think we're getting to a very positive outcome.
07:37I think we will be able to put some funding into it.
07:39I can't comment on the other situations, not informed about them.
07:41But in terms of seashells, we are quite quietly confident,
07:44both Isabella Kemp and I, that we will be able to save this important family hub,
07:48because Mike is right, you know,
07:49ensuring that you can look after your sense of community,
07:52and to bring people up,
07:53and to give them skills to go up throughout society.
07:55That's important.
07:56But, you know, when we do win the next election,
07:58we want to make it very clear,
07:59we will be the toughest party on crime,
08:01and law and order this country has ever seen.
08:03Currently, at the moment,
08:04every six seconds a crime is committed in England.
08:07That is unacceptable.
08:08We pay our taxes, we work hard.
08:10You know, people are fed up with this nonsense.
08:12That's why we're gaining support and momentum,
08:14because they want to see things change.
08:17Well, let's move on to our next topic now.
08:19We've had a very visible problem this week.
08:21We're flooding.
08:22Heavy rain left roads underwater this week.
08:24Drivers were forced to navigate through standing water,
08:27prompting questions about how often our drains are cleared,
08:30and whether Kent County Council is doing enough.
08:33Residents continue to raise the alarm over overwhelmed drainage,
08:35blocked gullies, and a lack of long-term planning.
08:39Mike, I'll come to you first,
08:40because I know Canterbury, which is near to a bridge where you represent,
08:44has had quite a bit of flooding problem.
08:46What more do you think local authorities could be doing on this?
08:49Well, I think the problem stems from two or three years ago,
08:52Kent County Council changed their regime for cleaning gullies out.
08:56Every gully now is either marked up as being cleaned out every six months,
09:0012 months, or every two years, and that's frankly not good enough.
09:03We have to rely on the public to say there's a blocked drain
09:06and then hope that someone will come out and clean it.
09:10And they haven't been cleaned properly, and that's why we've seen the flooding.
09:13In addition to this, though, we are seeing a lot more heavy rain than we ever used to,
09:18and we need to improve the drainage system.
09:21When it floods at the moment, the water goes down there.
09:23That water's also going all the way out through the storm overflows,
09:29putting sewage in the sea.
09:30KCC need to do more to upgrade the drainage systems,
09:34putting systems so the water drains away more slowly,
09:37and stop people having their homes flooded,
09:40and their business flooded, and their roads flooded.
09:42I've got an area near me where the road floods nearly every time.
09:45And what do KCC do?
09:46Put a warning triangle out.
09:48It's just not good enough.
09:49We need more action on this.
09:51All right, just had some pictures on the screen there, Maxwell.
09:53What would you say to what Mike said there?
09:55KCC needs to clear drains more. Do you agree?
09:57Totally, and actually, Mike, what he's saying is actually common sense.
10:00We need to be doing better for local residents.
10:02When we saw the flooding in Dover,
10:05first of all, I want to commend our members who went out there
10:08and supported the residents and families.
10:09They did a fantastic job in giving people support.
10:12And I spoke to Mr Wimble and Mr Osborne today about these measures.
10:16We have been, Kent County Council in the past,
10:18yes, we're inheriting a mess,
10:19but they have been too reactionary in the past.
10:22We have to be proactive,
10:23and that's why earlier today in Ashford we had people going out,
10:26clearing drains.
10:27We have to do more.
10:28Mike is spot on.
10:29We pick up the mess,
10:30and we're getting in the rhythm of governance and whatnot,
10:33but we have to ensure that these drains are cleared.
10:35I was at Sheerness Town Council meeting the other day.
10:38Residents reckon for a couple of years
10:40local drains haven't been dealt with.
10:42Then, of course, with impermeable surfaces,
10:44it will only get worse and worse.
10:46So, you know, Kent County Council must do more,
10:48and I think our administration, I truly believe, will do it.
10:49What will you be doing now?
10:50Well, of course, we've got to make sure that we do,
10:52as residents ask,
10:53that it's not residents going out and making sure that,
10:56you know, if there's drains which haven't been filled properly.
10:59Actually, us going out there.
11:01You know, we know these areas.
11:02If there have been areas which have been recently flooded,
11:03we should be going out there right now with our teams,
11:05with our vans, with our equipment,
11:07and dealing with those problems ASAP.
11:09And if that requires funding and additional funding,
11:11we will have to just find that stimulus to go out there
11:13because it is, quite frankly,
11:15very scary what's been going on in our county.
11:17Residents deserve better.
11:19You know, the damage done to shops
11:20and to livelihoods and to businesses,
11:22we cannot allow that to happen.
11:23These sort of weather events will continue to happen.
11:26Arguably, they may even get worse.
11:27So we have to be making sure that we are there
11:29as a local authority, delivering for people,
11:32that we're actually being proactive in this approach
11:34and that these things,
11:35things that we can stop, we do stop.
11:37OK, we're going to have to take a quick break now,
11:39but we'll be back in a few minutes
11:40with more on the Kent Politics Show.
11:42We'll be talking about should Kent County Council
11:44be scrapped altogether.
11:46Local government reorganisation plans
11:48will be discussed next week at County Hall.
11:50But we'll be talking about that on the sofa
11:52in just a few minutes.
11:53See you then.
12:07.
19:29The idea that we're going to be tied down with Medway, which we know financially is struggling.
19:34Yes, of course, Dartford, having been conjoined that point,
19:37Dartford has got a lot of stimulus because of things like Blue Water.
19:40But I seem worried that long term it would actually cause more issues for local residents.
19:44But this thing's happening.
19:46We have to, as elected Kent County Councils, put the residents first.
19:49That involves rigorous conversation, thorough analysis,
19:52actually almost a little bit of unity across all of us
19:54to ensure that we make the right decision for Kent.
19:56How quickly do you think this could happen?
20:00Because you said you wanted to delay it, but Labour said no to that.
20:02How quickly are we looking at local government reorganisation now?
20:06What's the latest, you know?
20:07So we have to make our business case by the end of November.
20:10So between now and then, we have to decide as an administration on an option.
20:15That will involve, first of all, our group, as well as going through Cabinet.
20:18It will go through the proper means.
20:20And of course, we will make that announcement.
20:21And we will be taking views of not only opposition,
20:24but all members across Kent County Councils because, you know,
20:27we are all here elected as representatives to do the job.
20:29And, you know, the reason why many of us at Reform UK think that actually
20:33we are worried about the LGR because it hasn't gone to the public
20:36is many residents aren't aware of what's going on,
20:39how this impact and affect their lives.
20:40So us actually all, as Kent County Councils, reaching out,
20:43speaking with those involved in the community.
20:45I welcome the involvement of parish councils big time
20:48to ensure that people are aware of what's going on
20:49because this will change Kent forever.
20:52You know, there's no make ways about this.
20:54We feel like this is being rushed.
20:56This is being forced upon us by the government.
20:58But our hands are tied.
20:59We can now do the best job possible.
21:01And we have to make sure we make the right decision.
21:04Do you think there should be a referendum
21:05on how Kent could look going through the future?
21:08Should this go to the residents?
21:09Would you be allowed it?
21:10A referendum would be a complete waste of money
21:13because it's going to happen.
21:16And Maxwell said that we've got to have the documents in by November.
21:22By March next year, we will know what the boundaries are for the Unitary.
21:26Government will tell us.
21:27A year after that, we'll be looking to elect people to a shadow Unitary Council
21:30and then things really will get going.
21:33So there's a lot of work to do.
21:36We can't sit back and wait or think it's not going to happen.
21:40And I'm really looking forward to seeing a lot more detail come out
21:43from Kent County Council as to how this is going to work best for residents in Kent.
21:47But I will just say, the one thing, all we are doing at the moment
21:49is reorganising the boundaries.
21:51We have not got devolution.
21:53Devolution is when the money comes.
21:55Now, I'm not necessarily in favour of an elected mayor,
21:58but if we're going to reorganise,
22:00we have got to have those mayoral powers somewhere and that money.
22:04Otherwise, we're no better off.
22:05Would you like to see an elected mayor?
22:07Not particularly.
22:07I think it's another layer of a proxy.
22:09And, you know, in terms of a referendum,
22:10my only concern of a referendum is if the Lib Dems want us to have a second one.
22:14So, you know, there's lots of things, you know, going on.
22:17There are lots of conversations happening.
22:18You know, Mike is right, joking aside, that, you know,
22:20we have to have deep analysis.
22:22Monday is a big day.
22:23You know, and again, you know, my view is very, very, very clear.
22:26We have to put residents first.
22:28We have to look at how it will impact those in our community.
22:31And I think, you know, it's going to be a historic day on Monday.
22:34And I look forward to it very much.
22:35What would the future of County Hall be?
22:37Would that stay? Could that be the new headquarters for the main three unitaries?
22:41Who knows?
22:42You'll have to ask the leader.
22:43But my views are very clear.
22:44You know, we're not moving, you know, Kent County to Council.
22:47We're not moving Sessions House, which I think is welcome news.
22:49It saves us an additional £14 million of borrowing,
22:53needlessly not moving over to Invicta House.
22:55So, who knows?
22:56It might even become Reform UK's headquarters in Kent.
22:58Who knows?
22:59The Condylator's Poll is we're going to win nearly every single seat.
23:02We might need it.
23:02We'll move on now.
23:04Finally, we turn to the cost of living.
23:06Issues still topping the agenda across many in Kent.
23:09In Medway, 30% of children now live in poverty.
23:12Well, councils say they're doing what they can.
23:14Food banks and charities say the demand has soared.
23:18Let's hear from a charity now.
23:19We live in one of the most economically deprived areas of South East England.
23:24And when you are engaged, when you're involved with Gillingham Street Angels,
23:28when you work for Gillingham Street Angels,
23:30that is something that you see in large numbers every day.
23:36Do you think it's going to ease?
23:38The optimist in me would like to think so.
23:41But I think you have to look at the wider range of issues that are driving that.
23:46It's not just a case of simple economics anymore.
23:49I think there are a number of geopolitical issues that are driving that.
23:54For instance, there's also environmental factors,
23:57such as the supermarkets,
24:00who are now being much more rigorously regulated
24:04in terms of the amount of waste that they produce.
24:06This then has a trickle-down effect on the donations that come to us.
24:09So I would like to say yes.
24:13I think realistically, this is an ongoing struggle.
24:16Mike, I'll come to you first.
24:18How do we tackle the cost of living crisis?
24:19We know the government's upped national minimum wage
24:22at one of the recent budgets.
24:24What would you do?
24:24Well, I'll tell you one thing that, first of all, we're doing in Canterbury.
24:27We're investing nearly £20 million in our council housing stock.
24:31That's better insulation, better double glazing
24:34and more efficient heating systems.
24:37That will save so much in fuel bills for our tenants,
24:41which is a really good thing to do with fuel poverty.
24:43But we can also look at what Kent County Council can do.
24:46We've heard that reform have found hundreds of millions of pounds
24:51that's been wasted.
24:52Let's use that to do things that will help people in most need.
24:55For example, school bus passes.
24:58£580 a year, double that if you've got two children.
25:01That is an enormous amount of the household budget for most families.
25:05We need to use some of those savings to reduce the price of school bus passes.
25:09That would be really good.
25:11The Conservatives slash the budget for community wardens.
25:14Community wardens do a great job with the elderly.
25:17Their role could be increased to go out there,
25:19help make sure people are claiming the pension credits and other benefits.
25:23Again, we need that money put back in by Kent County Council.
25:27I'm going to bring Maxwell in because we're going to run out of time.
25:28Hey, my boys.
25:29Maxwell, I'll let you respond to that.
25:30But also, what would reform do as well?
25:32Of course, when we win the general election,
25:33we're going to ensure that...
25:34If you win.
25:34When we win,
25:36when we're going to start with a tax threshold of £20,000,
25:38that will immediately put pennies and pounds into people's pockets.
25:41When we can make tax breaks for families and whatnot,
25:44we will do that also.
25:45Right now, people are struggling.
25:46I went to the other day,
25:49organised by Swell Barrow Council and Fairness,
25:51an event for charities to come together,
25:53for members of the public to come in at the Sheppey Gateway.
25:55And it's very clear from the conversations I had
25:57that these local charities are inundated with people,
26:01whether it's to be food or other services they need to be provided for.
26:03So people are really, really struggling right now.
26:06It's our job, as not only as local authority,
26:08but to also hold the government's account
26:09to ensure that people are protected.
26:11That's why I'm very worried about the idea of taxes going up,
26:14an additional £40 billion come the autumn budget.
26:16So it's very scary times.
26:18You know, we have to support people where we can,
26:19and that, I believe, will only come from Reform UK government.
26:22Do you want to quickly come in?
26:26You're in charge at the moment, ACC.
26:28You've got the budget there.
26:29You can spend it.
26:30You're identifying all this money that's being wasted.
26:33Spend it on things like reducing school bus passes.
26:35Bring back community wardens.
26:37Put it into community groups and charities
26:40that help people with food banks.
26:42That's what you can do.
26:43That will make a real difference.
26:44Don't just keep putting things off to a hypothetical general election.
26:47And we've got to finish that on that note.
26:48Goodbye. We'll see you next week.
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