Latest news with #KentCountyCouncil
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Kent County Council seeks solution to 'painful' Operation Brock
Kent County Council says it is looking for alternatives to Operation Brock, including an off-road lorry facility to try to ease Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queuing on one side of the M20 in an attempt to ease congestion, but council representatives said it was a "painful measure for everybody in Kent".Peter Osborne, cabinet member for highways and transport, said that while they were seeking a solution to the ongoing issues the contraflow system between junctions eight and nine was "all that we've got".Mr Osborne said: "I'm pretty sure that everyone at the council and most of our residents want to get rid of it." Operation Brock is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), with decisions on its use made by the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF).On average the operation costs about £250,000 each time it is deployed, a Freedom of Information request Osborne said the council had looked at sites for an off-road holding facility, but the site needed to be between Ashford and Folkestone and on the left side of the had included the Sevington inland border facility, which the government is reportedly considering selling following its post-Brexit deal with the EU, but Mr Osborne said the site was on the wrong side of the Howe, highways and transport strategic resilience manager at the KMRF, told Radio Kent that "being realistic, it [Operation Brock] won't be fixed this summer and it won't be fixed next summer".The DfT was approached for comment.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Reform council complains Labour is being TOO TOUGH on migrant workers warning clampdown on care sector could see vital staff 'going home'
A Reform-run council has complained to ministers about Labour 's crackdown on migrant workers in the UK - saying it is too tough. Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran has written to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper about a new law cutting the number of care worker visas. But rather than being in favour of the change, Ms Kemkaran, whose party wants to drastically cut legal immigration, has complained that it could leave its services and private providers on a 'cliff edge'. In the letter, co-signed by the council's cabinet Member for adult social care and public health, Diane Morton, she said she had 'grave concerns' about the proposed law change. Under changes laid in Parliament earlier this month, care worker visas will be scrapped and the salary threshold for skilled worker visas will rise from £38,700 to £41,700. It will also up the threshold to degree level for skilled workers, which will cut eligibility for 111 occupations. In her letter, Ms Kemkaran wrote: 'Across the contracts for the Council's adult social care and health services there are approximately 150 providers we are aware of who have sponsorship licences which is equal to 20-25 per cent of our social care workforce being from overseas... 'Paired with the changes announced in the autumn Budget in 2024 that resulted in changes to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025, this is totally unsustainable, and the risk is that many care workers at this level will go home and leave providers on a cliff edge.' She added: This is obviously a national issue, and it is too early to describe the long-term impact on the council and care providers ... however, due to the challenges facing the adult social care system in general, and care providers in particular, we urge you to reconsider these changes and look forward to your support in addressing these urgent pressing matters.' Legislation to end the recruitment of care workers from abroad is set to be introduced as part of a raft of immigration reforms. New rules to be laid in Parliament on Tuesday will also seek to increase salary and skills thresholds up to degree level for skilled workers, which will cut eligibility for 111 occupations. The salary threshold for skilled worker visas will rise from £38,700 to £41,700 under the proposals. A new time-limited temporary shortage list will also be introduced until the end of 2026 for below degree level, where recruiting foreign workers is key to build critical infrastructure or industrial strategy. But those workers will no longer be able to bring their families and will not be entitled to salary and visa fee discounts. The legislative measures are the first policy changes to be introduced from the Government's Immigration White Paper to tighten controls and cut migration to the UK.
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Farage urges Reform councils to ditch ‘virtue-signalling' net zero targets
Nigel Farage has pressured Reform-led councils to scrap 'virtue-signalling' climate emergency targets amid concerns they are 'massive diversions of time'. Eight in 10 local authorities across Britain declared so-called climate emergencies between May 2019 and 2023, with many racing to beat each other into announcing their green-focused pledges. The floodgates were opened six years ago after the House of Commons agreed on a motion tabled by Jeremy Corbyn for Parliament to declare an emergency. Local authorities vowed to follow suit by devoting millions of pounds to decarbonise offices, waste collection trucks and all council-run services. Rather than opt for a 2050 deadline – as agreed by Parliament – the majority of councils pledged a more ambitious 2030 target. Mr Farage, whose party gained control of 10 county councils two months ago, told The Telegraph the net zero pledges need to be ditched. He said: 'They need to be scrapped. It's not the job of county councils to deal with global issues, and it wouldn't make any difference at all if they were scrapped. 'It costs money and they are a massive diversion of time. It's virtue-signalling.' Mr Farage's comments come after he said in May that staff working on climate change initiatives should be 'seeking alternative careers'. Of the 10 councils Reform gained control, the party inherited seven climate emergency policies. Kent County Council last week became the first Reform-led authority to announce cost-savings plans of £40m by cutting net zero spending. It declared a climate emergency in 2019. In a move described as 'reckless' by critics, Lincolnshire County Council scrapped its flood management scrutiny committee in May, while Derbyshire County Council axed its climate change committee and cancelled all climate-related meetings. 'We have no idea how much it all costs' Since committing to their climate emergencies, various councils across the UK have been accused of ploughing millions into eco targets at the expense of cutting key services. For example, cash-strapped Lambeth council – which has dimmed streetlights to save money – spent £25m on climate initiatives such as 'rain gardens' and low-traffic neighbourhoods between 2019 and 2024. An investigation by The Times last year found the Labour-run south London authority paid more than 40 staff members at least £100,000 a year, including a 'director of climate and inclusive growth' on £160,000. Pembrokeshire County Council, which vowed in 2019 to become net zero by 2030, is poised to launch a review into its climate emergency after councillors raised concerns over its cost and deliverability. Cllr Mike Stoddart, who previously branded the emergency 'virtue signalling on stilts', successfully tabled a motion last month to start a review. He said: 'We have no idea how much it all costs and there has been no accountability for years. The UK is responsible for just under 1pc of global CO2 emissions, and Pembrokeshire's population of 120,000 is roughly one five hundredth of that of the UK. 'If the council ceased to exist, it would make no difference whatsoever to the Earth's climate.' A meeting of Pembrokeshire's full council – which is coalition-led – will decide whether to pursue a review at a meeting this month. Council papers show that it does 'not currently have an assessment' of the costs of its climate emergency, despite previously pledging to publish bi-annual reviews. Elsewhere, in Merseyside, Sefton Council, which has reduced emissions by 43pc since 2019, said it is 'clear that a substantial amount of investment will be required' to reach net zero by 2030. External funding is needed, but a progress report goes on to state that the council 'must carefully evaluate its position in the coming years'. Councils taking 'minimum action' Having announced climate emergencies, some councils have taken the most 'minimum action possible', according to watchdog group, Climate Emergency UK. Damning findings show that only a quarter of councils have turned at least 10pc of their vehicle fleet electric since pledging to decarbonise. Isaac Beevor, of Climate Emergency UK, said some councils are 'driving forward local climate action', yet others are falling short. He said: 'There are councils which continue to lag behind, taking the minimum action possible.' Having ranked every local authority's performance, the watchdog concluded progress across the UK is 'slow', with hundreds of councils not on track to meet their own self-declared net zero targets. Climate Emergency UK scored councils across seven categories of performance, ranking them on a score from 0 to 100. Just 62 of the 391 councils assessed scored higher than half marks. Rutland came bottom of the pile for county councils, while Castle Point (Essex) ranked last for district authorities. At the other end of the scale, Islington council topped the overall chart. Mr Beevor said: 'We are calling for climate action to be a fully funded legal duty for all UK councils, as we need all councils to be creating the zero-emission communities we need to thrive.' Two-thirds of councils were not confident of meeting their targets, according to a survey published by the Local Government Association (LGA) last year. Adam Hug, a spokesman for the LGA, said: 'The Government will not meet its net zero goals without empowering councils to deliver local climate action in every village, town and city. 'With the right support, local areas could cut carbon quicker and for less money, while boosting the local economy and ensuring local people benefit.'
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Forgotten art collection to be auctioned in Kent
A collection of artwork that had left in the basement of the County Hall in Kent is to be sold at artwork includes about 350 lithographs, linocuts, screen prints, etchings, wood cuts and engravings depicting Dover, Tenterden, Maidstone, Ivychurch, Canterbury and Sepham Heath, near of the art was purchased 40 years ago as part of the Kent Visual Arts Loan Scheme (KVALS), designed for lending to schools and work places, Kent County Council (KCC) collection has an estimated value of £45,700. The KVALS scheme aimed to offer the opportunity for people to experience and benefit from art on a daily basis when it might otherwise not have been a possibility, the council scheme has not run for more than 10 years, and the artwork has been in storage since that time. Paul Webb, cabinet member for community and regulatory services, said: "The reason for selling is a practical one, with the closure of the basement store where the art works are kept."It is a really fascinating collection and if you have time, you can disappear down a rabbit hole learning more about the artists and their inspiration."I am sure the works have brought a lot of joy over the years to many people, and will now continue to do so."Individual lot valuations vary from £200 to £1, catalogue can be viewed online via the Sworders auction house.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ZIA YUSUF: No money for potholes... but plenty for migrants' Big Macs
If you want to know why Britain feels broken, why the public no longer trusts government at any level, and why faith in politics is collapsing, look no further than the scandal uncovered by Reform UK's DOGE unit. While you've been told there's no money for potholes, and services keep getting cut, your council tax has quietly been funding Netflix subscriptions and trips to the circus. I wish I was joking. Reform won control of ten councils in May, and we did so with a mandate to fight for taxpayers. The DOGE team – our Department for Government Efficiency – has begun its analysis of spending in English councils. Even at this early stage, what we have found is a slap in the face to every taxpayer in this country. Hundreds of thousands of pounds squandered on luxuries, fast food, entertainment and designer brands – all during a cost-of-living crisis where working families can't even afford a weekly shop. Asylum is already a heavy burden on the Treasury. Figures released last November showed the Home Office spent a record £5.38 billion on asylum seekers in 2023-24 – up by 36 per cent on the previous year – in no small part due to hotel accommodation. So to blow even a penny of that on crazy golf or skateboarding is a betrayal of the taxpayer. These last two examples come courtesy of the high-rollers at Kent County Council who also forked out for trips to the cinema, bowling alley, safari park and circus – all booked to the asylum budget. It's clear that those who came to the country illegally are enjoying better lifestyles than many of the taxpayers who fund all this. Small boat migrants who go on to claim asylum get a free life of leisure, while British families struggle to find the time and money to take their own families on holidays. And the absurdity doesn't end there. We uncovered over £10,000 of spending on streaming services Netflix and Disney+, somehow justified as council expenses. This is on top of the thousands that Kent Council spent on TV licences for asylum seekers. The fast food bill alone will turn your stomach. A staggering £118,000 was spent across councils on McDonald's, Domino's, Greggs, Nando's and UberEats. Most of the McDonald's spend was booked into the education budget. Some education. Then there's Durham County Council. It blew £23,000 on Amazon, £12,000 on gift cards, £11,000 at Currys, £9,700 via PayPal and nearly £2,000 on Virgin Atlantic – all tied to asylum-related budgets. The public never voted for its money to be lavished on electronics and gift cards for adult asylum seekers, let alone TV licences, Domino's or trips to bowling alleys. No democratic mandate exists for this grotesque misuse of public funds. Instead, it was waved through by treacherous politicians and unelected bureaucrats behind closed doors. The rot is systemic. From online shopping debts being paid off using public funds, to hundreds of thousands on fast food, the spending culture inside our councils reveals a contempt for the people footing the bill. The fact that the bureaucrats presiding over this also have their snouts in the trough is adding insult to injury. Some 238 council employees earn more than the Prime Minister. It's not just the CEOs. In London alone, over 90 council staff – including HR directors – have higher pay packages than the PM. Paying for performance is one thing, paying for dismal failure is another. Despite these extraordinary salaries and ever-growing payrolls, most council employees 'work from home' for some or even all of the week, and have refused any independent analysis of staff productivity. I wonder why. We are finding this waste and betrayal across former Tory and Labour city halls. While they were arguing about who could tax you more, they let the machinery of government quietly bleed you dry. Reform will give power back to the people who work hard, pay taxes and expect nothing more than fairness and common sense in return. Britain needs a reckoning. We must end the era of blank cheques, and start holding public servants to the same standards the rest of us live by. My DOGE team will continue to uncover and expose waste, and under Reform UK every pound of taxpayer money will be treated as precious. A hard reset in Whitehall is a must. A Reform government will respect your hard work, sacrifices and right to expect competence and honesty from those spending your money. On May 1 this year, Reform decisively prised apart the stranglehold the two old parties have had on British politics for a century. Under Nigel Farage, we offer a totally new approach to politics. We will secure our borders, halt immigration, put the interests of British people first, and we will fight for taxpayers.
