In the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) announced later today, the Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to announce that local government expenditure is expected to be squeezed. Ahead of the CSR the Local Government Association has warned that without additional funding for local government and care of the elderly, council tax bills will have to rise.
The Full programme for the Folkestone Literary Festival has been announced, and promises to be the biggest and best yet. The Festival, supported by Folkestone Town Council amongst others, runs 2 - 10 November 2007 and has its full programme on-line at www.folkestonelitfest.co.uk
Kent County Council has announced that due to proposed junction improvement works on the Ashley Avenue/Cheriton High Street junction in Cheriton, Folkestone, there will be a road closure on Ashley Avenue from the junction with Cheriton High Street to the access with All Soul's Church Vicarage from 22nd October for around 4 weeks.
The Liberal Democrats will today table a Bill to the House of Commons to introduce fixed parliamentary terms of four years. The measure, which represents long-standing party policy, comes after Gordon Brown ruled out holding a General Election this autumn, and described the possibility of a poll in 2008 as "very unlikely".
Dover Labour MP Gwyn Prosser's attack on the Conservatives, "MP slams Davis' plans to scrap ID card scheme", Kent on Sunday, 7th October 2007, were not entirely unexpected, but so very wrong. Gwyn was on the Home Office Working Party that dreamt up and planned the whole ID card scheme so he obviously backs "his baby" at every opportunity.
Where were YOU when you learned Brown had bottled it? For me, it was a text on Saturday afternoon Vice Chair Neil Matthews which caused me to jump for the remote: "Have you seen the news? GE". Thanks for that Neil - my pulse will one day return to normal. I guess.
Royal Mail has said that there will be no post for a week from 4 October following a series of strikes by the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) over pay, pensions and modernisation. The The 48 hour strike starting yesterday at noon will be followed by another two-day stoppage from 3am on Monday.
The South East England European Candidate Selection Hustings Meeting meeting scheduled for Eastleigh, Hampshire this Saturday (6th October) has been cancelled.
The BBC reports that a British Army soldier has been killed and two others injured in an explosion in southern Afghanistan. The soldiers, serving with the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles were returning to base at Kandahar Airfield when the blast happened.
Shepway Council Chief Executive Alistair Stewart has announced that Shepway Corporate Director for Planning and the Environment, Jeff Stack, has been offered and accepted the post of Director of Environmental Services at Broxbourne Borough Council in Hertfordshire.
Liberal Democrat MEP for Folkestone & Hythe, Sharon Bowles, has today called on the government to reverse its policy of post office closures across the county. Her remarks came as the Post Office announced its first wave of branch closures, with 58 Kent Post Offices - including 5 in Folkestone and Hythe - earmarked for the axe.
Kent Police are appealing for help identifying a group of youths who assaulted and hurled abuse at a street cleaner in Folkestone. The 62-year-old broke his arm when he was pushed over by one of the yobs on the zig zag path near The Leas on Friday 28 September.
