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Simon Finlay, Local Democracy Reporter

Simon Finlay started his career at a news picture agency in his home city, Belfast, during the Troubles. He moved to London in the 1980s and worked on local and national Sunday newspapers as well as a five year stint in television. He moved to Kent in 1999 where he has edited the Dover Express, Folkestone Herald, Times of Tunbridge Wells and latterly the Downs Mail. He joined the KM Group in 2023 at a Local Democracy Reporter covering Kent County Council

Simon Finlay, Local Democracy Reporter

Collapsed road could take at least three years to fix and ‘cost tens of millions’

26 March 2025
Collapsed road could take at least three years to fix and ‘cost tens of millions’

Any scheme to permanently fix a collapsed road caused by a major landslip will take years to complete and prove very costly, it has emerged.

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Poll predicts Reform UK will win county council election

24 March 2025
Poll predicts Reform UK will win county council election

The Conservatives are set to lose control of Kent County Council at the election on May 1, according to a new survey.

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Special school’s residential unit could close under KCC proposals

24 March 2025
Special school’s residential unit could close under KCC proposals

Residential places at a special school are to close later this year under a proposal by the county’s largest local authority.

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Shocking £1.3bn repair bill for Kent’s crumbling roads revealed

23 March 2025
Shocking £1.3bn repair bill for Kent’s crumbling roads revealed

The shocking cost of repairing Kent’s crumbling roads and infrastructure is £1.3bn, the county’s highways chief disclosed.

Labour county councillor resigns in disgust over government welfare reforms

22 March 2025
Labour county councillor resigns in disgust over government welfare reforms

Kent county councillor Karen Constantine has resigned from the Labour Party after more than 40 years.

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Cab firms forced to return £30,000 for SEN pupil taxi trips they did not make

21 March 2025
Cab firms forced to return £30,000 for SEN pupil taxi trips they did not make

Cab firms in Kent have been caught trying to take the tax-payer for a ride - claiming nearly £30,000 for home-to-school trips they did not make.

‘We need the government’s help to repair and reopen collapsed road’

20 March 2025
‘We need the government’s help to repair and reopen collapsed road’

Nearly two years after a major landslip closed a busy road in north Kent, the government has been called on to discuss how to fund repairs.

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More Kent councillors join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK ahead of elections

19 March 2025
More Kent councillors join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK ahead of elections

A further two councillors in Kent have joined Reform UK ahead of the May 1 local elections.

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Disruption caused by roadworks in Kent on select committee agenda

17 March 2025
Disruption caused by roadworks in Kent on select committee agenda

The county’s largest local authority has been invited to provide further evidence to the government about the growing disruption caused by roadworks.

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‘We don’t know how dangerous it is’: Fears over number of school-aged vapers

17 March 2025
‘We don’t know how dangerous it is’: Fears over number of school-aged vapers

There are concerns about the side effects on vaping as the number of teenagers addicted to the habit are revealed.

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Conservative county councillor launches attack on party as she defects

14 March 2025
Conservative county councillor launches attack on party as she defects

A Tory councillor has defected to a right-wing, populist Eurosceptic party taking a swipe at her former colleagues at County Hall on the way out.

Family hub services at two Kent centres safe for another year after council u-turn

13 March 2025
Family hub services at two Kent centres safe for another year after council u-turn

Family and children services at two centres in Kent have been saved from the axe - but only for a year.

Former Tory county councillor defects to Reform UK

13 March 2025
Former Tory county councillor defects to Reform UK

A former Conservative county councillor has defected to Reform UK weeks ahead of this year’s local elections.

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'Don't blame county council for roadworks chaos - it’s really not our fault'

12 March 2025
'Don't blame county council for roadworks chaos - it’s really not our fault'

Kent’s highways chief has shared his frustration at the lack of power the council has over the roadworks causing major traffic problems.

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‘Abomination’ housing plan for 8,400 homes goes before planning inspector today

11 March 2025
‘Abomination’ housing plan for 8,400 homes goes before planning inspector today

An 8,000-home “abomination” planned for a huge swathe of Kent countryside will go before a planning inspector today.

Study reveals shocking cost of rogue traders targeting county’s elderly

07 March 2025
Study reveals shocking cost of rogue traders targeting county’s elderly

Victims of doorstep crime are losing an average of nearly £16,000 and could be dead within two years, a new report has revealed.

Tory leader says county elections will be ‘most difficult ever’

06 March 2025
Tory leader says county elections will be ‘most difficult ever’

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch admitted today that her party faces a tough challenge when the county goes to the polls in May.

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‘He was a kind, committed and hard-working councillor’

06 March 2025
‘He was a kind, committed and hard-working councillor’

Colleagues have led tributes to a county councillor who served his residents for 12 years after his death.

Council accused of ‘bottling’ decision on family hubs

05 March 2025
Council accused of ‘bottling’ decision on family hubs

Under-threat family and children’s services at two centres in Kent will have to wait until next week to find out if they face the axe.

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Three-month crossroads closure set to wreak havoc

04 March 2025
Three-month crossroads closure set to wreak havoc

The three-month closure of one of the busiest crossroads in Kent is set to cause chaos in villages and rural communities, it has been warned.

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