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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

Teachers face redundancy as trusts struggle with funding

18 April 2025
Teachers face redundancy as trusts struggle with funding

One of the country’s top academy trusts is warning it will have to consider laying off teachers because of a major funding squeeze.

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Reform UK election rule ‘breach’ leaflet reported to police

15 April 2025
Reform UK election rule ‘breach’ leaflet reported to police

A leaflet removed from circulation by Reform UK after complaints about a breach of election rules has been reported to the police.

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Reform UK pulls leaflet over election rule 'breach'

10 April 2025
Reform UK pulls leaflet over election rule 'breach'

Reform UK has been forced to pull a campaign leaflet from circulation after complaints it “breached” electoral rules.

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‘Two years on from the cliff collapse - but we still don’t know where we stand’

10 April 2025
‘Two years on from the cliff collapse - but we still don’t know where we stand’

Two years on since the chalk cliff gave way on a busy A-road, we return to the scene to find locals still counting the costs and their blessings.

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Parties debate issues at election hustings ahead of May 1 vote

08 April 2025
Parties debate issues at election hustings ahead of May 1 vote

Candidates gathered for a hustings as the clocked ticks down towards the county council elections.

3

Council u-turn on special school reforms after heads’ legal threat

07 April 2025
Council u-turn on special school reforms after heads’ legal threat

Seven special schools due to be re-designated in council reforms will not go ahead after head teachers threatened legal action.

Kent County Council election candidates officially announced

04 April 2025
Kent County Council election candidates officially announced

The candidates for the Kent County Council election on May 1 have been officially announced - full list here.

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Dumped and ‘hurt’ Tory councillor vows to stand as indie

03 April 2025
Dumped and ‘hurt’ Tory councillor vows to stand as indie

A Conservative county councillor who has been deselected as a candidate for the forthcoming elections has vowed to fight it as an independent.

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Electric bus roll-out delayed over ‘charging’ works

02 April 2025
Electric bus roll-out delayed over ‘charging’ works

A fully electric bus route in Kent has been put on hold temporarily owing to ongoing “charging infrastructure works".

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Your step-by-step guide so you don’t miss the chance to vote on May 1

02 April 2025
Your step-by-step guide so you don’t miss the chance to vote on May 1

Kent County Council goes to the polls on May 1 but the result will depend on your vote - read our easy guide on how to get into the polling booth.

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'We’ll put people with business brains in’: Farage predicts big Reform success at local elections

31 March 2025
'We’ll put people with business brains in’: Farage predicts big Reform success at local elections

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage swept into Kent today pledging to put people in with “business brains” at the upcoming Kent County Council elections.

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Community theatre hopeful for future despite building sell-off plan

31 March 2025
Community theatre hopeful for future despite building sell-off plan

The founder of a community theatre remains “100% positive” about its future despite council plans to sell off its building.

‘Tories face hard election fight after crushing devolution disappointment’

28 March 2025
‘Tories face hard election fight after crushing devolution disappointment’

This week, local democracy reporter Simon Finlay gives his take on how the Tories are feeling ahead of upcoming elections that never should have been…

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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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