In this week’s episode of the Kent Politics Podcast our reporters discuss a planning refusal which is going to cost a council, big plans for Medway and how justice in Kent is not being done.

Our special guest is new Tory MP Katie Lam who represents the Weald of Kent seat at Westminster.

She tells us about her first few days in the role, how she’s getting to grips with it, how she intends to best support her area and fight on the issues which matter, especially considering her party has been thrown onto the opposition benches.

She also talks about her family’s background - how in the 1930s they were fierce critics of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany.

Many of them were imprisoned and killed and her grandmother fled to the UK when she was 13.

This has given Ms Lam an appreciation for the power of politics - something she says can be used for ill as well as good.

Our reporters also talk about the problems in Kent’s justice system, with many victims of serious crimes facing delays as the county has the second biggest backlog of cases in the UK.

Also covered is Medway’s Local Plan designs which have been put out for consultation and a planning application refusal being overturned by the planning inspectorate at great cost to Swale council.

The Kent Politics Podcast, which brings together reporters Simon Finlay, Robert Boddy, Dan Esson and Paul Francis each week, was launched in January.

You can listen to it at IM Listening, or you can download it from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and TuneIn – just search for Kent Politics Podcast.

Readers can also keep up-to-date with the latest political news on our dedicated Kent Politics page.

New podcast episodes are available each Friday.