In this week’s Kent Politics Podcast we welcome special guest Ashford MP Sojan Joseph.

He succeeded long-standing parliamentarian Damian Green when he won the seat for Labour in July.

He talks about his journey from his home in Kerala, India, 23 years ago and how he worked in the NHS - moving up the management ladder.

It was those experiences, particularly in austerity, that made him gravitate to Labour which he joined in 2015.

He only became a councillor in Ashford last year, so he talked about how his frontline political experience is limited, but he has spent many years in public service through charity work and volunteering.

Wednesday’s budget also features in the show, which is hosted by Simon Finlay, Dan Esson, Robert Boddy and Nikki White.

Simon, who covers Kent County Council, also looks at the trouble caused by the closure of the single-track Teston Bridge by Kent Highways.

Medway Council reporter Robert delves into the decision by the government not to get involved in the wrangle over the future of Chatham Docks.

And Dan, who covers borough and district councils in Kent, reports on Canterbury councillors voting to look at forcing supermarkets to pay higher fines when trolleys get taken and abandoned.

Nikki looks at the national picture, including the budget.

The podcast was launched in January and you can listen to previous episodes at IM Listening, or you can download it from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and TuneIn – just search for Kent Politics Podcast.

New episodes are available each Friday.