On this week’s episode of the Kent Politics Podcast our reporters talk about rumours of big changes to the way local government in Kent is run.

They also discuss Reform UK winning its first seat at County Hall and a seat on Dartford Borough Council, as well as which Kent beach is one of the dirtiest in the country.

We also talk with former Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst (Con) who lost her seat at the general election after representing the constituency for nearly 10 years.

She tells us how the party has dealt with the defeat, whether the right lessons have been learned, and if Kemi Badenoch is steering them in the right direction to win next time around.

In our Westminster Watch segment our reporters also talk about the Assisted Dying Bill and which side of the debate Kent MPs have come down on.

The weekly podcast, which launched earlier this year, brings together local democracy reporters, Simon Finlay, Robert Boddy, and Dan Esson.

Simon covers Kent County Council while Robert reports on Medway Council and Dan specialises in borough and district councils.

And KM senior news editor Nikki White takes us through the latest developments in Westminster.

You can listen to the podcast at IM Listening, or download it from Apple Podcasts, Spotify 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 on KentOnline.

New episodes are available each Friday.