In this week’s Kent Politics Podcast, our reporters discuss the role Reform UK may play in the upcoming Kent County Council elections and why it appears some defeated Tory candidates are sticking around.

We’re also joined by special guest, Rich Lehmann, the leader of the Green and Independents Group on KCC, who tells us about the growth in support for his party and whether a coalition could take control of County Hall from the Tories.

He tells us about whether there are any deals being struck behind the scenes ahead of next year’s local elections which would see parties working together to target Tory seats.

He also details how he feels the Green Party has changed and managed to attract more support, leading to some success in local and general elections.

We hear about his personal background, what brought him into politics, and whether he’s considering a run at parliament.

Our reporters also discuss how some Tories in Kent who lost their seats at the general election are sticking around, possibly in the hopes they can regain enough support to erase the thin majorities which Labour won.

With seats like Dartford, Ashford, Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Rochester and Strood, and Gravesham being Labour wins by less than a few thousand, we discuss how this might be why some Tories might be staying active in their communities.

However, their ambitions will hugely depend on what direction Reform UK takes next and what sort of impact their five MPs make in parliament.

They also discuss the stats which showed two thirds of children in care arrangements in Medway aren’t actually under the care of Medway Council although it is incurring a financial cost.

They talk about a cornershop in Dartford having its licence reviewed due to an incident where, the police say, CCTV has been purposefully deleted.

And they also hear about the number of councillors at KCC who are looking to step down from their seats at the next set of local elections and what this might mean for the make-up of the council.

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.

You can listen to the podcast at IM Listening, or 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 episodes are available each Friday.