COUNCILS were praised for the way they are getting on with delivering the Thames Gateway in Kent.

Housing and planning minister Caroline Flint said during a visit to Rochester on Thursday: "There is a lot of good work being done by the local authorities."

But she added that despite hundreds of millions of pounds of government money, there was a need to ensure developers also pumped private money into the projects.

Ms Flint was speaking as she viewed Rochester Riverside, one of the Gateway's key regeneration projects.

She also praised the work that had been done at Chatham Maritime and the Medway universities.

See Monday's Medway Messenger for the full report and pictures.