Off the Record

With politics in almost constant turmoil, it seems some at County Hall are regretting missing out on the action. Labour councillor Roger Truelove joked at a full council meeting KCC was failing in its duty to make politics more exciting.

“We have no resignations, no leadership battles, no knives being stabbed in the back,” he complained.

Somewhere on the backbenches came the cry: “Not yet!”

We don’t yet know whether the five east Kent councils discussing plans for a merged “super district” will grasp the nettle – one crucial thing is whether a compelling business case can be made.

Perhaps inevitably, the councils are appointing external experts to draw up this business case. The cost? £20,000. For each council.

Are grammar schools on the way back? A lot of Conservatives