Off the Record

■ IT seems the continuing coronavirus crisis could lead to local council elections and crime commissioner elections being postponed.

The government is said to be pondering the move as the number of people contracting the infection steadily rises.

Even though this might be seen as an unnecessary capitulation, there’s unlikely to be an uproar. In the case of the election for the role of Kent’s police and crime commissioner, it is tempting to ask - given the catastrophically low turnout of previous polls - whether anyone would actually notice.

■ THE news that KCC is considering vacating County Hall after 100 years is reported to have come as a surprise to even certain county councillors.

Now the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, the conversation has moved on to where in the County Town there might be a better alternative to Sessions House, the Grade II-listed building that is the council’s HQ. Some have pointed out that the authority recently acquired, at a cost of £23m, two major office buildings.

Together, the office space amounts to 99,000 square feet, which is not insignificant but may not be adequate for the number of staff who currently work at Sessions House.

And there is a further problem that rules the newly-acquired offices out. Both are at Kings Hill, in West Malling - which means they are strictly outside

Maidstone. KCC has insisted that if it moves, it is committed to remaining in the County Town.

■ WE are sure it makes sense to someone but the following extract from a county council report on emergency planning has left Off The Record scratching its head: “This change supports work to develop an innovative systemised Corporate Continuity Requirement Analysis (CRA) and Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to enable more effective oversight and upkeep of Business Continuity Plans across KCC.”

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