Voters’ apathy evident in lack of support for petition against rise

Having sparked outrage after awarding themselves a 15% hike in their allowances, county councillors look like evading further public scrutiny on this sensitive matter.

A petition on KCC’S website calling for a rethink has attracted just 275 signatories, well short of the 10,000 needed to force the council to stage a debate on the matter.

You could read this in different ways, one of which might be that the public thinks that whatever they do, our elected councillors are unlikely to change their mind.

Or that there is a view that it is entirely reasonable to give themselves such an increase.

On balance, we’ll go with the first one.

THE shortage of head teachers in Kent may not be of crisis proportions but county education chiefs have been plundering the jargon cookie jar to make sure no-one is unduly alarmed.

While the schools in question lack what is described as “substantive” heads, we are assured that “robust interim leadership arrangements are in place.”

Thank goodness for that - any arrangements that could not be described as “robust” would have us running for the hills.

JUST in case you are concerned that public money is going to be spent travelling to Australia to recruit teachers, don’t panic.

KCC says that its plans for a recruitment drive there won’t actually involve any travel. The interviews are to be conducted via Skype.

THE future of the Manston airport site in Thanet remains unresolved and this week there has been a minor twist in the long-running saga.

County councillors were due to hear presentations from the company that wants to develop the site for mixed use - homes and businesses - and the rival plan for it to be reopened as an airport but those presentations to a cross-party committee were cancelled this week at the last moment with no public explanation.

Off The Record sources say that this was because there may be a change in the proposals being put forward by the current owners and so a deferment was agreed.

HOW effective is the government’s Prevent strategy working in Kent? It is hard to say at least so far as a Freedom of Information request made by us is concerned.

KCC has rejected a request for the numbers of referrals made, what they were for, who made them and what action has ensued as a result, citing national security and law enforcement exemptions to withhold the details.

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