We’ve nearly got all of our money back!

Political Editor Paul Francis

REMEMBER the £50m that Kent County Council had deposited in banks in Iceland? There is some good news – the authority has got nearly all of it back. Accounts published by the council show £47.4m has now been paid back by the three banks involved – nearly £5m more than was returned in 2013-14.

The only downside is that it has taken close to seven years to recoup the money.

IN these days of austerity, every corner of County Hall is being squeezed to save money. The authority is even saving the pennies on its fleet of cars that is used to ferry its VIPs like the leader Paul Carter and the chairman around on official business.

The amount spent this year was £38,800. And before you ask – that is £5,000 less than the previous year.

At this rate, they will be hitchhiking or cycling to events and meetings. You could sell tickets for that...

THE demise of Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson means that sadly we will probably be deprived of a race around the Ashford “shared space” road scheme.

Those with long memories – that includes Off The Record – will recall that KCC leader Paul Carter wanted the presenter to visit so he could explain how the scheme worked and hinted that the pair could have a race.

Much to our regret, the battle of the petrol heads seems even less likely to occur now Clarkson has fallen out of favour.

THE two Kent Conservative MPs vying for the job of chairing an influential backbench committee have failed to get the job.

Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins and Ashford MP Damian Green had both applied to chair the culture, sport and media select committee but were rejected by their colleagues in a ballot. The job went to Jesse Norman, a Conservative MP who entered the contest at the last minute.

WE live in an era of far greater transparency but you do sometimes get the feeling that things may have gone a little too far.

Kent Police officers are required to declare absolutely anything they are presented with as gifts by the public.

The latest register of interests lists one officer receiving five bags of boiled rice, while another felt compelled to disclose that they had received a piece of apple pie from a grateful member of the public.

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