24 minutes | Friday, 2 May 2025
Today is a big day in the battle to take over control of the Kent County Council with results coming in from the local elections. All eyes are on the rise of Reform UK who have taken significant victories nationally – we’ll hear from reporters at counts across the county. Also in today’s podcast, three beaches have received the highly unwanted title of having some of the worst bathing water quality in England.They’ve all been awarded the dreaded gongs in the 2025 'Brown Flag Awards' – these are beaches rated as 'poor' by the Environment Agency due to their potentially unsafe levels of bacteria in the water. There’s been backlash over plans to install a Ferris wheel in the middle of Ashford Designer Outlet – with some residents complaining “this isn’t an amusement park” Bosses at the shopping centre have applied for permission to put the wheel in the main car park for half of the year.The Sweeps Festival is back in Rochester this long weekend in a celebration of music, dancing and street vendors. We’ve been chatting to a restaurant owner on the High Street about what the annual event brings to the community. And in sport, Gillingham will be hoping to spoil the party for Port Vale as they head up north for their final game of the season. Their hosts will be pushing for the title, but the Gills will be looking to keep their 11 game unbeaten run alive.