00:00It's been nothing short of an eventful year for Kent politics, with May seeing Reform UK sweeping the ballot and snatching Kent County Council control from the long-standing Conservatives.
00:11We are here to serve the residents of Kent. Of course, Reform came in on a ticket of saving money, getting value for money to the people of Kent who, of course, pay our wages and pay for this amazing building here.
00:23But despite a fiery start, cracks have begun to show by October.
00:27Sometimes I will make a decision that might not be liked by everybody in the group, but I'm afraid you're just going to suck it up, OK? Because I am the democratically elected leader.
00:39Kent County Council was supposed to be the blueprint for what Reform would deliver across the country. Now we can see what that means. Cutting local services, raising council tax, failing to protect the public. That's all Reform have to offer. Grievance, division and total incompetence.
00:57And if there was one thing that both councils came together on, it was the possibility of International Rail Services returning to Kent.
01:04I'm delighted that Virgin has won this bid because on the day at this big event that we had at the end of September, I had a lovely chat with one of the directors from Virgin who'd come down specially for the event.
01:15And he assured me that if they were successful, they would stop in Kent.
01:21Both Kent councils found themselves at the heart of a national conversation around English flags being strewn across the streets.
01:28It shows the feeling of a lot of the country at the moment.
01:32I think it's OK to have something like that, as long as it doesn't go too over the top, as long as they put their pins across civilly.
01:42I think hopefully they can get communities together that can hopefully bring, rather than the division, it's bringing people close together.
01:53I think it's a wonderful thing if you want to put your national flag up, wherever you are, in your garden, you know, on the street, outside.
02:00I think it's an absolutely fantastic thing.
02:01We've taken down the flags. And look, I've got a bit of abuse online about that.
02:06But actually when I've come down the high street here in Chatham and elsewhere, you know, we put out a big video on a Friday.
02:13Over that weekend, more than 20 people stopped me and said, you've done the right thing.
02:16And this year also saw both councils put forward their vision for the future of Kent's local government.
02:23Option 4D, as it's called, is expected to cost £135.9 million to implement and to take between 8 and 15 years to pay off for the new councils.
02:32And it's not just squiggly lines on a map. This proposal redraws the boundaries of Kent.
02:37Here in Maidstone, at Kent County Council, they've also funded their own reorganisation proposal.
02:42They're looking at what's called option 1A, a single unitary council for the entirety of Kent, with three so-called area committees sitting underneath it, for everyone in Kent.
02:51They say this will cost the council £99.4 million to implement and will pay it off in about three years.
02:56The government is expected to decide the future of Kent's councils in 2026.
03:01But until then, all 14 of Kent's councils continue to advocate for their preferred model.
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