Virtual Doorstep: Three weeks to go!

It is said that elections are won on the doorstep, and that may well be true. Being armchair activists, it’s difficult to check up on that.
Twitter and blogs however are part of our social media present and future, and if the election was decided there, how would each of the wards be looking?

https://twitter.com/conservatives43/status/1114544960781606912
https://twitter.com/alancollinspdb/status/1114869712603811841
Continue reading “Virtual Doorstep: Three weeks to go!”

Recap: The final Cabinet of term

Medway Council Cabinet meetings are where the majority of important decisions are made. With the Conservatives holding a majority on the council, the decisions taken at Cabinet become de facto council policy.

Rather unhelpfully, Cabinet meetings are held at 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon, and while these are in principle public meetings, they are incredibly difficult for the public to attend if they have basic things like, you know, a job.

We’ve tried to cover them when we can, but it’s been fairly few and far between. We can only afford to cover these meetings if our costs in doing so are covered. Last month, via our Ko-fi page, you called our bluff and put enough in the pot to send Jennings down to live tweet the final Cabinet meeting of the current administration.

Highlights of the meeting are below, and honestly, we use the term loosely:

Continue reading “Recap: The final Cabinet of term”

iFAQ: So, farewell then, Rehman Chishti

Following nine years of being both the MP for Gillingham and Rainham and a councillor for Rainham Central, Rehman Chishti has finally decided to stand down from his councillor role at the upcoming elections. As such, we decided to ask all other sitting Medway councillors the following question:

With Rehman Chishti standing down as a councillor for Rainham Central, what do you feel has been his biggest contribution to Medway Council?

As usual, we told all councillors that we would present their answers entirely unedited. They are published below in the order they were received:

Continue reading “iFAQ: So, farewell then, Rehman Chishti”

Virtual Doorstep: Four weeks to go?!

It is said that elections are won on the doorstep, and that may well be true. Being armchair activists, it’s difficult to check up on that.
Twitter and blogs however are part of our social media present and future, and if the election was decided there, how would each of the wards be looking?

Continue reading “Virtual Doorstep: Four weeks to go?!”

iFAQ: Whose leaflet isn’t it anyway?

The local election campaign in Medway is now properly underway, with a surge in activity across Medway from a wide range of candidates and parties. One of the most striking things early in the campaign was this leaflet being distributed throughout Watling ward, not in favour of any one party, but solely against Conservative candidate Andrew Lawrence.

Andrew Lawrence has since responded to the leaflet via his blog. We reached out to all Medway parties that took part in the 2015 elections and those taking part in this one to get their views on the leaflet, and if they fancied admitting being behind it. Well, it was worth a shot.

As usual, we told all parties that we would publish their responses entirely unedited. They are published below in the order they were received.

Continue reading “iFAQ: Whose leaflet isn’t it anyway?”

The Medway Leaders’ Debate

We are pleased to present a head to head debate between the potential future leaders of Medway Council ahead of the local elections in May.

On April 18 at Midkent College, we’ll be asking Alan Jarrett of the Conservatives and Vince Maple of Labour a range of questions covering the important issues in Medway – housing, education, health, the environment, and so much more.

This is about the future of Medway, and we would love for you to join us.

By booking a ticket – either free or with an optional donation – you will have the ability to submit a question for the leaders. We can’t guarantee we’ll ask them all, but we will be selecting as broad a cross-section of them possible ahead of the event.

Booking a ticket also ensures entry to the event. Those without tickets will likely be able to attend on the night, space permitting, but will not be eligible to submit questions for the leaders.

Tickets are free, but you do have the option of contributing an optional donation when booking. This helps us cover the costs of putting on the event, and all donations are gratefully received.

Doors at 7pm, event start at 7.30pm, close at 9pm.

We hope to see you there!