West Kent Local News
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Interest Rates Rise to 4% - What It Means for West Kent Businesses
The Bank of England raised its Bank Rate to 4% today, the first rise since August 2025 - driven by energy costs from the Middle East conflict, not an overheating economy. Kent's own chamber of commerce survey suggests local firms felt that squeeze months before today's decision.
Uber Is Licensed in Three of West Kent's Four Boroughs - So Why Do Councils Say They Still Can't Police It?
Uber Britannia Limited now holds its own private hire operator licence with Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone councils - only Sevenoaks has none. Government figures show the private hire sector growing fast almost everywhere in West Kent since 2024, except in Tonbridge & Malling, where it's shrunk - and local taxi firms and councillors say enforcement still can't keep up with drivers who can legally cross borough lines.
What the Autumn Budget Means for West Kent's Shops, Pubs and Small Businesses
Lower business rates for most shops, pubs and leisure venues, a new tax break for entrepreneurs, and a one-off squeeze on banks to help pay for some of it - here's what the Chancellor's Autumn Budget actually changes for West Kent business, and what Kent's own chamber of commerce makes of it.
Tonbridge Has Three Places to Rent a Desk - Here's What Each One Actually Offers
If working from the kitchen table has run its course, Tonbridge has three real options for a desk outside the house - two run by the same operator, and one genuinely independent serviced-office centre by the river - and the borough council's own website already points businesses towards all three.
Sevenoaks Has Three Places to Work Locally - and the Council Runs Two of Them
If you want a desk outside the house in Sevenoaks district, there are three options: an independent workshop in a converted warehouse, and two separate council-run hubs - one belonging to Sevenoaks Town Council, the other to Sevenoaks District Council, over in Swanley.
Tonbridge Letting Agent Addressed Named Best Online Letting Agent UK at the ESTAS
Addressed, the property letting and management firm on Tonbridge High Street, has been named Best Online Letting Agent UK at this year's ESTAS - the property industry's awards judged entirely on verified customer reviews - in the same year the business turns ten.
Gorringe's Auction House Moves Tunbridge Wells Office to Mount Ephraim
Fine art and antiques auctioneer Gorringe's has relocated its Kent valuations office from Grosvenor Park to a new base on Mount Ephraim, expanding its specialist team as part of what the Lewes-founded firm calls a wider investment in people and places.
Maidstone Cabinet Approves Concept Design to Turn Earl Street Into a Pedestrianised 'Restaurant Quarter'
Cabinet has approved a concept design for Earl Street built around a timed pedestrian zone, a new Theatre Square outside the Hazlitt, and a Gateway Square entrance - the next step in a scheme the council has already committed up to £100,000 to design, following a consultation in which 834 people had their say.
Panattoni Park Aylesford Named UK's Best Overall Logistics Park
Panattoni Park Aylesford has been named Best Overall Scheme - Logistics Park at the Industrial Agents Society Awards, recognising a 90-acre former brownfield site that now supports around 4,000 jobs and contributes an estimated £180 million a year to the local economy.