West Kent Local NewsYour trusted source for local news and community updates
Sevenoaks News
Council decisions, crime, planning rows and community life in Sevenoaks - covered as it happens.
All Articles
92 total
Four Arrested After Attempted Motorbike Theft in Westerham, Over 300 Exhibits Seized
Kent Police have arrested four suspects, including two 16-year-old boys from Westerham, and seized more than 300 exhibits following search warrants tied to August's attempted motorbike theft in Westerham's Market Square.
Dog Walker's Report of Unattended Fire Near Seal Chart Renews Wildfire Warning
A local dog walker says she found a still-smouldering fire and a tent in woodland near Seal Chart, Sevenoaks, and called Kent Fire and Rescue Service, who attended and told her the fire had posed a real risk of spreading. KFRS has not yet listed the incident on its own public log.
West Kent's Hospital Trust Beats National Average on Waiting Lists, But A&E Still Under Pressure
NHS England's official statistics show Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust outperforming the national average and its Kent neighbours on planned treatment waiting times, with long waits nearly eliminated - but the trust's A&E departments still recorded 272 patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted in a single month.
A Sevenoaks Councillor's Own Application to Build on Green Belt Land in His Ward Has Been Approved
Councillor Chris Haslam has won permission in principle to build up to seven homes on Green Belt land behind Childsbridge House in Kemsing - the ward he represents. The application went to full committee because the applicant is a sitting councillor, and was approved despite a formal objection from Kemsing Parish Council.
A New Welfare Row Has Broken Out in Parliament - What It Actually Says, and What Kent's Own Numbers Show
The Government has confirmed 200,000 UK families received more in benefits and tax credits last year than the average worker earns, reigniting the welfare debate at Westminster. There's no equivalent breakdown for Kent specifically, but the county's own claimant figures give a sense of the scale involved locally.
Tunbridge Wells Council Raises Formal Concerns Over Sevenoaks' New Local Plan
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has flagged a newly added housing site at Broke Hill Golf Course that was never previously consulted on, and says the water company's own supply plan doesn't reflect the scale of growth Sevenoaks is now proposing. The comments are due to Sevenoaks by 17 September.
The Plan to Abolish West Kent's Four Councils Has Been Paused
The Government has paused its plan to scrap Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling and Maidstone councils and replace them with new unitary authorities by 2028, after new legal advice. Kent County Council had been due to consider suing the Government over the plan the very next day.
Petrol Prices Are Back at a Four-Year High - the Same Story That Started in West Kent Back in April
The national average price of petrol has hit its highest level since 2022, and diesel its highest since April, after a sharp rise in oil prices tied to the ongoing Middle East conflict. It's a continuation of the same spike we first reported on in West Kent five months ago - and this time a fuel duty rise is adding to it too.
Months Before the Stand-off, Tugendhat Told Ministers South East Water Couldn't Supply 13,000 of the Homes Required
Six months before it became a public stand-off, Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat stood up in Parliament and warned that there simply isn't enough water for the number of homes the Government wants built here - and the water company had already told the council so in writing.