Local Authority is an award-winning independent Medway news service covering local news, politics, culture, and the weirder side of our towns.
We publish a free edition covering the big stories from Medway every Tuesday.
Our readers entirely fund our journalism.
Our paid supporters receive additional weekly content, including interviews with significant Medway figures, essays on various issues, as well as invites to our in-person social events.
Paid subscriptions cost £6 per month or £60 per year and ensure the long-term sustainability of independent news for Medway.
We reject the idea that local news can’t cover the big stories facing our community. We believe local journalism should be informative and substantial and challenge those with power. There is a better way to do local news than the clickbait-ridden, advertising-infested local news websites we’ve all become familiar with.
Our stories are delivered via email to our subscribers and are also available to read on the web.
We are read by politicians, public officials, journalists, business owners, and artists - the movers and shakers of Medway.
Since launching in 2021, we have grown to reach an audience of over 45,000 each month and have won multiple awards, including Kent News Website of the Year.
Get in touch via email: hello AT localauthority DOT news
Local Authority is the project of Ed Jennings and Steven Keevil, who were involved in local politics before becoming disillusioned and writing about it instead. They have been covering the happenings at Medway Council for a decade now, starting as citizen journalists tweeting out proceedings before moving to local blogging, and finally widening their remit to all kinds of Medway news and setting up Local Authority as a new type of independent news outlet for our towns.
Awards and testimonials
2024 Kent Press & Broadcast Awards finalist for Kent News Website of the Year
2024 Kent Press & Broadcast Awards Highly Commended for Print & Online Journalist of the Year
2024 Rainbows Over Medway LGBT+ Awards finalist for Ally of the Year
2023 Kent Press & Broadcast Awards WINNER for Kent News Website of the Year
2023 Kent Press & Broadcast Awards WINNER for Columnist of the Year
2022 Pride in Medway nominee for Community Service.
“Heroic and trailblazing .. doing a great job filling the gap left by legacy media across its coverage of local politics, planning, culture and well, everything else you’d want from a local news publication.” - James O’Malley
“Better than the Observer and cheaper too.” - Medway Council Leader Vince Maple
“I’m very much enjoying Ed’s newsletter. Even if you’re not local I think there’s lots to enjoy” - Ben Cameron
“Informative and funny! .. If you live in Medway and aren't reading Ed's weekly email you're missing out.” - Carl Jeffrey
“A great read.” - Future Chatham
“Informative and entertaining.” - Andrew Dennis
“F***ing hilarious, yet informative.” - Candy Penfold
“The first one was quite okay.” - Ed’s mum
Local Authority adheres to the Standards Code adopted by Impress, which serves as the independent regulator of our work. If you wish to make a complaint about anything we have published, you can find details of how to do so here.
Local Authority is published by Authority Media Ltd, Valiant Suite, Second Chance Community Centre, Brompton Hill, Chatham, ME4 4XL.
