> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.localauthority.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Everything is fine at Medway Council, apart from almost everything - URL: https://www.localauthority.news/everything-is-fine-at-medway-council-apart-from-almost-everything/ - Published: 2026-10-16T18:49:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-16T18:49:44.000Z - Description: Plus Rochester loses a museum, a burglar makes himself a sandwich, and an estate agent discovers creative writing - Author: Ed Jennings - Tags: News **Medway Council's financial position is becoming increasingly precarious, with external auditors issuing serious warnings about its ability to manage its finances. So naturally, Thursday's full council meeting spent much of its five-plus hours on political squabbling, accusations and arguments over who was to blame. We look at the decisions, the disputes and the rather alarming numbers behind them, plus Rochester's closed Huguenot Museum, an ambitious excuse from a burglar, and the usual planning, property and events.* ### Everything is fine at Medway Council, apart from almost everything There is something uniquely Medway about a council meeting in which an external auditor describes the authority's financial position as 'existential', while councillors spend much of the surrounding debate arguing about which political party is most responsible for the mess. Last night's full council meeting lasted well over five hours, during which our elected representatives managed to fall out over local government reorganisation, accuse each other of sexism and racism, and decide that one of their number could no longer be trusted with a laptop. There were also some actual decisions. Medway agreed to spend £2.7m establishing a permanent traveller site, formally complained about Kent Police's handling of a seven-year investigation, and adopted a men's health charter. We [covered the entire meeting live](https://www.localauthority.news/live-medway-council-october-meeting), for anyone wanting the full experience. For everyone else, here's what happened when Medway's increasingly serious problems collided with its usual political theatre. The most concerning business involved a report from external auditor Grant Thornton, which has issued two statutory recommendations over the council's precarious finances. These represent a significant escalation of concerns about Medway's ability to balance its books and produce accounts that can actually be audited. The numbers are grim. Medway is forecasting a £26.7m overspend this year, despite identifying £16.1m of measures intended to reduce spending. Adult social care accounts for £18.7m of the projected overspend, with children's services contributing another £5.2m. Its general reserves stand at just £10m, equivalent to 1.9% of its net budget, against a generally recognised prudent minimum of 5%. Meanwhile, the council has become increasingly dependent on Exceptional Financial Support, which allows authorities to borrow money or sell assets to cover everyday spending. Medway needed £20.2m in 2024/25 and £28m last year, and will need further support this year. Borrowing is also growing, while the council has struggled to produce accounts that auditors can properly verify. Its last unmodified audit opinion covered 2020/21, with subsequent accounts receiving disclaimed opinions because auditors could not obtain sufficient evidence to confirm their accuracy. Grant Thornton is demanding urgent improvements to financial planning, spending controls and the council's finance department. It isn't saying Medway is about to go bankrupt, but the warnings are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Naturally, councillors had some thoughts. Cllr [Gary Hackwell](https://www.localauthority.news/a-lot-of-people-wont-be-able-to-tell/) (Conservative) described the findings as "the most serious financial warning a council could receive", accusing Labour of running Medway "without a safety net." Cllr [Robbie Lammas](https://www.localauthority.news/i-got-fed-up-with-politicians-in/) (Independent) offered a more dramatic assessment, describing the report as the "yellow card of death" and warning that commissioners could eventually be brought in to take control of the council's finances. Fellow independent Cllr [Andrew Lawrence](https://www.localauthority.news/maybe-im-a-serial-opposition-councillor/) said he no longer had confidence that the administration could avoid a Section 114 notice, the formal mechanism triggered when a council cannot meet its financial obligations. Cllr [Teresa Murray](https://www.localauthority.news/im-not-somebody-who-would-choose/) (Labour) responded by criticising the previous Conservative administration, prompting groans from the opposition benches. The discussion deteriorated into councillors accusing each other of inappropriate comments, which was particularly impressive given the external auditors were sitting in the chamber watching it unfold. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/db/c9dbc66c-6648-4e37-8eff-948c5ef63bc6/content/images/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-16-at-19.26.45.png) Grant Thornton auditors give their recommendations on Medway Council's finances. At one point, the auditor described Medway's situation as "existential", something Cllr Lammas was especially enthusiastic for those of us on the press desk to record. Council leader [Vince Maple](https://www.localauthority.news/im-quite-boring/) accepted the recommendations in full, while emphasising the national financial pressures facing local authorities. He isn't wrong that councils across England are struggling, but the report also identifies problems specific to Medway, including weak forecasting, insufficient oversight of borrowing and savings programmes that aren't delivering improvements quickly enough. Earlier in the evening, Maple had acknowledged that Medway faces a £65.9m budget gap for 2027/28, with a cumulative projected shortfall reaching £111m by 2030/31 unless savings and other measures reduce it. The recommendations were unanimously accepted. Delivering them will be considerably harder. The financial warnings also provided an interesting backdrop to another decision to spend £2.684m to establish a permanent traveller site at the former Wigmore park and ride site. This is the same location where Medway previously spent years pursuing legal action to remove travellers, so the decision to develop it into a permanent council-managed facility is quite a turnaround. The proposals will provide eight pitches for ten touring caravans, with possible expansion in future. The council argues this is necessary because its emerging Local Plan doesn't currently identify enough land to meet Medway's assessed need for traveller accommodation, something planning inspectors have demanded it address. Cllr [Louwella Prenter](https://www.localauthority.news/a-yimby-doesnt-mean-youre-ruining/) (Labour) described the proposals as "the right thing to do." Opposition councillors were rather less enthusiastic about the cost. Cllr Lawrence questioned whether £2.68m could be justified, while stressing his objection wasn't to the traveller community itself. Cllr Jim Gilbourne (Conservative) highlighted the equivalent cost of £335,000 per pitch. The discussion then descended into familiar territory. Labour's Cllr Satinder Shokar, who has repeatedly advocated for the travellers, suggested racism was behind some opposition to the site. His use of the phrase "final solution" prompted an objection from Conservative leader Cllr [George Perfect](https://www.localauthority.news/our-principal-focus-at-the-moment/), while Cllr Wayne Spring challenged his reference to "racists at the helm." When asked who he meant, Shokar suggested Spring could work it out himself. None of this did much to establish whether £2.7m was a reasonable price for the development, although it was perhaps more entertaining than discussing infrastructure costs. The proposals passed 35–19, with Labour and Reform supporting them alongside two Independent Group councillors. That unlikely Labour-Reform agreement was rather different from the earlier political squabbling. Conservative leader Cllr Perfect had proposed establishing how much Medway spent preparing for the government's now-paused local government reorganisation and seeking reimbursement. Given the council's financial position, it seemed a reasonable enough question. Instead, councillors spent much of the debate revisiting old political grievances. Labour's Cllr Murray accused the Conservatives and Reform of forming an "unholy alliance", before finding time to discuss Nigel Farage's cryptocurrency donations. Cllr Joanne Howcroft-Scott criticised Perfect as "boy George" and referenced Boris Johnson's lockdown parties and Liz Truss's lettuce. She also told Cllr [Elizabeth Turpin](https://www.localauthority.news/a-bad-local-plan-is-worse-than-no/) (Independent Group) that she had hoped she possessed a brain, prompting objections in the chamber. Turpin later described some remarks directed at her colleagues as sexist and ageist, receiving applause from the public gallery. Reform attempted to amend the motion to distinguish between spending required by government and costs incurred through Medway's own decisions. Labour defeated both the amendment and original motion 30–24. Cllr Lawrence described the motion as a "side show" and questioned what the Conservatives would actually do about Medway's finances, before voting for it anyway. Reform leader [David Finch](https://www.localauthority.news/that-does-show-the-professionalisation/) also proposed exploring a technology, employment and social hub for young adults struggling to engage with existing services. Cllr [Simon Curry](https://www.localauthority.news/you-can-sometimes-make-unpopular/) (Labour) suggested Finch had typed "give me nice things" into an AI generator to produce the motion, arguing that most of the proposed services already existed. Finch repeatedly stressed that he wasn't requesting funding, merely an investigation into whether there was unmet need. The motion was defeated 31–23. There was rather more agreement over the Medway Commercial Group investigation, which [we covered last week](https://www.localauthority.news/kent-police-mcg-investigation/). [Seven years later, Medway's fraud investigation has ended with no answersPlus Medway's first Young Mayor, another Chatham fire, a very unfortunate florist typo and a grand old Rochester house![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/db/c9dbc66c-6648-4e37-8eff-948c5ef63bc6/content/images/icon/e0427958-7c7a-4313-89a6-4e4dee805f2a_256x256--2--616a68af-5699-454a-94d2-5dadb39851ba.png)Local AuthorityEd Jennings![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/db/c9dbc66c-6648-4e37-8eff-948c5ef63bc6/content/images/thumbnail/AdobeStock_1228302822_Editorial_Use_Only--1--5f6d4912-0a6d-4090-9119-45dd98012221.jpg)](https://www.localauthority.news/kent-police-mcg-investigation/) After Kent Police closed its seven-year investigation without charges, Medway is pursuing a formal complaint over how the case was handled. Maple criticised the investigation's length and effectiveness, noting that basic questions were asked only seven years into the process. The council also raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Andrew Mackness, who is named in the investigation and served as the election agent for Kent Police and Crime Commissioner [Matthew Scott](https://www.localauthority.news/i-can-understand-why-people-dont/). Those concerns do not establish wrongdoing, but form part of the argument for independent scrutiny. Following an amendment from Cllr Perfect, the council unanimously agreed to complain to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. There was also unfinished business involving independent Cllr [Chris Spalding](https://www.localauthority.news/the-idea-was-to-put-independents/), who became the subject of another council debate despite not attending. Spalding received two further censures after being found to have breached the councillor code of conduct. One incident involved using council email and letterhead to seek reimbursement of legal costs relating to a private planning dispute. The other involved requesting another individual's private financial information from a junior council officer for a personal matter. Cllr Dan McDonald (Labour), who chairs the conduct committee, described this as an "abuse of privileged public office", noting Spalding had already failed to comply with sanctions imposed following an earlier complaint. Councillors unanimously agreed to censure him twice and require him to surrender his council-issued laptop for at least six months, with its return conditional on completing further training. Given that the next council elections are only around six and a half months away, the laptop may not have much of a working life left with its current custodian. For all the hostility, councillors did manage to agree on some less contentious matters. A motion from Cllr David Field (Labour) to adopt Movember's Men's Health Charter passed unanimously, committing Medway to improving men's health outcomes and developing a local strategy. The council also approved changes to the planning system, with more applications to be decided by officers rather than councillors, and the planning committee shrinking from 15 members to 13. By the time the remaining technical reports arrived, the meeting had run well beyond five hours, and enthusiasm for further debate had understandably diminished. What stood out wasn't simply the political squabbling, which is hardly unusual at Medway Council, but the contrast between the seriousness of the problems facing the authority and how its members chose to spend much of their time. The auditors have warned that Medway's financial position cannot continue as it is. Its reserves are critically low, borrowing is growing, and it will need enormous savings over the next few years. These are problems that will affect services across Medway, regardless of who happens to be in charge. Yet much of Thursday evening was spent revisiting old arguments and questioning opponents' motives. Medway's elected representatives unanimously agreed that something needs to change about the authority's finances. Whether they can agree on what that actually looks like will likely be a far more interesting test, and one that will matter rather more than whoever wins the next argument about a Japanese roundabout. ## ****Local journalism that takes Medway seriously** Free, independent reporting on the stories that matter to our towns Subscribe for free Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### In brief 🏥 Councillors are [not impressed](https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/youve-confused-all-the-patients-for-nothing-out-of-hour-346331/?ref=localauthority.news) by the 'confusing' changes to MedOCC services in Medway. 🖼️ The Huguenot Museum in Rochester has [permanently closed](https://futuremedway.co.uk/the-huguenot-museum-announces-closure-of-site-in-rochester-high-street/?ref=localauthority.news) following the sale of its building. 🚓 A Medway night-time policing operation produced an [impressively chaotic sequence of events](https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/arrests-and-interventions-made-in-medway-night-time-economy-operation/?ref=localauthority.news), including a man found urinating in a Rochester car park who turned out to be a registered sex offender, followed later by the discovery of cannabis, cocaine, deal bags and more than £800 in cash in a vehicle. Three people were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply. 🥪 A Rochester burglar who was caught inside a house after rifling through drawers [told police he had only been making a sandwich](https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/rochester-burglar-who-was-just-making-a-sandwich-jailed/?ref=localauthority.news). Martin Morris has now been jailed for four years and ten months, which feels a little excessive for lunch. 🪦 The gravestone of Chatham-born postal pioneer Thomas Waghorn has been [restored after a community fundraiser](https://futuremedway.co.uk/gravestone-of-chatham-pioneer-thomas-waghorn-restored-to-former-glory-after-community-fundraiser/?ref=localauthority.news) raised more than £1,000\. Waghorn, whose statue near Chatham railway station has spent much of its modern life wearing traffic cones, can now at least enjoy a slightly more dignified resting place. ### Council matters **Meetings next week:** - **Tuesday:** [Cabinet](https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=115&MId=6552&ref=localauthority.news) will meet to discuss Medway's new council-built care home, compulsory purchase of a building in Intra, heritage signage, and more. - **Wednesday:** [Planning Committee](https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=360&MId=6647&ref=localauthority.news) will decide on some plans that I'd love to tell you about, but the Medway Council website, as is often the case, is being terrible and not loading the agenda. There's probably some HMOs in there, though. - **Thursday:** [Business Support and Digital Overview and Scrutiny Committee](https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=585&MId=6667&ref=localauthority.news) will talk about Medway 2.0 progress, Universal Credit, and hear from Cllr Paterson. **New planning applications:** - Construction of [two-storey building](https://publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=TMY38PKNMIE00&ref=localauthority.news) to expand Hochiki site at Gillingham Business Park. - Construction of [3 homes](https://publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=TMKTGXKNM5000&ref=localauthority.news) to rear of Iden Road in Wainscott. - HMOs on [High Street](https://publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=TML1SJKNMAC00&activeTab=summary&ref=localauthority.news) and [James Street](https://publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=TMJ89TKN02X00&activeTab=summary&ref=localauthority.news) in Rochester. ### Property of the week Estate agents are increasingly trying their hand at creative writing, but this £250,000 two-bedroom apartment on Rochester High Street takes things to another level. The listing opens with the dramatic declaration that Rochester beat Godalming and St Albans in the owners' search for somewhere to live, before embarking on a lengthy meditation on the pleasures of watching people walk past the window. Beneath all the prose is a rather lovely flat in Faraday House, a former commercial building with ten-foot ceilings, tall leaded windows, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and allocated parking. There's a bespoke oak kitchen, plenty of bookshelves and, rather unexpectedly, a Moroccan-inspired steam room, complete with mosaic tiles and a rainfall shower. The agent concludes that living here offers 'a life that can become easier without becoming smaller', which is quite a lot of emotional responsibility to place on a two-bedroom flat. [Check out this 2 bedroom apartment for sale on Rightmove2 bedroom apartment for sale in Faraday House, High Street, Rochester, Medway, ME1 for £250,000\. Marketed by Graham John, Smeeth![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/db/c9dbc66c-6648-4e37-8eff-948c5ef63bc6/content/images/icon/favicon-78c197d1-8d95-4720-9a15-50b910abffed.ico)Rightmove.co.uk![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/db/c9dbc66c-6648-4e37-8eff-948c5ef63bc6/content/images/thumbnail/b1e0f4b495bb708f5bb9fcc2c50979e9-23b80a61-a54d-4ccc-a202-5196334e40ea.jpg)](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/94122990?ref=localauthority.news#/) ### Events this week 💔 Sat 17 Oct - [**Broken Heart Bazaar**](https://sunpierhouse.co.uk/whatson/broken-heart-bazaar/2026-10-17/?ref=localauthority.news) // Medway's alternative market of curios, gothic designs, and pagan wares. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Free. 🎸 Sat 17 Oct - [**The Real People**](https://www.ticketsource.com/platform3club/t-ejjypmp?ref=localauthority.news) // Acoustic show from Oasis-influencing band, with support from the Pastel Waves. Oast Community Centre, Rainham. Tickets £18. 🏛️ 17 - 18 Oct - [**Medway History Showcase**](https://www.re-museum.co.uk/events/medway-history-showcase-2026/?ref=localauthority.news) // Local archives, archaeological groups, museums and historians gather for talks, displays and hands-on activities. Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham. Free. 🛍️ Sun 18 Oct - [**Rochester Farmers' Market**](https://www.kfma.org.uk/Rochester?ref=localauthority.news) // Stalls selling fresh produce, good food, drinks, gifts, and more. Blue Boar Lane car park, Rochester. Free. 🎤 Thu 22 Oct - [**Romeo Stoddart**](https://lv21.co.uk/whats-on/romeo-stodart-the-magic-numbers/?ref=localauthority.news) // Solo performance from the lead singer-songwriter of the Magic Numbers, with support from Medway's Ollie Burgess. LV21, Chatham. Tickets £24. ### **Footnotes** ✉️ Have a Medway story you think we might be interested in? 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