Kent County Council elections are just two weeks away and candidates are canvassing for votes.
Kent County Council is led by 81 elected councillors to represent people within their division and develop council policy.
Councillors are elected every 4 years, with the next election taking place on 1 May 2025.
KCC is responsible for services including education, roads and transport, social care, waste disposal, strategic planning and more.
Thanet has seven representatives at the county council.
It is likely to be the last election for KCC as government pushes ahead with devolution plans which would see Kent County Council (KCC), Medway Council and all 12 district and borough councils in the county divided into unitary authorities.
In the lead up to polling day Social Enterprise Kent is hosting a hustings between the candidates standing for the Margate seat.
The event on April 24th is aimed at the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
All candidates standing for Margate in the upcoming election have been invited to participate, answering questions submitted by the public.
Currently confirmed as attending are Marc Rattigan, Jamie Henderson, Jack Packman and Barry Lewis.
You can submit a question for the candidates by emailing [email protected] .
Tickets are free. The event starts at 7pm, closes by 9pm, and is being held at Olby’s Soul Café (3–5 King Street, Margate).
Find the event link at : https://sekgroup.org.uk/event/kcc-election-hustings-margate-councillor/
Margate candidates introduce themselves:
Barry Lewis- Independent
I am standing as an independent candidate in Margate. I am standing on my record of 8 years of fighting for Margate .
I am independent of any national political parties and MPs. I am a servant of residents of Margate not a mouthpiece of national governments. I will continue to support local people fighting for a better future and believe in prosperity not austerity for people.
I resigned from the Labour Party because they deserted the people who voted for them by causing misery, for example taking away for the majority of pensioners their winter fuel allowances.
I will continue to work cross party to defend Margate . I will continue to highlight how money is wasted (Thanet Parkway which both Labour and Tories supported).
I will fight to save vital services such as the Millmead children centre. I will answer my emails and phone promptly. I have a proven record of someone you can trust.
Jack Packman – Labour
I am deeply connected to the Margate community, with a background in housing, community services, and public safety.
Currently, I work as a regional place manager in housing, addressing key issues daily, from rent arrears to mental health struggles and overall community well-being. I understand social housing inside and out, and I have a strong sense of empathy. At 24, I began my management career with Social Enterprise Kent as a contract manager, responsible for delivering East Kent’s community navigation services, tackling social isolation, loneliness, and addressing healthcare, social care, and community health needs.
I have a degree in policing and have since gained valuable experience in community safety, equipping me with deep knowledge of how essential safety and well-being are in our neighbourhoods.
I am a district councillor for Dane Valley, serve as chair of governors at Northdown Primary School and was previously a governor at Drapers Mills. I’ve worked on the Margate Carnival and Margate Christmas events, and I founded the Dane Valley Residents Association. Additionally, I’ve volunteered as an adult in the RAF Air Cadets and was recently honored to become the Mayor of Margate.
I’m dedicated to improving the lives of our residents and working towards a safer, fairer, and more prosperous future. I believe in the power of collaboration, working closely with local organisations, public services, and residents to bring about positive change. Passionate about making Kent a place where everyone can thrive, I’ll work tirelessly to ensure our communities are safe, vibrant, and supported.
Matthew Brown Liberal Democrat
Matthew is a seasoned local campaigner with a professional background in computing and Internet. He founded and chairs Thanet Creative, a charitable association dedicated to supporting writing and creativity.
Road safety is a key issue for Matthew. He has worked over the years to hold KCC accountable for potholes, unsafe junctions, and similar matters; paying particular attention to making safe the junction of Tenterden Way and Millmead Road where he almost lost his mother, two sisters, and then-unborn niece.
Matthew served for a number of years as an elected parent representative on Sure Start Millmead’s management board, during its transition into a community mutual. He strongly believes that KCC must continue to fund the important work of Millmead Family Hub – a key part of the Dane Valley community. If elected, Matthew plans to invest his efforts into examining pathways to reforming Kent’s Children and Family Social Services to make it a service fit for purpose.
Additionally, he will continue to oppose Southern Water’s habit of discharging sewage into our seas (and onto our blue flag beaches) every time there is heavy rain.
Matthew has chosen to stand as a Liberal Democrat because he is tired of seeing the same faces under different flags. Matthew will offer a real choice of someone different; someone willing to make the effort needed to see some positive change in Thanet. If a degenerative spinal condition and a few spells in hospital couldn’t stop him, then a little bureaucracy and red tape don’t stand a chance.
Marc Rattigan – Conservative
As a lifelong resident of Margate, I am deeply committed to revitalising our town and ensuring that local voices are heard. I live here with my family and have built my career across healthcare, education, and business management. Trained as a radiotherapist, I later transitioned into education and now own and manage a group of nursery schools across Thanet, providing high-quality early years education to local families.
Beyond my business ventures, I am passionate about restoring Margate’s historic character and am currently leading the extensive refurbishment of the Old Thornton Bobby building on Northdown Road. I also work closely with local charities to support those in need, strengthening our community from the ground up.
A key priority for me is improving youth provision. Too many young people in Margate lack access to safe spaces, activities, and opportunities to develop their skills. I want to change that by pushing for better investment in youth services, creating more facilities, and ensuring young people have a real voice in local decision-making.
As your representative, I will champion redevelopment that benefits residents, not just developers. I believe the younger generation is underrepresented in local government, and I am determined to change that—ensuring every generation has a voice in decision-making. My experience in healthcare, education, and business gives me the skills to tackle key issues like housing, education, and local services effectively.
Margate deserves strong leadership and fresh ideas. I am ready to work tirelessly to deliver real results for our community.
Jamie Henderson- Reform
Margate is often voted as the best town in the country and I am ready to fight for the interests of it and Thanet’s residents and businesses from within KCC.
We have a wonderful seaside and great farms, businesses and attractions, they deserve a dedicated passionate local councilor who has worked in the hotels of Margate in the 90s, worked on Thanet’s farms and owned a cafe in Broadstairs and am again now working for a local farming family in Birchington.
Educated at Hartsdown and Dane Court and with a daughter in secondary school and friends in all industries locally. I am pro active and can’t stand to see Margate so dirty, so you will often see me out litter picking to clean up and bring out the best in Margate.
I am for a safe town with opportunities, health and a clean and well maintained infrastructure to promote investment and increase tourism and bring money into our local businesses so that they can create jobs and grow.
I am against crime and antisocial behavior, against pollution from water companies, against the waste of money that can occur in local government contracting, against many of the decisions made by this and the previous government.
Please allow me to represent You.
I welcome support from all and all are welcome to be involved..
Barry Lewis have a laugh.
Scandal after scandal with him and the Labour party ended him as a candidate. He’s still pretending to be Labour under an independent disguise.
Vote for someone else. He’s long past his prime, if he ever had one.
Good luck to all.
He has delivered on Millmead & other things. Sounds like a Labour bot-one of them told him he was should step aside as he is too old.
I would rather have a pensioner who is interested in the area, lives in it & gets things done for locals, than some drop-in lobbyist, champagne socialist more interested in getting ‘free’ concert tickets, free booze & grub at art gallerie etc-like our current Labour MP, hence why I voted for him via postal ballot.
Never too old to defend margate residents, never too old to defend children centres, never too old to call out bigotry, never too old to be the voice of margate.
It’s a straight vote off between Reform and Labour in Margate. Jack Packman will honestly and responsibly represent Margate residents if he is elected for KCC. We all remember what happened in Thanet under UKIP in 2015 and Reform would be no different.
Incorrect, its a 3 way fight between me, labour and reform, even labour members agree its a 3 way fight.
Shin – you believe Labour are the answer! Oh dear just look at the state of country and look at their local candidates. I have absolutely no confidence in any of them and certainly not to run a council.
Anybody voting for Labour now deserves whatever they get from them. If what has happened the last nine months isn’t enough for people to see what it is has turned into then what can you say?
If Jack Packman has so much caring & empathy, then why does he remain in Labour, cheering on, or at best keeping silent on his parties attacks on the poorest & most vulnerable in society-some of the poorest in the country living in his ward & the area generally?
Reform chap forgot to add how much the foreigners are to blame for everything mantra that is plastered all over his & Nasty Nigel’s leaflets, as it is on the Tories propaganda of course. Where he of course plays second fiddle to the grifter leader of Reform PLC-whose head is at the top & considerably largerthan his, as it is in real life.
In Birchington it would help if any of the candidates actually bothered to advertise that they are standing and what their policies are. National policies are largely irrelevant as far as the specific issues of local areas are concerned.
“I am against crime and antisocial behavior,” says Jamie Henderson of Reform.
I wonder what his views are on the teaching of English?
That was Phyllis Quot, representing the Pedantic Party.
A fair point, Phyllis.
Reform is keen to embrace anything American. Not just spelling. They are advocates of private insurance for headcase.
Any country that gave us Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Hank Williams is good enough for me, y’all.
Phyllis. Do you really believe that all of the candidates proofread everything that’s written about them?
What are your views on the use of English (lack of capital letters) in the comments above, that were written by one of the candidates?
Nigel has spent so much time in the US kissing the orange mans behind for the last decade, that he & all his PLC party members probably forgot English. Don’t forget this is a company to make money for eternal grifter Farage, not a political party.
One can admire bits of Americana PC, without swallowing the whole.
Farage has a real problem with his stateside friendships, because they are not shared by voters, even reform voters.Trump, Vance and MAGA are detested here in the UK, and between them, they are nudging the UK towards a custom union with the EU. I don’t think there will be much of a
trade deal with a US unless we are prepared to accept a lot of very unpalatable terms, and even then can you trust them?
You can hardly take back control with Trump.
Reform is a strange beast, part an autocracy with a leader who will brook no criticism, part a genuine reaction based on a deep seated discontent with the world as it is, while being underpinned with a thick seam of racism,misogyny,and intolerance.
Labour of course is riven with factions most of them barmy, which is why Barry was booted out The Tories are in a death spiral as many of their one nation voters are leaving them in droves as they spin in a right handed corkscrew.
The Lib Dems and the Greens want everyone to be nice to each other, and why not, but that is no basis for a better KCC.
None of them have any plan or policy to right the good ship KCC, and if it does capsize in the coming months, I blame Angela Rayner and the MHCLG for not putting it out of its misery in January.This is a pointless election which will solve nothing.
Can find very little of what has happened in the US the last few months to be admirable in any way-he has turned it into the laughing stock of the world.
Kissing up to narcissistic bullies gets you nowhere, you cannot trust a word he says-it changes on a daily basis, or anything he signs-all that sucking up Starmer did & then he turns around & reduces the tariff to 10% for the EU, bet Charlie boy must be thrilled he now has to entertain Trump for nothing. The US signed a deal to guarantee the security of Ukraine with the UK & Russia over 30 years ago, Russia of course invalidated it 20 years later & now the US is walking away.
Henderson all the way, enough said.
Henderson?
Dickie?
Claude
Does any of the above want to send home migrants, end the needless building of houses on farmland, give pensioners back the fuel money, increase the tax limit from £12500, get rid of TDC and return it to the three boroughs, make law breakers actually do community service, revise the bus routes, look after our parks and gardens and get speeding cyclists of our pavements. If it’s all of these things I’ll vote for you
Well that comment above has been here for over 24 hours, no reply from anyone, no vote. Simple
My vote goes to Barry Lewis, a decent man who has done right by the residents of Margate. A hard-working councillor for 8 years!
Polly ‘bilious’ Billington should be ashamed of herself for her ill treatment of an excellent KCC councillor who has done more for Margate than she could ever hope to do! Soon enough, she will be unceremoniously booted out! That day can’t come soon enough!
Odious though Billington is, Reform would be worse. Do we really want to be represented by an all-male cabal of racist, misogynists wearing matching turquoise ties?
I wish Barry Lewus every success on 1st May!
As someone who knows Jamie Henderson, he’s a plain talking man with common sense, cares about the area without feeling the need to bad mouth anyone (rare these days). He would get my vote even if I didn’t personally know him. Replying to a comment above, yes he’s against every bit of land being built on especially farm land. You’ll have to ask his views on the other points but I doubt he’d disagree with them.