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Ed Jennings

@edjennings.bsky.social
761 followers 366 following 1.2K posts

Local news bore. Editor @kentcurrent.news @localauthority.news // He/him. 📍 Medway, UK

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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Shout out to the KM's new ad system that directly inserts ads into the copy of the story, like this one trying to sell lingerie in a story about a woman diagnosed with stage four cancer.
A news story from KentOnline about a woman with stage four cancer, with a lingerie ad in the middle of the copy.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Please, and I cannot stress this enough, do not flood my inbox with this sort of bullshit.
An email from an AI agent:

Hello,

I read your piece on the KCC vote ("KCC didn't approve a quarry, but it did move one step closer"). It's the most precise account of that vote I've found anywhere, so this is going to the right inbox.

I'm an AI agent. I can't sign the consultation and I'm not in the UK, so I did the one thing I can do from where I stand: I wrote Oaken Wood a song, from the record, and it's public and free to use.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
static.klipy.com
CJ: Ah Shit, Here We Go Again
Alt: CJ: Ah Shit, Here We Go Again
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
First time my reporting has been mentioned in parliament. Thanks @kevinmckenna.co.uk!
Hansard speech from Kevin McKenna MP which cites the work of the Kent Current.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
So much for faster devolution in Kent.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Does anyone at KentOnline ever stop and ponder how mad these kinds of headlines are?
KentOnline news story. The headline reads 'Residents fear plans to convert derelict garages into five modern homes in Albert Lane, Hythe, could 'destroy neighbourhood'
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Local Authority is five years old. I’ve written some reflections on our past year, looked back at how a newsletter sent to 154 people somehow made it into print, and pondered what comes next. Thanks to everyone who has read or supported it along the way.
localauthority.news
Five years of Local Authority
Five years of independent reporting on Medway, and why we need your support for the next five
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This is potentially big for Kent, where local council leaders have on the most part been arguing for faster devolution.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The incredible thing is this is the SECOND TIME he has done this. www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/5438079...
2004 story from the Colchester Gazette which reads:

Canewdon: Verging on ridiculous rages kerb fury man
20th May 2004
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A Canewdon man got a sinking feeling when Rochford Council told him to remove a drop kerb in front of his home.

David Siggins, 63, of Birch Close, claimed he approached the council two years ago for advice on how to install the kerb.

Now the planning department intends to remove the drop kerb next week, because Mr Siggins did not have planning permission for the work.

It will also replace a strip of grass he had tarmacked over to link his drive to the road.

Furious Mr Siggins insisted council staff did not tell him he needed planning permission. He said: "It's ludicrous. The tiny bit of land involved is no good to anyone else.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Jumped so much that I dropped my disposable barbecue on the grass.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Breaking: 57% of the population walking around with their eyes shut.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Absolute joke of a country.
bbc.co.uk
Harry Potter fans force power link diversion to avoid Dobby's grave
Potter fans complained after a project manager suggested cables would go under the grave in a BBC interview.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
My local Starbucks now has an AI-generated opening hours sign on the door (which contradicts the opening hours on the other door), and it's (almost) enough to send me to Costa.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
'The authority admitted the ticket had been issued in error and cancelled the fine.' Can definitely see why he rushed straight to the paper with this one.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Not a headline I can get away with every week.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I've read Private Eye since I was a teenager. Slightly giddy that someone there has been reading our work.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
static.klipy.com
Twin Peaks: It Is Happening, Again
Alt: Twin Peaks: It Is Happening, Again
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Kent Current @kentcurrent.news · 31/07/2026
KCC’s efficiency department is gone. DOLGE is now a council-wide strategy with no savings target, no new powers and closed “star chambers” at its centre. What changed, and how will anyone judge its success?
kentcurrent.news
DOLGE is dead. Long live DOLGE.
KCC replaces its flagship efficiency department with a council-wide way of working with no savings target, no new powers and closed meetings at the centre
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Mark Pack @markpackuk.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
A small but telling example is how it is now the norm that an online search fails to turn up any news stories when a councilor switches or leaves their party.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Very much agree with much of this. As local news ecosystems have been hollowed out, there's little capacity for serious scrutiny at the scale required. We do what we can here in Kent, but I can't confidently say we have the resources to do what needs to be done under more powerful mayoralties.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Good evening from tonight’s Medway Council by-election count for Cuxton, Halling & Riverside. Shout out to the Medway Council team for forcing each party to socially distance from each other.
Medway Council election count with everyone weirdly spaced out.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Excited to learn from KentOnline that Medway is apparently running elections on Wednesdays now.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
If you've woken up thinking 'I wish I could read 3,000 words on the process of local government reorganisation in Kent', then oh boy do I have the post for you.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Good evening from my second council meeting of the day - Medway Council where fire cuts, mayoral arrangements, councillor pay, and petitions, will be discussed. Given I’ve been working since 7am and already did one meeting, will I make it through this one? Stay and find out!
Medway councillors gathering at the St George’s Centre.
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Jon Patience @smoulderstoat.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
One of the things about Kent, of course, is that the major roads and railways all run north to south, so communication in that authority will be absolutely fine. Oh no, hang on a minute.
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Rhys Griffiths @rhysdgriffiths.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Absolutely stunned by this. How on earth has Folkestone been severed from east Kent? Dungeness and Sheppey? Wild, indeed
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Breaking: Kent and Medway will be carved up into four unitary authorities, including a wild MidKent Council that spans from Sheppey to Romney Marsh.
Kent map showing the four new unitary authorities.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Good morning from today’s Kent County Council meeting, which is starting with a recitation of the Lords Prayer following a rule change at the last meeting. Greens, some Lib Dems, and some Tories have remained seated.
KCC councillors during the Lords Prayer.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
One of my most non-liberal opinions is that buskers using amplifiers in town centres should be fired into the sun.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Shout out to @dailymail.co.uk for their 'exclusive' on this story that we broke, er, 11 days ago.
A Daily Mail 'exclusive' version of our AI data centre story.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Some personal news.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Absolutely no idea why people don't engage with local democracy when public reports are this clear and accessible.
An impenetrable council report. It reads:

Subject: REVIEW OF THE CONSTITUTION 2026 - PLANNING
DELEGATIONS
Meeting and Date: Governance Committee – 25 June 2026
Council – 8 July 2026
Report of: Monitoring Officer
Classification: Unrestricted
Purpose of the report: Article 15 of the Constitution imposes a duty on the Governance
Committee and the Council's Statutory Officers (the Head of Paid
Service, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer) to
conduct regular reviews of the Constitution.
Article 15, paragraph 15.02(a) stipulates that amendments to the
Constitution will only be approved by Council (or its committees)
after consideration of the proposal by the Governance
Committee.
Article 15, paragraph 15.02 (d) enables proposed changes to the
Constitution relating to the amendment of the title of an officer to
be approved by the Monitoring Officer or Deputy Monitoring
Officer.
Part 3, Section 6, Sub section A Paragraph 12 of the Constitution
allows for the Scheme of Officer Delegations (Part 3, Section 6)
to be amended from time to time by the Council or the Leader of
the Council as appropriate.
Recommendation:
Governance
Committee:
Council:
That it be recommended to Council that the proposed changes in
the report, as set out in Appendix 1, and specifically those
changes relating to Part 3, Responsibility for Functions, Section
1 (Responsibility for Local Choice Functions), Section 2
(Responsibility for Council Functions) and Section 6, Sub Section
C (Scheme of Officer Delegations) that relate to Council functions
be approved and incorporated into the Council’s Constitution,
issue no. 28A.
That the proposed changes in the Review of the Constitution
2026 – Planning Delegations, as set out in Appendix 1, and
specifically those changes relating to Part 3, Responsibility for
Functions, Section 1 (Responsibility for Local Choice Functions),
Section 2 (Responsibility for Council Functions) and Section 6,
Sub Section C (Scheme of Officer Delegations) that relate …
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Sure, I could be working this morning, but it's far more important that I track the Goodyear Blimp as it zig-zags across Kent.
Flight Radar screenshot showing the path of the Goodyear Blimp across Kent.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
3,000 words on a rural council by-election? The KM would never.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Shamefully, I haven't been to @hdiflondon.bsky.social in probably a decade, but it was great to get Ian on to @kentcurrent.news to talk about his debut novel and how he's managed to run a club night for 24 years.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Quite a bar chart here from the local Greens. 'It's between us and a party that has never stood in the ward, and definitely not the guys who literally hold both seats'
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Martin Robbins @mjrobbins.com · 27/06/2026
Today is ‘National Picky Bits Day’ so enjoy this extended rant on why it’s time for Britain to grow up.
open.substack.com
On Picky Bits and National Decline
'Picky Bits' may seem like a harmless phrase, but the mentality behind it explains a lot about the position we find ourselves in.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Occasionally I’m particularly struck by how others do local news as opposed to the way we do.
Front page of KentOnline for Medway - headline story is ‘New Iceland Food Warehouse to open at retail park’Front page of Local Authority. Headline story is ‘Does Medway exist?’
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Really enjoyed taking part in this panel, which should be obvious by whatever the hell I'm doing in this photo.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Delighted to have James on the Kent Current today telling the good people of Kent why they should have a nuclear reactor in their back garden.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Five years ago, @localauthority.news didn’t exist. Today, thousands read it every week, and hundreds of people support it financially. For Indie News Week, I’ve written about why reader support matters and why Medway is better off with more local reporting rather than less.
localauthority.news
Why we’re talking about money this week
If Local Authority helps you understand Medway, this is a good week to support it
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Dr Rashmee Roshan Lall @rashmee.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Shows why local #news outlets matter..,they’ve got their ear to the ground (literally!) @publicinterestnews.org.uk
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
It's very rare in politics for someone to outright come out and say they were wrong. This was one of the more remarkable conversations I've had while covering local politics.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
No doubt Arriva will be delighted with this graphic, given that the scheme has nothing to do with them.
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James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 08/06/2026
Oh come on. "It also claimed that the proposals would increase traffic and activity in the rural area and change the appearance of the barn, harming the character of the conservation area." www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/ne...
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
This is become something of a pattern. Still, imitation is the best form of flattery and all that.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I am working in a Starbucks, where the fire alarm has been going off for a few minutes. Absolutely no one has reacted or moved, and the staff haven't said a word. I feel like this says a lot about where we are as a country.
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Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
We had to say goodbye to Bert today. He was stubborn, stupid, annoying, shouty, greedy, and an arsehole. But he was our stubborn, stupid, annoying, shouty, greedy arsehole, and we're really going to miss him.
A very silly looking corgi.
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James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 02/06/2026
It's time to tell the racists to fuck off (From last year, newly relevant again.) takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/this-is-en...
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk
It's time to tell the racists to fuck off
Anti-racism norms are good and should be socially enforced
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Jaz is Shittin Whippies @jazcherv.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Reposting with alt text because it's very good
Screenshot of a Facebook post in the group "Canterbury Residents Group". It is a photo captioned with "Anyone work at Tesco? Your cleaning robot has gone out the front door and is heading into town.". The photo shows a Tesco-branded cleaning robot in the middle of town high street clearly as it makes its way through the town.

(additional context: Tesco is a chain of stores and supermarkets in the UK)
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