Councillor Teresa Murray, deputy leader of Medway Council, has criticised the Reform UK-led Kent County Council for driving hostility towards asylum seekers and dismantling public services. Writing in a letter, she argues that the council is doing little to address inequality and poor services, instead blaming immigration.
Murray highlights the contrast between new housing developments and the plight of asylum seekers living in disused barracks, as observed by journalist John Harris. She claims Reform UK is using poverty and social exclusion, exacerbated by austerity, to create division and scapegoat outsiders.
In neighbouring Medway, Murray describes the challenge of maintaining partnerships with Kent on key issues like health and social care, while dealing with inexperienced Reform politicians who have achieved little beyond complaints and threats. She notes that at a recent protest in Faversham, supporters of asylum seekers outnumbered anti-immigration demonstrators.
Peter Riddle, a resident of Derbyshire, recounts family in Folkestone witnessing a decline in quality of life, with increased begging, rough sleeping, and deteriorating services. He suggests that Reform UK's appeal will only fade when Labour delivers visible improvements to essential services.
Paul Kane from Tunbridge Wells points out that not all of Kent is nationalist, noting the Liberal Democrats' success in the area. He laments the cancellation of a charity providing language teaching to young asylum seekers by Kent County Council, calling for falsehoods to be challenged.
