Plea for a free parking

He is the "mattress king" with a commitment to a traditional town centre. She's the "queen of shops" trying to revive the country's high streets. Now Herne Bay's Dylan Hampshire says town bosses need to take the words of Mary Portas to heart and make parking free across central shopping areas.

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Local Archbishop needles acquisitive bankers

It always tickles me to see how twitchy politicians get when anyone with an ounce of moral credibilty starts to edge into what they regard as their territory.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams raised eyebrows during his Christmas Day sermon.

He suggested the rioters who tore Britain's cities apart during the summer were no worse than bankers and that the "bonds of trust" had been broken throughout society. He told the congregation at Canterbury Cathedral:

"Whether it is an urban rioter mindlessly burning down a small shop that serves his community, or a speculator turning his back on the question of who bears the ultimate cost for his acquisitive adventures in the virtual reality of today's financial world, the picture is of atoms spinning apart in the dark."

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Bob Holness

Bob Holness, who died today aged 83, was part of the furniture in many homes in the 1980s thanks to his legendary Blockbusters show.

But there was a lot more to the broadcaster than people realise. Born in Natal, South Africa, Holness grew up in Kent after his family moved back to England. He later returned to South Africa as a younger man where he started a career in the media and acting and even played the role of James Bond in a radio play.

In 1961 he returned to the UK and gradually became a recognised face on TV as chairman on BBC1's Call My Bluff, long before Blockbusters became a huge hit

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"Free" parking for Herne Bay

A free parking scheme could be launched in Herne Bay to compete with out-of-town shopping centres like Westwood Cross. Town boss Chris West wants businesses to refund parking tickets to people who spend £10 or more in their shops.

He hopes to convince at least 20 traders to sign up to the proposal, which he says could be introduced by the spring.

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Pat Butcher bows out of limelight

As her namesake left our TV screens this week, Barnums owner Pat Butcher also said farewell after 30 years in the town. She and husband Mike packed up at the William Street school outfitters for the last time, handing over the reins to Mark Winham and Helen Bennett.

It brings to an end almost 30 years of the couple providing uniforms for children in Herne Bay and the surrounding towns.

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May Lodge to close

The May Lodge Club on Herne Bay seafront will close today (5th Jan) for the last time, the HB Gazette revealed. Owner Dick Eldridge says the building — the headquarters of the town's Royal British Legon branch — will be handed back to its owners tonight.

The decision was made after the club's accountant said it would struggle to survive. Mr Eldridge — who has run the club for 15 years and been a member since 1985 — described it as a "very very sad day".

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The great British tax scandal

The nice people at AVAAZ.org do their best to make the world a better place. One of their current online campaigns aims to encourage the British government to ensure that the largest and wealthiest corporations pay their dues.

You may have heard recently about the cosy deals that have been struck between Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (a.k.a. the taxman) and Vodafone in particular, allowing them years to pay their overdue taxes, and with no interest charges. This is in stark contrast to the way they treat small businesses and individuals.

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Greenhill residents pull together after vandals target cars

Residents of two roads in Greenhill, Herne Bay, have shown their community spirit after vandals went on a paint-spraying rampage. Between 10 and 12 cars parked in Chestnut Drive and Poplar Drive were sprayed with obscenities some time between 10.30pm on Thursday 29 December and 12.30am on Friday 30 December 2011. One car had its nearside front window smashed.

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Journalist bites councillor

Once again, Paul Francis hits the nail on the head, this time in a riposte to Paul Carter's New Year's gobshite.

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KCC leader fires salvo at local press for 'biased' reporting: a response

Politicians often think we are out to get them and are working to some kind of hidden agenda. And the word that sometimes gets bandied about is that we are 'biased'. It is a word that KCC leader Paul Carter used when he fired off a New Year salvo at the local media in general just before departing for a month long break to participate in a vintage car rally to South Africa.

In a piece, which for the most part was a look back over the year, he ended with a short section 'looking forward'. It began with a pledge that he wished to "improve our relationship with the local press." This laudable aim was then rather undermined by a series of comments that together amounted to an attack on those that he wished to foster improved relationships with.

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Why KCC will have to come clean over Kerswell

Not for the first time, Kent County Council has shown that when it comes to transparency, its view of what the public has a right to know depends rather on what the circumstances are. It will not, we are told, be disclosing the details of the severance package it has agreed with its departing managing director Katherine Kerswell because it is bound by a confidentiality agreement. Ah, the good old confidentiality clause.

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