Catch up on all the latest political news from across Kent with Ollie Leader.
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00:00Hello and welcome to the Kemp Politics Show live on KMTV.
00:29The show that gets Kent's politicians talking.
00:33I'm Oli Leder and we're starting today's programme with something a little different.
00:38Because right now our sister publication Kent Online is leading the charge on a campaign for change in government policy related to who gets a blue disabled parking badge.
00:50Under current legislation, applicants must be able to prove their disability will last longer than three years in order to be granted a badge that is leaving some who cannot prove they'll be disabled that long left behind.
01:04And they acknowledged that they got it and to send them the money to buy the blue badge, if you like.
01:13And then I heard nothing for 19 weeks and then I got another email with three more pages of questions on it.
01:26And filled it in, sent it back and within a very short while, I mean less than a day, I'd been rejected.
01:37And they said healthcare and medical staff had come to this conclusion and that I wouldn't be disabled in three years time.
01:48And then, well, I was gobsmacked, you know, I didn't know what to say.
01:54Now three MPs from across Kent's political parties are coming together to support the campaign and help people like Martin, including the Labour MP for Chatham and Aylesford.
02:07The modernisation and introduction of the blue badge programme was a lasting legacy of the last Labour government.
02:14Can the leader of the House confirm some time in the parliamentary timetable to discuss a cross-party campaign led by Kent MPs
02:19and the editor of my local paper, Matt Ramsden, to support the success of this scheme and to look at the eligibility to include time-limited conditions?
02:27Well, I'm well aware of the great campaigning that he and other Kent MPs and his local campaign, his local newspaper are doing around blue badges, which are vital to those who receive them.
02:40I'm sure it would get wide support if he wanted a further debate.
02:43I think we've already had a debate, but a further debate on these important matters.
02:47Well, Tris, thank you for joining us down the line from Westminster.
02:52Now, can you break down why you believe the current rules around who gets a blue badge are insufficient and how does it all work?
03:03Yeah, so the blue badge legislation actually came about as a result of the last Labour government, one of our proud achievements,
03:11which allows people with long-term disabilities to effectively get parking dispensation at their home and in the community,
03:19in private parking areas as well.
03:22So, and what we're saying is, is that whilst the blue badges are very well respected and established,
03:28there are a number of people who might have time-limited conditions or temporary conditions.
03:34So, for instance, people coming out of a hospital setting or people who might have a particular condition,
03:39which might be resolved in a matter of weeks and months,
03:43who might need the same treatment in terms of access to public sites and other locations.
03:50And what we're saying is that what I'm trying to push for on a cross-party basis,
03:55working alongside other MPs from all parties,
03:58is a change to just change the criteria by which people can apply,
04:02so that those with those conditions can get a blue badge for a time-limited basis.
04:07I suppose the question is, is blue badge eligibility often comes down to approval by the local authorities,
04:17such as Kent County Council.
04:20So, what are you calling for to change that?
04:22Because obviously, if local authorities are approving this,
04:26what role does government play in all of this?
04:28Just to help our viewers understand the issue.
04:32Yeah, so, and there are distinctions.
04:35So, the campaign is going to be focused on both a local solution and also a national resolution.
04:42So, on a local basis, some councils across the country already have a discretionary equivalent to a blue badge
04:50for those with time-limited conditions, and they do issue those.
04:56And so, we will ask Kent County Council, when they have got a portfolio holder for this area,
05:03whether they would consider a similar scheme, a discretionary scheme, which other councils have.
05:09But we also believe that there is a national issue here at play.
05:14It shouldn't be for councils necessarily to have all sorts of discretionary schemes,
05:18but we think actually national legislation should change,
05:21so that we just open up the eligibility of an already existing legislated scheme.
05:27And to say that instead of just ensuring that this is for those only with long-term conditions,
05:33that we have another flexible option for those with time-limited conditions.
05:38And so, there is a national element to this,
05:41and that is the reason why I'm soliciting the support of both my own team,
05:45but also the opposition conservatively for shadow transport secretary,
05:50as well as Liberal Democrats,
05:51because I believe there's a cross-party platform here to get these changes.
05:56So, what's the next step going forward?
05:58Because would this require a change in the law?
06:01Is it primary or secondary legislation?
06:04What happens next?
06:07So, that is a very good question,
06:10because if it's primary legislation, of course,
06:15it will need to go through a bill,
06:17and it will need then to be part of a bill that will have to be part of a king's speech,
06:23which creates a requirement then to go to committees and fully consult upon.
06:28So, that can take a year or so.
06:31So, that would be obviously a very long-winded process
06:34if it was to be a primary legislative approach.
06:37If it's secondary legislation,
06:39which I know many viewers won't know the distinction,
06:41but if it's secondary legislation,
06:43it can happen a lot quicker via a simple either ministerial decision
06:47or a statutory instrument change,
06:49which doesn't require the same level of consultation and engagement.
06:53So, at the moment,
06:55I would obviously prefer it to be the second of those,
06:58because it's quicker,
06:59and we can get a decision,
07:01and we can get that pushed through.
07:02However, it might not be.
07:04So, I know that there's a piece of work
07:06that research teams are doing across all three parties, actually.
07:10Obviously, Helen's team, my team, and Mike's team as well,
07:13we're looking at what are the options on this,
07:16but our preference is to try and get this through as quickly as possible,
07:20obviously, to help our residents and get the support they need.
07:24But I can't answer yet, I'm afraid,
07:26but I'm very happy to keep in touch with you on that.
07:29You said a year could be the time frame
07:31for when this is introduced,
07:32depending on what kind of legislation is required.
07:36And you mentioned discretionary schemes being offered
07:39by some local authorities across the country.
07:44What can our local authorities here in Kent do in the meantime?
07:49And do you know if Medway,
07:50who your constituency straddles across two different local authorities,
07:55can you kind of explain what they're doing about this as well?
07:59Is there still concerns about discretionary support,
08:01both in Medway and in wider Kent?
08:03A reasonable question.
08:07And look, very few local authorities across the country
08:10do have a discretionary scheme,
08:12which is the reason why it needs to be dealt with,
08:14both as a request to councils,
08:16who, of course, are cash-limited and resource-limited,
08:20but also via national legislation as well,
08:23which is the reason why we're doing both approaches.
08:25At the moment, Kent and Medway,
08:27one is Labour-run, one is reform-run,
08:29formerly Conservative,
08:30offer the same answer,
08:33which is that they don't have a discretionary scheme at the moment,
08:38that they're following national guidance
08:40around issuance of blue badges,
08:42and unless that changes,
08:44they don't have a discretionary scheme in place.
08:46But we can give them the option to introduce one
08:49by giving them other examples from around the country.
08:52Clearly, it will be for portfolio holders
08:54and the leadership of councils to look at their resources
08:58and see if that is something they can accommodate.
09:03One of the other MPs supporting the campaign
09:06is Mike Martin,
09:07the Liberal Democrat member for Tunbridge Wells,
09:09who has also been supporting women's safety in his constituency.
09:12If you're a woman,
09:14you may be well aware of the feeling of being unsafe or vulnerable.
09:18But now, a new scheme in Tunbridge Wells
09:20is aiming to change that
09:22by turning local businesses into lifelines called Safe Havens.
09:26Businesses can show that they've signed up
09:28by having a sticker in the window
09:29or by showing it on the Safe Havens app.
09:32Details can also be found
09:33on the Royal Tunbridge Wells Love Local app.
09:36This initiative is really trying,
09:39it's, you know,
09:40there's people involved and people running it
09:42that have been through these experiences themselves.
09:46And I think that's a massive,
09:48massive part of the way that we can connect with each other,
09:52with each other's experiences,
09:54and therefore we can build relationship
09:56and we can build trust through that.
09:58And I would, of course,
10:00encourage anybody who feels threatened
10:02or who has had any of these experiences
10:05to absolutely use this initiative
10:09to help them, to support them.
10:12The initiative comes as frustration grows
10:15over delays in enforcing the Sex-Based Harassment Act,
10:18which was passed last year,
10:19but is still not in force.
10:21In response, MP Mike Martin
10:23and a local women's safety organisation,
10:26together as allies,
10:27have come together
10:28and invited over 150 businesses in Tunbridge Wells
10:31to join the Safe Havens project.
10:33So ultimately,
10:35Safe Havens are cafes, libraries,
10:40everyday locations
10:41where a woman or a young lady
10:45could walk in,
10:47frankly it's anybody,
10:48I mean anybody who feels vulnerable.
10:50They can step in,
10:51know that they could offer the chair,
10:54offer some water,
10:55plug their mobile phone in,
10:57and just reset and recalibrate
10:59so that they can carry on their onward journey
11:02feeling safe.
11:04Because the challenge is that
11:07safety and feeling safe,
11:11that's very hard to police
11:14because everybody feels safety
11:18in a very different way.
11:20So we have a basket of initiatives
11:23that are going to be rolling out
11:24over the next two or three years.
11:25This is the first one,
11:27the Safe Havens one,
11:28which is obviously about giving women and girls,
11:31but also boys and men can use it
11:33if they feel vulnerable travelling home,
11:34but it's predominantly aimed at women and girls.
11:36Some of the other work,
11:37some of the other initiatives
11:39in that basket of initiatives
11:40will be focused on working with boys
11:43and young men
11:44to educate them,
11:46to bring alive to them
11:47how women and girls feel
11:48in certain situations.
11:50After the break,
11:51we'll discuss the Green Party election.
11:53See you soon.
11:55next week.
16:39me on the sofa is Dartford councillor and leader of the Green and Resilance Association
16:44at Dartford Borough Council, Laura Eadie. Laura, obviously this is quite a significant
16:50election. We would really determine your party's future going forward after the local elections
16:57and what do you make of this contest? What do you think it will really signify for your
17:04party?
17:04Well, thank you for having me. Yeah, I do think that it's obviously really important
17:09who we have as our leader and I'm absolutely so grateful for all the work that Adrian and
17:15Carla have done for the Green Party. We've had so much success in elections but I do think
17:20we're now at a stage in the Green Party where we need to be clearer on our direction and
17:23messaging and I do think that I'm backing Zach basically because I do think that he speaks
17:30to a larger audience of people and yeah, I think we need this bold leadership that he's
17:36offering us.
17:37Do you think the Green Party hasn't been bold enough? Do you think they've been a bit soft
17:41in the general election, in the local election campaigning? Do you think they haven't cut
17:46through in the same way another upstart party reform have?
17:50Well, I do think that, yeah, reform have obviously gone in there. They have these very sort of striking
17:55messaging in terms of, you know, it's anti-immigrant Brexit. We have these sort of very divisive,
18:00I would say, messaging and it is easier for people to take the vote there but what I would
18:04say is the Green Party have had a lot of success but we haven't necessarily had the media coverage
18:08and I do think that having a leader like Zach and having one party leader is really important
18:14to our narrative going forward.
18:15So do you not think it might have anything to do with politics? Because obviously there's
18:19lots of concerns about immigration, for example, here in Kent, the state of the economy, government
18:25waste. These have been all big messages at the heart of Reform UK. We saw it here in KCC,
18:31they swept the elections, 57 councillors, your party just got five and you even stood as a
18:38candidate. Do you not think that might have anything to do for it? Do you not think that's
18:42a rejection of Green Party values?
18:45No, I think it's actually quite the opposite. I do think that people are angry, rightly so.
18:50We've had 15 years of austerity, of people not having the standards that they deserve,
18:54doctor's appointments, not having clean, safe streets. So I absolutely understand the anger
18:59and I do think that, yes, reform message resonated but also they had a backing of all the national
19:04media and we know that that's the fact. But yes, I think in a way the Green Party does
19:09need to make sure it's speaking to these working class communities. We can't be dismissive of
19:14reform voters or class people as far right because they're voting reform. It's a protest
19:17vote for the way that things are at the moment. And yet I do think the Green Party need to
19:21be working on the messaging and putting it out there and I think Zach's the person to
19:25be doing that.
19:25Obviously Labour, the other left-wing party here in Kent didn't do particularly work in the
19:29local elections, just two councillors. And Zach Polanski, the person that you're backing,
19:35has described himself as an eco-populist. Do you think that's the right approach to tackle
19:41the reform UK? Is matching populism with populism, isn't that going to increase the temperature
19:49of the national debate?
19:51Yeah, now I hear what you're saying. I just think that we need to be speaking to working
19:55class communities. For too long now, people are being shoved aside, their fears and this
20:00is where we have immigration. It's being scapegoated. We have vulnerable people who
20:05are being scapegoating our communities. And do you know what? The billionaires are laughing
20:08at us because we are the sixth richest economy in the whole world. We have the money in this
20:12country. What we don't have is wealth equality. And I do think that's what Zach's going to
20:16bring to the table.
20:17Because on the other hand, you have the joint ticket of Adrian Ramsey and Elliot Chowns.
20:22They have been vocal about their record of winning rural seats, typically dominated by the
20:26Conservatives. That seems to match the geography of somewhere like Kent, a predominantly rural
20:32county. I know that you're up near Dartford. It's a bit more linked towards London, a bit
20:36more urban. But vast swathes of Kent, such as Tunbridge, have seen green councillors doing
20:42relatively well due to their environmental credentials. Why aren't they necessarily the pick for the
20:49leadership?
20:50Well, as I said, I've got a huge amount of respect for Adrian and Elliot. What they've done
20:53in power is absolutely brilliant. But I do think that we need, I think it's actually
20:56beneficial for us to have a leader like Zach. He will speak to everyone across the spectrum.
21:01You know, he's compassionate. When you listen to him, he's commanding. And also, he is very
21:05keen to look at the environment, which will affect people across Kent. But I think he'll
21:09be more powerful at getting the messaging across.
21:12I suppose the question is, does the rise of someone at the Green Party perhaps pave the way
21:18for a return for the Conservatives or for reform to do well in a general election? Because
21:24the argument would be, on the first part of the post, that the other party that shares
21:28the most values with you would be some of the Labour Party or the Liberal Democrats. And
21:33you're eating away at the Labour fringes would potentially create a hung parliament or potentially
21:39even a reform majority. Are you not worried that perhaps a strong leadership is only going
21:45to destabilise politics more? Well, what I would say is people are sick of the two main parties.
21:49They've had enough of successive governments not investing in our communities. And actually,
21:53I do think we need, we need new parties coming through. We need someone for people on the left
21:57to actually be able to, you know, stand behind them and realise we are going to stand up for our
22:01communities. And I think it didn't quite the opposite. I don't think Labour are progressive
22:04anymore. The comments that come out from Keir Starmer are disgraceful. And I think that the Greens
22:08are now the truly progressive party. Zach Polanski, the person you're backing, has had a bit of
22:13controversy in the past. There was a famous Sun article about being a hypnotherapist talking
22:20about breast enlargement, I believe. Is that something that concerns you that he may not be
22:25a serious politician that people can actually get behind?
22:29Obviously, we've heard this story about Zach Polanski and he has absolutely apologised for
22:32that. It was at a time when he was working as an actor, he was trying to make money. And I do
22:36think he does regret that. He's come out openly said he's regretted that. I think people aren't necessarily
22:41going to be hung up on this when they see how much power and enthusiasm and how bold he is in his
22:45leadership. And he will speak to people across the spectrum.
22:49What do you think will the impact on local politics with the rise of eco-populism? Because at the
22:54moment, the Green Party are, even with the Conservatives, five councillors each at Kent County Council.
23:00But there are some councillors here in Kent, such as Folkestone and Maidstone. There's a leadership
23:04stake in the council from your party. I'm wondering, do you think that there's going to be a
23:10dissonance perhaps between national success and local success? Because obviously, Kent has
23:15leaned Conservative in the past. It's not the most left-wing place in the country. Do you think
23:21you're going to be able to replicate perhaps this momentum you're seeing online or nationally here
23:27locally?
23:28Yeah, I do think that. And I think that it will speak to not just the working class communities,
23:32it's going to be communities across the country. And Kent, yeah, I do think that the policies that
23:37we're putting forward, for instance, it's not just the working class communities struggling,
23:41the middle class people are struggling. It's this very small 1% who are actually better off,
23:46who've increased a huge amount of wealth over the last 30 years. And they're continuing to do so.
23:50Like all of us are struggling to pay bills, you know, and it's not anyone who isn't actually,
23:56apart from the very, very super wealthy, who aren't finding these knock-on effects. We need things like
24:00insulation in our homes, solar panels. There's real practical solutions for everyone.
24:03Do you think the Green Party have offered enough in terms of local choice, like local options,
24:09local policy during the local elections? Do you think that that's potentially overlooked
24:14on the campaign trail? Because when the Liberal Democrat leader came down, for example,
24:18there's lots of discussion about SE&D. Do you think that was replicated when they came down here?
24:22Do you think part of the reason why the Green Party hasn't done as well in these local elections
24:26is potentially there's perhaps they're hoping they would. I mean, they still gained councillors,
24:30but it wasn't the big swing that we saw to level Democrats or reform. Do you think that played a part?
24:36Well, I do think that, yeah, I think we need to look at ourselves. You know, we can't be arrogant in that.
24:39I think that, like I say, I've got a huge amount of respect for Adrian and Carla,
24:42but I don't think necessarily the two-leader party works. I don't think it necessarily resonates.
24:48I think people want a strong leader. We've got Ed Davey for Lib Dems,
24:50and whatever you think of his sort of antics, it's quite playful, and people buy into that.
24:55And I do think, yeah, I think that's what the ZAC will bring to the party.
24:58It will be a bit more direction and a sort of a leadership.
25:00People will say, oh, that's the Green Party. That's what we stand for.
25:03Because I suppose that's the question. The Green Party, for example, in Parliament,
25:07is a technically whipless party, which is unusual.
25:11It has a joint ticket at the moment, leading the party.
25:15Do you think that all of these progressive modernisations to the party
25:20are just confusing and potentially turning off voters that may be economically left-wing,
25:25but they may not buy into the progressive arguments your party are making?
25:29Well, like I say, I do think that the issues that the Green Party deal with,
25:34they work for across the board.
25:35We all struggle with rising bills.
25:38You know, you've got the shareholders making huge amounts of money in Thames water.
25:41Well, we're kind of swimming in our own waters.
25:44You know, the environmental issues resonate across the society,
25:48and I think that we definitely will speak to voters from all sort of classes, really.
25:55I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more on this leadership election as it rolls along.
26:01That's all we have time for on the Kent Politics Show this evening.
26:04Thank you, Laura, for joining us in the studio and Tris for joining us down the line earlier.
26:08We'll be back next week with more news and views from across Kent.
26:13But do stick with us this evening.
26:15Kent Tonight is coming up in just a few hours.
26:18It's all the latest headlines.
26:19And if you need your politics fix, just head to Kent Online.
26:25There we have all our local democracy reporters and coverage of all the big issues that matter to you.
26:32If you still want more, there's a newsletter you can sign up to.
26:35And the Kent Politics Podcast, presented by Simon Finlay, Robert Boddy and Dan Essin.
26:43I'll be back next week.
26:44I'll see you soon.
26:45Take care now.
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