On this week’s Kent Politics Podcast we welcome a former major figure from the world of local government in the county.

For almost a quarter of a century, Alan Jarrett was either leader or deputy leader of Medway Council - one of the country’s most important unitary authorities.

He retired at the last local elections which saw his long-ruling Conservatives replaced by Labour, with his job taken over by Cllr Vince Maple.

He looks back at the highs and lows of his time in charge and takes potshots at his opponents - within Labour and parts of his own local party.

Slamming the current administration’s handling of the scaled-back Innovation Park Medway, he says he would have made the project work because he understood how business operates.

He also points to the Chatham Docks saga and says opponents to convert it into homes and leisure don’t understand how limited Medway’s options are when it comes to new housing.

The team also discuss alleged fire and rehire tactics by Medway Council and look at potentially good news regarding the long-running Galley Hill Road collapse.

The latest strike by staff at the University of Kent is also covered, as is the decision to finally appove the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing.

The weekly podcast brings together Simon Finlay, Robert Boddy and Dan Esson, of the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Simon covers Kent County Council while Robert reports on Medway Council and Dan specialises in borough and district councils.

They are regularly joined by KM Group news editor Nikki White who looks at what’s happening with Kent and Medway’s MPs in Westminster.

You can listen to the podcast at IM Listening, or download it from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and TuneIn – just search for Kent Politics Podcast.

Readers can also keep up-to-date with the latest political news on our dedicated Kent Politics page on KentOnline or sign up for our weekly politics newsletter.