New KCC leader Linden Kemkaran has moved to allay fears council staff might face a work-from-home ban.

Appearing on the Kent Politics Podcast, she was responding to concerns which emerged following Reform UK’s win.

Party leader Nigel Farage had warned that council workers across the UK should be prepared to lose the WFH right.

But Cllr Kemkaran has struck a more conciliatory note - saying she needs to understand people’s circumstances.

Many of KCC’s 8,500 staff work around parental responsibilities, with many also looking after elderly residents.

Before making any decisions, she would consult the workforce - saying she wanted to treat staff as adults.

Reform UK captured 57 of the 81 seats up for election on May 1, with the ruling Conservatives reduced to just five.

Barely a week after Cllr Kemkaran was chosen to lead the county’s biggest local authority, she defends her decision to remove the Ukrainian flag from the chamber at County Hall.

And she says she will accept advice from party leader Nigel Farage and looks forward to a cup of coffee with the leader she deposed, Conservative Roger Gough.

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.

As well as speaking to Cllr Kemkaran, senior reporter Elli Hodgson provides an update on her Blue Badge Battle campaign and how it is now being discussed 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.