Kent Morning Briefing
Friday, 25 September 2026
10 stories · 3-minute read
1944: Surviving British 1st Airborne Division troops withdrew from Arnhem after the failed Operation Market Garden offensive in the Netherlands.
On this day in history
The day in Kent · Folkestone Harbour is reopening to vehicles after nearly a week of road closures caused by the Grand Burstin Hotel fire, bringing relief to traders who lost access during the disruption. Elsewhere in Kent, Maidstone Borough Council is trialling pothole repairs made from recycled clothing at Mote Park and Penenden Heath — a small but watched experiment in sustainable infrastructure.
The day ahead in Kent
Weather
Today: Clear morning, high 26°C, low 13°C.
Tomorrow: Cloudy morning, becoming mostly clear in the afternoon, high 20°C, low 13°C.
Travel
Roads (1 incident): A2 — A2 westbound Barham Exit slip road closure.
Rail: All Kent services running to schedule.
As of 02:00 from National Highways + National Rail.
Coastal tides
Dover: Low 05:55 (1.48m) · High 11:00 (6.42m) · Low 18:16 (1.23m) · High 23:18 (6.40m)
Margate: Low 05:59 (1.12m) · High 12:02 (4.50m) · Low 18:24 (0.72m) · High 00:29 (4.57m)
Tides via tidetimes.co.uk.
5 things to know
- Kent County Council consults Maidstone residents on Family Hub closures and changes
- Kent Pension Fund committee faces overspend as Border to Coast legal bills mount
- Kent-made horror film Slaughter of the Damned premieres at Sittingbourne’s Avenue Theatre
- UK energy price concern hits 64%, hitting accommodation and food businesses hardest
- One in six UK businesses plan price rises in October, construction leads
£96,764
spent of a £100,000 budget by the Kent Pension Fund oversight committee
Kent number of the day
Top Kent Stories
- Folkestone Harbour road access being restored after Grand Burstin Hotel fire
Published 12:52 BST
Why it matters · Folkestone Harbour businesses regain road access after a week of fire-related disruption - Maidstone Family Hub shake-up goes to public consultation
Published 10:50 BST
Why it matters · Maidstone families face changes to local support hubs under KCC consultation plans - Border to Coast pension pool committee set to overspend £100,000 budget as legal bills mount
Published 12:01 BST
Why it matters · Kent Pension Fund’s oversight body is set to breach its annual legal budget - Maidstone council tests pothole repairs made from old clothes at Mote Park and Penenden Heath
Published 18:50 BST
Why it matters · Maidstone’s recycled-textile pothole trial could influence future council road maintenance - UK business concern about energy prices rises to 64%
Published 20:50 BST
Why it matters · Soaring energy costs threaten Kent’s hospitality and food businesses directly
Business & Economy
- UK business concern about energy prices rises to 64%
Published 20:50 BST
Nine in ten accommodation and food businesses reported concern about energy prices in early September 2026, as wholesale gas costs hit 90 per cent above year-ago levels, according to the Office for… - ONS updates weekly dashboard tracking UK economic and social change
Published 18:51 BST
The Office for National Statistics published its latest real-time indicators bulletin on 17 September 2026, drawing on data from eight organisations to give a faster read on UK economic and social… - One in six UK businesses expect to raise prices in October
Published 16:50 BST
Construction firms are leading the charge, with nearly a third expecting to push up the cost of goods and services they sell. One in six UK trading businesses — 17 per cent — expect to raise the…
Kent Sport
- Preview: York vs Gillingham — League Two, Regular Season – 8
Published 08:02 BST
Gillingham travel to York on Saturday 26 September. Form, H2H, prediction. - Preview: Leatherhead vs Ramsgate — FA Trophy, Final
Published 08:02 BST
Ramsgate travel to Leatherhead on Saturday 26 September. Form, H2H, prediction. - Kent derby: Ashford United vs Deal Town — FA Trophy, Final
Published 08:01 BST
Ashford United host Deal Town on Saturday 26 September. Form, H2H, prediction.
Financial markets
Bank of England (last 7 days):
- Foreign Currency Reserves 2026 – Market Notice 22 September 2026
- Bank of England announces new office space in Leeds
- Foreign Currency Reserves 2026 – Market Notice 21 September 2026
Markets via Yahoo Finance; ONS + BoE via official feeds.
What’s on today
- 19:30 · Jason Manford: A Manford All Seasons — Chatham
- 20:00 · Rich Hall – Chin Music — Ashford
Coming up tomorrow
No public events scheduled tomorrow.
“Folkestone’s Grand Burstin Hotel, built as the Metropole in 1899, was once one of the largest hotels in Europe with over 500 rooms.”
Kent fact of the day