Kent Weekend Briefing
Saturday, 14 November 2026
11 stories · 5-minute read
1973: Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey, watched by millions across Britain.
On this day in history
The weekend in Kent · A Deal man has been jailed for making and distributing indecent images of children, while Gravesham Council is urging festive crowds to stay alert and report suspicious activity this weekend. With cold weather biting, Tonbridge and Malling has opened emergency beds for rough sleepers — a reminder of what this season demands of communities across Kent.
The day ahead in Kent
Weather
Today: Clear morning, high 9°C, low -2°C.
Tomorrow: Cloudy morning, turning rainy in the afternoon, high 11°C, low 3°C.
Travel
Roads (1 incident): M25 — M25 Anti-clockwise Jct 17 to Jct 16 carriageway closure.
Rail: All Kent services running to schedule.
As of 03:30 from National Highways + National Rail.
Coastal tides
Dover: High 01:22 (6.20m) · Low 08:21 (1.66m) · High 13:35 (5.91m) · Low 20:35 (1.80m)
Margate: High 02:12 (4.43m) · Low 08:35 (0.96m) · High 14:44 (4.29m) · Low 20:36 (1.24m)
Tides via tidetimes.co.uk.
5 things to know
- Folkestone and Hythe secures £1.06m to revive long-empty shops and pubs
- New 85-pupil therapeutic school planned for Maidstone church hall by 2027
- Sevenoaks Council wins Green Belt appeal over unauthorised Sundridge woodland site
- Horton Kirby A225 faces 12 weeks of closures from January for gas works
- Ball bearings fired at Tunbridge Wells nightclub and car showroom in early-hours attack
£1.06m
secured by Folkestone and Hythe to bring derelict shops and pubs back into use
Kent number of the day
Top Kent Stories
- Deal man jailed for making and sharing indecent images of children
Published 18:51 BST
Why it matters · A custodial sentence for child image offences is a direct public safety outcome for Kent. - Folkestone and Hythe gets £1.06m to bring empty shops and pubs back into use
Published 15:24 BST
Why it matters · Over £1m of regeneration funding directly benefits Folkestone and Hythe high streets. - Tonbridge and Malling opens emergency beds for rough sleepers in freezing weather
Published 06:52 BST
Why it matters · Emergency cold-weather beds open now for rough sleepers across Tonbridge and Malling. - Sevenoaks council wins Green Belt appeal over unauthorised Sundridge site
Published 06:52 BST
Why it matters · Green Belt protection upheld at Sundridge sets a precedent for Sevenoaks enforcement. - Gravesham Council urges festive crowds to report suspicious activity
Published 18:51 BST
Why it matters · Gravesham’s terror-awareness campaign is directly relevant to weekend festive crowds.
Play today’s Kent Daily Quiz
Five questions from yesterday’s Kent Local News stories. One go a day; keep your streak.
Also on KLN Games: Kentle, Where in Kent?, the Kent mini crossword, Headline builder; chess, draughts and the Royal Game of Ur against the computer; and three Kent history games: Dover Castle 1216, the Siege of Rochester 1215 and the Medway Raid 1667; and for a laugh, Never Trust Your Hamster: Hammy has escaped and is running for the Sunday roast. New this week: Quick Sums, timed mental maths for grown-ups: eight games, and every wrong answer costs you five seconds. All games →
Weekend reads — the week’s best of KLN
- Why are we being told to keep three days of food and water? What ministers and Kent’s risk register say
Published Mon 04:45 BST
Ministers say the three-day advice is not a response to any specific threat. Here is what the official record says about war, AI attacks and the risk of Kent losing power and phones for days. - Gravesham Council urges festive crowds to report suspicious activity
Published Fri 18:51 BST
Gravesham Borough Council is backing a Counter Terrorism Policing winter campaign asking people heading out to events in Gravesend and across the borough to stay alert and report anything that feels… - Deal man jailed for making and sharing indecent images of children
Published Fri 18:51 BST
Deal man jailed for making and sharing indecent images of children A man from Deal has been jailed after being convicted of making and distributing indecent images of children, Kent Police has said… - Specialist therapeutic school for 85 pupils planned in Maidstone church hall
Published Fri 15:48 BST
Octavia House School Kent plans to open in Brewer Street in January 2027 for children aged 5 to 16 with special educational needs, subject to Department for Education registration. - Horton Kirby faces 12 weeks of road closures as SGN gas works start in January
Published Fri 15:47 BST
The A225 Dartford Road will close in two phases from Monday 4 January, with Eglantine Lane and Franks Lane shut at Rays Hill. Kent County Council says its modelling showed around 70% of A225 drivers…
Crime & Justice
- Deal man jailed for making and sharing indecent images of children
Published 18:51 BST
Deal man jailed for making and sharing indecent images of children A man from Deal has been jailed after being convicted of making and distributing indecent images of children, Kent Police has said… - Ball bearings fired at Tunbridge Wells buildings in early-hours attack
Published 15:21 BST
A dark-coloured 4×4 with no front registration plates allegedly stopped outside a nightclub on Church Road before occupants reportedly fired ball bearings at the building, with a second attack…
Business & Economy
- Folkestone and Hythe gets £1.06m to bring empty shops and pubs back into use
Published 15:24 BST
Folkestone & Hythe District Council has secured a £1.06m central government grant through the Derelict Buildings Fund, making it one of 60 local authorities set to tackle long-term vacant… - Public vote opens for ONS Research Excellence Awards 2026 People’s Choice
Published 08:51 BST
Eleven shortlisted research projects are competing for the public’s vote, with ballots closing at midnight on 15 November 2026. The Office for National Statistics has opened public voting for its… - FCA tells content creators to check before posting financial promotions
Published 06:51 BST
The Financial Conduct Authority has published practical guidance and a dedicated webpage to help social-media creators verify that financial promotions comply with UK law before they post. Nearly…
Financial markets
Bank of England (last 7 days):
- The Bank of England, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the Bank of Thailand: Project Meridian FX APAC
- Exchange of letters between the Governor and the Chancellor on the Asset Purchase Facility – November 2026
Markets via Yahoo Finance; ONS + BoE via official feeds.
What’s on today
- 19:30 · CODA – A Tribute To Led Zeppelin — Ashford
Coming up tomorrow
- 18:30 · Soil + Adema — Margate
During King John’s siege of Rochester Castle in 1215, the fat of 40 pigs was burned to fire the props under the undermined keep.
Kent fact of the day · Source: English Heritage