Paul Cooper: Councillors should not be given free iPhones

When it comes to fiscal prudency it is important to set a good example.

Next week’s council elections: The Conservative / UKIP battlegrounds

Last time UKIP denied the Conservatives outright victories in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, East Sussex. Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire.

Technical education. Who’s right – Gove or Baker?

The reality is that most of it will be concentrated on pupils older than 16 – whatever the best age may be at which to select.

Andrew Kennedy: The decline and fall of a Conservative Association

When a self-replicating clique becomes dominant – be it of councillors, evangelicals, po-faced harridans or freemasons – there is trouble ahead.

Charlie Elphicke: We’ve heard it before. We’re hearing it again. But this time the Calais Jungle really must be closed.

And here is my five point plan for making it happen.

Matthew Scott: Making mental health a priority for the police in Kent

We must ensure that those in need of help get the right support from the appropriate service.

Charlie Elphicke: We must counter people-trafficking and terror threats in the English Channel now. Here’s how.

Recall the navy. Send for marines. Learn from France’s willingness to deploy armed guards. Bring in a New Dover Patrol.

Paul Carter: Devolution must be about more than growth deals

Localism means truly integrating health with social care services.

Joe Carlebach: Kent traffic chaos embarrasses the Government and our Party

These motorway queues happened because both British and French authorities were asleep at the wheel. We must get a grip and bring them to an end.

Andrew Kennedy: Now is the time for radical reform and a move to unitary authorities

Are the taxpayers of Kent best served by financing so many council buildings, senior officers, councillors and portfolio holders – all drawing salaries and allowances?

Andrew Kennedy: As elections loom, why campaigning matters – and why it’s never over till the fat lady sings

The building block for every victory is simply boots on the ground. Without gathering that vital data, there can be no targeted campaigning. This is the difference we make.

Andrew Kennedy: Why it’s vital to vote in the Police Commissioner elections

Had Ann Barnes not wisely decided to resign, we could have voted her out of office – an option not available in the days of patronage.

Roger Gough: Why the Government’s academisation plan is flawed

This policy refuses to recognise local choice, is supported by a poor evidence base, and proposes large-scale upheaval for uncertain gain.

Matthew Barrett: Fifty years on, it’s time to tear up Greater London.

It is a relic of an out-of-date fashion for the big and artificial rather than the small, local and rooted.

Kent shortlist for the Conservative candidate to be Police and Crime Commissioner

Jo Gideon, Matthew Scott, Gavin McKinnon and Richard Bunting are in the running.