Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by David hersey
Work complete at £300,000 Memorial Park play area revamp
Home » Latest News » Work complete at £300,000 Memorial Park play area revamp It’s play time once again at Herne Bay Memorial Park following the completion of the city council’s £300,000 project to install new inclusive and accessible play equipment. The work at the existing play area at the junction of King’s Road and Dering Road has seen the site extended and new equipment added to sit alongside some of the more recent equipment that was installed in 2023.
Search is on for Place Panel members
Canterbury City Council has kicked off the search for people to join its new Place Panels. The panels have come about as part of the council’s work to develop city and town centre strategies that set out a vision for the future of Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable.
Canterbury Cemetery does the awards double!
Home » Latest News » Canterbury Cemetery does the awards double! Canterbury Cemetery has scooped two top prizes in this year’s prestigious national Cemetery of the Year awards. The cemetery, which is owned and managed by the city council, won the 2026/27 Gold Award in the large cemetery category, along with the Best New Entry award in that category.
Top bands headline Lord Mayor’s charity gig
Home » Latest News » Top bands headline Lord Mayor’s charity gig A fantastic night of live music featuring four top bands is on offer at the first ever Lord Mayor of Canterbury’s Charity Music Gig at the Westgate Hall on Friday 30 October. The event has been put together by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Alister Brady, and will also feature merchandise stands, food stalls and fundraising activities. Tickets for the event cost £25, with doors opening at 6.30pm and the gig ending at 11pm.
Councillors to discuss plans for new East Cliff toilets
Home » Latest News » Councillors to discuss plans for new East Cliff toilets Proposals for new public toilets in the East Cliff area of Herne Bay are set to be discussed by councillors next week. At a Cabinet meeting on Monday (5 October), councillors will consider a report (item 10) outlining plans to replace the external public toilets at the King’s Hall with new facilities a short distance along the promenade, close to the beach huts and the site of a proposed new sauna.
Travel choices survey – help us understand how you travel
We are inviting residents to respond to our travel choices survey. Have your say now – complete the survey by 9am on Monday 26 October 2026. More information about the survey can be found below. Why this survey is taking place In early 2026, the council published its draft Transport Strategy, alongside the Bus Action Plan, and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. We are now asking for more information about residents’ travel choices, to inform how these plans are implemented going forward.
Lord Mayor’s Awards open for nominations
Home » Latest News » Lord Mayor’s Awards open for nominations It’s time to get your nominations in for the 2026 Lord Mayor’s Award, which will see unsung heroes from the Canterbury district celebrated for their selfless dedication to helping others. There are no age limits and nominations are welcome from all walks of life. Nominees must live, work, study or volunteer in Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable or a village in the district, but you don’t have to live in the district to nominate.
Community Governance Review stage two – have your say on local representation
Home » Latest Consultations » Community Governance Review stage two – have your say on local representation Working with residents and community groups, we have put together proposals on how communities in Herne Bay, Whitstable and the surrounding areas are represented and whether any changes are needed to rural parish councils. Have your say now – complete the survey by 9am on Thursday 17 December 2026.
Parish election timing
At the moment, we are carrying out a review which may make changes to parish and town councils in the area. Any substantial changes from that review can only take place when there are scheduled parish and town council elections. This means substantial changes to parish wards or to parish boundaries and the creation of any new parish or town councils can only take place when there are scheduled elections taking place. The next scheduled elections are May 2027.
Draft Licensing Policy
We are consulting on our draft Licensing Policy and would like to hear your views. Canterbury City Council is the Licensing Authority under the Licensing Act 2003, responsible for granting premises licences, club premises certificates, temporary event notices and personal licences for the sale and supply of alcohol in the district. We also licence regulate entertainment and late-night refreshment.
Mural vandalism “disrespectful and unacceptable” as clean up completed
Home » Latest News » Mural vandalism “disrespectful and unacceptable” as clean up completed We were so disappointed over the weekend to see the vandalism of the new mural at the East Cliff in Herne Bay. This was mindless and utterly pointless damage and we are sure all right-minded people would join us in condemning it. The mural was coated in an anti-graffiti covering once completed and this morning our graffiti team joined forces with Canenco’s graffiti cleaners to remove it.
Toolkit designed to help parishes and passionate neighbours shape their areas
Home » Latest News » Toolkit designed to help parishes and passionate neighbours shape their areas An easy-to-use toolkit designed to help parish councils, community groups or passionate neighbours create a neighbourhood plan has been published by Canterbury City Council. Neighbourhood plans are led by a community and set out planning policies for the use and development of land in a specific area.
£1.6 million quay replacement project gets underway
Home » Latest News » £1.6 million quay replacement project gets underway Essential work by the city council to replace an old section of Whitstable Harbour’s east quay is underway, helping to protect the harbour and the town from coastal flooding for years to come. The 85-metre section of the quay wall, located between the pontoon and Brett Aggregates, was originally constructed in 1962.
Four more organisations secure a biodiversity grant
Home » Latest News » Four more organisations secure a biodiversity grant The hairy-footed flower bee (pictured) is among the local wildlife in line for a big boost after four organisations in the district were awarded a biodiversity grant from the city council.
Dumped rubbish leads to guilty court plea
Home » Latest News » Dumped rubbish leads to guilty court plea A Canterbury businessman whose commercial waste from four businesses was found dumped in Canterbury city centre has pleaded guilty to two environmental offences, resulting in a total financial penalty of more than £5,500. Kabir Singh, 54, of Sevastopol Place, Canterbury, appeared at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Friday 4 September in a case brought by Canterbury City Council.
Protecting Canterbury’s city status is “top priority”, say councillors
Home » Latest News » Protecting Canterbury’s city status is “top priority”, say councillors Protecting Canterbury’s status as Kent’s only city and the roles of the Lord Mayor and Sheriff is the top priority if councils are reorganised, according to a cross-party working group of councillors.
Council calls for Bayeaux Tapestry priority booking for district residents
Home » Latest News » Council calls for Bayeaux Tapestry priority booking for district residents Today (Friday 4 September) we are calling for all Canterbury district residents to be offered priority booking to view the Bayeaux Tapestry at the British Museum. Such an offer is available to the people of Hastings and Rother due to the Bayeaux Tapestry’s links to these areas, but Canterbury district has not been included, despite it being widely considered that it was made here.
Council calls for Bayeux Tapestry priority booking for district residents
Home » Latest News » Council calls for Bayeux Tapestry priority booking for district residents Today (Friday 4 September) we are calling for all Canterbury district residents to be offered priority booking to view the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum. Such an offer is available to the people of Hastings and Rother due to the Bayeux Tapestry’s links to these areas, but Canterbury district has not been included, despite it being widely considered that it was made here.
Cash secured for hat-trick of Herne Bay play area revamps
Home » Latest News » Cash secured for hat-trick of Herne Bay play area revamps Three play areas in Herne Bay are set for a major revamp following the city council’s successful bid for £270,000 from the government’s Playground Fund. The sites in line for an upgrade are those on the seafront in Central Parade (pictured above), Collins Road in Greenhill and Honeysuckle Way in Broomfield.
Preventing wildfires in the district
Following a request from central government and a number of wildfires across the district, we want your views on our proposal to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) designed to reduce the risk of them breaking out in the future. Dry weather has increased the risk of fires in open spaces and is likely to do so in the future. Wildfires can cause significant damage to wildlife habitats, public open spaces, property and infrastructure while posing a significant risk to the public.
Annual canvass up and running
Our annual check of the electoral register, to make sure it is correct and complete and people are eligible to vote, is underway. We carry out this process every year in what is known as the annual canvass, and a revised electoral register is published on 1 December. Over the next two months, all households will be contacted, either by letter or by email if electronic contact details have been provided.
Herne Bay land train – that’s a wrap!
As the Herne Bay land train trial comes to an end, we would like to say a huge thank you for the phenomenal response over the last week. There’s been cheering, whooping, waving and a lot of choo-choo-ing! Interest levels have massively exceeded our expectations. We’ve seen queue times of Disneyland ride proportions! Every trip has been packed to the rafters. Incredible stuff.
Work to start on new inclusive and accessible Memorial Park play area
Home » Latest News » Work to start on new inclusive and accessible Memorial Park play area Work to install a new inclusive and accessible children’s play area at Herne Bay Memorial Park will begin on Monday 24 August. The £300,000 city council project takes place on the site of the existing play area at the junction of King’s Road and Dering Road. The current site will be extended, with new equipment added that will sit alongside some of the more recent equipment that was installed in 2023.
Wildflower meadow set for a cut as anticipation grows for 2027 display
Home » Latest News » Wildflower meadow set for a cut as anticipation grows for 2027 display We were blown away by the response to the city wall wildflower planting in the spring – not a day seemed to pass by without more pictures appearing somewhere online! Thank you to everybody who took the time to take a photo, send us a message or email in a compliment. Each one was sincerely appreciated.
Ministers decide future shape of Kent and Medway’s councils
Home » Latest News » Ministers decide future shape of Kent and Medway’s councils Government ministers have today (Thursday 16 July) decided Kent and Medway will be served by four completely new councils from April 2028. In the biggest shake up of local authority arrangements in 50 years, the government is replacing Kent County Council, Medway Council and the 12 district, borough and city councils that currently deliver services in the county with four new unitary councils.
Triple success in Green Flag awards
Canterbury district has once again scooped a hat-trick of Green Flags in this year’s awards scheme. The prestigious accolade goes to the Westgate Parks, Reculver Country Park and the Gorrell Valley Nature Reserve (formerly Duncan Down) in the announcement today (Tuesday 14 July) by Keep Britain Tidy for the 2026 season. All three sites are owned by Canterbury City Council and are managed in partnership with volunteer organisations.
New Dog Control Public Space Protection Order
We are consulting on proposals for a new Dog Control Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which would apply for three years. The current Dog Control PSPO has been in place since May 2024 and sets out standards of behaviour that all dog owners in the district’s public spaces are required to follow. We are proposing a small number of changes, including pulling together maps for specific locations to give dog owners more clarity, and removing some areas that no longer seem suited to the order.
Exhibition explores Canterbury’s most famous poet and playwright – Marlowe
Home » Latest News » Exhibition explores Canterbury’s most famous poet and playwright – Marlowe An interactive exhibition exploring the life of Canterbury’s most famous poet and playwright, Christopher Marlowe, opens at The Beaney later this month (July). ‘The Making of Marlowe: Poet, Playwright, Provocateur’ runs in the museum’s Special Exhibitions Gallery from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 22 November and is co-curated by The Beaney and The Oxford Marlowe Project at the University of Kent.
New Beaney portrait goes on show after generous gift
Home » Latest News » New Beaney portrait goes on show after generous gift The Beaney in Canterbury is delighted to welcome to its collection a portrait of community champion and former Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Keji Moses. Keji’s portrait is by Oliver Enwonwu, a Canterbury‑based third‑generation artist, whose work explores history, memory and identity shaped by colonialism and migration. Oliver has very generously gifted the portrait to The Beaney.
New exhibition celebrates the communities that make Canterbury special
Home » Latest News » New exhibition celebrates the communities that make Canterbury special A new exhibition celebrating the people, places and connections that make Canterbury district a vibrant and unique place to live, work and play opens at The Beaney in Canterbury tomorrow (Saturday 4 July).
Phase two of cycle storage project brings total spaces to 79
Home » Latest News » Phase two of cycle storage project brings total spaces to 79 The second and final phase of a major expansion of cycle storage facilities in the city centre is now complete. Last October, the city council opened 31 storage spaces in five locations, with a promise of more to follow in 2026.
More money secured to tackle sticky issue of chewing gum on Canterbury’s streets
Home » Latest News » More money secured to tackle sticky issue of chewing gum on Canterbury’s streets Canterbury City Council has secured more funding to remove chewing gum that blights the city’s streets after receiving a £27,500 grant to tackle the issue. The council is one of 50 across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fifth year, for money to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being dropped in the first place.
City thanked for “deeply meaningful” tribute from 2,500 miles away
Home » Latest News » City thanked for “deeply meaningful” tribute from 2,500 miles away Canterbury has been thanked by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador for paying tribute to the role of its soldiers in defending the city in the Second World War.
Choo-choose Herne Bay for land train fun this summer
Home » Latest News » Choo-choose Herne Bay for land train fun this summer Herne Bay residents and visitors can enjoy a unique and fun new way to get around the town this summer when a land train takes to the streets for a week in late July. The trial project has been set up by the city council, using UK government funding via the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund. The train will be in Herne Bay from Sunday 26 July to Friday 31 July, running from 10am to 4pm each day.
Parking changes – Grasmere Gardens
We are proposing to install single yellow lines on the Grasmere Gardens development in Whitstable and would like to hear residents’ views on this. The roads affected are: Barley Drive Bermuda Road Buffalo Way Citronella Road Darnel Avenue Maize Crescent Nasella Gardens You can read the reasons for this proposal by reading the deposit document.
Green light for accessible bungalows after major grant secured
Home » Latest News » Green light for accessible bungalows after major grant secured Canterbury City Council will start work on building 11 new two-bedroom accessible and adaptable chalet bungalows in East Street, Sturry, later this year, after successfully bidding for £1.67 million towards the cost of the scheme.
Canterbury City Public Space Protection Order
We are consulting on proposals to introduce a new Canterbury City Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the city centre, which would apply for three years from 2027. The current PSPO is due to expire in January 2027. We are proposing to renew it, including the addition of a new activity to address the use of amplification equipment at high volumes, which has resulted in a large number of complaints. PSPOs are designed to tackle nuisance behaviour that affects the quality of other people’s lives.
First exhibition launches at new Clocktower Gallery
Home » Latest News » First exhibition launches at new Clocktower Gallery The first in a series of art exhibitions has been installed in the newly-created Clocktower Gallery at St George’s in the city centre. As part of its Connected Canterbury project at St George’s Clocktower, the city council removed the steps down into the tower and installed glass panels to close off the arches, creating a new, small exhibition space inside the tower.
Start date confirmed for final phase of bandstand repairs
Home » Latest News » Start date confirmed for final phase of bandstand repairs The final phase of work to bring Herne Bay bandstand back into full use, involving extensive repairs to the building’s substructure, will get underway at the end of this month (June). Once complete a few months later, the entire stage area within the bandstand will become available for events, live music and community activities once more.
Draft Tenancy Strategy
We are inviting residents, social housing tenants, housing providers and local organisations to share their views on our draft Tenancy Strategy 2026. The council has a statutory duty to produce a Tenancy Strategy to guide Registered Providers of social housing when they develop their own tenancy policies for affordable homes in the Canterbury district. Registered Providers include housing associations and other not-for-profit and for-profit organisations.
Biodiversity grants open for applications
Home » Latest News » Biodiversity grants open for applications The city council’s popular biodiversity grants scheme has opened for a new round of bids from local groups and organisations today (Friday 12 June). The initiative is now in its third year and funds local projects that provide a boost to biodiversity and the environment. After a successful first round in 2024 that saw seven grants awarded, last year a further eight projects across the district were given financial backing.
Draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2026-2030
We are inviting residents, local organisations and community partners to share their views on our draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2026-2030. Under the Homelessness Act 2002, housing authorities are required to produce and implement a homelessness strategy at least every five years. This strategy sets out our key priorities for preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping across the Canterbury district for the period 2026 to 2030.
Artist sought for East Cliff public artwork
Home » Latest News » Artist sought for East Cliff public artwork Canterbury City Council is inviting artists to create a major new public artwork for the East Cliff sea wall in Herne Bay, along the King Charles III coastal path. The project will refresh existing informal artwork with a high-quality, permanent piece that better reflects the identity of Herne Bay and its seafront environment.
Put South East Water back in public ownership, says council leader
Home » Latest News » Put South East Water back in public ownership, says council leader The Leader of Canterbury City Council, Cllr Alan Baldock, has written to the government to demand that South East Water be put into special administration – effectively bringing it back into public ownership. The move follows the latest disruption to the supply of fresh water across Whitstable and Herne Bay affecting residents, the vulnerable, businesses and those looking after animals.
King’s Hall shuts ahead of £2 million revamp
Home » Latest News » King’s Hall shuts ahead of £2 million revamp Herne Bay’s iconic seafront venue, the King’s Hall, has now closed its doors for events ahead of work starting on its £2 million revamp. Recognising the popularity of this area of the seafront, the internal toilets at the venue will remain open until September, as will the Scoops ice cream unit. When we get to the autumn, we will be providing temporary toilets in an alternative location close by.
District set for dozens of new bus shelters
Home » Latest News » District set for dozens of new bus shelters Bus passengers are set to benefit from new or upgraded shelters at almost 40 bus stops in the Canterbury district following a successful city council bid for £258,000 of funding. The major improvement to waiting facilities is an important element of the council’s bus-led transport strategy, which aims to encourage more people out of their cars and onto public transport.
Right to Grow pilot scheme at Salt Marsh Lane, Whitstable
The council is inviting residents, local organisations and community partners to share their views on the Revival Right to Grow pilot scheme at Salt Marsh Lane open space in Whitstable. Revival has been participating in the council’s Right to Grow pilot scheme since the beginning of 2026. The scheme is expected to run for an initial two-year pilot period before being formally reviewed.
Fraud investigation results in return of family home
Home » Latest News » Fraud investigation results in return of family home A successful city council housing tenancy fraud investigation has resulted in a three bedroom house being able to be re-let to a new family on the council’s housing waiting list. Information was received about a property in Sturry where a mutual exchange had taken place. The previous tenant moved out, but the incoming named tenant, who was moving from a housing association property in the district, did not move in.
Council on the look out for launch ramp staff
Home » Latest News » Council on the look out for launch ramp staff As we head towards the summer season, we are looking for people to join our foreshore team to promote and manage water safety at our launch ramps. The role requires you to monitor and help members of our watercraft registration scheme, manage the launch facilities and promote safety along our coastline. The pay is £13.45 an hour and weekend and bank holiday shifts are available between now and October.
Cathedral stonemasons in painstaking clocktower engraving work
Home » Latest News » Cathedral stonemasons in painstaking clocktower engraving work Canterbury Cathedral stonemasons are continuing their fantastic and painstaking engraving work as part of our project to revamp the area around St George’s Clocktower. The york stone paving has been repaired and relaid and the stonemasons have been doing their thing over the last week or two.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with David
Contact David, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack