Dartford Reform

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

New habitats and enhanced green spaces are set to be created across Ebbsfleet Garden City as part of a major landscaping improvement programme being delivered by Kent County Council (KCC) and funded by Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC).

28/08/2026

Dartford Reform councillors working with the community to get things done 🩵👏

Well done all!

STANHOPE ROAD UPDATE: A POSITIVE STEP FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS

On 22 September 2025, I joined local residents and local campaigner Ian Burton on Stanhope Road to hear first-hand about the traffic problems they had been dealing with every single day.

Since the collapse of Galley Hill, Stanhope Road and other nearby residential roads have come under huge additional pressure from displaced traffic. For the people living there, that has meant more congestion, more noise, more frustration and, importantly, growing concerns about safety.

Residents explained how difficult it had become, with cars struggling to pass each other and, far too often, mounting the kerb. When people are walking along the pavement, especially children, older residents or anyone with a pushchair, that is understandably a real worry.

The very next day, I contacted KCC Highways directly to raise those concerns. I also contacted KentOnline to highlight what residents were experiencing and help keep the issue firmly at the top of the agenda.

Since then, I have held several meetings and Teams calls with KCC Highways officers and engineers to discuss the problems in detail and explore what could practically be done. I have continued to press for a solution, making sure the concerns raised by residents remained firmly on the agenda.

I’m really pleased to say that this week those conversations finally turned into action.

The passing bay on Stanhope Road has now been extended from around two car lengths to approximately six, with double yellow lines helping to keep that space clear.

This evening, I met with local residents at around 5pm to see how the new layout was working during rush hour.

From what we could see, the difference was already noticeable. Cars had much more room to pass safely, while drivers were also able to pull in and give way to oncoming traffic without the same pressure as before.

We will need to see how it works over the coming weeks, but the early signs are really encouraging.

Most importantly, I hope this makes everyday life that little bit easier and safer for the people who live on Stanhope Road and the surrounding streets.

Of course, this does not solve the wider problems caused by the Galley Hill closure. I have also worked with my Dartford Reform colleagues to ensure KCC has submitted the Structures Fund bid needed to help get the road fixed, and we are continuing to press the Government to approve it.

Residents have already had to put up with far too much disruption for far too long, and I will keep pushing until that misery is brought to an end.

A big thank you to Ian and all the residents who kept raising this issue, and to the KCC Highways officers and engineers who worked with me to find a practical solution.

Sometimes these things take longer than any of us would like, but this shows what can happen when residents speak up and persistent work behind the scenes turns those concerns into action.

Cllr Tom Mallon

28/08/2026

🚨 LABOUR AND TORIES ALLOWED TO SHAPE DARTFORD’S NEW ELECTION BOUNDARIES — THE PUBLIC SHUT OUT

New electoral arrangements for Dartford have already been sent to Government.

You weren't consulted. You haven't been shown the plans. And you weren't given a say.

Dartford Borough Council's own report reveals that the proposals were submitted by the Chief Executive “following consultation with the Leader and Shadow Leader” — the Conservative Leader and Labour Shadow Leader.

Dartford is proposing to slash the number of wards from 20 to just 10, creating new one, two and three-member wards for next year's elections.

These arrangements could determine how Dartford votes at the first election to the new North Kent council.

Yet there was:

❌ No public consultation
❌ No wider democratic scrutiny
❌ No published plans for residents to examine
❌ No opportunity for residents to challenge how their communities are being grouped

Dartford residents were completely shut out.

That creates an obvious risk of abuse.

When electoral boundaries are developed behind closed doors with political involvement but without public scrutiny, there is a clear risk of gerrymandering — boundaries being drawn to give a political advantage.

So we're taking action.

🔎 One of our team have submitted a Freedom of Information request to force disclosure of the proposed warding plans and ensure they are brought into the public domain.

🔎 We want the full proposed map, electorate calculations and supporting analysis published.

🔎 We want to know who decided which wards should be combined, what alternatives were considered and why this particular arrangement was chosen.

🔎 We will examine whether the proposed boundaries advantage any political party.

🔎 And we have already made a formal representation to Government, asking that these arrangements are properly scrutinised before any final decision is made.

This isn't some minor administrative exercise.

It is about the boundaries on which Dartford will vote.

The public deserves to know exactly what has been proposed — and why.

📢 PUBLISH THE PLANS. LET DARTFORD SEE THEM.

28/08/2026

**BRIDGE ESTATE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING UPDATE**

Good afternoon everyone,

I wanted to share a quick update with you. Some of you may already have been notified that our local neighbourhood police officer, PC Rob Lang, will be away from his beat and neighbourhood role for the foreseeable future.

At the end of June, Rob and I held a joint community surgery. The thought was that if we did a surgery together, residents could speak to me about KCC concerns and raise policing issues directly with the neighbourhood team, all in one place.

We both felt that by working together, sharing what residents are telling us and taking a joined-up approach, we could do more for everyone living on the Bridge.

Some of the current neighbourhood policing priorities we discussed and have been agreed are:

• Off-road bikes and motorcycles
• Antisocial behaviour
• Illegal fishing

The increased police presence has helped reduce reports of antisocial behaviour around the bus stops near Nisa Local and incidents of illegal fishing. Work has also continued to tackle the illegal use of off-road bikes.

That work has made a difference, but I know from speaking to residents that we still have a long way to go. These issues have not disappeared, and we need continued action to tackle them properly.

I have also been pushing for additional camera coverage in problem areas wherever possible. Unfortunately, I have not seen any movement on this yet, but I will keep pressing for it.

Rob and I had planned to hold another joint surgery this week, but with Rob now away, we have paused those plans while new arrangements are made. I very much want these joint surgeries to continue and will publish the details here as soon as another date has been agreed.

Rob’s colleagues will share responsibility for the Bridge Estate in the meantime. I have contacted the Dartford Community Safety Unit to confirm the arrangements and make sure the work on these priorities does not lose momentum.

I will remain in regular contact with the neighbourhood policing team, continue raising your concerns and keep you updated. The most important thing is that we keep working together for everyone on the Bridge.

For local neighbourhood policing enquiries, please email [email protected]

28/08/2026

DARTFORD REFORM’S FINDINGS NOW REPORTED BY KENTONLINE

Following the findings we shared in our post on 24 August, we are pleased that KentOnline has now picked up and pushed this important story.

Cllr Ryan Waters’ investigation uncovered that Basildon Council purchased 86 flats at Knights Reach in June, while Newham Council separately developed plans to acquire another 153 properties.

Together, that could have amounted to almost a third of the entire 750 home development being acquired by councils from outside Dartford.

Dartford Reform is firmly opposed to mass housebuilding being imposed on our borough. Dartford has already experienced enormous house and flat building, bringing greater congestion and increasing pressure on our schools, GP services and infrastructure.

If Dartford is forced to accept thousands of additional homes, those homes should primarily help meet the needs of local people. It cannot be right for Dartford residents to carry the burden of mass development while large numbers of the homes being built here are acquired by outside councils to address housing pressures elsewhere.

Speaking to KentOnline, Ryan said:

“We are firmly opposed to the unacceptable scale of housebuilding.”

“Dartford residents are being asked to carry the burden of mass development.”

Cllr Waters said: “I brought this to residents’ attention because they had a right to know. I’ve launched a petition to give local people a voice and demand greater transparency and safeguards.

“We need action now, before councils buying up large numbers of homes outside their own areas becomes an established practice that is much harder to reverse.”

This is not about blaming the families who need somewhere to live. It is about fairness, transparency and ensuring Dartford residents have a meaningful voice in decisions that directly affect their communities.

That is why Ryan has launched a petition calling for greater transparency, stronger safeguards and proper consultation when outside councils attempt to acquire large numbers of homes in Dartford.

Please read the article and sign and share Ryan’s petition:

KentOnline article:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/up-to-a-third-of-750-home-development-could-be-bought-by-lon-344405/

Petition:

https://www.petitiononline.uk/protect_dartfords_new_homes

It's been described as "distasteful and disreputable”

27/08/2026

Creating Opportunities for Our Communities

Yesterday, I was delighted to visit the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation with Cllr Ben Fryer, Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Growth.

We were given an insightful tour and had positive discussions about the exciting future plans for Ebbsfleet and, importantly, what these developments can mean for Dartford residents, businesses and communities.

A key focus was about Training and Skills, which are essential to creating pathways for young people into careers such as construction and other growing industries. It is essential that young people from across Dartford can access the skills, training and employment opportunities being created through the area's growth.

We also discussed the importance of improving connectivity, including support for the return of Eurostar services to Ebbsfleet International, which would strengthen local, national and international links, bringing further economic benefits to Dartford and the wider North Kent area.

As councillors, we are committed to ensuring that the growth and investment taking place in Ebbsfleet delivers real benefits for local communities of Dartford. From jobs and apprenticeships to skills development and business opportunities, it is important that local people are able to share in the success of this ambitious project.

Thank you to the team at Ebbsfleet Development Corporation for their time and hospitality. We look forward to continuing to work together with KCC and our partners to maximise the opportunities that Ebbsfleet can bring to Dartford and the wider community.

27/08/2026

🚄 Creating Opportunities for Young People & Bringing International Trains Back to Ebbsfleet

Recently, I had a really positive couple of visits looking at how we can create more opportunities for local people across Dartford and North Kent.

We started by meeting with North Kent College, where we had a really useful conversation about skills, training and making sure the education and training available locally actually connects people with the jobs being created on our doorstep.

We then visited Ebbsfleet alongside KCC Leader Cllr Linden Kemkaran and Cabinet Member for Economic Development Cllr David Wimble, where we met with Sara Waller, Chief Executive of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, and her team to hear more about the plans for the area.

One of the biggest things I took away from both discussions was the importance of making sure local people - and particularly our young people - genuinely benefit from the investment taking place around us.

We are hearing more and more about young people struggling to find work and get that crucial first opportunity to start building a career. With so much happening across Dartford and North Kent, I don’t want our young people simply watching that growth happen around them. I want them to be part of it.

That means better routes into apprenticeships, training and employment, and giving people the skills and connections they need to access careers in areas such as construction, engineering, technology and other growing industries.

We also talked about something I know many local residents feel strongly about - bringing international rail services back to Ebbsfleet International.

Having direct International services back at Ebbsfleet would be a huge boost for our area, improving connectivity and making the most of a station and piece of infrastructure we already have.

🚄 Would you use Ebbsfleet to travel to Europe?

If so, please take a moment to register your demand and help strengthen the case:

👇 https://bringbackeurotrains.com/campaigns/register-your-demand/

A big thank you to everyone at North Kent College, and to Sara Waller and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation team, for taking the time to meet with us. There is a huge amount of opportunity coming to this part of Kent, and I want to make sure local people are right at the heart of it.