It was another year of political turmoil and some familiar issues dominating the agenda in Kent and at Westminster.

Both the Prime Minister and the leader of Kent County Council faced down efforts to get them to quit; councils were plunged into uncertainty over budgets; while opinion polls placed Labour on course for victory in an election. Our political editor Paul Francis casts his eye over the key stories of 2023...

Stop The Boats

The vow by Rishi Sunak to curb the number of boats and dinghies crossing the Channel seemed a high-risk one. But a tougher line and greater efforts by the French authorities to crack down on the organised smuggling gangs seems to have had a significant impact.

And with immigration - both legal and illegal - continuing to dominate the political agenda, the stakes are high. With Nigel Farage hovering in the wings, the government is painfully aware that it cannot afford to let things slide.

The Home Office said the number of crossings was down by a third, year-on-year - a claim that was scrutinised and found to be broadly accurate. As of December 14, some 29,090 people had crossed the English Channel in 2023.

In 2022, the number was 45,755, the highest number since figures began to be collected in 2018.

Asylum processing centres in Kent? Yes, no or maybe...

With progress on the Home Office’s plans to use Rwanda as a processing centre for would-be asylum seekers about as speedy as a snail, previously undisclosed information that got into the public domain revealed the government’s plans to ‘enhance’ temporary sites at Manston and Dover.

The Home Office’s contract procurement website page detailed how the successful bidder would help run two large facilities in Kent until at least 2030.

While the government has been far from coy about its success in curbing numbers crossing the Channel, it has not been quite so keen on talking about facilities - with the exception of Rwanda, of course - to hold those who are waiting to be processed.

Understandably, MPs and others were aghast, with North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale in characteristically forthright mode and taking the Home Office to task over its failure to keep MPs abreast of what was going on.

Council coffers emptied - will Kent survive intact?

All that glitters is not gold - not least in local government, where Kent councils squealed in pain as they faced up to some eye-watering budget shortfalls, held their hands up in horror and warned of financial Armageddon. The cause? The unrelenting pressure from rising demand for care for the elderly, along with equally demanding care for vulnerable children.

The response? Cuts, cuts and more cuts - although no council in Kent has yet issued a dreaded Section 114 notice, the first formal step towards bankruptcy.

Will the government’s 6.5% boost in budgets make much difference? It would seem unlikely. The leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough said the sum was significantly less than what was needed and local authorities were seriously disappointed.

And the increase is based on councils raising the council tax by 5%.

Ballot box blowout - voters turn on Conservatives

Depending on where you stood, the local elections were either a temporary blip for the Conservatives; showed voters were beginning to seriously consider Labour in power; a remarkable comeback by the Lib Dems; or another boost for the Green Party.

There was no disputing one thing: voters gave the Tories a bloody nose. History was made as Labour took control of Medway Council for the first time and Conservative council leaders were toppled in Canterbury, Folkestone and Thanet.

But while Labour made important inroads, the ballot box also saw further evidence that voters are increasingly drawn to independent parties and candidates.

Swale consolidated its rainbow coalition - the first of its kind in Kent - holding on to enough key wards. Meanwhile Ashford, has come under independent control and Tunbridge Wells – one of the last bastions of true blue Tory heartlands – is now led by a Lib Dem ‘borough partnership’.

Eurostar - the train not stopping in Kent

There was not much to lift the spirits of those hoping, post-Covid, that Eurostar would be resuming stopping services at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet station.

The company made it clear there was next to no hope of any change in its position, suggesting it could be 2025 before it even considered the possibility.

Still, there was a sliver of encouragement when a Spanish consortium said it was contemplating launching a rival service to compete with Eurostar and had agreed to buy 12 trains from the French manufacturer Alstom.

Paving the way for more houses to be built?

A constant source of tension between government and councils is house-building targets and nowhere more than Kent.

Will the “Garden of England” have to be sacrificed to make way for people who come to live or work here? Either way, the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove wants openness and accountability - and is to introduce ‘league tables’ by which councils will be ranked for house-building.

And he has pledged that where house-building lags behind other authorities, he could intervene. And indeed he has already shown a willingness to get tough on recalcitrant councils who have failed to produce a housing plan. Among them is Medway Council. Let’s hope VAR technology isn’t needed.

Good year or bad year? Who were Kent’s political survivors and who were the castaways?

Jeremy Kite, Conservative leader of Dartford council: saw off Labour challenge to hang on to power in local elections while colleagues in neighbouring authorities were ousted.

Vince Maple: Became Labour leader of Medway Council and celebrated victory with a swaggering run to his team at the count.

Nigel Farage: After 23 days in the jungle, reaching the last three of “I’m A Celebrity”, the man who some would like to see back in the Tory party was back where he likes to be – on the front pages.

Roger Gough, leader of Kent County Council: Faced down a leadership challenge but mutterings of dissent persist amid another year of painful cuts.

Cllr Susan Carey, KCC cabinet member for the environment: Quit her role amid a row over the authority’s plans to close a number of waste recycling centres.

Gordon Henderson: Announced he was standing down as Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP, saying it was time for someone else to have a go - a Conservative, obviously.