In the battle for recovery of Sevenoaks as a market town, the Town Council has made a vital first step.

On Friday 5th June it backed a plan which will make the town centre safer and more attractive to walk round, so that residents and vistors can reach shops, cafes, and all the other service businesses which make it worth coming to.

Sevenoaks District Council's plan for Sevenoaks recovery will kill the town. That's the verdict of shoppers and business people on the District Leader's plan to march people up one side of High Street and London Road and down the other, published today for a decision tonight.

Instead of creating more space for shoppers to queue outside shops, to pass each other and for visitors to feel safe, anyone on foot will be crammed onto existing narrow pavements in order to allow traffic to flow freely, on its way to out of town retail parks.

Local people are coming up with ideas on how to make Sevenoaks both attractive and safe as it reopens for business.

With shops due to open mid June, we need to make it possible to walk on the High St and London Road, which have pavements ony 1 metre wide in parts.

Architect Roger Fitzgerad has contributed a plan which would:

The Liberal Democrats have written to Laura Trott urging her to "end the distractions" and support calls for scandal-hit Dominic Cummings to go, so the country can focus on the coronavirus emergency.

In the letter, Liberal Democrat spokesperson Gareth Willis for Sevenoaks and Swanley urges all Conservative MPs to "put the interests of your constituents first, end the distractions and join the growing number of Conservative MPs who are calling for Dominic Cummings to go."

Council Tax is a large expense for families. It pays for local services, which most of us use. But whatever priorities councillors had in mind when the tax increased significantly two months ago, things look rather different now.

Town, District and County councils are working very differently, providing normal services where they can, and working with the army of volunteers who have stepped forward to protect vulnerable people in our community. Our perspectives on what matters in caring for people have changed.

There is more that can be done, and more that we'll all need to do - but I have to start by celebrating what's already happening. The response of Sevenoaks community has been truly awesome.

Food businesses and restaurants are doing what they can, Life On High for example keeping staff employed providing free food for key workers and the most vulnerable. Others delivering to those who can't get out.

We are the most digitally-connected generation there has ever been. But this can be isolating, fuelling the need for social interaction in the real world, with people outside our digital 'bubbles'.

With the rising challenges of youth mental illness, society needs to support and involve teenagers to grow in our communities more than ever. There is a brilliant range of activities in our area from sports clubs to church groups and traditional youth organisations. Hundreds of young people are actively learning skills and gaining from adult role models. However, many activities are only available if you can afford them or can get transport to them.

Arts and sports are both spaces in our educational system where learning spans much further than just a grade.

The arts help develop skills in critical thinking, self confidence and motivation. There is overwhelming evidence that sport is essential to student wellbeing and teaching teamwork skills.

The benefits of arts and sports are often overlooked in favour of traditional academic subjects. According to the Times there has been a net loss of over 2500 sport facilities since the 2012 Olympics. Headteachers have seen their maintenance budgets cut by up to 90% and have been compelled to sell off sports fields to compensate.