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Kent is a county council. This means it has responsibility for wider services which cover the whole county such as adult and child social services. It also is responsible for education, transportation like local bus services as well as large scale waste disposal. Most of your council tax goes to the county council to support these services. If you wish to speak to someone about things like bin collection, housing, local planning permission you would contact need to contact your district or borough council. We have also created pages for Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Folkestone and Hythe, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells. For more information on the different sorts of councils in the UK please see – https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/councillor-and-officer-development/councillor-hub/introduction-local-government/how#:~:text=County%20councils%20provide%20services%20that,environmental%20health%2C%20and%20leisure%20facilities.
Local Authority Website:
Please visit this link for the website of Kent County Council. You will be able to find official updates, services, and community information.
Destitution
As a HK BN(O) if you encounter severe financial difficulties, you might meet the local authority criteria for short term destitution support whilst you apply to have your No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) visa condition lifted (see this link for more details on lifting the NRPF condition). You are more likely to meet the local authority’s destitution criteria if you have children or are an adult with care or mental health needs. If this happens to you please visit Kent’s ‘How to get adult social care support‘ page or ‘Request social care support for your child or young person‘ page for advice on next steps.
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages):
A funding is made available to local authorities to enable HK BN(O) to access ESOL courses of up to £850 for free. Please see the below for the contact information of local authority ESOL provider and also access our ESOL page to learn more.
Kent Adult Education
Email: hkenglish@kent.gov.uk
Local Citizen Advice:
Citizens Advice is an independent organisation specialising in providing confidential advice to assist people with legal, debt, employment related, consumer, housing and other problems in the United Kingdom. Please see the relevant local authority page for the CABs in your district or borough.
Alternatively, SESPM pays for immigration case work support from Citizens Advice North and West Kent (CANWK) for any Hongkonger in the South East, you can visit this link or contact them through hkbnosupport@nwkent.cab.org.uk for more information.
Business:
To access business support, you can contact your local authority, which often has dedicated business support teams or economic development units offering guidance on licensing, permits, local grants, funding, business rates, and more. Additionally, consider connecting with Chambers of Commerce, Growth Hubs, industry associations, and local universities for advice, networking or collaboration opportunities.
Visit the council’s business webpage to explore further information on these topics.
Also please see SESPM’s own business page to access our handbook on starting a business in the UK, how to write a business plan, determine different legal business structures, finding finances to start a business and business licences and support.
Employment:
The National Careers Service provides career information, advice, and guidance. You can also consult their career advisers online or over the phone. Their website features tools for skill assessments, details on a wide variety of career roles, and information on progression routes. For more details, visit https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/.
Local authorities also provide information, advice and guidance in relation to employment — check out the ‘Kent Connect to Work‘ webpage for resources about jobs and employment.
Also please see SESPM’s own employment page which has information on converting your professions from HK to UK equivalent for popular professions (Teaching, Nursing, Social work, Physiotherapy, Counsellors) as well as information on where you can volunteer as a path into employment.
Libraries:
It is free to join and enter public libraries in the UK. Apart from borrowing books, using computers and accessing Wifi, you may also find different activities and resources from your local public libraries. You can visit this link for more information on the public libraries in Kent.
Here are some of the online resources offered by the Kent libraries:
Theory Test Pro: An online resource that help you prepare for the Driving Theory Test
In order to help preserve the language and culture of Hongkongers, some of the public libraries in Kent have purchased books in Traditional Chinese. You can now visit the following branches if you wish to browse these books for yourself or for your children:
Tunbridge Wells Library at The Amelia (https://theamelia.co.uk/)
Mount Pleasant Road
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN1 1NS
Email: info@theamelia.co.uk
Tel: 01892 554171
Southborough Library
Southborough Civic Centre Offices
137 London Road
Southbrough
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN4 0NA
Email: southboroughlibrary@kent.gov.uk
Tel: 03000 41 31 31
Showfields Library
Showfields Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN2 5PR
Email: showfieldslibrary@kent.gov.uk
Tel: 03000 41 31 31
Sports Clubs/Facilities:
Visit this link to learn more about sports clubs and facilities catering to different interests and abilities in the area.
Volunteering Opportunities:
Explore volunteering opportunities through this link.
Hongkongers Diaspora Organisations:
Connect with fellow Hongkongers and explore activities organised for Hongkongers through your local Hongkongers Diaspora Organisations
Tunbridge Wells Hongkongers CIC is funded by Kent County Council to organise activities for Hongkongers in Kent, visit this page for future events update:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Tunbridge-Wells-Hong-Kong-BNO-CIC-100086616665935
Councils for Voluntary Service support: Services To Support Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs)
Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) are organisations that work with the ‘voluntary and community sector’ groups on organisational development, fundraising and business planning. Here is your local CVS in Kent:
Organisation: CVS North and West Kent
Website: https://www.cvsnwk.org/
