Borough of Maidstone the February 2017 the council has 23 Conservative, 22 Liberal Democrat, 4 UKIP, 4 independent and 2 Labour party councillors. The council is based in the town centre having replaced its many small offices with one large building called Maidstone Gateway. The shopfront appearance is intended to make it easier to access information and services. The third tier of local government is the civil parish; in Maidstone some of the parishes have a neither a parish council or a parish meeting, as indicated (1) : The River Medway was the earliest form of transport through the area. It was navigable
Headcorn and Maidstone Junction Light Railway worked by class 08 and 09 shunters, the bridge being deemed unsafe for anything heavier. The line was long and it closed to traffic on 3 October 1977. After closure the bridge over the river was removed and the site of the goods station is now covered by housing. Headcorn and Maidstone Junction Light Railway The Headcorn & Maidstone Junction Light Railway was a proposed railway in Kent. An Act of Parliament authorised its construction, but only a short branch at Tovil, opened to goods only, was built. Maidstone, the county town of Kent, had been reached by the railway