It is often mentioned as one of the stumbling blocks to any airport being built in the Thames Estuary, and this week the SS Richard Montgomery will make a reappearance on the political agenda.

A public meeting on the wreck is being held at the St George’s Centre in Chatham Maritime on Thursday (September 27) at 7pm.

It will be chaired by historian and film maker Colin Harvey, and there will be a panel of guests who will take part in a discussion about the vessel.

Among the issues they will consider are the potential disposal of the wreck, who would pay for it and whether the US government should be approached.

We know the consequences of the ship’s thousands of pounds of munitions exploding would be catastrophic, but the meeting might reveal some new information.

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Cuts in funding from government put the council in a very difficult position when it comes to balancing the books.

A report this week lays out one of the hard choices the administration might have to make in the near future.

A rise in council tax of 4% in 2013/14 needs to be given “serious consideration” according to a report for a business committee meeting tomorrow (Tuesday).

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Call off the search party.

Rehman Chishti has proven notoriously hard to get hold of in my time at the paper, but it appears his media operation is being ramped up.

Barry Watts, who used to be the political assistant to the council’s Conservative group, is now working for the Gillingham and Rainham MP.

And since that change my inbox has been bombarded with press releases keeping me fully abreast of what Reh’s getting up to.

I’m half expecting a release about what he’s had for breakfast to come through next.

Would our MPs quit the Conservative party and stand at the next election as independents if the government decides to build an airport in the Thames Estuary?

It’s a big hypothetical to consider, but it will have cropped into the minds of many in the Towns following comments from London MP Zac Goldsmith.

The Richmond Park representative said he would do just that if the government decides to carry out another u-turn and plump for a third runway at Heathrow.

Such a move from our trio would be both drastic and daring. It would likely be well received by opponents of the airport in their constituencies.

It would also somewhat neutralise opposition attacks on the issue, which could define Medway’s political direction at the next General Election in 2015.

I admit I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but it’s worth keeping at the back of your mind as the consultation nears its start.

What do you think?

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It may not be the most pithily titled document in recorded history, but the Council plan 2011/12 Year End Performance Report is an interesting read.

It lists commendable progress in a number of areas in the past year, such as investing in parks and green spaces, looking after at risk children, strengthening leadership in schools and reducing delays at the hospital.

But it appears the Love Medway app, which can be used by residents to report issues such as fly tipping and graffiti, is lagging behind somewhat.

It launched at a cost of £7,000 last March and the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee reveals just 364 non-council staff use it.

There have been more than 8,800 reports but there is no breakdown of how many of these are from members of the public as compared to council staff.

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Quote of the week from Cllr Tom Mason (Con) talking about improvements to Medway Crematorium: “It’s important and we need to keep our finger on the pulse.”

A quick glance at the diary for the coming week reveals a grand total of zero meetings.

But there are always issues knocking around which will have those inside and outside of Gun Wharf talking.

The much-criticised debt survey which is being run by Medway Citizens Advice Bureau should get underway within the next week or so.

The charity has received a lot of flak for its partnership with Wonga, who will provide funding so an independent research company can train volunteers to carry out the exercise, which will aim to tackle a growing problem in the Towns.

The cry has been that they're jumping into bed with the enemy, but chief executive Dan McDonald has been keen to stress Wonga will have no control over the final report.

One person who has been silent so far in all of this Rehman Chishti. The Gillingham and Rainham MP, who his office said was ill last week, was criticised last year for backing payday lenders.

Many will wonder what he makes of it all. Last year the question was "where's Wicks?" now it's "where's Chishti?"

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We'll soon find out if local councillor Craig Mackinlay will be the Conservative candidate for Police Commissioner. A decision will be made on Sunday, June 17.

There was one curious question to arise from the fallout to the Tory field being narrowed from six candidates to three at a meeting last weekend.

It's as follows: who asked Cllr Mike O'Brien to stand?

When asked by my colleague Dan Bloom in the aftermath of his elimination from the race if he had put his entry together in a hurry and left it late, he said: "I did everything I possibly could and I was pleased to have been asked, to have the suggestion made to me, to put my name forward."

Cllr O'Brien wouldn't say who had asked him, and Cllr Mackinlay admitted the bid had come as a bit of a surprise.

The Gills stadium saga could come to a head this week, with the Planning Committee set to grant outline permission to Peel's plans for Chatham Docks.

If that's the case, expect there to be plenty of fallout from this, given the rhetoric that has led up to this point. Gillingham chairman Paul Scally claims this could very well be the end of the club's presence in the Towns.

Chatham Docks is the ideal site for a new stadium and the only other alternative – a site at Mill Hill, off Yokosuka Way - wouldn't work alongside Peel's project, he claims.

However, planning officers have poured some cold water on that.

A stadium at Chatham Docks wasn’t pursued because of "viability reasons" and in a potential lifeline for the club, their report states a supermarket at the Docks wouldn’t necessarily render the Mill Hill dream a dud.

So there’s plenty for the club and the council to chew over.

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The Towns' MPs had the chance to discuss the Thames Estuary airport with PM David Cameron last Thursday (May 24) but afterwards they didn't seem willing to talk about it.

Mark Reckless' office informed me he wouldn't be doing interviews and calls to Tracey Crouch and Rehman Chishti's office were not returned.

Why? Mr Cameron might not have been able to say anything revelatory, but to not even have a flavour of what was said – "we put our arguments across forcefully", "the discussions were firm and frank", that sort of thing - will lead people to ask questions.

Was the consultation date revealed? Did they not like what they heard?

As ever when it comes to the airport, the people of Medway are left with more questions than answers.

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The controversy over primary school places will crop up again on Thursday, when councillors discuss building a new academy/free school on the site of Chatham South School.

We've known for a while that a new school would be needed in Chatham, but now we know where.

The plan is to have it open by September 2014.