What an empty car park tells us about the UK's debt problem

"I've had to cut back on things," says Shania, "mainly treats for the kids or days out mostly."

Nearby, Nick says he hasn't had a holiday in six years despite working 60 hours a week.

"Tonight's my only night out of the week, to play darts with my friends," he says, "and I used to play darts three, four, five times a week. Before, you could be a bit more extravagant, but nowadays, everything costs more."

The consequences of that lack of cash are visible on the High Street in Sheerness, the main town on the island. Amid shuttered retail units are often vape shops, bookies and charity shops.

Until recently, one of the now closed units was run by Paula Desai, a furniture restorer and novelty card maker.

"Some days you could sit there all day and not get any [trade]," she says, describing running the Sheerness shop as "soul-destroying".

"You price things to reflect the area. And we would have people come from London and go 'Why is that so cheap?' They'd almost question whether or not it was good enough because it was so cheap."

She has now switched to selling online and on weekends in Folkestone, where she sees a far better trade.

The problems on the High Street, which has seen four shops close in as many months, mean that local community radio station Sheppey FM is struggling for money.

Founded in 2012, its ethos is to provide opportunities to local disadvantaged people. But the station is now struggling to find local companies that want to advertise, a key source of income.

"We used to have a lot of local family businesses that would go out of their way to support community projects, us being one of them," says station manager, Julie Nicholls, "and there's a lot less of that now."

The MP for the island, as well as Sittingbourne on the mainland, Labour's Kevin McKenna, thinks "a complete rebuild" of the island is necessary.

"We need to focus a big regeneration project on Sheerness itself and on the towns on the western side of the island, because that will help us bring in new job opportunities," he says.

When put to McKenna that the increased charges introduced by local councils mirror what his own government is doing nationally – namely, increasing taxes – he says he "absolutely gets" that argument.

But, he argues, the government's actions are needed to "remodel the whole economy. Then over time we can bring those taxes back down again".

The Isle of Sheppey has not lacked for investment in recent years.

It received £20m from the Levelling Up Fund, designed to reduce regional inequality. The money has allowed a local school, Sheppey College, to be refurbished, an adventure golf course to be built, and redevelopment of the main gym in Sheerness.

The island has also been granted £2m a year for the next decade from the government's Pride in Place programme, aimed at revitalising disadvantaged areas. But even as funding comes in through government grants, money for local services is being cut elsewhere.

Local authority services on the island are divided between those provided by Swale Borough Council - a minority Labour administration which is £13m in debt - and Kent County Council. It too has debts - more than £650m - and is similarly cutting services and increasing charges.

The financial problems precede Reform UK taking control of the council last May and Sheppey is still coming to terms with decisions made by the previous Conservative administration.

Seashells family hub, which helps up to 400 children a week - some of whom struggle for a meal at home - had its funding cut by almost 90% in 2025 by Kent County Council.

The council told us it is experiencing "significant financial challenges" and has had to make "difficult decisions... to ensure services remain sustainable".

The county council has also significantly reduced funding for local buses, to the exasperation of islanders. In the village of Rushenden for instance, the first bus on weekdays leaves at 10:05 and the last at 13:20.

Latest figures from 2021 show that just 0.7% of people on Sheppey travel to work by bus - six times less than the England average of 4.3%.

Kent County Council told us it spends more on subsidising bus journeys across the county than it has in the past.

The lack of a reliable service hampers the ability of residents to get around, although the kindness of strangers can provide a lifeline. Steve Kilminster transports several islanders who are housebound and need to get to hospital appointments or the supermarket.

"I joke around, calling myself International Rescue," says Kilminster. "There are loads of people on this island trying to make it a big community again, because it was always a caring, loving [place]."

High-paying jobs would make a difference to the local economy, but there aren't as many as there used to be. Aldi has a large distribution centre on the island, but the poor bus service means it is difficult for some islanders to work many of the shifts.

Sheerness Port - which imports large numbers of cars and fresh fruit - does employ hundreds of people, yet it once employed thousands. And despite its multiple beaches, residents laugh when we ask if tourism is a big employer on the island. The scene is "dead" for several months of the year, they say.

About three-quarters of people on Universal Credit on Sheppey are not in work, higher than the England average.

"We need something like a business tsar, someone to promote the island for industry and employment," says Neal Williams, a Reform UK town councillor in Sheerness.

"A lot of kids have cottoned on to the apprenticeship scheme," he says, "a great idea if we've got the businesses, which we don't have because they seem to be folding – it's too expensive to be here."

Poor educational outcomes have also contributed to Sheppey's problems for many years. In 2023, teachers at the island's secondary school went on strike over concerns about their safety, because of poor pupil behaviour.

The number of people on Sheppey who have a higher education level qualification, 16.8%, is half the England average.

With dimmed prospects and little money, some are turning to crime. Criminal activity on Sheppey is twice the Kent average, with high levels of violent and sexual assaults. Shoplifting is also a problem.

A few are turning to drug dealing to make ends meet, says Alison Backshall who runs the Sheppey Support Bus, a community pantry, reflecting on their desperation.

"There is a lot of need to support your family and people will do whatever they can do," she says.

One project aimed at young people has received significant funding. About £1.75m, the vast majority from Swale Borough Council, was spent on renovating Masters House, which since 2023 has housed a project that supports young local entrepreneurs with mentorship and reduced rents for business space.

Many of the people it helps are from disadvantaged backgrounds, with some living in the island's static caravan parks, having been unable to afford to rent a flat or house.

But this project faces money problems too. Despite the initial outlay, long-term ongoing support has never been established. Its continuation relies on additional charitable funding, which is becoming harder to find.

The challenge to develop and progress on the Isle of Sheppey is shared by areas across the UK. People we spoke to say they are trying harder than ever, working longer than ever, for little reward. And in their hour of need, too often they discover that the services they hoped could help are as stretched and stressed as they are.