Could Queenborough become a tax haven?

The royal charter giving tax exemption to Queenborough dates from 1369

An amateur historian says a discovery he has made means residents of a Kent town should be exempt from tax.

Des Cross said a royal charter from 1369 that he recently unearthed decreed that Queenborough residents should not have to pay taxes.

Edward III made the decree for no tolls or taxes for the town to attract more workers.

Mr Cross said a tax-free status for the town would be "such a draw for the rich and famous" it could "transform" the whole of the Isle of Sheppey.

Mr Cross told BBC Politics South East: "Queenborough is a nice place but the Isle of Sheppey is a very disadvantaged area.

"It needs more investment coming in, more businesses and more employment.

"So to honour that charter - which has not been revoked despite what the council might say - would actually make a big difference to the local area."

Historian Des Cross said tax exemption would "make a big difference to the area"

Thanks to its location off the North Sea, industry on Sheppey once thrived.

But now the island is one of the top ten most deprived areas in the country.

Mr Cross recently made the tax-free discovery whilst researching at the Kent archives in Maidstone.

A spokesperson for Swale Borough Council said the idea was a "non-starter" as the charter promising tax-free status has "since been superseded".

Mr Cross said he was focused on "finding a way to prove the charter's power still exists".