Kent Tonight - Thursday 27th July 2023
Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:03 Good evening, and welcome to Kentonite Live on KMTV.
00:25 I'm Abbey Hooke.
00:25 Here are your top stories on Thursday, the 27th of July.
00:29 Hope on hold.
00:31 East Kent hospitals miss out on millions
00:34 in funding from government.
00:36 Most of my constituents have to travel so far
00:39 to Ashford or Margate just to get emergency treatment.
00:42 Reverse for my residents.
00:44 Kent County Council leader calls on Mayor of London
00:48 to scrap EULA's expansion.
00:50 There has not been enough concern taken,
00:53 enough notice taken of the interests of Kent residents.
00:58 And the home of wheelchair rugby.
01:01 We speak to England's head coach about this weekend's Super League
01:04 fixtures at Medway Park.
01:07 It's a facility that means the world to us.
01:09 Like, it holds a really dear place in our heart.
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01:14 But first tonight, plans for a super hospital in Canterbury
01:24 have collapsed after not receiving government funding.
01:27 The East Kent Hospitals Trust had applied for £460 million
01:32 as part of the government's pledge
01:33 to build 40 new medical facilities.
01:36 Locals, campaigners, and politicians
01:38 say this will negatively impact the community.
01:41 Gabriel Morris has this report.
01:43 Aging hospitals no longer going to be replaced.
01:47 The East Kent Hospitals Trust applied for £460 million
01:52 to either build this state of the art hospital in Canterbury
01:56 or upgrading existing facilities in Ashford and Margate.
02:01 Neither are now happening as the government rejected the offer.
02:05 I think there simply is no money.
02:07 And we've been sort of led along a path for so many years
02:10 where we keep saying, we'll hear soon, we'll hear soon.
02:13 And I've been hearing that for, yeah, all of the six years
02:16 I've been an MP and before that when I was campaigning.
02:19 The Kent and Canterbury Hospital is in a building
02:21 that predates the NHS.
02:22 It's 1937 with desperate new buildings.
02:26 And an emergency treatment A&E centre
02:28 should really be in Canterbury because most
02:31 of my constituents have to travel so far to Ashford
02:34 or Margate just to get emergency treatment.
02:37 The new funding was in a bid to be part of the new 40 hospitals
02:41 Boris Johnson pledged at the last election.
02:45 How many new hospitals are we going to build?
02:47 Four, correct.
02:48 50,000.
02:49 Kent has missed out on the 3.7 billion pound pot of money.
02:54 It was initially thought the area
02:56 might receive funding after the National Audit Office was
03:00 concerned over the use of reinforced aerated concrete.
03:04 In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Health
03:07 and Social Care said, "The NAO's report
03:10 acknowledges that despite changes
03:12 to the original programme to prioritise hospitals affected
03:15 by this concrete, 40 new hospitals will still
03:19 be delivered by 2030.
03:21 We remain firmly committed to delivering these hospitals,
03:25 which are now expected to be backed by over 20 billion pounds
03:28 of investment."
03:30 The trust has received some funding in the past.
03:33 But campaigners say missing out on this is a real blow.
03:37 There's money being spent on William Harvey
03:40 and there's been money spent on QEQM, all good money,
03:43 all helpful for the patients.
03:45 But it doesn't produce a long-term benefit
03:49 for the patients of East Kent.
03:51 There is a need for transformation.
03:54 There's a need for services to be able to come together,
03:57 to be looked at, to collate services
04:01 so that everything is better.
04:03 We are definitely being left out in East Kent.
04:06 And I think the NHS has got a lot to answer for.
04:11 Going forward, campaigners and local MPs
04:13 say they're not going to give up the fight.
04:16 Gabriel Morris for KMTV.
04:19 Well, Gabriel Morris joins me in the studio now
04:21 with a bit more detail.
04:22 Gabriel, what else can you tell us?
04:24 Well, it's been a roller coaster of years, decades, in fact.
04:27 We're only heard from at the end of my report then.
04:30 It's been campaigning for a new hospital for Canterbury
04:33 since the '90s.
04:34 And Rosie Duffield, she became an MP six years ago.
04:37 She said she's been campaigning since 2015.
04:39 Now, hopes were raised that Canterbury
04:42 might get a new hospital after the then Prime Minister Boris
04:46 Johnson said in 2019 that one would be built.
04:49 It was part of his pledges at the election campaign.
04:53 He'd been speaking at a fringe meeting
04:55 at a Conservative Party conference
04:58 where he said Canterbury would be named.
05:00 But he later confirmed he had made a mistake.
05:03 Now, that was because they weren't naming the 40
05:06 hospitals at that time.
05:08 But 40 hospitals were going to start
05:10 go ahead and the Department for Health and Social Care
05:12 say they are still going to go ahead.
05:14 But we found out today Kent will not be part of that.
05:16 Now, the East Kent Hospital Trust says this news
05:19 is extremely disappointing.
05:21 They've been denied critical investments.
05:23 That's their words.
05:24 They say every pound spent fixing ageing buildings
05:26 and equipment is better invested in improving standards
05:29 for patients.
05:30 And they go on to say worryingly at least 210 million pounds
05:34 is needed for essential improvements.
05:36 That's just to maintain safe services.
05:39 Now, East Kent Hospital Trust have been making the headlines
05:43 for some time.
05:45 Last year, the Kirkup report was released
05:47 looking into maternity failings.
05:50 The trust had found that around in a 10 year period,
05:53 at least 45 babies lost their lives unnecessarily.
05:55 Something that the East Kent Hospital Trust
06:00 have apologised for.
06:02 But we asked the local MP today if the ageing buildings
06:07 could have impacted this.
06:08 We're now at least being looked at very closely
06:11 by Maria Caulfield, the minister responsible for women's health
06:14 in the Department of Health.
06:16 And that's great.
06:16 We've had some really good productive meetings.
06:18 But we are desperate to make sure that none of those terrible
06:22 things that happened that were exposed by the Kirkup review
06:25 ever happen again.
06:27 And without some money, some backup,
06:29 and reportedly the ability to retain and recruit staff
06:32 to our area, which is tied in with having a viral hospital.
06:36 So we've come back to four very quickly.
06:38 Yeah, thank you.
06:39 So we can get the right people and the right outcomes.
06:42 Well, Gabriel, thank you for bringing us a bit more detail
06:44 on that and a bit more from Rosie Duffield there.
06:48 Now, nearly 600 cat cruelty reports
06:51 were made to the RSPCA, new figures reveal.
06:53 This works out at a five incidents of neglect
06:56 every day last year, a 25% increase since 2021.
07:01 The RSPCA say the cost of living crisis and COVID pandemic
07:04 were contributing factors as the animal charity
07:06 continued to rescue cats every day in Kent.
07:08 They say their centers are full and having
07:10 to turn to expensive boarding for these neglected pets.
07:14 Last year, we got 594 reports of cruelty to cats in Kent alone.
07:20 That figure is absolutely huge.
07:21 Of all the camps in the UK, Kent is in the top five.
07:25 We don't know why that is.
07:26 But after London, Manchester, Birmingham, big cities,
07:31 Kent is under there.
07:33 So it's one of the highest figures in England.
07:36 With cats, we have taken in quite a lot of cats
07:40 over the last year.
07:41 And as a result of that, our centers across the country,
07:45 not just in Kent, they're really full with cats.
07:47 So because of that, we have to rely on private boarding
07:51 because otherwise, where would the cats go?
07:54 So we launched Cancel Out Cruelty
07:56 because figures from across the whole year, from last year,
08:00 we found that during the summer months,
08:02 we actually saw more cases of cruelty across the UK
08:06 and that includes Kent.
08:08 So we launched a campaign to raise that awareness
08:12 that throughout July, August, and September time,
08:15 the RSPCA, we are at our busiest investigating cruelty cases.
08:20 As a result of the post-COVID that we're living in,
08:25 that has resulted in increased cruelty to animals.
08:28 We've got this cost of living crisis as a result of COVID.
08:32 And more people have taken on pets during COVID,
08:36 which perhaps now they can't afford to look after
08:39 or they don't want to look after.
08:42 So we are seeing an increase in abandonments,
08:45 we're seeing increases in neglect and just general cruelty.
08:51 - Tools and closures to cutting congestion,
08:53 many businesses in Kent are building up their budgets
08:56 and perfecting their profits.
08:58 Six-month roadworks are impacting tourism at Leeds Castle.
09:01 A new bus scheme will aim to cut traffic in Canterbury
09:04 and drinks giant Chapel Down
09:05 have secured permission for a new winery.
09:08 Well, there's lots to break down
09:09 in this week's Business Roundup with James Hill.
09:11 - In today's Business Roundup, we start at Leeds Castle.
09:15 As Chief Executive, Helen Bonser-Wilton
09:18 has raised concerns over the closure
09:20 of a major road near the attraction.
09:23 South East Water has shut the B2163 Upper Street
09:27 for a £460,000 project
09:31 that will replace piping.
09:32 But Mrs. Bonser-Wilton fears the timing could impact
09:36 the attraction's finances as it falls
09:39 during the castle's busiest months for tourists.
09:43 Moving on in a new major shift in strategy,
09:46 Canterbury City Council has decided to scrap
09:49 its controversial zoning plan for city traffic
09:53 as they embrace a new bus-first strategy.
09:56 The new Labour-Liberal-Democrat coalition
09:59 aims to reintroduce a new park and ride site
10:01 on the outskirts of the city
10:03 as part of its bus-first approach.
10:06 However, this move has faced criticism
10:08 as the park and ride service previously saw financial losses.
10:13 Morrisons have announced the upcoming closure
10:16 of its Favisham store in Kent,
10:18 as managers cite poor performance
10:21 as the reason behind the decision.
10:23 The national superstore giant expressed its commitment
10:26 to handle the changes with care and thoughtfulness
10:29 for all those affected.
10:31 With nearly 500 stores in the UK,
10:33 including 13 superstores in Kent,
10:36 it's uncertain to see if any other branches in the county
10:39 will face similar fates.
10:41 The future of the site is open for debate,
10:44 with suggestions ranging from potential residential uses
10:47 to ideas of nightclubs, dentists, GP's or McDonald's.
10:52 The supermarket's last day of operation
10:55 is set to be on September the 17th.
10:58 And finally, Chapel Down, the well-known drinks giant,
11:02 has received permission for a new winery
11:05 at Canterbury Business Park.
11:06 The 32 million pound development
11:09 was initially met by objections,
11:11 threatening a judicial review,
11:13 but in response, Canterbury City Council
11:16 have reconsidered the decision,
11:18 giving it the green light.
11:20 The winery, set to be at Highland Court Farm,
11:23 will have the capacity to produce at least 6 million bottles
11:27 by 2032, supporting Chapel Down's long-term ambitions
11:31 to revolutionise the perception of English wine.
11:35 And that was your Business Roundup.
11:37 James Hill for KMTV.
11:39 - Well, coming up tonight, dismayed and disappointed,
11:43 the words of the leader of Kent County Council, Roger Gough,
11:46 as he outlines frustrations with EULA's expansions.
11:48 See you soon.
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15:03 - Hello there and welcome back to Kentonite
15:13 live here on KMTV.
15:15 Now, dismayed and disappointed,
15:17 the words of the leader of Kent County Council, Roger Goff,
15:20 as he outlines his frustrations
15:22 with ultra low emissions zone expansions
15:24 in a letter to London's mayor.
15:26 He says Sadiq Khan refuses to materially and properly consider
15:30 what it means for Kent residents,
15:31 but the mayor says it's necessary to tackle air pollution.
15:35 We spoke to Roger Goff earlier.
15:36 Roger, thank you very much for joining me today.
15:40 Now, you're calling for the reversal of the decision
15:42 to expand ULEZ,
15:44 and you've expressed your dismay,
15:45 quite strong language you used in your letter.
15:48 The proposals continue unamended
15:49 without any support for Kent residents.
15:52 But there wasn't any sort of Kent representation
15:55 at the high court when that went through,
15:58 where the five other councils impacted were there,
16:01 were running that legal action earlier this month.
16:04 Now, why are you calling for this
16:07 if the representation wasn't there at that point?
16:10 - Well, we've been working on this issue
16:14 and setting out our views on it for many, many months.
16:17 So in fact, we raised a number of these issues
16:21 if you go back all the way to the consultation
16:24 on this last summer,
16:25 but particularly in the early months of this year,
16:28 so writing to the mayor back in February,
16:31 working and particularly actually what we've done
16:33 is to work with other councils
16:36 in the sort of ring round London,
16:38 because we all have in a way the same problem,
16:40 the problem that Kent residents have,
16:43 which is as I say, that the mitigations
16:45 that are put forward for this scheme
16:48 are not available to Kent residents
16:51 and indeed residents of other areas around London
16:54 in the same way that they would be
16:56 if you were within the TFL area.
16:59 So our concern is that there has not been
17:01 enough concern taken or enough notice taken
17:06 of the interests of Kent residents
17:09 and the impact on them of the scheme.
17:12 Now with regard to the judicial review,
17:14 we were not part of that,
17:16 though we've certainly been very supportive of it
17:18 and are taking careful note of what comes out of it.
17:22 Most of the parties on the edges around London were not.
17:25 It was chiefly London boroughs,
17:27 though Surrey County Council certainly did take part in it.
17:31 But what we have been doing throughout, as I say,
17:33 is working closely with all our neighbours
17:36 and those as I say, in the ring round London,
17:40 to ensure that these issues about the impact
17:44 of the EULA's extension on people just that bit
17:47 beyond the London border is properly taken into account.
17:50 And the concern we have is we think
17:52 that it still hasn't been.
17:54 - And how much of an impact do you think
17:56 your letter today is actually going to make?
17:59 Will it change the decision?
18:01 - Well, I think there are a whole number of things at work.
18:05 Firstly, this letter, as I say, comes on top of others
18:09 that we have sent and indeed both letters
18:11 I've sent individually and those which I
18:14 and other county leaders around London have sent.
18:17 It comes at a time when clearly there is a lot of reason
18:21 to consider carefully how this scheme is brought forward,
18:25 particularly as I say, that we're awaiting the outcome
18:28 of the judicial review.
18:30 There've been many, many other reasons
18:32 why EULA has been in the news recently.
18:36 I was instructed, I must add, also by my council,
18:39 which debated this matter a couple of weeks ago,
18:42 to write to the mayor in these terms.
18:45 So it is, I think, at a critical moment,
18:47 but it is, I must emphasise, setting out things
18:50 that we have said time and time again over many months.
18:54 And I would not be writing the letter
18:57 if we'd had a satisfactory response on those points.
19:01 - Now, the mayor of London says it's not an easy decision
19:04 to make, but necessary to tackle air pollution.
19:07 So if not EULA's, what solution do you propose?
19:12 - Well, there are two things.
19:13 Firstly, our objection is not an in-principle objection
19:17 to EULA's, though I think there is a very different argument
19:20 about how you apply it, particularly on the edges
19:22 of London, compared with how you would approach the inner city.
19:28 But secondly, our big concern, just to come back
19:30 to what I was saying earlier on, is with the implementation,
19:33 of the scheme.
19:35 And again, I would not be writing in the terms
19:38 that I have, had we had those issues addressed.
19:41 So it is the implementation of the scheme,
19:44 and in particular, the fact that there is not proper consideration
19:48 and does not seem to have been at any stage being taken
19:51 of what this means for people crossing the border,
19:55 people on the edges of London, and in, as I say,
19:59 our part of, in certain parts of Kent,
20:02 and indeed other home counties, this has not been taken properly
20:06 into account.
20:07 That is the reason why I, in common, as I say,
20:10 with other leaders in the area around London,
20:14 are setting out these concerns and setting them out
20:16 very, very strongly.
20:18 - And just lastly, Roger, now we did get a statement today
20:21 on behalf of the Mayor of London, and in it said
20:23 that nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London
20:26 are already EULA's compliant.
20:28 So is this even going to be much of an issue?
20:32 - Well, the thing is that if you have that remaining 10%,
20:36 that is still a very significant number of vehicles.
20:39 And this is something that then affects people
20:41 who are crossing the border, often working in areas
20:44 like health, education, social care.
20:47 It may affect some people making cross-border journeys
20:50 because of school and the needs of school.
20:53 And there are a whole number of reasons why this has not,
20:57 as I say, been properly taken into account.
20:59 And 10% of vehicles is still actually a large number,
21:02 and it will often disproportionately affect people
21:05 on modest incomes or for whom this has a major effect
21:09 on their livelihood.
21:10 And as I say, these are concerns which are very legitimate.
21:14 They are ones held very strongly by people across Kent,
21:18 and they've not been properly taken into account.
21:21 - Well, thank you very much for your time today, Roger.
21:23 We really appreciate speaking with you.
21:24 - Thank you.
21:26 - That was the leader of Kent County Council
21:27 speaking with me earlier.
21:28 Now, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said,
21:30 "The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand
21:33 "the ultra-low emission zone London-wide
21:35 "was not an easy one,
21:36 "but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution.
21:39 "Expanding the ULES London-wide will enable 5 million more
21:42 "Londoners to breathe cleaner air.
21:44 "The ULES is a very targeted scheme.
21:45 "Nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London
21:48 "are already ULES compliant
21:49 "and will not have to pay the charge.
21:51 "Sadiq is committed to the expansion,
21:53 "but is always listening and happy to look at any new ideas
21:55 "for ways to mitigate the impact of expanding the zone.
21:58 "The Mayor continues to call on the government
22:00 "to further support the switch to cleaner vehicles
22:02 "through funding a targeted national scrappage scheme
22:05 "or providing additional funding to London."
22:08 That was a statement on behalf of the Mayor earlier today.
22:11 Now, from wheelchair rugby to Kent's progress in the cricket,
22:14 joining me in the studio with the sports news
22:16 is Bartholomew Hall.
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22:24 Well, starting today, Medway Park is known by some
22:29 as the home of English wheelchair rugby.
22:31 And this weekend, the Gillingham venue will play host
22:33 to the Betfred Wheelchair Super League
22:35 as the league takes to its latest magic round.
22:39 It means all six teams, like the Leeds Rhinos,
22:41 Hull FC and the London Roosters,
22:43 will be taken to the court right here in Medway
22:46 for their next fixtures to celebrate the diversity of the game.
22:49 Well, with more on this, I spoke to England wheelchair
22:51 rugby head coach, Medway local
22:53 and recently announced MBE, Tom Coyd, earlier today.
22:57 - The journey that we've been on has in large part
23:00 been grown out of Medway Park and out of the Medway towns.
23:05 My dad, Martin Coyd, has been the general manager
23:09 of England Wheelchair Rugby League for over 10 years now.
23:14 We brought our family up in the Medway towns,
23:16 up Gillingham, born and bred.
23:18 And I would say up to the World Cup last year,
23:23 we would have held more than 50%
23:26 of our training sessions at Medway Park.
23:27 So it's a facility that means the world to us.
23:30 Like it holds a really dear place in our heart.
23:32 And if we hadn't been accommodated by not just Medway Park
23:37 and its staff, but Medway Council, and, you know,
23:41 the decision makers who really bought into our dream
23:43 and our vision, there's no way we'd be where we are today.
23:46 And we're where we are now, which is, you know,
23:49 being shown on primetime television
23:51 and being recognized in the honors list.
23:53 There'd be three fixtures on Sunday, 5v5.
23:58 Three out of the five players
24:00 have to be physically disabled.
24:01 And then you can have up to two players
24:03 that are not physically disabled.
24:05 And they're competing against each other
24:07 in what we call the Wheelchair Super League.
24:09 So alongside those three fixtures, where you have,
24:14 perhaps playing against London,
24:16 there's also free taster sessions for young and old,
24:19 anyone who wants to come along for free
24:22 and try out the sport of Wheelchair Rugby League.
24:25 And as I said, disabled or not,
24:28 it gives people an opportunity to compete
24:30 on what's a very level playing field
24:32 once you're sat in the wheelchair.
24:34 - That was Tom Coyd talking to me there.
24:36 Now, Kent are up against Nottinghamshire today
24:39 at Trent Bridge, following a rain-affected day two
24:41 of the home county championship meeting on Wednesday.
24:44 Just before lunch, Kent made it 184 for four on day three
24:48 as they attempted to eat into Nottinghamshire's score
24:50 set of 350 all out.
24:53 However, our home county could only end their innings
24:56 at 316.
24:58 Now, Nottinghamshire lead Kent by over 66 runs
25:01 with all of their wickets remaining.
25:03 It comes as the club announces all-rounder James Baisley
25:06 is set to join Kent for their defense
25:08 of the one-day cup title.
25:09 The man who plays for Sandwich Town has scored
25:12 more than 400 runs this year and claimed 28 wickets.
25:16 And now final preparations are taking place at Gillingham FC
25:21 who are set to face their final pre-season opposition
25:24 this weekend against Dagenham and Redbridge.
25:27 It comes after a behind-closed-doors friendly
25:29 against Ligue 1 side Cambridge United on Tuesday.
25:31 The Gilles lost that match 4-0.
25:33 Manager Neil Harris says the game was an opportunity
25:36 to go and play against a team above them in the pyramid
25:38 and now looks ahead to what he says will be a much more
25:41 similar competition to what they'll expect
25:43 in the first few weeks of the season.
25:45 Meanwhile, questions still remain about striker Ollie Hawkins
25:48 who has missed much of the pre-season with a heel injury
25:50 and was expected back on the pitch this week.
25:53 And finally, do you ever wonder what Kent MPs get up to
25:57 in their summer break?
25:58 Well, one is now jetting off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
26:02 MP for Chatham and Ousford, Tracey Crouch,
26:05 alongside a group of six others,
26:06 have raised more than £137,000 for their expedition,
26:10 which is all in aid of breast cancer.
26:13 The former sports minister says she has packed,
26:15 unpacked and repacked about five times
26:17 before setting off for her flight today.
26:19 Ms Crouch, who completed her own treatment for breast cancer
26:22 back in February 2021, says on her fundraising page
26:27 that all donations will go towards life-saving equipment
26:30 and essential services for patients with the disease in Kent.
26:33 And that's it with the sport for now.
26:36 Wow, Bartholomew, that sounds incredible.
26:38 What a feat, climbing Kilimanjaro in your summer break.
26:41 I'm jealous for sure.
26:42 Thank you for giving us the sports news.
26:43 You'll be back right after this very short break
26:45 with some exciting news from us here at KMTV.
26:48 See you in a few minutes.
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30:19 Good evening and welcome to Kentonite Live on KMTV.
30:24 I'm Abby Hook.
30:25 Here are your top stories on Thursday the 27th of July.
30:30 Hope on hold, East Kent hospitals miss out on millions in funding from government.
30:36 >> Most of my constituents have to travel so far to Ashford or
30:39 Margate just to get emergency treatment.
30:42 >> Reverse for my residents.
30:45 Kent County Council Leader calls on Mayor of London to scrap EULA's expansion.
30:50 >> There's not been enough concern taken or enough notice taken of the interests of Kent residents.
30:57 >> And the home of wheelchair rugby.
31:00 We speak to England's head coach about this weekend's Super League fixtures at Medway Park.
31:06 >> It's a facility that means the world to us, like it holds a really dear place in our heart.
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31:20 >> Now, look back at our top story this evening.
31:23 Plans for a super hospital in Canterbury have collapsed after not receiving government funding.
31:28 The East Kent Hospitals Trust had applied for 460 million pounds as part of the government's pledge to build 40 new medical facilities.
31:36 Locals, campaigners and politicians say this will negatively impact the community.
31:41 Gabriel Morris has this report.
31:43 >> Ageing hospitals no longer going to be replaced.
31:47 The East Kent Hospitals Trust applied for 460 million pounds to either build this state of the art hospital in Canterbury
31:56 or upgrading existing facilities in Ashford and Margate.
32:01 Neither are now happening as the government rejected the offer.
32:06 >> I think there simply is no money and we've been sort of led along a path for so many years where we keep saying we'll hear soon, we'll hear soon.
32:13 And I've been hearing that for, yeah, all of the six years I've been an MP and before that when I was campaigning.
32:19 The Kent and Canterbury Hospital is in a building that predates the NHS.
32:23 It's 1937 with desperate new buildings and an emergency treatment A&E centre should really be in Canterbury
32:31 because most of my constituents have to travel so far to Ashford or Margate just to get emergency treatment.
32:37 >> The new funding was in a bid to be part of the new 40 hospitals.
32:42 Boris Johnson pledged at the last election.
32:45 >> How many new hospitals are we going to build?
32:47 >> Four.
32:48 >> Correct.
32:49 >> Kent has missed out on the £3.7 billion pot of money.
32:54 It was initially thought the area might receive funding after the National Audit Office was concerned over the use of reinforced aerated concrete.
33:04 In a statement a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said,
33:09 "The NAO's report acknowledges that despite changes to the original programme to prioritise hospitals affected by this concrete, 40 new hospitals will still be delivered by 2030.
33:22 We remain firmly committed to delivering these hospitals, which are now expected to be backed by over £20 billion of investment.
33:30 The Trust has received some funding in the past, but campaigners say missing out on this is a real blow."
33:37 >> There's money being spent on William Harvey and there's been money being spent on QEQM.
33:42 All good money, all helpful for the patients, but it doesn't produce a long-term benefit for the patients of East Kent.
33:51 There is a need for transformation.
33:54 There's a need for services to be able to come together, to be looked at, to collate services so that everything's better.
34:03 We are definitely being left out in East Kent and I think the NHS has got a lot to answer for.
34:11 >> Going forward, campaigners and local MPs say they're not going to give up the fight.
34:16 Gabriel Morris for CAME TV.
34:19 >> Well, joining me in the studio to tell us a bit more about the story is Gabriel Morris.
34:23 So, Gabriel, what else can you give us?
34:25 >> Well, it's been a rollercoaster of a few years, Abby, not just a few years, actually a few decades.
34:31 We saw Ken in the end of my report.
34:34 He's been campaigning since the '90s for a new hospital.
34:37 Rosie Duffield, the local MP, since 2015.
34:41 Now, hopes were raised that Canterbury might get a new hospital when the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson,
34:48 pledged to build 40 new hospitals at the last election.
34:52 Now, he said at a Conservative Party conference Canterbury would be one,
34:55 but he later retracted that saying he clearly made a mistake as the hospitals hadn't been named at that point.
35:02 Although the Department of Health and Social Care said then 40 hospitals would still be built,
35:06 and they are still saying today 40 hospitals will still be built, just none in Kent.
35:12 The nearest one is just across the border in East Sussex.
35:15 Part of that opened last month.
35:17 Now, the Trust have said the news today is extremely disappointing and it's been denied critical infrastructure.
35:24 Now, every pound spent fixing ageing buildings and equipment is better invested in improving standard to patients.
35:31 Roaringly, they say, £210 million is needed to repair crucial infrastructure.
35:38 They say that's just to maintain safe services.
35:41 Now, East Kent Hospital Trust has been making headlines for quite a while.
35:45 Last year, the Kirkpat report was released looking into maternity failings at the Trust,
35:50 something the Trust has apologised for, but we asked the MP today.
35:55 We're now at least being looked at very closely by Maria Caulfield,
35:58 the Minister responsible for Women's Health in the Department of Health, and that's great.
36:02 We've had some really good, productive meetings, but we are desperate to make sure that none of those terrible things
36:08 that happened that were exposed by the Kirkpat review ever happen again.
36:13 And without some money, some backup, and more importantly, the ability to retain and recruit staff to our area,
36:20 which is tied in with having a viable hospital, that has to happen so that we can get the right people and the right outcomes.
36:28 Well, Gabriel, thank you for bringing us a few more details on the story.
36:32 Now, nearly 600 cat cruelty reports were made to the RSPCA, new figures reveal.
36:38 This works out at five incidents of neglect every day last year, a 25% increase since 2021.
36:45 Now, the RSPCA say the cost of living crisis and Covid pandemic were contributing factors.
36:50 As the animal charity continue to rescue cats every day in Kent, they say their centres are full
36:55 and are having to turn to expensive boarding for these neglected pets.
36:59 Last year, we got 594 reports of cruelty to cats in Kent alone.
37:05 You know, that figure is absolutely huge. Of all the camps in the UK, Kent is in the top five.
37:11 We don't know why that is, but, you know, after London, Manchester, Birmingham, big cities, Kent is under that.
37:18 So it's one of the highest figures in England. With cats, we are we have taken in quite a lot of cats, you know, the last year.
37:27 And as a result of that, our centres across the country, not just in Kent, they're really full with cats.
37:33 So because of that, we have to rely on private boarding because otherwise, where would the cats go?
37:39 So we launched Cancel Out Cruelty because figures from across the whole year from last year,
37:45 we found that during the summer months, we actually saw more cases of cruelty across the UK.
37:51 And that includes Kent. So we launched a campaign to raise that awareness that throughout July, August and September time,
38:01 the RSPCA, we are at our busiest investigating cruelty cases.
38:05 You know, as a result of the post-COVID that we're living in, you know, that has resulted in increased cruelty to animals.
38:14 You know, we've got this cost of living crisis as a result of COVID and, you know, more people have taken on pets during COVID,
38:22 which perhaps now they can't afford to look after or they don't want to look after.
38:28 So, you know, we are seeing, you know, we're seeing an increase in abandonments, we're seeing increases in neglect and, you know, just general cruelty.
38:35 Now, dismayed and disappointed, the words of the leader of Kent County Council, Roger Gough,
38:41 as he outlines his frustrations with ultra low emission zone expansions in a letter to London's mayor.
38:47 He says Sadiq Khan refuses to materially and properly consider what it means for Kent residents,
38:53 but the mayor says it's necessary to tackle air pollution. We spoke to Roger earlier.
38:57 It comes at a time when clearly there is a lot of reason to consider carefully how this scheme is brought forward,
39:05 particularly as I say, that we're awaiting the outcome of the judicial review.
39:10 There have been many, many other reasons why Ulez has been in the news recently.
39:15 I was instructed, I must add, also by my council, which debated this matter a couple of weeks ago, to write to the mayor in these terms.
39:25 So it is, I think, at a critical moment, but it is, I must emphasise, setting out things that we have said time and time again over many months.
39:34 And I would not be writing the letter if we'd had a satisfactory response on those points.
39:41 Now, the mayor of London says it's not an easy decision to make, but necessary to tackle air pollution.
39:46 So if not Ulez, what solution do you propose?
39:51 Well, there are two things. Firstly, our objection is not an in principle objection to Ulez,
39:57 though I think there is a very different argument about how you apply it, particularly on the edges of London,
40:03 compared with how you would approach the inner city.
40:07 But secondly, our big concern is with the implementation of the scheme.
40:12 And again, I would not be writing in the terms that I have had we had those issues addressed.
40:18 So it is the implementation of the scheme and in particular, the fact that there is not proper consideration
40:26 and does not seem to have been at any stage being taken of what this means for people crossing the border,
40:32 people on the edges of London and in, as I say, our part of, in certain parts of Kent and indeed other own counties.
40:42 This has not been taken properly into account.
40:44 That is the reason why I, in common, as I say, with other leaders in the area around London,
40:51 are setting out these concerns and setting them out very, very strongly.
40:55 Well, a spokesperson for the mayor of London said the mayor has been clear that decision to expand the ultra low emission zone London-wide
41:03 was not an easy one, but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution.
41:06 Expanding the Ulez London-wide will enable five million more Londoners to breathe cleaner air.
41:11 The Ulez is a very targeted scheme, he says.
41:14 Nine out of ten cars seen driving in outer London are already compliant and will not have to pay the charge.
41:19 Sadiq is committed to the expansion, but is always listening and happy to look at any new ideas for ways to mitigate the impact of expanding the Ulez.
41:27 The mayor continues to call on the government to further support the switch to cleaner vehicles
41:31 through funding a targeted national scrappage scheme or providing additional funding to London.
41:37 Now it's time for a very short break, but coming up, Bartholomew Hall will be back in the studio with me
41:42 with some really exciting sports news for us here at KMTV. See you then.
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45:07 Hello there and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
45:12 Now, as well as catching us live here at 5.30 every evening, you can also keep up to date on all things going on in Kent by visiting our website, kmtv.co.uk.
45:22 There you can check out some of our latest stories, including this video about a Tunbridge Wells community group who fought to save a local church 50 years ago, which still lives on as a theatre now.
45:33 The Holy Trinity Church had been a sacred part of Tunbridge Wells for more than a hundred years, until it was threatened with demolition in 1975.
45:44 But a local civic society launched a campaign to not only save the church, but give it a new purpose.
45:52 The society were given just over a year to come up with a solution, and after much fundraising, they thought to transform the church into a theatre.
46:00 And by January 1977, the diocese had granted them a lease to the building.
46:06 For many years, very many years, it was the mother church of the town, and it had a very forceful vicar in Cannon Hall.
46:14 Through the latter half of the 19th century, a lot of people came to Tunbridge Wells just to be within his ministry.
46:22 He was a very influential figure in the town.
46:24 So this was always a very important building, both architecturally as a landmark in the town centre, as part of Decimus Burton's new town, and as the mother church of Tunbridge Wells.
46:38 There's no equivalent in Tunbridge Wells of this facility.
46:42 Now, in order to save Trinity and transform it into a theatre, they wanted to raise £50,000.
46:49 They only ended up raising half of this, but were still granted permission.
46:53 Well, Tunbridge Wells has always been looking for having a small theatre to go alongside the Assembly Hall, which really is quite large.
47:04 And they've been looking for a theatre, and here was an opportunity, by saving Trinity, to get it turned into a theatre.
47:15 It was interesting, though, that the first ideas of saving Trinity didn't even mention a theatre.
47:22 It was really quite by chance, in a way, that Tunbridge Wells Theatre Club joined forces with the Civic Society,
47:33 and were then able to persuade the church commissioners that they had a viable plan to turn it into a theatre.
47:41 Now, Brian became particularly fascinated when he heard about the church, which dated back to 1829.
47:48 So much so, he even wrote a book dedicated to the Tunbridge Wells Civic Society and Trinity Arts.
47:54 And now, almost 50 years on, Trinity Theatre is still here to tell the tale.
48:00 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Tunbridge Wells.
48:04 Well, now it's time for us to take a very quick look at the weather.
48:08 Looking pretty mild this evening. 17 degrees right across Kent, cloudy skies above.
48:20 Tomorrow morning, warming up to 20, still cloudy, no sun in sight, lows of 19 degrees.
48:26 By the afternoon, highs of 23, sun peeking through the cloud in most parts of Kent, lows of 20.
48:33 And your weekend and into next week will look like this. A bit of rain on Sunday, Monday, looking rainy too.
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48:48 Now, from wheelchair rugby to Kent's progress in cricket, and a very special announcement.
48:54 Well, here's Bartholomew Hall with the sports.
48:57 [Music]
49:05 Well, we start at the home of English wheelchair.
49:08 Medway Park is set this weekend to be hosting the Betfred Wheelchair Super League,
49:14 as six wheelchair rugby sides from across the country will be battling it out at the latest Magic Round.
49:19 It means all six teams in the league, like Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC and the London Roosters,
49:24 will be taking it to the court here, right here, Medway, for their next fixtures to celebrate the diversity of the game.
49:31 Well, with more on this, I spoke to England wheelchair rugby head coach and Medway local Tom Coyd earlier today.
49:37 The journey that we've been on has in large part been grown out of Medway Park and out of the Medway towns.
49:45 My dad, Martin Coyd, has been the general manager of England wheelchair rugby league for over 10 years now.
49:54 We brought our family up in the Medway towns. I'm chilling in Bourne and Bred.
49:58 And I would say up to the World Cup last year, we would have held more than 50% of our training sessions at Medway Park.
50:07 So, it's a facility that means the world to us, like it holds a really dear place in our heart.
50:12 And if we hadn't been accommodated by not just Medway Park and its staff, but Medway Council and the decision makers
50:21 who really bought into our dream and our vision, there's no way we'd be where we are now,
50:26 which is being shown on primetime television and being recognised in the honours list.
50:32 There'll be three fixtures on Sunday. Five v. five. Three out of the five players have to be physically disabled.
50:40 And then you can have up to two players that are not physically disabled.
50:43 And they're competing against each other in what we call the wheelchair super league.
50:48 So, alongside those three fixtures, where you have, for example, Halifax playing against London,
50:55 there's also free taster sessions for young and old, anyone who wants to come along for free
51:01 and try out the sport of wheelchair rugby league. And as I said, disabled or not,
51:06 it gives people an opportunity to compete on what's a very level playing field once you're sat in the wheelchair.
51:13 Now, today, Kent are up against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge following a rain affected day two
51:19 of their county championship meeting on Wednesday. Just before lunch today, Kent made it 184 for four
51:26 on what was day three as they attempted to eat into Nottinghamshire's score set of 350 all out.
51:32 However, our home county could only end their innings at 316. Now, Nottinghamshire lead Kent by 135 runs
51:39 with 10 wickets remaining. It comes as the club has announced today that all-rounder James Baisley
51:44 is set to join Kent for their defence of the one day cup title. The Australian, who plays for Sandwich Town,
51:50 has scored more than 400 runs this year alone and has claimed 28 wickets.
51:55 And now, in the last hour, Gillingham have announced the signing of crawly town striker Ashley Nadesan.
52:01 In the second of two slightly cinematic announcement videos posted to social media this week,
52:06 the Gilles finally unveiled who would be their highly anticipated new striker.
52:11 The 28-year-old made 48 appearances in the League Two side last season. It now means that whilst
52:16 Ollie Hawkins has been missing in action due to injury, the side's only current first-team striker
52:21 Tom Nicholls won't be Neil Harris' only pick when they face Dagenham and Redbridge this weekend.
52:28 And finally, do you ever wonder what Kent MPs get up to in their summer break?
52:32 Well, one of them is right now jetting off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
52:36 MP for Chatham and Aylesford, Tracey Crouch, alongside a group of six others, has raised more than
52:41 £137,000 for the expedition, which is all in aid of breast cancer. The former sports minister says
52:48 she has packed, unpacked and repacked about five times before setting off for her flight today.
52:53 Ms Crouch, who has completed her own treatment for breast cancer back in February 2021, says on her
52:59 fundraising page that all donations will go towards life-saving equipment and essential services
53:04 for patients with the disease in Kent.
53:07 Now, just before we go this evening, Bartholomew, impressive from Tracey Crouch, we must say,
53:13 but we have very exciting news here at KMTV with a big, big spoiler hint on the screen.
53:19 That's right, it's all about this Invicta Sport. It's going to be our brand new programme,
53:23 all about sport, starting next Friday and every Monday and Friday, right after Kent Tonight,
53:28 right afterwards. And to begin, we've got a bit of a teaser.
53:31 Very exciting indeed, isn't it? And we've also got a bit of a plea, a bit of an appeal to all of our
53:48 viewers, and that is to invite you to be a part of the show. That's to send in clips of you doing sport.
53:54 One of the programme segments is going to be called Action Replay, where we look back and it can be,
53:58 it doesn't have to be, it doesn't matter if it's last week, weeks before, months before,
54:01 whatever you've done and as long as you're in Kent and you do sport, we want to see it.
54:05 And we've got some examples from members of the team here that we want to share with us.
54:10 It starts with me. A few weeks ago, I joined the, we were talking about wheelchair rugby earlier,
54:14 weren't we? I was joining the Canterbury Hellfire Rugby Club and I had a bit of an embarrassing time for me.
54:20 It was the first time. This is Gabriel. We all know Gabriel. He is currently on a marathon training
54:25 and you can check out his videos on his TikTok. These are the type of videos we want to be sent in though.
54:29 It doesn't matter if you don't have a full camera, you can just use your phone.
54:32 And just as Gabriel is here, we just want to see you doing some sport.
54:35 We want to see you getting active. And of course, Abby, here is you.
54:38 That's a bit close.
54:40 This is you trying out the new Hang Loose at Bluewater as well.
54:45 So whatever sport it is, whatever you do, I mean, it could be, you know, you doing a big event like this
54:50 or it could even be you doing your best 180 in darts. Whatever it is, we want to see you.
54:55 So please send in your videos. You can send it to our social media, KMTVKent,
55:00 or we have a brand new email. Very easy to remember, sport@kmtv.co.uk.
55:05 It's so, so exciting to have our very own sports dedicated programme, reporter, presenter, yourself as well.
55:12 Now, what do you think you're looking forward to the most?
55:14 Because we know if people watching the show will know that you cover a lot of our sport at KMTV.
55:20 You love it. You love motorsport as well.
55:22 So tell me about some of the stuff you're going to be bringing into the show.
55:25 Yeah, I think it's going to be great because it's going to be a mixture of news.
55:28 We're going to be looking, like I said, Friday and Monday.
55:31 So we'll be looking forward to the weekend's fixtures.
55:33 And then on the Monday, we'll be looking back and we'll be reviewing.
55:35 We'll be talking to clubs from across the county and not just the most popular sports either.
55:40 We really want to make this as a platform for our viewers and for people in Kent who just get involved in sport.
55:45 Also for a lot of young people up and coming in sport as well, following their journeys as well.
55:51 Now, we don't want to be biased. We're always neutral here as journalists.
55:54 But your favourite sport, you've got to have one.
55:57 For me, it's Formula One. I'm a big motorhead, really.
56:00 Obviously, we've got it in the county as well.
56:03 The British Touring Car Championship, which is actually up this weekend.
56:06 And we have our driver as well from Tunbridge Wells, Jake Hill, who represents us in the county.
56:11 It's quite nice as well when we have these sort of big international events or national events to see who hails from the county.
56:19 Who's representing us.
56:20 That's it, yeah.
56:21 Very, very exciting news, Bartholomew.
56:23 So everybody watching this evening, make sure to get in touch with your sports news, your sports stories and your sports videos too.
56:30 Thank you very much, Bartholomew.
56:32 Now, we'll be back again tomorrow.
56:35 No, we won't. We'll be back again soon with more news across Kent.
56:39 That's all from me. Bye-bye.
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