Kent Tonight - Friday 30th August 2024
Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Mahima Abedin.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Friday the 30th of August.
00:33Winter worries. Kent charities say pensioners won't cope following government cuts.
00:38I'll be getting cold, I'll have to wrap up more because being 89 and living in a drafty
00:45house it'll affect me quite a bit.
00:49Half the world to pay. Oasis fans at the ready in Rochester to secure reunion tickets.
00:57I said £250 for a standing ticket at the most.
01:01Painting Margate red. Neurodivergent artists celebrated in the seaside town.
01:07I like to take photographs. Margate is my favourite place to take photos.
01:13First tonight, an 89-year-old woman from Gillingham says simply staying warm shouldn't be something
01:29she has to worry about this winter. Sheila Waghorn has lived in her Medway home for her
01:34whole life but for the very first time doesn't know who to turn to to keep the cold away.
01:41It's because the government has cut winter fuel payments for some pensioners meaning
01:46she won't get extra cash to cover her bills. Our reporter Mahima Abedin has more.
01:51It might be August but 89-year-old Sheila from Kent is already bracing for a frosty winter.
01:57With the government announcing its plans to scrap the annual winter fuel payments for
02:01those that aren't on pension credit or other benefits, it means Sheila who once relied
02:06to keep her warm has been left feeling helpless and unsure on where to turn to for help.
02:11I'll be getting cold. I'll have to wrap up more because being 89 and then living in a
02:17drafty house, it'll affect me quite a bit. I don't know who to go to for help. I don't
02:24think at my age you should have those worries because it's not only if you've got extra
02:30money, pension credit, there's people without pension credit that need it just as much.
02:36With thousands of pensioners in Kent and beyond expected to be impacted by these cuts, charities
02:41like Emargo that provide support for those struggling in the community say this will
02:46leave the most vulnerable having to make difficult decisions this winter.
02:50They've worked hard all their lives these people and for them to be struggling and in
02:55the situation they're in I think is terrible. People struggle as it is and they rely on
03:03that fuel payment. It's always a case of eating or heating for them and we'll have a lot of
03:12people I think that will be hungry or cold this winter.
03:18In a statement a government spokesperson said,
03:26But given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it's right that we target
03:31support to those who need it most while we take the difficult decisions needed to fix
03:35the foundations of our economy. But it's not just Emargo that's feeling the pressure with
03:40the decision to cut the payments. The Gillingham Street Angels, which also provides free support
03:44to the local community, says people are already phoning up and asking for help.
03:49It's a matter of life and death. I think there's people out there who just can't afford to
03:52live. People are panicking, they're already panicking. You know maybe means test it, there's
03:56people out there who maybe can afford it, but to just cut the whole lot of everybody,
04:01it's just, it's bad, it's a bad idea.
04:04These are just some of the blankets that Neil has ready to be handed out this winter to
04:08those that are going to be feeling extra chilly. Now he says that his charity is already feeling
04:12the pressure and fears they will only get worse.
04:15I mean the voluntary sector will do what they can to help. We've already started collecting
04:18warm clothing, blankets up. But there's a lot of people who don't engage with these services,
04:22who don't engage, they haven't got the internet, they can't find out where us people are.
04:25So I think it's going to be hard.
04:27While these changes won't actually come into force until the 16th of September, Kent charities
04:32are urging those fearful of the winter months ahead to reach out.
04:36Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Gillingham.
04:41Next tonight, a man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a devastating
04:45fire that killed a well-known busker from Faversham.
04:48James Ronayne, on the right here, died shortly before 12.30am on the 10th of August
04:53when the multiple occupant house he was living in in Salters Lane caught fire.
04:57Everyone living in the 23-bed home survived except the musician, known as Punky Jim or Jimmy.
05:04Police say a 53-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of causing arson
05:08and remains on bail until the 7th of November.
05:11Kent Fire and Rescue Service has since said the cause of the fire is believed to be linked to an e-scooter.
05:16Ten fire engines, a command support unit and a height vehicle were at the scene at the time.
05:21You can see the devastation on the screen there and there is more on that story on Kent Online.
05:26A drug dealer who was caught in Tunbridge Wells when dozens of cocaine deals fell out his trouser leg
05:32has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
05:35What's that just falling out on the floor, mate?
05:38What's that?
05:40What's that?
05:42What is that?
05:43I don't know.
05:44It just fell out. I just watched it fall.
05:46Well, on the 14th of April, Kent Police stopped a suspicious vehicle in Frant Road.
05:51Initially, Abdullah Chakir tried to convince officers he was returning from a weekend of clubbing in London
05:57but police found his vehicle had been flagged in multiple locations in Kent.
06:01When Chakir was detained, he was seen dropping items in the road
06:05and tried to kick a plastic container under the car.
06:08Another tub concealed in his clothing was found and then around 100 wraps fell from his jeans.
06:14You can see the police bagging up that evidence there.
06:17In total, 174 street deals were recovered.
06:22Now, an eight-year-old boy from Faversham was shocked to find a knife
06:26measuring almost half a metre in a playground.
06:29He made the disturbing discovery while litter picking in the bushes with his nine-year-old brother.
06:34Their grandfather has since said it's totally unacceptable
06:37and the many years they've spent litter picking in the park have never come across anything like this.
06:42A police officer later collected the weapon in an evidence bag
06:45and confirmed it was in fact a zombie knife.
06:48Here's the park on the screen now.
06:50The knife, a zombie knife, it means it has a serrated edge and image or words on it
06:55promoting its use for violence, often associated with gang crime too.
06:59Zombie knives, machetes and other sharp tools will be illegal from the 24th of September
07:03and can be handed over before the law changes in Canterbury, Folkestone or Margate police stations.
07:10Now, you might remember a few weeks ago we brought you the story about an expectant mother from Dartford.
07:16She told us that she was sent to a closed children's centre for an appointment.
07:20We have since heard from the NHS Trust.
07:23They say they're still using the building that Kent County Council officially shut last year.
07:29We'll have the full update from our local democracy reporter, Gabriel Morris, in just a moment's time.
07:33But first, let's take a look back now at his initial report.
07:37The reception is completely unmanned. It's filthy. All the lights are off.
07:42When my partner and I arrived with our son, our 16-month-old son, we were convinced we were in the wrong place.
07:48But she wasn't. This is where the NHS had sent the invite for her early pregnancy appointment.
07:54She says the building was almost abandoned with only a lone midwife present.
07:59Now, that could be because last November, Kent County Council made a decision to close more than 30 children's centres across the county.
08:07Greenlands was one of them. It's behind the primary school here and it's seemingly still open.
08:13On the gates, there are no signs saying it's closed.
08:15In fact, the only sign is saying to press that buzzer there to be able to go in for your appointment.
08:21I then start to question, why are you working out of here? I was under the impression this had been closed down.
08:26She said, for all intents and purposes, it has. All of the rooms essentially are empty.
08:30I'm working out of one room on my own, using a walkie-talkie to communicate with my colleagues and patients because there's nowhere else for me to go.
08:39The health charity worker is 11 weeks pregnant with her second child.
08:43She visited Greenlands during her first pregnancy with no concerns. She's now worried for others' safety.
08:49It's not ideal to go into that type of environment and have a needle put in your arm.
08:56For the safety of midwives that are working there, for the safety of patients that are attending,
09:02it's a real health hazard at the moment that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
09:09As a Dartford Borough Councillor, she's launched a campaign following her experience.
09:14The local MP says his constituency is one of the fastest growing amongst young people in the UK.
09:19I know the current government is very committed to having fully functioning family and children's hubs.
09:26That might be an opportunity for Kent County Council.
09:29Rather than running these services down and now actually running services pretty inappropriately from semi-abandoned facilities,
09:38they need to be looking at a positive plan to reinstate services, meet the growing demand
09:43and make sure that we get the best possible health outcomes for everyone concerned.
09:48In a statement, the authority confirmed to us the centre's closure,
09:51stating they're in talks with partners about its future use
09:54and saying service users will be informed if an agreement is reached.
09:58For Rachel and other expectant mothers, it remains unclear why this centre is still being used
10:04and they worry it will only become more neglected with time.
10:08Gabriel Morris in Dartford.
10:11And Gabriel's with me now and has promised an update.
10:14We've actually heard from the trust.
10:16Yes, the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, they have also confirmed, like Kent County Council,
10:21and Rachel we heard from in my report, who was the expectant mother who was going to the children's centre,
10:26that what NHS Trust has also said, the centre's officially closed,
10:29but they've cited the reason they're going there is because of a lack of alternative facilities.
10:35They do say that the trust is actively working to find a suitable location for these essential services
10:41and addressing that dust and the dirt you can see there, which Rachel described as filthy,
10:46well she says that's in the public, but they say that's in the public waiting area
10:50and that's down to Kent County Council to clean that.
10:54And they say that they are committed to maintaining required cleanliness standards in the clinical rooms
11:01and it is cleaned daily and midwives do escalate any concerns about the cleanliness to KCC,
11:07Kent County Council, who are responsible for managing the whole site.
11:10In terms of the walkie-talkie, which you heard the mother talking about there,
11:14they've confirmed they do use that and that is normal practice, not just at this site,
11:18but other practices due to a lack of staff.
11:22And they say they are looking for a new facility.
11:26I'll just bring you some of what Kent County Council said, as we just heard from the trust there,
11:30who said they're responsible for the site.
11:32They haven't responded directly to the cleanliness issues,
11:35but they have said this closure was part of the Family Hub's model
11:39and they are liaising for further use of the Greenland site
11:42and they will let us know if any other arrangements come up.
11:45Gabriel, thank you very much for those updates.
11:48Now it's time for a very short break, but we'll be back with more news in just a few minutes' time.
11:52See you then.
14:45Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMT.
15:15Now, it's what we've all been talking about, and if you're like me, listening to all week.
15:20Oasis will open their ticket sales to the public at 9am tomorrow,
15:24with the priciest going for more than £500.
15:27And while many are after a seat in one of the five UK venues,
15:31are the people of Kent willing to spend the money?
15:34Well, we've been asking people in Rochester.
15:37Are you planning to see Oasis?
15:38No, definitely not.
15:40They're just not a thing that I like.
15:42I mean, I don't mind the odd song, but that'll be it.
15:45So are you planning to buy Oasis tickets?
15:46Yeah, I think I will, yeah.
15:48And how much would you be willing to spend for those tickets?
15:52I mean, I said £250 for a standing ticket, at the most.
15:56Do you have any plans to go see Oasis?
15:58Oh, God, no. I didn't like them first time round.
16:01But I mean, the price of the tickets, over £500.
16:04Yeah, right, I'll pay that.
16:06It's only because they want to make money, don't they?
16:08You're not an Oasis fan by any chance?
16:09No, haven't got the haircut.
16:12And no, not a fan, not particularly.
16:15Fair enough.
16:16All right, well, thank you so much.
16:17Have a lovely day.
16:18Bye-bye.
16:19Really appreciate your time.
16:20They're only getting together for money.
16:23It started off with £50 million,
16:25and I think now they've got a tour that could go to £400 million.
16:29Well, if that's not working for money,
16:32I will be quite surprised, to be honest with you.
16:36I'm absolutely certain they're a brilliant band.
16:39I'm absolutely certain that they will do well.
16:42Certainly some mixed opinions from Rochester there.
16:45Well, the band had a gig before the fame in Tunbridge Wells,
16:49and to celebrate their 30th anniversary,
16:51Oasis, with a Y, are putting on a supersonic show
16:54as tribute tonight.
16:55Well, our reporter Finn McDermott is at the Forum now
16:58in Tunbridge Wells.
16:59Finn, not everybody you spoke to in Rochester was really that keen,
17:03it seems.
17:04Quite mixed opinions there.
17:05Maybe if the Gallaghers returned to Tunbridge Wells,
17:08it would bring out more Oasis fans from the woodwork,
17:10would you think?
17:13Oh, absolutely, yeah.
17:15I mean, in Rochester earlier, people didn't seem too keen,
17:18but I definitely think that both young fans and old fans,
17:21maybe those that were born around the 90s and the early 00s,
17:24would definitely like to see Oasis.
17:26Now, as you say, I'm here in Tunbridge Wells,
17:28and just behind me is the Forum,
17:30and right here is where Liam and Noel performed
17:34before they went supersonic.
17:36It was actually before the release of their single,
17:38Supersonic, which obviously rocketed them
17:41to huge amounts of fame.
17:43And I think lots of people would certainly be excited
17:46if they came back here,
17:47and the duo, when they performed back here in 1994,
17:52there weren't too many people in attendance.
17:54In fact, they weren't even the main act,
17:56they were the opener for a Scottish band called White Owl.
17:59Well, Mark David, who is the co-founder of the Forum,
18:03told me a brilliant story where he said
18:05when they were performing back in 1994,
18:08the brothers, I think it was Noel specifically,
18:11came up to the bar, asked if he could have a drink,
18:13and when he was told no, said this exact quote,
18:15when I'm rich and famous, I'll come back here
18:18and I'll buy this place and sack the lot of you.
18:21Well, Mark was certainly gutted that they didn't,
18:23as he said they could have used the money.
18:25I spoke to him earlier, actually.
18:27So, that never happened, unfortunately.
18:30We could have done with the money in the late 90s,
18:32but yeah, no, they were nice people, very hardworking.
18:37They had some great songs.
18:38I think that was probably the difference
18:39between them and everybody else.
18:41But of course, once it took off for them,
18:43it really, really took off.
18:44It's a point of pride, isn't it?
18:46A point of pride to have had Oasis play
18:48in a place like Tunbridge Wells,
18:49in a venue like the Forum, and it really did lay out
18:52the future history of the Forum.
18:53You can still see the most brilliant
18:55grassroots bands down there that maybe they'll go on
18:58in 30 years to be doing these kind of reunion shows.
19:02A brilliant story, Finn.
19:03I think Mark would quite appreciate
19:05the ticket prices coming in.
19:07How much are they?
19:08Because at the top end, it's looking pretty expensive.
19:14Yeah, that's right.
19:15For your average seat in a stadium,
19:17it's looking at about £73.
19:20But if you want those really top-end seats,
19:23it might be around 500 reports are coming in.
19:27Well, certainly all of us here, I imagine,
19:29will have our fingers on our laptops, computers,
19:32everything open, trying to get those tickets tomorrow.
19:35But I think us and the rest of the world.
19:37Finn, not just Kent.
19:38Finn, thank you very much.
19:43Now it's time for us to take
19:44a very quick look at the weather.
19:54Tonight will be cloudy across most of Kent,
19:56lows of 15 degrees in Tunbridge Wells,
19:58where Finn was, outside the Forum there.
20:00Saturday morning, cloud right across the county,
20:03a bit of wind coming in too,
20:05looking mostly 19 degrees.
20:07Warm into the afternoon as well, 20,
20:09sticking with 19 in Tunbridge Wells again there.
20:12And here's your outlook for Kent.
20:14It's looking pretty, a mixed picture until next week.
20:17But enjoy some sunshine on Sunday.
20:29And now, from the weather forecast
20:31to the political forecast.
20:32And all eyes in Kent turn to the autumn budget
20:35following Sir Keir Starmer's first major speech
20:37of his premiership.
20:38The Prime Minister has warned things will get worse
20:41before they get better,
20:42with difficult decisions on the horizon.
20:44Well, for a round-up of the headlines,
20:46our politics producer Oliver Leader de Sacks
20:48joins me in the studio now.
20:50Oliver, what did Sir Keir Starmer say today?
20:53Well, he didn't actually say it today,
20:54he said it earlier this week.
20:55But it has been the talk of politics
20:57in the county and beyond,
20:59because obviously it has significant implications
21:02for the future.
21:04The speech had a lot of doom and gloom,
21:07talking about how the broader shoulder
21:10will have to take most of the burden
21:12and saying that they're going to have to make decisions
21:14for the future.
21:16That could be difficult in the short term.
21:20In fact, his exact words, as you'll hear right now,
21:24are things are going to get worse
21:26before they get better.
21:28They saw the cracks in our society
21:31after 14 years of failure,
21:33and they exploited them.
21:36That's what we've inherited.
21:39Not just an economic black hole,
21:42a societal black hole.
21:44And that's why we have to take action
21:47and do things differently.
21:51And part of that is being honest with people
21:54about the choices that we face,
21:58how tough this will be.
22:01And frankly, things will get worse
22:04before they get better.
22:07Well, the big question will be for people in Kent,
22:09will there be tax rises this October?
22:14And following on from Finn's report,
22:16it's a definitely maybe.
22:18Rachel Reeves said that obviously income tax, VAT,
22:22these won't be going up.
22:24We can't write off capital gains tax, for example.
22:28Businesses and wealthier individuals
22:30could be expected to pay a little more.
22:33So obviously this budget could mean
22:36a little bit more for some people.
22:39Obviously Keir Starmer says it's to fill in
22:41a £22 billion black hole they found in their finances.
22:47Though Conservative MP Robert Jenrick,
22:49who is a candidate to replace Mr Sunak
22:51in the party's leadership contest,
22:54has accused Sir Keir Starmer of shamelessly attempting
22:57to rewrite history.
22:59So obviously it's quite divisive.
23:01And of course that discussion,
23:03those topics as well as the four-day working week,
23:06that topic, a big discussion today as well,
23:09had on the Kent Politics Show this evening,
23:11which you can catch up on the website.
23:13Oliver, thank you very much.
23:15Finally tonight, turning difficulties into gifts.
23:18The message from one studio in Margate
23:21showcasing neurodivergent and disabled artists.
23:24The founder wanted to give people with autism,
23:27Down syndrome and cerebral palsy
23:29somewhere to show their talent.
23:31In the eighth year of displaying artwork
23:33in the Margate School Gallery,
23:34some are even up for sale and could go on to win awards.
23:37Finn McDermid went to find out more.
23:39Well tucked away just near Margate's High Street
23:41is a small gallery filled with pieces
23:43centred around the theme of adapting,
23:45something its artists have had to do their entire lives.
23:49Well, here at the Margate School Gallery,
23:51the Art For All studio are displaying
23:53some of their finest works of art.
23:55Their motto is turning difficulties into gifts,
23:57and some of those gifts can be seen right here behind me,
24:00with some works going on to be displayed in Australia,
24:03Europe and even going on to win awards.
24:06But the studio isn't stopping there,
24:08hoping to have more pieces displayed in and around Margate.
24:11After Sandra, Art For All's founder,
24:13was made redundant as an art teacher
24:15at a special needs school,
24:16she created a studio in her living room
24:19and asked some of her former pupils to participate.
24:22After seeing how much they enjoyed it
24:24and the quality of their work,
24:25she began Art For All.
24:27Their latest exhibition, Proud To Create,
24:29has been going on since the 14th
24:31and ends this Friday,
24:32displaying the studio's best works from the summer for sale.
24:35We love coming back to the Margate School each year.
24:37We've been here five years.
24:39That safety of coming back to the same place
24:42reflects the safety of the studio in my home.
24:44They feel safe.
24:46They feel supported.
24:48They feel they can make choices.
24:50Hopefully they feel they can be who they want to be in that space.
24:54So we then come here to the community
24:56and we share that with everyone.
24:58I think it's really important
24:59because there's so many beautiful stories in each painting
25:02because of each individual that comes to the studio.
25:05The studio has 11 artists
25:07with a variety of mediums and styles,
25:09from traditional watercolour to photography.
25:12One of the youngest artists is Dalibor,
25:14who was born with cerebral palsy
25:16and is deaf, visually impaired and non-verbal,
25:18using British Sign Language to communicate.
25:21But that doesn't stop him from expressing himself,
25:23and he's been selected to be a part of the Portfolio Summer Show 2024
25:26at the Royal Academy.
25:28Could you tell me a bit about your art show?
25:33My name is Dalibor.
25:36Welcome to my art show.
25:38I like to take photographs.
25:40I love traffic lights.
25:43Margate is my favourite place to take photos.
25:47He's a self-taught photographer,
25:49using his iPad and different apps to create images of his experiences,
25:52which have been displayed at the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate.
25:56The Proud to Create exhibition has also seen their artists selling the work,
26:00either as framed pieces or in the form of other merchandise
26:03like posters, tote bags and postcards.
26:06The studio's long-term goal is to create a truly open space
26:09where their artists can flourish thanks to their support.
26:12Finn McDermid for KMTV in Margate.
26:15Very special project there.
26:17That's all we've got time for on Kent tonight, live here on KMTV.
26:20There's of course more news made just for Kent throughout the evening
26:23with our 8pm News Bulletin.
26:25Oliver will be back for that.
26:27In the meantime, you can keep up to date with the latest news stories
26:31by logging on to our website.
26:34There you can find all our latest shows and stories,
26:37including the Kent Politics Show.
26:39That's all from me. Have a lovely weekend.
26:41I'll see you soon. Bye bye.
27:00.