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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kenton Eye, live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 10th of September.
00:34The race is on, Kent Conservatives speak out ahead of crunch leadership vote.
00:40We have to decide whether we are looking for somebody to lead us into the next election
00:43in the expectation that we won't win that election, or whether we're looking for a future
00:48Prime Minister.
00:49Risking our lives, call to improve safety to one of Kent's busiest roads.
00:55A young girl was knocked over three years ago now, literally just after I was elected,
00:59and she was trying to cross the road to get home.
01:02Herne Bay makes history, Roman fortress and church reopened after 20 years.
01:09Phase three, obviously the biggest project of them all, was to get these towers into
01:14a fit state where we can get people up.
01:26First tonight, in the last half an hour, we've learnt Kent's very own Tom Tugendhat
01:32is still in the running to become the next Conservative leader.
01:36And with all the ballots in, who are Kent's MPs backing, and what will this mean ahead
01:40of the party conference?
01:42Well, let's find out, joining us live now from College Green in Westminster to tell
01:46us more is Mahima Abedin.
01:48Mahima, you're staying dry and warm hopefully in what's been quite a stormy day, both in
01:53the weather and politics wise.
01:55What can you tell us about the knockout stage?
01:58Hi Abi, yes, as you said, a very stormy day, both in politics and here today.
02:05But what I can tell you is that Tom Tugendhat, one of Kent's only MPs running to be Tory
02:10leader is through to the next stage and Mel Stride is out.
02:14The Tunbridge MP has tied with 21 votes, along with James Cleverley, and I've been stood
02:19here outside of the Houses of Parliament, where the action is taking place, all day
02:24and let's just say it's been a very busy day throughout the day.
02:27Ballots have been passed and MPs have been trying to gather as much support as they can.
02:32And of course, we just found out not too long ago that Mel Stride has been kicked out having
02:36received 16 votes.
02:39Now it's round two of six for the race to be the leader of the Conservative party.
02:43At the start of today there was five MPs running and now it's down to four.
02:48But that includes Tunbridge's MP, Tom Tugendhat, and although he's at the back of the pack,
02:53he's still in the race.
02:55So who are Kent's MPs supporting?
02:57Well, what I can tell you is that we know that Katie Lamb, Kent's newest Conservative
03:01MP, has been showing support for Robert Jenrick, who today received 33 votes, so he's the front
03:07runner.
03:08She's been saying that he's strong with his views on immigration and she thinks that he'll
03:12bring about the change that she wants to see within her party.
03:15Others, like Helen Waitley and Laura Trott, who are both members of the Shadow Cabinet
03:20and both have constituencies in the county, aren't backing their fellow Kent colleague
03:25Tom Tugendhat either.
03:26They're showing support for Kemi Badenoch, who has 28 votes as of today.
03:31Earlier we spoke to Sir Roger Gale, who's the MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich, and although
03:36he can't exactly say who his support lies with, because he's on the executive for the
03:401922 committee, what he does say is that what MPs are looking for in a Tory leader
03:46could be very different to what the Parliamentary Party are after.
03:50The membership of the Conservative Party is looking for a leader for the party to take
03:57us into the next general election, hopefully win the next general election and become the
04:01next Conservative Prime Minister.
04:04The Parliamentary Party, clearly, is looking for the man or woman who will take us through
04:11this Parliament, lead us at the parliamentary level, lead the attack on the opposition,
04:17hold the opposition to account, and enable us all to do what is now our job, which is
04:23to very fiercely and unrelentingly take what is already seen as a dreadful government to
04:30pieces.
04:31So, what we do know now is that Tom Tugendhat is still in the race to lead the party, but
04:39what voters in Kent, compared to what MPs in Parliament want, could be very different
04:43and well, we might see that play out coming in the next stages, but what is the next stage?
04:48Well, the four through to the next stage will pitch, directly pitch to party members at
04:53a conference up in Birmingham, a few hours away from here, and that's where it could
04:59all change.
05:00Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverley are both at the bottom right now with 21 votes, and
05:04Robert Jenrick with 33 at the top, but it's all to play for.
05:08Mahima, thank you very much for those details, definitely an interesting day in Westminster.
05:14In other news from the capital, a Conservative motion to stop the winter fuel allowance cut
05:19has been defeated by more than 100 votes, and with Jillingham and Reynham MP Neshaba
05:24Khan and Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield both abstaining.
05:28One of those MPs that did support the government, however, was Dartford's Jim Dixon, who told
05:33us that difficult decisions have to be made.
05:36It is a difficult decision, I don't doubt it is going to affect some pensioners this
05:41winter. However, there are big rises in the pension happening, and the record of Labour
05:46governments, for instance the last Labour government, is that at the end of our periods
05:50in office, pensioners are taken out of poverty, children are taken out of poverty, money is
05:55redistributed from the best off to the least well off, and I'm very confident that will
05:59happen over the four year term. But I don't underrate some of the difficulties that might
06:04come with the decision that's been taken on the winter fuel payment. But the government
06:08has my support, because I believe it's got the right values and the direction of travel
06:12is right.
06:15Now there are urgent calls to widen one of Kent's busiest roads in a bid to prevent a
06:19fatal accident. Gabriel Morris, our local democracy reporter, has been talking to residents
06:24living near Meriworth.
06:27Imagine trying to get out of Fish Junction every morning. It's what residents living
06:32in Kent Streets have to do. They say they face cars flying by on either side, and limited
06:37visibility due to these fences and bushes. Local councillors have been campaigning for
06:43years in a bid to bring improvements.
06:46Residents live on both sides, and trying to get out from their side road onto the A228,
06:52they take their life in their hands every single time. So a young girl was knocked over
06:56three years ago now, literally just after I was elected, as she was trying to cross
07:00the road to get home. Fortunately her injuries weren't severe, but that's not to say that
07:06someone else, it could have been a fatal accident. So, you know, we need to prevent any fatalities
07:12and to ensure that this gets actioned as quickly as possible.
07:14The A228 is one of the busiest roads in the county. It links many towns in the north to
07:19Tunbridge and Tunbridge Wells in the south. But the A road becomes a single track at Kent
07:24Street. There's nothing residents can do about the traffic, but they'd like to see traffic
07:28lights installed and widening for two corners of the road. That decision now lies with the
07:33county council.
07:34Well, it's a project that has obviously come from the local interest rather than being
07:38a top-down Kent project. So, of course, it is important. We've had discussions with the
07:44divisional member. The section 106 money exists. So, yes, we want to do it. Absolutely.
07:49There are many schemes going on. We have to prioritise schemes. This is on our list. And
07:53as I said, if the discussions with the landowner are positive, as we hope they're going to
07:57be, we'll get this work started next year.
08:01A pot of money from local developments is set aside, which will contribute to improvement
08:05works. But this was from a few years back. With recent inflation, there are fears it'll
08:11come short.
08:12Gabriel Morris, near Meriworth.
08:15Next tonight, on Suicide Prevention Day, Mid Kent Mind are urging the public to start the
08:20conversations surrounding what can be a very tricky topic to talk about. They say, as winter
08:24approaches, the demand for the service only increases. I spoke to wellbeing coach Mark
08:29Willis.
08:30Suicide is still very much a taboo subject. It's a word that, even if it's very, it's
08:35a kind of very sound of the word, can make people feel very nervous, very anxious, very
08:39uncomfortable.
08:40What do I say? How do I respond to it? So the encouragement today is actually having
08:44honest conversations. Yes, it may be around kind of like checking up with somebody who's
08:48at risk of harming themselves and kind of maybe engaging in some self-harming behaviour
08:53as well.
08:54But it's also about raising that kind of conversation that it's OK not to be OK and it's OK to
08:59talk about it and just listen. If the bare minimum you can do is give people time and
09:04space just to listen, then actually that can make a huge impact. The issue is how we
09:10listen.
09:11And from your experience working for the charity, how do people open up? What is it that makes
09:17them feel safe enough, I suppose, to talk to your charity?
09:23I think we all kind of like try and kind of wear a mask and everything's fine. But here
09:28in MidCamp Mind, we accept people as they are. We are also very open and honest with
09:35people. So we allow people to feel comfortable in a safe space and also accept acceptance
09:43of their kind of experience of life, not to judge it. I think we are very ready to judge
09:50people and their experiences.
09:52And on a day like today, on a prevention day, do you see a lot more people reaching out
09:56and using your service?
09:59I think every day is as similar as every other day, sadly. We know that when we do wellbeing
10:05drop-ins here in our wellbeing kind of cafe on a very regular basis, we have last year
10:13166 people actually put, as part of their feedback, actually coming to a safe space
10:18here in Maidstone allows them actually to not engage in suicidal thoughts or maybe suicidal
10:25kind of behaviour. So although we might kind of focus our attention more widely on Suicide
10:32Prevention Day, for some people it's a day-by-day struggle and having this place where people
10:38can come and just be accepted on a regular basis is really important. It's prevention
10:43rather than kind of risk management or crisis management.
10:48And that place, I suppose, even more crucial now as we head into winter, it's fast approaching
10:53just around the corner. We think of Christmas, December. It's a really tough time of year
10:57for many people. Are you preparing for an increase in calls for support, people reaching
11:02out? Is that what you tend to see around the winter time?
11:06Yes, some people find actually kind of like SAD, kind of suicidal affective disorder,
11:11kind of moods will lower. People have this idealised version of what Christmas does and
11:16what it represents in terms of family. People may not be as connected to their families.
11:21We're also very aware of the cost of living crisis impact has on some people and the expectations
11:27that may put on people of kind of creating the ideal Christmas, although the resources
11:31may not be there to do so. But I think just kind of focusing on mental health and the
11:38impact of it as a kind of a seasonal thing kind of misses the point. Mental health is
11:44there 24, 7, 3, 6, 5 days a year.
11:47You can contact Mid Kent Mind on 01622 692 383. See you after this very short break.
14:47Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:17Now, a Coast Guard helicopter was spotted searching for a kayaker near a popular Folkestone
15:22beach. A large emergency response was called to the harbour arm area this morning. Paramedics
15:27and the Coast Guard were at the scene and a helicopter was seen searching the sea shortly
15:31before 11am. A Coast Guard spokesman said they were called to reports of a kayaker who
15:36had become separated from their craft off Folkestone Pier around 9.50am. They stated
15:42that the casualty was lifted from the water by a winchman paramedic and passed into the
15:46care of South East Coast Ambulance service back on land. The kayaker's condition has
15:51not been confirmed.
15:55Now from a Roman fortress to a 12th century monastery, a piece of Herne Bay history has
16:00been reopened to the public after 20 years. The Recolva Towers have undergone restoration
16:05work including on the Roman wall too. Well, Finn McDermid went down to learn more.
16:10Recolva is a village just three miles along the coast from Herne Bay and it's home to
16:15a halfway house of history, with the Recolva Towers having been a Roman settlement, a fort,
16:20a monastery and then a church. Now, after more than 10 years, members of the public
16:26can access the inside of the towers.
16:29Well, the Romans, Britons and Saxons all the way back in the 12th century doing that walk
16:36might have been a bit fitter than me. They were part of a Christian sect known as the
16:41Recolvas here at Recolva Tower and they would have had a bit of a better reward waiting
16:46for them at the top. That would have been their storage here which would have mostly
16:50been gold. Well, no one's really been up here in about 20 years because of the closure.
16:58When Emperor Claudius and the Romans conquered Britain in AD 43, it's widely believed that
17:03they used the River Wansum in Kent as a shortcut into the mainland from the sea. That meant
17:08they developed it from a settlement to a fort, which was then eventually turned into
17:12a 12th century monastic church. But the Romans' brickwork can still be seen with these red
17:17tiles.
17:18Well, the history of the church, what we see here now is the remnants of a church that
17:25was built in the centre of the Roman fort when the Romans had gone. And it was owned
17:30by the Archbishop of Canterbury who obviously was the bigwig, wasn't he, for this area.
17:36And it was formed by monks in about the 630s.
17:40With the small entryway, people were queuing up to get through the door and told me it
17:44had been closed to them for what felt like so long.
17:46It's a really important site for the council and for Herne Bay. As you can probably see,
17:58it's drawing a lot of people here. So it's great to see so many people coming out.
18:05But it wasn't an easy journey. With the tower's location, the conservation efforts had to
18:09ensure the towers were not just suitable for the public, but for future generations to
18:13enjoy as well.
18:14So we started off with the Roman fort that surrounds the church and getting all the brickwork
18:20and stonework that's still there from the Roman period into a condition where it's not
18:25going to deteriorate any more than it already has. We then started doing some conservation
18:31work on the main parts of the church other than the towers as phase two. And then phase
18:37three, obviously the biggest project of them all was to get these towers into a fit state.
18:42Well, from the first century to the 12th and now in the 21st, hopefully this piece of Kentish
18:47history can stand the test of time.
18:49Finn McDermid for KMTV in Recolva.
18:53Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across your county
18:57by logging onto our website. It's kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports, including
19:02this one about food banks increasing their security measures after a number of thefts
19:07and alleged attacks.
19:10Hundreds of pounds on body cameras, a thousand on CCTV. That is what Neil Charlock, who runs
19:17the Gillingham Street Angels, says he has to spend on security equipment for his food
19:24bank.
19:25It follows an alleged attack on one of his 60-year-old delivery drivers yesterday afternoon.
19:31These guys volunteer. We feed a lot of people in this community. They shouldn't have to
19:36deal with that kind of thing. It's an increasing problem. This is not just a one-off occurrence.
19:41The verbal abuse, the abuse that goes on towards food banks and other organisations that are
19:45there to help is appalling. Those body cameras are £200 apiece to make sure that they feel,
19:50that my volunteers feel a bit of safety, that when something does go wrong, we've got
19:54one of the volunteers who's got leukaemia. She's been spat in her face. People have just
19:58rude us and rude people out there. And it's not a great deal. We can't afford to have
20:02security guards at a food bank that's trying to help people. We're trying to give stuff
20:05out for free. It's bad that we should be even looking at that kind of thing.
20:09Kent Police confirmed they were called to Skinner Street around 1.30 on Monday following
20:15a report that a man had been assaulted by a delivery driver, but after speaking to the
20:21informant determined that no offences were deemed to have been committed. It's not just
20:27the Gillingham Street Angels that say they have seen their volunteers on the receiving
20:33end of abuse.
20:34It's probably more so, not because we've seen more of an increase, but maybe of that sort
20:40of incidents happening. I think it's more because the sheer number of people are increasing,
20:45which in turn, a classic example of today, one of our clients said, oh, why do I get
20:51less than that person? And it's purely because we can't necessarily, we have a different
20:57system for different, if you're a family or a single people, but you can't, because of
21:01the sheer number of volumes, we can't give everybody exactly the same amount because
21:05we just wouldn't be able to give those donations out to everybody.
21:10With demand continuing across the county, the threat of abuse continues to be a real
21:16concern for Kent's voluntary sector.
21:20Oliver Lees-Essex for KMTV in Medway.
21:24And you can find more reports like Oliver's over on our website, kmtv.co.uk. Well, now
21:29let's take a quick look at the weather.
21:34Tonight, clear skies across the county and cool temperatures. Highs of 11 and lows of
21:4210 degrees in Tambridge Wells. Tomorrow morning, slightly sunnier, a bit of cloud in Margate
21:46and Maidstone there, a bit of wind coming in too, but staying pretty sunny. Tomorrow
21:51afternoon, those temperatures continue staying dry too, but that wind persisting as well.
21:56Highs of 15. And here's your outlook for Kent into the weekend. Thursday, much the same.
22:00Friday, a bit sunnier. Highs of 17.
22:12Now to sport. In Gillingham, owner Brad Gallinson has called a meeting of the club's shareholders
22:17with a view to remove former owner Paul Scully as club director. In a statement from the
22:22club, it says their investigations are ongoing and are unable to comment further at this
22:27stage. Mr Scully hasn't really been seen at games this season, but was heavily involved
22:32at Priestfield when the Gallinson's first took charge. Speaking on Invicta Sport, Gillingham
22:37fan and podcaster Matt Olsen says the American couple are the club's future.
22:42I was there in 1995 when he took over the club for the famous pound that he paid for
22:49us. And look, if you look what he's done to us, he has kept us financially stable and
22:54running. But sometimes, unfortunately, I feel, yeah, he, he spoke a little too truthfully
23:01to the media and what have you. And Suffolk came out. Obviously, he, we all know about
23:07the famous comment he said about some of our fans back in the day. But I will ever forever
23:13hold him grateful for the fact that he did save my football club. And, you know, he's
23:18kept us running. And look, Greenapash is with Brad and Shannon involved.
23:23Been a football chairman of this club for 27 years. So he knows the club inside out
23:27like the back of his hand. So actually having him around in a non-executive case, you know,
23:33was, would be brilliant because, you know, they can learn off of his experience and grow.
23:38But look, it's now time for them as, you know, the sole owners of this football club to go
23:44on and put their own stamp on it. You know, I'll say it again, I'll forever be grateful
23:48for Paul, Brad and Shannon, you know, they're our future now.
23:54You can watch that full interview with Bartholomew Hall over on Invicta Sport on our website
23:59too. Now, next tonight, from shopping centre auctions to hotel renovations, many businesses
24:04in Kent are building up their budgets and perfecting their profits. Here's Elisa O'Pare
24:09with your business round-up.
24:11First, the Charter Shopping Centre and Carpark in Dover is set to be auctioned next month
24:15with a freehold guide price of £1.8 million to £2 million. Auctioneers for the site have
24:20confirmed the property is up for sale and say it could benefit from further residential
24:24development. The 1981-built site is aimed at 100 homes in the Dover District Council
24:29Local Plans, a blueprint envisaging where homes will be built in the district up to
24:332040. But the Labour-led authority has yet to comment on the project.
24:37Secondly, the futures are unknown for Dobbies Garden Centre in Ashford Eureka Leisure Park
24:41and on Courtenay Road in Junihorm, as investors discuss a major restructure which will be
24:45built in the future. The site is currently under construction, but it is expected to
24:49be completed by the end of the year.
24:51The auction will take place on September 25th at 1pm.
24:54Secondly, the futures are unknown for Dobbies Garden Centre in Ashford Eureka Leisure Park
24:58and on Courtenay Road in Junihorm, as investors discuss a major restructure which will be
25:02and on Courtenay Road in Junihorm, as investors discuss a major restructure which could result
25:06in closures. After heavy losses were reported, its controlling investors isn't talked
25:10over a restructuring plan. It could result in the closure of some underperforming stores.
25:15Across its portfolio, Dobbies employ 3,700 people. It reported being hit by various factors
25:19over the recent years including the pandemic, inflation and inclement weather, all which
25:23contributed to significant losses.
25:26And finally, for the first time in 20 years, the Holiday Inn in Rotherham Heath is undergoing
25:30a £2 million makeover. It has already seen the total transformation of the ground floor
25:34which started during the pandemic, but now work has begun updating all 106 bedrooms.
25:38The hotel which opened in 1984 is set to be completely renovated in the first quarter
25:42of 2025. And while the hotel is undergoing a full facelift, the friendly faces of the
25:47business will remain the same.
25:49This has been Elise Opare for your Business Roundup.
26:01Now, just before we go this evening, take a look at this. Some of man's best friends
26:06from Kent are in need of some new friends. 20 adorable dogs from Last Chance Animal Rescues
26:12are looking for loving families from beautiful racehounds such as Beyonce and Disco Greatnames
26:17who have lived solely in race kennels to loving lurchers like Leo and Julie filled with energy
26:22and keen ears for classic FM, actually, and hopefully cane TV, and a range of friendly
26:27bulldogs like Little Yoda who will do anything for a treat, and not to forget many of the
26:32dog duos like Lilo and Stitch who are lifelong friends. Well, there's a wide variety of breeds,
26:37personalities, and helping you find your perfect puppy match if you're looking for a new friend.
26:43Very adorable. That's all we've got time for this evening. I'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
26:57.