Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hook. Here are your
00:28top stories on Thursday the 19th of December. Overflowing with bills. Water companies given
00:34green light to charge up to 40% more to stop supply and sewage issues. I think it's absolutely
00:42disgusting because people that are on low wages or unemployed just can't afford this
00:48sort of thing. Age is but a number. Medway Council launch controversial plans to bring
00:54young people into politics. But we'll also not only talk about politics and getting young
00:59people thinking about the decisions that are taken that affect them but also civic life.
01:05Reuse and recycle. Kent Charity supports refugees with the gift of bikes this Christmas. They're
01:13giving them hope and opportunity and I know they're making them feel welcomed here.
01:28First tonight, water bills are set to rise for everyone in Kent and many will be paying
01:32£200 more in just five years time. The biggest rise is for southern water customers as yearly
01:38payments will go up by 53%. Regulator Ofwatt has given the green light to water companies
01:44so they can spend more on tackling sewage overflows. But it's left customers and the
01:49Thanet's MP reeling that they're footing the bill and at an already expensive time of year
01:55as Phil McDermott has been finding out. I think they should stop paying the shareholders so much
02:00instead of putting it at the prices for normal people that are struggling already. I don't think
02:04we should have it because obviously the meters are supposed to help us save it and everything
02:07but if the money's going up again what's the point of having the meter? I think it's absolutely
02:12disgusting because people you know that are on low wages or unemployed just can't afford this
02:18sort of thing you know and with everything being so the way it is it's absolutely disgusting.
02:24This is the reaction of people in Gillingham after being told their water bills could go up
02:28by more than £200 by 2029. The announcement comes after years of concern over water pipeline issues
02:35and sewage discharges across Kent's coast and rivers with the idea that the increase will prop
02:40up the financially struggling water companies and allow for positive change to the service.
02:44This includes improvements to the environment with an aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8%
02:49as well as improving the service by reducing leakage, investing £25 million in its metering
02:54programme and an 89% reduction in water supply interruptions. In coastal areas like Thanet the
03:00sewage issue is particularly important. One of the reasons why these bills are going up is because
03:05the shareholders are taking their dividends and the companies are sacking up their profits
03:11and taking that money off bill payers who are having to pay the pay for the failures of over
03:17a decade or so of mismanagement by the companies because they have not been investing in the
03:22infrastructure. So the money we pay will be going towards investing in that infrastructure. It's
03:28just a pity they haven't been doing that themselves with their own money for the last
03:32decade or so so we have the infrastructure that we need so we don't end up with more sewage being
03:37dumped in our seats. It's being called Ofwat's final determination as the regulator had the final
03:42say on how much the bills would go up. In a statement Southern Water's CEO Lawrence Godson
03:48said we're very conscious that a rise in bills isn't easy for our customers, essential though
03:52it is to deliver the improved performance and infrastructure that's required so we're significantly
03:57expanding the wide range of support available for those customers who are most in need.
04:01But many are concerned with how the bill increase would hit those unable to afford it.
04:05Southern Water had put in a request for an 84% bill hike over the next five years so obviously
04:11that's been tempered down slightly by Ofwat. However these bill increases are outrageous
04:17and it's just you know another symbol of the kind of failure of privatisation.
04:21Different areas of Kent are under the jurisdiction of separate companies so while Gillingham will
04:26see their water bills go up to £642, areas under South East Water will only be hit with a projected
04:32£55 increase. But no matter the rate the increase can have a significant effect on people's finances
04:38especially during the cost of living crisis. Finn McDermid for KMTV.
04:44And a Medway MP has backed new legislation hoping to stop water companies from dumping sewage into
04:49the River Medway. This comes as part of a larger project to crack down on pollution in the county's
04:54largest river. MP for Chatham and Ellsford Tris Osborne who proposed the change says he's deeply
04:59frustrated after 14 years of failure. If voted into law the new rules would ban water companies
05:06from paying out bonuses to their executives if the firms fail to meet high environmental standards
05:11or protect customers. It will force companies like Southern Water to publish real-time data reports
05:16on emergency overflows. A primary school and nearly 120 homes were left without power this
05:24morning after an underground fault. At Mersham Primary School power was restored at half past
05:28nine this morning though it remains closed. The latest we've heard from the homes is that UK
05:33Power Network says the majority of them have been reconnected. Only 26 properties now out of those
05:38118 still await support. Backup generators are at the site and the company predict power should be
05:44restored by half past eight this evening. Now do you think an 11 year old would make a good mayor
05:53for your town or village here in Kent? Well Medway council seem to think so as they push forward the
05:58new young mayor scheme to get more of the five town's children thinking about politics. The
06:03ceremonial role will give those in year six the chance to be elected and engage in their community
06:08as our reporter Abiona Boyer has been finding out.
06:18Built on three years of work making Medway a child-friendly city,
06:21councillor Adam Price has pushed the motion to create a young mayor role.
06:25He told me more about why involving children in politics matters. They've got a stake in
06:30the future community of Medway and we're going to give them that. They're going to be working
06:35with their peers so they'll have to convince their peers in order to be able to become one of the
06:41young mayors of Medway but also the young mayors of Medway is a really exciting bit
06:47about it. It's going to be supported by seven deputy mayors so that means that we're going to
06:52have truly like reflecting the diversity of the community. While there has been some criticism
06:58about investment into this scheme the council has assured that funding will be externally sourced
07:03and it's got cross-party support. Councillor George Perfect who got involved with politics
07:08as a student told me more. Bringing in younger voices is very important and the young mayors
07:13programme as I understand it will seek to engage with junior schools but will also not only talk
07:18about politics and getting young people thinking about the decisions that are taken that affect
07:23them but also civic life and more widely in terms of ensuring that British values etc
07:29are embedded amongst children and young people within Medway. By next Christmas Medway will have
07:35its first ever young mayor to put children's needs at the forefront of Medway politics.
07:40But what do the year fives of Swingate Primary School think of the scheme? If I were the mayor I
07:45would build more places to charge electric cars because it might encourage people to switch to
07:49electric cars. It will help the environment. If I was the mayor of Medway I would make more
07:59shelters for the homeless people and pick up litter. If I was mayor of Medway I would make
08:05more food banks and more homeless shelters and raise more money for charities and people in need
08:12and make more electric cars to make pollution better. What's your favourite bit about being
08:19from Medway? It's fun here. We have a lot of greenery. We've got lots of parks. Are you guys
08:27all planning to run for young mayor? Yeah. With the future in such passionate and thoughtful hands
08:35the elected young mayor is sure to inspire both adults and children. Abiona Boyer, KMTV Chatham.
08:44Next this evening from new hospice funding to the winter season pinch on doctors it's time
08:48to catch up on the latest health headlines with KMTV's health expert Dr Julian Spinks.
08:59Julian, hospices in England are to receive 100 million pounds of government funding over two
09:04years. That's to help improve end-of-life care. 26 million is going to hospices for children and
09:10young people. How important is it that we invest in hospices especially when there's a lot of
09:14conversation and of course votes on assisted dying recently as well? How important is it
09:19because a lot of people were concerned about palliative care and how that would be impacted?
09:23Well absolutely. The assisted dying bill really brought to light how poorly funded hospices are
09:30and the fact that they are struggling to actually meet demand and so having to close beds because
09:35they can't pay for staff. So we do need to fund that properly. I don't think it's an either-or.
09:40We have to have both in place because hospices can offer people a very good quality of death.
09:46Obviously they're not going to save people's lives but they make those last few months and days
09:52really much better for people. Another story I want to bring you Julian. Government figures
09:59show there's been a catastrophic rise in deaths caused solely by alcohol in England over the past
10:05four years. More than 8,200 people died because of alcohol in 2023 and in fact it's a 42% rise
10:13on 2019. Do those figures surprise you considering that we seem to always push the message for
10:19healthier living? Yes they partly surprise quite how high they are, how much they've risen over a
10:24really very short period of time. We can certainly try and look and see why that happens and one has
10:31to look at Covid in the times when there was far more pressure on people and maybe they're at home
10:36and deciding to drink more heavily. But yes the message is obviously not getting through to people.
10:41We need people to be sensible about what they drink. We're not saying nobody can have a drink
10:46but at the same time if you're drinking heavily there's enormous impact on your health and of
10:51course it also impacts on those people around you. And of course it's a really difficult time
10:55of year to be having this conversation as well because everybody a week today they'll be
10:59enjoying a pint with their family or a drink with their friends. How do we manage that and that
11:06expectation of going back into January as well? A lot of people do dry January as well but feeling
11:11that pressure too it's talking about sort of the mental health side of things there.
11:16Absolutely. Some people will drink to forget. It's bad news. It doesn't really work and whenever
11:21there's major mental health problems then alcohol tends to go up. I think we can't be party poopers.
11:26We have got to have a balance between getting a healthy message out but allowing people to enjoy
11:31themselves in the festive season. Julian thank you very much. Very important message to have fun but
11:36be sensible at the same time. Julian thank you very much. Now time for a very quick break but coming
11:41up more news from right across the county. I'll see you in just a few minutes time.
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15:10Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV. Now Kent Refugee Action Network have launched
15:16an appeal for bike donations. They say they're giving the gift of freedom this year by handing
15:21out two wheels to young refugees and asylum seekers across the county. So far they've donated
15:2650 with the help of the bike shed in Margate who spruce up old models and give out equipment.
15:31Aidan McNamee has been speaking with the charity and meeting those it's helped.
15:36Do you remember your first bike? It might have been a hand-me-down or a birthday present but for
15:41a lot of us it was for Christmas. And here in Canterbury one charity is hoping to bring some
15:47of that festive cheer to young refugees. The Kent Refugee Action Network, CRAM for short,
15:51has launched their Christmas Pedal Power Appeal. The plan? Convince the people of Kent to donate
15:56their old bikes, fix them up and bring the Christmas spirit to young people in need.
16:01So what does it mean to these young refugees when they get a bike?
16:25So we work with unaccompanied asylum seeking children, so young people that come to this
16:30country without any family. We've given out this year 56 bikes to young people so they're all
16:36second-hand donated bikes. The key to it really is the bike shed in Margate and they fix up the
16:41bikes and then we give them to young people with helmets locks and lights. So what can money do for
16:47bikes? Well a fiver gets you your basic emergency lights, tenner gets a lock like this to keep it
16:53safe, for 15 pounds we get some better fancy rechargeable lights to keep safe at night,
16:59and for 20 pounds we get a helmet like this. Obaida first came to CRAM as a refugee in 2018.
17:06He works with them as a youth ambassador and has even donated his own bikes to the cause.
17:10I've got two bikes, I'm not using them. I would rather give them to young people who get benefited
17:17from using it. Seeing the joy on a young person is such a great thing and also like you know
17:23they're giving them hope and opportunity and like you know they're making them feel welcomed here,
17:29so why not donating bikes for them? Aidan McNamee, KMTV News.
17:37Now it's time to take a very quick look at the weather.
17:40It's going to be clear and chilly this evening, two degrees in Ashford, temperatures of five over
17:51in Margate, but clear skies in the morning. Similar temperatures but those clouds calming
17:55in. Tunbridge Wells set to be cloudy but some sunshine peeking through the clouds in parts
17:59there. By the afternoon much of the same, nine degrees across the board, wind coming up a bit
18:03there. Staying cloudy and here's your outlook for Kent in to next week when the festivities
18:09begin. Although Saturday it's raining, on Monday it should be sunny.
18:20Well this time next week you'll probably have finished Christmas dinner leftovers,
18:24celebrated with your family and friends and be just about ready to sit down and watch a film.
18:30But once all the festivities are nearly over, what should we be putting on? What are the Boxing
18:35Day classics? Well ahead of a brand new episode of Kent Film Club, as always on a Thursday,
18:40the show's presenter Chris Deasey joins me now to answer that exact question. Chris,
18:44what should we be watching on Boxing Day? That's actually a really good twist to the tale because
18:49so many Christmas films of course finish actually really on Boxing Day. Think of the Scrooge films,
18:55I'm actually about tonight, hence I'm in this outfit, to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol
18:59just up the road. And of course the Scrooge tale famously ends with the Christmas transformation,
19:04but you think what happens after Boxing Day? Does the Christmas redemption go on or does it all end
19:11and does he revert to his misanthropic self and does the journey start all again the following
19:16year? That's a really good question because does Christmas end, do we revert to our old selves?
19:22Because that's what Christmas films are all about, it's a wonderful life, another one, it's about
19:26magical transformation, it's about change and transformation, or do we just revert to our old
19:32selves? And part of the debate every year, a debate we had in the newsroom today, what constitutes a
19:39Christmas film? Some of them are debatable up here. The first one I always think about when we have
19:45this discussion is Die Hard. Lots of people say it's a Christmas film, other people disagree.
19:49Harry Potter's up here, Frozen's up here. Pick one of these, is it a Christmas film or not? Okay, Die
19:55Hard, I'm watching this on the 23rd, it's actually a perfect Christmas Eve movie because would it
20:00work if it were set at Thanksgiving or Easter? Because I don't think it would, because effectively
20:05like in It's a Wonderful Life or in The Scrooge Story, you've got a man estranged from his family,
20:09his children want him to be brought back with his wife and he undertakes an act of self-sacrifice
20:16in order to effectively save Christmas. And of course you've also got the big classics,
20:21War and One Rose, Let It Snow, all the Christmas crooners are in there. But it really is a Christmas
20:25transformation story. Nightmare Before Christmas, Christmas is in the title, it's that combination
20:31between Halloween. I saw that two nights ago and it is the most perfect sort of commingling
20:35of Halloween and Christmas. I always saw it as a Halloween film in that funny way. And same with
20:42Batman Returns which I saw on there, it's turning on its head. We've got Eyes Wide Shut up on the
20:46board there. Yeah and I'm seeing that after Christmas again, that is very much set, it's
20:50against a very sort of macabre backdrop, a gothic backdrop really to the Christmas story. Frozen,
20:55what about Frozen? Well yeah, I mean obviously superficially it's about snow, but again it's
20:59about change and transformation and miracles. Harry Potter? Well of course, yeah exactly. And
21:03of course it's also like Wizard of Oz, films that come out at Christmas time or we associate with
21:07Christmas even though they're not actually Christmas films because that's when we first
21:11watched them. And I was thinking earlier, it's reminiscent of the way we see Christmas songs
21:17repeated every year sort of reaching the charts, but you never really see a new song get that far,
21:22it's always the classics, it's always the ones we listen to year on year. Is that the same way
21:27for films or can we come up with new Christmas films or are they just a bit too cheesy some of
21:31them? Actually that's a good question because think of Lad Baby which had all those number
21:34ones and they were just versions, parodic versions. I love sausage rolls. With film,
21:39Elf, I'm seeing that tonight. And in a way of course it's building on the nostalgia for
21:46Christmas' past. Well it's not that new now, it's 21 years old, but it builds on the same
21:51tropes that we can trace back to Charles Dickens. So really, is there anything new under the sun?
21:57Ironically perhaps not, but Christmas is an important, indispensable backdrop to all of
22:03these films. So it's like a new way of interpreting an old festival. And Chris, what have you been
22:11watching? I know you've got a whole long list of films that you're watching. You mentioned
22:14something you're seeing tonight as well. Is it a marathon from now until Boxing Day?
22:19I'm afraid it started at the beginning of December. I thought you were going to say August.
22:23Almost. Trading Places I have already seen at the cinema. Quite a few of these I've already
22:27watched over the last few days. I will be watching Die Hard as I say. I'll be watching the two Home
22:31Alone films. Actually my children even said, but Daddy, why do we need to go to the cinema? We know
22:35the film, we can watch it on Disney Plus. But I'm thinking, I suppose it's a different generation,
22:41but actually that pilgrimage element of going down to the cinema to watch that
22:44is something that is part of the Christmas that I think I grew up with.
22:48Amazing, Chris. Thank you very much. Well, Kent Film Club coming up this evening,
22:53we do have a very special guest on, KMTV's own Finn McDermott. I asked you this question
22:58about Kristen last week, but what do Finn's film choices say about him?
23:03Well, I'll focus on one of them because it fits our conversation so far. He says skirting that
23:08question, but actually he's chosen Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which is a Thanksgiving film,
23:13but there's a turkey in it and actually it follows many of the same kind of tropes that you would get
23:18from a Christmas movie. So I think, in case Finn is anywhere near the studio here, I think that
23:24that's a more redeemable answer than poor Kristen last week who had the whole, you know, what does
23:29this say about the darker recessions of her mind? It was all sort of straight through.
23:32He's not as evil and scary as Kristen as we once thought.
23:35And that's your quotation, Abby, not mine.
23:38They're all laughing at my ear, including Finn, so there you go. But Kristen's not in the room,
23:41so we got away with it again. Chris, thank you very much.
23:44Cheers, Abby.
23:44But the Christmas magic doesn't end there. Finally this evening, across the county,
23:48many people are lighting up their homes to spread festive cheer and celebrate the season of giving.
23:53For some, visiting these dazzling displays has become a much-loved holiday tradition.
23:58Kristen Hawthorne was speaking to a very special home earlier in Gillingham.
24:04Your house looks wonderful today. Can you tell me a little bit more about the inspiration behind it?
24:08Well, it's a classic Disney theme, and we've been planning it for about a year,
24:13my daughter and myself. We always collect for My Shining Star, so we just thought it would
24:17be really lovely to bring Mickey and Minnie in for it for a fun time, really.
24:22Fantastic. And you say that you collect for The Shining Star,
24:26and you have done for about four years. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
24:29Yes, it's a local children's cancer charity just run by two lovely ladies, Anita and Heather,
24:38and they've been running the charity for about 10 years.
24:42And we've raised about £37,000 for them over in that time,
24:47and they work extremely hard, so that's why we try to help them out.
24:51There's a real community atmosphere about people bringing down different decorations for your
24:56house, and all across the road there's decorations. What does that feel like?
25:00It feels absolutely lovely. I mean, when you get lots of people come from
25:03newborn children with their mums and dads to the oldest person we've had come as a 99-year-old man,
25:10which is amazing. So throughout the community, all different age groups, it's amazing,
25:15and everyone's loving it, which is great.
25:17How much does it cost to have all these lights on? I mean, you've got
25:20ones all around the back and everything.
25:23It's really not about the money, and we have solar panels, so it's not costing a great deal
25:28of money for us, but it's more about everyone enjoying the display and the community spirit
25:35and collection as well, which is great. You told me that you're going for a
25:38retro Christmas. This is why you've went for the Minnie and Mickey sort of look.
25:44Over here you've got Minnie, and then you've got different garlands from back in the 90s, you said?
25:49Yes, we've collected things. Well, we've got toys back there from 1959, puzzles. We just thought
25:57it would be nice for people to come to reminisce what they may have got when they were children,
26:02rather than the gaming machines and phones that we have today.
26:06This is the classic Christmas from bygone years.
26:10And so what does next year hold? You've done Christmas, you do Easter, you do
26:15Halloween as well?
26:16Yes, we do. We're already planning next Christmas. It should be quite big.
26:21If we pull it off, it should be great, so we're looking forward to that as well.
26:24Thank you, Nicola. Happy Christmas.
26:28I don't know if we'll get Kristen back for that. She was absolutely loving that festive
26:32house there. Well, you've been watching Ken tonight live here on KMTV. There's of course
26:36more news made just for Ken throughout the evening, but that's all from me.
26:39I'll be back at 8pm with your news bulletin. Bye-bye for now.