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 Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook. Here are your top stories on Tuesday, the 22nd of April.
00:34Tories take aim at Kent. Conservatives hope to claim back County Council after Sevenoaks' farm visit.
00:42School Street shambles. Medway Council apologises as disabled mother issued with court orders.
00:50And serving up change in Chatham, we meet the social media star helping the homeless.
00:55First this evening, we can win Kent once again.
01:01That's the Conservatives' message today as Kemi Badenoch visits a farm in Sevenoaks ahead of next week's County Council elections.
01:09The Tories will be well aware that some polls predict they could lose overall control for the first time in nearly 20 years.
01:16Well, local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris was there.
01:19Flowers might be blossoming on this Sevenoaks farm this morning, but is there a spring in Kemi Badenoch's step ahead of next week's election?
01:29She'll be hoping to swing those photos lost at last year's general election back to the Conservatives.
01:35These are exactly the sorts of ideas that we want to get. We just want to start fresh rather than just building on.
01:42But a new party entering the political field could throw those plans into chaos.
01:48How scared are you of Reform UK's prospects in Kent?
01:52I'm not scared of anything. This is a very competitive political environment.
01:57Every party is a threat. And what I've said is that we win by making sure that we have the best and most compelling offer.
02:03And that's what I'm working on.
02:04And Kemi, what will voters get in return if the Conservatives are re-elected to County Council next week, particularly after years of cutbacks to discretionary services?
02:16We have been living in a very challenging economic environment.
02:20And what I tell people is that even within those circumstances, the Conservative councils are the ones that have been delivering.
02:26I'm not saying it's been easy, but you only need to look at Birmingham, where they've gone bankrupt, where people paid council tax and yet their rubbish wasn't picked up.
02:34Rats are running all around the streets. That's what you get when you treat local government elections like an opinion pool.
02:39You need to look at who's going to get you the best services.
02:42The Tories have held Kent County Council for most of its history, aside from a brief spell in the 1990s.
02:49It should be a stronghold. But is it still?
02:52This is what voters in Sevenoaks think.
02:56They do better than Labour, do better than the Dems, and I don't trust reform because they seem to be very disjointed at the moment.
03:05It's a young party. They've had no experience of any kind of leadership.
03:10Politicians now are in it for a career rather than actually wanting to serve people, and they're absolutely in it for themselves.
03:19Not particularly, but I don't trust any of the parties that much.
03:23Back on the farm, the party's hoping its stance on inheritance tax will herd support its way.
03:29But at County Council level, they'll have little influence on that, but rather potholes, adult social care, and children with special educational needs.
03:38With little more than a week till polling day, Kenny Badenock will be hoping the Conservatives retain control of Kent County Council.
03:46Polling so far hasn't been good, but will the grass be greener on the other side?
03:52Gabriel Morris, near Sevenoaks.
03:55Now, a man in his 60s has died after being assaulted in Ramsgate last month.
04:00The victim sustained head trauma back in March, late one evening in Harbour Street.
04:04A 34-year-old man from the area was previously charged with unlawful wounding when the victim was taken to hospital.
04:11Police say they're continuing to investigate following the death, and inquiries are ongoing.
04:18Now, Earth Day is a global environmental campaign where people and world leaders are called on to take action on climate change.
04:26This year, the theme is Our Power, Our Planet, and the campaign is aimed to raise awareness about renewable energy with a goal of tripling the global generation of clean energy by 2030.
04:39But here in Kent, is Earth Day well-known or even practised?
04:43Well, Fim at Dermid went down to Maidstone to ask just that.
04:47Today marks the 75th anniversary of Earth Day.
04:50It was started back in the U.S. in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson, who created it after seeing an oil spill.
04:57It's come a long way.
04:59Even in 2020, the Paris Climate Agreement was signed on this very day.
05:04And today's aim is all to unite around renewable energy, so they can triple the amount of clean electricity by 2030.
05:10But is this possible?
05:12And here in Kent, do people actually know about Earth Day?
05:15So what, is it like a happy birthday for the Earth and that?
05:17No one ever did, no. It's the first time.
05:21Yeah, I found out through work a couple of years ago.
05:24Yeah, I've heard of Earth Days. I mean, it's the 22nd of April.
05:27Do you guys know what Earth Day is? Do you guys know tomorrow is Earth Day?
05:31No.
05:32Exactly. What is Earth Day?
05:33But with the cost of living crisis still going on, can people really afford sustainable energy sources, like the ones here on Maidstone High Street?
05:41100% cost of living is too much, man. It's too, too much.
05:45So, of course, it's going to cost a lot, you know?
05:50All the energy has just gone up ridiculously, you know.
05:54Maid has doubled. Gas, electricity, everything doubled this month.
05:59So the quicker everybody gets the green energy, I think the better will be for us, for Earth, for everything, so, yeah.
06:09Yeah, but then also there's more to think about because if you're living in rented accommodation, how do you choose where your energy comes from?
06:16Because it's given to you by the landlord, so, and they're only interested in their, line in their pocket, so.
06:22If you've got an option of doing solar panels, I don't think too many people have, like most people are renting nowadays.
06:27Probably are someone who's got a mortgage or something like that, or whose landlord really cares, you know what I mean?
06:31Now, according to Earth Day themselves, they say they want people to educate, advocate and mobilise their communities to create real change.
06:39But here in Maidstone, many people aren't even aware of the day itself.
06:42So, rather than shining a light on solar panels, we might need to start shining a light on Earth Day.
06:48Finn McDermid for KMTV in Maidstone.
06:50Next this evening, a retired firefighter and testicular cancer survivor has been invited to a special reception at Buckingham Palace.
07:01It's after spending the last 12 years bringing vital treatments to patients' doors.
07:06Brian Baird drives one of 14 mobile care units operated by cancer support charity Hope for Tomorrow,
07:12which helps bring treatment to isolated communities or those who struggle to get to hospital.
07:18Now, after showing so much dedication to the thousands that are in need of support in Kent,
07:23he's been invited to a special Royal Reception.
07:26Well, Brian joined us earlier on the Kent Morning Show.
07:29After having cancer myself, I applied for a job working on a mobile cancer care unit,
07:35which is run by the NHS from Canterbury Hospital.
07:42But it soon became very apparent that the unit itself is run by a charity.
07:50And I got involved virtually straight away with the charity.
07:54And I've done numerous, everything from opening flower shows to doing presentations
08:00for organisations like Rotary Club, Round Table, In a Wheel, that sort of thing, Masonic Lodges,
08:09all sorts of things.
08:11I've done presentations too, which I ended up, now I'm one of their community champions.
08:22But it's all culminated now with me getting a call a few weeks ago,
08:27inviting me to go up to Buckingham Palace next Wednesday to meet Charles and Camilla
08:33at a reception for cancer charities that make a difference to local communities,
08:40raise awareness and support people with cancer, which is exactly what we do.
08:46And Hope for Tomorrow is just amazing how it keeps going.
08:52But as it has become apparent, they get absolutely no government funding.
08:58So there are numerous ways that people can raise money to support Hope for Tomorrow.
09:04I'll ask people to go and have a look on their website because they can find out what they can do,
09:09how they can get involved.
09:11The unit that I drive is actually named Karen, after Karen Keating, Gloria Hunneford's daughter,
09:16former Blue Peter presenter.
09:20And it was named in memory of her.
09:22We have initiatives like the Cup of the Cancer, which happens every February.
09:32We've got groups of people get together, talk about cancer, sell cakes and stuff like that,
09:38and raise money for it.
09:39It's a really amazing thing that you do for these communities.
09:42I think it's really interesting because you can see the unit that you drive behind you on the screen.
09:47I kind of wanted to know a bit more about these mobile care units
09:50because it's something you don't really think about, right?
09:52You normally imagine you go to the hospital for your treatment,
09:54but obviously Kent's a really rural community, a really rural county,
09:59and it really helps kind of bring that treatment and support and diagnosis
10:02to the communities as well, right?
10:04The advantage of what we do is the fact that at the moment,
10:12we go to three locations around southeast Kent.
10:15We go to Dover, we go to Folkestone, and we go to Herne Bay.
10:18And every patient that comes on to us is one less patient that has to go into the hospital environment,
10:25so it's taking the strain off the hospital.
10:29It makes life so much better for the patients themselves and the families.
10:36They're not having to go into a main hospital environment,
10:38and the continuity of care is just so much better.
10:44My actual, because they're dealing with the same people all the time,
10:47and I work with an absolutely amazing team of people,
10:51and it works really, really well,
10:52which is why I'm so passionate about it.
10:56But I'm very fortunate now,
11:00the fact I've been working on this for 12 years.
11:03After I retired from the fire service,
11:06I wanted to give something back, and this is my opportunity to do it.
11:10Because around the country, there's been an army of people
11:13that have done various fundraising events,
11:15like my actual team that I work with.
11:19Two of them have just done the London Landmark Marathon
11:22with a family member of one of the team as well,
11:25which was very successful.
11:27And I would just like to ask anybody that they can to help it,
11:31because the feedback that we've had from our patients over the years
11:34is just amazing.
11:36And I genuinely feel that it's a worthwhile thing for people to support.
11:42Time for us to take a very quick break now.
11:44More news from right across the county in just a few minutes' time.
11:47I'll see you then.
15:05Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
15:16Now, a disabled mother from Walder Sled says she's been given a court order
15:21of more than £2,000 for dropping her child off at school.
15:25Marlene's daughter attends a primary school on a school street.
15:29Although she holds a blue badge and uses a courtesy car,
15:32the council has issued nearly 20 fines.
15:35Medway Council has promised to cancel them,
15:38but local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has found out
15:41that Marlene is still receiving letters chasing the money.
15:45Drive down one of these roads that drop off and pick-up times
15:49and you'll face a fine of up to £70.
15:52It's designed to get parents to walk their children to school.
15:56But there are exceptions for residents, buses and emergency services and anyone with a blue badge.
16:05Marlene has one, she's been using a courtesy car after an incident and she told the council for new number plate.
16:14Her exemption should still apply, despite that Medway Council has sent her fines totaling more than £1,000.
16:24I actually got to the point that I'm scared to open the mail now,
16:28because every time I open the mail there's a new citation or a penalty charge.
16:33And unfortunately in my case, mental illness is part of my disability
16:38and receiving these letters is just making my health a lot worse.
16:42Enterprise, the car hire firm, forwarded 18 fines to her.
16:47When she contacted the authority, they promised to council them.
16:51But soon after, the PCNs were directly sent to Marlene.
16:55She asked for them to be counselled once more, but she's now receiving court orders.
17:01I've only received one so far, but I'm expecting to receive 18,
17:06because I've received 18 citations.
17:08That would devastate my credit.
17:10It's credit is something so important.
17:13That's what annoys me the most, is that they have assured me that I am exempt,
17:19that I don't need to pay for this,
17:21and yet they're now taking it to court because I haven't paid.
17:25School streets have been in Medway for more than a year now,
17:28and the St Thomas More primary behind me is just one example.
17:32The whole idea is to make it safer for children to get to school during rush hour.
17:38For council's sake, they do check each fine on a case-by-case basis,
17:43but the whole scheme has proven to be nothing but controversial.
17:48I think particularly in this specific case,
17:51obviously the council clearly need to carry out an investigation,
17:54and I'd call for the portfolio holder to really be looking into that
17:56and taking a pragmatic and genuine approach towards the public
18:00in terms of the engagement on that.
18:01Medway Council have now apologised and said they're working to ensure
18:05all remaining correspondence related to these PCNs is withdrawn
18:09and no further action is taken.
18:12They also say they're reviewing internal processes
18:14to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
18:18Marlene's worried she's not alone, and this is happening to others,
18:21and the council are now consulting on plans
18:24to roll the scheme out even further.
18:26Gabriel Morris in Waterslade.
18:31Now, don't forget, you can also keep up to date
18:34with all your latest stories from across the county
18:36by logging onto our website.
18:37It's, of course, kmtv.co.uk.
18:40There you'll find all our latest reports, including this one.
18:43The existing electricity network in both Suffolk and Kent,
18:47which was originally built in the 1960s, needs upgrading.
18:51The National Grid has proposed the planning of Le Cee Link,
18:54which will connect the two counties through a subsea cable,
18:57and a Kent wildlife charity fear that the fitting of the cable
19:00will cause irreversible damage.
19:03We're worried about our local seal population.
19:05We have Kent's largest land haul-out seal site here,
19:08just 100 metres away from where they're proposing to start tunnelling.
19:13Some of the vulnerable migratory birds
19:14that fly thousands of miles to get here every year,
19:18and they need time on the mudflats undisturbed
19:22to basically feed and kind of regain energy
19:25so that they can continue their journey.
19:28The trust said that they support the need for renewable energy,
19:31but not when it comes to the cost of wildlife.
19:33Through their campaign, Rethink the Sea Link,
19:36they are asking the National Grid
19:37to look at alternative route options,
19:40as they fear the cost is being considered
19:42over the impact of the environment.
19:44But National Grid say that Pegwell Bay
19:47provides the most balanced option for the project.
19:50We've done extensive surveys over a number of years,
19:53and we've consulted four times with local communities
19:55and statutory authorities and statutory bodies.
19:58We've looked at various options around different areas
20:02to bring the cable onshore in Kent
20:03and different converter site locations.
20:06And what we've selected is what we believe on balance
20:10is the most appropriate site that balances the ecology,
20:12not just in Pegwell Bay, but throughout the entire route,
20:15and also to provide a solution that's still value for money
20:17for British consumers.
20:19While residents understand the need for the cable,
20:22they share concerns over the impact it could have on the environment.
20:26I think four things.
20:27One is about Pegwell Bay itself,
20:29which is a very special and beautiful area.
20:31I think the second thing I would say is recognising that
20:34as a country, as a nation,
20:36we need more electrical infrastructure
20:37as we move from fossil fuels to renewables.
20:41The third thing is whether this is the best place,
20:44the best location to bring this cable ashore.
20:46And I think the last thing to say would be,
20:48if it goes ahead,
20:50then how can the adverse impact be minimised
20:54during the construction phase and also afterwards?
20:57The Sea Link also has plans to build inland.
21:01Minster Marshes has been described as a super highway for nature
21:05as it connects Pegwell Bay to the rest of the southeast,
21:09but it's here where the National Grid
21:10has proposed the planning for their converter
21:13and their substations.
21:15The location is a drained marsh,
21:16which is used for agriculture,
21:18and the National Grid said it was the only option
21:20after a failed search for a suitable brownfield site.
21:23There's a little more than three weeks left
21:25for the planning inspectorate to decide
21:27whether to move the National Grid's application
21:29to the next stage.
21:31Then the public can have their say
21:32on how the landscape looks for generations to come.
21:35Daisy Page for KMTV.
21:38Let's take a very quick look at the weather now.
21:40Cloudy skies this evening with highs of nine down in Dover.
21:49Temperatures between about eight and nine across the county.
21:52There's some cloud persisting tomorrow morning.
21:54Rain across the county, unfortunately.
21:56Some high winds, especially by the coast there.
21:59Drying up by the afternoon, though,
22:01and bringing with it some sunshine in some parts as well,
22:04just behind the clouds there.
22:05Temperatures up to about 14.
22:07And warming up throughout the week,
22:08that wet weather staying at bay.
22:10Highs of 17 by Saturday.
22:22Now, across Kent, there are plenty of people
22:25quietly making a difference in their communities.
22:28But in Chatham, one man has become something
22:30of a local legend by doing just that.
22:33Known as Burger Man's Surge,
22:34he gives out free burgers to people who are homeless
22:37or struggling with the cost of living.
22:39He films it all live on TikTok.
22:41And with nearly 300,000 followers,
22:44donations come in to help keep him going.
22:47Well, our reporter, Kristen Hawthorne,
22:48spent a day with him to see what life is like
22:50behind the grill, but also behind the camera.
22:54Across Kent, there are many people
22:56that help to make a positive difference
22:58in their community.
23:00But in Chatham, one man has done this
23:02by flipping burgers on TikTok Live.
23:04Every Thursday, I've got a sign as well.
23:06Every Thursday from 3 to 6,
23:07we give out burgers to those in need,
23:09to the homeless, to people who can't afford meals,
23:12warm meals.
23:13There are many soup kitchens,
23:15many other charities that do something similar,
23:17but we're able to do it as a business
23:18every single week.
23:20And this is due to the fact that we have
23:22so much support worldwide online.
23:24His TikToks got traction quickly.
23:26And before he knew it,
23:27he had hundreds watching.
23:28From that day, we've had thousands of thousands
23:37of thousands of people tuning in on a daily basis.
23:40And I've just been keeping at it every single week.
23:43I had the option to go live.
23:44I pressed the button,
23:46and I left it there for a couple of minutes.
23:47I went back to making my burgers.
23:49I turned around.
23:50I had about two or three people in there.
23:52Nothing going on.
23:53I didn't think anything of it.
23:54I continued to make my burgers,
23:55try it around in five minutes.
23:56All of a sudden, we've got 50 people in there.
23:58We've got taps and hearts on the screen.
24:00We've got people commenting.
24:01I'm like, whoa.
24:02For around two years now,
24:04Burger Man's Surge has been able to give out
24:05around 83 burgers a week
24:07to those who are homeless in Chatham.
24:09He's made a real difference in the community,
24:11which I can tell from being here.
24:12And that's all thanks to his TikTok.
24:18They do a thing.
24:20They serve homeless people.
24:23Certain times, I think that's brilliant.
24:25Because there's not many places now
24:26where homeless people don't get food food.
24:30I bet it's helping a lot.
24:30And it's the best food.
24:32So, when I first went out,
24:34hey, this is the man.
24:36That's on us, by the way.
24:37Enjoy your burger.
24:38Yeah.
24:38These are good friends.
24:39I helped them out.
24:41So, I've been coming here for eight years.
24:43And, obviously, inflation,
24:44now they're £4 and 4.20 if you want cheese.
24:47But they're the best burgers ever.
24:49They do actually help people.
24:50There's a kid who's got autism and stuff.
24:53And they help them out with working out.
24:55They're like community people as well.
24:57They're really, really, really, really good people as well.
24:59Support your local businesses.
25:01Besides from all the stuff that we do over here,
25:03it's stories like this, people like him,
25:06that add so much to what we do over here.
25:08I make burgers.
25:10I do everything.
25:11I clean everything.
25:12And the manager, 50 is the manager.
25:15Serge previously lived in North London.
25:18And after coming to Chatham to start the business,
25:20he says he's fallen in love with the area.
25:22It's a very, let me say, a very eventful place.
25:26I always say, if they want to make a Netflix series,
25:29a Netflix show about Chatham,
25:31it's the perfect place.
25:32Kristen Hawthorne for CAM TV in Chatham.
25:35All right.
25:41Now, just before we go this evening,
25:43let's take a look at quite an amusing video
25:45that's making the rounds.
25:46Well, visitors at Moat Park in Maidstone
25:48saw an interesting sight last night.
25:51Well, there were more than just ducks at the lake.
25:54Simon Reid, a 64-year-old inventor and welder,
25:58decided to take his water bike for a spin.
26:01Well, he did have fears that it may sink,
26:03but he carefully got on the new invention.
26:06And although successful at start, as you can see here,
26:09pedaling turned out to be quite a bit harder than expected.
26:13He actually had to be pulled back in with a rope.
26:16But despite that quite rocky start, he's not giving up.
26:19The water bike has been taken back to the workshop
26:21for some improvements.
26:23And hopefully, he hopes to have a more successful run
26:26on the water.
26:26But I'm pretty impressed with that.
26:28He seemed to go at least 10, 20 feet there.
26:32Impressive stuff.
26:33Well, hopefully, he can come and join us here
26:34when he's got the water bike up and running.
26:36And perhaps we'll send a reporter down to have a go as well.
26:38Seems like something Finn would be up to doing.
26:41All right, that's it from us this evening on Kent Tonight.
26:43See you very soon.
26:44Bye-bye.
26:44Bye-bye.
26:44Bye-bye.
26:58Bye-bye.
27:04Bye-bye.
27:05Bye-bye.