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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:27I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Friday the 14th of November.
00:32Poor prices. Kent's vets react to proposals to help lower bills for pet owners.
00:37With the CMA, the biggest factor is that they haven't solved the problem. All they've
00:42done is they've moved the money from one place to another and the people that were getting
00:46the money are still getting the money. It's not going to make medicine any cheaper, it's
00:49not going to make practices any cheaper. System-wide strikes. Resident doctors have
00:54begun a five-day walkout across Kent and England in a dispute over pay. And royal recognition.
01:00Herne Bay Food Bank receives King's Award for volunteers' efforts.
01:04It's very special because we put a lot of hours in, a lot of time and it's nice to actually
01:09make it something back. We give the waste to the people in need. We are that bridge.
01:16But for our top story this evening, vet practices in Kent are speaking out over proposals by the
01:29Competition and Markets Authority to overhaul the industry in a bid to reduce costs for pet
01:34owners. The draft reforms would force vets to publish price lists, give written prescriptions
01:39and clarify when a practice is part of a large chain. Smaller, family-run clinics say they
01:45already practice transparency and animal-first care, but warn that changes may inadvertently
01:50favour big national groups. Well, to tell us more about this, Chloe Brewster has this report.
01:57Whether you're an animal lover or prefer a fur-free home, I think we can all agree prices for
02:03everything have risen. But for the more than 10 million households in the UK that own a pet,
02:08the increasing costs have become all the more apparent. Vet bills have risen more than 60%
02:14in 10 years, with 80% of owners saying the cost of having their pet has increased. In response,
02:20the Competition and Markets Authority have proposed 21 new measures for the industry.
02:24The CMA's recent report found that vet bills have risen way above inflation. They've come up with a
02:30couple of solutions to try and keep prices low for consumers. Measures the CMA have proposed include
02:36capping prescriptions at £16, requiring vets to provide itemised bills, and encouraging owners
02:42to shop online for medicines rather than paying the prices in store. But here at Broadway Vets in
02:47Herne Bay, they say the answer just isn't that simple. They haven't fixed the problem, which is
02:52where we get our drugs from. In some areas of Europe, I think actually most of Europe, they get their drugs
02:58direct from the provider of the drug. In the UK, we have to buy from a wholesaler. So at every stage
03:04that product is touched by someone else, there's a markup on it. And every time there's a markup,
03:09by the time it gets to that end user, that price has gone up two, three, four times. I think it's
03:14really important that people understand what they're paying for. And I think the most important thing for
03:19us is that once we've had that conversation with how much that procedure costs, whatever it is,
03:23that we can have that dialogue with the customer and that we can interact on what the next steps are.
03:29Not only are the measures aimed at reducing prices, they also hope to make them much clearer from the
03:35outset. We're really supportive of the remedies in the report around transparency. I think it's
03:40really important for pet owners to know when they go into a practice, who owns that practice, whether
03:45it's part of a large group or not. And I think that's really important. There are some remedies in there
03:51which are common practice already across the sector, such as providing people with itemised
03:56bills and written estimates before treatment is undertaken. There are some practices that aren't
04:02doing that, which is why the CMA have included it in their provisional remedies. This investigation
04:06has highlighted a lot of press pieces around the veterinary sector that can sometimes feel a bit
04:13hostile to the people working on the ground who don't control the prices and just want what's best for
04:18people's pets. These measures are provisional, with final reforms to be decided in March.
04:23While opinions are mixed in industry, we're sure pet owners are hoping for an improvement with the
04:28poor prices. Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Herne Bay. And from today, thousands of resident doctors are
04:36striking across England, including Kent, all surrounding pay. NHS England assures patients should still be
04:42able to attend appointments through redeployment and offering overtime to consultants,
04:46other doctors and non-British Medical Association doctors. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA Resident
04:52Doctors' Committee, insists that this decision has not come out of the blue and conditions have
04:57continued to worsen due to a system-wide failure. Well, Dr Julian Spinks joins me now with more. So,
05:04Julian, what exactly are these system-wide failures that are present within the NHS that affects doctors?
05:09There's a lot of factors that are still in there which are causing problems.
05:14It can be something as simple as not enough chairs for doctors to sit down on so they can work.
05:18There's talk about doctors sitting on bins to try and do work. There's problems with the estates,
05:23so the actual buildings and the amount of rooms and things you can do. There's understaffing in
05:28some areas as well. And all of that contributes to an overall problem. And as far as junior doctors are
05:34concerned, one of the biggest things is that a lot of them are facing unemployment or problems
05:39moving up their career ladder. They can be doing two or three years and then suddenly being told,
05:43no, there's no further training you can have because there's not enough places. So all of that
05:47contributes to the problems that are building up. I see. And we've got flu season coming up around
05:52the corner. Do you think these strikes are really going to hit patients hard? I think for emergencies,
05:58all the way through the strikes, there's been cover provided. And ultimately, if a hospital is in real
06:02trouble, then they can apply to the BMA and people will actually go back in and work.
06:07The bigger impact is on routine care. And this time round, the message went out from the centre
06:13that hospitals should try and provide virtually all the routine care they do normally,
06:17whereas before they were cancelling it. And that's why fewer people are going to have that thing where
06:22they get a phone call saying, sorry, your appointment's cancelled, or you can't be admitted.
06:25And in fact, if people haven't heard anything like that over these next five days,
06:29then they should still go in because the likelihood is their appointment will still be there.
06:35And it's not just resident doctors. It's also health consultants and other people within that
06:39sphere. Do you think that that speaks to the kind of levels of frustration across all levels of the
06:44NHS?
06:45Yes, slightly different disputes in the sense of the junior doctors are going for asking for
06:50significantly more money. In the case of the consultants, it's actually about one to one
06:54and a half percent more than the offer they've got. So it's not breaking the bank,
06:58but they're concerned because actually the offer they're getting is barely inflationary.
07:03And so what's happening is they're starting to fall back. The junior doctors, they're facing
07:08really quite a significant drop, even with the good pay rise they got last year compared with 10,
07:1315 years ago.
07:14I see. And with the majority of resident doctors voting against strike actions, do you think that
07:19shows kind of any major divisions within BMA?
07:22I think it's not that they voted against. It was the combination of people who voted against
07:27and the people who didn't vote or weren't BMA members means that actually a minority of resident
07:32doctors have voted for strike. It'd be interesting to see at the end of these five days to see
07:37what percentage of the total resident doctors did strike, because clearly if it's a very low number,
07:43then the impact of the strike is going to be lower and that's not going to be good for the BMA.
07:47I see. Well, thank you so much for bringing us all this latest news, Julian.
07:53Next, the Lennon-based firm Sheds and Shelters is facing a backlash after a series of complaints
07:59about unfinished orders and the poor quality of completed work.
08:03Gary and Michelle Ward say they've spent their life savings of £20,000 on an outbuilding two years
08:09ago, only for the structure to collapse due to what they describe as shoddy workmanship.
08:14A number of frustrated customers gathered outside the company's headquarters demanding answers
08:18before police were called to disperse the crowd.
08:21By the following day, the business had entered insolvency and ceased trading.
08:25Director Angela Rotherham has apologised, blaming financial issues for the company's collapse.
08:31Now, remember, each Friday we have a new episode of the Kent Politics Show,
08:35looking at all the major developments from the past week. Here's a quick teaser of the show.
08:44Welcome back to the Kent Politics Show on KMTV. Now, reformers admitted it faces difficult
08:49decisions to cope with the spiralling cost of adult social care in Kent. Spending was £50
08:54million over budget this year. But reform is also fighting for its credibility in a week which
09:00has seen its leader branded Captain Chaos by firefighters. That came after the party sacked
09:05five councillors who sat on the Kent Fire Authority, leaving it briefly unable to function.
09:10And Harry, this is very much in your area of expertise at KCC. I wonder whether you can just
09:15explain the adult social care budget. Why is that so complex? Where is that money going? And why
09:21does it so often run over budget?
09:22Okay. The situation with regard to KCC's total revenue budget is £1.5 billion per annum. At the
09:34moment, around 47%, rising towards 50% now, of that budget goes on adult social services.
09:40So, the current situation means that there was a budget set. It was set in February of this year and
09:50currently the budget is being exceeded after three months at £30 million and currently the latest
09:58estimate on the total overage is over £50 million overspent. The position is one of demand but it's
10:08also within reform. In particular, reform have not been able to bring the degree of expertise
10:15brought by the previous administration in being able to hold down the budgets.
10:22This is not just about a relationship with the media. It's about a relationship with the public,
10:26isn't it? If you refuse to speak to journalists anymore, I should say at this point, we asked reform,
10:32as we do every week, to come onto the show. They haven't come on and an open invitation at any
10:37point if they want to. But if you stop talking to journalists, effectively, you stop talking to
10:41the public, don't you?
10:41We have a much more complicated media system than we used to, but traditional media plays a really
10:45important role. There are loads and loads of residents across the country. I know many in my
10:50ward in Faversham who are not digitally accessing news. They're not on social media. They do get
10:56their news from local TV, local radio, local newspapers. And if politicians refuse to speak
11:00to those people, we're cutting off a huge segment of our society who deserve to be engaged just as
11:06much as those people who are scrolling on Twitter or X.
11:13You can check out the full show on our website for all of Kent's political news. But for now,
11:18it is time for a short break. Coming up after that break, we'll talk to an Ashford landlord.
11:23Well, sorry, we'll find out about an Ashford landlord who uses a five-figure sum monthly
11:29at the Grade II listed John Wallace pub. We'll take a look at our sports roundup,
11:33including our local Kent cricket team and how they've been doing.
11:36Singer Ella Eyre will guest on KMFM's The Hit List, and she's discussed her latest album.
11:42And as always, we'll have a look at the weather for the upcoming days.
11:45We'll have all that and more after this short break. See you in a few minutes.
14:15Bye.
14:45Hello, and welcome back to Kent Tonight.
15:15Now, our Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott will not be continuing in his
15:23post after 2028. Yesterday, the government announced it would be scrapping PCCs in England
15:29and Wales. Ministers say the system has failed and that ending rolls in 2028 will save £100
15:36million, enough to fund 320 extra officers a year. Matthew Scott has pledged to continue to work hard
15:43until the end of his posting. To discuss this more, Megan Shaw joins me in the studio now.
15:48So what exactly was the announcement made by the government yesterday?
15:51As you mentioned before, the government are scrapping police and crime commissioners in
15:56England and Wales in 2028. So those 37 rolls across England and Wales will go and their powers will be
16:03kind of given to mayors in the absence of mayors. They'll be given to council leaders. Police and crime
16:08commissioners were brought in 12 years ago to supposedly improve police accountability.
16:14And they're responsible for things like setting budgets and appointing chief constables.
16:22Right. And what's the main motivator for the government to actually do this?
16:25Well, while they were brought in to improve the efficiency of the police force and again,
16:31that accountability there, the government are wanting to remove and what they call in their own
16:35words, unnecessary bureaucracy. So public awareness of PCCs is quite low. According to the Home Office,
16:43two in five people don't know they exist. Very few people can name their local PCC. It's been said that
16:51this will save over £100 million by the end of parliament in 2029. That's quite significant
16:56savings, especially seeing as that residents in Kent saw council tax increases to be able to
17:02accommodate these PCCs. And the money would allow £20 million of investment to go into policing each
17:09year. So as you said, that is enough for 320 constables. So that's, you know, significant savings there.
17:15Absolutely. We haven't got much time left. Very quickly, what criticism has there been?
17:20So the Home Secretary, Shibana Mood, says it was a failed experiment. The Home Office has said that
17:26last elections in 2024 cost over £87 million. So this is quite an expensive kind of initiative,
17:32especially if the Home Secretary is saying it's failed. Some people aren't quite sure it was very
17:38effective either. I see. Thank you so much for bringing us this news, Megan. Now, next, we'll be
17:44bringing you news about Kent County Council. They say nothing is off the table, and that includes the
17:49possible closure of tip and library services in attempts to cut costs. The council say every
17:55part of the budget is being examined, with household waste and recycling centres and 99 libraries under
18:01fresh review. Opposition councillors say this mocks a return of the controversial proposals
18:07they thought have been shelved, sparking fears of increased fly-tipping and loss of vital community hubs.
18:12And with a look to the weekend's action, here's Jude Moulton with the sport.
18:27It's a game for the neutrals this Saturday, as Gillingham take on League 2 Possession Kings,
18:34Crawley Town at Priestfield. While Crawley dwell in the bottom half of League 2, the Gilles boss,
18:40Gareth Ainsworth, cautions fans and players to not judge the visitors on their league standing. In an
18:46interview, the Gilles boss decided to show respect to his upcoming opposition, stating that he expects
18:51that they are going to come at us and further added that there's definitely going to be some goals.
18:58The visitors do have the highest average possession in the league this season and rank higher than the
19:03Gilles on touches in the opposition box and shocks on target, even matching their 21.8 expected goals
19:12this season. But with the Gilles' higher league position, they will feel confident going into the
19:18game this weekend. On to some cricket now and England's opener and Kent County's own, Zach Crawley,
19:25had an impressive display on the second morning of the Ashes warm-up against England Lions in Perth.
19:32Alongside his batting partner, Ben Duckett, the pair managed to score 182 runs before they received
19:38their first wicket, with Crawley scoring 82 of those from 101 balls. This result is a massive boost for the
19:48team's upcoming Ashes campaign that starts next week on the 21st November. In an absolutely thrilling
19:56contest, Medway Women Rugby Club narrowly lose at home to Jersey 29-27 on their return to the NC1
20:04South East action. Medway look to have complete control in the first half of the game, decimating
20:12jersey to have a 22-5 lead when going into the break. However, revitalised and filled with determination,
20:21Jersey come back with a brand new intensity while Medway's confidence and hole in the game begun to
20:26slip completely. Medway look to go back to their winning ways in their next fixture against Portsmouth
20:33Valkyries on the 23rd November. And that's it for your sports news today. Jude Moulton for KMTV.
20:49Next, singer Ella Eyre has opened up on KMFM's The Hit List about her long-awaited comeback and the
20:55decade of challenges behind her new album. The Brit Award-winning artist revealed how vocal surgery in
21:012020 forced her to reassess her career and now she's relishing being independent and creating music
21:07on her own terms. Several singles are already out and she's launching a candlelit UK tour this December,
21:13showcasing the new era of her music. You can catch the full interview on the KMFM official YouTube
21:18channel, but for now here's a small segment. Actually the album was called something else for
21:23about two years and it was called exactly as I am. Oh, different. Well, because I felt like when I
21:31was making the album it was about accepting myself and learning to love myself and I felt like it was
21:38a really important thing for me to go through and do, but by the time that I finished the record I
21:42felt like I'd been through that process and actually the one thing I'd learned is that I needed to learn
21:47patience and peace in the process. I knew that Jess Glynn had vocal surgery in her career. I didn't know
21:52that you had vocal surgery. Well, when I first came about it was quite a taboo subject, but actually
21:56you'll find that a lot of commercial artists have had vocal issues and vocal surgeries and back in
22:01the day you wouldn't talk about it because you'd be worried about promoters not booking you because
22:05you're not reliable, but I think it's a very difficult space to be in to not be honest about what
22:10you're going through and experiencing and I have a naturally husky voice. It's naturally unique and
22:15unfortunately that does come with its challenges, but it's also a blessing at the same time.
22:21Now, Myers Community Food Bank helps those in Herne Bay who might be struggling to afford food,
22:26clothes or other essentials and they've been recognised with the King's Award for Volunteers.
22:31It's like an MBE for the entire charity and celebrates the efforts of the volunteer staff
22:35above all else. I went down to their warehouse in Herne Bay to find out more.
22:45Myers Community Support Centre in Herne Bay looked a little different this morning.
22:51They were sporting royal colours after being crowned with the King's Award for
22:54Voluntary Service, a national way of recognising charities and their volunteers.
22:59The Food Bank has been open for three years and makes sure people can access food, clothing
23:04and other basic essentials if they're struggling. It's been a long road to this, but how did the
23:09charity get on the royal radar in the first place? They came to us and they researched all our services
23:15and what they said is, you are like an all-inclusive holiday. You have everything. That's what judges say.
23:22It's literally all-inclusive service. Whatever people need, we have it. And it's all from waste.
23:28We reduce massive amounts of waste. We are the bridge between people in need and waste. We reduce
23:34a lot of carbon offset. Carbon offset is our one of the main topics and poverty. We give the waste to
23:43the people in need. We are that bridge. Now Myers has been going as a charity for about three years
23:48and during that time it's been helping the community here in Herne Bay. And it's also been winning awards.
23:53But what makes this award particularly special isn't just the fact that it comes from the King,
23:58but also that it highlights the efforts of their volunteers as well. Well, we've got a whole team of
24:02volunteers. Some you see, some you don't. We've got people work behind the scenes. We've got people
24:07who are going out collecting every night, rain or shine, winter or summer, collecting food from the
24:12supermarkets, half past eight, nine o'clock at night. And then they are making sure that people get that
24:17food and it doesn't go into landfill. So today it's a combination of all that anticipation. And so
24:26it's really lovely to recognise our volunteers. The award is essentially an MBE for volunteers who
24:32give their time to the cause without payment or, normally, much recognition for their efforts.
24:37It's very special. It's very special because we put a lot of hours in, a lot of time,
24:42and it's nice to actually get something back. Well, we work so hard, like nine till three. It's just
24:50absolutely amazing. With volunteers and everything we do, it kind of helps everyone as it should.
24:56The award is quite rare. Only 0.03% of charities in the country ever receive it,
25:02and it's the highest honour they can get. Once Meyer's volunteers had their coronation,
25:07they celebrated with music and a feast fit for kings. Finn McDermid for KMTV in hand day.
25:18Now it's time to take a quick look at the weather for the coming days.
25:21Tonight we can expect to see a cloudy evening across the county and temperatures peaking at 14 in Dover.
25:33Tomorrow morning brings cloudy skies with sunny spells all over Kent and temperatures as low as 12
25:38in Medway and Tunbridge Wells up to 14 in Dartford there. Into the afternoon highs of 14 and 15 across
25:43the county. Wind speeds heading to the south west at 6 mph. And on Sunday we can expect the same
25:50temperatures but accompanied by rain. Towards the beginning of next week things are much cooler.
25:54Highs of nine on Monday and seven on Sunday.
26:03And just before you go, we've got time to bring you news that former KMTV intern and presenter,
26:09Joy Anakuru has won the coveted TikTok Rising Star Award. The journalist turned content creator,
26:15who goes by the handle Dose of Joy, covers everything in the world of entertainment,
26:19interviewing celebrities like Cynthia Erivo, Margot Robbie and Tom Cruise. She said the award means
26:24everything to her and that her family group chat was definitely popping off. Well, congratulations to Joy.
26:29you've been watching Kent tonight live on KMTV. There's more news made just for Kent throughout
26:36the evening. And don't forget you can always keep up to date with us on our website as well. But
26:41that's all we have time for. See you very soon. Good night.
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