- 12 hours ago
Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Cameron Tucker.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
00:27I'm Cameron Tucker. Here are your top stories on Thursday the 27th of November.
00:32Cross at County Hall. We have the KCC leaders blistering attack on the government's budget.
00:39Well, I thought Halloween, you know, had been and gone, but I think yesterday was a complete horror show.
00:44Save Our Green Belt. Candlelit March shines light on Sevenoaks housing plans.
00:49In terms of food security, as a country, we need all the land that we've got for farming.
00:57And it's good farming land that's going to be trashed effectively.
01:01Everyone's welcome. Broadstairs Cafe hosts music sessions to help the elderly struggling with loneliness.
01:08Started off the bonkers Wednesday as a little bit for the community and to bring a little bit of joy.
01:16But first tonight, parents should use contraception to prevent having children they can't afford.
01:32That's been one of the damning remarks made by Kent County Council leader Lyndon Kim-Karron in response to the government's budget announcement.
01:39It comes as the Chancellor said that the two-child benefit would be scrapped next year, believing that the current system punishes the most vulnerable children.
01:48But the leader of KCC said the move will just be irritating to local authorities who are trying to balance the books.
01:54Our reporter George Walker spoke to her earlier on.
01:58Well, I thought Halloween, you know, had been and gone, but I think yesterday was a complete horror show.
02:02I think the Chancellor is hopelessly out of her depth.
02:06I think this is typical Labour politics.
02:09They think that by splashing loads of taxpayers' cash on public spending, they will somehow stimulate growth.
02:18Anybody, anybody who has spent any time in the real world, and I mean the real world outside of Westminster,
02:23will know that growth only comes from the private sector.
02:27Growth comes when you cut red tape around SMEs, you encourage people to take risks,
02:34you encourage entrepreneurs to pour their own time, money and effort into making things from the ground up.
02:40That budget yesterday was all about punishing people who actually go out to work and earn money and pay taxes
02:46to take that money and give it to people who are not in work.
02:51Also, the illegal migrant situation is just being allowed to continue, completely unchecked.
02:58The government like to boast that they're taking illegal migrants out of hotels.
03:02Great, on paper, where are they putting them?
03:04They're putting them into the private rental sector.
03:07That is going to have an even bigger effect on our already desperate housing crisis in this country.
03:13It was, in short, an absolute shower.
03:16But don't you think things like lifting the two-child benefit cap, you know, that's going to help people who are in high levels of poverty.
03:23And don't you think that could help sort of alleviate some of the pressures on services for, like, perhaps homelessness or general things across Kent?
03:30Do you don't think some of those proposals could help?
03:32No, I think all that's going to do is really irritate the people like me who have made the decision very early on to only have the number of children that I can afford to feed, clothe, educate, give a decent standard of lifestyle to.
03:48There are so many people like me who have made that very hard choice to have one or maybe two children because, you know, that's all you can reasonably afford.
03:58Those people are going to be feeling quite annoyed that there are loads of other people out there who are not taking responsible decisions about managing the size of their family.
04:08Contraception is freely available to everybody in this country.
04:12There is no excuse for having more children than you can afford to bring up.
04:16We need to get real about this. We need to get real.
04:19We cannot keep throwing money at people who are not making the right, the good choices.
04:25But, I mean, I don't have the stats to hand, but as far as I understand, it would lift a lot of people out of poverty, a lot of families.
04:30And also in terms of children, I mean, they don't choose to be born into a certain family, right?
04:34So it's not their fault. That's going to help their families perhaps develop more of a sort of some solidity in terms of their finances and things like that.
04:42But don't you think that would, is it not unfair, sorry, unfair on the children in this regard?
04:46Of course it's unfair on the children.
04:48No child asks to be born.
04:50No child asks to be sent to school without being given breakfast or in a uniform that's not clean.
04:55You know, no child asks for that.
04:57You're absolutely right.
04:58And no, children should not suffer.
05:00But don't you think it is kinder and more sustainable to look at the root of the problem rather than just throwing money at it?
05:07We need to be asking parents, are you aware of your responsibilities as a parent?
05:11It is your responsibility to get your child up in the morning, feed them breakfast, get them clothed and get them to school on time.
05:19That is parenting 101.
05:21You know, that is the basic duty of a parent.
05:24We need to be reminding parents, if you choose to have children, you are responsible for their welfare, for their upkeep and getting them to school.
05:32Next, protesters brought candles and a tractor to Sevenoaks District Council to mourn what they've called the death of the area's green belt.
05:40It comes as the council plans to build more than 17,000 homes and a premiership rugby stadium in the area in the next 20 years.
05:48Those protesting have raised concerns about transport links, infrastructure and protecting their green land, as Maisie Walker reports.
05:57Save our green belts! Save our green belts! Save our green belts!
06:04A green belt area is a designated section of countryside which is protected from most forms of development.
06:10About 93% of Sevenoaks District is a designated green belt area.
06:15I'm studying one, even though you probably can't tell.
06:17But the darkness is not stopping Sevenoaks residents from making their message clear.
06:23The district is set to maybe see 17,000 new homes built between 2027 and 2042.
06:31A plan that would require parts of their green belt to be downgraded to a grey belt to make room for the development.
06:38On Tuesday, members of the community held a procession to protest the plan.
06:42We're very concerned about the overdevelopment of the area, the demands that will put on the infrastructure.
06:48We had a very long time where the main road was shut off permanently while they rebuilt the sewerage, water pipes.
06:59So we're very concerned that the infrastructure is not there.
07:02In terms of food security, as a country, we need all the land that we've got for farming.
07:11And it's good farming land that's going to be trashed effectively.
07:14It's good grazing and it's also good arable fields that are being developed.
07:19And suddenly, on my little patch, 600 homes going through, it's taking out a huge amount of that area.
07:27They began at Sevenoaks Station and marched to the district council's headquarters on Argyle Road.
07:33They held candles to mourn the green belt outside the council's meeting.
07:37Our campaign today is going to be a vigil.
07:41A vigil, hopefully, that's not going to come true.
07:44All the candles represent our saving the green belt.
07:48We want to save it. We don't want it to die.
07:50A council spokesperson for Sevenoaks District Council said we are currently consulting on the new local plan,
07:58which includes potential locations for new homes to meet the government's significantly increased housing targets for the Sevenoaks District.
08:06The government has instructed us to identify land for 1,145 new homes every year, a 63 increase on the current target.
08:16While the new local plan proposes to make the best use of existing built-up areas,
08:21we'll have to consider other sites to meet the government's housing target.
08:26Sevenoaks District Council's consultation, which includes 30 pop-up events, will close on the 11th of December.
08:34Maisie Walker for KMTV, Sevenoaks.
08:37Well, Maisie joins us in the studio now.
08:40Tell us a little bit more about the plan.
08:42So, residents bought candles Tuesday evening to mourn the green belt sites across Sevenoaks that could be reclassified as a grey belt area.
08:53Grey belt refers to the lower quality green belt land that has been previously developed or does not strongly fulfil the green belt's main purposes.
09:02The reclassification would allow space for new developments.
09:06And on Tuesday evening when I went down, Sevenoaks District Council were actually meeting to discuss proposals to build more than 17,000 homes and a rugby stadium in the district by 2042.
09:20Protesters expressed concerns about transport links, local infrastructure and the need to protect green belt areas, which are home to wildlife and a range of ecosystems.
09:30The debate comes in response to the government's significantly increased local housing target of 17,175 new homes.
09:41This is the equivalent to about 1,145 homes per year, which is a 63% rise on the current requirement.
09:56Although the new local plan aims to prioritise development within existing built-up areas and on brownfield sites, changes to planning rules means that councils must also release green belt land in order to meet their housing targets.
10:12Failure to do so could result in planning expectors rejecting the local plan.
10:16And alongside this, proposals linked to Wasps Rugby Football Club include a multi-purpose stadium complex with around 28,000 seats, training facilities and a hotel on nearby land within the M25, which is a part of a master plan which outlines space for sports, concerts, conferences and events.
10:37So Sevenoaks could look very different in the coming decades.
10:40Just very quickly, what else were those protesters demonstrating about?
10:43Well, the campaign leader, Sue Hurwitz, was actually there, who can tell us a little bit more about her worries.
10:49We are swamped at the moment.
10:51I have recently not been able to get to the GP, which caused a big problem.
10:55And we cannot get enough GP cover anyway.
10:59So to put in these housing developments in spots like they are being put in is actually really dangerous for everybody.
11:06You know, it could kill people, actually.
11:08And I think that what's happening is that we're not preserving what needs to keep people well.
11:14And that's really important.
11:15It's fine.
11:15We all need to have homes.
11:17That is really important as well.
11:18But what's important is how we have homes and where we have them in a place that if you're putting sites of 2,500 and not 3,000 or more, the provisions are far less, even though the take on the area is going to be extreme.
11:32You know, they're going to take a lot of the resources, but they're not actually going to be able to provide what people need.
11:38Coming up, a Canterbury-based charity says the government has missed an opportunity to tackle homelessness as rough sleeping numbers reach a record high.
11:46All that and Finn McDermott with the sport in just a few moments' time.
15:08Welcome back to Kent tonight.
15:15Now, reaction has been pouring in across Kent in response to the government's autumn budget announcement.
15:20Among the Chancellor's announcements were a freeze on income tax bans, a rise in minimum wage and a mansion tax.
15:27We spoke to Andrew Tate from Chatham-based accountants, Crescent Reeves, about the Chancellor's budget earlier on.
15:32Well, I think this was one of the policy point of view, I think, from a policy point of view that she was bringing in, and certainly, look, I think it's going to be a very welcome news, you know, that the means testing is going to be lifted for families with more than two children.
15:54So, I think it's going to be lifted for families, so I think it's going to be lifted for families, and I think it's going to be lifted for families, and I think it's going to be a very interesting thing to see what impact that has on welfare.
16:02She said that the previous reforms hadn't really held back welfare spending, so it'll be interesting, I think, to see in time how that manifests itself.
16:12Yes, anything that can be done to prevent people from experiencing homelessness in the first place is welcome, but the fact is there are too many people currently out on the street.
16:36I mean, I'll give you an example. Just this weekend, we were supporting a woman. She had nothing but a ripped-up tent to protect her from the cold, or we were talking to a 70-year-old man who literally had nothing at all, and obviously, we're doing our best to make sure that people are being kept safe, but we need a joined-up national strategy to make sure that fewer people are in that situation.
17:00Two men have been sentenced after an axe attack by the A2 near Canterbury, left one man with near-fatal injuries.
17:08Asmatullah Pak Tawal and Dawood Khan have been given a combined 48-year prison sentence after they tried to murder Nasrat Ahmadzai.
17:18During a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, it was heard the victims and defendants were involved in rival people smuggling operations, something each party denies.
17:26The incident happened in the early hours of December the 14th last year, and stemmed from a turf war between the two groups.
17:33Both men will have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before being released on licence.
17:38Here's the moment Pak Tawal was caught on police camera.
17:44What's your full name?
17:46My name is Matlabatyo.
17:47OK, at this moment in time, you're under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder, OK?
17:52Section 18 GBH, we've been 10, OK?
17:55And for two times of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
18:00You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something which you later are in court.
18:05Anything you do say may be given evidence, OK?
18:08So you're now under arrest.
18:09The reason why you've been arrested is to allow you to be interviewed about this and questioned in interview.
18:14Next, it's being revealed upgrades to a busy roundabout near Sittingbourne are running 18 months behind schedule.
18:21Works on the Grovehurst roundabout off the A249 is also more than a quarter of a million pounds over budget.
18:27They were due to be completed in June last year, but KCC's contractor Jackson Civil Engineering said it will not be finished until the new year.
18:35The authority has had to announce three times that the scheme would not be completed when it had hoped.
18:41Now MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Kevin McKenna, has called on KCC to pursue the contractors for financial compensation.
18:48Now it's time to take a look at the sport from around the county with Finn McDermid.
18:52Well, for your first story, Gareth Ironsworth is bracing himself for a return to his former club Shrewsbury Town with the Gills after swapping clubs last season.
19:11Shrewsbury ended up relegated and have struggled in the fourth tier, having only collected four wins in 17 outings this season.
19:17And Ironsworth says he expects to be given quite a bit of stick at the away fixture.
19:22He added, I enjoyed my time there. I'm very respectful of the fans that got right behind us and had some great results.
19:27The Gills currently sit at 7th, while Shrewsbury are treading water down at 22nd.
19:34Next to cricket and Kent's county season fixtures for the Championship Division 2 have been announced.
19:40The summer will start with a lengthy trip beginning in Durham on Friday, April 3rd, before the reverse fixture from Friday, May 15th.
19:46The match will be the 10th county championship match to be held at Beckenham since 1954.
19:52Kent's acting chief executive, Nimmo Reid, said with another packed schedule of cricket on the horizon,
19:57we're excited by the prospect of bringing the Rothesay County Championship back to Beckenham.
20:02Now over to Maystone United, where manager George Elacobi is going a bit against the grain in football,
20:07and he's not blaming recent poor form on injuries.
20:11The Stones have been seeing mixed results for the National League South season,
20:15that have most recently suffered back-to-back defeats.
20:17They chalked up a 2-1 loss to Enfield and a 3-1 result against Dorking at the weekend.
20:22Another loss there, with a squad lacking key players, including their usual captain, Sam Korn.
20:27Elacobi, who's also missing a centre-back, full-back, left-winger and a midfielder due to injury,
20:32said, we have to make sure we trust the ones that are available.
20:34They've got to go out and help the football club and help themselves to win matches.
20:37And finally, Gillingham's local ice hockey side, Invicta Dynamos, hope to extend a run of good results after a two-week break.
20:45The Moes' last outing was away to Cardiff Fire, recording an 11-2 win.
20:49And coming up, they'll start their weekend at home against bottom-of-the-table Romford Buccaneers on Saturday.
20:54Head coach Carl Lennon credits their success to making sure the players kept working over the break rather than take time off,
20:59which he said was a decision made by the players.
21:01He said, unlike maybe in previous years, we would typically give them a week off for recuperation,
21:06the boys wanted to remain training.
21:08And that's all for your Sports Bulletin.
21:19Now don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kemp by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
21:25There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about St Martin's Hospital's new summer house
21:30to help their patients' mental wellbeing in Canterbury.
21:33While we're all in the thick of autumn, St Martin's Hospital is aiming to bring some sunshine to its patients here in Canterbury.
21:44Together with Red Row, they've just revealed a brand new summer house,
21:50complete with activities designed to help patients relax and de-stress.
21:57This new summer house has all sorts of activities to help patients relax,
22:04from painting, yoga, to just having a good conversation.
22:10So this is a great resource.
22:11It's one that we've been really needing for a long time.
22:15It's something that we couldn't do on our own,
22:17and working in partnership with Red Row has allowed us to get this opportunity
22:20so people can come here, patients and staff can come here for art therapy, for meditation, for yoga,
22:27which is outside of their normal wards that they're being treated in,
22:32to really grab that opportunity to do something different while they're with us.
22:36Well, we would absolutely love for it to be expanded upon,
22:38but the project itself has been an incredible success.
22:42I mean, right from the very conception of the project and all the way through,
22:46it's been a pleasure to work on, Red Row have been so much fun to have alongside us.
22:51The patients have really enjoyed seeing it being built as well.
22:54They've really enjoyed seeing everyone at work and having chats with people
22:59and just having the time of their lives,
23:01and we've had the time of our lives working with them too.
23:04And of course, there are plans to make use of this new facility in the new year.
23:10I think it provides a space for them to actually have time to themselves.
23:15I mean, clearly, you know, when the weather's better, they can come down here,
23:18they can use it, you know, to chat, they can have events down here,
23:22which they've talked about to us, you know, next year.
23:25They've talked about having Halloween events here and some events here as well.
23:28And I think it's just a great space for the patients here.
23:32With Christmas closing in, St. Martin's Hospital and Red Row are determined to help patients beat the winter blues.
23:43Henry Luck for KMTV in Canterbury.
23:52Speaking of winter blues, it's a bit of a dreary one tonight.
23:55Rain everywhere except for Dover and Margate.
23:57Temperatures around 13 degrees.
23:59Tomorrow morning looks a bit brighter.
24:01Nine degrees and sunny in the west.
24:02Slightly warmer with some clouds in the east.
24:0511 degrees in Dover.
24:06In the afternoon, quite quick winds of 14 miles per hour.
24:09Only Margate and Dover seeing some sun.
24:12And for the rest of your week, it's rain on Saturday and Monday.
24:17Looking a bit drier but colder on Sunday.
24:19A cafe in Broadstairs is bringing elderly visitors together through the power of music.
24:32The New Old Bakehouse hosts bonkers Wednesdays to let customers play instruments, which encourage them to socialise with others.
24:40The owner of the cafe says this is important to help visitors overcome feelings of isolation.
24:44The New Old Bakehouse in Broadstairs serves something more than coffee and pastries.
24:52Every week, the cafe hosts bonkers Wednesdays where customers can come down to make music and some new friends.
25:03As well as coffee, this cafe is also known for producing a lot of friendship and music.
25:14I've been here for two years and I started off the bonkers Wednesday as a little bit for the community and to bring a little bit of joy because there's a lot of doom and gloom in this world.
25:32These sessions aim to help elderly visitors overcome feelings of isolation, which can often come up later in life.
25:42They've brought a lot of joy to my life.
25:45I came here on my own.
25:48I didn't know anyone and there's seven or eight of us.
25:53We're really happy and friendly.
25:56We meet up every morning at eight o'clock and we just have fun.
26:02My wife died two years ago, so I was feeling down and this has livened up my life.
26:09I come here, as I say, every morning.
26:12We all know each other.
26:13We all muck in together and we just have a lovely time and a laugh.
26:18I must say it's a pleasure being down here.
26:21We've got a good team down here and Maria goes beyond and whatever it is.
26:26Above and beyond.
26:27I want to please everybody and I love the bits and I love them all.
26:32Oh, no, don't cry.
26:34With winter already upon us, this group is determined to make sure the beat goes on.
26:42Henry Luck for Kane TV in Broadstairs.
26:47Join us for more on Kent tonight after the break.
26:49See you shortly.
29:50Hello and welcome back to Kent tonight live on KMTV.
30:16I'm Cameron Tucker.
30:17Let's take another look at your top stories from across Kent.
30:21Cross at County Hall.
30:23We have the KCC leaders scathing reaction to the government's budget.
30:27Save our green belt.
30:29Candlelit March shines light on Sevenoaks housing plans.
30:33And everyone's welcome.
30:34Broadstairs cafe hosts music sessions to help the elderly struggling with loneliness.
30:38A look back.
30:39A look back at our top story.
30:41Parents should use contraception to prevent having children they can't afford.
30:46That's been one of the damning remarks made by Kent County Council leader Lyndon Kemkaran in response to the government's budget.
30:52It comes as the Chancellor said that the two-child benefit would be scrapped next year, believing that the current system punishes the most vulnerable children.
31:01But the leader of KCC said the move will just be irritating to local authorities who are trying to balance the books.
31:08Our reporter George Walker spoke to her earlier.
31:10Well, I thought Halloween, you know, had been and gone.
31:13But I think yesterday was a complete horror show.
31:15I think the Chancellor is hopelessly out of her depth.
31:19I think this is typical Labour politics.
31:22They think that by splashing loads of taxpayers' cash on public spending, they will somehow stimulate growth.
31:30If anybody, anybody who has spent any time in the real world, and I mean the real world outside of Westminster, will know that growth only comes from the private sector.
31:40Growth comes when you cut red tape around SMEs.
31:44You encourage people to take risks.
31:46You encourage entrepreneurs to pour their own time, money and effort into making things from the ground up.
31:52That budget yesterday was all about punishing people who actually go out to work and earn money and pay taxes to take that money and give it to people who are not in work.
32:04Also, the illegal migrant situation is just being allowed to continue, completely unchecked.
32:11The government like to boast that they're taking illegal migrants out of hotels.
32:14Great, on paper.
32:16Where are they putting them?
32:17They're putting them into the private rental sector.
32:19That is going to have an even bigger effect on our already desperate housing crisis in this country.
32:25It was, in short, an absolute shower.
32:29But don't you think things like lifting the two-child benefit cap, you know, that's going to help people who are in high levels of poverty.
32:35Don't you think that could help sort of alleviate some of the pressures on services for, like, perhaps homelessness or general things across Kent?
32:42Do you don't think some of those proposals could help?
32:45No, I think all that's going to do is really irritate the people like me who have made the decision very early on to only have the number of children that I can afford to feed, clothe, educate, give a decent standard of lifestyle to.
33:01There are so many people like me who have made that very hard choice to have one or maybe two children because, you know, that's all you can reasonably afford.
33:11Those people are going to be feeling quite annoyed that there are loads of other people out there who are not taking responsible decisions about managing the size of their family.
33:20Contraception is freely available to everybody in this country.
33:25There is no excuse for having more children than you can afford to bring up.
33:29We need to get real about this.
33:31We need to get real.
33:31We cannot keep throwing money at people who are not making the right, the good choices.
33:37But, I mean, I don't have the stats to hand, but as far as I understand, it would lift a lot of people out of poverty, a lot of families.
33:43And also, in terms of children, I mean, they don't choose to be born into a certain family, right?
33:47So it's not their fault.
33:48That's going to help their families perhaps develop more of a sort of some solidity in terms of their finances and things like that.
33:55Don't you think that would, is it not unfair, sorry, unfair on the children in this regard?
33:59Of course it's unfair on the children.
34:01No child asks to be born.
34:02No child asks to be sent to school without being given breakfast or in a uniform that's not clean.
34:08You know, no child asks for that.
34:10You're absolutely right.
34:11And, no, children should not suffer.
34:13But don't you think it is kinder and more sustainable to look at the root of the problem rather than just throwing money at it?
34:20We need to be asking parents, are you aware of your responsibilities as a parent?
34:24It is your responsibility to get your child up in the morning, feed them breakfast, get them clothed and get them to school on time.
34:31That is parenting 101.
34:34You know, that is the basic duty of a parent.
34:37We need to be reminding parents, if you choose to have children, you are responsible.
34:41For their welfare, for their upkeep and getting them to school.
34:45Next, a 23-year-old bin man with terminal cancer was brought to tears after his colleagues surprised him with an unforgettable gesture at his wedding in Dover.
34:55Stephen Adley fulfilled one of his final wishes by marrying his fiancée, Hannah, with her one-year-old daughter by their side.
35:01In October, he was given devastating news that he had only months to live, just three weeks after proposing.
35:07His colleagues at Viola surprised him with a convoy of bin lorries to escort him to the ceremony at Bluebirds on Sunday.
35:14The wedding was made possible thanks to the generosity of local businesses.
35:18There are calls for safety improvements to the A21 Tunbridge bypass after an accident due to surface water.
35:26Data shows in the last four years, there's been eight crashes within a 300-metre radius.
35:31One driver died at the scene last year.
35:33A spokesperson for National Highway says safety remains their top priority, adding they regularly inspect and sweep the route to ensure that the surface water is draining from the carriageway.
35:43Conor Hardy is calling for action to prevent further crashes.
35:50Earlier, he told us more about the moments leading up to the incident.
35:54It had been raining really quite heavily.
35:58When I came out of the gym, it had just stopped raining.
36:02There was a bit of blue sky appearing.
36:04The road was quite wet, but not to the point where I thought it was dangerous.
36:15I continued on my way down, came over the Medway flyover, and then I was on the inside lane behind another car.
36:23I had quite a low-profile car.
36:26It wasn't like an SUV where you can see the road ahead.
36:30I was in the inside lane.
36:32I got caught up, and I pulled out to overtake, hit the accelerator to do the overtaking, because it was actually another BMW behind me.
36:41That's when, suddenly, I didn't really see the flood on the road.
36:46The next thing I know is the car was fishtailing and then sideways, and then I smashed into the barrier.
36:54Swell and Medway are among the areas set to benefit from £250 million in Sport England funding.
37:01The investment into deprived areas in the southeast is in a bid to get people moving.
37:05It comes as Sport England warns of an inactivity crisis that is impacting entire communities, especially children.
37:12As a result, it is fuelling long-term illness, poorer mental health, and reduces life chances.
37:18Lisa Dodd-Main from the organisation spoke to us earlier on.
37:20So, we know that where you live very much depends on the opportunities you have.
37:25And even further than that, that some people have a life expectancy which is 7 to 10 years shorter than other people.
37:32And that's just not fair.
37:34So, what we want to do with this investment, we want to invest in places up and down the country to give everybody that same opportunity to be active.
37:41So, today we're announcing 27 new places, some of which are in an active Kent and Medway, and investing a total of £250 million over the life of this programme across England to genuinely work in a very, very different way.
37:56You mentioned the inactivity crisis, and this has been going on for decades, and we know we need to do something differently now.
38:01And that's something differently, is not a national organisation like Sport England telling communities what to do, but very much about co-creating, working bottom-up with those local communities to understand the challenges that they face, and then look at where we can put activities, initiatives in place to really help that.
38:21Well, I'm Victor Sports, Finn McDermott here. Tell us about the impact of this funding here in Kent.
38:25Yeah, as you said, Cam, they've highlighted 27 areas across the country that are particularly inactive or that have a certain level of deprivation, and unfortunately, Swale and Medway were included in that list under the South East.
38:39They've mentioned some statistics here that in the poorest areas, one in three people are inactive versus one in five in more wealthy areas.
38:48Including in these areas, life expectancy gaps can be up to 14 years, and more than 500,000 children say they don't feel like they belong in their area.
38:59And, like I say, 250 million are split across those areas. We don't know exactly where that's going.
39:05That's up to people in those individual areas across Sport England.
39:09But I have some numbers here. For Medway, it says that there's a 10-year life expectancy gap within four miles, and that 46.8% of children are inactive with extremely high obesity levels.
39:23And it's similar numbers in Swale. They say there's severe deprivation in the Isle of Sheppey with a child inactivity rate of 45%, and a lot of obesity there as well.
39:34So there's a lot of issues that they're trying to tackle with this huge amount of funding.
39:38But, like I say, that is spread out across the country.
39:41But they say there is a source of hope that more than half of young children and young people surveyed show that by being active, by being part of a sports club,
39:50that it really can have a positive effect on mental health, inclusivity, and just a feeling of belonging in these areas as well.
39:57It makes children more connected and feel more comfortable in their area.
40:01Finn, thank you very much for coming in with that.
40:04And finally, calls from across Kent and the country have increased for the introduction of screening for prostate cancer in high-risk men.
40:12It comes as earlier this week, former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron revealed that he's been treated for prostate cancer.
40:20We spoke with Kent resident Paul Dennington, who's been campaigning for a screening programme.
40:25Obviously, I was diagnosed aged 55, and I was caught too late.
40:31So I'm stage four and incurable.
40:35And who knows, with the benefit of a screening programme, I could have been caught in time.
40:40And that's the key issue, because if you catch people in time, it's very treatable in its early stages,
40:46but it rarely comes with symptoms, hence the need for some kind of test or screening programme.
40:53My thoughts on the decision to come is I'm waiting with kind of bated breath, but not with a lot of hope, to be honest.
41:03I think the word out there in the community is that it probably won't, it will be a no still,
41:12on the basis there is insufficient evidence to drive a full screening programme.
41:18We're just going to go to a short break, but after the break, we'll be hearing from a Canterbury mountaineer
41:23as he gets ready for the final part of his seventh summit challenge.
41:27We'll also be joined by our KMTV film expert, Chris Deesey, as we discuss all things Stranger Things
41:34as the first part of the final season has been released today.
41:38And for those who've moved on from the horror movie genre and getting into the festive mood as we near December,
41:44he'll be telling us about what movies he's been watching in the run-up to Christmas.
41:47We'll see you very shortly.
41:57We'll see you soon.
42:27We'll see you soon.
42:57We'll see you soon.
43:27We'll see you soon.
43:57We'll see you soon.
44:27We'll see you soon.
44:57Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
45:17Canterbury mountaineer Harry Budamagar is getting ready to complete the final part of his seven summits challenge.
45:24The mission involves climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
45:29Harry lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan with the British Army's Gurkha Regiment.
45:33Now he's about to scale Mount Vinay, Antarctica is one of the most coldest, it's the coldest, it's the driest, it's the windiest continent.
45:47And going up the mountain, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest, it's the coldest.
45:59You know, I think we're prepared for that.
46:01So we'll be able to tackle that.
46:05Hopefully weather will favour us and we'll have some decent weather
46:10because if weather is bad on the mountain,
46:15how small the mountain simply is not safe to go.
46:19All the best to Harry.
46:21Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories
46:23across Kent by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
46:27There you'll find all our reports, including this one,
46:30about plans for a hotel and resort at the London Golf Club in Sevenoaks.
46:34Kent is set to have a new five-star resort,
46:37combining a 240-room hotel, spa, wedding venue, lodges
46:41and a driving range at the London Golf Club.
46:44This all comes after confirming it with councils
46:46and the project is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of pounds.
46:51The idea was started with the Sevenoaks Club's bid for the 2035 Ryder Cup
46:55and while the course has already hosted European Opens and World Match Plays,
46:59the resort would make the course and venue more suited
47:01for the international tournament and for other large events.
47:04It's a venue potentially of national significance,
47:07but it's of Kentish significance as well.
47:08So, as you said, from weddings to...
47:11We as a venue currently hold 400 events a year.
47:14You know, those events run from weddings, party nights, golf days,
47:18car launches, board meetings.
47:20We're just looking to upscale that to become a venue
47:23that would then add international to that.
47:26So, at the moment, we're almost a day-to-day facility.
47:29We'd like to extend ourselves then to becoming more of a longer-stay venue,
47:33a meeting venue, a conference venue,
47:35somewhere that could stage international events.
47:38Right now, I'm at hole three of the Heritage course
47:41and just behind me is where the hotel will be built.
47:44240 rooms complete with a spa, lodges, a sports pavilion and a driving range.
47:49But how are we going to get from a picturesque par 3
47:52to a premier golfing destination?
47:55The hotel is on this lovely slope of the land.
47:58It's got a spectacular view of the golf course.
47:59And we thought rather than blocking a building on there,
48:02if we could simply sort of terrace the landscape
48:04and use the building to sort of fold over the roof,
48:07that informed the architecture.
48:09So then it could age like a landscape would age rather than a building.
48:12And then that kind of set the narrative for the other buildings across the site
48:16that maybe they could feel like a family of buildings
48:19rather than just a series of plonked buildings.
48:22This all comes alongside recent developments in the area
48:25as the course is near Brands Hatch
48:27and Millwall's training ground in West Kingsdown,
48:30creating a strategic sports corridor along the M20.
48:34The site also contains a Grade 2 star-listed building
48:36that will be converted into a wedding venue for the development.
48:39And there's also plans for a sports pavilion,
48:41including paddle courts, a gym, a restaurant and an open water swimming lake.
48:46The club hope they can welcome the community of customers by 2028,
48:49by which point both golfers and holidaymakers can enjoy the resort,
48:53whether they're there for rest and relaxation or for a round on the range.
48:57Finn McDermid for KMTV in Sevenoaks.
49:00And now for a look at the weather.
49:07Well, tonight it's a bit of a dreary one.
49:09Rain everywhere except for Dover and Margate.
49:11Temperatures of 13 degrees across the county.
49:13Tomorrow morning looks a bit brighter.
49:15Nine degrees and sunny in the west.
49:16Slightly warmer with some cloud in the east.
49:18Highs of 11 degrees in Dover.
49:21In the afternoon, quite quick winds of 14 miles per hour.
49:23Only Margate and Dover seeing some sun.
49:25Asher looking pretty cold at 11 degrees.
49:27For the rest of the week, it's going to be rainy on Saturday.
49:31It'll be picking up a bit on Sunday, not in temperature degrees, though.
49:34Monday, rain will be returning.
49:39And as ever on a Thursday, we have Kent Film Club's Chris Deasy here to unpack all the biggest headlines.
49:49Now, we're deviating slightly this week.
49:52Normally have you talking about all the movies and the, you know, movie magic.
49:55We're going to the smaller screen, though.
49:58The phenomenon that is Stranger Things.
50:01After three years of waiting, first part of the final series is, or season rather,
50:06you know, that's what they call it in America, isn't it, is out.
50:09Can you give us a bit of a brief overview of this phenomenon?
50:12Well, I can because it came out at 1 o'clock in the morning
50:15and there were reports of people setting their alarm, even before going to school
50:19or getting up at 5 o'clock this morning, to watch this season.
50:23And, of course, it's being unveiled with various episodes coming up until Christmas and New Year.
50:28Now, it's a 1980 set.
50:30Now, you're right, because it is a deviation in the sense that it's not a film, strictly speaking.
50:34However, Empire Review, you know, all the film magazines and journals are reviewing this.
50:40And it is a total phenomenon.
50:42I mean, I think the age has gone where we can simply say this is a film, this is a TV show.
50:46It used to be the case with the Oscars that, you know, famously Linda Forantino
50:49wasn't nominated for a film, The Last Seduction, in the mid-90s
50:53because it had its premiere on TV.
50:56And then, in more recent years, Roma won an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director,
51:00and it was a Netflix series.
51:02So, I think we are in an age now where this sort of phenomenon works.
51:06Small screen, big screen, it really has crossover appeal.
51:09And with Stranger Things in particular, not just on the small screen as well,
51:13but we've seen that it's been adapted onto the London stage as well,
51:17the Duffer Brothers really having that, you know, that piece of history,
51:23that setting there taken to loads of different kinds of media.
51:28And, you know, ever since it came out, that 80s nostalgia has been so central
51:32to the success of the show.
51:35What is it about that period that cinema viewers, TV viewers, now stage, you know, theatre goers,
51:42what is it that keeps drawing us back to that time period?
51:44Well, this, I think, is crystallised by the film Donnie Darko,
51:48because I remember this era.
51:50I know Winona Ryder's in this, and, of course,
51:51we associate her with films from that period, like Beetlejuice in the late 80s.
51:55Now, this is an era, anybody like me who grew up in that decade will remember what it was like to be at school.
52:00I wasn't going to remind you.
52:01No, no, well.
52:03But when you look back at these films, you see, there's something very visceral.
52:07Stephen King's It as well, the one that came out in 2017, did it completely.
52:11Because this was an age before social media,
52:13and it was an age when you'd have to queue up to get your records or cassettes,
52:17and people would have their Wartmans on.
52:18And you watch all those horror films, like Nightmare on Elm Street,
52:20which have had a rerun in recent years, especially with Halloween just last month.
52:25And when you're watching this, you are transported back into that era.
52:28And it feels strangely innocent, because we didn't have the smartphones that we have today.
52:33We didn't have Facebook.
52:34But when you're watching this, you also see that there was a lot of menace,
52:37because we didn't have apps that would say,
52:39be careful, there's somebody behind you, turn around and press this button and call the police or whatever.
52:43So, in a way, there's an innocence, but also a sense of mystery and suspense.
52:48And it feels so... I mean, it's 40 years old, but this period...
52:52What is it? Between 83 and 87 are the years that Stranger Things is set in.
52:57And I think it feels close, but also very foreign.
53:01And something that I'm really fascinated by is there's a real sort of soft spot a lot of people have for the 80s.
53:06I mean, I wasn't even born in the 80s, but I love the 80s music, I love the 80s films,
53:10and there's a real soft spot a lot of people have for this period.
53:13But politically, socially, it was quite a disruptive time as well.
53:18So, where is that kind of disconnect? Why is that disconnect there?
53:21And you see it with films that are based around, like Billy Elliot, the mindless strike of 1984-85.
53:26And in a way, these are films that are nostalgic in their appeal, the music from the era.
53:30But also, as you say, it was a time when the country was very discordant
53:34and was very much at odds with itself and torn apart.
53:38And I think that's also part of it, that actually it's the counterpoint and the counterpart.
53:43You can have the two together.
53:45We can feel nostalgic for an age when we weren't necessarily very happy.
53:48But it was also the music or the movies that enabled us to get through it all.
53:53And when we hear them, watch those films and listen to those songs,
53:56we're reminded that actually we survived.
53:58I will survive. Well, that was technically end of the 70s.
54:00Now, a bit of a gear change to another seasonal period of films,
54:06one that you are most definitely an expert in.
54:09We've got here Christmas Karma, one of the latest Christmas films out.
54:13We've also, what I want to kind of talk about is more those sort of hallmark movies,
54:17those sort of rom-coms you get at this time of year,
54:19that have really, really found a niche and really taken hold of the public
54:24in the last few years especially. Tell us a little bit about that.
54:27Yeah, totally. Well, Christmas Karma, you mentioned.
54:29Now, I went in with some trepidation.
54:31I saw this on the weekend because it had terrible reviews.
54:35But, you know, how many iterations have we had of the Scrooge story?
54:39And, of course, for me, The Muppets is the definitive one.
54:42But this one, I have to say, first ten minutes,
54:44you see Danny Dyer in a taxi cab singing.
54:46And I thought, oh, there's a grime-filled rap about the cost of living crisis.
54:51And I thought, ooh, this could really not work.
54:53From the director of Bend It Like Beckham,
54:55after 20 minutes, I was sobbing
54:57because the lead character here is a British Asian.
55:00His family moved from Uganda in the 1960s and the 70s
55:03and experiencing prejudice in the 80s.
55:06Back to what we were just saying, actually, about the 1980s.
55:08And that explains him and why he is sceptical of Christmas,
55:12why he prioritises money and doesn't get close to people.
55:16So I thought it was a really well-developed Scrooge story that was updated.
55:19So with that sort of Ugandan backstory, no-one else has done anything like this.
55:23And a lot of it, of course, was very twee and a lot of it was very...
55:28It has all the ingredients that make Christmas films either wonderful or terrible.
55:32But I came away, and, you know, to be sobbing, maybe it's my age,
55:35but actually sobbing while watching this film.
55:37So for me, it was a wonderful blend, Christmas karma.
55:40It worked almost in spite of itself.
55:42And we've only got about a minute left before the end of the show.
55:45Just give us an idea of some of those tropes that we see in those, you know,
55:49Christmas Carol renditions, all those Hallmark movies.
55:52Absolutely. And they're always about family.
55:54Now, often, like Jingle All the Way is another example,
55:56but those Hallmark films, they always involve family.
55:59They involve relationships.
56:01Now, there may be a consumerist backdrop.
56:02They always go to these big department stores.
56:04Think of Arnie getting that big turbo toy for his son.
56:07But at the end of it, it's somebody expressing,
56:10albeit through money, through commercial transactions,
56:12love for somebody close to them.
56:14And that, in a way, is what Christmas is about,
56:16because we may spend an awful lot of money.
56:18Yes, it's consumerism run rampant,
56:20but we do it to express love for somebody close to us.
56:24And it's that mismatch.
56:25Chris, next week, we're going to start opening the advent of Christmas films
56:28when you join us on the show.
56:30Thank you very much, as ever, for unpacking all of those stories for us.
56:34Now, you've been watching Kent's Night Live on KMTV.
56:36There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
56:39Don't forget, you can always keep up to date
56:40by going to our website and our social media.
56:42But for now, that's all from me.
56:44We'll see you tomorrow.
56:45Goodbye.
Be the first to comment