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Catch up with all the latest news across the county with Meghan Shaw.
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00:00hello and welcome to Kent tonight live on KMTV I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top
00:29stories on Friday the 28th of November crunching at the numbers we break down what this week's
00:36budget means for you in Kent I think it's been an absolute horror show of a budget I mean I
00:41thought Halloween had been and gone but here we are again re drawing the map deadline passes
00:46for Kent councils to submit local government proposals for us to get devolution powers we've
00:52got to have local government structures which are fit for purpose kpop or kent pop as village
00:58of linton stars a new career music video we go on the hunt for the county's super fans so I feel
01:06like people just need to open up a bit more about it because it's in a different language so people
01:09don't really understand it don't really want to know it but I feel like it's it's just happy
01:14but first taxes benefits and wage rises it's been a bumper autumn budget announced this week but
01:29what does it mean for you here in Kent as the county's political and business movers and shakers
01:35continue to digest Wednesday's announcement local democracy reporter ollie leader has been examining
01:41what the Chancellor's statement will do to the county's economic landscape I call the Chancellor
01:47of the Shutter it was Labour's second budget and one destined to controversy after weeks of leaks and
01:58speculation as you can see the world's media has descended on Westminster for a very important day
02:05in the country's finances and while it may be cold outside Parliament has a reception to this tax raising
02:15budget being frosty back in Kent I think it's been an absolute horror show of a budget I mean I thought
02:21Halloween had been and gone but here we are again this budget was really designed to help the shirkers and not
02:29the workers it's the kind of budget that if you're a worker you're paying more and getting less if you
02:35look at any budget it's about trying to strike a balance I think Rachel Reeves has done a good job
02:40with that you know she's found additional headroom and capacity because the OBR projections I'm really
02:46clear that actually we've made good progress but there's of course always more to do but what does any
02:51of that actually mean now the dust has settled are your taxes going up and will your local services see
03:00improvements first of all minimum wage is going up meaning if you're over the age of 21 you'll be
03:08earning just shy of 26 and a half thousand pounds a year from April the government hopes that this will
03:16help slash youth unemployment potentially plug in gaps in crucial council departments we have so
03:25many young people out of work out of education for a long time being at work is good for your health as
03:31well so increasing the minimum wage is absolutely welcome we got so many jobs in social care sector
03:39as a as a chair of APPG I welcome that that this can attract more people take up the jobs in social care but
03:48there are fears businesses could be squeezed on staff costs and that's despite cuts to business rates for
03:56750,000 properties we seem to have this doom loop attitude in the UK to virtually tax the the the operation out of
04:07a very high VAT rates high labor rates high excise rates all kinds of regulation that doesn't exist in
04:16other markets and now we've got a tourism tax coming in at the discretion of local mayors and we've got
04:23the we're still reeling for the very high national insurance taxes which particularly hit retail and
04:30hospitality this time last year so my converse to that is by giving people a wage increase certainly minimum wage
04:37increase they'll have more money to spend in the high streets because they are getting more money into
04:41their pockets so and what we're doing is rebalancing businesses and taxation around businesses so small
04:49and medium-sized businesses like those cafes will get a benefit from this budget then we have the big one
04:56the two child benefit cap has been scrapped meaning that families on the poverty line with three or more
05:04children could receive additional support it's going to mean that 3,000 children in Gravesham are now going
05:12to be lifted out of poverty I mean that is just in one foul swoop one signature can do that I mean that's
05:20incredible and this is why I came into politics to do things like this but there are those that say this
05:26should have happened much sooner and I understand everyone understands that the government were
05:32struggling financially but you know all of the charities like child poverty action group have been
05:38telling us for a long time and my local food bank who I work with closely have been saying it's the number
05:44one driver of poverty and you know we have to do our absolute best to get rid of it and all of that
05:51that doesn't even touch on gambling taxes that could raise a billion pounds or the government extending
05:58the freeze on tax bans that means as inflation and wages go up more working people will end up being
06:06taxed at a higher rate it's a bumper budget but the winners and losers might not be quite as clear cut
06:14as the government or the opposition makes out Ollie leader in Westminster
06:24and Ollie joins me now in the studio so Ollie anything you've not yet covered in that report
06:29you've got to tell us well the budget as you know Meg is colossal there's so much I had to leave out
06:35and it does it impact people here in camp for example the new EV tax set for 2028 could mean that
06:42if you're trying to electric vehicle you can be charged three pence per mile that's quite a lot of
06:47money if you're investing in those EV cars a new tourism tax is a big one for places like Canterbury
06:53for Folkestone places where tourists come to the county we could potentially see an impact on businesses
07:01if that's going to be detrimental they could also help boost local services if implemented in the right
07:07way it's a mansion tax on those two million pound properties it's a raid on salary sacrifice pension
07:13contributions the list goes on and on obviously our camp politics team here at KMTV will be following
07:21all of this in the coming weeks and months breaking down what it means for you but yeah pretty sizable
07:26here and not just national politics I bet it's been a big day for local democracy as well
07:31absolutely because today is deadline day for local government reorganization they're sick of talking
07:37about it I'm sick of talking about it you're probably sick of me hearing talking about it because
07:43basically the government's getting all of Kent's councils to essentially abolish themselves and form
07:49bigger unitaries that bring all services under one roof to make services more efficient that's their
07:56view and councils have been submitting their proposals today for what they want and we actually
08:03have been following this story quite closely one of our reporters george walker he's been out in medway
08:09and maidstone talking to the big political beast that kent county council and medway council they provide
08:15upper tier authority services in addition to the lower tier authority services at medway and this is what
08:23he's been hearing about from these big uh figures within camp politics recognize these well by 2028
08:30they won't exist that's because local government reorganization is coming to kent replacing the
08:34current hodgepodge of councils it's part of a national devolution agenda with the government funding
08:39proposals moving kent to over three or four sets of unitary authorities which deliver all services however
08:44for medway council that simply wasn't enough choice and instead they've chosen to refund their own
08:49proposal for the boundaries of kent option 4d as it's called is expected to cost 135.9 million pounds
08:56to implement and to take between 8 and 15 years to pay off for the new councils and it's not just
09:01squiggly lines on a map this proposal redraws the boundaries of kent from folks in the hive in the
09:07south to dartford in the north i spoke to council leader vince maple about why he thinks these changes
09:13need to be made what we need to remember is we're dealing with maps when it comes to the districts
09:17boroughs and the unitary uh in most cases from more than 50 years ago government's been really clear
09:23about its desire to have devolution and for us to get devolution powers we've got to have local
09:28government structures which which are fit for purpose for that particular reason our model 4d is
09:34absolutely that here in maidstone at kent county council they've also funded their own reorganization
09:39proposal they're looking at what's called option 1a a single unitary council for the entirety of kent
09:45with three so-called area committees sitting underneath it for everyone in kent they say
09:49this will cost the council 99.4 million pounds to implement and will pay off in about three years
09:54time i'm extremely worried by reform run kcc's proposal for one mega council for kent which will
10:00hoover up all the powers of 14 councils and make decision making remote from people but reform with
10:08no support from any of the other councils in kent have spent one to two hundred thousand pounds of
10:13public money um building up a case for their one single mega council which everyone expects to be
10:20rejected i mean even reform do there was that recorded meeting where the leader of the council
10:25called it putting a spoke in a wheel it's not a serious proposal george walker km tv and you can
10:32watch the rest of that kent tonight special on monday after invicta sport at 7 pm now a man's been
10:39sentenced to life in prison at maystone crown court for murder and sexually assaulting his mother's
10:44friend ernestas yuska pled guilty to murdering 39 year old nina denisova in her sleep her body was
10:52found by emergency services at yuska's home in dartford shortly before 7 a.m last august seven yeah
10:59that's correct here's the moment police arrested him
11:09go on mate what's going on lad sorry
11:21what do you mean you killed someone who's killed mate
11:22a friend of your mom's where are they in the house and coming up a former motorcyclist from
11:32tentsden has been has set up a foundation to teach young people about road safety after losing two
11:37of his friends in clap in crashes just months apart and we'll also have our very own anila mohammed
11:43joining us to talk about the health watchdogs findings on medway hospital that's it for now
11:48find you after the break thank you
12:18we'll see you next time
18:18don't protect their privacy or their dignity.
18:21And the report also highlighted significant challenges
18:25for staff working under intense pressure.
18:28I mean, departments are regularly understaffed.
18:30And some of these staff had even said
18:32they wouldn't want their own relatives
18:33to be treated in the conditions of the hospital.
18:36And the CQC, who did the investigation,
18:39they rated the emergency department
18:41as needs improvement in terms of its effectiveness,
18:44its care towards its patients, and also its response time.
18:48That does sound worrying.
18:49So were there any areas in the hospital
18:51that seemed to be doing well at all then?
18:53Absolutely.
18:54While the overall tone has been quite negative,
18:56there have been some positive mentions in the report.
19:00So ambulance handover time were much more efficient
19:03and delays were kept minimal, sometimes 30 minutes or less.
19:08And the staff were very much praised for their dedication
19:11and strict commitment to following clinical guidelines
19:14to the T, particularly regarding conditions around sepsis.
19:18And I understand that the hospital has, in fact,
19:20implemented some changes since this inspection.
19:23That's correct, Megan.
19:24So they've hired more nurses and more doctors
19:26to deal with the rising amount of patients coming in.
19:30And they've also improved procedures to ensure that the patients
19:33do receive specialist assessments.
19:36Interim Chief Executive Jonathan Wade has said
19:38that they've also expanded the virtual ward services, which
19:42means that more patients are able to be treated at home, which
19:48frees up hospital beds and reduces cluttering and overcrowding
19:51within the hospitals themselves.
19:53Thank you very much, Neela.
19:55A clear picture of a hospital under pressure there.
20:00And while many shoppers in Kent will be clicking away or queuing up
20:04to make the most of the Black Friday sale, Kent Fire and Rescue has urged
20:08people to make sure they buy safe electronics.
20:11They're warning cheap appliances, chargers and devices might not comply
20:15with quality standards.
20:17It comes after a spate of electrical fires at homes across the county,
20:21including three in Ashford in the past four days.
20:24And we spoke to group manager of the service, Joe Bathurst, earlier.
20:28So the easiest rule is if it looks too good to be true, then it usually is.
20:32So when people are shopping, we advise them to only buy electrical gifts
20:36from reputable retailers and trusted brands and avoid really cheap
20:40or imitation charges and accessories.
20:42These might be dangerous.
20:45We're telling people to safely use their electrical items by following
20:48the manufacturer's guidance and only charge them when you're keeping
20:51an eye on them, remembering to keep all your devices off soft furnishings.
20:55Like I said, thinking back to that laptop that caught fire while it was charging
20:58on the bed.
20:59If an electrical item starts smoking or burning, get everyone out and call 999.
21:04Do not move the device or use any water.
21:07And now sport, Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth admits
21:11their having to be patient with loan signing Johnny Smith.
21:15The winger has been restricted to just three starts this season since joining
21:19from Wigan Athletic and he was an unused sub last weekend.
21:22Despite scoring against Newport back in September,
21:25injuries kept him sidelined for several weeks and fitness continues to hold him back.
21:30Ainsworth said the 28-year-old is definitely part of his plans going forward.
21:35Three of Chatham Town Women's Cup heroes will be on international duty
21:40when the team return to home league action this Sunday.
21:43Goalkeeper Simone Elligan is among the trio to have flown out to play for their national
21:48sides as Chatham prepare to face Luton Town at the Boreville Stadium.
21:53She saved two penalties in the shootout win over Exeter City in last weekend's FA Cup
21:58second round match.
21:59Elligan will be joining her Trinidad and Tobago teammates.
22:03Jasmine August and Otisha Charles were also part of this side.
22:07August will be representing St Lucia and Charles will feature for Guyana as their nations compete in
22:12CONCACAF Women's Championship qualifiers.
22:16Margate boxer Blake Binskin enjoyed a winning professional debut at the famous York Hall in London.
22:23Binskin triumphed 40-36 on points in the winner's stays-on bout against Brighton's Mark Butler.
22:31Managed by Peacock Promotions, the wing and base Binskin is trained at PEJABC Margate on
22:37Hatfield Road by coaches Mario Michael and Ian MacDonald.
22:41Coach Michael said it was a very proud moment for the club who have watched the 23-year-old
22:45when he was a young boy.
22:47Binskin's next fight will be in February.
22:51And just before we sign off for the week, let's take a quick look at the weather.
22:54A partly cloudy night across West Kent, temperatures sitting around 9 degrees all around, looking a bit clearer towards the east of the county.
23:06Into the tomorrow a.m. we've got rain all around 10 degrees, 11 degrees roughly.
23:12And into the evening tomorrow we clear up a bit on West Kent but towards East Kent.
23:19Rain continues and your outlook 7 on Sunday and weather warnings Monday on Tuesday.
23:24So bring an umbrella though a little bit warm at 10 and 11 degrees.
23:27And finally, whether it's Demon Hunters, BTS or Blackpink, K-pop has become a global sensation, even reaching the Kent village of Linton.
23:44Boy band Rise filmed the music video for their latest single, Fame in Linton Park House, just outside Maystone.
23:51So could Kent soon put the K in K-pop? Well, Finn McDermid's been finding out.
23:56Kent has plenty of musical history. Ozio's born performing in Folkestone Oasis with an early gig in Royal Tunbridge Wells,
24:03but now a viral K-pop group has joined the band.
24:06Rise are a six-member boy band group from South Korea and one of the rising star groups of the K-pop genre,
24:12with more than 4.5 million Instagram followers.
24:15And for their new single, Fame, they filmed their music video at Linton Park, near the village of Linton, by Maidstone.
24:21And with K-pop's popularity growing globally, it's no surprise to stans, which basically means enthusiastic fans,
24:28here in the UK, that groups have started branching out.
24:31To get more of an idea of the reach of the genre, I spoke to our health expert, Dr. Julian Spinks, who's also an expert on K-pop.
24:38They're a relatively new K-pop band. They've only been around for a couple of years.
24:42But they're starting to make a name for themselves, and they were in one of the big concerts for a number of bands in June.
24:49And I hope they come back to Kent, and we become their second home.
24:53And also, maybe it'll start to encourage people in Kent to take more interest in K-pop and other Asian pop genre.
25:00Now, it's fair to say that K-pop has become a global sensation, with groups like Blackpink, Twice, and Cat's Eye climbing the charts every day.
25:07And it's even crossed over into film, with K-pop Demon Hunters being a huge success.
25:11And now that we can say that K-pop has officially arrived here at Linton Park and in Kent,
25:17does this mean Kent will become a new hub for the genre, or is it too soon to expect everyone to be a stan?
25:22As I stood there, I considered that if Kent would become the European centre of K-pop,
25:27we should get a head start and make our own Kent-pop group.
25:30So I took to Maidstone's High Street to find some rising stars that might rival Rise.
25:35But it didn't get off to a great start.
25:38Can you have any bands?
25:40The Smiths?
25:41No, as in K-pop bands.
25:42Oh, no.
25:43Do you guys know any K-pop artists?
25:44No.
25:45No.
25:46Don't know, that's okay, that's okay.
25:47Can you guys sing?
25:48No.
25:49No.
25:50Okay, can you dance?
25:51Yes.
25:52You can dance, okay, brilliant.
25:53And can you speak any Korean?
25:54No.
25:55Can you guys sing?
25:56Yeah.
25:57She can, yeah.
25:58You can sing, okay, perfect.
25:59What about dancing, how are we there?
26:00Yeah, I'm good at dancing.
26:01So, do you think that K-pop could become bigger in England than Kent?
26:04Yeah, I think it already is pretty big, because I know K-pop Demon Hunters, a Netflix show,
26:08their music hit top charts, even in the UK, so I feel like people just need to open up
26:12a bit more about it, because it's in a different language, so people don't really understand
26:16it, don't really want to know it, but I feel like it's just happy.
26:19It makes me happy, personally.
26:21And here's our line-up, an all-girl group, except for Connor, and I'm of course the manager.
26:25While I had my team assembled, unfortunately, we decided to not go ahead with the band.
26:29But hopefully, Kentish K-pop fans will be happy to see more artists and groups like
26:33Rise doing work here in the county.
26:35Finn McDermid for KMTV in Linton.
26:38You've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
26:43There's more news across the county.
26:45Enjoy your evening.
26:46Good night.
26:47Good night.
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