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00:00Hello and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are your top
00:28stories on Wednesday the 3rd of December. A public health crisis. Prime Minister, MPs
00:34and locals call for urgent help as Tunbridge Wells water shortages continue. I too have
00:40heard South East Water say, as he rightly says, actually Sunday into Monday, Monday into Tuesday
00:46and Tuesday into Wednesday that they were sorting it and they still haven't sorted and there's
00:50really serious consequences. Housing headaches. Kent Homes now costing eight times local wages.
00:56It was just, I'm like, I'm a cash buyer and it wasn't, you know, it was quite a lot of
01:00money and I still couldn't find a house. And Christmas come early, we're at Strid's year
01:05round festive store to find out when people really get into the holiday spirit. I come
01:10here actually quite often if I'm at work and I'm feeling a bit, then I just come in here
01:16and I absolutely love it.
01:28But first, our top story this evening. It's now the fifth day without water for tens of
01:33thousands of residents in Tunbridge Wells. In a situation the Prime Minister has described
01:38as shocking. A recurring chemical issue at the Penbury treatment plant has left supplies
01:43undrinkable, prompting authorities to declare what they're calling a public health crisis.
01:48Thousands of residents have been told that they must boil their tap water for the next
01:5210 days as engineers work to resolve the problem. Our reporter Chloe Brewster is live in Tunbridge
01:57Wells with the latest on the disruption. Chloe, can you talk us through the last few days then?
02:03So it's been chaos here. I'm currently at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre and there are at the moment
02:10cars pouring in trying to collect those bottles of water. In the Commons earlier, leader of the
02:16Liberal Democrats, Ed Davie, called the situation a public health emergency.
02:20Mr Speaker, yesterday I was in Royal Tunbridge Wells, where tens of thousands of people have
02:29had no water for five days. This is now a public health emergency. Shockingly, it's the second
02:38time in just three years when South East Water have let down the people of Tunbridge Wells badly.
02:46Parents are queuing up for bottled water for their kids. Pensioners are relying on neighbours
02:50to fetch some water for them. Businesses have closed down. Schools and GPs have been forced
02:56to shut. South East Water said it would be sorted on Monday, then yesterday, and today it still
03:04hasn't been sorted. So will the Prime Minister convene Cobra? Does he agree that it's time
03:11for him to get a grip of this crisis so it is sorted?
03:15The Prime Minister
03:17Can I thank him for raising this really important issue? It is shocking for all the reasons he's
03:23set out. And I too have heard South East Water say, as he rightly says, actually Sunday into
03:30Monday, Monday into Tuesday, and Tuesday into Wednesday, that they were sorting it and they
03:34still haven't sorted. And there's really serious consequences. And we are bearing down on that,
03:38as he would expect, because it's such a serious issue.
03:41Sir Ed Davie.
03:43Prime Minister's reply and the actions of the Water Minister, but I do think the Government will
03:46need to do more because South East Water have failed so badly.
03:50Chloe, we've seen the reaction there in Parliament, but what is the public reaction to this?
03:55Well, there's 24,000 people who've been unable to take a shower, unable just to put the kettle
04:02on. It must be incredibly frustrating for all of those people. And Neil Hudson, the head of water quality,
04:08actually spoke to us earlier, and he apologised and he said they're unsure about what caused the water quality issue.
04:14I'd like to start off by apologising, obviously, to all the customers in Tunbridge Wells and the
04:18surrounding area for the issues that have been ongoing from the weekend. Obviously, we appreciate the
04:22difficulties that's causing to them and the impact it's having on their just day-to-day lives.
04:27And I guess to let you know, obviously, our guys are out there working as hard as we can to try and resolve the issue.
04:32So, we've had issues at the Treatment Works at Pembry, which has caused the Treatment Works to shut down.
04:39What we're doing now, and we've been unable to provide a wholesome supply consistently.
04:44All water we've supplied up to this point has been completely safe to drink.
04:48What we're doing now and why we put this boil water notice on is to allow us to run the Treatment Works consistently.
04:54The water will still be going through a full treatment process. However, there's potential issues with our
05:00disinfection process at the very end, which is why we're asking customers to boil water
05:04before they use it for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, etc.
05:08And the main reason for this is to allow people to restore supplies for sanitation purposes,
05:14so they can flush toilets, so they can shower, hand washing, so effectively you can get back to that side
05:19from the public health point of view.
05:22People here are really clearly frustrated. Schools have been unable to open.
05:27Businesses are losing out on money, and I actually spoke to a pub landlord on Monday
05:31who told us that she was losing thousands.
05:33She's had to cancel Christmas events, and it is just...
05:36It's not going well for the people of Tunbridge Wells.
05:38We actually spoke to the leader of the Borough Council here to see what he thought.
05:42I've seen some pretty upsetting scenes where I've seen some of our residents,
05:48you know, in their 80s and 90s, walking miles to bottled water stations,
05:54and they, you know, just to carry something home because they had nothing.
05:59I've seen their mums with newborn babies that haven't got water.
06:03We've had care homes that, despite being on the priority list,
06:07haven't had their special deliveries.
06:09So, you know, it's quite upsetting because when you really boil it down,
06:16pardon the pun, not intended, you know, water is the essence of life.
06:22And we will be hearing more from Chloe about that later in the show.
06:25But now, a second man has been arrested as detectives continue to investigate
06:30the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old in Chatham.
06:33The victim was found with stab wounds inside of a property on Thorald Road
06:38early yesterday morning, and a man in his 30s was detained shortly afterwards.
06:42Police have now taken an 18-year-old from London into custody as part of the inquiry,
06:47with searches and forensic work at the scene still ongoing.
06:51Megan Shaw has been following the investigation and joins me now.
06:55Megan, can you give me the updates that have come out today about this?
06:58Of course.
06:59So, as you mentioned there, a second man has been arrested after a 19-year-old
07:04was stabbed in Chatham in the early hours of yesterday morning.
07:07That man arrested in connection is an 18-year-old from Greenford in London.
07:12And, of course, investigations are still ongoing.
07:15And for anyone who missed yesterday's broadcast,
07:18we actually sent one of our reporters down to find out a bit about public reaction and stuff.
07:23What actually did happen yesterday? What did we find out then?
07:26So, Kemp Police were called just after 3am on Tuesday morning,
07:30following reports of a serious assault involving a knife.
07:33It was then confirmed that a 19-year-old had died at the scene from stab wound injuries
07:39after being treated by paramedics.
07:41Shortly afterwards, a 32-year-old man from Chatham was arrested on suspicion of murder.
07:47A police cordon has been put in place yesterday, which closed the street and adjacent alleyway
07:54as a murder investigation was launched.
07:56All right. Thank you, Megan.
07:58The full details of that broadcast will be found on our website if you missed it.
08:05But next, the county's CCTV coverage is under scrutiny tonight
08:09as dozens of cameras across Ashford have reportedly been out of action for months,
08:14including key locations across the town.
08:17It comes as Ashford Borough Council prepares to enter a new shared service with Swale,
08:22a move the council leader says could save around £300,000.
08:27The proposal has faced some opposition with nearly 150 people signing a petition
08:32against relocating the service.
08:35A spokesperson for the council says they refute the claims being circulated
08:39and some believe that concerns are being spread maliciously.
08:47Now, the scheme to build the Lower Thames Crossing connecting Kent and Essex
08:51will now cost taxpayers more than £3 billion.
08:54The money from taxpayers is being used to de-risk the £11 billion project,
08:59allowing digging under the River Thames to begin in 2028,
09:03following National Highway's purchase of a new tunnelling machine.
09:06Director of Transport Action Network Chris Todd says the crossing
09:10will leave those cheering on the scheme short-changed.
09:14However, Executive Director of LTC Matt Palmer says the infrastructure
09:18will deliver jobs, trade, trade opportunities and relieve pressure
09:22on a road which sees around 190,000 vehicles a day.
09:27The new road is planned to open in the early 2030s.
09:30Now, tributes have been pouring in for former Tunbridge
09:35and Mulling MP Sir John Stanley, who has died at the age of 82.
09:41Sir John served as a Conservative MP for the constituency for 41 years
09:45between 1974 and 2015.
09:49He was also Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Parliamentary Private Secretary.
09:54His successor Tom Tugendhat has led the tributes, saying Sir John served with distinction.
10:00Also paying their respects is Tunbridge and Mullingborough council leader,
10:04Matt Botton, who we spoke to earlier today.
10:08The story I was told by a former councillor once was in Hadlow,
10:12a little village of Hadlow just north of Tunbridge,
10:14and he went to help them with their election campaign.
10:16And he only had about half an hour or so.
10:20So John was quite insistent that he go to certain properties and speak to certain people.
10:26And the team with him were asking why.
10:30And he said, look, I'll demonstrate why.
10:33And it turns out that he'd remembered that about 15 years previously,
10:36he had helped get the driving licence back for that particular person.
10:40He had a wonderful memory, a wonderful memory for people, a wonderful memory for places,
10:46and a real commitment to ensuring that that reputation that he built up
10:52lasted long beyond he'd helped people.
10:56I can remember a former colleague of mine saying,
10:59you couldn't walk down the street in Tunbridge and Mulling
11:02without meeting someone who had been helped by John Stanley.
11:06Well, now, unfortunately, it's time for a short break, but don't go anywhere,
11:10as we have a chat with our medical expert, Dr. Julian Spinks,
11:14about the ongoing water crisis in Tunbridge Wells,
11:17as well as finding out about the latest fallout from the COVID inquiry.
11:21We'll also be following up with Chloe again about the updates
11:24that are happening in Tunbridge Wells, the weather as well.
11:28And we will be speaking with Lottie Mason,
11:31who has all the latest sports news from across the county,
11:34coming up next on Kent Tonight.
11:36So all of that and more, don't go anywhere.
11:38Plenty-packed show, so we'll be excited to see you then.
11:41Bye-bye.
12:04Bye-bye.
12:34Bye-bye.
13:04Bye-bye.
13:34Bye-bye.
14:04Bye-bye.
14:34Bye-bye.
14:56Bye-bye.
15:00Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live here on KMTV. Now to take more on the ongoing water
15:17crisis in Tunbridge Wells plus other medical headlines from across the county, here's our
15:22resident health expert Dr Julian Spinks.
15:30All right Julian, so thank you so much for joining us this evening. Now we're talking
15:35about Tunbridge Wells obviously and the water contamination that's happening over there,
15:39what are some of the dangers that a person can face when ingesting these chemicals and
15:43can you explain a bit about what they are?
15:45Yes, these are called coagulants and whilst I'm not a water expert I do understand what
15:50they do and that is to take very small particles of contamination and make them clump together
15:56and then that can be filtered out but it does require the right amount of the chemical to
16:01be in there. A lot of them are aluminium salts that are aluminium based or iron based and
16:06both of those if they're at high levels can make people unwell and so they have to be maintained
16:13at the right level. However also if they're not there at the right level the filtering of
16:17the contaminants won't happen properly and you may have a situation where more bacteria
16:22get into the water. And obviously with the initial thing they were concerned both with
16:26the chemical levels and bacteria, now they're looking and saying actually the chemicals are
16:33okay to use in bathing and so on but you shouldn't be drinking it.
16:38And I mean what if they do drink it, what if you can't boil the water or you don't have
16:42the electricity, maybe you don't have a kettle, what will happen if people drink this?
16:47I think it's very important that they do boil it because at the moment they can't guarantee
16:53there isn't bacterial contamination. And you have to remember when they restore a supply
16:58they've got to flush all the water through the pipes that's been there from before so
17:02it will never be instantaneous when they switch things back on. I think if you can't boil it
17:08then you need to look at bottled water but in and they are supplying that for drinking and
17:13so that's one way around. The additional health effects are because you can't wash, because
17:18you can't wash your clothes. We've got GP surgeries that are shut because we need water,
17:23we need to be able to decontaminate and wash our hands and so on. If you can't do that you
17:27can't stay open.
17:29And of course as a GP does this concern you about maybe the amount of people who are going
17:33to have to go to the GP for maybe health things that they've had to deal with because
17:37of the water quality in Tunbridge Wells?
17:40I would hope that if they follow the advice they've been given that it's going to reduce
17:43the risk of that sort of thing. It's a bigger problem for those practices in that area if
17:47they can't actually open because that causes all sorts of problems because it's not just
17:51things related to water, it's all the other diseases they can't treat. So it's something
17:56that is a major impact and of course it hits the young and the elderly, the people who can't
18:01get out and do things much harder than other people.
18:04Certainly, but we will follow that as it continues and hopefully something will be, not too many
18:10people will be going to the GP. We'll move on to the Covid enquiry now. So it's been found
18:15that if the nationwide lockdown took place two weeks earlier that 23,000 lives could have potentially
18:23been saved. What are your thoughts on that?
18:25Yes, looking at the results of the enquiry, what is interesting is that they've not said lockdown
18:31was a bad thing in itself and really overall the right decisions were made but often too
18:37late. And so the initial lockdown, if they'd looked at what was happening internationally,
18:44particularly places like Italy where their health system was collapsing in Northern Italy,
18:49they should have made the decision earlier. But they were overconfident. They were misled by
18:53the fact that there wasn't a lot of testing and it was technically more difficult. So
18:56they didn't know how many people in the UK had it. But I think an earlier lockdown probably
19:01would have resulted in a shorter lockdown and less impact on people. And likewise, the
19:06same thing happened with the second lockdown. They opened the UK up too soon. And again, they
19:11are a couple of weeks too late putting that second lockdown in place. And it meant that you
19:15had to have a longer lockdown than you would have had.
19:18And how do you, in your opinion, with the handling of the COVID enquiry, what sort of fallout have
19:24you seen on the patients that you talk with?
19:26Well, some patients are very upset because, of course, they then caught COVID, maybe got
19:32long COVID and so on, or have lost relatives. There was this big problem with people being
19:37discharged from hospital, not tested, going to nursing homes, taking COVID out to that and
19:42you then had an outbreak. And with those elderly people who are more likely to die. So, you
19:46know, there's a degree of anger over it. But I think it's important that the enquiry is
19:50all about learning how to do it better next time, rather than just pointing the finger
19:55as to what happened before.
19:56I suppose a bit of a silver lining to it then. So in regards to something else, then I want
20:02to get your opinion on just quite quickly. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, described
20:06the British Medical Association as acting like moaning minis in opposition to the rollout
20:11of online GP appointment booking. Can I get quickly your thoughts on that?
20:16Yes. A lot of us have done it. However, it has major impacts. For example, having to reduce
20:22the number of appointments that are available so doctors can answer all those online queries.
20:26And I think it's, you know, unpleasant to be called a moaning mini when in reality what
20:31we're trying to do is introduce something safely that is good for patients and good for
20:35practices.
20:36Fabulous, Julian. Well, thank you so much for asking those questions and answering those
20:41questions. And we'll speak with you next week.
20:52Now it's time to catch up on all the latest sports news from across the county with Lolly Mason.
21:05Sittingbourne have been sent into the Isthmian South-East playoffs with their fifth successive
21:09victory. On Tuesday night, father Derek Azamoa equalised against Hazucks and son Zayshawn
21:15Azamoa scored the winner of a 2-1 home victory, which sent them up to fifth place. Sittingbourne
21:20manager Rhys Prestidge said the father-son duo are very different in the way they play. But
21:25Zayshawn has been really good and has a little something different to what we've already
21:28got. Sittingbourne will play Herne Bay this Saturday.
21:31Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth has commented on his return to the touchline last Saturday
21:36as the Giles drew with Shrewsbury. The Gillingham boss remarked that to be on the touchline
21:40again is where I belong and that it's what I want to do despite some stick from Shrewsbury
21:44fans.
21:44Ainsworth left the Shropshire Football Club at the end of last season to take on a two-year
21:49project at Gillingham. Of being back, he said, I know the fans are with us. The players certainly
21:53fight for me and I'm loving it as manager.
21:55Meanwhile, Sheppard United will be put to the test this weekend after eight games without
22:00defeat following last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Ashford with Archie Johnson scoring the equaliser.
22:05Manager Kevin Watson says of the Ites they had a lot of success as a club last season so
22:09they have momentum and that winning is familiar to them. Last season's beaten FA Vars finalists
22:14are just four points off top spot after being promoted last summer. Sheppard United will be
22:18heading to Whiteleaf this weekend hoping to secure another win. And lastly, Hyatt Town manager
22:23Darren Beal remains on the market to strengthen his squad. The first name through the door was
22:28Rory Deacon, appointed player assistant manager and he's been followed by Kai Garrett, Mo Kamara
22:32and Monty Saunders. Kamara has joined from Rains Park Vale and Saunders is a dual registration
22:37signing from Faversham. Darren Beal says of the new additions, I've worked with Kai and Deeks all of
22:42last season at Ramsgate and I've worked with Mo before.
22:54And of course don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kent
22:59by logging on to your website kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all reports including this one.
23:05Through a Freedom of Information request, Kent Online found that £100,000 has been spent on repairs
23:13for the Hockenberry Bridge over the past five years. Repairs that locals say could be prevented through
23:19a reduced speed limit or traffic calming measures. The Hockenberry pub has been directly affected,
23:24with its owner Jonathan Woodbridge saying he's losing an estimated £5,000 a week in trade due to
23:31the continued road closures and ongoing speeding issues. Virtually all of the damage is caused by
23:40motor cars travelling too fast. Not lorries, not vans. The cost of the economy, the ball figures here,
23:48are nothing compared to what it's actually costing everybody else, including us because we're closed.
23:54My own view is this could have been prevented in totality but this is actually scratching the surface
23:59in terms of what the true cost is. During the summer, the pub faced a further blow to trade
24:05when a truck crashed into the front of the building. This incident prompted a petition for a reduced
24:11speed limit due to serious concerns over safety. Data shows that over the past five years, 94% of the
24:18repairs have been paid for by the taxpayer, leaving just 6% being covered by drivers responsible for the
24:24damage. In response to this data, a spokesperson for Kent County Council has said that repairs to
24:30Hockenberry Bridge are essential for safety and that it seeks to recover costs from drivers
24:35responsible for damage, working with police to identify them. The council says both Headcorn and
24:41Staplehurst have listed the bridge as a priority and while options like traffic lights have been explored,
24:47physical constraints have made smaller fixes unfeasible, though the site will continue to be reviewed.
24:53The Mayor of Maidstone Council gave me his perspective on the issue.
24:56Unfortunately, the vast majority of traders, whether they're in services, products,
25:01businesses, artisan labourers, from electricians to plumbers, are all suffering from traffic chaos
25:08these days. And the trouble is they're suffering as businesses. Their margins are being hit.
25:13They've got increased costs, they've got fewer customers spending less. So everybody's being affected by their margins.
25:21With the burden falling on taxpayers and businesses, and as calls for action grow louder,
25:27those affected are hoping that the worst is now behind them. But with the Christmas season
25:31well underway, many have fears that travel far beyond the road. Kristin Hawthorne for KMTV.
25:37And of course, we are well into December now. It's the 3rd of December, which means that we may be
25:46seeing some snow later in the month. And I've been told that it's been very, very cold today for the
25:51people that were out speaking to the public. But let's see what it's like for the rest of the week,
25:55as it's time for the weather. Tonight across Kent, then, we'll see a partly cloudy evening with highs
26:05of nine degrees in Dover and lows of seven degrees across the rest of the county. Eight degrees then
26:11across the entire county tomorrow morning with wind speeds of 12 to 18 there over in Dover. And then
26:16seven across the board as well into tomorrow afternoon, with partly cloudy skies as well,
26:21wind speeds lowering down to eight and six. Then on Friday, nine degrees with rain. Saturday,
26:27rain again, 12 degrees, but warming up a bit on Sunday with partly cloudy, with cloudy skies, 13 degrees.
26:38But of course, stay with us now after the break, as we will be taking a look at our top story again
26:43about the water shortages, the water problems over in Tambridge Wells. All of that and more to come. See you then.
26:51We'll see you then.
32:13I've exploded.
32:14I've rented this morning from my taxi driver.
32:15and I have now been using small bots pushing them in because I can't carry them with a taxi.
32:21Yeah.
32:22I think he's absolutely diabolical and that the like that runs herself is water
32:26should be fired, especially as he's taken in for $400,000 a year.
32:30We didn't actually realise until we got here that there was one, and since coming here
32:36we've not been able to get a coffee or a lunch, and it's unfortunate because we did not realise
32:42we probably wouldn't have come.
32:44The majority of businesses in the town centre were not open, a simple sign saying, sorry,
32:49not open, on their door.
32:51But residents aren't the only ones frustrated about the issue.
32:54At the moment we're in crisis management mode, so the first thing is making sure that the
33:00communications are clear from South East Water, which they're not.
33:03They're still not clear about what's going on.
33:05And then the second thing is making sure that the operation or the crisis is being managed
33:10properly.
33:10So for instance, these toilets behind us have been put in there by the Borough Council.
33:14We've pushed South East Water to put them in for days, and they haven't come in, so the
33:18Borough Council, who've been excellent, have just taken the initiative and put them in
33:21themselves.
33:22And this means that the shops can open, because this is obviously one of the busiest shopping
33:25periods of the year, so we need to be able to get the shops open.
33:28And so at the moment, it's real crisis management mode.
33:31In the meantime, residents can access bottled water stations throughout Tunbridge Wells.
33:36Maisie Walker for KMTV, Tunbridge Wells.
33:41Now, those are some harsh words there, but we actually spoke to the head of water quality
33:45at South East Water, Neil Hudson, who apologised and said that they're unsure what caused the
33:50water quality issue.
33:52I'd like to start off by apologising, obviously, to all the customers in Tunbridge Wells and the
33:55surrounding area for the issues that have been ongoing from the weekend.
33:58Obviously, we appreciate the difficulties that's causing to them and the impact it's
34:01having on their just day-to-day lives.
34:04And I guess to let you know, obviously, our guys are out there working as hard as we can
34:08to try and resolve the issue.
34:09So, we've had issues at the treatment works at Pembry, which has caused the treatment works
34:15to shut down.
34:17What we're doing now, and we've been unable to provide a wholesome supply consistently.
34:22All water we've supplied up to this point has been completely safe to drink.
34:26What we're doing now and why we put this boil water notice on is to allow us to run the
34:30treatment works consistently.
34:32The water will still be going through a full treatment process.
34:34However, there's potential issues with our disinfection process at the very end, which
34:39is why we're asking customers to boil water before they use it for drinking, cooking, brushing
34:44teeth, et cetera.
34:45And the main reason for this is to allow people to restore supplies for sanitation purposes,
34:51so they can flush toilets, so they can shower, hand washing.
34:55So, effectively, you can get back to that side from the public health point of view.
35:00Now, it's clear people here are frustrated.
35:02Businesses haven't been able to open, neither has schools.
35:05It's clearly not the ideal situation just in the lead up to Christmas.
35:10This has actually become a national issue.
35:12There's other members of the press here.
35:13It is extreme.
35:14It's very clearly in the headlines everywhere.
35:17It was actually brought up by Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Parliament
35:20earlier, and he said that this is a national health...
35:23National?
35:24Sorry.
35:24A public health crisis.
35:25Mr Speaker, yesterday I was in Royal Tunbridge Wells, where tens of thousands of people have
35:33had no water for five days.
35:36This is now a public health emergency.
35:41And, shockingly, it's the second time in just three years when south-east water have
35:46let down the people of Tunbridge Wells badly.
35:49Parents are queuing up for bottled water for their kids.
35:53Pensioners are relying on neighbours to fetch some water for them.
35:57Businesses have closed down.
35:59Schools and GPs have been forced to shut.
36:02South-east Water said it would be sorted on Monday, then yesterday, and today it still hasn't
36:09been sorted.
36:10So, will the Prime Minister convene Cobra?
36:14Does he agree that it's time for him to get a grip of this crisis so it is sorted?
36:20Yay!
36:21Minister.
36:21Well, can I thank him for raising this really important issue?
36:25And it is shocking, for all the reasons he's set out.
36:28And I, too, have heard south-east water say, as he rightly says, actually Sunday into Monday,
36:35Monday into Tuesday, and Tuesday into Wednesday, that they were sorting it, and they still haven't
36:38sorted, and there's really serious consequences.
36:41And we are bearing down on that, as he would expect, because it's such a serious issue.
36:46Sir Ed Dovey.
36:47Prime Minister's reply and the actions of the Water Minister, but I do think the government
36:51will need to do more, because south-east water have failed so badly.
36:57The leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Ben Shapalard, told us all the issues people
37:02here have been having.
37:03I've seen some pretty upsetting scenes where I've seen some of our residents, you know,
37:09in their 80s and 90s, walking miles to bottled water stations, and they, you know, just to
37:17carry something home because they had nothing.
37:20I've seen their mums with newborn babies that haven't got water.
37:24We've had care homes that, despite being on the priority list, haven't had their special
37:29deliveries.
37:31So, you know, it's quite upsetting, because when you really boil it down, pardon the pun,
37:38not intended, you know, water is the essence of life.
37:43That was Chloe Brewster bringing us that report, and of course, Maisie Walker down at Tunbridge
37:47Wells as well.
37:49But all the details of the developing story we will be covering in our programme, so don't
37:54forget to tune in if you're affected or interested.
37:56But next, the housing crisis here in Kent and across the south-east has touched thousands
38:02of families, especially as the average house price here has been more than eight times higher
38:08than workplace earnings for the last five years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
38:15Our reporter Emily Sinclair has travelled around the county to hear from some of those people
38:20who've been hit the hardest.
38:22It actually got to the point where I felt a little bit shameful, because it was, it was just,
38:28I'm like, I'm a cash buyer, and it wasn't, you know, it was quite a lot of money, and I still
38:32couldn't find a house.
38:32Louise first tried to buy a place of her own three years ago.
38:35What she thought would be a pretty straightforward task turned into over a year of struggles.
38:40I had to up and leave, take my kids and all of my staff, and I lived in a car for about,
38:46it must have been about two weeks.
38:49I lived on my friend's sofa, I lived at my pastor's house, and all the while, I'm trying
38:56to still find a house.
38:57It was really hard, it was really hard.
38:59And it put an impact on a lot of my relationships with a lot of people at the time, because I
39:05was just so stressed.
39:06House sale prices have returned to their pre-pandemic affordability levels in England
39:11and Wales, but since 2018, house prices in Kent have been higher than the England and
39:16Wales median.
39:18So what does that mean for people trying to live in our county?
39:20If bananas had risen at the same rate as private rents nationally since 1988, a bunch would cost
39:26£13 or thereabouts in the supermarket.
39:29People have a real right to be angry and want change around this issue.
39:32What doesn't make sense is you look around Maidstone and you see all these housing properties
39:38going up, like one massive off the other.
39:40And I'm sitting here thinking, how on earth are we still in such a crisis with housing?
39:46I put that exact question to Maidstone Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and
39:50Homelessness, Simon Wales.
39:52How, right now, is there still a crisis with housing?
39:55What would you say to that individual?
39:57Because it takes time for these to feed through the system.
40:00We do have 2,000 people near that on our waiting list, which is coming down.
40:05I think Maidstone Council is doing more than a lot of places in terms that we are now building.
40:12We're in a fortunate position that we do have enough finances to be able to do this,
40:15and some councils aren't quite so fortunate in terms of their finances.
40:19But we have a reasonable amount in reserves which you are putting almost exclusively into housing.
40:24Knowing how difficult it can be to find housing, Louise now works for Making a Difference
40:30to Maidstone, a local charity with an outreach centre, food bank and charity shop to support
40:35those in need.
40:36I think working here and going through what I went through a few years ago kind of gives
40:42you that grace to understand what other people are going through.
40:46As Louise turns to helping others, is there enough housing support for locals in Kent?
40:51Emily Sinclair, KMTV.
40:53And you can catch the rest of that on Kent Tonight's special at half past six this evening
41:00right here on KMTV.
41:02That will be after the show this evening.
41:04But we will have a quick break now, but don't go anywhere as coming up we will be talking
41:09about pantos, band anniversaries and stepping into the Christmas spirit in Stroot all in
41:15a few minutes.
41:16And as well, we're having a few minutes so you can digest all of that information that
41:20we discussed happening over in Tunbridge Wells, but if you missed anything that we discussed,
41:24we will be uploading all the information on our social medias and you can also check out
41:28our website as well and we'll be back here at 8pm to discuss a little bit of it further.
41:35All of that and more to come.
41:37We'll see you in a few minutes.
41:38Bye-bye.
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45:03Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
45:07In new news, the leader of Canterbury City Council has promised an end to the one-way traffic system leading through and past the Westgate Towers.
45:18The Canterbury landmark has been surrounded by roadworks since April of this year and is scheduled to be so until the next March.
45:26The £1.5 million project hopes to turn the area into a small plaza that allows for two-way traffic to cycle through while holding space for local events.
45:37Canterbury residents have expressed concerns that the current one-way system may not clear up within the time promised.
45:44In response, Labour MP councillor Mike Baldock has assured that he is confident that it will end by March 2026.
45:53Next, stars from Strictly Come Dancing are set to surprise audiences, bringing sparkle, surprise guests and even a dame in a dress to Canterbury from this week.
46:05Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be gracing the Marlowe Theatre stage across the holiday season.
46:13Panto royalty Ben Ruddy once again will wow audiences, having won 2024's Best Dame at the Pantomime Awards.
46:21He's joined by an array of TV stars in the performance, including those from Strictly, CBeebies and a mystery TV guest appearance.
46:30Some famous faces on stage including Sarah Hadland, known for starring in BBC One's Miranda.
46:38And Gillian-born Phil Gallagher, aka Mr Maker, also celebrates his seventh year on the Marlowe stage.
46:47Very exciting.
46:48Now, indie legends The Cooks have announced a 20th anniversary concert for their debut album set to perform at Margate's Dreamland, Kent's biggest outdoor venue.
46:59The band from Brighton released their debut album Inside In, Inside Out back in 2006, reaching number two on the UK album charts.
47:08With hits like She Moves Her Own Way and Oola, The Cooks earned themselves a nomination for the Best Single at the Brit Awards and even an MTV Music Award.
47:17The news of the concert comes shortly after other names like hit DJ Fatboy Slim have announced performances at the venue as well.
47:27But now don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
47:34There you'll find all the reports, including this one.
47:37I call the Charles Love Day Shatter.
47:43It was Labour's second budget and one destined to controversy after weeks of leaks and speculation.
47:50As you can see, the world's media has descended on Westminster for a very important day in the country's finances.
47:59And while it may be cold, outside Parliament has a reception to this tax-raising budget been frosty back in Kent.
48:10I think it's been an absolute horror show of a budget.
48:12I mean, I thought Halloween had been and gone, but here we are again.
48:16This budget was really designed to help the shirkers and not the workers.
48:22It's the kind of budget that if you're a worker, you're paying more and getting less.
48:27If you look at any budget, it's about trying to strike a balance.
48:30I think Rachel Reeves has done a good job with that.
48:32You know, she's found additional headroom and capacity because of the OBR projections.
48:36I'm really clear that actually we've made good progress, but there's, of course, always more to do.
48:42But what does any of that actually mean now the dust has settled?
48:47Are your taxes going up?
48:50And will your local services see improvements?
48:53First of all, minimum wage is going up, meaning if you're over the age of 21,
48:59you'll be earning just shy of £26,500 a year from April.
49:06The government hopes this will help slash youth unemployment,
49:11potentially plugging gaps in crucial council departments.
49:16We had so many young people out of work, out of education for a long time.
49:21Being at work is good for your health as well.
49:24So increasing the minimum wage is absolutely welcome.
49:27We've got so many jobs in the social care sector.
49:31As a chair of APPG, I welcome that this can attract more people, take up the jobs in social care.
49:39But there are fears businesses could be squeezed on staff costs.
49:44And that's despite cuts to business rates for 750,000 properties.
49:51We seem to have this doom loop attitude in the UK to virtually tax the operation out of existence.
50:00Very high VAT rates, high labour rates, high excise rates,
50:05all kinds of regulation that doesn't exist in other markets.
50:09And now we've got a tourism tax coming in at the discretion of local mayors.
50:13And we've got the we're still reeling for the very high national insurance taxes,
50:20which particularly hit retail and hospitality this time last year.
50:24So my converse to that is by giving people a wage increase, certainly minimum wage increase,
50:29they'll have more money to spend in the high streets because they are getting more money into their pockets.
50:33So, and what we're doing is rebalancing businesses and taxation around businesses.
50:40So small and medium sized businesses like those cafes will get a benefit from this budget.
50:46Then we have the big one.
50:48The two child benefit cap has been scrapped,
50:51meaning that families on the poverty line with three or more children could receive additional support.
50:59It's going to mean that 3,000 children in Gravesham are now going to be lifted out of poverty.
51:05I mean, that is just in one foul swoop, one signature can do that.
51:11I mean, that's incredible.
51:12And this is why I came into politics to do things like this.
51:16But there are those that say this should have happened much sooner.
51:21And I understand everyone understands that the government were struggling financially.
51:25But, you know, all of the charities like Child Poverty Action Group have been telling us for a long time.
51:32And my local food bank, who I work with closely, have been saying it's the number one driver of poverty.
51:38And, you know, we had to do our absolute best to get rid of it.
51:41And all of that doesn't even touch on gambling taxes that could raise a billion pounds.
51:48Or the government extending the freeze on tax bans.
51:51That means as inflation and wages go up, more working people will end up being taxed at a higher rate.
52:00It's a bumper budget.
52:02But the winners and losers might not be quite as clear cut as the government or the opposition makes out.
52:10Olly Lida in Westminster.
52:12With Christmas nearly here, I actually checked earlier, and Christmas Eve is three weeks away, the people of Kent can't wait to indulge in holiday staples, such as turkey, mince pies and cheese, and as well as that, crackers.
52:28However, some believable parts of the meal, some believe parts of the meal are underrated.
52:33But what Christmas foods do people love the most?
52:36We took to the streets of Rochester to find out what festive foods residents and shoppers crave the most.
52:42I'm vegan, so it's not anything traditional.
52:46I do like Brussels sprouts.
52:47I know that they are a bit underrated.
52:49I think people don't really like them so much at Christmas, but I think they're really nice.
52:53My family are French, so we have cheese boards.
52:56I think it's got a bit of turkey for me because really it's the only time of year we have it and enjoy it at Christmas.
53:04It's part of Christmas.
53:06Yeah, the same with me, yeah.
53:07I do like a mince pie.
53:09Yeah.
53:10Beef with the really thick, dripping gravy.
53:14If you're interested, mine is a Yorkshire pudding.
53:16But while Christmas trading traditionally peaks in December, one Kent retailer operates year-round to meet consistent demand.
53:25As early seasonal spending continues to grow across the county, our reporter Naila Mohamed visited the permanent Christmas store and went into Rochester to ask residents how soon is too soon to start celebrating.
53:38I think you can start preparing for Christmas discreetly from August.
53:44I don't like celebrating it until after my birthday, which is today.
53:48So in December is fine for me.
53:52October.
53:53I like it in December as well to start it, yeah, not too early.
53:57Yeah, same with me 12 days before.
54:00For many across Kent, Christmas comes but once a year.
54:04But for this store in Rochester, every day is Christmas Day.
54:07Times Christmas is the UK's largest Christmas store, open seven days a week all year round,
54:13and attracts thousands of people just on a weekend.
54:16From every tremendous fur you could wish for, to lights brighter than Rudolph's red nose,
54:22Time Christmas really slays it.
54:24People want that magic, so they're coming out now and going a little bit crazier than they used to.
54:31We've had people travel from Scotland, we've had people travel from Wales, so we really are all over from people.
54:36The store is so enchanting, that customers keep coming back for more.
54:42I come here actually quite often, if I'm at work and I'm feeling a bit, then I just come in here and I absolutely love it.
54:50Just take my time walking around, listening to the music.
54:53It's just such a good feel-good factor.
54:55I go back to the office and I feel great.
54:57It's local to me, I live here in the Medway towns, it's just awesome, fantastic, it's seasonal.
55:05You know, what more could you say about, you go to other shops, there's a little bit of Christmas, but this is dedicated Christmas, Christmassy Christmas time.
55:13And even the big man himself had something to say.
55:17I've been doing Santa for all these years, this is probably my best ever venue.
55:22After doing errands, families, all the top toy stores and garden centres and all of that, this is the cream of the pie.
55:32But what's driving all this Christmas spending?
55:35Chris Britcher, Kent Online's business editor, says the trend of earlier festive shopping is being fuelled by rising sales events.
55:43According to the Bank of England last year, the average family spent about an extra £700 in December, which is obviously a significant spending uptick.
55:51It's about 30% up on the normal months of the year.
55:56And, you know, as we all know, a lot of retailers are entirely reliant on that Christmas period to really boost their revenues and keep them ticking over during the quieter months.
56:05And with year-round stores like Time Christmas keeping the festive spirit alive well beyond December, it's clear that for shoppers and businesses alike, the season of spending never truly melts away.
56:17Nayla Mehmed for KMTV.
56:19Lovely to see Santa out and about there in Rochester, but you've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
56:25There's more news made just for you throughout the evening at 8pm.
56:29So don't forget to keep up to date with all our latest news across the county by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk, as I said earlier.
56:36We'll see you at 8pm. Bye-bye.
56:37We'll see you at 8pm.
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