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00:20Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
00:24I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Friday the 20th of February.
00:28Reform, restore, recycle. New hard right party takes seven expelled reform councillors.
00:35You know, I'm still the same person. I'm still representing the core values of what I believe in and what
00:43my residents believe in.
00:45Bus bust up whose service could see less rides because of potential nearby development plans.
00:50Cutting the service would make it even worse, especially for pensioners because a lot of them don't drive.
00:55And Perfect Passies, Tunbridge Wells restaurant in the running to be crowned country's best burger.
01:02It's incredible. It's not where I expected to be but I think four years of hard work has got us
01:08here.
01:18But first for our top story tonight and it's another busy week at Kent County Council.
01:23Several ex-reformed councillors have joined the hard right party Restore Britain.
01:27Founded by the great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, the party is further right than reform with the governing KCC party
01:34labelling them as having a very low bar for defections.
01:37But what could a restore councillor mean for you? Our reporter Megan Shaw has been finding out.
01:42Nothing's really changed apart from my political allegiance.
01:47Unlikely words perhaps from a councillor joining a new party, this time Restore Britain.
01:52The child of great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, Restore Britain sits itself further right than Reform UK and last week
02:01took in a flurry of Kent's councillors.
02:03But if this is one of your representatives, what could it mean for you?
02:07I don't believe that things have actually changed. My political party has changed and I feel that I'm now with
02:15a party that actually will support me and listen to me and I will feel valued.
02:20But everything else is still business as usual.
02:24The Restore faction at KCC is made up of Maxine Fothergill, Robert Ford, Paul Thomas, Dean Burns, Isabella Kemp, Brian
02:33Black and Oliver Bradshaw.
02:34That puts them now as the second largest opposition group overtaking the Tories.
02:39But what do the opposition think? Well, I went to ask them.
02:44They are a hard right party and there are things that Rupert Lowe has said particularly that are very close
02:51to being racist.
02:53And that is not the way that I believe our politics should go. We are better together. We are stronger
02:59together.
02:59I don't see them as a threat at all. The situation as far as the Conservatives are concerned,
03:05it's up to us now to continue to build our membership.
03:10I'm not surprised because the leadership is very chaotic.
03:16The leader of the council doesn't listen to anybody.
03:19So if you get voted in and you want to represent your residents and you want to share their views,
03:26you want people to listen.
03:27The circus at Kent County Council goes on and on with backstabbing, squabbling, plotting, scheming.
03:33And this is the latest version. It's just, you know, it's disappointing for those people that voted in the May
03:402024 elections,
03:42thinking they were getting one thing, but now apparently they're getting something else.
03:45We asked if Reform UK wanted to speak to us, but they sent us this statement instead.
03:50Six of these councils were expelled from Reform for dishonesty and deceptive behaviour.
03:55Restore clearly have a very low bar for defections.
03:58Restore tows a risky line, as another hard right party, Alliance UK, has been backed by convicted criminal and far
04:06right activist Tommy Robinson.
04:08And its leader said it would consider a merger in the future.
04:12Is this something Restore's councillors are happy to align themselves with?
04:15I support my local residents. To me, it's about the local issues and that's why I was voted in.
04:23What the party chooses to do or, you know, the way that things actually like pan out is really beyond
04:30my pay grade.
04:32I'm here to support my local residents and that's what matters to me.
04:36Megan Shaw, KMTV.
04:39And in some breaking political news now, a Kent County councillor has been imprisoned for 12 months
04:44after admitting to controlling and coercive behaviour over his wife.
04:48The former Reform councillor, Daniel Taylor, was sentenced at Margate Magistrates Court
04:52and because of this will lose his council seat, triggering a by-election in Cliftonville.
04:57Joining me now to discuss this further is our reporter, Megan Shaw.
05:01So, Megan, tell me a bit about this case. Where did it begin?
05:03Of course. So, as you just said there today, we heard that Daniel Taylor had been sentenced today
05:10at Margate Magistrates Court. This started a year ago.
05:15So, last year Taylor was suspended from reform.
05:17Just after a month, he was elected who wasn't a reform councillor for very long at Cliftonville
05:22and he was expelled from the party after he pleaded guilty to the charges earlier in the trial,
05:28which were obviously controlling behaviour and coercion towards his wife, which started back in 2014.
05:35According to friends, he would constantly put his wife down and accuse her of cheating
05:38as well as going through her phone, isolating her from her friends
05:42and telling her she was unwell when she accused him of controlling behaviour.
05:47I see. We haven't got much time left. But briefly, tell us what this means for reform.
05:52Of course. Well, triggering a by-election means that that seat there in Cliftonville is up for all parties.
05:57So, it might not still be a reform seat there. So, the other parties campaigning such as the Greens
06:03or the Liberal Democrats, it could start, it could be a shaky foundation there for Reform UK.
06:08I see. Thank you so much for your time, Meg.
06:12Next, a man has been arrested after being caught with £12,000 worth of drugs in Dimchurch.
06:19Sami Hanbali was caught by police as he sold cocaine in a car park
06:23and was found to be in possession of a six-ounce brick of the substance.
06:27Inquiries revealed that Hanbali was staying in a guesthouse at that time
06:30and during a search of his room, officers found £26,000 in a cash in a safe.
06:34He was subsequently charged with possession of cocaine with intent to supply and money laundering
06:39and the following month was sentenced to 36 months in prison.
06:44Local businesses and residents in Canterbury are now facing weeks out of their properties
06:48after a fire at a cinema has left the building officially unsafe.
06:52The Odeon Cinema in Canterbury has been ruled a dangerous structure by the council
06:56after the site was engulfed in flames shortly after 2pm on 14 February.
07:01The council has served a legal notice saying urgent work is needed which would mean it would be demolished.
07:07Until then, all businesses and residents near the structure have been advised not to return to any nearby buildings.
07:13Next, Joe Bennett from Folkestone is the son of Lindsay Foreman who, along with her partner Craig,
07:18has been imprisoned for 10 years in Iran.
07:20The couple were arrested in the country on espionage charges in January of last year
07:25while travelling on a motorbike journey before the sentence was passed.
07:28I spoke to Joe Bennett about exactly what this means of his family earlier.
07:33Well, thank you so much for joining me, Joe.
07:35First of all, can you just speak to the emotions that you're currently feeling about the situation with your parents
07:41in Iran?
07:41I did a lot of media coverage yesterday and that's really good to get their message out.
07:46But it also is very hard to deal with emotions whilst doing that.
07:49And I suppose it really hit me quite heavily last night once everything had slowed down.
07:54And, you know, in my own mind, I had time to really try to process what's going on.
08:01In addition to shock, devastation, raw emotion that some of them, I don't even know what I would call it,
08:10right?
08:10It's like a mixture between anger and disbelief and, you know, it's all sorts of things going on.
08:16A lot of emotions, a lot of wavering emotions, but ultimately, yeah, I think one where we want to sort
08:26of refocus
08:27and firm up that focus. I see.
08:30This is an issue that for you presents a lot of issues when it comes to bureaucracy and red tape
08:37and international relations.
08:39If you could get everyone you needed to get who this decision is up to in a room, what would
08:44you tell them?
08:47Great question. I think, you know, firstly, that innocence should prevail.
08:54You know, the way that the system is set up at the moment does not fill me with confidence that
09:01peace is on the agenda.
09:02And I think that if that is truly what people want and that we are looking as a global society
09:09to move forward,
09:11then you can start by doing the really simple things and the really easy things.
09:15And that, you know, as I say, would be where I'd start is that my parents aren't the only political
09:21prisoners that they hold.
09:23I can't speak for their innocence on all of them because I don't know them individually.
09:27But there are no question marks over my parents innocence.
09:33And as I say, if peace is the goal, then let's start with with with doing the right thing and
09:38releasing innocent people.
09:39I see. And when your parents were first detained, did you think that more than 400 days would pass and
09:45you'd now be at this point?
09:46Was that something that ever crossed your mind?
09:50No, not not not in the beginning.
09:54When it when we first heard or when it first went quiet and we first heard that they had been
09:59detained, you know, naturally, we thought, well, you know, they've done nothing wrong.
10:04They'll be held for a couple of days. It might be, you know, something to do with their leaving the
10:08country, going to Pakistan, something to do with their passports.
10:10You know, you just sort of logical reasonings as to why people get held up reality was we could be
10:17at this for a little while.
10:19You know, this could go on for years and it still hurts.
10:24I mean, it's been 14 months since I've seen.
10:27You know, my mom longer than that, because it was December and that's reality now.
10:32It's being thought 14 months. Right. So these timescales are starting to materialize.
10:37And again, you know, you'd like to think that the 10 year sentence is just a number and history suggests
10:46and other accounts suggest that it is.
10:49But, you know, 10 years is it hits hard.
10:52And yeah, it's a tough thing to try and get your head around that that could even be a reality.
11:00Absolutely. Thank you so much for your time, Joe.
11:03No problem.
11:05Well, you've been watching Kent tonight here on KMTV.
11:08We're about to go into a break, but we've got more coming up, including a look at this week's sports
11:12news.
11:13We'll hear from Gillingham's manager on their comments about their losses at Crewe and Chesterfield.
11:19We'll also be taking a trip down to Tunbridge Wells to see the National Burger Awards.
11:24They might be up for it. All that and more after this short break.
11:29...
11:46...
14:49Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
14:53Now, residents in Who have hit back at plans from a developer that would see buses diverted
14:58from the town centre.
14:59Taylor Wimpy say it will secure the future of local services, but opposition say it's
15:04just about getting 450 homes approved on the peninsula.
15:07Our local democracy reporter, Ollie Leader, has been finding out what this will mean for
15:11those in the area.
15:12It's the main bus link between Who and Chatham, but under proposed plans for 450 new homes,
15:21191 services could become a lot less frequent.
15:25If Taylor Wimpy's proposals went ahead, it would mean one bus per hour would be diverted away
15:32from the town centre. Locals here say that's not good enough.
15:37Well, I think, I mean, the bus service is so shocking anyway that, you know, anything that's going to impact
15:43that has to be thought about.
15:45I mean, I'm not anti new development, but there's got to be the infrastructure there.
15:49Cutting the service would make it even worse, especially for pensioners, because a lot of them don't drive.
15:54They don't have the means to get out of the village, so cutting that service would be even worse, and
16:00it's going to be even worse with more houses here.
16:03Plans for the development were previously rejected by the planning inspector and local planning authority,
16:11in part due to a lack of bus connectivity.
16:15Critics here say the proposed diversion is a cynical way to get the plans approved.
16:22But a Taylor Wimpy spokesperson says that the proposed changes will strengthen the existing service
16:30by bringing additional passengers to the route,
16:34and will help to improve long-term viability of local bus services.
16:40The development has not yet been given the green light.
16:44Getting everyone on board with the changes will be tricky.
16:49Olly leader in who?
16:54And now it's time to catch up with all your latest sporting news from across the county.
17:07First, after back-to-back defeats at Crewe and Chesterfield,
17:10the Gilligan manager Gareth Ainsworth has commented on his hopes for promotion
17:14and the worries of the season fizzling out.
17:17He said we'll pick ourselves up.
17:19It can change really quickly this game, but I'm not about to say.
17:22We're definitely going to get to the playoffs.
17:25The Gill's next three fixtures are up against Oldham, Barrow and Fleetwood,
17:28which could give the team a much-needed chance to rack up points.
17:31But Ainsworth points out it's important not to put pressure on the players.
17:36Next, Maidstone United's manager George Elacobi is preparing the team for their match against Dorking Wanderers on Saturday.
17:41He said when that game comes, they'll know everything they need to know about Dorking.
17:46The Wanderers stand firm at the top of the National League South after beating Hornchurch on Tuesday and continuing their
17:51winning streak.
17:52Elacobi has congratulated Dorking's consistency, saying they're league leaders by right.
17:57The Stones' last bout with Dorking ended in a 3-1 loss,
18:00but despite that, Elacobi is still optimistic and believes the Wanderers have weaknesses they can exploit.
18:06Dover's Jake Dixon has undergone surgery after fracturing his left wrist in a testing race for the Superbikes World Championship
18:12race in Australia.
18:14Dixon updated fans on Instagram from his hospital bed, saying the last couple of days have been super stressful.
18:19Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Dixon has injured himself in practice,
18:23with his previous high-speed crash in 2024 before Moto2's Qatar Grand Prix.
18:28Thankfully, the surgery was a success and he is on the mend.
18:31As he was quoted, I promise you, I'm going to be back better than ever and we're going to be
18:35on top.
18:36And finally, Whitstable's Jacob Clark-Jones has become a national champion,
18:40winning the Hurdles event at the Under-15 Boys England Open Indoor Championships.
18:45The 14-year-old got a personal best at the event with a time of 8.30 seconds,
18:49beating second place's Harrison McConnell by 0.17 seconds.
18:53Jacob trains at the Canterbury-based Invicta East Kent Athletics Club
18:57and is trained by his coaches Alex Pope and Brian Hopkins.
19:01Clark-Jones is expected to attend the English School's Athletic Association Track and Field Championships
19:06in Birmingham this July.
19:09And that's all for your sports news.
19:20For our other sports news and other stories in general,
19:23you can take a look at our website, kmtv.co.uk,
19:26where you can see some stories like this one.
19:29They're being called giant killers.
19:31Chatham Town women play in the fourth tier in the South East Division of the National League.
19:36But throughout the FA Cup, they've been beating much bigger opponents
19:40like York City, Exeter City and AFC Wimbledon.
19:44But this weekend, they'll have to contend with their biggest challenge yet.
19:47Booking a spot in the quarter-finals means facing off against Birmingham City women's
19:51on their home turf, the St Andrews Stadium.
19:55We've just got to go and get that mentality right and just go in there with the mindset.
20:00I feel like we are ready.
20:02Playing on the Saturday might be a little bit different for us,
20:04but I feel like it might be a good sense for us.
20:07So, yeah, I feel like we're ready.
20:09For the one's sake, it is just going to be any other game.
20:11And then I think if we can calm any nerves and just make sure that it is as normal
20:15as every other Sunday is for us, then I think that's the best chance of putting us in.
20:20Keith Bonas is no stranger to silverware.
20:23He led Charlton Ladies to two Women's Premier League Cups and the FA Cup itself.
20:28Yeah, it's been over 20 years since I picked that baby up.
20:32Obviously, it would be a dream to pick it up again, but we're being realistic.
20:36This week, if we're honest, is equivalent to a cup final for us
20:39and we're approaching it with that kind of mentality.
20:42After the conference, training began and the buzz around the club could be felt in the air.
20:47The Chats absolutely dominated the early rounds of the tournament,
20:51with some strong performances coming from their keeper,
20:53who saved some crucial penalties when they went up against Exeter City.
20:57I always say I feel like you've got a big goal to shoot in as a striker,
21:01but, you know, sometimes you've got to try and get in their heads,
21:04see what they've done in the past, see what they're looking at now.
21:07I always say just go for it because I don't really think it's in the keeper's favour.
21:13The squad also features two identical twins who play at either end of the pitch
21:17and who both scored a hat-trick in the 12-0 thrashing of Horsham
21:21that put them into the first round.
21:24I mean, I feel like I just pick a ball and she's at the other end of it,
21:27so it's just always there in the right positions.
21:29Yeah, we're always told we know where each other are,
21:32so since younger as well, it's just carried on.
21:36Well, here it is, the FA Cup, the top prize.
21:38It's what the Chats have been gunning for throughout the qualifying rounds
21:41and now through the first, second and third rounds.
21:44But this is the deal-breaker.
21:46This is the one.
21:48They will be heading up to Birmingham to see if they can beat the Blues
21:50and get one step closer to the trophy.
21:53It might be physically close to them now,
21:54but they are getting ever closer with every single win.
21:58And while they're off in Birmingham, back home here in Kent,
22:01the whole county will be rooting for them.
22:02Finn McDermid for KMTV in Chatham.
22:06And now it's time for the weather.
22:13Taking a look later tonight, there is light rain blanketing the county
22:16with temperatures sitting at 10 degrees across the board
22:19and winds around 17 miles per hour.
22:21Heading into tomorrow morning, that rain letting up
22:24with some sunny spells peeking through.
22:26Temperatures being around the same, winds lowering a little.
22:28Into tomorrow evening, some drizzle there coming back over Kent,
22:31but rising the slightest bit to around 11 degrees.
22:35And here's your outlook Sunday, continuing that rain,
22:38getting slightly colder on Monday 11,
22:40and Tuesday is hitting 12 degrees.
22:49Now, a pub landlord near Ashford has bought himself a black taxi cab
22:54to offer free taxi rides home for customers.
22:57Paul Hartfield, the landlord of the Flying Horse in Smarton,
23:00has been offering his customers free taxi rides home
23:03as long as they live within three miles of the pub.
23:05The service, which began since November of last year,
23:08doesn't make any profit,
23:09but passengers are encouraged to make donations to charity.
23:12Mr Hartfield has said,
23:13I bought it especially for the pub, I Know Cabs.
23:16This pub has done a lot for charity
23:17and we have some great customers in the village.
23:20Next, a restaurant in Tunbridge, Wales,
23:22is up for a national award for their burgers.
23:25Roddy Burger is down to the last 16 restaurants
23:27across the country in the National Burger Awards.
23:30And next month, they'll face off at the live final,
23:32competing for the title of the best burger in the country.
23:35Chloe Brewster headed down to learn
23:36how to make the competing dish
23:38and got to try it for herself.
23:40What does it take to be a burger champion?
23:43Richard from Tunbridge Wells knows it all too well.
23:46Last year, his business Roddy Burger
23:48came second in the National Burger Awards,
23:50but this time around, he's going for gold.
23:53Yeah, so we started during lockdown.
23:55We rented a pub kitchen.
23:57It was very much something to do
23:59to cover my mortgage effectively.
24:01And that went so well that we then,
24:04when we came out of lockdown,
24:05we rented another pub kitchen
24:06and that went really well.
24:08And then we opened here nearly four years ago.
24:10We've just got busier and busier,
24:12year on year, month for month.
24:13The community supported us really well here.
24:16Without them, we're nothing.
24:17So it's kind of testament to what we do
24:19that people keep coming back.
24:21Richard is one of 16 finalists
24:22to make it to the National Burger Awards this year.
24:25And there, they will face off
24:26to see who can create the best burger.
24:28We've put the same burger in as last year.
24:30We've made a few small tweaks to it.
24:32It's called the Gazza,
24:33named after England footballer Paul Gascoyne,
24:36who scored my favourite goal.
24:38And yeah, fingers crossed.
24:40Richard gave me a peek
24:41at how he makes his signature burger.
24:43So the Gazza starts off life
24:45with a toasted demi-brioche bun
24:47and then our Signature House sauce,
24:51which is like a super delicious,
24:55pimped-up version of Big Mac sauce.
24:57So for the Gazza,
24:58we smash two patties into the grill,
25:00season with Maldon sea salt.
25:03We have two rashers of smoked streaky bacon.
25:06And then we sandwich the bacon in between
25:09and then cover it with a cloche
25:12so that the cheese melts quickly
25:14rather than overcooking the burger.
25:16And then we have a bit more sauce on the top.
25:20And then we pickle our own onions.
25:25And there you go.
25:27The live final takes place next month
25:29where participants will cook up their best
25:31in three rounds before being blind tested.
25:34I gave it a try myself.
25:36Let's give it a go.
25:38While my burger eating skills
25:40are clearly not award-winning,
25:42I'm wishing Roddy Burger the best of luck
25:44at next month's final.
25:45Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Tunbridge, Wales.
25:49You've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
25:52And there's more news made just for Kent
25:54throughout the evening.
25:55And don't forget,
25:56you can always keep up to date
25:57with the latest news across your county
25:58by logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
26:01You can also keep us on your social timelines
26:03by liking us on Facebook
26:05and following us on our TikTok.
26:06And if you have a story
26:07that you think we should be covering,
26:09then please don't hesitate to get in touch,
26:11especially if there's some food we can try.
26:13But as I say,
26:14that's all the time we have.
26:16Thank you so much for watching
26:17and we'll see you soon.
26:18Goodbye.
26:40We'll see you soon.
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