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00:28Hello and welcome to Kent City.
00:29Tonight, live here on KMTV. I'm Chloe Brewster and here are your top stories on Friday the 27th of February.
00:36Car park crunch. Car park tariffs rise under the new Medway budget.
00:42No, well look, we've got serious concerns regarding the budget this evening.
00:46You know, £10 million worth of borrowing this year in order to plug the gap.
00:49And care in crisis. Chatham Care Home has registration removed after CQC finds several regulation breaches.
00:58And finally, at the core for 24. Five Acrewood students take part in a 24-hour cardio challenge.
01:05The core fitness is so important for all of us and if we can support our young people to have
01:10physically fit and active lifestyles,
01:13that's going to impact and support them for the rest of their lives.
01:25Our top story tonight. Most council-owned parking tariffs in Medway are set to rise as part of Medway's budget
01:32for the coming financial year.
01:33Passed with no amendments, the Labour-run council's plan has been met with extreme scrutiny as it relies on government
01:39support for the third consecutive year.
01:41Medway residents will also see the maximum council tax rise, as local democracy reporter Megan Shaw has been finding out.
01:48Another year of government support, but will it be their last?
01:52Huge deficits marked.
01:55Labour-run Medway council's budget.
01:58Passed with no amendments.
02:00Mr Mayor, the budget is agreed.
02:04It's important for the people of Medway to know what they can see from their council over the next 12
02:09months.
02:09Of course, we know the backdrop to a council budget here in Medway is that really challenging financial circumstance that
02:15we inherited from the previous Conservative council.
02:18But on top of that, we spend £1.35 million every single day on adult services, children's services and, of
02:27course, temporary accommodation.
02:28But while Labour struggle to balance the books alongside ensuring services like festivals and libraries continue to run,
02:36the opposition have little faith in the council's arithmetic.
02:40No, well, look, we've got serious concerns regarding the budget this evening.
02:44You know, £10 million worth of borrowing this year in order to plug the gap over the medium term, over
02:49recent years,
02:50and also in the next two years.
02:52That's going to see £60 million worth of borrowing in order to fund day-to-day spending.
02:56We've still got a gap in the budget of £8 million next year.
02:59The administration is saying that it's confident it can close that gap.
03:02We haven't seen that tonight in the medium term financial projections.
03:07But numbers aside, if you live in Medway, how will the budget affect you?
03:11And what are the key takeaways you need to know?
03:14Medway council's tax might be the lowest in Kent, but it's set to rise again by 4.99%,
03:21the highest amount without holding a local referendum.
03:25Although stays until half an hour will drop to just a pound,
03:30the one-hour tariff will rise by 50p, and all other hourly tariffs by 60p.
03:36It's a razor edge between spending and saving,
03:40as the council tries to map out the future of the five towns,
03:44all squeezed by rising costs of living.
03:47Megan Shaw in Medway.
03:50Now, the Care Quality Commission has removed the registration of Bright Brains Global Limited
03:55to prevent it from operating in Chatham.
03:57This comes after the care service was rated inadequate overall,
04:00with the CQC funding seven breaches of regulations,
04:03many of which had been identified before and not fixed.
04:06Our reporter Maisie Walker has the story.
04:09A home care service in Chatham has been rated inadequate overall
04:13by the Care Quality Commission, CQC,
04:16after seven breaches of regulations were found,
04:19many of which had been identified before and not fixed.
04:23The registration of Bright Brains Global Limited has been removed,
04:27and the service will remain in special measures,
04:29which means the CQC will monitor it closely
04:32and expect significant improvements quickly.
04:34The CQC clarified in their report that they had looked for evidence
04:39that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.
04:43At this assessment, the rating has remained inadequate.
04:47Areas such as managing people's health needs were even deemed unsafe,
04:51with staff found as not being trained enough.
04:53Now, if improvements aren't made,
04:56Bright Brains Global Limited could face enforcement action.
05:01Maisie joins us live from outside the care home now
05:03to tell us more about this story.
05:05Now, Maisie, you briefly mentioned some of the safety issues
05:08the CQC highlighted.
05:09Could you explain those in a little bit more detail for us?
05:14Yeah, so that's right.
05:16I'm currently outside Bright Brains Global Limited,
05:19where the CQC has recently removed the provider's registration
05:23due to breaking multiple regulations.
05:27The service is currently being closely monitored
05:30and significant improvements are required.
05:33And if these improvements are not made,
05:36there is the risk that further enforcement may be implemented.
05:39So, the Bright Brains Global Limited is a home care
05:43and supported living service,
05:45which looks after patients who are older or have autism
05:49or a learning disability.
05:50And most do have physical disabilities
05:53and a mental health diagnosis.
05:55So, in its report, inspectors did find
05:58that people were not always protected from abuse and avoidable harm.
06:02The report said that there are not always actions put in place
06:05to reduce the risk of further incidents.
06:07So, for example, in the report,
06:09it described that there had previously been an incident
06:12where a person broke a bathroom window and sustained injury.
06:15At the latest assessment, inspectors saw from that previous incident report
06:19that another person had smashed the same window
06:22and also sustained an injury.
06:23And despite this known risk,
06:25the provider had not considered replacing the glass
06:27with high-impact, shatter-proof plastic materials
06:30to reduce the risk of further injury.
06:32And in addition, inspectors found that staff referred to people
06:37by their initials instead of their actual names,
06:39which said stripped away people's individual identity.
06:43Just quickly for us, Maisie, can you tell us,
06:46what else has the CQC said?
06:50So, CQC, Deputy Director of Operations in Kent, Amy Jupp,
06:56said,
06:56During our visit to Bright Brains Global Limited,
06:59we uncovered serious leadership failings
07:02that jeopardised people's safety.
07:04They also saw poor documentation and care planning,
07:07which was also putting people at risk.
07:10Staff failed to report safeguarding concerns,
07:12despite saying they would
07:15and left vital information out of care plans,
07:17giving colleagues no clear guidance on people's individual needs.
07:22Thank you so much, Maisie,
07:23for bringing us that really important story there.
07:27Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date
07:30with all the latest stories here on KMTV
07:32by visiting our website, kmtv.co.uk.
07:36There you can find all of our reports, including this one,
07:38where a Maidstone resident is urging KCC
07:41to add visual reminders on a 40-mile-per-hour limit
07:43on Sittingbourne Road.
07:47This is Sittingbourne Road in Maidstone,
07:49where resident Craig Parrott is calling
07:52for speed enforcement measures to be introduced
07:54after a series of incidents.
07:56As it's a residential area,
07:58the maximum speed limit is 30 miles an hour,
08:01but Craig says drivers often exceed this limit.
08:05We went on a walk where he showed us
08:07where he and his family faced a near miss.
08:10First Westview Island,
08:11on my right-hand side,
08:13there where I cross with my children
08:17and my wife across this point.
08:19And then, obviously, as you can see,
08:21the road probably up in the distance there
08:23where there's an arrow on the post,
08:25that's where the road narrows
08:26and then vehicles come back down.
08:29I've had scenarios I was explaining earlier
08:32where we cross here
08:33and a vehicle has overtaken on this side of the road
08:37and, naturally, you'd be looking right
08:39if you were crossing the road.
08:41And I went across with my children
08:43and, as I looked left,
08:44there was a vehicle overtaken on this side of the road
08:46because he couldn't cut back in quick enough.
08:50He also says there was only one 30-mile-an-hour limit sign
08:54on the entire road,
08:55so I went on the hunt for it.
08:57The sign is at the top of Bearstead Road
08:59where drivers were joined from the A249
09:02and on the other side of Sittingbourne Road
09:04is on Victor Primary School.
09:06A lot of young people and children cross these roads,
09:09so without a single visible reminder
09:11of the 30-mile-an-hour speed limit,
09:13Craig is calling for some new measures
09:15to be put in place.
09:16It should be highlighted it's 30-mile-an-hour,
09:18so more signage,
09:20potential road markings,
09:2130-mile-an-hour painting every so often,
09:24like you get in some areas.
09:25According to KCC's current framework,
09:28three fatal or serious accidents must occur
09:31before a camera can be considered,
09:33which Craig says is three fatalities too many.
09:37In a statement, KCC said,
09:39Our recent correspondence with the resident
09:41shows that several issues were raised,
09:43but requests for additional measures were not submitted.
09:47Current data does not indicate
09:48a widespread speeding problem.
09:50Issues such as overtaking around pedestrian islands
09:53relate to driver behaviour
09:55and on matters for enforcement.
09:56The existing limit is generally well observed.
10:00According to crash map data,
10:02in the last five years,
10:03there have been 13 recorded accidents
10:05on Sittingbourne Road,
10:07including a report of an incident
10:09involving a 16-year-old boy
10:11hit by a car when crossing here
10:13just last year,
10:15and a planted tree that was knocked down
10:17after a car travelling too fast
10:19clipped the kerb and knocked it down.
10:21The 46-year-old says he is concerned
10:23for the safety of his family
10:25and has even considered moving
10:27if no changes are made.
10:31Well, it was sunny earlier this week,
10:34but what about going into this weekend?
10:37Let's take a quick look at the weather.
10:44Looking towards this evening,
10:45we're having cloudy skies
10:46with a bit of a breakthrough in Margate
10:48with temperatures staying around 9-10 degrees.
10:51Into the morning, cloudy skies will remain
10:53with temperatures dropping to 7-8 degrees
10:54across the county.
10:56And then heading into the evening,
10:58temperatures rising back up to 9-10 degrees
11:00all around,
11:01but with sun breaking through
11:02with clouds all over the county.
11:04And then for your outlook for the coming days,
11:05Sunday will bring rain
11:06with temperatures around 10 degrees,
11:08with Monday and Tuesday having a bit of sun
11:09with temperatures reaching 13-14 degrees.
11:21That's all we have time for
11:22in the first part of tonight's show,
11:24but we have plenty more coming your way.
11:26We'll be chatting with the presenter
11:27of this week's Kent Politics Show,
11:29Megan Shaw,
11:29all about the biggest political stories
11:31of the week.
11:32She'll discuss her conversations
11:33with the leader of Canterbury City Council,
11:35Alan Bulldock of the Labour Party,
11:36and Andy Richards,
11:37a governor for a school
11:38that teaches children with complex needs.
11:40We'll also learn about a group of parents
11:42who are protesting the merger
11:44of two iconic private schools in Fanit.
11:46And we'll take a look at some feel-good stories.
11:48So don't go anywhere.
11:50Stay tuned.
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15:15Welcome back to Kent Tonight here on KMTV. I'm Chloe Brewster. Now, if you didn't know, every week we have
15:21our Kent Politics Show, where we have your local councillors on our sofa to talk about the politics that affect
15:26you. If you missed our latest episode just before Kent Tonight, we discussed the government's proposed overhaul of SEND provision
15:33in schools, as well as the Green Party victory at the Gordon and Denton by-election. During the show, Councillor
15:38Alan Bulldock commented about the unlikely chance of Rosie Duffield being allowed back into school.
15:43The Labour Party. Megan Shaw joins me now to talk all about that. So, Megan, just quickly, can you give
15:47me an overview of what actually happened today in the politics show?
15:50Absolutely. We discussed all sorts of things. You kind of covered it there. So, we discussed, of course, the government
15:55have announced plans. They're wanting to overhaul how children with special and additional and further educational needs might receive support
16:04in schools and how EHCP plans might change and what children will and will not be able to access them
16:11anymore.
16:11Then we also discussed, of course, the Green Party victory at the Gordon and Denton by-election. Particularly important here
16:18in Kent. We are England's largest county council and often we're kind of a microcosm about wider national politics.
16:24So, we do have, you know, a reform-led council and seeing the interplay between reform, Green and Labour can
16:32sometimes translate back to the politics we're seeing here locally.
16:35We had, as you mentioned there, we had Councillor Alan Bulldock speak about Rosie Duffield, which you can hear now.
16:42Yeah, I mean, potentially. It depends who takes over as leader and what that relationship could look like. But, yeah,
16:48I mean, not onto Keir Stormer's leadership, I'm afraid.
16:51What do you think the Canterbury seat's going to look like at the next general election? Who do you think's
16:55the front-runners there?
16:57Okay. Do you know, I think it, if I was going to guess, I would say the battle between Green
17:03and Labour, actually.
17:06Even though it was a traditionally Tory seat? Yeah, I think so. I don't think there's a stomach for, you
17:15know, too far right-wing in Canterbury now.
17:22I really don't know. But surely Rosie would split that vote, though, as well?
17:27If she still is independent, I doubt very much whether she would be welcomed back into the Labour Party, to
17:34be truthful.
17:35So what's the context behind what we just saw there?
17:37Absolutely. I understand that. It's just two clips spliced together.
17:40So Rosie Duffield was elected as an MP for Canterbury in 2017 with 45% of the vote.
17:45That was quite a big moment for Canterbury, which has historically been incredibly conservative, a conservative stronghold.
17:50So when she was re-elected again in July 2024, it was only until September that she announced she'd left
17:57the party to sit as an independent.
17:58And with Keir Starmer, that it was hanging in the balance, would he resign?
18:03That was about whether or not she would rejoin were Keir Starmer to step down.
18:08Perfect. Thank you so much, Megan, for joining me.
18:11Parents of children attending a prestigious private school in Ramsgate have protested today against a surprise merger.
18:18St Lawrence College in Ramsgate will combine with Dover College in September.
18:22It marks the end of 150 years of St Lawrence College, with the headteacher moving to head up the new
18:27combined school to be named St Lawrence Dover College.
18:30But parents say the move has been a shock for both students and teachers alike and say they're not happy
18:35with how the move has been handled.
18:36One parent, Laura Holden, spoke to us earlier all about it.
18:41We were told in no uncertain terms that this was just going ahead and that we would all just have
18:49to enrol in Dover College if we wanted to remain with what will be the new merged school,
18:54which is St Lawrence College, Dover College, I believe.
18:59And not only that, the teachers were informed on the same morning, just before classes started.
19:07So, you know, 30 minutes or so before the school day started, they were informed that essentially they were out
19:15of jobs.
19:16They were told that they will be able to reapply for roles at Dover College.
19:20But when they asked questions about that and whether they thought, whether the management thought it was actually feasible for
19:28all the students to be moving over and whether they expected that to be the case, they were told that
19:33no, not really.
19:34In a message to parents, head of college Matthew Brown said an in-person meeting will be arranged for March
19:405th in a bid to make sure pupils aren't disrupted.
19:43He also tells parents they will receive a letter today providing further context.
19:48Now, students of the special needs school, Five Acre Wood, have taken an intense 24-hour cardio chat challenge.
19:554.24 has the students, staff and even community members join in to raise as much money as possible for
20:00a gym converted from an old shipping container.
20:02The project will help students access fitness equipment and increase employment opportunities.
20:07Our community reporter, Henry Luck, has more.
20:10Five Acre Wood students are running, rowing and cycling their way through an intense 24-hour challenge to raise money
20:22for a gym on their Oxford Road site.
20:28Joining them are staff and local community members here at CORE The Gym in Maidstone.
20:37Physical fitness is so important for all of us and if we can support our young people to have physically
20:43fit and active lifestyles, that's going to impact and support them for the rest of their lives.
20:48And we really want to build a gym with CORE Gym in Maidstone so that we can support that, so
20:54that we can provide pathways through to CORE The Gym, but also support employment and healthy lifestyles.
21:01The new gym will be built from an old shipping container, helping students to overcome barriers in fitness and employment.
21:12So exercise is very adaptable to an individual, so I think there are a lot of students that may not
21:21necessarily be able to take part in sports like some more able students may be able to,
21:28where in a gym scenario every exercise is regressible and we can adapt the movement to suit the individual themselves.
21:35So it's a really good way to get people who may not really be that interested in physical activity, becoming
21:41more active and therefore obviously becoming a bit more healthy as well.
21:45Even two hours into the fundraiser, Five Acre Wood has already raised £10,000.
21:54While I'm certainly not dressed for the gym, I'll leave it to the students, volunteers and staff to do all
22:02the heavy lifting.
22:03I started to get involved by, like, doing the treadmill, bicycle and I've really enjoyed the experience here.
22:14It's like, when you first joined, like, you find it hard, but now I found it a bit more easier
22:21to do it.
22:22Yes, absolutely loved every minute of it. It was the best experience going.
22:29And what have you loved the most about it?
22:31Trying new equipment and talking to new people.
22:35The school has also set up a Just Giving page to get donations for the project.
22:43Five Acre Wood students and staff will be racing through the night with plenty of help and, of course, snacks
22:52along the way.
22:54Henry Luck for Kame TV in Maidstone.
23:00And finally, it's been 30 years since the first ever Pokemon game released on the original Game Boy back in
23:061996.
23:07Ever since its release, it's become a household title with movies, TV shows, comics and, of course, games based around
23:16the franchise.
23:17But how are Pokemon fans celebrating this milestone?
23:20Well, Chloe Smith has gone down to a few gaming stores to see how fans are catching them all.
23:26Pokemon Day 2026 has arrived.
23:28The Pokemon company has been spreading joy to fans around the world for decades, from trading cards and collectible flushes
23:33on the big screen.
23:34And the smaller screens.
23:36Fans are celebrating another huge milestone for the beloved brand this year.
23:39But do the people of Kame TV know just how old Pokemon actually is?
23:43No. I'm going to imagine it's like the 90s or something.
23:45Uh, not exactly. It's like one of those things that's always been around.
23:51And I'm about 30, so I suppose it must be 30?
23:55It's officially 30 years since Pokemon first entered our lives in Japan back in 1996,
24:00expanding its reach to Western audiences just two years later in 1998 with the release of Pokemon Red and Green.
24:06Today, there are over a thousand species of Pokemon found within countless shows and games.
24:09I visited We Love Collectibles, a family-run game store in Margate, to see how the local community are celebrating.
24:14Our community is based around both collectors and players.
24:18We see a massive age range with collectors sort of as young as two, three and four, all the way
24:22up to around 60 and 70.
24:25We started off by visiting some local card shows and also some national events.
24:29Pokemon is definitely our main sort of focus in the store.
24:32People tend to know Pokemon just because of their existing knowledge.
24:35To be honest with you, it's kind of an international craze, really, and has been for the last sort of
24:4030 years.
24:40We're really excited for Pokemon Day. We always love taking part in the celebration.
24:44At We Love Collectibles, we'll definitely be watching the Pokemon Day announcements to see all the cool stuff that gets
24:49announced this year.
24:50And for our community, we've actually got a Pokemon Day event, including some really cool little giveaways.
24:56And we've got a play event during the day as well that has a little bit of a spin on
25:00it to keep all the local players on their toes.
25:03So it's going to be a really fun day for the community and we're really excited.
25:06Here at Ken, you can find one of the leading stores for trading card grading in the UK.
25:10I'm here at the Subcentre in Hernebo to speak with Director Dan Davies about the recent surge in popularity of
25:15Pokemon card collecting.
25:17So here at the Subcentre, we provide grading services for PSA, Beckett, CGC and TAG.
25:22They are the four main US-based grading companies.
25:26Card grading is where a professional grading company will assess your card's condition and give it a score from 1
25:32to 10.
25:32And we offer those services here at the Subcentre where people can bring their cards in.
25:37They can ask us for advice.
25:38We service customers from Ireland to Australia.
25:41So it is a global business.
25:43And I think it's great that we're here in Kent as well.
25:46So it really does help thrive businesses in Kent because it's not just us that will benefit from these people
25:52coming here.
25:52All the local businesses here, all the other local toy stores, game stores, they all pick up business from that.
25:57But it's not just trading and grading.
25:59The Subcentre also helps to host the Kent Card Show and Maidstone.
26:02With over 350 vendors and special appearances from Pokemon celebrities, such as Jason Page, the singer of the original Pokemon
26:08theme song and the voice actor for Professor Oak, Stuart Zagnett.
26:12The Kent Card Show is one of the fastest growing trading card events within the UK.
26:15How are you celebrating Pokemon Day this year?
26:18Chloe Smith for KMTV.
26:20You've been watching Kent tonight live here on KMTV.
26:24There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:27Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news from across the county from logging on
26:31to kmtv.co.uk.
26:33And there you can also keep us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook and following us on
26:38TikTok.
26:39And if you think we have a story that we should be covering, then please get in touch.
26:43But for me, for now, thank you so much for watching.
26:46Goodbye.
26:49Goodbye.
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