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Catch up with all the latest news across the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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00:27Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight.
00:29Live here on KMTV, I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 31st
00:35of March.
00:36A broken system?
00:37Kent Council's battling hundreds of millions of pounds in adult social care costs.
00:42Older people are not the problem.
00:44It's our failure to plan and produce services in advance that is the big problem.
00:49This needs to change.
00:5130% of local Maidstone businesses are considering walking away, as revealed in a new stress test.
00:57There's a tsunami coming our way and it's a tsunami of business owners just suffering
01:02overwhelm.
01:03And egg-ceptionally small, we send our reporter to find out if Easter eggs are getting tinier
01:08year after year.
01:24In a crisis situation, that's how one Kent MP has described the state of adult social care
01:31in Kent and across the country.
01:32Both Medway Council and Kent County Council have seen the amount of money they spend on
01:37supporting vulnerable people skyrocket in recent years.
01:40But will government plans for a national care service make the delivery of care services
01:44more affordable as people grow older and live longer?
01:47Our local Debroxy reporter Olly Leder has been finding out how we got to this situation.
01:52It's the single biggest cost to Kent's largest local authority, with the budget for adult
01:58social care at Kent County Council set at a staggering £787 million for this year.
02:07Just under half the entire revenue budget and 80% higher than it was just five years ago.
02:15I think it's a crazy situation. I think every government for the last 20 years have kicked
02:20down the road, every white paper, every green paper that's ever been produced has not come
02:25to fruition. So the whole system is broken.
02:28Upper tier and unitary authorities have a legal duty to provide support and care to vulnerable
02:34people. As of January, more than 19,000 people over the age of 65 were using KCC social care
02:43services.
02:44Older people are not the problem. It's our failure to plan and produce services in advance
02:50that is the big problem. Back when I was at medical school, when we were still using quill
02:55pens, I remember having lectures about the fact that we were going to have an ageing population
02:59with additional needs and so on. And also people were starting to say, well, if we get better
03:04at medicine, people live longer, so they get older and they have these problems. So we failed
03:09to respond to it.
03:10Medway has a younger population than wider Kent on average, but it's still set to pay
03:17more than 20% of its budget this year on care services. Preventative care is at the top
03:24of the agenda, even as the council enters its third year of exceptional financial support.
03:31If we say, well, it's not sustainable and therefore we're going to stop doing it, what is the alternative?
03:37There isn't one. We have to make it as sustainable as possible. We have to make changes that can bed
03:43in and help us to understand the way that we can deliver care in the most efficient and effective way.
03:50Work is ongoing here in Westminster to try and improve delivery of adult social care.
03:56With Baroness Casey leading a commission to try and make care more sustainable going forward.
04:03But MPs warn there's no quick fix to any of this.
04:07I agree that infrastructure has not caught up with the demand that we have seen over the years.
04:14So lack of investment from consecutive governments in that social care sector has contributed into this crisis.
04:23We are in a crisis situation now and we need to deal with it.
04:26A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said they are delivering a funding boost of over £4.6 billion,
04:35as well as improving pay and recruitment for care staff.
04:40But as local authorities warn of likely overspends, the future of services for Kent's most vulnerable is far from certain.
04:50Olly Leader in Westminster.
04:55Now for the first time since the start of the meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, there are no cases under investigation.
05:02That's the latest news from the UKSHA.
05:05Now it's been 10 days since any new infections were linked to the cluster in the city.
05:10With the nightclub at the centre of the outbreak, Club Chemistry also taking the decision to reopen.
05:15Chloe Brewster has been following the story and joins me in the studio now.
05:18So, Chloe, what is the latest news?
05:20So the latest news, as you say, is there are no new probable cases of meningitis.
05:26That means that there isn't currently anyone looking at those cases and they're no longer under investigation in a laboratory.
05:34It means that 10 days have passed since any new infections were linked to that original cluster in Canterbury.
05:42The UKHSA say that Club Chemistry is definitely that key link to all of that.
05:47There have been 18 confirmed cases from those few nights between March 5th and March 7th.
05:55UKHSA has said that those nights kind of worked as a super spreader event, meaning that several people there were
06:01given it.
06:02That was 18 people, including two members of staff, and all of those required hospital treatment.
06:08Experts have stressed, though, that the club itself was not the source of the infection.
06:12It's people that spread infections, not buildings, not nightclubs.
06:16At its peak, as we know, there were 34 confirmed and probable cases linked to the outbreak.
06:21The outbreak was around two weeks ago now, if people are watching, they remember the days upon days of getting
06:27those updates on cases.
06:29In that time, there have been 11,000 vaccines and 13,500 doses of antibiotics administered across East Kent.
06:39All of the current confirmed cases resulted in hospitalisation and many required intensive care.
06:46For now, though, the university has stopped offering vaccines, stopped offering antibiotics.
06:51They're still available if you do get in contact with your GP or a local pharmacist.
06:58Going back to where this all started, we learned about this after the deaths of two people,
07:03one at University of Kent student and as well as an 18-year-old Faversham schoolgirl called Juliet.
07:10Health officials say that the outbreak, now looking back, had multiple potentially significant genetic differences compared to other closely related
07:21strains,
07:21which is maybe why it spread so quickly.
07:24They also stress there's a combination of factors, including social mixing and immunity.
07:28Those likely could have played a role.
07:31It also suggests that the university students were 11 times more likely to contract this meningitis strain over non-students
07:41of the same age.
07:42So looking back now, there's all guess these learning curves, but it's good to see that there are less cases.
07:48There are no more cases under investigation in a lab anymore.
07:54Next, 77 local businesses across Kent are stressed, tired and seriously considering calling it quits.
08:01That's according to a survey carried out by Mid-Kent Mind, with factors including cost of living, lack of support
08:08and feeling overwhelmed.
08:10A meeting with local business owners and entrepreneurs was held at Maidstone Town Hall to discuss these findings and what
08:16exactly needs to change.
08:18Our community reporter Henry Luck has been down to find out more.
08:22Survival mode is what a lot of local businesses are finding themselves in today.
08:29But this first of its kind stress test in Maidstone, led by Dr. Ant Webb, is looking to help business
08:36owners tackle a problem which could risk their livelihoods.
08:42The Kent Business Stress Test Survey revealed that 30% of the 77 businesses that took part in this research
08:54said they seriously considered giving in the towel on their business venture due to stress, money and exhaustion.
09:04What was really interesting, we've had a great group of business leaders and also representatives of business services that support
09:11business leaders.
09:12And one thing is actually, all of them have said, we're not surprised, we're not surprised at the severity of
09:19these numbers.
09:20However, what was really good was every single person around the room went, this is what we need, we've got
09:25to do something about it because we can't afford not to.
09:28And it's not just waving a flag saying, no, the business owners are under pressure, it's much more than that,
09:35it's how it affects Kent's economy.
09:37I think today's meeting went incredibly well. I think it was the first time I've been in a room with
09:42a group of people like this that are really trying to understand how and what support entrepreneurs are looking for
09:50and how we might be able to be put into a position that will help us to be more successful
09:56inside Kent.
09:57This meeting, in collaboration with Mind Mid Kent, is just the tip of the iceberg in studying the issue, especially
10:07given the cost of living crisis which has spiked in the last month.
10:12The focus now is on funding a dedicated county-wide support platform, creating mental health support, specifically designed for business
10:25owners and entrepreneurs.
10:27The main purpose of this meeting is to get a few heads together to have a general chinwag and a
10:32review of the situation as we see it now, based on mental health.
10:37And what seemingly is a bit of a crisis emerging in the business sector, obviously as Mayor of Maidstone, I'm
10:45particularly concerned about the businesses in Maidstone, not just within the borough, but within the whole county of Kent.
10:51We've made a start, we need to take it forward.
10:54Another wellbeing conference, led by Dr. Ant, called Be Your Brand, will be at the Village Hall in Maidstone on
11:05the 16th of April, which will give more insight into managing a business, despite all the mental and financial challenges
11:14of 2026, showing this scheme is looking to improve lives one shop at a time.
11:23Henry Luck, for Kane TV, in Maidstone.
11:30Well, that is all the time we have for now, but coming up after this short break, we'll hear more
11:35about a huge 2,500 home development project in Swale, and we'll also be hearing from the Kent Wildlife Trust,
11:44who've made the decision to move their highland cows from a nature reserve in Ashford after a viral video meant
11:50people were getting too close.
11:51All that and more after this short break.
12:05We'll see you next time.
12:23...
12:27...
12:30...
21:39Here,
22:11I would be sad about it but I would also like wonder like I don't know what's it what to
22:15do
22:15with myself on Tuesdays um but yeah I think if it were to close it would be it would be
22:23a loss
22:24for sure not just for me but for the community as all. Three weeks into the fundraising Ashford
22:31Garden Cattery have already raised £10,000 of their target and have received so much community
22:37support so far. Lisa is hoping that with this support and fundraising the full amount every
22:43cat will find the home that they deserve. Nayla Mohamed for KMTV in Ashford.
22:50A 75 year old from Ashford is soon to take on the challenge of rowing across the English Channel
22:55twice. Martin Richmond Coggan co-founder of Green Farm in Shaddockshurst near Ashford will join a
23:03crew of present and former rowers from Oriel College in Oxford to complete the crossing
23:08from Ramsgate to the coast near Dunkirk. Setting off on April 10th the team will row 32 nautical
23:13miles to France before turning around and heading back. Speaking ahead of the challenge he said
23:17this is not a race it's a test of endurance teamwork and spirit. Well I'm sure Martin will be hoping
23:24for some good weather for that journey but let's see how we'll fare back on dry land.
23:33This evening we'll see partly cloudy skies temperatures averaging around 10 degrees across
23:37the county overnight and into tomorrow morning their temperatures remaining unchanged around 10 degrees
23:44staying overcast throughout the day. By tomorrow afternoon conditions staying cloudy temperatures
23:49reaching highs of 14 degrees wind speeds of 12. Looking ahead the outlook remains grey and cloudy
23:55but it'll turn gradually milder as we move towards the end of the week getting slightly warmer on to Saturday.
24:11Now in some lighter news now Easter is less than a week away and Kent is preparing for spring weather
24:17family picnics and of course Easter eggs but have our eggs gotten smaller year on year are we no longer
24:23getting as much and should we be putting all our eggs into one basket when it comes to our choice
24:27of
24:27chocolate. Etelide Reynolds has been finding out the answer to these burning Easter questions.
24:32As the Easter season rolls around so does the same question are Easter eggs getting smaller?
24:39No I think they're still pretty big. Um I think we have got smaller. I think they've definitely gotten
24:46smaller because they used to be quite big and you used to get a few like packets of like chocolate
24:52or
24:52whatever with it so like you used to get two packets of chocolate. They're like
24:57the same size but like so much more expensive so it's not even worth it to get them in the
25:01end.
25:02And now you get like really small boxes where you just get an egg I think. I don't know that's
25:07what
25:07it looks like but they definitely got much smaller and they used to come in massive boxes. Many feel
25:13they've seen a decrease in size but an increase in price and this may have something to do with
25:18shrinkflation. Over the past year one brand went from 231 grams to just 194 but increased in price
25:28from £6 to £7. And although many are worried about their Easter eggs getting smaller it actually could
25:34be a part of a larger problem that starts right from the cocoa beans itself. Chocolate has become
25:40increasingly expensive due to things like extreme weather and poor harvests where the cocoa beans
25:45are. And this can impact even the most local chocolatiers. The last two years when it's been
25:51as big as a challenge for a long time before that it was actually quite stable really and there was
25:55the cocoa price was fairly stable but in the last two years it's probably the most volatile that we've
26:01ever seen it and it's caused a lot of issues with availability and pricing obviously of chocolate
26:07and then trying to sort of source the right to chocolate at the right price has been one of our
26:11biggest challenges. But yes it feels at the moment we're starting to be in a better position. It's
26:16certainly coming down to a more manageable level and seems to be less volatile but I think that's been
26:22the biggest issue over the last two years is the volatility of it. We've seen huge increases and huge
26:27drops in cocoa price in a matter of days. So as easter eggs are getting smaller this may be a
26:33part of
26:33a larger issue affecting the whole world. Etterley Reynolds for KMTV in Rochester. Well you've been
26:41watching Kent tonight live here on KMTV but that's all the time we have for now. Thank you so much
26:46for
26:46watching and see you soon.
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