- 4 months ago
Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Chloe Brewster
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:28Transcription by CastingWords
00:32Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:35I'm Chloe Brewster and here are your top stories on Friday the 24th of April.
00:40A disappointing decision.
00:43Elderly residents fear cuts the support after Medway Council pooled funding in who?
00:48They all need this backup.
00:50We can't lose. Who cares? We can't lose them.
00:54An underpass underway.
00:55Long-awaited bus service between Ebbsfleet and Bluewater starts construction with an £18 million price tag.
01:03You're going to end up with all these new houses, you're going to end up with thousands of cars
01:08and you don't want them all driving about all over the place.
01:11It would be better to have the buses.
01:12And finally, cheers to success.
01:15Kent's best hospitality businesses, as voted by you, celebrate their success at the Kent Food Awards.
01:21I do the same thing every day. I do my quality, my standard. I keep it up how much I
01:27can.
01:39Elderly and vulnerable residents across the Who Peninsula fear losing support
01:43after Medway Council pooled funding from a community interest company seen as a lifeline.
01:49Who Cares has received backing from the local authority since it started in 2016,
01:53but now says it needs to find ways to fill its funding gap to ensure it can still provide services
01:59to hundreds in the area.
02:01But Medway Council say it's not sustainable to make payments to the company indefinitely,
02:05with £105,000 being made to the organisation in the last financial year.
02:10Local Tomocracy reporter Olly Leader reports.
02:13Crunching the numbers, trying to find what little money he can.
02:18Barry Andrews is the operations manager for community interest company Who Cares,
02:25which supports more than 500 vulnerable people across the peninsula.
02:30But those vital services are now on the verge of collapse,
02:34after Medway Council unexpectedly pooled funding last year.
02:39We're getting people referred to us at a rate of over 120 a year.
02:44So if that was to increase and we suddenly find 600 people, 700 people, 800 people over the next few
02:51years
02:51needing this support, it's disappointing that we're going to struggle to be able to meet that
02:58through the funding gap.
03:00The organisation needs £35,000 to keep it afloat and stave off job losses
03:07while it finishes setting up a commercial sister company to make the whole operation sustainable.
03:14But those relying on services at the moment are anxious.
03:19We've been lost with that.
03:20Oh yeah, absolutely.
03:21We're thinking about trying to raise a bit of money for them.
03:25To raise the money for them.
03:26Jeanette Sancto has been supported by Who Cares,
03:30while looking after someone with dementia.
03:32You can go down and sit there and talk to people.
03:36She says services here are a lifeline.
03:40And I felt like a ton of weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
03:44I was just in tears when I came away from there because I really felt as though I had the
03:49backup.
03:50And I've had backup of Who Cares ever since.
03:54They've been absolutely brilliant.
03:56And so have loads of other people had the backup as well.
04:00It's not just, you know, and it's not just elderly people, it's disabled people.
04:05People with learning difficulties and things like that.
04:09They all need this backup.
04:11We can't lose Who Cares.
04:13We can't lose them.
04:14Medway Council says it has supported Who Cares since 2016.
04:20But the goal was always for the organisation to be self-sufficient.
04:24However, the local authority says it is not sustainable to indefinitely make payments.
04:31And it's not in line with how they work with other voluntary organisations.
04:36But with no guaranteed funding solution in sight, there's no doubt staff here are at risk of redundancy.
04:45And those cuts will be felt by those most in need.
04:49Olly Leader in Who.
04:53As part of Medway Council's digital push, they've rolled out a new AI search tool called Agent X.
04:59But in our investigations, we've found that for some questions, it can provide misleading or inaccurate information.
05:05But the council say the tool will only get better as it learns.
05:10Finn McDermid has been finding out more.
05:12Medway Council has introduced a new AI search tool designed to help residents find relevant information faster.
05:18But it's come under fire for offering up inaccurate information on some searches.
05:23It's called Agent X.
05:24It's all part of their Medway 2.0 digital push, which aims to bring the council's digital services into the
05:30modern day.
05:30The idea behind it is to cut through council jargon and give residents all the links and advice they might
05:36need in one place.
05:37I don't think it'd give a good answer.
05:40And if it did, it can't really do anything about it here.
05:43So it wouldn't add much.
05:46We like humans.
05:48We're old people.
05:48We like to speak to humans.
05:50We don't like to speak to AI and this, you know, a robot.
05:54So Agent X is pretty good at responding your basic council questions, whether that's PCNs, homelessness or potholes.
06:02But it struggles a little more with other tasks.
06:04Let's take an example of someone it should definitely know.
06:06The portfolio holder for digital services, Councillor Alex Patterson.
06:10He's responsible for it.
06:11Let's have a look.
06:12Let's ask it.
06:13Who is Councillor Alex Patterson?
06:17As you can see, it doesn't actually know who he is.
06:20Agent X isn't a new database.
06:22It's simply a new, more straightforward way for people to ask questions.
06:26And to ask much more likely questions that they would come to the council about.
06:30When is my bin collected?
06:32Is the brown bin collected this week?
06:35How much is a second brown bin?
06:36Where is my nearest tip?
06:38Can I get a tip appointment?
06:40So while Agent X is very good at these types of questions, even being able to understand an answer in
06:45multiple languages, it does struggle with other topics.
06:48When I gave Agent X the question, I live in Fabersham, who is my council?
06:53It told me it was Medway.
06:54This might be news to Swale Council, along with the residents of Sheppey and Sittingbourne.
06:58It also told me there were 55 councillors when, counting the council's website, shows there are 59.
07:04Even Google AI, I bemoan every day because it throws up an answer which is probably not the answer.
07:12I think actually Agent X is a lot more reliable than that because it's focusing on a very fixed set
07:19of information.
07:20The sort of things that residents in Medway want to know, they can now find out a whole lot easier
07:26than before.
07:26While the learning model has its flaws, it does have a link for feedback, and the council say the idea
07:31is it'll only get better as it learns which data sets to access.
07:35So while it might be fully artificial, it could take time before it's fully intelligent.
07:39Finn McDermid for CAME TV in Medway.
07:43Over the next 10 years, Ebsleet will see more than 15,000 homes being built.
07:49So to make sure North Kent's roads aren't hit with gridlock, a new underpass will link the town to Blue
07:55Water.
07:56The Bean Road underpass will cost the council more than £18 million and will provide residents with an electric bus
08:03service that KCC say will be affordable.
08:06Finn McDermid has the story.
08:08It's been years in the making and has taken more than £18 million of funding, but the Bean Road underpass
08:14linking Ebsfleet Garden City to Blue Water has finally got shovels in the ground.
08:18With thousands of new homes being built in the area, it's providing them with transport without putting more pressure on
08:24the county's roads.
08:25This will be provided by an electric bus service going through the underpass, and it's being billed as an affordable
08:30one with tickets costing only £2.
08:32But will that stay the case by the time the journey start?
08:36As much as we can, yeah. I mean, it's just common sense, isn't it, really?
08:42You're going to end up with all these new houses, you're going to end up with thousands of cars, and
08:47you don't want them all driving about all over the place.
08:49It'd be better to have the buses, which is brilliant.
08:51And you won't even need to look at the timetable, because you know there's going to be seven every hour,
08:55both ways.
08:56You might be wondering, why do we actually need this?
08:58We can get to Blue Water with the existing roads we already have from Ebsfleet.
09:02Because Ebsfleet Garden City isn't going to be a construction site in the next 10 to 20 years.
09:06It'll have 15,000 more homes, 30,000 more jobs.
09:10So the roads will need to keep up.
09:12So we'll have to link to the existing road network, widen roads, to account for the buses.
09:20But the main work is putting the tunnel, which is going to be a spray concrete line tunnel, which is
09:26essentially as simple as we dig in one and a quarter metre advances.
09:33And then line, dig, line, dig, line, and work our way through the tunnel until we get to the other
09:41side.
09:41Then there's some linings that need to go in it.
09:44The road construction will need to be put in the bottom of the tunnel for the buses and the pedestrians
09:48to come through.
09:49Some lighting.
09:50And essentially, in a nutshell, that's it.
09:52The project has been anticipated for many years, with two tunnels being dug in the 1990s to help with Blue
09:58Water's construction.
10:00Fast forward to 2020, when planning permission was approved for the underpass, but it expired and had to be renewed
10:06three years later than originally planned.
10:09With that in mind, the Fast Track Service won't just support the Garden City, but aims to increase the connection
10:14between North Kent's towns like Dartford, Ebsfleet, and Gravesend.
10:18Eiriths say the project will take 18 months to complete, and the council are hoping the underpass and the bus
10:23service will help support Ebsfleet's growth rather than its gridlock.
10:27Finn McDermid for KMTV in Ebsfleet.
10:31Yesterday evening, emergency services were called to a huge fire on a marshland in Swanscombe.
10:37Thick black smoke was seen for miles from the blaze on Swanscombe marshes.
10:41Six fire engines and an all-terrain vehicle were sent to the scene after the fire service was called around
10:476.20pm.
10:48The fire service said the fire, which covered around 12 acres, had been put out, but crews would be revisiting
10:55the site this morning to check for any remaining hotspots.
10:58No injuries were reported, and the cause of that fire is yet known.
11:04New details have been revealed centering around plans for Kent's first ever Costco store.
11:11The American budget chain wholesaler has drawn up proposals for a new warehouse and petrol station just off the M20
11:18in Aylesford.
11:19The site will cover 6.2 hectares of land, and once built, it's expected to create at least 180 jobs,
11:26with this expanding to 250 within three years of opening.
11:30The wholesaler has also announced it will be working with the Royal British Veterans Enterprise, who currently own land, to
11:37assist the charity's work, helping ex-service people and those with disabilities.
11:43Now, it's time for a short break, but don't go anywhere, as we have plenty more for you.
11:47We'll be hearing from the winners of the Kent and Medway Food and Drink Awards, who are holding the trophy
11:52after votes from Kent Online readers.
11:54All that and more after the break.
12:41You decked into injury and what will be a call for you.
12:42You'll be hearing from theèle r ALVGA
12:42.
13:12.
13:43.
14:13.
14:14.
14:14.
14:14.
14:14.
14:14.
14:15.
14:15.
14:18.
14:21.
14:22.
14:23.
14:23.
14:23.
14:23.
14:24.
14:30.
14:30.
14:30.
14:31.
14:32.
14:33.
14:33.
14:33.
14:33.
14:33.
14:34.
14:35.
14:40.
14:41.
14:45.
14:45.
14:45.
14:45.
14:45.
14:48.
14:48.
14:50.
14:51.
14:54.
14:54.
14:54.
14:54.
14:54.
14:54.
14:54.
15:01.
15:01.
15:02.
15:02.
15:03.
15:03.
15:03.
15:03.
15:03.
15:11.
15:12.
15:12.
15:12.
15:12.
15:12.
15:12.
15:12.
15:12.
15:16.
15:17.
15:21Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
15:25From a bungalow crash causing a headache for an elderly lady,
15:29to a Made in Chelsea star putting down their roots.
15:32Earlier I spoke to Sean Delaney, one of the editors
15:35at Kent Online, about a couple of stories that really stuck out to him this week.
15:39So Sean, thank you for joining me. Can you tell me what is a story that's caught your eye this
15:44week in Kent Online.
15:44Well, one of the most heartbreaking stories this week we reported on is of a grandmother of incurable cancer.
15:51Her name is Jill Robson.
15:52She spent an incredible 182 nights and counting at the Premier Inn in Medway Valley Park.
15:57It all comes back to a fateful night in October when a silver Vauxhall Astra knocked through her bedroom in
16:04Strute.
16:04She previously told us that she was in her kitchen when she heard a bang and a crash.
16:08The next thing she knew, a picture had fallen off the wall, only to find out later there was a
16:13bumper of a car now inside her bedroom.
16:16And what's happened to her since I understand there might have been some health issues?
16:19She's got a catalogue of health issues, and that includes problems with her knees and legs, and she suffers with
16:23leukaemia.
16:25And she's ever since been living in a suitcase in the hotel room with only a kettle and a TV.
16:30Originally, the work to repair only began in February the 4th, so some months after the initial incident.
16:36And at the time, she'd hoped to be back in by the beginning of last month.
16:39Well, March has come and gone now, and although the brick and mortar repairs are now complete,
16:43last week she was told all of her furniture, which had to be put in storage during the rebuilding,
16:47would not be arriving until the start of May, extending her hospital stay into a dramatic seventh month.
16:53It was only after Ken and I got in touch with Nationwide that Jill was told that her furniture would
16:57now be arriving a little bit earlier,
16:58which will be this weekend, hopefully, for her.
17:00And what's Nationwide said?
17:02Well, Nationwide has said that it's been working with her and to try and get this as quick as possible.
17:07It said it's continued to offer alternative accommodation, but these options weren't suitable.
17:12It's offered a £600 conversation that's already been provided,
17:15and it will discuss a further resolution once the claim is fully concluded.
17:19On the time taken to repair, I can only apologise to her and say because of the complexity of the
17:23job,
17:23the fact that they've taken out such a large second of her house,
17:26that's just the general time it takes for that, but obviously not acceptable in the meantime for Jill.
17:32And can you tell me, is there any other stories that caught your eye?
17:35Yeah, so there's a few quirky ones, but one that stood out to me is one where,
17:39I don't know if you've ever fancied taking a dip in the pool before, starting work before,
17:43but that's what one former reality TV star who's created a co-working space in Sandgate is trying to achieve.
17:50So Josh Brody, who appeared in several episodes of Made in Chelsea,
17:54he's created this office, basically, where swimmers can,
17:57basically there's a storage space where they go in and they can shower and get ready for work
18:02after they've all gone down and had a swim down by the sea.
18:05It's kind of a trendy, quirky, new sort of way of capturing into the co-working space market.
18:11Amazing. Thank you so much for joining me.
18:12No worries. Thank you very much.
18:15Next, Joanna Yeats-Brown is running the London Marathon this Sunday
18:19in memory of her daughter Jenny, who died from a glioblastoma,
18:22which is a type of brain tumour around three years ago.
18:26Joanna had never run before, except for doing the couch to 5K with her daughter during the COVID lockdowns.
18:31Now she has raised £16,000 for brain tumour research,
18:35who she says has supported her massively throughout her training.
18:38We spoke to Joanna ahead of the run on Sunday.
18:41During COVID times, Jenny and I did the couch to 5K together.
18:48And we used to, while we were doing it, say that one day we'd love to do the London Marathon
18:52with each other.
18:55And then when she died, I felt it was something that I wanted to do for her.
19:00And now when I'm training, although obviously she's not with me,
19:04I kind of talk through my head as I go around and it's a time that I kind of feel
19:08closer to her.
19:09I think when the distances started to build up sort of over half a marathon, I found it quite challenging.
19:16And that was the time when I particularly talked to Jenny in my head.
19:19I'd kind of say to myself, if you can, if she could go through sort of hours of open brain
19:24surgery,
19:25chemotherapy, radiotherapy, then for goodness sake, I can run 26 miles without making a fuss
19:29and just try and talk myself into, you know, putting things into perspective.
19:34It's just a run. At the end of the day, a lot of people have to do a lot worse.
19:39Last night saw businesses from across the county gather to celebrate the best of Kent's food and hospitality sector.
19:45The 36 Best Bites and Hotspots voted by customers headed to Lenham for the Kent and Medway Food Awards 2026.
19:52There, they received accolades for their hard work and customer loyalty.
19:56I went to meet some of those lucky winners.
20:05It's that time of year again where the best in Kent's hospitality and food sectors get together to celebrate their
20:12success.
20:12Here at the Chilston Park Hotel near Lenham, celebrations are already underway.
20:18This year is the third year of the Food and Drink Awards by the KM.
20:22And this year saw a record-breaking number of people voting.
20:26The 36 independent businesses with the most votes are then invited to attend these awards,
20:31with one winner from each of the 12 categories picked by industry expert judges.
20:36The awards aim to celebrate those who work hard to enhance Kent's hospitality scene
20:41in the face of ever-increasing pressure on the sector.
20:44The awards were presented for the second year running by KMTV's very own Abbey Hook.
20:50Yeah, I mean, the recognition is fantastic and, you know, we have to thank our clients for that.
20:54But I think most of all, we'd like to say thanks to our staff,
20:56who are the main reason why we've been elected for this award run.
20:59Yeah, absolutely.
21:00I try to do the Indian food, Indian way, the way Indian people eat back in India.
21:07So, and I have a very small team with my wife, my daughter and one more person.
21:11I do the same thing every day.
21:13I do the, my quality, my standard, I keep it up how much I can.
21:18I think it's quite easy, especially when you work in this industry,
21:21to get stuck behind your numbers and what other people seem to say.
21:24But when you know that it's the guests who come in all the time
21:27and the ones who are coming back and voting for us again for a second year,
21:30it's really an amazing experience.
21:32We just want to thank our customers.
21:34You know, if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here today.
21:38Thank the organisers for here.
21:39And, you know, we've got a great team at Gialcili that, you know,
21:43are very motivated from our drivers to the chef, the front staff and everyone.
21:47I think the customer's everything.
21:49And then in today's market where you've got these large corporates
21:52that come in and they take up the high street
21:53and they displace a lot of local businesses
21:56for local businesses to come through that are customer-driven,
21:59that get the support of the customers and deliver local products and services,
22:03you just can't beat it. You just can't beat it.
22:05With a new trophy to display in their business,
22:07the happy winners headed home,
22:09ready to crack on with yet another year
22:11of creating the best experiences for customers in the county.
22:15Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Lennon.
22:20You know, it's a shame I didn't get to try any of the restaurants there,
22:22but they're on my bucket list for sure.
22:24Now, let's take a look at the weather for the coming days.
22:33Expect a warmer night tonight with clear skies,
22:36highs of 10 degrees across the county.
22:38Going into tomorrow morning,
22:40more clear skies with temperatures at a high of 10 in Ashford and Dover,
22:44lows of 8 in Dartford.
22:46Into the afternoon, it's going to be around 20 degrees in Medway,
22:5120 degrees on the coast also,
22:52looking slightly sunny, although cloudier in Medway.
22:54Looking towards the rest of the week,
22:57it's sunny on Sunday,
22:58cloudy on Monday,
22:59and sunny again once again on Tuesday.
23:10Two couples have won thousands towards their dream weddings
23:13after entering competitions through GLOW events
23:16by booking their chosen venue within a set time frame.
23:19What they didn't know, though,
23:20was that the winners would be decided by prize draw,
23:23and what they thought was an invitation to the next stage of that competition
23:26was actually a surprise reveal that they'd already won.
23:30Kristen Hawthorne was at the Orangery in Maidstone
23:32for the moment it all unfolded.
23:35At the Orangery in Maidstone,
23:37couples gathered expecting to compete
23:39in the final stage of a wedding competition,
23:41but it was soon revealed that wasn't the case.
23:44It is time for me to reveal
23:47which couple has won their wedding,
23:49and I can tell you,
23:51if we're ready,
23:53you both,
23:54both couples have won your wedding.
23:57CHEERING
24:01Congratulations, guys,
24:03you have both won your weddings.
24:06CHEERING
24:19So the couples that came here today
24:21initially thought that they were coming
24:22to get interviewed and pictured,
24:24and they were,
24:25but little did they know
24:26that the team had been endlessly preparing,
24:29surprising with the fact
24:30that they've won a free wedding.
24:32But now the classic question,
24:34how do they feel?
24:35Oh, a little bit speechless.
24:37Yeah, amazed.
24:39Amazed.
24:39We're just so excited.
24:41So excited.
24:42We've not stopped shaking.
24:44It's been half an hour
24:46since we found out.
24:47My hands are still shaking.
24:50I'm kind of lost for words.
24:51Yeah.
24:52I wasn't expecting this at all
24:55to bring me to tears.
24:57Yeah.
24:57It says a lot, to be fair.
24:59Like, shocked,
24:59but in the best possible way.
25:01Couples who booked a venue
25:02through GLOW events
25:03within a set time frame
25:04were entered into competitions
25:06to win money towards their wedding,
25:08not knowing the winners
25:09had already been decided
25:10through a prize draw.
25:12Well, we got the email last weekend
25:13and we filled in all questions
25:15and all those sort of things,
25:16but coming here today,
25:17we'd just finished work,
25:19so literally come from work,
25:21haven't we?
25:21Yeah.
25:22And just sort of chatting about
25:23what we're going to do
25:24when we get here.
25:25We were going to be talking
25:25about a dance-off,
25:27you know, you name it.
25:28We were prepared to do what it took.
25:30I think when I walked into the room,
25:31I was more worried
25:32that I was going to be asked to perform
25:35and quite glad that I wasn't.
25:37Yeah.
25:38Nicola and James won £25,000
25:41for their wedding
25:41at Bilzington Priory this May,
25:44while Katie and James received £14,000
25:46for their wedding at the Gardens
25:48in December 2027.
25:51For Nicola and James,
25:52they had originally booked
25:53the Blazing Donkey as a venue,
25:55but then it went into administration
25:56and they lost out on £9,000,
25:59making this win even more special.
26:02We obviously had a different venue,
26:04but this, we knew it was the right one
26:06as soon as we walked down the pathway
26:07towards it.
26:08It's such a stunning venue.
26:10It's got the old and the new.
26:12It's quirky and a bit like us, I suppose.
26:15It's just everything we were looking for.
26:17Yeah, all in one place.
26:18Wish we'd have found it first.
26:21Things are meant to be, right?
26:23Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV, Maidstone.
26:27Well, congratulations
26:28to those very, very happy couples.
26:30Now, you've been watching
26:31Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
26:34There's more news made just for Kent
26:36throughout the evening.
26:37Don't forget, you can always keep up to date
26:39with the latest news from across your county
26:41by logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
26:44You can also keep us on your social timelines
26:46by liking us on Facebook
26:48and following us on TikTok.
26:50Thank you so much for watching
26:51and goodbye.
26:59for now.
27:03You're welcome.
27:04Thank you so much for watching.
27:08You're welcome.
27:11You
Comments