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Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Nailah Mahomed.
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00:22Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:25I'm Naila Mohamed and here are your top stories on Friday the 31st of August.
00:30The same old promise?
00:32The new CEO of Southeast Water promises large investment in Kent's water infrastructure.
00:38Our job as a water company is to provide water to our customers 24-7-365 and we're not doing
00:45it.
00:46It's not good enough.
00:47We need to do better.
00:48I feel like an ant in a giant's castle, says paralysed East Peckham librarian who's struggling
00:54with mental health.
00:55This is the hardest thing in my whole life that I've ever done.
01:00A rubbish response.
01:02Roundsgate residents show their frustration with legal action over missed bin collections.
01:07They were just trying to brush over the problem, keep me happy, keep it quiet, patch the problem
01:13up and then hopefully that I will go away.
01:17Well, I'm not going away, I'm here to stay.
01:29The new CEO of Southeast Water says repeated supply issues have not been good enough.
01:34Bill Holstall has taken the reins on the embattled supplier amidst summer water shortages and
01:39a controversial hose pipe.
01:41His predecessor David Hinton resigned from the company over winter supply issues across
01:45the county, which were tens of thousands left high and dry.
01:49Our reporter Megan Shaw spoke to him earlier today.
01:52I mean, within the last year or so, I wouldn't say Southeast Water has the best reputation
01:57among residents or perhaps nationally as water companies stand.
02:00What are you going to do differently that your predecessor David Hinton you think didn't
02:05do well enough?
02:06So I've got some really clear priorities which are totally focused on making a difference
02:12quickly.
02:13So the first priority is about focusing on the little things in terms of making sure
02:19that our operations are resilient, in other words, that there is water available.
02:24So all of the small things don't take months, don't take years, they'll take weeks.
02:28And a lot of residents in these affected or perhaps screened areas did get a message
02:31to you, didn't they, on their phone saying to use water, I suppose, only for essential
02:35purposes.
02:36Is it fair to almost deflect that responsibility to the public when the water company has a
02:42duty to providing that water?
02:45So I can only say sorry, but we're not in a position where customers get as much water
02:52as they would like all of the time, so I completely acknowledge that and accept it.
02:57But also, what I would say is that as well as all of the things that we need to do,
03:03reduce
03:04leakage, improve the resilience of our infrastructure, help customers use water wisely, what I would
03:11say is that to make sure that these times of incredibly hot weather and water demand stress,
03:19these times of incredible stress, that just a small change in terms of how customers use
03:24water will mean that everybody can have water and that we don't get these interruptions to
03:29supply.
03:30Residents, you know, who you serve in your patch, they've not had water during heat waves,
03:35they might have had to shut their businesses, they're probably incredibly disillusioned with
03:39South East Water. How can they still have faith in you as CEO and within South East Water as
03:46a company?
03:47So I can understand why our customers are questioning the future. My background is infrastructure.
03:56I'm an engineer, chartered engineer. I spent 30 years in large, complicated infrastructure
04:03organisations. And many of those years have been transforming and changing and providing
04:09leadership and direction. And although it sounds a bit technical, great asset management,
04:14so looking after the infrastructure, the reservoirs, the pipework, the water treatment
04:18breaks. I've done this before, based on the fact that we've got some amazing people, I'm
04:24really sure we can make changes.
04:28A Kent MP has been given a job in Prime Minister's new government. Andy Burnham's appointed East
04:34Thanet's Polly Billington as Under Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security
04:38and Net Zero. This news comes as the PM continues to face criticism for prioritising the North of
04:44England, with a high proportion of MPs in top jobs coming from constituencies from there.
04:50Polly Billington's the only Kent MP to be given a job, and it's not a cabinet role either, which
04:55are the most powerful positions in government. Former MP candidate and the current Medway Council
05:00leader Vince Maple joins me now to talk more about this. So Vince, does Andy Burnham care about
05:05Kent? I mean, it doesn't really seem like he thinks much of the MPs around here.
05:08Well, I think he does. If you think about the fact that he got elected as Labour Party leader at
05:14about half past twelve on a Friday afternoon, by three o'clock that afternoon, he was here
05:20in North Kent in Gravesend, giving his first speech as party leader. Obviously, he became
05:26Prime Minister the following Monday. It was a privilege for me to be there on Downing Street.
05:30Well, when he was here, he didn't really speak to any local media.
05:32Well, of course, he was, you know, a very busy person trying to get out and about as much
05:36as he can. So he certainly spoke to people there. And I was very pleased to speak to the
05:42KMTV team as always. Look, I think I'm really pleased that Polly's been made part of the
05:47government. I think she'll do a great job. If you look at her history before she was an MP,
05:52she brings some very strong personal skills and experience into that particular role.
05:57And, you know, in other news today, we found out that income tax will be shared with the
06:03regional mayors, but we don't have a mayor here in Kent. Is this policy, new policy going to affect us?
06:07Well, I was very pleased earlier on today to be in a meeting with senior ministers, including
06:13Secretaries of State from the Department for Local Government, the Treasury and the Cabinet Office.
06:19And it's really good to see government working in a joined up approach. You know,
06:23things like mayor and devolution are not just a local government matter.
06:27They're a finance matter. They're all parts of government affected by that. So I was pleased to be there.
06:32I put the case strongly to say, actually, now more than ever, if we're going to have good growth in
06:37every postcode,
06:38is what the prime minister has said repeatedly, and I support him in that.
06:42I think I want to make sure that we're putting the case strongly for a mayor or at least a
06:47foundation strategic authority,
06:48which is kind of the first level of devolution for our region here in Kent and Medway.
06:52But other parties in the county disagree. I mean, we have we've spoke to some of them earlier today.
06:57Well, we've been missold the idea that mayors are going to be some kind of silver bullet.
07:03If every single area has a mayor, how can every one of those areas and regions all get more money?
07:11Well, I think this is where the government has gone wrong.
07:14It's gone wrong on many fronts in local government reorganisation.
07:18But the first thing they should have done was put Kent on the devolution priority pathway.
07:21And then we could have organised the county with the view of having a mayor or some sort of overarching
07:27strategic authority on top.
07:29It's taking power from the districts and counties and putting them in the hands of an individual.
07:36We don't want a king of Kent or a queen of Kent. We want people to have control over the
07:42decisions over their own lives.
07:45Primarily, the main problem is that the local councils, both KCC and the borough councils,
07:50really just needed some stronger guidance from central government on how to provide efficiencies of scale
07:55and then potentially more money from central government to make the services they provide better.
08:00A very different opinion to yourself.
08:02Well, look, let's be clear on a couple of matters.
08:04Firstly, when it comes to the foundation strategic authority, all 14 council leaders of Kent and Medway now support that.
08:12KCC didn't because they didn't believe it fitted in with their local government reorganisation plan.
08:18That's been decided upon.
08:19So I was really pleased to hear directly from the leader of Kent County Council that is the case.
08:23That's all 14 leaders. Real political diversion there.
08:27I have to cut you off there. Very sorry.
08:29Now, a Thanich resident says he's been left with no choice but to take legal action against the council over
08:35a long running issue outside his home.
08:37Under Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act, uncollected, rotting household waste left on public streets can legally be classified
08:43as statutory nuisance.
08:44The former notice served on the 24th July gives the council 21 days to clear the waste and Kristen Hawthorne
08:51was there reporting.
08:52Complaints are not going anywhere. So now it's time to take action. That's when I put in the notice.
08:57Just last week, he served Thanich District Council with a Section 82 notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
09:04It comes after the council changed their refuse and recycling collections in April this year.
09:10Since then, he says collections across the district have been repeatedly missed.
09:14So what I have noticed from around Thanich, there's been a lot of frustration from the residents that there's been,
09:21you know, this bin crisis.
09:23They're going on for over three months now.
09:25We don't want the tourists coming here, seeing this mess and never coming back again.
09:29So it's very important that this is sorted once and for all.
09:34And it looks like there's a lot of talk from the council, but no action.
09:38When asked for a comment on Mr Keeley's court case, the authority added,
09:42This has been received by the council's legal team.
09:45The legal team will carefully consider the matter and respond in due course.
09:49Following the instruction of additional rounds to support the waste and recycling service,
09:53announced earlier this month, there have been significant improvements to household collection rates.
09:58Last week, when Stephen handed the notice to Thanich District Council, they came and cleared his bins and his area
10:04within four hours.
10:05And within the next few days, they moved on to the street.
10:08But he says he's still not satisfied with the way it's been left and is not giving up on his
10:13case that easily.
10:14It was quite a rubbish response because they were trying to give me the special treatment.
10:19And they promised me that this road would be kept to a high standard and they'll be continuously monitoring it
10:28for me.
10:28But that doesn't help the residents of Thanich themselves.
10:33So, you know, giving me the golden treatment, keeping me quiet is not going to work.
10:38I'm here for the residents.
10:39It's not just his own area that he's worried about, which is why we've come to Margate to speak to
10:44people where he says it's currently a lot worse.
10:47Well, it's not so much the bins, it's the bags.
10:50And we were sent a lot of publicity leaflets saying this is going to happen.
10:56It's going to be a new system. Leave it with us. It'll all work out fine.
11:00And what's happening now is that things aren't being picked up on a regular basis.
11:05Terrible, especially in Westbrook. Rubbish all over the place. Bins full up, overflowing. Black sacks all ripped open by the
11:15seagulls, foxes.
11:18When walking around the town, mentioning missed bin collections to residents is the headline.
11:23And something that is affecting not just the locals, but maybe tourism as well.
11:28Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV, Thanet.
11:31Go after this.
11:32Go after this.
16:01A car crash survivor says she feels like an ant in a giant's castle after an operation
16:06has left her paralyzed below the waist.
16:09Ruth Baita from East Peckham needs her house adapted to accommodate her disability and
16:13the daily struggle has affected her mental health.
16:16However, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust is committed to helping patients
16:22like Ruth.
16:22Our community reporter Henry Luck has more.
16:24And a quick warning, this report does reference to suicide.
16:27Despite the welcome signs placed by family, Ruth Baita says her house feels nothing like home.
16:3613 years ago, she was involved in a head-on car crash and was diagnosed with incomplete cord equina syndrome.
16:45She went to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Statemore London for an operation this April.
16:52But despite the surgery going to plan, it left her unable to walk due to her body's reaction.
17:00As well as being a struggle to get around her house whilst living on her own, the event has had
17:07a massive mental impact.
17:09People don't understand you coming into here, anybody, I'm like an ant in a giant's castle.
17:17That's how it makes me feel.
17:18And I can see the pain on my daughter's face.
17:22And I've brought her up to, she's a giver, she's selfless.
17:26She was going to give her whole life up to come back to look after me.
17:30And my advice to her was take the world by both hands and run and be happy.
17:36And this is the hardest thing in my whole life that I've ever done.
17:42So far, Ruth can only reach this high in her fridge, which is where the milk cartons are,
17:50because she can't reach the rest because of her wheelchair.
17:54And until the adaptations are in place, she says she's gotten used to the feeling of being hungry.
18:00Data from the Spinal Injuries Association reveals that a person with a spinal injury
18:06spinal cord injury is three times more likely to consider suicide than a healthy person.
18:13A spokesperson for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust said the organisation
18:20is committed to supporting the physical and mental health of its patients
18:25and has a range of professionals to help them.
18:29A friend of Ruth has set up a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of adaptations to the house,
18:36such as a stair lift, wet room and a readjusted kitchen,
18:42showing Ruth that she's not in this fight alone.
18:46Henry Luck for KMTV in East Peckham.
18:51And now for the weather.
18:57Well, it's looking to be a warm night for Kent.
18:59Temperatures reaching up to 18 degrees with lows of 15.
19:02Cloud is expected in Gyllingham and Dartford into tomorrow morning.
19:05Also partially cloudy for many parts of the county.
19:07Highs of 17 degrees, wind speeds of 6 miles an hour in the east.
19:10Into the afternoon, temperatures going up, climbing to 25 degrees in Dartford.
19:14Still a bit cloudy, covering the majority of Kent.
19:17And your outlook for the coming days is going to be a bright and sunny on Sunday.
19:20Temperatures of 27 degrees, cloudy on Monday and highs of 29 and 28 on Tuesday.
19:33Now one of Kent's longest serving life-saving organisations
19:36is marking a major milestone this weekend.
19:39Dungeness RNLI is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a free open day this Sunday.
19:44Featuring live boat displays, live music, stores and plenty of family fun.
19:49We spoke to John Morgan from the RNLI to tell us more.
19:52So John, thank you so much for joining us today.
19:55But before we dive in, could you tell us a little bit more about what the RNLI does
19:58for those who maybe don't know?
20:02Well, the RNLI saves lives at sea.
20:05We save anyone at sea who needs our assistance.
20:08Whether that be from a yacht or whatever we're tasked to.
20:14What's the main thing that you want people to take away from this event when they leave?
20:20What the RNLI does and the fact that there has been a lifeboat on Romney Marsh for 200 years,
20:29which is what we are celebrating this year,
20:32is that there's been a lifeboat here for 200 years.
20:36And why do you think people should come to this event on the weekend?
20:42Because all the money that's raised from it all goes into the station.
20:46It goes into the RNLI, so it helps with life-saving.
20:51Amazing. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, John.
20:55Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
20:58by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk,
21:01where you'll find all our reports, including this one.
21:05Everyone has seen it, but no-one is raising their voice.
21:08On this whole road, like, you know, if you see on Del's Road,
21:11there are three shops, which is our shop, Laundice and Co-op.
21:14If you ask them personally, they will just say, like,
21:17yes, we have, we have, feel the same thing what I have felt.
21:21This shopkeeper says that shoplifting has become a constant problem at a store during the summer.
21:27Although this shop has eight CCTV cameras dotted around the store,
21:30that doesn't seem to be enough of a deterrent to stop the children from stealing ice cream and sweets.
21:36The owners here have been here for 15 years,
21:39and they say the problem is continuing to get worse,
21:42and there's no solution put in place to prevent it from happening.
21:46Every year they come, every year they, you know, try to steal chocolates and, you know, sweets, like, you know,
21:55so which gives a deep impact on our business because we are a family-run small business.
21:59Basically, it started on 17th of July,
22:01and that was on afternoon when my dad was here present,
22:06and that happened three o'clock,
22:08and all of a sudden, like, a group of kids,
22:12which is like eight to ten kids,
22:14come in my shop and started nicking my sweets and lollies and all, like, you know,
22:20which is unfair to us, like, you know.
22:22While luxury items like ice cream and sweets are being taken,
22:26essential items like laundry detergent is also a target.
22:29And he says he wants to see more action from the police.
22:32No, they didn't came instantly.
22:36They have just given me a reference, crime reference number,
22:40and they have just given an online portal,
22:41which you're going to fill your forms, details initially.
22:46And after filling that details, they're going to make a crime investigation, like, you know,
22:50but police then came straight down.
22:52In a statement, Kemp Police said that when the business owner reported the incidents,
22:57he was requested to submit relevant CCTV footage via an online portal
23:02to assist identifying the suspects.
23:05Officers have since visited the store, spoken to the victim,
23:08and inquiries are underway in the local area.
23:11We are determined to tackle retail crime in Medway
23:14and will pursue all available lines of inquiry
23:17to track down offenders and bring them to justice.
23:20Small items being stolen from a local shop may not seem like much of an issue,
23:25but when it keeps happening over and over,
23:27it can affect local high streets on a wider scale.
23:30By affecting operating costs, forcing stores to close
23:34or making a community less welcoming.
23:37Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Rochester.
23:41A football coach from Medway has had life-saving cancer treatment in Portugal
23:45after his club rallied around him to raise the money.
23:48Paul Squire saw Hempstead Valley FC raise more than £30,000
23:52to cover the £55,000 treatment, with his family covering the rest.
23:56And Steve Tye is the chairman of the club
23:58and even got a tattoo of the club's badge on his leg to fundraise,
24:01and he joins me now.
24:03So, Steve, when you heard about this diagnosis,
24:05did you guys immediately think to have fundraised this amount of money?
24:08Yeah, I mean, certainly to support it.
24:10I mean, it hasn't just been a club, I should say, as well.
24:12There's been other clubs that have got involved,
24:14Paul's friends and family.
24:16Everyone's sort of rallied around as much as possible.
24:18But certainly from the club's point of view,
24:20we want to do as much as possible to support Paul.
24:25And, yeah, it's been non-stop.
24:27Everyone from players, coaches, parents.
24:30Yeah, everyone is desperate to make sure that Paul...
24:33You can see Paul there on screen now.
24:36Yep.
24:38And so why a tattoo?
24:40Well, this was a bit of a silly idea from our presentation day.
24:44So we had little temporary tattoos
24:45that we were giving out to the kids and the lads on the day.
24:50Bit of a trendsetter.
24:51I had a little small one on my calf,
24:52and we were joking around with parents to...
24:54with a couple of parents at the end
24:56to try and do something to...
24:58a bit more of a light-hearted fundraiser,
25:00but also trying to encourage other teams
25:02and other people to sort of get involved with it as well.
25:05And, yeah, I've never had a tattoo
25:06and never wanted a tattoo.
25:08Yeah.
25:11And what was the experience like?
25:12I mean, your face is grimacing a little bit there.
25:15Yeah, no, yeah, it wasn't the most pleasant.
25:18I mean, Tracy from TLC, she was amazing, to be fair.
25:22She was fantastic and really helped.
25:23But, yeah, it was an interesting experience.
25:27Would you do it again?
25:28No.
25:31So in what other ways did you and the club raise money?
25:35So we've had...
25:36There's been lots of sponsored matches,
25:38or charity matches, not just for our club, but others.
25:41We've had the ladies' match as well through Lordswood.
25:44We've had kids going on 5K runs from under-9s
25:49and Paul's team in the under-15s as well.
25:51Yeah, and it's just been a constant bombardment
25:54of different sort of activities as much as possible
25:56to sort of keep it going.
25:57That sounds very exciting.
25:59And the tattoo looks really, really well done.
26:02It is.
26:02Thank you so much for joining us in the studio today.
26:05Nice.
26:06Thank you very much.
26:07Cheers.
26:08You've been watching Kent tonight, live here on KMTV,
26:11where there's more news made just for the county
26:12throughout the evening.
26:13And don't forget, you can always keep up to date
26:15with our latest news across the county
26:17by logging on to our website.
26:19But that's all we have time for now,
26:20and we'll see you again tonight for the bulletin.
26:23Goodbye.
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