Kent Tonight - Wednesday 7th August 2024
Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Gabriel Morris.
Transcript
00:00Good evening and welcome to Kentonite live here on KMTV.
00:29I'm Gabriel Morrison and here are your top stories on Wednesday the 7th of August.
00:35Bracing for the worst, Kent prepares as fears of far-right rioting run rampant.
00:40If people are trying to say that this is about some legitimate debate around immigration
00:45in this country and illegal immigration, frankly it's a very, very, very funny way of showing
00:50it.
00:51Unhappy housing.
00:52New government building targets leave Kent politicians divided.
00:56Yet we're being asked to take more and they're being asked to take fewer.
01:01And making waves, Margate's 1930s tidal pool gains historical protection.
01:07The listing will ensure that it is preserved for future generations to enjoy.
01:22Hello there.
01:23Welcome to the programme.
01:24First tonight, businesses in Canterbury, Dover and Medway have been shutting up shop early
01:29this afternoon amid fears of far-right rioting.
01:32It comes after widespread incidents across the country in the past week following online
01:37misinformation about the alleged killer of three young girls in Southport.
01:41Thousands have turned to the streets and tonight police are anticipating 100 protests across
01:46the country.
01:47Well, our reporter Abbey Hook is in Chatham High Street where some of those shops have
01:51been closing early.
01:52Well, Abbey, what have you been hearing today out and about on the streets?
01:56Well, Gabriel, simply that businesses are shutting up shop and much earlier than they
02:01usually would.
02:02You can see the shutters down here on these shops here.
02:05It's much of the same story up and down Chatham High Street.
02:08Usually they're open around this time of night, most of them till around 6pm and some shut
02:13as early as midday, 1pm, telling their employees to simply go home for fears of what could
02:19happen this evening, what's been widely reported on the news, but also on social media, too,
02:23a lot of misinformation and disinformation spreading and I was speaking to a parking
02:33warden just a moment ago and she told me that Chatham High Street's had a really ear-rape
02:38and a really weird feel today, people standing at businesses on High Street, almost as if
02:43what could happen next, but it's really important to reiterate that misinformation has caused
02:48a lot of concern and confusion online as well, but what we do know is that Kent Police
02:53have said that they have robust measures in place that will respond swiftly to any disorder.
03:00They say they're monitoring any infant too and have sufficient resources to respond.
03:05In fact, I've been told there was a heightened police presence here in Chatham High Street
03:09today and I've seen that for myself just a moment ago, a police car driving up the High
03:13Street behind me, one just behind the camera as well.
03:17We've also heard from Neil Mennie today, Kent Police Federation, he said officers who
03:22volunteer for special training could actually be deployed today if needed.
03:26Medway council leader Vince Maple, he's released a statement as well, he said that we've seen
03:33unacceptable behaviour carried out across the country and he says we celebrate communities
03:41of different backgrounds and faiths and take pride in the fact that everybody lives here
03:46so peacefully together, side by side.
03:48He says the councils work with community faith groups, literally no place better.
03:53Right now it's pretty calm, you have the usual people commuting home after work, we're right
03:58by Chatham station as well, the High Street is usually a busy place, but it's important
04:03to note that it's those shops shutting early and sending a lot of people home, it's the
04:08same for a lot of businesses that we've seen.
04:11And that's because police are expecting 100 different locations to be targeted today.
04:22Well thank you Abby for those details and apologies for some slight connection issues
04:26there.
04:28Well now the MP for Gillingham and Raynham says incidents such as the Southport stabbings
04:33have been hijacked by the far right looking to push an agenda about immigration, as well
04:40has told this programme about her own experiences with racism.
04:43Mahima Abedin is here in the studio, what more can you tell us this evening?
04:47Yes, so let's start off by speaking about the riots.
04:50We heard a little bit from Abby there about the police being made of more than 100 different
04:55planned events across the country.
04:57While they have been prepared to respond to any violence and riot criminals, it's concerning
05:02times for a lot of people up and down the UK at the moment, including those in the county
05:07as well.
05:08And one of those people includes the MP for Gillingham and Raynham, Nushar Bakhan, she's
05:12one of Kent's most prominent Muslim politicians.
05:14Earlier today we spoke to her and she said she's finding it difficult to understand what's
05:19happening and why it's happening and describes what we're seeing as violent thuggery in our
05:24streets.
05:25She also spoke about her own personal experiences of racism and here's what she had to say.
05:29It's difficult for me to really pinpoint what's happened here because as far as I can see
05:34we've had two incidences separated in this country, both of which the perpetrators have
05:42been arrested, the police have been very clear that they are British citizens and for some
05:48reason that has been hijacked and turned into what I can only describe as violent thuggery
05:53on our street.
05:54If people are trying to say that this is about some legitimate debate around immigration
05:59in this country and illegal immigration, frankly it's a very, very, very funny way of showing
06:04it.
06:05What I will say as someone who comes from a minority background who is Muslim, I can
06:09completely understand how you feel.
06:11Even during the election campaign, particularly on social media, which I think is where a
06:14lot of this has come through, I certainly received a lot of racism and that still happens.
06:20I mean I've received tweets in the last week which have said this country isn't for people
06:26like you.
06:27That was the MP for Gillingham and Raynham but how are those acting violently being dealt
06:31with?
06:32Kent Police have said that they will be responding swiftly and robustly to any incidents of disorder
06:37that do arise.
06:38Mehima, thank you so much for bringing us those details.
06:43Now a teenager has been airlifted to hospital after being stabbed in Gillingham.
06:48When it's understood the 19-year-old man who hasn't been named was rushed to KFC on Canterbury
06:53Street where staff were asked to call for help.
06:56Kent Police has confirmed the victim was flown to a London hospital and an air ambulance
07:00has been pictured taking off from a Gillingham park.
07:03His injuries aren't considered to be life-threatening and he remains in a stable condition.
07:08No arrests have been made.
07:09As officers say, enquiries are ongoing.
07:13Now plans for a state-of-the-art medical centre that would cater for 6,000 new patients in
07:18the heart of Sittingbourne have been scrapped.
07:20The Bell Road Medical Centre would have been built on a derelict lot near the High Street
07:25to accommodate 17,000 patients in total.
07:29NHS Kent and Medway says it's pursuing other opportunities for expansion after careful
07:33consideration.
07:35Plans stalled back in April due to the cost of the expected rent, which is understood
07:38to remain a contributing factor to the NHS's decision.
07:42The area group developing the centre says the choice is disappointing and it gave the
07:46most cost-effective plans possible.
07:50House building proposals brought in by the new government mean thousands of new homes
07:54could be built across Kent.
07:56Under previous targets, the county was expected to build more than 12,000 homes a year, but
08:01this is set to rise to almost 14,000, with areas like Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge, Waltham
08:07Morning and Dover all being expected to build more.
08:10But with fears for the future of Greenbelt land, Kent's politicians are torn by proposals.
08:16Our reporter Oliver Needle-Sax has been breaking down what this actually means.
08:21The reasons behind changes to Kent's local housing targets are rather complicated.
08:27The government are updating the National Policy Planning Framework, which calculates how housing
08:34is distributed across the UK.
08:37It will be taking into account things like affordability, low-quality Greenbelts to be
08:41built upon now, and the removal of the urban uplift for the denser urban areas that store
08:48more housing in those towns and cities.
08:50And that has a huge impact here in Kent, because where I stood right now in Rochester, we'll
08:55now see less houses being built.
08:58But just up the River Medway, just behind me in Tunbridge and Morling Borough Council,
09:03they're going to have to build way more houses.
09:06And what that means is that those Greenbelt spaces may not be as safe as they once were.
09:12And I spoke to the leader of Tunbridge and Morling Borough Council, and he told me he
09:16feels it's all politically motivated.
09:19If this was about housing delivery, then surely all council areas should be expected to contribute.
09:26The reality is Tunbridge and Morling has got many more constraints and protections on our
09:32land than other authorities, including Medway, yet we're being asked to take more and they're
09:38being asked to take fewer.
09:40The changes have meant Tunbridge and Morling Borough Council have put pause to their local
09:44plan.
09:45But the Chatham and Ellsworth MP, whose constituency straddles both Tunbridge and Medway, says
09:52Labour aren't the ones playing politics.
09:55London has an 80,000 target for housing.
10:00Medway, which is a largely urban area with rural hinterland, has a target of 1,700 new
10:05homes per year.
10:06Tunbridge and Morling, a rural area, arguably 1,000 homes per year.
10:10So this is not being targeted on rural communities.
10:14This is about affordability.
10:15It is about where there is a demand.
10:17It is also about where new homes are needed and where communities are feeling that their
10:21young people cannot get on the housing ladder.
10:23A government spokesperson says all areas of the country must play their part in building
10:28the homes we need and taking into account affordability pressures so that more homes
10:34will be built in the least affordable areas.
10:37With the National Planning Policy Framework now in the consultation phase, councils will
10:43have until September 24th to have their say.
10:48But with Labour insistent on following through on their manifesto promise, more housing in
10:53Kent seems as inevitable as it is controversial.
10:58Oliver Leedser-Saxe for KMTV in Medway.
11:03Now before we head to a break, let's take a quick look at the weather forecast.
11:13Tonight it will be cloudy with rain expected to the east of the county, highs of 17 in
11:17Ashford.
11:19Come Thursday morning, clouds are hanging around but with occasional sunny spells with
11:22temperatures ranging from 18 to 20 degrees.
11:25We can expect more clouds and warmer weather leading into the afternoon, highs of 22 in
11:29Dartford.
11:31And here's the rest of the week.
11:32Some clouds, some sun and definitely looking like it's going to be a scorcher with temperatures
11:36between 24 and 27 degrees this weekend.
11:48Well it's time now for a quick break but afterwards we'll find out which Kent landmark has just
11:52been given listed status.
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