Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hook. Here are your
00:26top stories on Monday the 23rd of December. Hygiene hysteria. The government's considering
00:33new legislation following KMTV's hygiene rating investigation.
00:39But I also intend to perhaps have an adjournment debate on this as well, just to keep on raising
00:43this up the agenda so that there's actual public awareness.
00:47End of a lifeline? Uncertainty as Broadstairs SEND school faces closure.
00:53I just feel let down by the system. I constantly feel like we are being punished as SEND families.
01:02I feel like we are being punished for having disabled children.
01:05And driving home for Christmas. Thousands gather to watch the Weald's annual Christmas
01:11tractor parade.
01:23The government is considering changing legislation to force businesses to display correct hygiene
01:30ratings and it follows a KMTV investigation. You might remember a few weeks ago we brought
01:35to you a report which found nearly 90% of Maidstone businesses misleading customers
01:41with their scores. In England it's not illegal to display false ratings, something many of
01:46you found shocking, including a Medway MP who's now campaigning for this to change.
01:52Local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has more.
01:55It's the investigation that shocked the public, highlighting Maidstone businesses displaying
02:00false hygiene ratings. Our findings have sparked a Labour MP to call on the government to introduce
02:07mandatory display. They now tell us they're considering it.
02:11I was surprised and a bit shocked actually as a user of takeaways in Medway and many
02:16of my friends and residents around here do as well. They come to trust these FSA ratings
02:21out of five. Following the story we put out last week on food hygiene ratings,
02:26you've now asked some questions to the government. What are they and what do they look like?
02:30Yeah, so I've asked two part questions to the Department for Health. So first of all,
02:34I've said that they can comment on whether they think that there should be equity across the
02:38country and the FSA standards that are displayed in all restaurants, first of all, as standard
02:44so that people can see when they come in or they order online. And second of all,
02:48that that is mandatory and it is something which is accurate. But I also intend to perhaps have an
02:54adjournment debate on this as well, just to keep on raising this up the agenda so that there's
02:59actual public awareness. The investigation looked at outlets in Kent's county town that had a score
03:05of three or below. We found 12 displaying no ratings, seven displaying incorrect scores
03:12and two with signs saying they're awaiting inspection when they weren't. That's more
03:17than nine out of 10 businesses either displaying an incorrect rating or not at all. In Wales and
03:23Northern Ireland, mandatory display is law and our report has added to the growing calls for that to
03:28be the case in England. It's a zero cost. This is just about making people display a sticker on their
03:35window and there's no massive cost. It is an additional burden to industry because industry
03:41has to go through the process anyway. And all it is doing, it is supporting the good guys,
03:47those people who are taking the effort to make sure that the food they serve
03:51is hygienically safe and good for consumers. So again, it's just a win-win. Businesses are
03:57regularly inspected by local authorities. A low rating can be indicative of bad food handling,
04:03safety and cleanliness of the premises. To know the actual rating of a business,
04:08you can visit the Food Standards Agency website. These will be accurate. The organisation is also
04:15calling on the government to introduce mandatory display. Gabriel Morris in Maidstone.
04:22Parents fear they'll be left with no other options as a unique Broadstairs SEND school
04:27faces closure. Bradstow School, which provides teaching to 33 of the most vulnerable children
04:33across the South East, is currently operated by Wandsworth Council. But the London Borough say
04:39they can't afford to keep it running, with Kent County Council currently unwilling to take control
04:44of the school. Now the local MP has waded in, demanding a solution, as Oliver Leeder de Saxe
04:49has been finding out. The school gates may be open at Bradstow School, but for how much longer?
04:56Back in November, parents at the SEND residential school were left blindsided by a letter from
05:02Wandsworth Council stating they couldn't afford to keep it running. The school is world famous
05:08for its provision, featuring in the award-winning documentary, The Reason I Jump. The London
05:15Council had offered Kent County Council full ownership of the school, but after KCC turned
05:21down the offer, Bradstow now looks set to close next August. For the inability of local authorities
05:29to get together, put their heads together and find a solution that suits everyone, obviously this is
05:34for the young people with the most profound needs. There is nowhere else like Bradstow. This
05:39is a kind of desperate situation. They've literally only found out on the 11th of November that this
05:44school is going to be closed, and they are rightly sort of outraged. Their children have done really,
05:51really well here. Bradstow School isn't just a lifeline for families here in Kent. Of the 33
05:58children here at the school, only 14 are from Kent County Council. The rest are from local
06:04authorities across the southeast, and that's because this school is incredibly unique in the
06:09provision it provides. It's so specialist that they can't find the support they need anywhere
06:15else, and families beyond Kent's borders are now worried what's going to happen to them if this
06:20school closes down next year. My son has only been there since September 23, and he has come on
06:30leaps and bounds. He is so happy there, and I just couldn't understand why money is before the
06:41children's needs again. I just feel let down by the system. I constantly feel like we are being
06:49punished as families. Now the local MP has entered the fray, calling for KCC to take responsibility.
06:57That this has become a crisis partly because of Kent failing in its responsibility to pay its fees,
07:03and when almost half of those children at the school are Kent, are from Kent families,
07:10the responsibility for Kent in order to be able to provide education for these children is very
07:15pressing. Wandsworth Council say their decision to consult on the school's closure was the right
07:21one given the financial challenges facing the school, and after exhausting all other options.
07:28While KCC say there is no legal basis for questions over owed funds, and are working to find
07:35alternative educational provision for pupils at the school. But none of that will ease the concerns
07:42of parents and staff, whose fears for Brastow's future grow greater by the day.
07:48Oliver Leader of the Sachs for KMTV in Broadstairs.
07:53Next tonight, more than 1,000 homes in Medway have been left without water today following a burst
07:58main in Strood. Southern Water say they're working hard on a solution. Bartholomew Hall caught me up
08:03with the latest details earlier. Bartholomew, we found out this afternoon that there were issues
08:09with water in the Strood area. Tell us what we know so far. Well, we have up on the screen here
08:15the map that shows the area Southern Water suspect the issue to be. You can see that this is an issue
08:21that's localised to the centre part of Strood, just north of the Rochester Bridge. And the first
08:28update from Southern Water was that they concluded the issue of low pressure or no water had come
08:33from a burst water main, and they've been spending this afternoon trying to locate that burst water
08:38main. They say around about 1,000 homes have been affected. Now, we've seen in the past that
08:44Southern Water and other companies might put up an area for people to go and collect water. Well,
08:49they're saying it's slightly different this time. The latest is that they say they're going to be
08:53delivering water to all customers that are affected. So, if you're planning on going out
08:58and trying to find some water, just have a look on their social media before you do so. They say
09:02that if they don't get to you by eight o'clock this evening, then you can actually contact them
09:06and they'll continue trying to get that water to you. And do we have any idea of timings when
09:12everything will be back up and running? Well, they say they're going to continue working on it
09:15overnight. They have brought in tankers to temporarily restore water to some of those
09:20who have been impacted outside the ME23 area. So, hopefully, if that's your postcode, you should
09:25have your water back on now. But throughout this evening and into Tuesday, you can head to Kent
09:30online. We'll have more updates on there as things progress. And, of course, you can read the Southern
09:34Water website too, where they'll give you updates as the hours go on. I'll follow you. Thank you.
09:40Hopefully, those families get all their water back in time for Christmas. Now,
09:43it's time to take a look at the weather.
09:51Tonight, expect cloudy skies across the county. Misty in Tunbridge,
09:55Wales. Temperatures averaging around six and seven degrees. Tomorrow morning,
09:59your Christmas Eve forecast. Staying cloudy, but some sun peeking through. Maidstone highs
10:03of ten degrees. Lows of nine. In the afternoon, things warming up slightly. Staying nice and dry.
10:08Fingers crossed. Some sunshine, perhaps, in Ashford. And here's your outlook over the coming
10:13day. Skies staying covered. Expect temperatures around 13 degrees on Christmas Day. Lows of nine
10:20by Friday. Now, the family of a Second World War firefighter have been reunited with long
10:32lost photos of him after they were salvaged from a car. The album of Albert Scrivens was handed to
10:38Kent Fire and Rescue Service last year, before his family were traced and handed the pictures
10:43in time for Christmas. Mr Scrivens was part of the Herne Bay Auxiliary Fire Service in the 1930s,
10:48before becoming a leading fireman for the National Fire Service. Well, Albert's grandson,
10:53Nick Scrivens, told Kent Online that being reunited with the photos felt as though his
10:58grandad wanted them to come back to them. Very, very sweet story in time for Christmas too.
11:04And finally this evening, thousands of people have been out on the streets
11:08of the Weald for the annual Christmas Tractor Parade. Have a listen to this.
11:11You don't hear a tractor playing last catch up every day.
11:21Dozens of farmyard motors made the trip through the Kent countryside last night.
11:26It was, of course, in aid of the Air Ambulance and organisers hope they've raised a huge amount
11:30for the vital service for Kent. The Air Ambulance relies on donations to operate throughout the year
11:35and, of course, what a Kent way to celebrate Christmas. But that's it from us this evening
11:40on KMTV. I'll see you again for your 8pm News Bulletin. Bye bye for now.
11:56you