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 Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Friday the 7th of February.
00:34Reform hits Medway. The right wing party win first council seats at by-election.
00:39We are just a start. I guarantee that there will be more and more.
00:43Dickens Day. What do we really know about Rochester's writing hero?
00:48Charles Dickens is front and centre of our Medway heritage.
00:52And swept away, we meet the cleaners battling to stop the dust from settling on Kent's streets.
00:58Once we arrive, the crews come along, they'll start digging out the back edges and cleaning everywhere that they can.
01:13First this evening, Medway voters have elected the five town's first Reform UK councillors in a critical local by-elections.
01:20The defeat in Rochester and Warren Wood means Labour's effective majority on the council has been slashed.
01:25Though the party did manage to hold on to Gillingham South.
01:28But what does any of this actually mean?
01:30Well, our politics producer Oliver Leader de Sacks was at the count last night. He has all the details.
01:36The dust has settled on a difficult night for Labour here at Medway Park.
01:41With their council majority cut to a margin and two new Reform UK councillors seizing historically Labour ward seats.
01:52It's hard to believe that in this same room last summer, former councillors Neshaba Khan, Lauren Edwards and Tris Osborne were all elected to parliament on a Labour clean sweep.
02:06But in these by-elections, brought about by their decision to step down to focus on their work in Westminster.
02:14Partial defeat seemed even harder for the party faithful to comprehend.
02:20As boxes flowed in and votes began to be tallied, Gillingham South gave Labour an early glimmer of hope.
02:28But with Reform seizing around 500 votes amidst low turnout in the ward, it wasn't just relief the newly elected councillor was feeling.
02:50It is worrying. Yeah, it is worrying. But we'll see.
02:55But Rochester and Warren Wood was where the real drama was taking place.
03:16But even that last minute recount couldn't stop the inevitable.
03:26People are realising that we need change and they realise that the other two parties can't deliver it. So we are Reform. We are that change that they need.
03:39We hope for big change. We're going to bring change.
03:43And for the other parties, expectation management was the first priority.
03:49Reform won tonight by a handful of votes. There was a handful of votes between us and them.
03:55So from my perspective, look, it is disappointing. I want to win every election I contest. Of course I do.
04:01But I recognise tonight we've been just falling slightly short on that.
04:05The future for Medway politics is now uncertain. Labour may still have a working majority.
04:13But with reform emerging as a new political force in the five towns, Labour face a long road back to the highs of that now distant general election night.
04:24Oliver leads the sacks for KNTV in Gillingham.
04:28And Ollie's with me in the studio now, still awake. Just about. Just about, Abby.
04:33About 2am I think that ended for you. But break down some of those results for us.
04:39Abby, none was not my strong suit normally, especially after a long night. But I'll try and do my best.
04:45Obviously, it's kind of between two differences. You're Gillingham South.
04:48I used to be in the Shahbaz Khan's former seat. And that saw the lowest turnout, around 16%,
04:56which is much lower than it was back in 2023 when it was previously contested.
05:01The turnout, around 1,900 votes. We've probably worked in the favour of the Labour Party,
05:07who actually won 706 votes compared to Reform's 506.
05:13Though the Conservative Party floundering behind at around 330 votes.
05:17Though to be clear, they were never the frontrunners in either of these seats.
05:20These have been strongly Labour seats for quite a while now.
05:24But it's Rochester and Warren Wood, which was the big point of contention last night, and it still is today,
05:30had higher turnout, 24.7%, around 2,317 votes cast.
05:37And it was close. There's no denying what Vince said in the piece there.
05:42There was, in some cases, around 22 votes in it between John, Vi and someone like Caroline Hart.
05:49But Labour didn't clinch it. And that's going to have a big impact.
05:53It means that they're only working a working majority if suspended councillors vote in line with the Labour Party of around one,
06:00which isn't great for an administration dealing with things like devolution and local government reorganisation.
06:05So we've had all the information about the by-election, all the information about the votes, the numbers, the turnout.
06:10But what does all this actually mean?
06:12Abi, like I said, it's going to impact how the council goes forward.
06:16Obviously, we have a budget coming up in the next couple of weeks.
06:20And whether they can pass it or not depends now in the way independents and suspended councillors are voting.
06:27And it will raise questions about the future of the Conservative Party here in Medway.
06:31If reform are doing so well, we can expect them to continue doing well across Kent,
06:36particularly with local elections coming up with KCC this year as well,
06:39due to all the devolution mayhem we heard about on Wednesday.
06:42And Ollie, we've also heard from Vince Maple about that budget as well.
06:46Yes. Arlock and Walker-Dawson reporter Gabriel Morris was down there earlier today at the briefing.
06:52And it's not looking great.
06:55There's lots of financial woes, particularly around the rising cost of adult services.
07:00And when he spoke to the leader of Vince Maple, something more bushy-tailed than he was last night.
07:05And he kind of informed us what's happening in regards to council tax and stuff like that.
07:10We've got financial challenges. That's well documented.
07:14We're working our way through the plan to get to financial sustainability.
07:18That's meant some difficult political decisions.
07:20That includes levels of council tax and some of the fees and charges that will be going up this year.
07:25That's not, again, easy decisions.
07:27But everybody in Medway rightfully deserves their council to have financial sustainability.
07:32And that's what we're building in as we move forward.
07:34This year's budget in particular, we're absolutely focusing on those key core issues,
07:39which are not just challenges for us in Medway, but across the country.
07:42Adult social care, children's social care, special educational needs and disabilities,
07:47and homelessness and temporary accommodation.
07:49Across England, those are big challenges.
07:51But we're prioritising those.
07:53We know they're critical to the residents of Medway,
07:55along with those day-to-day services that we know they value and appreciate.
07:59Vince Maple, leader of Medway Council, speaking to us earlier.
08:03And, of course, Oliver Leader to SACS with all the details from that by-election.
08:07Now, next this evening, from Medway's future to Medway's past.
08:10Today would be the birthday of Charles Dickens.
08:13He's known for his novels, Exploring Poverty, Class, Struggles and Greed, set in the 19th century.
08:18But his Kent connection is nestled in the heart of our heritage.
08:21He lived in Chatham and Rochester at different stages of his life,
08:25and even set some of his books right here in Kent.
08:27Well, I'm joined by our history-loving reporter, Finn McDermid, now,
08:31to tell me all about Rochester's writing hero.
08:35Finn, tell us a bit more about Kent's connection.
08:38Well, Charles Dickens, he was born in Portsmouth, actually, on the February 7th of 1812.
08:44So, happy birthday, Charles.
08:46And he moved to Chatham when he was just four,
08:48but he left again when he was 11 because of his family's debts.
08:51But he must have liked the area, as he moved back about 40 years later
08:55to a house called Gad's Hill Place.
08:57You can see it there. That's in Higham, Kent, which is just sort of north of Strude.
09:01He apparently passed the house as a child and dreamed of living in it.
09:05He even uses Kent quite often as the setting for a lot of his works.
09:09Now, Abi, we're going to play a quick trivia game,
09:12so I'm going to name a Charles Dickens book,
09:14and it's up to you to tell me if you think there was any Kent inspiration involved.
09:17OK, press your thumb.
09:18OK, so for our first one, it will be A Christmas Carol.
09:21Do you think there was any Kent connection there?
09:24Finn, you're making me look silly live on TV.
09:26Let's say yes for the first one.
09:29So, it's actually no.
09:30OK.
09:31Sorry to tell you, Abi.
09:32It's set entirely, mostly within London, I think.
09:35So, for our next one, it's not that well-known.
09:37The Pickwick Papers.
09:38OK, I'm going yes if it's not well...
09:40Going yes.
09:41It does say London there, but let's go yes.
09:43This one is set in Rochester.
09:45They mentioned the Bull Inn, which could be a link to the Bull Hotel,
09:49which I think is still open today.
09:51Next one, Great Expectations.
09:54I should know all of these. This is really embarrassing.
09:57Let's go with a no.
09:58This one is a yes.
10:00So, Miss... Sorry, you're one for three so far.
10:03Miss Havisham, the ghostly figure,
10:05has a large stately manor called Satis House,
10:07which is directly inspired by Restoration House in Rochester.
10:10And I'm not going to be too mean, here's the last one.
10:13The Mystery of Edwin Drood, an even more unknown one.
10:16Shall I, if anyone actually knows this one?
10:18I didn't even know this.
10:19OK, let's go...
10:20I think that's a yes.
10:21I think that's a yes. Thank you, Gallery.
10:23You've been saved by the team in the other room.
10:25So, yes, parts of the novel are set in a town he calls Cloisterham,
10:29which is basically a poor man's Rochester.
10:31In the book, he describes it as an ancient city
10:33and no meat-dwelling place for anyone,
10:35with hankerings after the noisy world,
10:37which is a very long way of saying he likes the quiet.
10:40It would take probably an entire English GCSE class
10:42to decipher what he's talking about there.
10:44But the obvious references are to the cathedral
10:47and the sort of small-town feel is certainly there.
10:49OK, and you've actually been speaking to someone
10:51who knows even more about Charles Dickens than you do, surprisingly.
10:55Yeah, I didn't think that was possible,
10:57so let's speak to Kate Metreddow,
10:59who runs Guided Tours of Rochester, fully in costume, as we'll see here.
11:21OK, well, there were some pictures of Charles Dickens.
11:23I don't think we managed to get that interview there,
11:26but we'll be doing that later on this evening.
11:28You have to wait around for 8pm for that interview there.
11:31Finn, thank you very much. All that information and more.
11:34And, of course, it's not the only time we celebrate Charles Dickens.
11:36We had the Charles Dickens Festival as well in Rochester.
11:39We did, yeah. Unfortunately cancelled this year, but...
11:41Cancelled this year, but hopefully next year it comes back.
11:43Oh, sorry, last year.
11:44Finn, thank you very much.
11:46Back with more news after this very short break.
11:48See you then.
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15:41The arrests are described as a major step forward in the investigation.
15:45A man from London has been arrested after stealing parcels from people's homes in Medway.
15:51Police were called to some apartments in Chatham near Maritime Way after residents reported
15:56that their items were stolen. The parcels, which were left out in the open, were not
16:00only taken but opened and rummaged through to hopefully find valuables. The suspect has
16:05been bailed but the investigation is still ongoing as police ask anyone for information
16:09to come forward.
16:11Now to sports and Bradley Dax says relegation talk is nonsense after Gillingham have struggled
16:16to maintain form since the opening of the League 2 season. It comes ahead of one of
16:20the Gilles' longest away days of the season as they look to travel more than 300 miles
16:24north to Barrow. With more of this ahead of an exciting weekend, I'm joined by a sports
16:28reporter, Bartholomew Hall.
16:40Bartholomew, Bradley Dax's return to Gillingham was quite a big one for the fans, so his backing
16:46must be a bit of a morale boost.
16:48Yeah, definitely. I mean, there's no denying that Gillingham are not in a good spot at
16:52the moment. Currently on a winless streak of eight games, they're 18th in the League
16:572 table and yeah, as you mentioned, Bradley Dax, he was a big fan favourite when he was
17:01in his heyday. He returned to Gillingham earlier in the season under the guise of obviously
17:08Mark Bonner. He was then sacked, so that plan didn't sort of go ahead and he also came to
17:12Gillingham with a bit of an injury, so he wasn't able to get going quite at the sort
17:17of rate that he would have liked to. But yeah, I mean, he seems positive things can turn
17:21around. He's been speaking for the first time actually since making his return in the press
17:25conference, so having that sort of public facing role for a big sort of, you know, big
17:29figure for fans is always going to be a good boost for the morale. But yeah, I mean, it's
17:33been done before. Teams as low as they are and, you know, 18th in the table have turned
17:38things around, managed to get into the playoff positions and push for promotion. But it won't
17:42be easy. Gillingham have, they really have got to turn things around. Let's listen to
17:46Bradley Dax speaking in that press conference today.
17:49It hurts. Obviously, listen, like I said before, it feels like home, so it hurts me to see
17:53the club where it is. And I don't feel pressure, but I'd like to think I want to play a big
17:59part in getting this club to the next level, which is a higher league. And I've made no
18:04secret of that since I come. The aim when I come was to get promotion, all the relegation
18:09talk and stuff like that. That's a nonsense really for a club like this. We shouldn't
18:15be looking down the table. We have to be looking up and that's how we have to stick to.
18:19Bradley Dax speaking there, but Barrow are also not having the best time.
18:24Yeah, that's right. Last time Gillingham played Barrow was obviously earlier in the season.
18:28It was at Priestfield. It was actually when former Gilles boss Stephen Clements was in
18:31charge there. So both teams not having the best run of form, both having changed managers.
18:36So yeah, I mean, it was a win for Gillingham last time. 2-0, a really great day out for
18:40the fans. They're looking for another good one this time around. I mean, it could be
18:45a close match, but yeah, I mean, it's really looking as though it could go either way.
18:49And yeah, there's Gillingham fans hoping that things can turn around as we look towards
18:53the kind of end part of the season now.
18:55Well, fingers crossed for Gillingham and Bartholomew. Thank you very much for those
18:58details. Of course, more in Invictus Sport on Monday.
19:12Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest sports stories and news
19:16from across Kent by logging onto our website. It's kmtv.co.uk there you'll find all our
19:20latest reports, including this one about an animal park in Kent that was saved from shutting
19:25its services thanks to an auction held by the family of the late 60s rock star Jeff Beck.
19:31Let's take a look.
19:36This is the moment a guitar was sold in auction, saving a Kent animal rescue centre. Four months
19:42ago, Folly Wildlife Rescue in Tunbridge Wells was considering closing its doors, leaving
19:47the hundreds of animals in its care with nowhere to go, all due to a lack of funding.
19:52There's nowhere else local to take this wildlife, the birds, the hedgehogs, we have deer in
19:58here, swans, you name it, it comes through the doors and if there's nowhere else local
20:03to bring these animals, you know, they're not going to be saved.
20:13Before his death in 2023, former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck had been patron of Folly
20:19Wildlife since 2005. This week, more than 120 guitars, amps and pedals from his collection
20:25were put up for sale, making £8.7 million, more than eight times the pre-sale estimate.
20:32As a way to continue supporting the charity, Jeff's wife and their close friend Johnny
20:37Depp, who is also a patron to the centre, dedicated the total sale of the final four
20:41lots to Folly Rescue. It included a guitar, signed by performers at a Jeff Beck tribute
20:47concert, such as Rod Stewart, and three canvas paintings signed by both Depp and Beck.
20:53It means, thanks to the £100,000 raised, Folly can stay open and continue preparing
21:00for the summer months, when they expect more birds and other animals to come into their care.
21:06It was quite a shock. I know there were some quite key parts, weren't it, that fetched
21:10huge amounts of money, but even the lot that was funded for us went for £75,000 and we
21:15didn't expect that at all, so it was wonderful. We're not eligible for government or lottery
21:19funding. It's quite easy to get grants for equipment and projects, but sometimes that
21:24day-to-day cost just to support your work and keep us open, there isn't enough.
21:28The end of last year was real financial difficulty for us and we were facing closure. We launched
21:33an appeal and it brought in about £350,000, which was huge. So this will be added into
21:40that pot. Sandra Beck has been incredibly supportive and Johnny Depp as well, just in
21:45sharing our work and promoting the auction, and supporters and volunteers. It's been amazing,
21:49so thank you very much.
21:51So even if these birds aren't quite singing to the tune of Jeff Beck, the legacy of his
21:55music will help them to continue chirping in the care of Folly Wildlife.
22:00Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
22:03Now, next this evening, a yellow weather warning has been issued for Kent as the county plunges
22:09into temperatures below zero. It's being put in place from today and it's expected to stay
22:13until 9am next Tuesday. The UK Health Security Agency advises vulnerable people who are at
22:19a greater risk of health issues to take care for the coming days as the low temperatures,
22:24combined with cold winds, increases the chance of snow and ice forming. With that said, let's
22:29take a look at the rest of the forecast where you are in Kent.
22:38Tonight it's looking very wet with rain right across the county, highs of 4 and 5 around,
22:43down to 3 degrees there in Tunbridge Wells. The wind easing into tomorrow morning and
22:48the rain should clear up too, but staying pretty cloudy across the most of Kent, but
22:53the sun might come out in the afternoon in some parts more north of the county. Lots
22:57of clouds still in Ashford and Tunbridge Wells there. And that rain back again by Sunday,
23:02the same on Monday, but cloudy again by Tuesday with that alert still in place. So take care.
23:09Now, and finally this evening, we often see vans rumbling through our streets with brushes
23:20spinning and water spraying, but have you ever actually wondered what it really takes
23:24to keep our roads clean? Well, from litter picking to high-powered sweeping, it's a much
23:29bigger job than you might think. And with everything from money to other quite unexpected
23:34surprises turning up along the way, there's never a dull day for the team and that includes
23:39our very own Kristen Hawthorne.
23:43Dust, dirt and a whole lot of sweeping. Street cleaners tidy our roads and it's a job that
23:48many of us may take for granted. Have you ever been caught behind one of these vehicles?
23:53Well, it's actually called a mechanical sweeper and they're here to clean our roads to prevent
23:58them from coming overridden with dirt and rubbish. I'm here today to find out a little
24:03bit more about what they do and what the process is behind cleaning our streets.
24:07Before they arrive, the team put up signs instructing residents not to park on the street.
24:12But why?
24:13Unfortunately, we will come along sometimes and none of the cars have moved and you'll
24:17tend to find that they are the roads that are the worst because we just can't get in.
24:22We can clean in between the cars as much as possible manually, but if we can't get in
24:27to sweep it properly, then it'll just build up.
24:30You might not realise the amount of people it takes to clean our streets. On the clean
24:34that I attended in Faversham, there was three crews. Some were picking up litter, some were
24:39removing weeds and dirt from the kerb, while others were blowing the debris onto the road
24:43for the sweeper to remove.
24:45That sweeps the channel. This is the suction box, picks up all the rubbish.
24:50Right.
24:51Yeah, that goes up and down. This one here is a weed ripper. Obviously we've got spray
24:58bars on all of it, like here. That sprays the water out just to dust suppress it.
25:05Right.
25:06And then on the back here, it just works like an Uber. Sucks up all the leaks.
25:12Like with most public cleans, the team are used to finding all sorts of unexpected things
25:17while on the job.
25:18We do find some strange stuff, I must admit that. Occasionally, you might find an odd
25:22fiver. I found a gun once, and that was in a lay-by on Bolton Bypass.
25:29And then what did you do when you found that?
25:31Well, I phoned the company. It was a different company to this one, and they came and sent
25:37the police out to pick it up. I was there most of the day with it.
25:41But there are some factors that can make the job more difficult.
25:44When you're doing this job, you've got to be very observant of everybody else that's
25:48on the road. They just drive at you because you're driving so slow.
25:55Yeah, I pretty much have to think for everybody on the road when you're driving these.
26:00So, the next time you find yourself stuck behind a street sweeper on your way to work,
26:04it might be worth remembering the people that keep our county clean.
26:08Kristen Hawthorne for CAMTV in Faversham.
26:12Well, that took an unexpected turn. Luckily, Kristen came back in one piece as well.
26:16She loved her time out with the road sweepers.
26:18Right, that's it from us this evening on Kent Tonight, live here on CAMETV.
26:22There's, of course, more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:25We'll be back with our 8pm news bulletin.
26:27But in the meantime, you can keep up to date on all your latest stories across the county
26:30over on our website. It's cametv.co.uk.
26:33But from me and the Kent Tonight team, have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you soon.
26:37Bye-bye.
26:41♪♪♪