Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Bartholomew Hall.
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00:00Good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Bartholomew Hall, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 8th of October.
00:32It's our identity.
00:34Calls for government support as businesses struggle to accommodate black and minority
00:38ethnic hair.
00:39We're in Kent, if I would say, we don't have enough.
00:41So I think we need more shops like this.
00:45Gridlocked.
00:46Congestion chaos in Dartford as a decision on the £9 billion solution won't be coming
00:51until next year.
00:52If the traffic's bad at the tunnel, the estate just becomes a car park.
00:56You can't even get off your drive.
00:58It can take an hour to get anywhere, an hour to get home from work.
01:02Moving forward, how Kent is empowering SEN youth with new opportunities.
01:08The gap in what was available for people 18 to 25 with SEND.
01:13So we just wanted to start a provision that gave that to them.
01:26Hello there.
01:27A limited availability of black and Afro-Caribbean hair products have left people living in Kent
01:31feel left out, with many resorting to more expensive online alternatives or travelling
01:36far from where they live to get the basics.
01:38One business in Gillingham is calling for more support from the government as it hopes
01:42to cater to the needs of all black and minority ethnic hairstyles.
01:45Well, as part of our coverage on Black History Month, Mahima Abedin has been taking a closer
01:49look.
01:55When we have a good hair day, it can play a huge role in our self-esteem.
02:00But for Temi, who's lived in Medway for three years, her hair means more than just that.
02:05It's part of her Nigerian identity.
02:07It makes her who she is.
02:09But she says she can't always take care of it because of a lack of black hair and beauty
02:13products in the county.
02:14It means a lot to me because it's like who I am as a person.
02:18Yes, I wear wigs, but I like to have a good, you know, growth and that care underneath
02:22the wigs for my natural hair.
02:24It isn't simple, like, you know, like, as this test goes, you don't really have, like,
02:27some products that you can get, like, if you were in London.
02:31And I also haven't really seen shops around to, like, know that, oh, yeah, I can go to
02:35this shop.
02:36I normally go back home because sometimes here I might have to order, like, online through
02:39Amazon, which isn't the best because that's, like, next day delivery when you want it then.
02:44It's quite a long process.
02:46I just want more shops that tailor to, like, black businesses as well.
02:50And it's not just Temi who feels that there's a limited availability for textured hair products,
02:55as even some business owners agree.
02:58We sell a lot of goodies for ladies, not only for ladies, so we do for men as well.
03:03Basically here in Gillingham, we're the only shop here in Gillingham, and then we have
03:07another one in Chatham.
03:09So basically, or generally, we didn't make, right, we don't, we didn't count, if I would
03:13say, we don't have enough.
03:14So I think we need more, more shops like this, and we need more of African people to come
03:19out to do business.
03:21And then we want the government to please, government grant is very important for us.
03:28So if we have more grants, if we have more funding, I think we should be able to have
03:33more shops like this.
03:34I might be stood here surrounded by loads of different hair products here at Eunice's
03:38shop, but it doesn't mean it's the same up and down the high street.
03:42In fact, Eunice says that there's not enough variety and that organisations and businesses
03:46need to do better in providing the hair and beauty products that the African and Caribbean
03:51community here in Kent want and need.
03:54In a statement, the government said ensuring everyone can reach their full potential is
03:58key to growing the economy.
04:00It says its start-up loans are helping people struggling to access finance as they've issued
04:0420% of its loans to those from a BAME background.
04:07But many, like Temi, hope that it will be closer to home the next time that they need
04:11to buy basic products to look after their hair, and ask for business owners to be more
04:15considerate of all communities.
04:17Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Gillingham.
04:26Residents in Dartford say congestion is spiralling out of control as a decision on the multi-billion
04:32pound solution is facing yet another delay.
04:35Whilst campaign groups against the proposed Lower Thames Crossing welcome more scrutiny,
04:39those who have to rely on the Dartford Crossing and its infamous traffic say something needs
04:44to be done.
04:45As Oliver Leeder-DeSax has been finding out.
04:4750 million vehicles a year, up to nearly 200,000 a day, and no solution in sight.
04:55This is the reality facing the Dartford Crossing and the people that live beside it.
05:01If the traffic's bad at the tunnel, the estate just becomes a car park.
05:04You can't even get off your drive, it can take an hour to get anywhere, an hour to get
05:10home from work.
05:11Normally if there's a problem with a bridge, it affects everybody.
05:14It affects everything.
05:15If the bridge is congested, whatever it is, whether it's protesters or whatever happens,
05:21accidents, if anything goes wrong with the bridge, the whole of Dartford falls to pieces.
05:25A few years ago I'd probably do four or five jobs a day, spend probably four or five hours
05:31working and two or three hours travelling.
05:33Now I'm doing one or two jobs a day and spending five hours a day travelling, maybe an hour
05:39and a half working, two hours at most.
05:42With gridlock, congestion and air pollution rampant, there are plans being put forward
05:47to build a new crossing under the Thames near Gravesend to ease overcapacity.
05:53But after a series of delays, the Secretary of State for Transport has pushed back the
05:58deadline to approve or reject the plans until next year.
06:04Well, it's inexplicable.
06:05I mean, it's beyond parody really.
06:06I mean, this is an issue that's been on the table for a very long time.
06:10It's been on ministers' desks for a very long time, so quite unearthwhy there needs
06:14to be this delay now.
06:15It's simply beyond me.
06:16So what's next?
06:17Well, in a written statement to Parliament, the Secretary of State for Transport revealed
06:23the new deadline for the decision will be at the end of May next year, saying it will
06:29give the government more time to consider the application, including any changes made
06:35to spending.
06:37It also means for the next seven months, the disappointed Labour MP for Dartford will have
06:42a lot of letters and lobbying to do.
06:45If it means that we can get shovels in the ground shortly after May, then it will have
06:49been worth the wait, but it's clearly disappointing that approval hasn't been given as of now.
06:55The project has been in the works for 15 years.
06:59With so much at stake, another seven months may be a bridge too far.
07:04Oliver Leaders, the Sats, for KNTV in Dartford.
07:08Elsewhere in politics today, Conservative MPs have whittled down the number of candidates
07:13in the race to become the party's next leader from four to three.
07:17And there's an update on a particular Kent MP in the race, or should we say was in the
07:21race.
07:22Ollie joins us now in the studio.
07:23What can you tell us the latest on the Tunbridge MP, Tom Tugendhat?
07:26Well, from disappointment in Dartford to disappointment in Tunbridge, Tom Tugendhat is out.
07:31He only got the backing of 20 of his parliamentary colleagues in the leadership race, meaning
07:36in football terms, he has been relegated.
07:38He never really got the backing of Kent's fellow Conservatives.
07:42Figures like Laura Trott were backing Kemi Badadoc, Katie Lamb backing Robert Jenrick.
07:47So he never really had the footing amongst his parliamentary colleagues, though the grassroots
07:51did quite like Tom Tugendhat, Roger Goff, the leader of Kent County Council, backing
07:56him, for example.
07:57As you can see on screen, he put a tweet out thanking his supporters for their support
08:03on the campaign trail.
08:05But obviously, all eyes will now be on November 2nd, because that is when we'll find out who
08:09is taking over Her Majesty's opposition.
08:12There's three more candidates left, and will we see Tom Tugendhat again?
08:16I bank on it.
08:18We'll wonder what was going to happen with all of that spray tan he was giving out at
08:21the Conservative Party conference.
08:23Ollie, thank you very much for those details.
08:26Now, after two months of being on the market, Maidstone's Fremlin Walk shopping centre has
08:29been sold for £25 million.
08:32Picked up by the Fraser's Group, the new majority shareholder is Mike Ashley, the ex-owner of
08:37Newcastle United, who's known for his group's ownership of Sports Direct.
08:41Fremlin Walk will also have a refurbished House of Fraser store, and will feature shops
08:44under the Fraser Group's umbrella.
08:47Now let's take a look at the weather.
08:49Tonight, there's a yellow thunderstorm warning across the county, so do expect rain wherever
08:58you are.
08:59Temperatures in the low to mid-teens.
09:01Tomorrow morning, sun and cloud, with highs of 15 in Canterbury and Ashford, lows of 13
09:05in Tunbridge Wells.
09:07Staying rather cloudy, especially as we head into the afternoon.
09:10Temperatures rising to 16, with the sun peeking through in the north of the county there.
09:14Here's the outlook for the coming days.
09:16Rain returning on Thursday, with clouds and sunshine on Friday, and temperatures at 13.
09:29And finally, straight after the break, we'll be bringing you a brand new Kentonite special,
09:33SEN Empowering and Upskilling.
09:35The special takes a dive into the challenges faced by young people with additional needs,
09:39and explores the provisions available here in the county.
09:42Here's a sneak peek.
09:43Turning 18 can be a challenge for anyone, but for young people with special educational
09:47needs, it can feel even more daunting.
09:50Rivermead Outreach Community Challenge, or ROC Ready, is a scheme that teaches young
09:55adults aged 18 to 25 skills that can be used in their daily lives, such as cooking and
10:02managing household environments.
10:05The program is an opportunity to make the transition from childhood to adulthood as
10:10and allow individuals to learn in an encouraging space.
10:15We identified that there was a gap in what was available for people 18 to 25 with SEN,
10:22and that is the opportunity to develop their employability skills and their life skills,
10:27so we just wanted to start a provision that gave that to them.
10:30But the journey towards adulthood doesn't begin here.
10:33For these students, the groundwork is laid early, as the club they attend ensures they're
10:37learning key life skills from a young age.
10:40Do they like being patted?
10:41Yeah, they like being stroked.
10:42It's feeding time here at Boar Place in Edenbridge.
10:45Doling out the hay and water today are these students from a local school for children
10:49with special educational needs, or SEN.
10:53The aim is to build their confidence and self-esteem outside the classroom so they can thrive within it.
10:57There's a few in there.
10:58Yeah.
10:59Do you want to cut that one?
11:00No.
11:01Go on, you can do it.
11:02No.
11:03Shall we do it together?
11:04Yeah.
11:05OK.
11:07It's a great way to get to know the young people, get to know a bit about them and what
11:10they like, what they don't like, and to build their confidence throughout.
11:14We're a space where it's OK to make a mistake if the tomatoes don't grow very well or they
11:20don't ripen.
11:21We make green tomato chutney and, again, it's still a product at the end of the process.
11:25Abby Caliandro has seen first-hand how beneficial the programmes at Boar Place can be for SEN
11:29children, but she's also aware of the challenges they face when they leave the grounds.
11:34We very much see that outdoor element provides an opportunity for them to exert some of the
11:40energies and the frustrations they might find in the classroom.
11:44There's an element where curriculum can be met in an outside setting.
11:48There's a lot of students that enjoy that kinesthetic, hands-on, that practical learning.