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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hooke. Here are your
00:27top stories on Thursday 9th January. Could it be the death of democracy? Elections to
00:34be postponed to make way for devolution plans? This is a way of just blanking out the population
00:40because they keep doing things that the powers that be don't like. Living, not surviving.
00:45Cranbrook schoolboy praises friends and doctors after getting all clear from blood cancer.
00:50You know, I'm walking down the street and I was like, there's, you know, one reason
00:54you're walking right now and that is because of them. And a big new home. Smardon's Big
01:00Cat Sanctuary becomes retirement spot for two white lionesses. It's all very new for
01:06them. It's a complete change of environment. Obviously new faces that are looking after
01:09them now. So they're sticking together like glue, finding reassurance from each other
01:14and just taking it all in.
01:25Good evening. Huge changes could see the way Kent is governed completely reformed, with
01:30all councils replaced and this year's elections cancelled. The County Council has today asked
01:35the government to be on their priority list for devolution. It's thought that'll mean
01:39by 2027, instead of having 14 authorities here in Kent, there'll only be three, with
01:46a mayor sitting above the rest. But not everyone is on board. Local democracy reporter Gabriel
01:51Morris has more.
01:53Another morning in Maidstone. Business as usual. Roads gritted by the County Council
01:58and litter cleared by the borough. But this is set to change soon. Fewer joined up administrations
02:04could be taking charge. Last month, the government told local authorities about the change and
02:11today Kent County Council has confirmed they want to be on the priority list. Supporters
02:17say devolution will provide better value to taxpayers.
02:21Don't kill democracy! Don't kill democracy!
02:24But at a protest this morning, concerns were raised about its speed.
02:28We've got this situation where the white paper was released in mid-December and we're making
02:31a decision in early January to sign up to something with no clarity on what it actually
02:35is. We've had 25 days to make a decision to sign up to a priority programme.
02:41Devolution plans will see KCC asking Whitehall for permission to postpone the elections plan
02:46That will mean the council as it currently stands will remain as it is until devolution
02:52is complete.
02:53We have to actually discuss the role of the cancellation of the elections in May. Even
02:57though that would be to the detriment of myself who was only just elected just over a month
03:01ago, I would be quite happy to stand again in May because that's how democracy works.
03:07The people should have the right to de-elect someone if they're not doing a good job and
03:11I would like to think I'm doing a good enough job to be re-elected.
03:14Now this is County Hall, it's where KCC councillors sit. They're the upper tier administration
03:20for the county but below them there are 12 lower tier district and borough councils.
03:26There's also Medway which is a unitary authority. It's a mix of both all under one house.
03:32Now under devolution plans it would see all 14 of those local administrations abolished
03:39replaced by what we think would be three larger unitary authorities for the whole of Kent
03:44and Medway and a mayor sitting above them.
03:48What the local person will see is it's harder to get in touch with anybody, harder to get
03:52their voice heard, harder to get their community's voice heard. This is a way of just blanking
03:57out the population because they keep doing things that the powers that be don't like.
04:01Devolution plans were discussed by full council today. There were concerns raised but a final
04:06decision was made by Cabinet in the afternoon.
04:09You will see the opportunity for us in Kent to shape much more about what happens on a
04:15whole number of big issues. One good example is transport both in terms of road and rail
04:23and that's a new development to have an ability to join those things up much more. Also to
04:29join up public services. I think we all want to see that the Kent pound is spent better,
04:35that we get better and more joined up services.
04:38The county council has been around in some form since the end of the 1800s. Today a clear
04:43signal that the administration will likely be abolished by the end of the decade.
04:51Well local democracy reporter Gabriel is joining us now live from County Hall. Gabriel we'll
04:56just grab you quickly before I think they've started the hoovering and they're shutting
04:59up the doors this evening. You've been there for a long time all day today but tell us
05:04how will that reshaped version of Kent look?
05:09Well we've still got to wait for the government to give the green light. Tomorrow alongside
05:12Medway Council, Kent County Council will write to the government saying they want to be on
05:16the fast track list. Now we believe across the UK, well across England there are 17 other
05:21local administrations wanting to join us so there will be some competition. However it
05:25is thought that Kent could be on that fast track list. If that's the case in two years
05:30time the map of Kent, at least politically, will look very different. We believe there
05:35will be three unitary authorities. That's because they will be up to 500,000 people
05:41or at least 500,000 people. However we don't know for certain how that will be split. Medway
05:47will be joined with one. There are theories going around amongst councillors. We might
05:52expect to find out the answer to that a little bit later in the year as the deadline to tell
05:57the government how the map of Kent will look is around about autumn.
06:01And if Kent's set to get a mayor, what exactly will their responsibilities be? How does that
06:06differ from the leader of a council?
06:09Well to be a very influential, powerful person, just take a look at Manchester. Andy Burnham,
06:15the mayor up there, in the pandemic he influenced a lot of changes when it came to COVID-19
06:22and the response up there. And Andy Street, he spoke out against the government when HS2,
06:28the second leg of that, was scrapped. So they'll be very powerful people. They will have a
06:33lot of influence over highways and over other sectors that they will have. So they'll be
06:37very influential and they will just be alone rather than having a cabinet.
06:41And how much of a difference will that make if they do have all that influence?
06:47Well supporters of the scheme say that it should bring a very positive response to the
06:51council taxpayer and they should get better value for their pound. That's because it will
06:56streamline services. At the moment there's a lot of backroom staff doing the same job,
07:01both at a county council level and at a district council level. So the theory is there'll be
07:06savings there and everything will be joined up. And things should become more cost effective
07:12in terms of the actual service which is delivered. So there's a lot to come.
07:16Gabriel, I think they want to get on with the cleaning and the hoovering from what's
07:19been a very long day. Seven hours you've been there today. So we'll let you get back
07:24to us in the newsroom. Gabriel, thank you very much. Lots to go through for Devolution.
07:30Dashcam footage shows two dogs being walked alongside a car while it's being driven on
07:35a main Dartford road. The car approaching on the right of the screen is seemingly walking
07:41a white dog with a lead out the window and that's on the Darenth Park Avenue. You can
07:45see on the bottom right there. The witness said he'd seen the driver before and reported
07:50it to the police. The RSPCA said they'd strongly advise owners not to exercise their dogs in
07:55this way. They can easily become distressed and warned of real dangers posed to other
08:00road users too. This picture was shared on Facebook and more than 100 residents have
08:04been sharing their concerns online too. Plans for a new art project in Dungeness have been
08:12deferred after not enough public notices were put up before the council meeting. The
08:17ambitious project has sparked debate amongst locals as renowned Kent artist Mr Doodle wants
08:22to transform a log cabin with his signature designs. While some see the project as a boost
08:26to tourism, others fear it could disrupt the area. Our reporter Leena Zahara has more.
08:33Renowned Kent artist Mr Doodle and his architect have proposed artistic plans for a log cabin
08:37in Dungeness. While the project gained national attention, it has divided local residents.
08:43Upon visiting Dungeness, it became apparent that many residents were unclear about the
08:48cabin's exact location or design. This confusion stemmed from a lack of public notices in the
08:53area, leaving locals unable to fully understand the proposal.
08:57Focusing on the Highs Council meeting, we took a further look into the proposals for
09:00Mr Doodle's cladding design here at the log cabin in Dungeness. The verdict was it was
09:04going to be deferred to allow more time for public opinion and better votes for the councillors
09:08to make a better judgement.
09:10There's a process that has to be followed and part of that process is where people have
09:15to put up notices that there's an application coming through to allow neighbours and residents
09:22etc to come on to the district website and make comments. You know, positive, negative,
09:30you know, however they want to do it. It turned out that some of those notices hadn't
09:35been put up.
09:36Locals were wary of sharing their views on camera, wanted to stay anonymous to avoid
09:40backlash from neighbours, despite having strong views on the topic.
09:44We spoke to around 15 people. Supporters of the project highlighted potential benefits,
09:49including increased tourism and a boost to local businesses, drawing comparisons to famous
09:54filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman's iconic home. Some opposing opinions included
09:59fears of a rise in property prices, potential harm to wildlife in this site of special scientific
10:04interest and ruining the area's overall peacefulness, which has already apparently been affected.
10:09While the conservation area continues to attract and inspire many artists, it should not be
10:15confused with an art gallery. Prospect Cottage may be mistaken by some as a work of art,
10:20however it was only ever used as an artist's home.
10:23Dungeness is already known for its artistic charm. The architect on the project maintains
10:28that it will add to the community rather than take away.
10:31Well Dungeness is unique because of its wildlife, flora, it's Europe's only desert. But what
10:40we're doing is replacing existing dwelling, so we wouldn't impact at all on the SSSI and
10:46Natural England haven't raised any objection to the proposal at all. So there wouldn't
10:51be any impact on SSSI. So what this really comes down to is whether our proposal is well
10:59mannered and respectful of Dungeness and we think it is.
11:03Ahead of the next stage of consideration, councillors are now awaiting further input
11:07from residents and more detailed visuals of the proposed designs before making a final
11:12decision.
11:13Lina Zahara from KMTV in Dungeness.
11:20The yellow weather warning for ice is still in place for some parts of the UK, but fortunately
11:24no longer for Kent. As you can see on the Met Office map here, Northern Ireland and
11:28North East and West are still experiencing icy conditions, but much of it has cleared
11:32from the rest of England. We do still have some images and videos of people admiring
11:37the snowfall last night while it lasted across Kent. In places like Maidstone, we do get
11:41very excited down here in the south when we see a little bit of snow, luckily not posing
11:45any danger as of yet.
11:47Time for a very short break. I'll see you in just a few minutes.
15:11Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV. A Cranbrook schoolboy has been given
15:16the all clear after being diagnosed with blood cancer two years ago. We first met Sebastian
15:21Watbonna when his friends and teachers shaved their heads to raise money for the hospitals
15:25that treated him. A bone marrow transplant saved his health, but Seb says it took much
15:31more than that to get through life during and after cancer.
15:34Without my friends I wouldn't be here, to be honest. Because my friends gave me motivation
15:42were distractions from everything that was going on. So without them it would be a completely
15:47different story.
15:49The message from a now 17 year old who got through chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a bone
15:55marrow transplant to now be cancer free. But without his friends it wouldn't have been
16:00possible.
16:01This was Sebastian Watbonna two years ago, watching on from his hospital bed while his
16:06school friends in Cranbrook shaved their heads all to raise money for those hospitals
16:10who helped save his life.
16:13At just 15 years old, Seb was diagnosed with leukaemia. Now that bone marrow infusion has
16:18given him the all clear. But while Seb and his family feel relief from those two words,
16:23the tricky few years have taken a toll on him.
16:26When I started treatment I thought that it's just going to be all physical. I know it's
16:32going to be physical, it's just going to be tough. But I didn't really think about
16:39the mental side of it. I say through treatment, I had a goal, right? To get better, to get
16:47well, just like take the next step. So when it was all coming to the end of everything,
16:54that's when the kind of the more mental things come with like the insecurities and like the
17:00self-confidence and then like just processing like actually what just happened to you.
17:07He says he'll be in debt to the nurses who cared for him and the bone marrow donor for
17:11the rest of his life.
17:13I think about, I just think about them every day. Doing all the charity workers and all
17:17the kitchen staff, literally everything. I think about them every day because like I
17:24just think about randomly like I'm, you know, I'm walking down the street, I was like, there's,
17:29you know, one reason you're walking right now and that is because of them.
17:34And it was that attitude and determination from the very start that helped Seb and his
17:38family through something that could have been devastating, echoed by what his parents told
17:44me back in 2023.
17:47It's frightening sometimes. And it's a big thing. But Sebastian said very early on, and
17:56it was a quiet moment, he said, Dad, my first thought, my very first thought when I heard
18:02this diagnosis and I understood what it meant was, I'm going to survive.
18:09Seb's not battling to just survive anymore. Instead, working out how to live as any other
18:1517-year-old boy would. Abbey Hook for KMTV.
18:22A very incredible and inspiring young man.
18:25Now next this evening, Kent's reacting as entire neighbourhoods are being wiped out
18:29by wildfires across Los Angeles in California. Today, a new fire in the Hollywood Hills is
18:35putting the film industry under threat. More than 130,000 people have been evacuated and
18:41at least 1,000 structures destroyed. Amongst those fleeing are many big names on the silver
18:46screen. And now the Oscar nominations have been delayed by two days while America focuses
18:50on the devastation firefighters can't seem to stop. Well, our film expert Chris Deasey
18:55joins me in the studio now. Chris, it's devastating seeing these pictures, seeing the wide, vast
19:02effect and just the firefighters cannot tackle this because of such strong winds as well.
19:08What impact could this have on Hollywood, seeing those flames flick just over the hills?
19:13It's like something out of a movie. Because when you consider movie stars, Billy Crystal,
19:17Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes have either lost or reportedly lost their homes. And of course
19:23they're devastated. And you sometimes see Los Angeles in two different ways. You've
19:29got the very rich and you see it in a film like Pretty Woman as well. You see the underside.
19:34And here you have something that almost, you wouldn't almost believe it if it was a movie
19:39script. And to see these houses wiped out, because they're so close to the forest, also
19:43close to the sea and the winds have just been blowing over and caused this widespread
19:46devastation. You can see just how ferocious those flames are and how terrifying that must
19:51be for that family. That video's gone pretty much viral on X as well, of that family inside
19:57their home now. I mentioned in my opening there that it's delayed the Oscars nominees
20:02announcement by a couple of days. Some premieres have been postponed as well. Lots of actors,
20:07some big names, Ben Affleck, affected by this as well. Absolutely. And in a way they
20:13had to do this. I mean, I know at the time of the Iraq War in 2003 there were lots of
20:18calls for the Oscars to be put back. But often, of course, it has to be when events like this
20:23happen because there are human lives involved. We see Tinseltown, but we also see that there
20:27are real lives, real people. And it's not just the rich and famous. It's five people
20:32reportedly dead so far. But people and their livelihoods and their futures and their families
20:36and their homes and their animals, their pets, are all at stake here. So, yeah, the
20:40Oscars, I mean, 1981 famously due to an assassination attempt on President Reagan, the Oscars were
20:47put back by a night. The nominations are going to be put back by two nights later this month.
20:53At the moment, the ceremony is still due to take place on that first, well, it'll be Sunday
20:57night here in March. Do you think these events will still happen, these huge Hollywood events
21:03that we saw? Obviously, the Golden Globes just recently as well. But that will probably
21:06be one of the last big awards events where this isn't impacted by, hasn't been impacted
21:11by, or I suppose isn't mentioned as well. I think Hollywood is very good at rebuilding.
21:16And at the moment, of course, everyone is thinking, and rightly so, about the devastation
21:20and the lives impacted by this. But I think the show will go on, but it will do so in
21:24a very subdued way, and an awareness that it's when real life and magic and fantasy
21:29and the movies collide. And that's why I think that when I saw this story break, there
21:33was still a part of me that thought, oh, it'll all work out fine, because these are people
21:38who are resilient. But of course, this is what happens when nature always wins.
21:44And it's happened in a location where houses are very expensive. It's the affluent, it's
21:50the rich and famous, and you don't often see this.
21:52Absolutely. And some of them, of course, are proofed against things like earthquakes. So
21:59you think of all the scenarios out there, who would have anticipated this?
22:02And very quickly, how much of an impact on us back here in Kent?
22:05Well, of course, it matters, because we watch the films, we watch those premieres. I was
22:09watching The Golden Globes the other evening. Fantastic, so many of that was. But it almost
22:12feels like a different age now, because that was so exciting. It gave me more fantastic
22:16to win Best Actress in a musical or comedy, and now we see this, and it feels like there's
22:20another side here, which is a bit more sobering.
22:22Definitely. And Chris, thank you very much for those details. And we'll be keeping an
22:26eye on how this is impacting over in Los Angeles, but us here in Kent and the film
22:30industry, looking forward weeks, months and years. Chris, thank you. Now we'll take a
22:34look at the weather.
22:45There's still a yellow weather warning for ice for some parts of the country, but it's
22:50going to be clear and cold into the morning. Some clouds covering most of Kent, but some
22:55sunshine peeking through. Lows of minus two there in Mainstone, warming up by the afternoon.
22:59Highs of three degrees by the coast there, Margate and Dover, remaining pretty chilly
23:03across the rest of the county. Here's your outlook. Some sunshine by Sunday into Monday
23:08as well, warming up to highs of six degrees next week too.
23:20And finally this evening, meet Azulu and Zuri. These two white lionesses have been
23:25shipped 60 miles from Hertfordshire to their new home in Kent, where they're set to begin
23:30retirement. The half-sisters, who are used to living in the busy environment of a zoo,
23:35have been given a new enclosure at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smardon. Our reporter at
23:39Bartholomew Hall has been down to take a closer look.
23:42What do you think retirement in the Kent countryside looks like for a lion? Well, it's something
23:48like this. It might not be what you imagine your golden years to look like, but for half-sisters
23:53Zuri and Azulu, they've embarked on the 60-mile journey from Hertfordshire Zoo to the Big
23:58Cat Sanctuary in Smardon, where their usual days of posing and putting on a smile for
24:03zoo crowds has been replaced by a life of tranquillity and enrichment.
24:08The sanctuary, which is home to around 40 big cats, isn't open to the public in the
24:12same way as a zoo. Guests are only given private tours designed to minimise the day-to-day
24:17impact on their habitats.
24:19It's going to be a lot quieter because we're not open to the general public. They're still
24:24going to be used for education and fundraising and just being wowed at. It's all very new
24:29for them. It's a complete change of environment, obviously new faces that are looking after
24:32them now. So they're sticking together like glue, finding reassurance from each other
24:37and just taking it all in. Hopefully at some point they'll get to work out that when we
24:42bring our guests around on their tours, those guests usually bring nice things like chicken
24:45drumsticks. So I'm sure they'll be engaged with our experiences pretty soon.
24:50The hope is to eventually integrate them with their male African lion neighbour, Kasanga.
24:55He's a really gentle, laid-back male, similar age. He has lived with females before, so
25:01we're just going to see how they interact next to each other with a dividing fence line
25:07and then in time when we see positive behaviours, look to mix them as a little mini pride for
25:10companionship.
25:12The park says that despite them staying close to one another in the first few days for comfort,
25:16they're already showing signs of making themselves at home, climbing onto their platforms and
25:20taking some time to enjoy the limited winter sun.
25:25This year the Big Cats Hanctery is celebrating its 25th year. Project lead Cam Whitnell's
25:29family have been rehoming and protecting cat species for generations, all starting with
25:34his grandfather. He says it feels as though the cats at times have even become part of
25:39the family.
25:40It's always exciting to welcome new cats, especially Zuri and Azulu. Obviously I've
25:44grown up with them at the zoo, so there's no better place like the Big Cat Sanctuary
25:48for them to see out their final days. And they're settling in well. It's going to take
25:52a little bit of time for them to adjust and get used to their surroundings, but when they
25:56do they'll flourish.
25:58The pair's retirement comes after one of the animal park's biggest projects to date, bringing
26:02four lions from war-torn Ukraine to live out their lives in a new home here in Kent, with
26:07a specially made enclosure hoping to be opened later this year.
26:11They say in retirement you never get a day off and that couldn't be more true for the
26:14pair that have moved in here this week. They've been given a brand new enclosure, a brand
26:18new home to enjoy and explore. For the rest of what we could say is a new set of nine
26:23lives each. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
26:28Well good news, that cold weather is staying far, far away from those two lionesses. Beautiful.
26:32Well you've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV. There's of course more news
26:36made just for Kent throughout the evening. We'll be back at 8pm with the News Bulletin.
26:39But that's all from me and the Kent Tonight team. Bye bye.