06/05/2014 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans. And I'm Rob Smith.

Tonight's top stories: the MP for North Thanet hits out at the owners

of Manston Airport after a deal to buy it falls through. This is an act

of corporate find others. Also in tonight's programme: A trip

to the High Court for the company that's dumped a tower of waste from

across the South East right next to villagers' homes.

Happy 20th birthday to Eurotunnel, but not such a happy legacy: A new

report claims the regeneration promised hasn't materialised.

And whatever their background is, why people moving into conservative

areas are more likely to vote Tory themselves.

Good evening. A Kent MP has tonight accused the owner of Manston Airport

of "corporate vandalism" following an announcement that the site will

close next week. Bosses say that they've "failed to find a viable

alternative" to shutting Manston, but North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale

insists that an offer to buy the airport was both viable and

credible. It's believed to be losing around ?10,000 a day and employs

around 150 staff. Our news correspondent, Mark Norman, who

broke the news today, now reports. A cargo plane landing at Manston

this morning, possibly one of the last planes to use this historic

runway before its closure next week. The owners told the staff this

morning. It is very sad. A lot of people's livelihoods, a great shame.

Staff are very disappointed. We thought offers were going then, what

did they say about that? Apparently the offer was not credible. It is

horrible. We got told later on. It is disgraceful. It has put the

massive fleet safety impact upon the Hall of Kent. After two bits from

the same company where rejected, a row has erupted between the company

who own Manston who refused those of us, and the local MP who supports

those beds. Given those circumstances, someone who says she

wants to sell and is able to do so and another person who wants to buy,

negotiations were taking place and if the airport was to close under

these circumstances I would say that this corporate vandalism. After the

yesterday's bid was rejected, the owners told us someone associated

with the offer had consistently failed to substantiate proposals. To

stay `` to D`day said in absence of other options the airport was going

to be closed. As the two sides wrote, campaigners

vowed to fight on. We will fight to reopen it if it does cause and we

will not let this be made into anything but an airport. We believe

that something can be done, it is not the end of the story, although

it may look like it. But argue are fighting a campaign trying to find a

bed, the relative is that the owners of Manston Airport believe they have

not been given a credible or viable offer and the report will close a

week on Thursday. Well, we can cross live now to Mark

Norman who's in Maidstone. Why have there been problems getting the deal

to go through? Here is someone with four or ?5 million and someone who

wants to sell an airport, but unfortunately it is a much more

complicated transaction. The bidders had met a number of offers

previously which were all rejected with the final rejection yesterday

so it has all gone wrong and we have a number of people who are angry and

upset, not least the staff and the unique union today talked about this

belief, shock and anger and the formal grievance procedure against

the owners. Kent County Council on the sidelines, they now have to talk

about a viable plan for jobs and have raised concerns about the

economic regeneration for East Kent. I cannot see I knew offer coming

along for the time being, Manston Airport well shot a week on

Thursday. And later in the programme we'll be

looking at the history of the airport and its place in the life of

East Kent. The retrial has begun of a man

accused of murdering his partner in Margate nine years ago. Dean

Williams, now 51, strangled Mary Malkin in January 2005. He denies

murder, but has admitted manslaughter, by reason of

diminished responsibility. Jon Hunt reports.

Mary Malkin was strangled to death in a flat in Margate by her partner

Dean Williams. The following day he called police to tell them she was

dead. This is Dean Williams he said. He said police had to break in and

that she was dead. And another called the police operator asked,

Dean Williams has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to

manslaughter, has the fence will see he was suffering from alcohol

dependency syndrome and suffered brain damage which impaired his

mental responsibility, but the prosecution told the court Mr

Williams was just a violent drunk. The jury was told that the Dean

Williams had he has the fence will see he was suffering from alcohol

dependency syndrome and suffered brain damage which impaired his

mental responsibility, but the prosecution told the court Mr

Williams was just a violent drunk. The jury was told that the Dean

Williams had a history of violence against women. It is claimed he had

been violence towards his former partner and there are allegations

that he had tried to suffer Mary Malkin before. At the time of her

cabin, he was on bail having been charged for an assault on her just

weeks later. Prosecuting, it was said colon ``...

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

We will look at how the closure of Manston Airport brings a century of

aviation at this age to an end. A controversial company that's

created a 14,000`tonne tower of recycling waste just a few yards

from people's homes has been in the High Court today. Waste4Fuel

collects rubbish from across the South East. The Environment Agency

has taken them to court for allegedly failing to comply with an

order to remove all flammable waste from the site near Orpington. Our

reporter Ellie Price is at the High Court now. Ellie, I understand the

court heard it's a big fire risk? The judge was told that the fire

service had been called 13 times over the period of 12 months and

that had cost the Fire Service ?300,000 not to mention the rest of

the cost to the environment and the locals. It was said that it was

prone to spontaneous fires and therefore there should be fire

breaks. While the court accepted that some effort had been made to

make that happen, they said not enough had been done to make that

happen and are there for a bigger fires were more likely and they were

difficult to put out. The company, Waste4Fuel, they were accused of

ignoring an order to remove combustible materials and limit the

amount of waste coming in wildly sorted out the problem.

Local residents from the area were also in court. Well, Polly, the site

itself is right next to a residential area and local people

told us last week they were worried about safety, pollution as well as

the smell of the site. The court heard studios at the other 12,000

tonnes of waste at the site and the local banks `` locals think that was

too much. The case will continue over the next few days.

A group of eight teenagers have been giving restraining orders after

making the life of an elderly couple health. CCTV footage, the gang

including one girl as young as 13 banging on Windows and getting an

apron store. All eight admitted harassing the pensioners at

Folkestone magistrates' court. A new security scanner is being

trialled at Gatwick Airport, which may eventually allow passengers to

bring larger volumes of liquid on board planes. At the moment

passengers can only carry liquids in 100ml containers. The new machine

uses lasers to scan the contents of bottles and can tell the difference

between water and liquids which could be used to make bombs. The

trial will last two years. Concerns about the impact of any

takeover of Pfizer by Astra Zeneca have been raised in the commons by

South Thanet MP Laura Sandys. She sought assurance from the government

that the remaining Pfizer jobs on the Sandwich site would be safe. She

played a constructive role when the redundancies were announced and

despite the large job losses, there is still a significant presence on

the site to which she refers and indeed, the securing of that

continued presence which is a substance are one and the

decision`making would be a key part of any future discussion we have

with the company. Mental health services in Kent and

Sussex are among the most stretched in the England with new figures

showing a huge rise in the number of people being sent to a different

county for urgent treatment, up elevenfold. Figures obtained by the

BBC show that three years ago, 20 people had to leave Kent for

treatment ` the latest figure is now 334. In Sussex, three years ago, 28

patients were sent to other parts of the country, but last year that

number had risen to 227. Health bosses say it's a deep rooted,

complex problem. One of the reasons that we believe we are seeing

extensive lengths of stay in hospital which means we're having to

use beds out of area because our own beds are full is because people do

not have access to the support and the committee that they are just too

and therefore they are having to stay Well, this follows two recent

cases we've highlighted on our programme: in hospital Lisa Inkin

killed herself in West London in April 2013 ` her mother claims she

may have survived if she'd had access to mental health treatment

closer to home in Medway. Whilst the work at the alternatives.

Kirsty Clark from Sittingbourne was told she might have to travel to

Brighton for treatment when there was a bed crisis ` her father says

her journey to hospital in Dartford is already too far.

And sending patients to different trusts for treatments is expensive,

costing our health trusts ?6.1 million last year.

Well, our reporter John Young has been looking at the figures and

joins us now from Sussex Partnership Trust's offices in Hove. John, it

seems this news is causing some tension politically?

It certainly does, Rob, I have been speaking to people today and the

problems are loud and clear. The image of mental health problems,

there is a stigma attached, the people who run it will say there is

a stigma and that means the money will likely go to cancer charities

or those supporting the health of children. There is also a conflict

with government policy, the government wants communities and

voluntary groups to help out so that people do not have to go to

hospitals and the first place but charities and councils are

struggling because of cuts. Firstly, many people with mental health

problems use social housing and are on benefits and there have been

changes to both of those with the likes of the bedroom tax, call it

what you will. A cocktail of problems, the government and the NHS

are trying to solve them. The Care and Support Minister,

Norman Lamb, has told the BBC that it's "unacceptable" if patients have

to travel "hundreds of miles" for treatment.

Some health bosses and charities on the ground, though, say part of the

problem is the reorganisations the government itself has introduced.

Our top story, a Kent MP has accused the owner of Manston Airport of

corporate vandalism after an announcement that the site will

close next week. Bosses say they have failed to find a viable

alternative to shutting Manston. Sir Roger Gale says an offer to buy the

airport was both viable and credible.

Coming up call on people moving into conservative areas are more likely

to become police themselves regardless of their background.

We finished today with more sunshine but well it last? Join me later.

If you have a story you think we should be covering on South East

Today, we'd like to hear from you. You can call us on 0345 300 37 47,

or send us an e`mail to [email protected]. We are

also on Facebook or you can tweet us ` @bbcsoutheast.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel

with celebrations both here and in France. It went a huge ?4 billion

over budget, and has had to survive a major fire and the threat of

bankruptcy. But it is now regarded as a success ` last year carrying an

extraordinary 20 million people. But, even so, there are those who

question if it has ever brought the economic regeneration to Kent that

was promised. Ian Palmer has tonight's special report.

The moment it became more than just a pet dream. Engineers from opposite

sides of the Channel join Britain on the continent for the first time

since the ice age. The channel was opened by Her Majesty since then

millions of people have passed through since its inauguration 20

years ago. It is a great achievement, we have had tough

times, we have had financial difficulties, but the Conall has

always been a great success. The Transport Minister for France

attended the ceremony at the headquarters of Eurotunnel. After

the speech, he praised the Anglo`French team and told the BBC

both countries were stronger because of the pelmet went. It is a great

opportunity for both of our countries. It is a success story,

above all it is the way both of our economies have come closer and work

more effectively. The past 20 years the tunnel is the successful

realisation of what has been dreamt about for centuries. The Channel

Tunnel is recognised as being perhaps one of the seven wonders of

the world, the most important civil engineering project over the past

100 years. This exhibition is in recognition of that achievement.

Building work began in 1987, by the time the Conall open for business,

the cost had spiralled to ?50 billion. Esders projections were too

optimistic and they do was crippled by future debt. Two days ago it

began making a profit. Critics say it has failed to deliver on its

promises and a report by the Institute of economic affairs says

it has failed to regenerate East Kent as much as was predicted. It

has underperformed in terms of the rest of the UK with problems in

Thanet with double employment levels around 61%. This was not the view of

those gathered in France or the view of the local MP for Folkestone and

height. It has led to more business investment, great job creation that

we would have otherwise have seen and a rise in wages and that comes

down to local jobs being created and people being attracted.

Eurotunnel executives say it will bring greater competition as they

fight off ferries and airlines. Today they are celebrating the

greatest engineering project the world has ever seen. Ian Palmer, BBC

South East Today, northern France. The closure of Manston airport

brings to an end nearly 100 years of flying from the East Kent site.

Originally used as a Royal Naval station, it went on to become a

strategically important airfield during the Second World War.

Its association with the military continued until the end of the '90s,

since when it's been used as a civilian airfield. Peter Whittlesea

looks back at the airport's place in the life of the region.

Created from prime agricultural land during the First World War, Manston

became an airfield in 1916. Now it appears it will fail to reach its

centenary, but it has used setbacks as intruders before. It was used to

begin with but then it became a bit dangerous. Purely on the basis that

they did not have time to adjust so the RAF wanted to move away, it was

used mainly for planes that were in trouble and to rearm and refuel.

They wanted to close the airport but they left it open so that people

around there did not feel they had been left. 60 years on that is what

has happened. And the 1950s the Americans were based at Manston 40

years, they brought a transatlantic glamour to the squalor of Kent in

the midst of the Cold War. The Americans were spending a lot of

money in the town at the time. Around ?1 million per month. They

were very popular with the local female population because they had

more money than our boys that. For that reason a lot of girls married

Americans and went back to America. Some of them come over in the summer

to see the irregulations. Holidays in Spain were no longer the preserve

of the jet set and by the 70s and 80s the big boys of Heathrow and

Gatwick had muscled Manston out of the market but those who drink by

the local club still believe the report could have a future. I hope

it does not go, to be honest, it is great for the local people. But who

knows. If Gatwick Airport or Heathrow Airport has an emergency,

they send it to us, so it has a job to do. Residents say they do not

want to see 100 years of history turned into a housing estate.

Good moving house change how you vote?

People who move to Conservative areas are more likely to become

Conservatives themselves despite their backgrounds, according to a

new piece of research. But according to the same report, there's no

equivalent effect with people moving to Labour areas. Our reporter Mark

Sanders has been testing the theory in Tunbridge Wells.

Is it the way that the trim the hedges or is it something and the

water? Tunbridge Wells has traditionally been seen as true blue

but now an academic study suggests those who move are more likely to

vote Conservative after the move. Moving from Middlesbrough to London

to dislocation I have not been affected to voting Tory. How do you

vote? Last time I did vote Conservative! That was the first

time. Is there something in the water that makes Conservatives

gather in Tunbridge Wells? I think it is simply middle`class England,

really. The study found no change to left`wing attitudes among movers

into safe Labour constituencies. Researchers at Southampton

University used this simple model to reach their findings based on the

political feelings of more than 70,000 people between 1991 and 2008.

This is the first time that anyone has been able to convincingly show

that people are affected in terms of their voting patterns by way of the

love. If you live, for example summerlike Liverpool and moves to

Tunbridge Wells, you're voting pattern is likely to change.

Does moving to somewhere like Tonbridge Wells release the and

Margo? I would still describe myself as a core Labour supporter but I

tend to vote tactically because of where I was. I think I probably have

become more of a Tory supporter. What about the study suggests, the

hunt for votes by all the parties will not diminish as we enter the

election season. You worked out that the creation in

a matter of seconds, did you not? Absolutely.

The weather has been gorgeous, indeed.

I am afraid there will be some more showers. It will be quite a breezy

picture to model and also showery. There will be some sunshine around

on Thursday but it will Conall wet and as we head towards the weekend

there is even more rain on the way. Tomorrow it will begin a grey and

wet. It was quite breezy but temperatures are lifting slightly.

17 Celsius the high list. You can see the wind is picking up a little

bit this afternoon. They are one or two scattered showers but during the

first part of this evening mostly we have clearer skies and we should

stay dry. From three o'clock or four o'clock tomorrow morning we have

heavy showers feeding and from the West. With those strengthening winds

and the cloud cover, it will be mild and eight. Temperatures getting up

to double figures around ten or 11 degrees. For the first part of the

more the morning, that is real people see the best of any

brightness. By the afternoon, the showers will appear again, heavy and

many places. It will be a cooler day for most others. Highs of around 13

or 14 degrees. 15 or 16 slightly naughty words. We will all feel that

a brisk South winds, however. Going through tonight, showers for a time,

plenty of cloud cover and we will hold onto those strong

South`Westerly winds. A milder and eight, temperatures dipping into

single figures, lows of nine or 10 degrees. Initially it will be drier

on Thursday but will be drier on Thursday but Luke Walker is heading

our way. Heavy rain pushing up from the South West. Temperatures staying

around 15 or 16 degrees, wet and pleasant day. By the time we get to

Friday, sunshine and showers are present. Tightly spaced isobars,

very costly as they go into Friday. Look at the weekend, it will turn

wet and windy, top temperatures around 14 or 15 degrees. Plenty of

sunshine and run this afternoon and that we head to the next couple of

days it is going to feel much cooler, a breezy picture,

particularly for tomorrow. Temperatures are around 13 or 14

degrees. Thursday is going to be wet throughout. Feeling much cooler.

Friday, breezy and more of the same as he hit into Saturday and Sunday.

The headlines: Politicians take action over the biggest ever

proposed foreign takeover of a British company.

The bosses of US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the UK firm

AstraZeneca will appear before MPs over concerns a takeover may not be

in British interests. Manston Airport will close next week

say owners, with no viable gale on the table ` the unions react with

shock and anger, as does the MP who describes it as "corporate

vandalism." And an elevenfold increase in mental health patients

being sent out of their county for urgent treatment ` our services are

the most overstretched in the country.

Join us again at 8pm. Goodbye. at the European elections

on May the 22nd. even though that would wreck

the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives

are now openly flirting with exit. they just don't have the courage

of their convictions on this.