03/07/2014 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Natalie Graham.

The Green Party plan a hike of almost 6% `

Eric Pickles has imposed thhs on us and it is the least worst option for

us. A three year high for fines handed

out to lorry drivers carrying stowaways into the UK, even

if they do it without realising A new departure for Gatwick,

with the launch We speak to Squeeze ahead

of their appearance at the Good news for some,

but others need a little help. It's a tax bombshell that's

stunned people in Brighton today. The Green Council have annotnced

that they want to raise council The announcement comes four months

after their last attempt to raise taxes by far more than

the government recommended, but the Green Party say, they nded to

try again to fill the funding gap. Mark Sanders has been gauging

reaction in the city this afternoon. Councils across the country are

facing cuts in funding. The government has been clear, `ny

council wishing to raise its council tax above 80% threshold must hold a

referendum. Brighton and Hove tried last year, undeterred they tried in

this year `` 2%. A ?25 millhon gap in our budget for the year `head. We

are a 5.9% increase to try `nd address that huge challenge. The

green's plans were repeatedly blocked by opposition groups last

year. They say, they won't succeed this term either. We have not seen

value for money. They have failed in most of their manifesto pledges on

schools, on homes, on getting recycling up to 75%, it is down to

25%. Nobody trusts them. It was the highest in the country proposed last

year, undoubtedly, it would be the highest this year. There is no

chance of this exceeding it's a gimmick. The Green administration

has faced many programmes, hncluding the strike by refuse workers which

saw rubbish piling up on thhs street. There was a vote of no

confidence in the leader. They say a raise in council tax might be

necessary. The only way to raise money is to raise council t`x. It is

not popular and never will be. At Basie it as their only option. It is

quite a rise really. Cost of living is going through the roof and rise

of living. I think that is very steep. I do. But, I don't know, it

is a difficult balance. I don't know. If it is necessary, it is

fine, as long as they use the money wisely, which they have not done so

far, unfortunately. The council says tax will have to rise if thdy are to

keep up with growing demand while budgets shrink. So why has the Green

Party decided to propose such a big rise? Jason Kitcat says growing

support from the government meant a gap in ?25 million in the council's

budget. This is equivalent to ? 7 extra per year per band D household.

Even without rise, he claims the gap would still be ?20 million. This

would all has been tried before after a proposed 5% rise was

rejected by opposition Labotr and Conservative councillors. It was

written `` it rose by 2%. That was the limit without triggering a

referendum. This 5.9 cent rhse suggested, which trigger a

referendum. `` would trigger a referendum. If this figure `` failed

last time, why have they propose it again? It was controversial last

year. They put former is thd almost 5% rise and it was repeatedly

opposed. They have been absolutely clear, they would oppose it again

next year. Jason Kitcat knows he has no chance of getting it through but

we know he is standing down. He won't be the leading next ydar. He

has been a cute of gesture X. `` accused of gesture politics. He

said, the only way I could do that, was to raise council tax.

Therefore, it is not his fatlt. It may have caused big waves in

Brighton and Hove, but this tax rise is still only a proposal only. It

would have to be put `` approved by the whole council.

The number of lorry drivers fined for carrying

stowaways on their vehicles has reached a three year high.

Figures show that over 900 fines were handed out to drivers

and companies last year, a total of around ?1.8 million pounds.

It comes after an investigation by this programme earlier this year

revealed the desperate attelpts being made by migrants to gdt to

Balancing on the axle of a lorry. These pictures show the desperate

measures migrants take to gdt to Britain. Today, Home Office

statistics show more stowaw`ys are being caught. According to border

force after `` officers, thhs reflects the situation on the

ground. It's another piece of evidence. The level of people

smuggling is at a high level. With the activities of the French

security services in Calais, people are becoming desperate. When we do

apprehend clandestinely book, their attitude is more hostile th`n it has

been in the past `` people. Find the handed out last year. Companies and

drivers can be fined up to ?200 for each person carried illegally. Find

the total ?1.8 million. Tod`y, some lorry drivers, say they won't stop

in Calais for fear of migrants jumping into their lorries. I don't

stop, because it is too risky. It is too risky. It's risky. More? More

than last year. More and more and more, a big problem. This Bdlgian

driver told me, yes there are lots of migrants, I have no idea where

they all come from. The grotps that represent all years say the current

system of fines is unfair `` Paul Leas. Lorry drivers are find ?2 00

every single illegal immigr`nt that are find on their truck. Th`t could

be a fine of ?10,000 or ?12,000 They tend to get fined first, then

questioned after later. The Home Office says lorry drivers mtst play

their part in tackling illegal immigration. Security at Calais has

been bolstered. Without sectre parking at Calais, lorry drhvers say

they face an impossible sittation. Many lorry drivers say the French

Channel ports is now becoming a no go area, because there are so many

migrants who. Nothing to julp on their lorries. One told me he now

makes his last stop hundreds of miles away so stories can't get in

and he won't face a fine. The Home Office save the fines are not

disproportionate. They stopped 11,000 people illegally crossing the

Channel last year. They also say border security is their mahn

priority. Remembering a 19`year`old m`n

killed by a drunk driver. And the new campaign to

support families affected. A troubled further education college

in Kent has announced a new round of cuts, 100 jobs,

in an attempt to recover K College has five campuses

across the county. It was announced last year

that it would be broken up. Our reporter Rebecca Willials is

outside the Ashford campus now. Rebecca, it?s another blow

for the college, isn't it? It certainly is. They say these

hundred redundancies will s`ve 2 million in their salary bills. This

is part of an ongoing attempts to recover from a multi`million pound

deficit. K College has five sites, one in Dover, one in Tonbridge. One

in Ashford. They have 15,000 students and employee around 10 0

staff. This is the second w`ve of redundancies. In 2012, they

announced they would make 170 redundancies. Today's news lay come

as a shock to many, because next month they are due to dividd into

two. This has decided five xears ago, after it was revealed that

there was a ?60 million defhcit by the government. Has the college has

anything to say today? They said it is with regret that they ard making

the redundancies. The curriculum is due to continue as usual from 2 14

to 2015 there will be a consultation with staff and the union. They say,

they will try to avoid any compulsory redundancies.

Thanet District Council say they're "extremely disappointed" after their

meeting today with the owners of Manston Airport.

The airport finally closed hn May, but campaigners are hoping to

persuade the council to compulsorily purchase the site.

The council say the airport's position remains unchanged.

This programme understands that despite today's news, an Amdrican

investment firm, Riveroak, hs still interested in buying Manston.

Police and Crime Commissiondrs in the South East are being given

an extra ?850,000, the Government has announced.

Kent's Ann Barnes says, the money will go towards ddveloping

a centre to help victims of rape and sexual assault.

Sussex's Katy Bourne has bedn given ?250,000 pounds to help victims

of crime, while Surrey's Kevin Hurley says, his portion will help

Residents are being asked to have their say on the name

for the multi million pound Bexhill to Hastings link road.

Rother District Council is `sking people to vote on 17 potenthal

names, which will then be whittled down to a shortlist of five.

A final decision will be made by the council later this month

The Conservative MP for Hovd and Portslade, Mike Weatherley,

has announced he won't stand for re`election next May.

Mr Weatherley, who won the seat from Labour with a small majority

four years ago and recently beat cancer, described it as

Passengers flying to the US@ from Gatwick Airport have h`d to go

through extra security checks today, in response to US warnings

of a "credible" threat to ahrcraft flying into the States.

It comes on the very day th`t direct flights to New York and Los Angeles

are launched, significantly increasing the number of rottes to

Our correspondent, Mark Norlan, has more.

Al`Qaeda flags flying from captured military hardware in Sydney ``

Syria. Now Western intelligdnce suggests that bomb`making expertise

is causing a credible threat to flights to and from America.

Security checks at Gatwick have been stepped up. Today, at least, that

did not cause problems for passengers. Gatwick seems to be

coping well. For most destinations, you should not notice any

difference. If you are flying to America, be prepared for extra

searches at the gate and perhaps some tough questions about where you

are going and why. Clearly, that is quite frightening if you intend to

fly to America in the next few weeks and months. Just coming into the new

domain, the security and airline experts say they believe thdy can

keep people safe. But the stmmer holidays are ahead. Some of us might

be concerned, but a new low`cost route from Gatwick to America was

launched today along with a new message for passengers. Comd to the

airport, give yourself plenty of times to travel through the airport,

but the vast majority of passengers should not see any reduction. In the

meantime, the UK Government are not giving any details about new

measures, but they haven't ruled out longer queues and security desks.

The Green Council in Brighton and Hove is planning to raise council

tax by far more than the government recommends. Leaders say ratd me to

rise by almost 6% because it has been prevented from making the

necessary rises in the park. `` past.

Squeezing out another performance ` we talk to the band

as they prepare for the Hop Farm Festival this weekdnd.

And keeping cool ` Rachel hangs out with the ldmurs

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

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A family from Kent to is tednage son was killed by a drink drive was kept

`` is setting up a new trust. Will funnel was just 19 when he was

killed in a car He was a passenger in a car driven

by a 21`year`old man, who w`s three In the last three years,

nearly 500 people, aged 17 to 2 , were killed or seriously injured

on Kent and Medway's roads. One quarter of call collisions

on British roads involve those aged And more than one in four drivers

killed are under the age of 24. Sara Smith has tonight's

special report. this was will funnel on his 18th

birthday. Just 19, he was ddad. He had accepted a lift with a friend

who was drunk and who had t`ken drugs. He also died in the crash.

His shattered parents, who have lost their only child, have set tp a

charity to provide the support that might have supported them. H am

still in a bad place. You are not doing all right. At times, xou just

want to talk to someone. Nothing to do with the family, someone you

don't even know. That is who you need to speak to. MUSIC PLAXS

Teenagers are overrepresentdd when it comes to road casualties.

Licensed to kill is a road safety programme aimed specificallx at

young people. It's very. Chhldren are quick to learn, but thex also

listen to peer pressure and they have their own views on lifd. It is

about getting the balance. We don't want to make them feel unsafe or

value delves `` vulnerable, but we do want them to feel the dangers of

the road. Will funnel's dad will tell his story as part of the

scheme. It has ripped our f`mily and the other family apart. It hs like a

shock wave. He has written ` song and made a video about will, to

highlight the new trust. Pl`nning his own son's funeral was something

he never imagined he would have to do. Now he wants to help other

families cope with the shock and grief that his is still going

through. They were one of the biggest

bands of the post punk era. Squeeze turned out a string

of top ten hits during the late 70s, 80s and 90s ` including

Up The Junction and Cool For Cats. Well, this weekend they'll be back,

joining the likes of Ray Davies Grace Jones and Sophie Ellis Bexter

at Kent's Hop Farm Festival # The Indians send signals

from the rocks above the pass. # The Cowboys take position

in the bushes and the grass. # When Squeeze burst onto

the music scene in the 1970s, their edgy pop melodies and pithy

lyrics, peppered with a heavy synthesiser sound, very quickly

helped them build a cult following. # The Indians send signals

from the rocks above the pass. One of the great things

about Squeeze is that we have never Long`term, that has worked to

our advantage, because we skit about whatever is happening, not

necessarily part of any movdments. Now we are part of the movelent

of old blokes in bands, so H suppose But even there, we stand out,

I think, from the crowd. # I never thought it would happen

# With me and a girl from Clapham Riding high on a new wave of pop,

it wasn't long before they had You have been compared to the Lennon

and McCartney. The first second and third `lbum,

there was Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, they were all peers and plaxing in

pubs in London. We were plaxing in pubs in London, too. They wdre big

me from a lyrical point of view You have been compared to the Lennon

and McCartney. As the two founding members

of Squeeze, there have been a lot Even Jools Holland made

an appearance. He left under a cloud, we h`ven t

really talked about it for xears. At their recording studio in London,

rehearsals were in full swing today We've got lots of tricks up

our sleeves and rabbits unddr hats. So if you fancy hearing somd

classics mixed in with a few new tracks, they'll be

on the main stage this weekdnd. Charlton Athletic unveiled their

new kit for the new season today. The Championship club will be

sponsored by the University Their recent signing,

striker Igor Vetokele, a new signing from FC Copenhagen,

was one of the players showhng off the new outfits, as Addick?s boss,

Bob Peters, rebuilds his sqtad. You need good players. That is why

we tried to bring in other players to get a good squad. It is ` very

tough division if you play for the six games. You need players who can

cope with it. Well, you don't need us to tell

you it's been warm today. In fact, it's been the warmdst

day of the year nationally! So Rachel's here now, with

a few facts and figures for us. Rachel, unusually, Kent was not the

hottest place in the countrx. It usually is!

Our temperatures were in thd midst 20. Earlier, I went out with two of

my colleagues to see how thd South East was coping with the he`t. With

the one temperatures and so much sunshine, the crop at the Stssex

vineyard has flowered early. To ensure the great writing, the job is

to let as much sunshine reach them `` Wright Penn.

It is getting all of the canopy nice and neat, foliage wise on the

terrace, so that we create that wall of leaf to capture the

sunshine. It's not just the great doing well. Strawberries and other

soft fruits are thriving in the near`perfect conditions. Should the

fine weather continue, farmdrs can expect a bumper crop, not jtst a

healthier yield, but even bdtter tasting wine. Is this the Costa

Brava? As the temperatures climbed, it looked as though Viking Bay was

everyone's favourite destin`tion. We came down here because this is the

best place in the South East. There is a lots of seaweed, I am not a

great fan of the seaweed. It is remarkable to think that only six

weeks ago, the council was `dvising swimmers not to go in the sda after

a spell of wet weather resulted in sewage being pumped out a lhttle

further up the coast. The w`ter was soon declared safe, but traders say

it affected business. It grows in peoples minds. That could bd what is

causing a start this year. Today, they are basking in better times. In

this park, some animals needed a little more TLC than others. I am in

lemur land and we are chillhng out with a lolly. The lemurs were

enjoying their beetroot and carrot I follows, many other animals were

given mud bath to keep cool Ashgrove ice lollies. We put cream on

everyday, especially for pigs and around their ears. Their skhn is

similar to ours and they ard prone to sunburn. We give them good

protection throughout the d`y. Not everybody was bothered by the heat.

Some people were happy `` some animals were happy to kick back and

enjoy the sun rays. Tomorrow, temperatures are expected to rise. A

warm and sunny picture. It hs not going to last. Earlier, lots of

sunshine, clear blue skies for the most part. Many had no clouds in the

sky. Temperatures in the low mid to high 20s. Into tonight, it will stay

settled. Light winds, cleardr skies, you might just see some mist

and fog patches forming. Temperatures 14 and 15 degrdes, mild

as we start the day. Plenty of sunshine from the word go. Similar

to today. Temperatures comfortably in the mid`20s. Even along the

coast, temperatures around 21 or 22 degrees. A settled picture. The

winds pick up the south`westerly direction, becoming increashngly

breezy and we see some more cloud cover around. That is ahead of rain

that we expect to see in thd first part of tomorrow evening.

Eventually, all of us will see the rain. Temperatures remain

comfortably in the midst te`ms. `` teams. It will be a wet day. For the

weekend, a fresher feel to things. The rain will be clearing ott of the

way on Saturday, but even on Sunday there will be some showers `round.

First on Saturday, plenty of rain. Temperatures 21 or 22 degreds. On

Sunday, one or two showers `nd temperatures around 19 or 20

degrees. More rain on Mondax and it stays unsettled as we go into

Tuesday. The tomorrow, tempdratures will rise on today's values, highest

26 degrees or 27 degrees. Lots of sunshine and a comfortable day.

Heading towards a weekend, ` real shift. Showers stay with us until

Sunday. Still, for tomorrow, lots of sunshine, do enjoy it. Let's look at

our top stories, security is being stepped up in Britain's airports as

America warns of a credible terrorism threat. The extra checks

come amid fears that Arcadi`, Syria could be developing bombs. Brighton

and Hove Council have proposed a 5.9% rise in council text `` tax for

next year, if successful thhs would trigger a referendum through the

city. The number of lorry drivers fined for carrying stowaways has

reached a three`year high, figures show that over 900 finds were handed

out to drivers and companies last year, a total of around ?1.8

million. Drivers find even hf they did not realise they had a still

away on board. `` are fined. Good night.