:00:04. > :00:06.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans. And I'm Rob Smith.
:00:06. > :00:12.Tonight's top stories. An extra �22 million for Kent's
:00:12. > :00:14.children's services, as the council announces 400 job cuts. We'll be
:00:14. > :00:17.reporting live on the story in Tunbridge Wells.
:00:17. > :00:23.A soldier appears in court, charged with the attack that left Bexhill
:00:23. > :00:28.teenager Mo Bourner brain damaged. Also in tonight's programme - rail
:00:28. > :00:37.fares up by 6%. Kent and Sussex commuters are made to pay yet more
:00:37. > :00:42.to travel by train. It keeps going up and up and they have to stop and
:00:42. > :00:49.think about what people's wages are. There are not increasing so affairs
:00:49. > :00:52.should be going down. -- fares. Lives of the rich and famous; the
:00:52. > :00:54.top Kent photographer who gets up close and personal with the
:00:54. > :00:57.glitterati. And an early delivery for one Kent
:00:57. > :01:05.farmer this Christmas, the newborn lamb who was too eager to wait for
:01:05. > :01:12.Good evening. Multi-million pound cuts at Kent County Council will
:01:12. > :01:15.see hundreds of jobs go, services cut and efficiency savings made.
:01:15. > :01:18.But one department - children's services - will be given �22
:01:18. > :01:21.million of extra money to try and sort out the problems of the last
:01:21. > :01:23.two years. The department has previously come in for severe
:01:23. > :01:30.criticism from OFSTED and opposition politicians for failing
:01:30. > :01:33.vulnerable children. This criticism began following the death of a 25-
:01:33. > :01:41.day-old baby in Tunbridge Wells, who had been slammed against a
:01:41. > :01:45.table by her father. Our Correspondent Mark Norman reports.
:01:45. > :01:51.The last two years have been a catalogue of disasters for Kent
:01:51. > :01:56.County Council children's services department. In 20th March 10,
:01:56. > :02:00.Christopher Selma and killed his baby daughter. The case review said
:02:00. > :02:08.opportunities to protector had been missed. In December last year,
:02:08. > :02:11.OFSTED found the protection inadequate. Earlier this year, the
:02:11. > :02:15.government's at options experts said the council had lost its grip
:02:15. > :02:19.and the deterioration should have been noticed. While cuts have been
:02:19. > :02:24.made across the county council, children's services will receive
:02:24. > :02:28.more money to sort out the mess. What we are seeking to do it over
:02:28. > :02:33.the next few years is to reduce the need for children to come into care
:02:33. > :02:38.in the first place. That require substantial investment. We are also
:02:38. > :02:42.investing in adoption so that we can get children into stable and
:02:42. > :02:47.loving families at the first opportunity. Families like that a
:02:47. > :02:51.hard to find. This woman has fostered for the last six years.
:02:51. > :02:55.You get paid per child and you look after them and they support you
:02:55. > :03:02.through everything. They give you the equipment you need to look
:03:02. > :03:07.after them. Today, the council say they are looking for more like
:03:07. > :03:13.Sharon. They want the number to fall from 3000 to around 1000. It
:03:13. > :03:16.is not easy. London boroughs are poaching fostering families and a
:03:16. > :03:23.number of children could go up according to last month's report,
:03:23. > :03:26.which could prove difficult. We're hoping for a sea change in society
:03:26. > :03:30.and that we can say that local authority should getting quicker
:03:30. > :03:34.and remove children sooner. He believes the figures will continue
:03:34. > :03:42.to arise. The council are desperate to avoid
:03:42. > :03:45.another Christopher Silman case but it is hoped that increasing money
:03:45. > :03:48.will make a difference. Mark Norman is live in Tunbridge
:03:48. > :03:51.Wells, where Christopher Sellman was living when he killed his baby
:03:51. > :03:59.daughter, Tiffany. Do the council feel they are now on top of the
:03:59. > :04:03.problems at children's services? think so. They have another OFSTED
:04:03. > :04:06.inspection in the New Year where the ball to get inadequate berating
:04:07. > :04:12.and then an outstanding making up in a couple of years' time. The
:04:12. > :04:16.need to get the numbers of children down and it is enormously difficult.
:04:16. > :04:19.Tower Hamlets are recruiting for foster-parents and dark for Derby
:04:19. > :04:23.North Kent which makes it difficult for the local authority to find
:04:24. > :04:27.their own foster-parents, but they say this money will help as the aim
:04:27. > :04:30.for an outstanding rating. Now as we've heard, Kent County
:04:30. > :04:33.Council is having to make savings of almost �100 million from its
:04:33. > :04:39.budget next year - that's �33.5 million more than originally
:04:39. > :04:42.identified. The county has a budget of �2.2 billion for the next
:04:42. > :04:46.financial year, a cut of �97 million on this year. It will mean
:04:46. > :04:49.an estimated 400 jobs having to go next year - the second round of a
:04:49. > :04:52.total of 1,500 jobs being cut by the council over four years. Kent
:04:52. > :04:54.County Council says the cuts are bigger than anticipated because of
:04:54. > :05:01.rising costs, a reduction in its grant from central government, and
:05:01. > :05:10.extra spending on some services. But they say they will protect the
:05:10. > :05:17.majority of frontline services. We have to continually modernise
:05:18. > :05:22.and innovate in a way that extracts yet more value from the money. I
:05:22. > :05:28.believe that given a fair wind and the co-operation of the public
:05:28. > :05:32.agencies, we can deliver improved frontline services in many cases,
:05:32. > :05:34.with substantially less public money. Kent County Council's
:05:34. > :05:37.spending plans also include an extra �22 million on children's
:05:37. > :05:46.services. �89 million on adult social care. Another �89 million
:05:46. > :05:49.for economic development and housing.
:05:49. > :05:52.Kent County Council says it's having to make these savings partly
:05:52. > :05:59.because of the cuts to government funding - how much are they having
:05:59. > :06:04.to save overall? They say that local government was the area
:06:04. > :06:09.hardest hit by central government cuts, which is correct. They have
:06:09. > :06:15.to save around 28% of their budget over the next four years, which is
:06:15. > :06:21.a saving of �324 million. They say that to say that I do like that, it
:06:21. > :06:25.cannot be done by salami-slicing. They have to fundamentally
:06:25. > :06:31.restructure the way in which they deliver services. How are they
:06:31. > :06:35.hoping to achieve that? At the time of cuts, they received around �50
:06:35. > :06:40.million extra which was to go directly into health care. The
:06:40. > :06:44.reason for this was the growing elderly population and they want to
:06:44. > :06:48.identify the appropriate people earlier before they have to want a
:06:48. > :06:54.hospital. Another caveat is the number of children needing care.
:06:54. > :06:59.They're putting extra money into that. They say they want to reduce
:06:59. > :07:02.the number to 1000 what after children in Kent. Annual report out
:07:02. > :07:06.today says the number of children needing foster care has risen for
:07:06. > :07:10.the fifth consecutive year, so it will not be easy to achieve.
:07:10. > :07:12.Kent County Council says it hopes 75% of the savings will be made
:07:12. > :07:14.through efficiencies, with other ideas, such as encouraging
:07:14. > :07:19.community groups to take over the running of services such as
:07:19. > :07:29.libraries being explored. And you can also find out more about this
:07:29. > :07:29.
:07:30. > :07:34.story on our Political Editor's blog.
:07:34. > :07:37.A Kent businessman accused of trying to export missile parts to a
:07:37. > :07:44.van and takes his fight against extradition to the US to the High
:07:44. > :07:47.Court. -- Iran. A 20-year-old soldier has appeared
:07:47. > :07:50.in court charged with attacking teenager Mohammed Bourner as he
:07:50. > :07:53.walked home from a party in Bexhill. Ashley Dacosta is accused of
:07:53. > :08:03.grievous bodily harm. The incident happened after 15-year-old Mo
:08:03. > :08:06.Bourner attended a beach party at nearby Glyne Gap.
:08:06. > :08:09.Ashley the Costa was brought to court today accused of being
:08:09. > :08:15.responsible for a crime that has been in the headlines now far more
:08:15. > :08:19.than seven weeks. Late on the night of 28th October, Mo Bourner left
:08:19. > :08:23.the beach party. It was alleged he was punched once by the soldier,
:08:23. > :08:28.falling to the ground and hitting his head on a car bonnet. Six days
:08:28. > :08:37.later, he emerged from a coma but could not recognise his parents.
:08:37. > :08:43.Last Thursday evening, the case was on Crimewatch.
:08:43. > :08:51.He is a really lovely boy - kind, such a beautiful young man, looking
:08:51. > :08:53.forward to life. This morning, Ashley de Costa said
:08:53. > :09:02.nothing in court other than confirming his name, age and
:09:02. > :09:05.address. The purpose for today's hearing was not for a pleading of
:09:05. > :09:10.guilty or not guilty but for the magistrate to decide whether it is
:09:10. > :09:15.reasonable for him to remain in custody. His barrister did not ask
:09:15. > :09:21.for him to be released so it remained a foregone conclusion. He
:09:21. > :09:24.will remain in custody until his next appearance in March.
:09:24. > :09:27.A Kent MP has called for an independent review into the case of
:09:27. > :09:32.a man who served 25 years in jail for a gangland shooting he claims
:09:32. > :09:37.he didn't commit. Paul Cleeland, who is 67, was jailed in the 1970s
:09:37. > :09:40.for shooting gangland leader Terry Clark. He was released from prison
:09:40. > :09:42.in 1998. Mr Cleeland's MP, Conservative MP Damian Collins,
:09:42. > :09:52.questioned the reliability of forensic evidence presented at the
:09:52. > :09:54.
:09:54. > :09:58.original trial. It seems obvious to me that they
:09:58. > :10:02.had an unreliable expert witness. There were grave problems with his
:10:02. > :10:05.evidence which will surely cast doubt on every other trial at which
:10:05. > :10:08.he has given evidence. Eurostar passengers planning to
:10:08. > :10:11.travel to Belgium over the next two days will have their plans
:10:11. > :10:13.disrupted because of industrial action. A 24-hour strike is due to
:10:13. > :10:17.start in Belgium tomorrow night, meaning services will start and
:10:17. > :10:20.finish at Lille. There will be a limited coach service to Belgium,
:10:20. > :10:24.but Eurostar says it will allow free ticket exchanges for travel on
:10:24. > :10:28.a different day. Rail passengers in the South East
:10:28. > :10:32.will face average fare rises of up 6% in the New Year - above the rate
:10:32. > :10:36.of inflation, but less than the train companies had wanted. A
:10:36. > :10:39.ticket from Ramsgate to London will actually rise by a fraction over 6%,
:10:39. > :10:47.taking the cost for a standard annual season ticket to �4,640 and
:10:47. > :10:54.for a high-speed season ticket to �5,556. Commuters in Brighton will
:10:54. > :10:56.pay 5.6% more, taking an average season ticket to nearly �3,400.
:10:56. > :11:05.Those travelling to the capital from Folkestone will have an
:11:05. > :11:10.increase a shade under 6%, a �300 rise.
:11:10. > :11:14.Said to be Kent's most expensive season-ticket come the new year.
:11:14. > :11:21.Ramsgate to London on a high-speed train will set you back �5,500 a
:11:21. > :11:26.year. Some people fear this is pressing them off the railway.
:11:26. > :11:33.keeps increasing and we have to stop and think what people's wages
:11:33. > :11:37.are. Wages are not increasing so fares should go down. We're herded
:11:37. > :11:41.on like cattle in the morning and that paying extortionate amounts
:11:41. > :11:47.for it. They're going to push people offered it and back onto the
:11:47. > :11:53.roads and more traffic jams. they would increase their service
:11:53. > :11:59.by 6%, I would be amazed. The train companies are able to increase
:11:59. > :12:03.season and peak ticket by 1% above the inflation rate of 5% recorded
:12:03. > :12:07.back in July. It is appalling for passengers that this new year will
:12:07. > :12:12.bring real hardship for those who will have to find hundreds of
:12:12. > :12:15.pounds extra to pay for their welfare. The train company would
:12:15. > :12:20.not be interviewed today saying they felt the spotlight should be
:12:20. > :12:25.on other a operators to but they thought the taxpayer subsidy for
:12:25. > :12:30.railways was being reduced. The insisted some of their real prices
:12:30. > :12:35.were actually being frozen. understand that it is tough times
:12:35. > :12:41.for many people but the background to this is that the government have,
:12:41. > :12:45.over a number of years, had a policy of shifting the amount of
:12:45. > :12:49.support for the rail industry away from taxpayers and on to passengers.
:12:49. > :12:53.It may be of little comfort but some things could have been worse
:12:53. > :12:56.for commuters. The plan was for an 8% increase until the Chancellor
:12:56. > :12:59.ruled it out in his Autumn Statement.
:12:59. > :13:02.The number of sheep killed in an attack in a farmer's field at
:13:03. > :13:06.Wrotham Hill in Kent has risen to 16. We reported yesterday that 15
:13:06. > :13:10.had died - many of them were pregnant. It's thought someone
:13:10. > :13:13.drove into the field in a Land Rover and mowed them down. One
:13:13. > :13:16.sheep was taken to a veterinary surgery in Battle last night but
:13:16. > :13:18.had to be put down because of a broken shoulder. The police are
:13:18. > :13:20.continuing with their investigations.
:13:21. > :13:23.A Barnsley football fan who shouted homophobic abuse at Brighton
:13:23. > :13:27.supporters leaving the Amex stadium has been cautioned by police for
:13:27. > :13:30.using threatening words or behaviour. The incident happened
:13:30. > :13:32.after the match on the 6 of November. The 18-year-old man from
:13:32. > :13:42.Bromley was arrested by Metropolitan Police and bailed to
:13:42. > :13:46.
:13:46. > :13:54.An official opening date has been set for the new Jerwood Gallery in
:13:54. > :13:58.Hastings. -- Hastings. It will open on 17th March. The paintings will
:13:58. > :14:02.be on public display for the first time and the gallery is part of a
:14:02. > :14:07.�9 million redevelopment of the old town.
:14:07. > :14:16.A retired Kent businessman accused of trying to export parts for
:14:16. > :14:20.Iranian missiles has appeared in court today. Christopher Tappin
:14:20. > :14:25.claims she always thought he was exporting car batteries to the
:14:25. > :14:31.Netherlands. He could be extradited to the USA. If he wants to prove
:14:31. > :14:35.his innocence, why does he not just go to America and stand trial?
:14:35. > :14:40.He is worried he will not get a fair trial and could spent many
:14:40. > :14:43.years behind bars waiting for a trial. So today was not about
:14:43. > :14:49.proving his innocence but showing why he believes he should not be
:14:49. > :14:54.extradited. Today was just the latest stage in Christopher
:14:54. > :14:58.Tappin's battle against extradition. Legal arguments over the nature of
:14:58. > :15:04.the charges, and the involvement of undercover American agents, will
:15:04. > :15:08.now be considered by High Court judges. Whether the 65-year-old was
:15:08. > :15:13.involved with the illegal export of batteries for use in Iranian
:15:13. > :15:20.missiles is not their concern. Only whether it is right for him to be
:15:20. > :15:27.taken overseas for trial. The last 20 months have been
:15:27. > :15:33.devastating because of the uncertainty. I wish we could get an
:15:33. > :15:37.outcome. Obviously one which would be beneficial to myself. But it is
:15:37. > :15:43.the dragging on process which could go on, and is going on, for a long
:15:43. > :15:49.period of time. The allegations are that he
:15:49. > :15:55.organised shipping papers for hawk missile batteries. In 2010 he was
:15:55. > :15:58.arrested at dawn in his home at Kent. A district judge rejected his
:15:58. > :16:03.case earlier in the year that extradition should be blocked. The
:16:03. > :16:06.legal team today argued that he had been the victim of a trap. They
:16:06. > :16:13.claim that the company who asked him to ship the batteries and
:16:13. > :16:18.claimed they were for the Dutch car industry was a fake one, set up by
:16:18. > :16:24.American customs. Mr Taplin says he would gladly face trial but with
:16:24. > :16:30.all the witnesses based here this country is the only fair location
:16:30. > :16:33.for that trial. He will be waiting until the New Year at least. But
:16:33. > :16:38.the Americans are determined he should face trial in the United
:16:38. > :16:46.States. They say that the alleged offences broke their laws. If he
:16:46. > :16:51.does go and is found guilty he could face up to 35 years in jail.
:16:51. > :16:57.Our top story: more cuts have been announced by Kent County Council.
:16:57. > :17:07.It will be to around 400 job losses. But there will be more money for
:17:07. > :17:07.
:17:07. > :17:11.children services. Also in the programme: an early Christmas
:17:11. > :17:16.present at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. And a dry, bright December
:17:16. > :17:24.bay. Join me later in the programme for all the details. If you think
:17:24. > :17:34.we should story particular -- cover a particular story, contact us
:17:34. > :17:45.
:17:45. > :17:51.This time last year, Kent teenager across Wilson was a keen table-
:17:51. > :17:56.tennis player who had a most -- mystery medical condition. The
:17:56. > :18:01.diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder was a blow. But now he is
:18:01. > :18:06.eligible to join the Paralympic squad and now the 16-year-old is on
:18:06. > :18:12.course for a place at London 2012. For years he struggled to play the
:18:12. > :18:17.game he loves before being diagnosed with M e d, a genetic
:18:17. > :18:22.condition which limits his movements. But he now trains and
:18:22. > :18:26.plays full-time with the UK Paralympic squad.
:18:26. > :18:32.I never trained and played as much as I did until I joined the
:18:32. > :18:36.Paralympic team. It has been a brilliant experience.
:18:36. > :18:43.He hopes to emulate another outstanding Kent youngster who
:18:43. > :18:48.played in the Beijing Paralympics. He has a great passion for the game.
:18:48. > :18:54.He talks about the sport all the time, watches videos, plays as much
:18:54. > :19:01.as he can. It is a passion he has had for years. It would be amazing
:19:01. > :19:07.if he got to 2012. He now trains five days per week,
:19:07. > :19:13.six hours per day. His remarkable progress includes a silver medal at
:19:13. > :19:20.the European Championships. This time last year, where was he?
:19:20. > :19:23.Now he is ranked No. 8 in the world. I wish him all the best.
:19:23. > :19:28.Ross will find out in May if he has made the squad and is already
:19:28. > :19:34.thinking about 2016. But he knows that could be in jeopardy if his
:19:34. > :19:44.condition deteriorates. I could get kicked out of the squad
:19:44. > :19:53.
:19:53. > :19:56.or never make it to 2016. So it be He is one of Britain's most
:19:56. > :20:01.successful portrait photographers. He has taken shots of rich and
:20:01. > :20:04.powerful figures from Richard Branson to Margaret Thatcher. Now
:20:04. > :20:10.two of his pictures have been bought by the National Portrait
:20:10. > :20:16.Gallery. Our reporter went to meet Mark Harrison in his Tunbridge
:20:16. > :20:20.Wells studio. He has photographed them all.
:20:20. > :20:24.Before I take a picture of anybody I have a quick look on line and see
:20:24. > :20:30.what has already been done. Then I try to find another angle which
:20:30. > :20:36.gives us a little more in sight. I like my pictures of Richard Branson.
:20:36. > :20:44.We managed to crack it. Getting a subject to relax and drop
:20:44. > :20:49.their guard is not always easy. Some subjects are very difficult.
:20:49. > :20:55.Very charming, but very difficult. It was almost as if Al Gore had
:20:55. > :20:57.been briefed by the CIA not to give everything away. I tried everything
:20:57. > :21:02.including meaning across and grabbing his shoulders but he just
:21:03. > :21:08.would not give anything away. So that is one where maybe I did not
:21:08. > :21:18.succeed. His latest project focuses on those
:21:18. > :21:18.
:21:18. > :21:28.who have been awarded distinguished medals by the array F.
:21:28. > :21:29.
:21:29. > :21:36.-- RAF. I just wanted to capture an
:21:36. > :21:46.historic generation. James Gordon was good fun, with lipstick. Tom
:21:46. > :21:55.
:21:55. > :22:02.Daly looked very all in pain. -- all in pain. -- Olympian.
:22:02. > :22:08.When you normally think of new born lambs it is normally springtime.
:22:08. > :22:14.But for a charity in Maidstone it has been different. Just yesterday,
:22:14. > :22:21.Dandeliom Time had an unexpected and early Christmas delivery. Meet
:22:21. > :22:25.Rudolf the lamb. Just 24 hours old. She surprised her owners by being
:22:25. > :22:31.born before Christmas. An unexpected arrival which has
:22:31. > :22:41.delighted everybody who works at the Dandeliom Time charity.
:22:41. > :22:42.
:22:42. > :22:49.This is very rare. They are normally born in the spring. It is
:22:49. > :22:56.a lovely surprise. They thought the alarm was may also
:22:56. > :23:06.called it Rudolf but on closer inspection, she is female. But they
:23:06. > :23:08.
:23:08. > :23:12.decided to stick with the name. She is a hit with the youngsters.
:23:12. > :23:22.Without her white and black she looks like he's a bra. She is cute
:23:22. > :23:32.
:23:32. > :23:42.and fantastic. -- with white and black, she looks like a zebra.
:23:42. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:49.I stroked her father. It feels soft. -- fur.
:23:49. > :23:54.Staying with cute animals, there is just six days to go until Christmas
:23:54. > :23:59.Day and you're probably itching to rip open present. You are not the
:23:59. > :24:04.only ones. Look at these capuchin monkeys at Port Lympne Wild Animal
:24:04. > :24:12.Park. They were given their own presence, wrap top boxes of
:24:12. > :24:17.bandanas and nuts. What a commotion! The head keeper says it
:24:17. > :24:27.is not only a special treat for them, but it also helps keep their
:24:27. > :24:31.
:24:31. > :24:36.And now the weather. Good evening. A crisp December day. Staying dry
:24:36. > :24:41.with decent spells of sunshine. Further rain on the way this
:24:41. > :24:47.evening. A wet but mild start tomorrow. The rain will eventually
:24:47. > :24:54.clear and it will be a dry afternoon but it will state dull.
:24:54. > :24:58.Low-pressure still in control. Fairly breezy for us all. The
:24:58. > :25:08.clouds have been beckoning ahead of a warm front which we will see
:25:08. > :25:13.
:25:13. > :25:19.tonight. -- thickening. A slightly chilly feel to the weather. Rain
:25:19. > :25:27.slowly spreading east winds mean a damp night. Temperatures however
:25:27. > :25:31.average, ranging between three and six degrees. The rain will linger
:25:31. > :25:38.until tomorrow morning but eventually cleared and leave behind
:25:38. > :25:42.cloud. Wind from a north-westerly direction around 50 mph. What is
:25:42. > :25:48.notable is that tomorrow's temperatures will be in double
:25:48. > :25:54.figures. To put that into context, normal for the time of year is
:25:54. > :26:00.around eight Celsius. And last year we did not get up a bar of one
:26:00. > :26:09.Celsius very often. So the weather is certainly mile for the time of
:26:09. > :26:17.year. It will continue as we move and to tomorrow night. It will stay
:26:17. > :26:22.mild and cloudy for Thursday. Particularly into the afternoon.
:26:22. > :26:29.Temperatures still in double figures. There will be a change as
:26:29. > :26:38.we move into Friday. A cold front will spread eastwards. Behind that,
:26:38. > :26:48.the air will be cooler. By the time of the Christmas weekend
:26:48. > :26:57.
:26:57. > :27:01.temperatures will be noticeably Chile again. -- child. -- chilly. A
:27:01. > :27:11.wet picture for Friday and because it is a cold front it will leave
:27:11. > :27:23.