:00:11. > :00:13.Welcome to South East Today. I'm changes to maternity care are
:00:13. > :00:16.announced in east Kent - two midwife-led birthing units will
:00:16. > :00:19.close in Dover and Canterbury. We'll be live in Ashford which will
:00:19. > :00:22.see more midwives recruited. There's record youth unemployment
:00:22. > :00:32.so why did seven people who were offered a job fail to turn up for
:00:32. > :00:34.work? The initial pay we were offering was equivalent to the
:00:34. > :00:37.Jobseeker's Allowance that all seven are currently and were
:00:37. > :00:40.receiving. Also in tonight's programme:
:00:40. > :00:44.The slightest touch - the little girl living with a genetic
:00:44. > :00:48.condition that brings her skin out in blisters.
:00:48. > :00:58.What drought? After weeks of rain, we ask if water levels are any
:00:58. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:09.closer to being restored. And Tim Edey and Brendan Power from
:01:09. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :02:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 62 seconds
:02:11. > :02:16.Kent will be joining us in the Campaigners are not impressed.
:02:16. > :02:21.Home births and birthing unit births are considered to be the
:02:21. > :02:25.future way forward for the NHS and we seem to be decide that we're not
:02:26. > :02:34.going to follow that trend and I think it is bad for the NHS because
:02:34. > :02:44.it is more expensive for mothers to give birth in hospitals and it is
:02:44. > :02:50.
:02:51. > :02:56.also depriving them of choice. Why do you think closing two
:02:56. > :02:59.centres will make things better? This has been about ensuring the
:02:59. > :03:08.best possible care for women who deliver their babies in East Kent
:03:08. > :03:12.every year. By stopping births in the two maternity units in Dover
:03:12. > :03:16.and Canterbury, we have flexibility of staff and we can ensure that all
:03:16. > :03:21.women can have one-to-one care from a midwife.
:03:21. > :03:24.The majority of people wanted to keep the two centres open. So are
:03:24. > :03:28.you ignoring people that took part in your consultation? We have been
:03:29. > :03:33.very moved by some of the stories that we've heard during the public
:03:33. > :03:37.consultation. In particular, we have heard stories from women who
:03:37. > :03:42.have delivered on our consultant- led units.
:03:42. > :03:48.Have you ignored the people who wanted the centres kept open?
:03:48. > :03:53.have not ignored the results of the public consultation. In addition to
:03:53. > :04:01.the questions around the options for maternity care, people have
:04:01. > :04:07.strongly supported the view that co located midwifery units provide the
:04:07. > :04:16.best possibility of a national home life birth. The recruitment process
:04:16. > :04:17.starts now. The two new centres On the day Britain has gone into a
:04:17. > :04:20.double-dip recession, a Kent businessman has claimed some
:04:21. > :04:23.unemployed people simply don't want a job, after several new members of
:04:23. > :04:26.staff failed to report for work. Carl Cooper runs a telephone
:04:27. > :04:31.marketing firm near Canterbury. He was expecting seven new workers to
:04:31. > :04:41.start today, but not one of them turned up. He believes many are
:04:41. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:46.simply happy to claim benefits seven new recruits. We were quite
:04:46. > :04:49.offended. These are people we had spoken to and arranged these
:04:49. > :04:55.positions with. The general feedback was that the initial pay
:04:55. > :04:59.we were offering was equivalent to what they could take home from the
:04:59. > :05:03.Jobseeker's Allowance payments that all seven were and are receiving.
:05:03. > :05:07.REPORTER: They would rather stay on the benefits? It seems to be the
:05:07. > :05:16.case. Personally, I can't relate to that attitude.
:05:16. > :05:21.Under 25s can get up to �54.25 for Jobseeker's Allowance. Karl Smart
:05:21. > :05:31.were offering �100 a week retainer fee plus commission meaning wages
:05:31. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:39.could be �300. Karl Cooper said the seven who didn't turn up today were
:05:39. > :05:47.recruited via the YouGov website. He has been at the Jobcentre
:05:47. > :05:52.begging them to send him applicants. Those people who can can show no
:05:52. > :05:56.work experience, why not? It is a question of being able to
:05:56. > :06:00.demonstrate the attitude. We have got to change the ethic and
:06:00. > :06:04.we have got to make painful decisions on benefits and we are in
:06:04. > :06:10.the process of introducing changes. Jobseekers in Canterbury insist
:06:10. > :06:16.they want to work. Is it telesales or sales? A lot of
:06:16. > :06:24.people don't want to do it, but I would take any job. I think that is
:06:24. > :06:29.wrong. I mean I don't sit on benefits and I'm disabled. And I
:06:29. > :06:33.would rather work. The Jobcentre insists it has and
:06:33. > :06:43.will continue to work with Karl Smart to allow the company to
:06:43. > :06:43.
:06:43. > :11:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 62 seconds
:11:04. > :11:09.It lacks the quality venues needed to attract national teams. Ian
:11:09. > :11:17.Palmer is at only accredited Olympic venue now. Ian, what is the
:11:17. > :11:21.criticism? Poly, imagine if we could get long limbed beach
:11:21. > :11:26.volleyball players training ahead of the Olympics, that's what they
:11:26. > :11:31.want to see, but can they make it happen?
:11:31. > :11:36.The moment it all began. But the Olympics won't be come to go this
:11:36. > :11:41.jam nastics club in Hove. The converted church was on a Russian
:11:41. > :11:45.federation's list of possible training venues, but coaches had to
:11:45. > :11:52.turn them away and their much needed money. I have been in the
:11:52. > :11:54.sport for about 30 years and I am just sad for the children of
:11:54. > :12:00.Brighton and Hove that they don't have a facility, that's worthy of
:12:00. > :12:03.their abilities. Down the road, this venue is good
:12:03. > :12:07.enough. This sport centre has the stamp of approval. It has been
:12:07. > :12:10.verified as Olympic standard. It is fantastic and we are most
:12:11. > :12:15.excited for the locals and the regulars who play here all year
:12:15. > :12:18.around in winter and in rain and on days like this, for them to see
:12:18. > :12:22.other people playing at such a high level and be inspired to keep
:12:22. > :12:26.training themselves. Who is coming to the South East
:12:26. > :12:31.this summer? Well, in all, 20 squads will be heading this way in
:12:31. > :12:37.a few weeks time. 14 of them will be based in Kent. The others are in
:12:37. > :12:47.Sussex. Many of them will call the K 2 Sports Centre home for the
:12:47. > :12:51.Games. Kent County Council says its success in attracting interest was
:12:52. > :12:57.down to hard work. We sent a message worldwide, "Come
:12:57. > :13:00.to Kent for training. Come to Kent for tourism." We set up a structure
:13:00. > :13:05.and we are rolling that out. London won the Games partly because
:13:06. > :13:10.of its commitment to building a legacy for sports participation,
:13:10. > :13:14.particularly amongst young people. One councillor in Brighton,
:13:14. > :13:18.believes sports enthusiasts, young and old have been let down.
:13:18. > :13:23.We are a city in the top quarter in the country for people taking part
:13:23. > :13:27.in sport, but through lack of investment over many, many years,
:13:27. > :13:31.we are poor in facilities. In a few weeks time, the most
:13:31. > :13:35.gifted athletes in the world will be here. They will entertain,
:13:35. > :13:44.astound and in some cases inspire us. The fear is when they leave,
:13:44. > :13:48.rather than a sporting legacy, all It is all about creating those, "I
:13:48. > :13:51.remember when." Moments particularly for children and if we
:13:51. > :14:01.can even here in Brighton, who knows that might lead to more gold
:14:01. > :14:03.
:14:03. > :14:10.Two birthing centres in Canterbury and Dover are to close. They will
:14:10. > :14:14.be replaced by new mid-wife led units in Ashford and Margate.
:14:14. > :14:21.Those campaigning to keep the existing centres open say their
:14:21. > :14:31.views have been ignored. Does this endless rain mean an end
:14:31. > :14:35.
:14:35. > :14:45.to the drought soon? And the fabulous sound of folk. We
:14:45. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:51.Ciara Paczensky from Dartford is a little girl doing her best to live
:14:51. > :14:58.a normal life, despite having to deal with a skin skin that's so
:14:58. > :15:08.serious that the slightest bump brings her out in blisters. She has
:15:08. > :15:17.
:15:17. > :15:19.a condition called epidermolysis of getting Ciara ready in the
:15:19. > :15:23.morning. It hurts her, but she has to wear them to give her skin some
:15:23. > :15:27.protection. It limits her ability to interact
:15:27. > :15:31.with everybody else because you have to be careful of bumps and
:15:31. > :15:35.knocks, bruises, the slightest touch can sheer her skin off. She
:15:35. > :15:39.is bandaged from neck to foot on a daily basis.
:15:39. > :15:44.Ciara's parents didn't know she had the condition until the day she was
:15:44. > :15:49.born. Even as a baby, her skin was so fragile any contact brought her
:15:49. > :15:57.out in blisters. There is no cure. It is just
:15:57. > :16:00.something she and the family had to learn to live with.
:16:01. > :16:08.Sometimes I get lumps. REPORTER: Does it hurt?
:16:08. > :16:13.You are a very brave girl, aren't you? Do you just get used to, do
:16:13. > :16:20.you think? I do look after my sister. Sometimes she is a little
:16:20. > :16:25.annoying actually, but not always. The family have some help. Nicola
:16:25. > :16:29.works for a local charity and comes every morning to help with Ciara's
:16:29. > :16:33.bandages and even though it is painful when they have to be
:16:33. > :16:41.changed, this six-year-old is determined to lead a normal life.
:16:41. > :16:43.I don't think there is a "I can't." In Ciara's vocabulary.
:16:43. > :16:47.That's what her last school report said.
:16:47. > :16:51.She is determined not to be singled out in anything. The children are
:16:51. > :16:54.very, very caring and they go out of their way to make sure she is
:16:54. > :16:59.safe. Ciara's parents say her condition
:16:59. > :17:09.won't limit her life expectancy and she is not letting it limit her
:17:09. > :17:11.
:17:11. > :17:15.life either. It has been 20 days since a
:17:15. > :17:21.hosepipe ban was introduced and since then it rained and rained and
:17:21. > :17:25.rained! Especially today when 25 millimetres fell across the South
:17:25. > :17:29.East. The Environment Agency is maintaining that even so, it is far
:17:29. > :17:32.from being enough to end the drought. Our environment
:17:32. > :17:38.correspondent Yvette Austin has been investigating.
:17:38. > :17:43.One of the environmental agency's most vital weapons against flooding,
:17:43. > :17:47.this barrier. It holds back water to prevent Tunbridge flooding along
:17:47. > :17:52.with towns and villages downstream. But it has not been called into
:17:52. > :17:59.action since March 2010 and whilst the river is swollen now, the level
:17:59. > :18:05.is expected to be just temporary. the past few weeks which has been
:18:05. > :18:10.helpful for our river levels. We do expect as soong as the rain -- --
:18:10. > :18:14.soon as the rain stops for river levels to reduce to what they were
:18:14. > :18:18.before and we will see danger for ecology in our rivers. The recent
:18:18. > :18:23.downpours meant the average amount of rain for April has fallen.
:18:23. > :18:29.Anything else is extra. It has been a welcome boost to this reservoir
:18:29. > :18:34.which at the beginning of the year stood at 40% full. Southern Water
:18:34. > :18:37.began pumping into it. In these recent wet weeks, the level has
:18:37. > :18:44.risen by a further 6%. Much of that is down to the fact that they have
:18:44. > :18:47.been able to pump extra water from the River Medway into here. But the
:18:47. > :18:51.level is 20% lower than what it should be at this time of year and
:18:51. > :18:55.this is a fraction of our drinking water supply. Most of our water
:18:55. > :19:00.comes from underground suppliers like this borehole in Sussex. The
:19:00. > :19:03.rain will have done little to improve water levels deep down.
:19:03. > :19:08.Coming into the summer period, we are way off. We are looking for
:19:08. > :19:09.weeks, if not months of rainfall before we get near close to getting
:19:09. > :19:13.the resource levels back to where they should be.
:19:13. > :19:22.The hosepipe ban remains as does the prospect of restrictions next
:19:22. > :19:27.Of course, we will have a full weather forecast for the next dull
:19:27. > :19:31.ug later on! Tim Edey and Brendan Power have
:19:31. > :19:37.been regulars on the folk scene in Kent for years. Now their talent
:19:37. > :19:43.has been recognised on a wider stage. They scooped to awards at
:19:43. > :19:53.the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards earlier this year. First, here is a glimpse
:19:53. > :20:06.
:20:06. > :20:14.Now we are joined by Brendan Power and by Tim Edey. Harmonica and what
:20:14. > :20:19.is this? Well, this is a squeeze box! I like squeeze box.
:20:19. > :20:24.You have been performing together as a duo for 18 months. How did
:20:24. > :20:34.that come about? We have known each other, I moved down to East Kent
:20:34. > :20:46.
:20:46. > :20:49.about ten years ago and Tim I got grew up in Broadstairs and I saw
:20:49. > :20:52.Brendan headline that in 94, but he is still young.
:20:52. > :20:58.You have only been taking it seriously for 18 months and already
:20:58. > :21:03.you have been named as the best folk musicians in the country.
:21:03. > :21:09.have We have got a really good agent and that helps a lot. Our
:21:09. > :21:17.first album got a lot of play. You were on Jools Holland last
:21:17. > :21:25.night. Yes, we were playing with the
:21:25. > :21:32.Chieftans. How was that? Last night was great.
:21:32. > :21:37.Yeah, Nora Jones was on it. I was there, this guy from Broadstairs.
:21:37. > :21:41.You were star struck? I really was star struck. You are not going big
:21:41. > :21:45.time on it, you have got an important gig coming up in a couple
:21:45. > :21:49.of weeks in Canterbury? That's right. We are calling it our folk
:21:49. > :21:56.award celebration show! It is our first gig in Kent since we won the
:21:56. > :22:03.award. It is a fantastic hall in Canterbury. There is a great crew
:22:03. > :22:13.keeping it going. Part of the proceeds are going to keep the
:22:13. > :22:16.Westgate Hall going. both do. I mean we have played a
:22:16. > :22:21.lot locally. Not only is it our folk celebration for the awards, it
:22:21. > :22:23.is just really nice toll come together in a venue -- to come
:22:23. > :22:27.together in a venue that was in danger of closing.
:22:27. > :22:32.And that's on the 12th May. We expect to see you guys.
:22:32. > :22:38.We are going to hear you play some stuff in the studio.
:22:38. > :22:39.You are going to play us out. Now You are going to play us out. Now
:22:39. > :22:42.we will get a check on the weather. Good evening.
:22:42. > :22:45.It has been a wet and windy day. We have had a Met Office warning out
:22:45. > :22:50.about the rain and that will be valid to 11pm. Tomorrow, it is a
:22:50. > :22:55.day of blustery showers. Those winds easing off a touch. But
:22:55. > :22:59.between 25 to to 30mph. Another wet and windy picture. The reason for
:22:59. > :23:06.the wet weather, this deep area of low pressure has been spreading
:23:06. > :23:10.north-east wards today. We had rain showers. As you can tell from the
:23:10. > :23:14.tightly spaced isobars, a gusty day. The south easterly winds up to
:23:14. > :23:18.20mph. Temperatures not too bad, between 11 and 12 Celsius, but
:23:18. > :23:23.feeling cooler with the wind and the rain. Rain through the first
:23:23. > :23:27.part of tonight. That will clear. We are going to be left with cloud
:23:27. > :23:31.and scattered showers. It will abmild night -- be a mild night.
:23:31. > :23:35.Lows of 8 or 9 Celsius. A cloudy, mild start to the day tomorrow. Low
:23:35. > :23:38.pressure very much in control of things. As you can see, we are
:23:38. > :23:43.going to be holding on to the winds now from a south-westerly direction,
:23:43. > :23:49.around 25 to 30mph. Scattered, heavy showers for us all. Away from
:23:49. > :23:55.the showers, sunshine. Temperatures up to highs of 13 or 4114 Celsius.
:23:55. > :23:59.-- 14 Celsius. It will be a mild picture tomorrow night.
:23:59. > :24:03.Temperatures not dropping much below 8 or 9 Celsius. Friday, it
:24:03. > :24:08.looks to be a cloudy and dry picture. Temperatures again 13 or
:24:08. > :24:12.14 Celsius. Some level of uncertainty as we we head towards
:24:12. > :24:16.the weekend on the timings. It looks like a dry start to Saturday.
:24:16. > :24:20.Wet and windy for Sunday. Dry for a film, but further rain for month.
:24:20. > :24:25.Lots of much needed rain in the forecast. Temperatures around
:24:25. > :24:32.average, but the wind and the rain and feeling cooler than the numbers