08/10/2013 South East Today

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

Tonight's top stories: The authorities in Calais are criticised

for not doing more to help the Syrians seeking asylum in this

country. We're live in France with the latest.

The plans for a heritage theme park in Margate — but there are fears

about how much it could cost the taxpayer.

We are confident it will pay for itself. We have done the sums and we

have got really good people in place.

Also in tonight's programme: The threat of professional wild mushroom

pickers to our forest eco systems. We take a close up view of the

repainting of the Beachy Head lighthouse.

Hello, and welcome to jazz club. Great. Really great. And we chat to

John Thomson, who's Good evening. The French are under

pressure tonight to provide shelter for Syrian would—be asylum seekers

who say they would get better treatment in England. A group of

about 50 Syrians demonstrating in Calais believe they have the right

to claim asylum in England. The United Nations says France is

obliged to house the men, but is failing to accommodate them. Peter

obliged to house the men, but is Whittlesea reports from Calais.

This scrap of land in Calais is home to around 50 Syrians. According to

the UN, only eight have claimed asylum in France. The rest are not

entitled to any state aid. This man believes refugees have better

prospects in Britain. I have to find some way to get there. But you will

be deported, because you have come through France, a safe country? Yes,

but I don't think they will say anything. Every Syrian I spoke to

believes if they do not claim asylum in any other European country,

Britain will accept them. But refugees must claim asylum in the

first safe country. In the past we were a safe touch —— soft touch. Now

we have got a stronger system. We have toughened up. We needed to make

sure that people from overseas understand Britain is no longer a

soft touch. In France, a single man would add —— receive accommodation

and £65 a week. In the UK, accommodation and £36 per week.

But the charity workers in France say there is a big difference

between theory and practice. The procedure is faster in England and

people get accommodation from the beginning. They don't stay in the

streets for weeks and months. It is a bit different. The British

government is abiding by the law and the French government isn't? Yes.

There are mixed feelings over whether Syrian asylum seekers should

be allowed into Britain. Why can't lay claim asylum in France,

especially the Syrians, who have links with France? If they don't

like how they are treated, anybody should have the choice. The

infrastructure in this country is straining under the leash and we

cannot afford any more subscribers. The vast majority of Syrian families

with young children have now been found accommodation. But the single

men are still sleeping wrath. Peter is in Calais. —— still sleeping

wrath. In theory they would be better off claiming asylum in France

than the UK? That is right. Mathematically you get more money in

France and the UK. But the pressure for housing here in Calais is so

huge that only the most vulnerable will be given accommodation. If you

are a single male, you are unlikely to be given accommodation and you

will live on the street. The UN says that is because so many people flock

to Calais, the authorities cannot cope. Because there is the option of

living on the streets are getting accommodation in Britain, for a

certain number of asylum seekers, Britain remains an attractive

option. A heritage park will be built in

Margate on the site of the old Dreamland attraction, and the

council claim it will bring thousands of tourists into the town.

But as the High Court today ruled that the council's plans could go

ahead, the site's former owners warned that it will needlessly cost

the local taxpayers a fortune. Dreamland's closure was announced in

2003 and the land was sold for housing and development. But in

2011, the council issued a compulsory purchase order to take

over the site, as no work had begun. The owners objected, but in May this

year the High Court ruled that the compulsory purchase order should

stand. The owners then went to appeal, and today that appeal has

been lost. Sara Smith is in Margate now. Sara, good news for the

council? Yes, a relief for the Council, especially because the

company that did on this land has said it will not take legal action

any further. In a rather furious statement, they said there was no

evidence that Thanet Council or the trust that will run the park have

got any experience of setting up a successful amusement arcade. They

have ended up going on hand for money from the taxpayers and the

council. They said they did not even have the money to buy the land now

that they have won permission. The council says the funding is in

place. And they say they will make a success of it. In the good old

days, it attracted visitors from far and wide.

Are the good days coming back? The council has £10 million in

government and lottery grants to get Dreamland open. After that, it needs

to pay for itself. We are confident it will pay for itself. We have done

the sums and we have got good people in place. Wayne Hemingway is doing

the design. There will be a lot of publicity. It is something that will

snowball once it opens. Wayne Hemingway agrees, convinced his

vision will bring in the crowds. We need to attract people from all

around the UK to think about Margate and Dreamland as a destination. It

is hard work. We are going into this believing we can succeed. Choking

the private company of the site does mean the council and local people

carry all the risk. —— throwing the private company. If it goes wrong,

there is a risk to the taxpayer in Margate. Take the bet, make it

work, but chase the council to make sure it is a first—rate development.

The council plan for heritage rides and a festival space, needs to be

attractive enough to pull in the punters.

That is all right for locals. Otherwise people will go for modern

theme parks. I used to go there all the time with my mates. It is better

than Thorpe Park. It has been there forever. I have only seen on the

telly her dilapidated it looks. I don't think it will affect me. Phase

one should open in 18 months. Then Thanet Council's plans will face the

fiercest of all judges, the public. The council is convinced it does

have a winner here. They are expecting even more visitors than

they had originally planned for. Coming up in a moment, Norman Baker

and a conspiracy of spies. Why the Liberal Democrat MP has moved ——

Liberal Democrat MP's move to the Home Office has ruffled some

feathers. Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner

says she wants a "street savvy" Youth Commissioner and will have the

right person in position by Christmas. This morning, Ann Barnes

was scrutinised over the selection of Paris Brown, who quit after

inappropriate comments on Twitter. The commissioner accepts

responsibility for failing to get social networking vetting checks

done on the teenager, but says lessons have been learned. Colin

Campbell was at the meeting and has this report.

I don't want people judging me based on a few stupid things which I wrote

and didn't mean. Paris Brown sensationally quit as Youth

Commissioner after she had made a series of offensive comments. It is

an appropriate system to use. Today Kent Police and Crime Commissioner

Ann Barnes was questioned over how the teenager was treated. Ann Barnes

accepts responsibility for not requesting social media checks. She

fell at the last fence because the social networking vetting was not

done. The rest was fine. This is the same system used to recruit police

officers. You are dealing with a young person and the process of

interviewing that young person was too sophisticated. They missed

social media. Ann Barnes says she will have a new Youth Commissioner

in post by Christmas. She was the person to beat street savvy. The

Police and Crime Commissioners says social media will be scrutinised.

There is still support for a Youth Commissioner. Somebody who is not

silly and is responsible for what they say. It is a good idea because

you get a young person's perspective. There are concerns the

candidate could become the focus of intense media —— media scrutiny. It

will always be difficult for anybody who takes on this role. They will be

seen through the fiasco. For obvious reasons, I don't want this to

impinge on his or her work. Ann Barnes says lessons have been

learned. She is not looking for an angel, just a single voice to

represent the voice of young people. We'd like to know what you think —

does Kent need a Youth Commissioner? Or should the force spend £15,000 on

something else? You can email us or join the debate on Facebook.

something else? You can email us or A man who punched and kicked his

pregnant girlfriend in the stomach has been jailed for 11 years by Hove

Crown court. 33—year—old Devon Newell from Peckham in London

attacked the 20—year old at her home in Eastbourne in October, whilst she

was in the bath. He tried to strangle her and held her under

water. She was partly blinded in one eye but the baby was unharmed.

A Sussex MP has called for an emergency Commons debate after he

was issued a harassment warning notice by police. Tim Loughton was

issued the notice after he referred to a constituent as "unkempt". The

issue will be debated in the Commons tomorrow after any urgent questions

or statements. The Liberal Democrats have been

defending the decision to appoint the Lewes MP Norman Baker to a

ministerial role at the Home Office in yesterday's reshuffle. Critics

have questioned the appointment of Mr Baker, who wrote a book claiming

that the security services were involved in a cover—up over the

death of government scientist Dr David Kelly. But the Chief Secretary

to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, says Mr Baker will be an excellent

Home Office minister. Louise Stewart is at Westminster. Louise, his

appointment appears to have caused a bit of a row — why do you think it's

been so controversial? Has it come as a surprise? His appointment came

as a big surprise. He had been at the Department of Transport for

three years. He was a great advocate of cycling and railways. This move

came out of the blue. It has caused controversy. As a backbench MP he

took a year off to write a book about the death of Doctor David

Kelly. He suggested that he had not committed suicide but that it was a

case of murder perhaps covered up by security services for political

expediency. He will also try to inject some liberalism into the Home

Office. Norman Baker said he had already spoken to Theresa May and

said they will work well together. It is a calculated attempt to make

sure that a liberal voices heard in a constructive, collegiate way, with

my Conservative colleagues. It is an attempt to work together in a

mature, constructive way. He is looking forward to working with

Theresa May. He actually seemed quite happy at transport. Why was he

moved? The premise to's spokesman would not comment on the appointment

today other than to say it was down to the party leaders. This was Nick

Clegg's idea to inject a liberal into the Home Office to take the

fight to Theresa May over immigration, the scrapping of the

human rights act and also tackling crime.

Our top story tonight: The French are under pressure tonight to

provide shelter for Syrian would—be asylum seekers gathering in Calais

who say they want to move to England. The United Nations says

France is obliged to house the men — but is failing to accommodate them.

Also on the programme: on the show today, Jackson... We will be

chatting to John Thompson about his latest incarnation as a Yorkshire

man on holiday in Blackpool. Today was another good day. Significantly

colder for the next few days. Join me later.

It is predicted to be a bumper year for wild mushrooms following a warm

September — but there are fears that gangs could strip the local area of

all Fungi, to then sell the crop on for profit. It is not illegal to

forage for mushrooms, but according to the Wild Mushroom Pickers' Code

of Conduct, pickers should always seek the landowner's or site

manager's permission. Do not collect species you don't intend to eat. And

you should only pick enough for personal consumption — or not more

than 1.5kg per visit. Alex Beard has tonight's special report.

If you know what you are looking for, the forest floor can provide a

free dinner. The main one is that everybody is after... Here we have a

perfect example. In this country they are known as a penny bond. This

is what everybody is after. A kilo of these would probably go for

anything between 25p to £40. Nik Weston runs foraging classes. He has

seen signs of illegal foraging. A large group of people have come in,

they have swept a large area of the forest, been told to pick

everything. Then they just go and dump the ones they cannot sell.

Picking things from the wild is not illegal, as long as you are doing it

for your own personal use. It becomes theft when you are nicking a

profit. Something like this is very desirable because in large

quantities it is worth a lot of money. Foraged food continues to

feature on many top menu. —— many top menus. But signs of mass picking

is concerning to experts. They provide the seed sauce for the next

generation. If they are all picked, there is not going to be any

generations in the future. It could be disastrous. This is not foraging,

it is pillaging. There are calls for more governments to stop organised

groups from curing the harvest. —— clearing.

You may remember him best as Pete in cold feed. You remember —— you may

remember his characters from the fast show. Nice. In just a moment,

we would be chatting live with John Thompson from Brighton, where he is

going to be on stage tonight, playing a Yorkshire man on holiday.

Here is a quick reminder of him in action. An actor and comedian, John

Thomson is best known for Cold Feet. I see they have managed to get that

beach —— get that whale love the beach in Cornwall. I don't know why

I said that! Since then he has had us in stitches on sketch shows.

Hello and welcome to jazz club. Great. Really great. Not to mention

joining the cast of Waterloo Road. I've never seen you in a suit

before. He has even impressed judges on Masterchef. What is that you have

done? I have rolled it in the egg, put it in a bit of flour and deep

fried it. It tastes really nice. Like calamari. Now he is about to

dazzle audiences in Brighton as he takes to the stage at the Theatre

Royal. John Thomson joins us now. We have just seen some of the stuff you

have done over the years. You are a Mancunian playing a Yorkshire man.

Is that the toughest role of your career? Well, some of the vowel

sounds are different. I have had to work the accents to get it

authentic. It is still a learning curve. That has been the only

problem. I have got a good year for accidents. I don't think it is going

to rekindle the War of the Roses, to be honest. We have just seen your

incredible career. You have barely left our screens over the last

couple of decades. What do people remember you for most? Cold Feet and

the fast show seem to be the strongest things in my career. I

still get people coming up to me on the street saying, nice. Which I

responded to with, great. Cold Feet was ground—breaking in its time and

people still ask if it is coming back. I cannot really answer that.

Yes, those are two things I am very proud of. You are on a tour at the

moment. Is that quite tough for you being away from the family? It is,

yes. A lot of the tour dates are a southern —based. If you live in

London, it is immutable. After Aylesbury I get to go to Derby. Most

nights I will come home after Derby. And Chesterfield, too. Yes,

this three—week run has been Richmond, Brighton, Aylesbury. I

only have had half a day with them. I am relying on Skype to speak to

the kids. That is one of the toughest parts of touring. But I do

love the fact that you get to see different places all the time and

explore the town you're staying in. You are in a good place to enjoy the

night. Yes, the audience were cracking last night. The reviews

have been brilliant. Tonight I'm really looking forward to the show.

Enjoy it. Thank you Brett much. Thank you so much. Cheers.

Kent police Commissioner Ann Barnes once a street savvy Youth

Commissioner and she says she will have the right person in position by

Christmas. We asked you what you think. Does Kent need a Youth

Commissioner? We have had lots of comments. Tony cannot see the point

of a Youth Commissioner after the Police and Crime Commissioner made

such a mess of the first one. Chris says, come on, let's support this.

It is a chance for an educated and intelligent youngster to do a

worthwhile job. Ralph says, bring back Paris Brown. Politicians often

make inappropriate comments and get away with it. But Michael King says,

it is yet another total waste of public money. Rodney Hughes believes

that as well. Of course we do not need another Youth Commissioner.

There is too much emphasis on youth. And Lucy referred to the story we

digested a involving Kent police. She says, let's spend this £15,000

on staff and police officers in overtime to man the remembrance

parade in Chatham. It is good to see the police listening to the youth of

our country but the press should not try to attack the person who steps

into this role as happened last time. Thank you for your comments.

Time for the weather. Incredibly warm today for October. I know.

Today, another day when you could have been out and about in T—shirts.

In the next couple of days, a big drop in those temperatures. It is

good to be very windy. Gale force winds. Not so today. Plenty of

sunshine, particularly in the morning. Decent temperatures for the

time of the year. 19 to 20 degrees. A very pleasant day indeed. Through

tonight we have got a cold front. Some more cloud cover. We could see

some light patchy rain and drizzle. The wind is picking up a little bit.

Temperatures again very mild for the time of the year. Dropping to 12 or

13 degrees. As we start the day tomorrow, it will be overcast,

particularly in the morning. The winds are going to start picking up

and they will be swinging in a north—westerly direction.

Temperatures dropping several degrees on today's values. Highs of

around 15 or 16 degrees. The chance of a scattered light shower. Through

tomorrow evening, we see that cloud eventually lifting. Clearer skies.

Temperatures dropping widely for all of us to single figures. Overnight

lows of five or six degrees. A cold start on Thursday. But quite bright.

The winds on Thursday gusting to 50 mph on the coast. Inland, still

quite breezy. The chance of outbreaks of rain. It stays cool as

we move into Friday. The wind staying strong as well. Temperatures

at 13 or 14 degrees. Hefty rain. As we head into the weekend, unsettled

and cool. It has been lovely in the last few days, but quite a shift for

the rest of the week. Thank you very much. Former Brighton manager Gus

Poyet has been named as head coach of Premiership side Sunderland.

Poyet — who was sacked by the Seagulls in June —

A French company is going to be in Kent are trying to produce

cross—channel business opportunities in the next couple of days.

With its own cocoa bean plantations in South America, more than 20 shops

and a busy factory near Calais, this chocolate manufacturer has set its

sights on the UK market. I think if you want to make yourself known in a

country, you go there and say hello to anybody you can meet. I think

word—of—mouth spreads. They are one of dozens of firms trying to forge

business links with companies here. Kent people are close by. They

probably do not realise the potential that exists an hour and a

half on —— from where they live. We understand each other better. We can

become an entry. We can be even more competitive. The event in Tunbridge

Wells is open to anybody interested in trade with northern France. And

the share in a £150 billion market between the two countries. We are

sorry we could not bring you the report about the painting of the

Beachy Head lighthouse. We do hope to have it for you tomorrow. Indeed

we do. I will be back at eight o'clock and the main News at

10:25pm. Before we go, let's look at the national and local top stories.

16 to 24—year—olds in England and Northern Ireland lag far behind

young people in other industrialised countries when it comes to literacy

and numerous Eid tests, according to a report. The French authorities are

under pressure tonight to provide shelter and care to Syrian asylum

seekers in Calais. The UN says France is obliged to has the men.

That is it. Goodbye.