:00:08. > :00:09.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.
:00:10. > :00:17.Tonight's top stories: Two centuries of military tradition under
:00:18. > :00:21.threat claims an MP, as a petition's launched
:00:22. > :00:23.to save a Kent barracks the Government plans to close.
:00:24. > :00:25.We're live at Invicta Barracks in Maidstone.
:00:26. > :00:27.Grammar schools may ask parents for hundreds of pounds
:00:28. > :00:29.a year headteachers warn because of concerns
:00:30. > :00:32.Also in tonight's programme: The smartphone app pioneered in Kent
:00:33. > :00:36.that is helping relieve pressure on A departments.
:00:37. > :00:38.The time-travelling photographer who's created a series
:00:39. > :00:40.of images of Tunbridge Wells, now and then.
:00:41. > :00:49.The Sussex exhibition which aims to explore how people interact
:00:50. > :01:01.The Government's been accused of breaking more than two centuries
:01:02. > :01:04.of military tradition with plans to close a Kent Army barracks,
:01:05. > :01:06.as a petition to try save it is launched
:01:07. > :01:13.Helen Grant says shutting Invicta Barracks in Maidstone
:01:14. > :01:17.would have a detrimental impact on the town.
:01:18. > :01:19.The closure was announced last November as part of a swathe
:01:20. > :01:27.The Government is aiming to build more than 55,000 homes
:01:28. > :01:33.Hundreds of years of military history is set to come to an end
:01:34. > :01:36.when the army march out of Maidstone for the final time in
:01:37. > :01:40.Launching a petition against the closure,
:01:41. > :01:42.the local MP says it will have a huge impact,
:01:43. > :01:46.particularly on the Gurkha soldiers who served there.
:01:47. > :01:50.800 soldiers and their families will have to move.
:01:51. > :01:56.There will be a huge impact on the town, not just
:01:57. > :01:59.And there will be a break in 200 years
:02:00. > :02:03.The barracks were first established in Maidstone
:02:04. > :02:06.in around 1797, with the threat of Napoleon across the Channel.
:02:07. > :02:10.The site's been home to the 36 Engineer
:02:11. > :02:12.Regiment since 1959, but it was announced late last year
:02:13. > :02:36.Our state has failed to adapt. It is inefficient and costs ?2.5 billion a
:02:37. > :02:40.year to maintain and 40% of our built assets are more than 50 years
:02:41. > :02:46.old. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the sale forms part of
:02:47. > :02:50.a better defence estate strategy and ensure a modern estate fit for
:02:51. > :02:54.personnel and their families. They say there will be better facilities
:02:55. > :02:58.to train Armed Forces and more stability for those in the military
:02:59. > :03:05.network. In Maidstone, not everyone see the logic. A shame, because it
:03:06. > :03:12.has been here a long time. I haven't got a clue what will happen to the
:03:13. > :03:17.Gurkhas, so that's a concern. I think the Gurkhas are very decent
:03:18. > :03:28.people and well liked here. So you'll be sad to see them go? Yes.
:03:29. > :03:31.So it is to be closed in ten years? It is not so good. The clock is
:03:32. > :03:32.ticking towards closure. Simon in in Maidstone now -
:03:33. > :03:48.Simon, how likely is Helen Grant's Well, she said she will fight to the
:03:49. > :03:52.end and is planning to present the petition to the Ministry of Defence
:03:53. > :03:56.by Easter time. She said she does not want this barracks to go and be
:03:57. > :04:02.replaced by thousands of houses. But there is a form on this because a
:04:03. > :04:05.barracks in Canterbury has been and housing is earmarked for that site.
:04:06. > :04:10.The Connacht barracks in Dover has been closed for that reason, too. So
:04:11. > :04:12.you can see the direction of travel for the Government, so she may have
:04:13. > :04:13.a tough fight. The head teacher of a Kent Grammar
:04:14. > :04:16.school says they'll be forced to ask parents for a voluntary contribution
:04:17. > :04:21.of almost ?200 a year Cranbrook School says it's due
:04:22. > :04:24.to consult with parents This comes as the Grammar
:04:25. > :04:27.School Heads Association of its members will be the biggest
:04:28. > :04:31.losers under planned That's despite Government plans
:04:32. > :04:34.to create new grammar schools. Our Education correspondent
:04:35. > :04:48.Bryony MacKenzie has more. Held up as an example of educational
:04:49. > :04:52.excellence by the Government, controversially given the money for
:04:53. > :04:56.expansion, but is the financial rug being pulled from underneath some of
:04:57. > :05:01.the best performing schools in the country? We are very perturbed about
:05:02. > :05:05.the scale of what is proposed. Unfortunately, in order to do some
:05:06. > :05:09.of the things we've traditionally offered it, particularly sporting
:05:10. > :05:13.and creative, sometimes in supporting individual students with
:05:14. > :05:16.special needs, we will need parents to help us with our annual giving
:05:17. > :05:32.scheme. This school will ask for voluntary amount of
:05:33. > :05:34.?180 a year. According to the grammar school heads Association,
:05:35. > :05:36.103 of the 163 grammar schools nationally will lose funding under
:05:37. > :05:40.the proposed formula. Eight will lose out in Kent and four are set to
:05:41. > :05:45.lose almost 3%. School funding has become a hot issue. Every secondary
:05:46. > :05:50.headteacher in west Sussex wrote to their MP asking for short. The
:05:51. > :05:55.addressed and warned of shorter school days and bigger classes. On
:05:56. > :05:58.average, schools facing cost increases of about 8% over the
:05:59. > :06:05.course of this Parliament. Schools are winning will receive at most
:06:06. > :06:10.around 5.5%. It is not fair, because not everyone has that money. People
:06:11. > :06:15.work hard to get into grammar schools and sugar free schooling
:06:16. > :06:20.like everyone else. I would be happy to contribute, I think it is a
:06:21. > :06:24.nominal amount and worth it. Grammar schools have far fewer disadvantaged
:06:25. > :06:28.children, which is all funding is formulated. The Department for
:06:29. > :06:29.Education says the new formula is based on need rather than postcode
:06:30. > :06:32.and is fairer for all. It's hard to see grammar schools
:06:33. > :06:35.as needing more money when you compare them to schools
:06:36. > :06:46.in disadvantaged areas. Absolutely. There is only one pot of
:06:47. > :06:51.cash, so grammar schools want more, are they taking from schools who may
:06:52. > :06:55.have more less well off people's? The grammar heads Association says
:06:56. > :06:59.they need a minimum funding for everyone and many grammar schools
:07:00. > :07:04.are not getting out. Grammar are funded at the same as nonselective
:07:05. > :07:07.is, but it may be that some of the parents of grammar school pupils
:07:08. > :07:11.from more middle-income families. But today, I was told there is lots
:07:12. > :07:14.of support for grammar schools from the Government, incentives and money
:07:15. > :07:16.for expansion, but when it comes to the court funding, all schools are
:07:17. > :07:25.in the same boat. Coming up: how a third of Kent
:07:26. > :07:28.Police time is now spent dealing with people undergoing mental health
:07:29. > :07:33.issues. Extra funding has been pledged to help.
:07:34. > :07:36.A new smartphone app pioneered in East Kent to help ease pressure
:07:37. > :07:39.on A departments has proved so successful it could be rolled
:07:40. > :07:48.It allows patients to compare waiting times at A E departments
:07:49. > :07:55.The app also shows people where their nearest urgent care
:07:56. > :08:00.centre is, and the quickest route to get there.
:08:01. > :08:02.It's been used more than 25,000 times in its first month.
:08:03. > :08:05.Peter Whittlesea is at the William Harvey hospital in Ashford.
:08:06. > :08:21.A are expensive to run and staffed by specialist to can deal with any
:08:22. > :08:25.eventuality. If you have a minor injury, you not only cut the waiting
:08:26. > :08:30.time here, but also save the NHS money.
:08:31. > :08:36.The crisis in A is a national problem. As more and more patients
:08:37. > :08:43.turn up at hospitals, waiting times have soared. We need to go to A I
:08:44. > :08:49.can't, I will be there for hours! I've got a wedding to go to. I have
:08:50. > :08:56.a nap on my tells you the best way to go. This advertiser is the new
:08:57. > :09:02.app. Their ages -- fame is Tuesday knowledge a and free up resources in
:09:03. > :09:08.A and cutting waiting times. This has been in operation in East Kent
:09:09. > :09:13.for a month. We've had 20,000 users and already, we are detecting
:09:14. > :09:17.slightly less demand in A and more demand in the minor injury units.
:09:18. > :09:23.The ambition is to get this accepted nationwide and help the whole of the
:09:24. > :09:28.NHS, not just the NHS hearing East Kent. How does it work? It at the
:09:29. > :09:33.latest information on waiting times and patient numbers at all nearby
:09:34. > :09:38.minor injury unit and A departments. It also calculates
:09:39. > :09:42.travel time from your location. By combining information, it provides a
:09:43. > :09:47.list of the best places to go to. I've not been here before and it was
:09:48. > :09:53.number one on the list for less waiting time, so here we are. How
:09:54. > :09:58.did it work? Came in, registered, were seen within ten minutes and now
:09:59. > :10:03.we are ready to go home. It is quicker than A Also, we are not
:10:04. > :10:08.using up services needed for more urgent cases. Did you believe it
:10:09. > :10:15.when you first saw the app? No, but I do now. Could this app really
:10:16. > :10:18.relieve the pressure on overstretched A? Increasingly, the
:10:19. > :10:28.NHS will have to use modern technology in a way it isn't. It is
:10:29. > :10:33.still using faxes and such. The power in your pocket to save you
:10:34. > :10:39.time and the NHS money, it is hoped this free app will catch on.
:10:40. > :10:45.This app is updated every four minutes so I can present it and see
:10:46. > :10:49.the waiting time here is 21 minutes. Down other minor injuries unit, it
:10:50. > :10:52.is just six minutes down in Folkestone. It may be quicker to
:10:53. > :10:54.drive there to get treated if I've just got a minor injury, like a
:10:55. > :10:56.fractured wrist. A man who carried out a series
:10:57. > :10:59.of sexual offences against children in the Tunbridge Wells area has been
:11:00. > :11:01.sentenced to nearly Ian Tucker's abuse of
:11:02. > :11:06.five victims spanned His crimes came to light when one
:11:07. > :11:10.of his victims contacted Kent Police a year ago,
:11:11. > :11:12.which led to other Southeastern train services
:11:13. > :11:21.will not return to normal for the rest of this week
:11:22. > :11:23.following yesterday's The track was damaged
:11:24. > :11:29.by the carriages and around a 50-metre stretch of railway
:11:30. > :11:31.needs to be replaced. Passengers delayed by 30 minutes
:11:32. > :11:34.or more as a result of the incident can claim double the normal
:11:35. > :11:46.amount under Delay Repay. The meeting is under way to discuss
:11:47. > :11:51.whether Canterbury and Dover should go ahead with creating a new single
:11:52. > :11:55.council for East Kent. A final decision will be taken, but the
:11:56. > :12:00.public will need to be involved and approval will be required from the
:12:01. > :12:04.Secretary of State. The merger would create the largest District Council
:12:05. > :12:08.in the country, achieving ?6.8 million of savings over two years.
:12:09. > :12:10.Kent Police need to undertake a "revolution" in the way they deal
:12:11. > :12:13.with people going through mental health issues, according to the
:12:14. > :12:16.He's announced that ?250,000 will be dedicated to help
:12:17. > :12:20.It's estimated as much as a third of police time is now
:12:21. > :12:22.taken up with people and cases involving mental health issues.
:12:23. > :12:25.It comes on the day the College of Policing has issued
:12:26. > :12:27.new guidelines for how police restrain people in crisis,
:12:28. > :12:48.Kent Police officers now spend a third of their time dealing with
:12:49. > :12:53.people suffering mental health problems. In this place it takes
:12:54. > :12:55.more than half of police time. The police and crime commission now
:12:56. > :12:59.wants revolution in the way people with issues are dealt with. It is a
:13:00. > :13:03.pressure for vulnerable people but also officers whom though may be
:13:04. > :13:08.trained to handle these situations are not mental health professionals.
:13:09. > :13:11.For all the time they spent waiting with people dealing with these
:13:12. > :13:17.particular issues, that is time they are not out and about tackling crime
:13:18. > :13:21.or outing communities as a visible presence. This month, the Prime
:13:22. > :13:25.Minister said mental health have been dangerously disregarded as she
:13:26. > :13:29.launched her vision for a shared society. Left unaddressed, it
:13:30. > :13:36.destroys lives, separates people and deepens the divisions within our
:13:37. > :13:40.society. In Kent, this quarter of million pounds funding means
:13:41. > :13:45.charities and community groups can get councillors for people in
:13:46. > :13:50.crisis. If I turn up in uniform to turn -- deal with somebody with
:13:51. > :13:54.mental health problems, I can give the perception I'm criminalising
:13:55. > :13:59.their ill-health and I can add to that stigma and research would
:14:00. > :14:05.suggest that makes it take longer for them to recover from a crisis it
:14:06. > :14:11.police officers are involved. For the past year, Mind has provided
:14:12. > :14:15.councillors in Kent Police call centres. This art group run by the
:14:16. > :14:20.same charity is an informal setting where people can access help. They
:14:21. > :14:27.want to extend the services to meet demand. When all the nine to five
:14:28. > :14:32.services are shut, turn off out of hours help would be fantastic.
:14:33. > :14:37.People can go along, meet workers, and we see that kind of one to one
:14:38. > :14:40.support so they're not calling ambulances and presented themselves
:14:41. > :14:45.at A, calling the police. This will not support or replace NHS
:14:46. > :14:50.services, but provide alternative help.
:14:51. > :15:03.A petition has been launched to try and save a Kent barracks that is set
:15:04. > :15:10.to close as part of wider Government plans to build more housing. The
:15:11. > :15:14.Conservative MP for Maidstone says shutting Invicta Barracks would end
:15:15. > :15:18.two sentries of military tradition. Also, the artist who has been taking
:15:19. > :15:24.things lying down. An exhibition celebrating the recumbent in Sussex.
:15:25. > :15:29.And it has been a foggy and dull day today. Brighter tomorrow, but still
:15:30. > :15:33.bitterly cold. I will have the forecast later.
:15:34. > :15:41.Outside of science fiction, time travel is, of course, impossible -
:15:42. > :15:45.That's because photographer Jonathan Bolland has teamed up
:15:46. > :15:48.with local historian Ed Langridge to capture a series of startling
:15:49. > :15:52.images that match up pictures of the town taken a 100 years
:15:53. > :15:55.For tonight's Special Report, Chrissie Reidy
:15:56. > :16:13.I have. What is extraordinary when you look at the photos of then and
:16:14. > :16:17.now, yes, there is far more traffic around now, and of course, people
:16:18. > :16:22.were wearing different clothes at the turn of that century, but
:16:23. > :16:27.architecturally here, it is very much still intact. If you take this
:16:28. > :16:29.book shop, it has been here since 1898 and the front is very much how
:16:30. > :16:33.it was in 1900. A time travel tour
:16:34. > :16:46.of Tunbridge Wells with early 20th-century photographs
:16:47. > :16:56.merged with modern day. A couple of my photographs
:16:57. > :16:58.will show people in Edwardian times, for instance,
:16:59. > :17:01.walking down the high street and walking past some
:17:02. > :17:02.cars in modern day. So it's in the context
:17:03. > :17:05.of how people's lives have changed in terms of,
:17:06. > :17:07.say, Only possible because
:17:08. > :17:17.so much of the town's What resonates is the fact
:17:18. > :17:20.he hasn't changed. You put that picture
:17:21. > :17:26.against 100 years ago You've got advertising
:17:27. > :17:29.signs, yes, but After receiving positive
:17:30. > :17:33.feedback from the few that were posted online,
:17:34. > :17:37.Jonathan decided to explore further. You go out and take
:17:38. > :17:39.the equivalent photograph the site you are and it is a bit of
:17:40. > :17:45.a transposition in our photographic software to layer the
:17:46. > :17:50.photographs together. And you take elements out of one
:17:51. > :17:53.photo and put them on the other. Wandering round the streets
:17:54. > :17:56.of Tunbridge Wells, it's a chance to You look at the buildings and wonder
:17:57. > :18:01.who's walked through here. It's gentry who used
:18:02. > :18:03.to live here, isn't it? And now, you know,
:18:04. > :18:07.you just can't quite picture it, but to seeit like that,
:18:08. > :18:10.you can actually see what it was Over 100 years may have
:18:11. > :18:15.passed since the original photos were taken, but with a little
:18:16. > :18:35.help, the town's rich heritage has Certainly an interesting take,
:18:36. > :18:39.contrasting the past and present. Of course, Tunbridge Wells was very
:18:40. > :18:43.much the place to be at the turn of the 20th century and I think what
:18:44. > :18:46.this book highlights is how rich in history the spa town of Tunbridge
:18:47. > :18:54.Wells still is. Thank you. It's An Art Show With A Big Title -
:18:55. > :18:58.In A Dream You Saw A Way To Survive And
:18:59. > :19:00.You Were Full Of Joy. Curated by Turner Prize-winning
:19:01. > :19:02.artist Elizabeth Price, it features some big names
:19:03. > :19:03.including Henry Moore, the Lumi re Brothers
:19:04. > :19:05.and Bridget Riley. As Piers Hopkirk
:19:06. > :19:06.reports, the Exhibition at the De La Warr Pavillion
:19:07. > :19:09.in Bexhill on Sea aims to explore how important it is for human
:19:10. > :19:12.beings to lie down, weather sleeping, working,
:19:13. > :19:34.mourning or dancing. A's an extraordinarily eclectic mix
:19:35. > :19:41.of art and artists, linking the historical with the contemporary.
:19:42. > :19:44.The brainchild of Turner Prize winner Elizabeth Price, it is an
:19:45. > :19:54.examination of a very specific artistic device. The reclining human
:19:55. > :19:58.form. The show opens with images of sleeping. When you look at the image
:19:59. > :20:03.of a sleeping figure, you think of what they may wake up to do, but
:20:04. > :20:08.also you think of the internal life and their dream world. So I guess
:20:09. > :20:12.one of the ideas of the narrative in the exhibition is that as we go
:20:13. > :20:16.through it, maybe we can pursuing through the dream logic of the
:20:17. > :20:22.sleepers we encounter at the beginning. Featuring the work of
:20:23. > :20:25.more than 50 artists, a Rangers from woodcuts to video installations, the
:20:26. > :20:31.subjects from the homeless and downtrodden, to royalty. This giant
:20:32. > :20:36.plaster cast of Eleanor of Aquitaine is on loan from the Victoria and
:20:37. > :20:41.Albert. What is interesting about this, is the way in which the figure
:20:42. > :20:44.is presented so benignly, so peacefully, the way the fabric is
:20:45. > :20:50.contoured round her body, very languidly and gently, as though she
:20:51. > :20:53.might move or stir one leg. Behind-the-scenes, work on
:20:54. > :20:57.exhibition continued today ahead of its opening this weekend. This
:20:58. > :21:09.exhibition is an enormous privilege for us to host and we been working
:21:10. > :21:12.with the Hayward touring exhibitions in order to post it here at the De
:21:13. > :21:15.La Warr Pavillion. What's extraordinary about it is the great
:21:16. > :21:17.range of types of work in it. It is an amazing chance to see this great
:21:18. > :21:19.swathe of practice across history telling a particular story that
:21:20. > :21:25.Elizabeth has devised. The exhibition runs until May.
:21:26. > :21:31.Brighton and Hove Albion are back on top of the Championship table
:21:32. > :21:33.after a 1-0 victory over Cardiff last night at The Amex.
:21:34. > :21:36.The Seagulls were frustrated by Cardiff for much of the match,
:21:37. > :21:39.until Tomer Hemed smashed in the only goal in the 73rd minute.
:21:40. > :21:47.Chris Hughton's side are now two points clear of Newcastle.
:21:48. > :21:49.Visually-impaired skier Millie Knight from Canterbury
:21:50. > :21:51.and her guide Brett Wild have won Downhill Gold
:21:52. > :21:53.on the opening day of the World Para Alpine Skiing
:21:54. > :22:00.The 18-year-old, who was GB's youngest athlete at the 2014
:22:01. > :22:02.Winter Paralympics, completed the course in just over
:22:03. > :22:04.one minute, 13 seconds to take Gold by over a second
:22:05. > :22:13.Sussex rugby star Dylan Hartley has been confirmed as England's captain
:22:14. > :22:16.for the Six Nations, two days after his six-week
:22:17. > :22:19.suspension for hitting an opponent ended.
:22:20. > :22:21.The 30-year-old, who grew up in Crowborough and played
:22:22. > :22:24.for the town's rugby club, was shown the third red card
:22:25. > :22:35.of his career for striking in December last year.
:22:36. > :22:37.Eastbourne's Johanna Konta is out of the Australian Open
:22:38. > :22:40.after being beaten in straight sets 6-2 6-3 by former
:22:41. > :22:44.Konta went into the quarterfinal in the form of her life,
:22:45. > :22:46.but came up short in her first meeting with Williams,
:22:47. > :22:56.The world number two was just too strong
:22:57. > :23:00.the British star's nine-match winning streak to an end by knocking
:23:01. > :23:09.I think she played at a higher level than I did today and I think she is
:23:10. > :23:12.one of the best of all time, so I think, yeah, I really
:23:13. > :23:15.enjoyed my time out there on court against her and
:23:16. > :23:21.Well, I hope I can bring a lot away from it and
:23:22. > :23:27.things I'll be able to reuse and hopefully get
:23:28. > :23:34.And if she does, she will take heart from the fact the
:23:35. > :23:44.American did not have it all her own way in this match.
:23:45. > :23:46.Having lost the first set, Konta fought
:23:47. > :23:47.even harder, managing to break Williams's serve.
:23:48. > :23:50.It's that sort of form which prompted her opponent to describe
:23:51. > :23:52.her as an Australian Open champion of the future.
:23:53. > :23:54.Playing really well and I think it's so important.
:23:55. > :23:57.This has been coming for her for
:23:58. > :24:05.She's been wanting to win grand slams and to do well.
:24:06. > :24:10.was the best experience of her life and by reaching the quarterfinals
:24:11. > :24:19.here, she could well retain her position in the world's top ten.
:24:20. > :24:35.It has been very foggy today. Yes, lots of fog around today causing
:24:36. > :24:39.real problems. But it should be shifting in time for tomorrow, but
:24:40. > :24:45.it will stay bitterly cold. Earlier today, dense mist and fog patches
:24:46. > :24:51.didn't even clearer in many places and there was a good deal of cloud.
:24:52. > :24:56.The dull, cold there. It will change tonight. The winds start to pick up
:24:57. > :25:01.from the South East, so bitterly cold air from the near continent.
:25:02. > :25:06.Overnight tonight, we see clearer skies around and temperatures are
:25:07. > :25:12.once again falling to around -2 or -3 in rural spots. We should avoid
:25:13. > :25:18.much of the mist and fog thanks to the winds. First thing tomorrow,
:25:19. > :25:23.bitterly cold and blustery. As you can tell, those winds will pick up
:25:24. > :25:27.as we head through the day. It will be bright, and by the afternoon,
:25:28. > :25:31.temperatures do well to get above three degrees with the wind chill
:25:32. > :25:36.factor though, it will feel more like freezing. As we go from
:25:37. > :25:49.Thursday to Friday, a bit of a shift. The winds go back to south
:25:50. > :25:51.westerly direction, so it will be a little less cold. Overnight
:25:52. > :25:53.temperatures will still drop to minus one degree in more rural
:25:54. > :25:57.spots. Just above freezing along the coast. Friday, we will potentially
:25:58. > :26:04.see patchy drizzle and it is less cold. Highs of 8-9 . The unsettled
:26:05. > :26:05.at the weekend. Rain on Saturday, but dry by Sunday. Sunshine
:26:06. > :26:12.tomorrow, but wrap up warm. Thank you, Rachel. I will be by
:26:13. > :26:16.later. Goodbye.