Canterbury

Care leavers under the age of 25 are one step closer to being exempt from paying council tax.

Members of Kent County Council have agreed to pursue proposals brought forward by the authority’s young people’s council, made up of young people who have been in social care.

Young adults who are leaving the care system are more likely to become homeless than their counterparts.

To address this imbalance, members of the young people’s council has called for care leavers living in Kent to be exempt from council tax until their 25th birthday.

Council leader Paul Carter said: “It won’t cost massive amounts of money and this is something, I think, we all would like to happen. We intend to get there as fast as possible.”

The council will approach the 12 district and borough authorities after discussing the plans at the full council meeting on Thursday.

Young care leavers in Wales and Scotland are exempt from paying council tax up to the age of 25.

Manchester, Southwark and Nottingham councils have also put a similar waiver in place.

Patients will be “desperately let down” by a transformation of the way stroke sufferers are treated in Kent, according to a county councillor, after his colleagues gave the go ahead for the NHS to close three hospital units.

Stroke centres in Tunbridge Wells, Margate and Medway, will be closed following the decision by members of the Kent County Council health overview and scrutiny committee.

Councillors narrowly passed a motion to build three specialist hyper-acute stroke units in Maidstone Hospital, Darent Valley Hospital, in Dartford, and William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford, to treat patients across the county.

However the committee outlined concerns that closing the stroke units in Tunbridge Wells, Margate and Medway could impact travel times, staffing levels over the long-term and increase inequalities.

Six councillors voted against the plans to accept the reconfiguration, including former Swale Borough Council leader Andrew Bowles.

He said: “There has been a continual drift towards downgrading services to the east end of the county.

“I cannot be convinced of this even though I would like to do what is right for the majority of my residents.”

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Police are warning people not to approach a convicted murderer, who has gone missing.

Joseph Bagley, who is 66, was jailed for killing a taxi driver in 1978.

Surrey Police

He had been living in Maidstone after his release on licence for life, and was last seen in the town on Sunday morning.

He failed to return for his curfew.

He has links to Kent, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Scotland, and detectives say anyone who sees him should call 999.

I believe that he could lash out if he feels threatened, or that he is going to be returned to prison, so I am asking the public not to approach him."

KCC

A secondary school is to have its main building demolished amid “significant” health and safety concerns.

Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School in Canterbury, Kent, will remove three dilapidated structures dating back to between 1952 and 1970.

A new teaching block and sports hall will be built to replace the lost teaching space.

The work will be funded by the government’s priority school building programme for those deemed to be in the “very worst condition”.

Kent County Council’s principal planning officer Paul Hopkins said: “There are significant concerns about the concrete structure of the original school building deteriorating.

“The presence of asbestos, window defects, and disrepair to the roof has resulted in the buildings to be deemed beyond economic repair.”

He assured the asbestos will be “dealt with in the proper way”.

The new block will be built on parts of the school’s playing field, playground and parking areas – meaning a new multi-use games area will be created elsewhere on the site and parking arrangements altered.

KCC

Family handout

Jessica Bitmead, 17, was last seen in Medway at about 20:00 BST on Saturday.

She is about 5ft tall with a slim build, long brown hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black jacket.

She is known to frequent Kent, London and Essex using the rail network to travel around.

PC Martin Brown from Kent Police said: "We are concerned for Jessica’s safety and urge anyone with information about where she might be to contact us."

Family handout

Oluwatimilehin Alabi, 17, was last seen in the Dartford area at 08:00 BST on Friday .

He is believed to have links with the London area.

PC Mark Graham, of Kent Police’s Missing & Child Exploitation Team said: "We are concerned for Oluwatimilehin’s safety and we would urge anyone with information as to his whereabouts to contact us."

He is between 5ft 6in and 5ft 7in tall, of medium build, has brown eyes and black hair with highlights.

He was last seen wearing a grey Adidas tracksuit, a white T-shirt with red sleeves, a Nike black cross bag and black Nike trainers.

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Nearly a third of children in Kent need their measles vaccination booster, figures show.

The World Health Organisation states 95% need to be vaccinated with the MMR jab to ensure the highly infectious disease does not spread.

Director for Public Health in Kent, Andrew Scott-Clark, said uptake of these vaccinations is “critical” to protect vulnerable people.

He noted people expressed concerns about the jab on social media.

However, claims the MMR vaccine causes autism have been disproved and the doctor who made the conclusions also struck off.

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There have been three confirmed cases of measles since January, which were all linked to travel.

Consultant in health protection at Public Health England South East, Dr Claire Winslade, urged parents to check the immunity of their family - especially before going on holiday.

“Children should receive two doses of MMR vaccine for maximum protection," she added.

BBC

An investigation into the causes of knife crime has been launched in Kent to find the best ways to tackle the problem.

Relevant agencies are being invited to provide evidence and possible solutions to Kent County Council (KCC).

Police, council employees, youth workers and schools are on the list of suggested witnesses who could be called to give evidence from June.

KCC Chairman Paul Barrington-King said: “This is a contagion growing in Kent. We feel the full brunt of this.

“At the end of this journey I want all of us, regardless of political creed, to walk away from this and saying it’s a job well done.”

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Kent County Council makes £1m per year from utility companies closing roads.

Companies are charged a daily rate of up to £2,000 for disrupting traffic on busy roads or during rush-hour.

The scheme is intended to improve planning, encourage companies to arrange repairs outside of peak periods, and incentivise work being completed as quickly as possible.

If businesses only plan to close a lane, this fee is reduced to between £300 and £800.

Southern Water paid to close Horn Street in Folkestone for four months to upgrade the local sewer.

Councillor Martin Whybrow said: "It was looking to be a very long closure for a pretty fundamental road, it was done much quicker than intended and I think it was very much welcomed by residents."

A wheelchair user was charged £75 by Kent County Council to appeal a decision about joining its housing register, a watchdog has found.

The Local Government Social Care Ombudsman said the man told the council his current home was unsuitable for his needs and wanted to join the register to bid for an accessible property.

The council rejected his argument that he needed an extra bedroom on medical grounds and then told him there would be a £75 charge for a review of the decision.

The ombudsman, Michael King, said: “If the council routinely asks people to pay a fee on any decision where there has been an assessment by an independent medical adviser, people are potentially losing their right to ask for a review at no cost.

"Many people in the area may have been discouraged from asking for a review by the outlay."

The ombudsman found the man had not missed out on bidding for any suitable properties and recommended the council apologise to the man and pay him £250 for the distress caused.

Kent County Council is set to team up with the NHS and police in a bid to safeguard children from being exploited by gangs.

It comes after a review found the current process does not “work effectively” and should be abolished.

Going forward health professionals and the force will attend council meetings which discuss the safety of vulnerable children.

KCC has also launched a new programme for social care called Change for Kent Children which will target “at risk” young people.

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It is hoped this will reduce county lines gangs and knife crime.

Councillor Michael Northey said: "Where family relationships have broken down, gang membership gives young people a sense of belonging.

“Of course they are being exploited."

BBC

Top council officials have apologised following a “distressing” Ofsted report for children with special educational needs.

Kent County Council cabinet member Roger Gough, corporate director Matt Dunkley and Glenn Douglass from Kent clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) shared their regrets about the “poor” services provided for the vulnerable children.

Inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found “too many" young people do not get the support they need.

Inspectors wrote that parents and guardians “are rightly upset, angry and concerned".

Mr Gough said: “This is very distressing.

“That’s a dangerous reality and this is something we come across all the time."

The report detailed how some schools in the county are not “willing” to accommodate young people who need extra help.

Mr Dunkley said mainstream schools must provide services for these children, as not all pupils require specialist schools.

Every child with a special education needs is evaluated for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), which outlines the support need.

Inspectors also found 61% of parents and carers in Kent do not receive their plans within the legal 20-week time frame.

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Staff at a wildlife park say they’re heartbroken after their shop was ransacked and cash for a major conservation project stolen.

Wildwood discovery park

Wildwood discovery park near Canterbury was broken into overnight on Sunday, when a door was smashed and tills forced open.

Wildwood discovery park

Also stolen was hundreds of pounds collected for the park’s dormice breeding programme, which has so far produced more than 170 animals for a national reintroduction project.

Wildwood discovery park

This vile act of stealing money donated for our vital conservation efforts that was so generously given by our supporters is beyond despicable.'

The Conservatives, who have a healthy majority in Tunbridge Wells, have retained control of the council.

But Conservative Canterbury City Council leader Simon Cook has lost his seat.

The full result there is not expected until later.

BBC

Overnight we have seen the Tories lose overall control in Tandridge, Surrey.

In Kent, the Conservatives have lost control of Folkestone and Hythe but the party has held Medway and Dartford.

These are the estimated results times for each county in the South East:

Kent

1. Maidstone 12:45
2. Dover District 13:00
3. Ashford 14:00
4. Thanet 14:00
5. Sevenoaks 15:30
6. Swale 15:30
7. Tonbridge & Malling 16:00 -18:00
8. Canterbury City 17:00
9. Tunbridge Wells 17:00
10. Gravesham Borough 18:00

East Sussex:

1. Eastbourne 16:00
2. Rother 16:00
3. Brighton & Hove 17:00
4. Lewes 17:00
5. Wealden 17:00

West Sussex

1. Worthing 11:00
2. Chichester 12:00
3. Crawley 16:00
4. Horsham 16:00
5. Arun 16:00
6. Mid Sussex 19:00

Surrey

1. Mole Valley 15:00
2. Woking 15:00
3. Spelthorne 15:00
4. Reigate and Banstead 16:30
5. Waverley 18:00
6. Runnymede 18:00
7. Elmbridge - Unsure