Lizzie Massey
BBC Live reporter

Darent Valley Hospital in Kent has said it will be business as usual after its service provider Carillion announced it had gone into liquidation.

The firm has provided maintenance, catering, porter services, cleaning and security at the Dartford hospital.

A spokesman said: "We have extensive contingency plans for dealing with this issue and making sure that services to patients continue to be provided safely and to a high standard.

"All of our facilities remain open as normal, and patient appointments are unaffected."

Lizzie Massey
BBC Live reporter

A huge solar farm, being delivered by Carillion, will be finished next month.

West Sussex County Council contracted Carillion for a 7.4 megawatt solar farm on a closed landfill site next to the A27 at Westhampnett.

Now the company has gone into liquidation, the council reassured people the project would be finished by its sub-contractors, with no impact on services.

Ben Weisz
Political reporter, BBC Sussex

It’s Groundhog Day at County Hall.

Every year, as is now tradition, Cllr David Elkin, the man responsible for East Sussex’s finances, welcomes local journalists into his office to brief them on his budget plans.

And every year he tells us the same story. Less grant money from Whitehall, but rising costs – particularly in adult social care. Money must be found to bridge the gap.

This year was no different. Even after the council uses new powers to raise tax by nearly 6%, it still has to find £17m in savings.

But there’s only so much you can save by providing the same services more efficiently. There’ll need to be cuts, too.

Fewer libraries. Fewer tips. Less support for carers.

But also, crucially, less of the preventative work that saves money further down the line – less money for schools to tackle poor attendance and exclusion, for instance.

Politically, this budget may be safe – though it must be voted through next month, Cllr Elkin’s Tories now have a majority.

It’s what happens further down the line that’s keeping councillors up at night. Amid rising costs and falling income, Cllr Elkin told me it’s only a matter of time before a town hall somewhere goes bust. He’s hoping the Government offers a long-term fix well before that.

Ben Weisz
Political reporter, BBC Sussex

More savings, more tax rises - that's what's in store for East Sussex, if a draft budget published today, external is approved in February.

Taxpayers face a 6% rise - nearly £80 for those in Band D.

It comes alongside an effort to save £17 million next year - including measures to close some libraries and rubbish dumps, and reduce provision of some adult social care services.

The Kent Police officer denies gross misconduct and breaching professional standards of behaviour.

Headteachers in Deal are urging Kent County Council to postpone the expansion of a primary school as fewer children will start school than planned.

Current plans would see Deal Parochial Primary School in Gladstone Road double in size - from 210 to 420 pupils from September - but headteachers want to put this on hold until 2020.

Roger Gough, KCC councillor for Children, Young People and Education, said: “Headteachers have come forward with their concerns as many schools are looking at their budget for the next few years and it looks like quite a difficult year.

“School finance is comparative to the number of pupils in the school and their budgets are already under pressure.

“It’s like Goldilocks, you don’t want to have too much or too little - but just right.”

This push for change comes after the latest figures show that there will be less demand for school places than originally believed due to delays in housing developments.

Fewer places for reception children are needed in the town as plans to build 235 homes in Cross Road, Walmer, were thwarted after almost 100 objections were submitted to Dover District Council.

Councillors will vote on the postponment at the Kent County Council Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee on Thursday.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of assault, affray and criminal damage after a collision between three cars at the weekend.

A red BMW 116 hit a Subaru being towed by a black Mercedes-Benz ML270, which was stationary at the time, on the A271 Kitchenham Road in Ashburnham, near Battle.

Image source, Google

A 25-year-old woman from Netherfield, who was a passenger in the Mercedes, was airlifted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with what are described as potentially life-changing leg injuries.

The two men, aged 29 and 31, were arrested after a disturbance at the scene.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Police say John Uberoi, an 83-year-old who went missing from his home in Grove Crescent, Littlehampton overnight, has been found safe.

Mr Uberoi, who's diabetic and suffers from dementia, was found in the town centre around 09:30 GMT this morning.

Council taxpayers in Kent could be hit by a 4.99% increase in their bills from April, Kent County Council announced today.

At a cabinet meeting this morning, the Conservative administration announced plans for one of its biggest tax increases to date.

This comes after the Government said councils could increase tax by an additional 1% - raising £6 million for KCC.

Until last month, councils only had the power to increase council tax up to 2% without penalty or need for a referendum.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid controversially relaxed this in December, raising the threshold to 3%, while also adding the ability to charge a 3% "precept" to fund social care.

KCC has opted to introduce the full 3% general tax rise and 2% rise in contributions to adult social care for the next financial year.

On average, households in band D properties paid KCC £1,178.82 in 2017-2018.

These bills will go up by around £59 in the next financial year if the plans are approved, not including a predicted rise in payments towards district and borough councils as well as policing.

AFC Wimbledon sign striker Joe Pigott from National League club Maidstone United for an undisclosed fee.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

A missing man from Sussex may be driving a silver Mini hatchback in Hampshire.

Police say the last known sighting of the vehicle belonging to Paul Wilkins, from Bosham near Chichester, was on the eastbound M27 near Swanwick, just before 13:00 GMT yesterday.

Paul, who's 51 and described as distressed and vulnerable, is 6ft 4in tall and was wearing a grey zipped top and blue jeans.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Police are hunting a masked man who stabbed a dog walker.

The victim, who's in his 20s, was assaulted in Willow Way in Hurstpierpoint, around 07:25 GMT on 6 January.

Image source, Google

He suffered injuries to his arm, after struggling with the knifeman.

The attacker was wearing a black ski mask, black jacket and black tracksuit bottoms.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Is universal credit, which is meant to make life easier for people on benefits, going to push the most vulnerable into debt?

There's more on this story on Inside Out, on BBC One at 19:30 GMT tonight, then on the iPlayer.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Police are hunting brazen thieves who towed away a wood chipper.

The machine was seen being driven away from a property in Sandy Lane, Framfield, near Uckfield, around 15:00 GMT on 30 December.

It was stolen by two men, driving a white van.

They also took a leaf blower and a box of tools.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

The family of a 56-year-old woman from Hailsham believes Aussie flu was responsible for her death.

Image source, Getty Images

The Argus, external: City drug gangs target children

Kent Online, external: Police investigate after man hit by car outside train station

Surrey Mirror, external: Fly-tipping in Surrey: Staggering cost of clean up operation revealed after councils spend more than £618,000 clearing dumped rubbish in just one year

Hastings Observer, external: One in three graduates in the South East say their degree is pointless

Mid Sussex Times, external: Help hospice and take up the 15 challenge

Worthing Herald, external: Flat burglars ‘destroyed lives’ of distraught couple

Chichester Observer, external: Growing concern for vulnerable missing Bosham man

Kent Live, external: A terrified Dartford woman called the RSPCA over a '6ft snake' but it turned out to be a caterpillar

Brighton and Hove News, external: Fresh appeal for witnesses as investigation into Hangleton stabbing continues

Eastbourne Herald, external: Farmers urge dog walkers to control their pets after series of sheep attacks in Jevington

West Sussex County Times, external: Mouldy home is making Pulborough family ill, doctor agrees

Brighton and Hove Independent, external: Oxford place for refugee who fled war-torn Syria

Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter

A mum from Godstone is warning other parents to be aware of the signs of sepsis after her baby daughter was left fighting for her life.

Emma Woodland took five-month-old Bonnie to the doctor with a cough, but hours later she stopped breathing and was on a life-support machine.

Bonnie had bronchiolitis, a common respiratory infection in children under two, which then triggered sepsis.

Sepsis is known as the 'silent killer' because it can be difficult to identify.

Symptoms in children under five include mottled or bluish skin, lethargy, fast breathing, and a rash that does not fade when you press it.

A man has been left with serious head injuries after an assault outside a Surrey pub.

The attack happened at 23:20 GMT on Friday outside the Surrey Arms, in Camberley High Street.

The man was taken to hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and has been released while under investigation, Surrey Police said.

Police are appealing for witnesses.

A school for children with disabilities could receive a boost of £3.95m towards expansion plans.

Councillors at Kent County Council are set to decide this week whether Meadowfield School in Swanstree Avenue in Sittingbourne should increase its size by an additional 150 pupils.

Meadowfield School is already over its quota of 209 children.

It teaches 282 pupils with severe and complex needs aged four to 19.

The plan aims to reduce the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities being educated outside their communities.

A report by KCC shows that children in the Isle of Sheppey are travelling more than 20 miles to Maidstone and Tonbridge for school due to the lack of places in Swale.

Meadowfield has been rated outstanding by Ofsted in every category and has been praised for its “outstanding leadership and management”.

Image source, Google

Two teenagers have been arrested after a fight left a 14-year-old boy with a fractured eye socket in Surrey.

Surrey Police said the the brawl happened between 20:00 and 21:00 GMT on Saturday near St Peter’s Church on Frimley Green Road, Camberley.

Det Con Tom Emery said: “This was a nasty incident which involved a group of around 15 teenagers, believed to be wearing face masks, who we suspect deliberately set upon three other teenagers, two of which were injured."

It is not believed to have been a random attack, he added.