08/03/2014 BBC London News

with the latest news at 10.10. Now on BBC One, time for the news where

you are. Goodbye. Good afternoon. Independent midwives in London are

warning that the capital could face a shortage of maternity care after

the government refused to help them insure their practices. Midwives

working outside the NHS wanted the government to provide financial

backing, but it has refused, saying they need to find alternative

solutions. Helping to deliver a baby must be

rewarding, but there is also a risk ma and the EU says all health care

professionals now need insurance. Jackie has overseen about 1000

births. Independent midwives like her can't get commercial insurance,

so they wanted to set up their own, but there was a shortfall of about

?1 million. We were asking from investment from the government to

help us get up off the ground so that we could take it forward. We

were asking for a one`off payment from the government. It has occurred

to me that the first person to see your Lordships in the nude is a

midwife. They are very special people. The issue has led to debate.

The government said no. The creation of any government schemes

specifically for independent midwives UK would effectively

position the government as the underwriter of the independent

sector, and that is something we have hitherto found difficult to

consider. Without insurance, it will be

illegal for them to practise, and they are angry, particularly because

when the prime minister was in opposition, he wrote that he would

be very concerned if they were forced to cease pack to sing. I am

beyond disappointed that he has now allowed his government to say they

will not support our solution. The government says it can't justify

spending taxpayers' money on a small number of private sector midwives,

although it will put resources into helping them find other options, and

said the NHS will always welcome them back. They say that would give

women less choice, and some will choose to give birth alone rather

than use the NHS. They say they will not let that happen. If they have

to, they will break the law to keep practising.

Four people arrested in connection with the murders of two men whose

bodies were discovered in a car in east London have been released on

bail. They were both repeatedly stabbed after a group of hooded

attackers surrounded their car in Leytonstone next `` last Saturday.

The company managing a Surrey landfill site where hundreds of

residents have complained about the smell say they are taking steps to

tackle it. Biffa has installed a temporary flarestack at the Redhill

site, which it says will remove the gas more quickly.

There are concerns that young Londoners are being put off a career

in the construction industry through poor advice at school. The

Construction Industry Training Board says there should be better support

for young apprentices. Warren Nettleford went to meet some of them

who are helping transform the Olympic Stadium into West Ham's new

home. Over the next four years, we are going to be having over 6500

vacancies within the industry, and that is in London alone. So we have

an ageing workforce, but we need a lot of new entrants, fresh blood

coming into the industry to drive it forward.

Let's look at tomorrow's weather: it should be another dry and sunny day.

Plenty of bright spells, and feeling warmer than average again, too, with

temperatures reaching 17 degrees Celsius.

That's it from me. Alice Bhandhukravi will be back tomorrow

evening with the latest from the BBC London newsroom. Till then, have a

lovely weekend. Bye`bye. Most of us have enjoyed a fine and

dry start to the weekend. But all of us had