05/02/2014 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Dominic Heale. Good

evening. 100 former police officers have won

a landmark age discrimination case. They were all made to retire from

the Nottinghamshire force because they'd served more than 30 years.

But today an employment tribunal agreed that they'd been unfairly

dismissed. Now the force is expecting a big compensation bill.

Our social affairs correspondent, Jeremy Ball, has been following

today's developments. These job losses were all about

cutting the salary bill. Nottinghamshire Police had to make

substantial savings, but under the current laws police officers cannot

be made redundant. So indeed a power was used to allow officers to be

retired after 30 years' service, but only if it is in the interests of

effectiveness and efficiency. It was argued this was age discrimination.

I said at the time I regretted losing people with 30 years' loyal

service, but it was based upon making the right decisions to

balance the books and to allow the force to reshape to give a better

service. It was a huge missed day, wasn't it?

The decision was based upon good legal advice, and it was taken to

solve significant problems. Some officers struggled to find work. The

police pension is a good pension, but we pay into it for years and

years and 0 but we pay into it for years and

years and we only take what we are entitled to, but for many of us it

was about the injustice of the decision. This could be a huge blow

for a force already struggling to balance its budget. It is expecting

compensation claims of ?3.5 million, and the force is considering whether

to appeal against today's decision. Next ` further education colleges

across the East Midlands are facing deep spending cuts, the worst

outside London. The Association of Colleges is warning that thousands

of students in this region will be affected. This report from our

political editor John Hess. In the East Midlands the number of

18`year`old people attending college is higher than the national average.

Over the next month the colleges will find out their funding for the

next academic year. The Department for Education proposes a 17.5%

spending cut from September. In the East Midlands colleges will lose

?7.2 million in funding, and rightly affecting the courses of just over

9,500 students. Further education colleges give

young people the skills they need for the future, and we need a better

skilled workforce, so I think the Government will think again about

these cuts. Even the further education Minister

has described the cuts as regrettable. In 2012, 2013 pupils

were funded for 450 hours, and we raised that a 540 hours.

The Government says funding for immediate 0

The Government says funding for immediate school 0

The Government says funding for immediate school leavers remains its

priority, but for older students this has become a lesson in deficit

reduction. Still with education ` a Leicester

secondary school has been accused of an act of betrayal after choosing to

become an academy. Governors at Rushey Mead voted by eleven to three

to take the school out of council control. It will still be state

funded, but with more freedom over its spending, its curriculum, the

length of terms and staff pay and conditions. 0

length of terms and staff pay and conditions. The National Union of

Teachers says it won't benefit pupils, and predicts some staff will

now leave. I don't think there will be 0

now leave. I don't think there will be any 0

now leave. I don't think there will be any significant changes by

becoming an Academy, but we do think it is in the best interests of our

dumb people, will enable us to have better financial sustainability, and

will help us support local schools through 0

will help us support local schools through sponsorship. Cashback young

people. `` young people.

The Derby train maker Bombardier could find out tomorrow if it's won

a new ?1 billion pound contract. The deal would see hundreds of

carriages built for London's new Crossrail line. Bombardier's up

against Spanish firm CAF and Hitachi of Japan. Unions say it's vital

Bombardier doesn't miss out this time, after failing to win the

Thameslink contract in 2011. Hackney cab drivers near Nottingham

station claim they're being unfairly targeted by The City Council.

The local authority is planning to use 0

The local authority is planning to use CCTV to 0

The local authority is planning to use CCTV to enforce parking rules on

Station Street. It says it's responding to complaints about some

cab drivers not staying in the designated rank, and parking on

double yellow lines. Drivers say their parking area isn't big enough,

but the council has said it's recently extended the taxi rank on

the street. The East Midlands has some of the

highest levels of obesity in England, according to statistics

published today. In three of its counties, an average of two thirds

of the population are now officially classed as overweight or obese.

Here's our health correspondent Rob Sissons.

Here is how the land lies. 60 ascent of people in Lincolnshire are

reckoned to be overweight or obese. Over in Derbyshire, it is 67%, in

Nottinghamshire, 66%. I have come to meet one woman who

battled with weight for years. She ended 0 0 0

battled with weight for years. She ended up 21 stone and going abroad

to pay for a gastric band. I felt unhappy, I shied away from social

gatherings. Reflect on and on paying ?3800 for a gastric band, she says

it has been worth it. She is down seven stone to 14. She was refused

NHS funding. Operations for obesity are not 0

NHS funding. Operations for obesity are not good news, that is the fact

of the matter. You want to avoid them if at all possible.

So we want services in place that will avoid people having to go into

surgery. I people `` I wish people could have spent a day in my old

body. Sport now, and Nottingham Forest are

into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in nine years.

They 0 0 for the first time in nine years.

They beat 0 for the first time in nine years.

They beat Preston 2`0. They will play Nigel Clough's Sheffield United

in the next round. And that's your news. So, it's

goodbye from me, but with the weather, here's Charlie.

We have a rather unsettled night. It is coming down a little bit on what

we saw it today, but a couple of hours ago that was a wind gust of 50

mph or so at East Midlands airport. Still quite breezy into those early

hours. Tomorrow notice all this rain creeping towards us. Make the most

of this when it is drier and brighter. As we go into the middle

of the afternoon the rain will arrive, could 0

of the afternoon the rain will arrive, could leave us with

localised flooding and standing water.

I will leave you with the outlook for the coming few days.

As you have just heard, the little respite between one storm system