07/03/2017 London News

Deal or no deal? so it's goodbye from me.

What happened behind closed doors at Surrey Council comes to light

Doctors call for braver action to tackle London's dirty air.

What is going on with the air in London, is a giant experiment and

how it will affect children's lung growth and we will see the impact of

that to the end of the century. How much are we paying

for the beautiful game? We reveal the cost to the taxpayer

to police West Ham's matches Mary Poppins comes back

to the capital and its landmarks as filming gets under way

for the sequel to the classic film. Welcome to the programme

with me Riz Lateef. First tonight, the BBC has obtained

a secret recording of the leader of Surrey County Council

describing his negotiations with the government before dropping

plans for a 15% increase The Prime Minister has repeatedly

denied that Surrey had been given what Labour calls "a sweetheart

deal" to drop the huge rise. But in a meeting with

his own councillors the Conservative Council Leader,

David Hodge, describes the negotiations he had

with government ministers prior BBC South East's Political Editor,

Helen Catt, has this It was the row that threatened to

leave the government deeply embarrassed. A major Conservative

council saying it had been forced into an massive tax hike because it

didn't have enough money to look after its elderly and vulnerable. I

think it is important politicians stand up and tell the truth and be

honest. Tell them what it costs to run these services. We have to pay

for these services. At the 11th hour, the 15% rise was dramatically

abandoned, sparking claims of a secret deal with the government. Can

the Prime Minister tell the house whether or not a special deal was

done for Surrey? This decision or not

whether to hold a referendum in Surrey is a matter for the local

authority in Surrey. Number Ten denied any sweetheart deal had been

struck. David Hodgson at the decision had been Surrey's alone. We

can reveal secret meetings between David Hodgson and councillors which

showed meetings had been taking place between the community leader

and Savage added just before the referendum was scrapped. A series of

conversations took place... David Hodge also reveal the threat

of a referendum isn't entirely off the table.

Labour has reacted angrily. Why shouldn't every council get this

sort of deal? Why is it a deal that's been done by Conservative

leaders in Surrey with the government. Why can't all local

councils have access to this deal, given social care is in crisis, not

just in Surrey, but all around the country. Approached by the BBC

today, David Hodgson said any leader, if they are good at their

job, will always have these conversations to get a better deal.

He was still hoping the Chancellor was going to announce extra money

for Surrey in tomorrow's budget. Let's talk to our political

editor Tim Donovan And Tim, is the timing

of this interesting, Our budget when the Chancellor is

expected to throw more money at this problem, given how much of a clamour

there has been about the problems up and down this budget. The specific

Surrey a shoemaker down to the consideration David Hodgson was

recorded saying. The written assurances he says he has been given

and whether it applies to next year, 2018 and what it amounts to and if

it was a specific promise to Surrey or something more generalised around

the formula which applies to all councils. That is what the

government is saying this evening. They are saying there was no special

deal with Surrey County Council and they will not be receiving any extra

funding that will not be provided or given to other councils. It is clear

Labour will want to know details in any written assurances. This still

has the potential for political toxicity for the government. Thank

you. The "relentless hard work of staff"

is praised for lifting a hospital trust once rated as London's worst,

out of special measures. Children's lungs are not

growing the way they should That's the warning from doctors

specialising in treating They're calling for much

braver action in tackling Continuing our series Toxic London,

our Environment Correspondent Tom Edwards got rare access

to The Royal Brompton Harefield Hospital which deals

with hundreds of children Big breath in. At this specialist

clinic, you can see the impact London's dirty air is having on

children. Stephanie is 14 and from Harrow. I have been admitted to

hospital about 11 times. Once for about ten days. And that was last

week when there was a lot of pollution. She is one of 200

children being treated at the Royal Brompton and Harefield for asthma.

Her attacks can be triggered by pollution. The chest area, I get

tight really quickly. If I am walking up the road, I have to use

my inhaler quite a lot at times like that. The mayor estimates 9000

Londoners a year have their lives shortened due to poor air quality.

Experts say dirty air stops children's lungs from growing. The

truth is, I'm long function declined from early 20s and human life span

is limited to what your lungs can do. If your lungs don't grow to

their peak, you will start from a low baseline and from an early age

will have the lungs of an elderly person. We will see the impact of

that through to the middle of the century. This is Kenneth, who is 12

and from Croydon. He has been coming here since a baby. Now, you cannot

go anywhere without his inhaler. Living with it is quite hard.

Sometimes you have to wake up in the night and take your asthma pump, or

sometimes rushed to hospital because of your asthma. It is very worrying

seeing your child breathless and studying to breathe. Waking up

several times in the night. Doctors say the capital's poor air quality

will affect more people and the impact could take decades to play

out. I think it is going to make a definite impact on people who would

say, would have been ill anyhow. People who smoke or people unlucky

with respiratory illness. You will see lots of people with COPD and the

predictions are, as we go through the population and it lives longer,

we are storing up an economic problem in terms of how we will

treat these people in the future. Doctors want the government and the

mayor to intervene quickly. So do the children. At the moment, they

feel forgotten. And continuing our series

'Toxic London' tomorrow we'll be looking at the dangerous levels

of pollution that comes And you can find plenty more

on pollution and ways to tackle it, Just head to our website

bbc.co.uk/so I can breathe. Next tonight, we can reveal just

how much it's costing the taxpayer to police West Ham's

games at their new home, BBC London has obtained figures

for policing the club's games for the first three months

of this season. It is a bigger ground

and there were more games played, but as our Sport Reporter,

Chris Slegg reports, it's once again raised questions

about whether the original Olympic Stadium deal was value

for money for Londoners. All calm at London Stadium last

night as West Ham to hosted Chelsea in the Premier League. No repeat of

the violent scenes which marred some of the first game is played here. It

is a lot safer and friendlier for families. I think the problems have

been sorted out. It was West Ham's last home match with Chelsea in

October which saw the worst disorder. A radio system which the

police rely on hadn't been installed. It has been a bone of

contention at football clubs don't pay for policing outside the

stadium, the bill is met by the taxpayer. West Ham are only tenants,

so they don't pay for policing inside either. The LL DC, ultimately

the taxpayer picks up the tab. Today, in figures obtained by BBC

London from the Met police under the Freedom of Information Act, we can

reveal how much policing at this venue has cost us. In the first

three months of last season when West Ham played at Upton Park, it

cost over ?108,000 to police their matches. In the same period this

season at the London Stadium, it has risen to more than 380 1000.

Concentrating on October last season, West Ham's only home match

was against Chelsea and it cost ?25,000 to police. This season they

played three home matches in October, one against Chelsea and the

month's cost was ?238,000. London assembly member Andrew says all

football clubs have a moral obligation to pay more, particularly

West Ham. This ridiculous sweetheart deal they have already, they simply

pay the same. If you think about the last West Ham, Chelsea game, they

had 520 police officers on duty. That is the equivalent of the entire

London borough, on and off duty. When she was pushed on the issue in

December, West Ham vice-chair, Karren Brady disagreed, saying the

club abides by the law and pays what is due to be paid. Many will ask why

safeguards were not built into the deal to protect the taxpayer against

the added burden of police costs at London Stadium.

Does this all go back to that original controversial West Ham deal

Yes it does. First of all, I need to point out we are not comparing

like-for-like. The most recent figures we could obtain was for the

first three months of the season as a monthly breakdown. West Ham played

more home games this season than last. It is a much bigger stadium

now. But the latter point is part of the problem, given we knew West Ham

were moving to a much bigger stadium and it would likely be a greater

drain on police resources, why was in built into the deal that Ham

should pay for any costs inside the stadium in the same way that any

other football club would have to do so. There was always going to be

some teething problems and that is understandable and one of the

teething problems was the serious issue of there not being the

necessary police radio system installed until February, I believe.

Those issues have been resolved. The LLDC point out there have been no

serious problems in the last ten matches. But we have the figures

there has been a far greater spend on police costs at London Stadium

than there ever were at Upton Park. Chris, thanks very much.

It was the hospital trust once rated as the worst in London after a spate

of maternity deaths and its A being judged "unsafe".

Today that's all changed, as Barking, Havering and Redbridge

Inspectors were impressed with what they described

as "the relentless hard work of staff".

Here's our Political Correspondent Karl Mercer.

Business as usual here at Queens hospital. This, trust that sees more

than 1 million patients a year. Do you feel pain in your wrists? Until

today it was branded as failing, but things are changing. They have been

fantastic this morning, being quick and moved me a long really quickly.

I am very happy. After three years, this trust has been lifted out of

special measures, inspectors praising the hard work of staff. You

feel as if you have been signalled out as an organisation with that

tag, as if there is something grossly and severely wrong with you.

To lose that tag is a welcome relief. But, as we put it this

morning on Twitter when we received this news, it is the people power.

Critics say being labelled as bad makes it harder to recruit and keep

stuff you need to help you get better. The regulators say the

system is working to help improve care. With the right level of

leadership you can get around the prize, which is improvement rather

than the label. Whilst sometimes it can feel very, very tough,

ultimately, the programme has helped many organisations make significant

improvements they may not have managed to make as quickly

themselves. Challenges remain here. The trust has been told it still

requires improvement, but losing the failing label, says the chief eggs,

will help. Focus has been on improvement. How do we get the

culture of the organisation right so we are focusing on safety and

getting ourselves into a place where we are doing the right things for

our patients. And my sense, coming out of special measures means it

will be an important step for us to recruit and maintain quality stuff.

This is the first trust in London to be put in special measures, it is

also the first to come out. But there is still much to do.

London Bridge Train Station was evacuated earlier this afternoon

after concerns about a suspicious vehicle parked near The Shard.

Local roads were cordoned off and trains and buses were suspended

for a time as specialist officers and the bomb disposal robot

That's what the mother and father of seven month-old

He has a rare genetic disorder and is being cared

Doctors say there's no known cure and he should be allowed to die.

But his parents from west London want to take him to America

Speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire programme, they explained why.

We don't feel he is in pain at all. We wouldn't say he is suffering. He

obviously hasn't got the same life as another seven-month-old baby.

But, what we are asking for is something that can make him better.

We are trusted to know what is best for our son. We have shown the

dedication we have got. We are not keeping him here for our benefit,

because we can't bear to lose him. Do you think if we suspected he was

in pain, we would be fighting this hard. If we thought he was in pain,

we would have let him go along time ago.

But a spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital said

it's exhausted all available proven treatment options.

It was the UK's worst tower block fire,

in which six people died including three children, eight years ago.

Since then every aspect of how the fire spread and how the building

was being maintained has been examined and reviewed.

Alex Bushill has spent the day with the London Fire Brigade

to understand what lessons have been learnt and whether there could be

The legacy of Lakanal House is still with us today.

Only last week the council were fined ?270,000 for being

And today, the London Fire Brigade were emphasising just how every

high-rise should be maintained and the array of fire engineering

For example, the fire brigade turn up, they have one of these keys that

They simply use it in this fire switch and it overrides the internal

Once you are inside they have a range of other measures,

but first and foremost, all the residents in here should

know what to do in the case of an emergency and there should be

labelling directing them exactly to that advice.

Once you are inside, they have this key that now allows

them to take over full control of the lifts, so they can then

access the fire simply by using that switch and turning it down.

Here we are on the 11th floor of this particular high-rise.

It was of course on the 11th floor on Lakanal house that three

women and three children lost their lives.

Let's speak now to Paul Jennings from the London Fire Brigade.

Our advice would be, if there was a fire in your flat

or was affecting your flat, then yes, leave your flat.

If you are located in other parts of the building,

If you are located in other part of the building,

you should stay put in your flat, ensuring the doors are closed.

Flats such as this one are separate compartments and they have been

designed and built with the walls, the floors and the fire doors

offering up to 60 minutes of protection from fire and smoke.

The issue in Lakanal, as the Council admitted

was there were no seals on the fire doors, poorly boxed in wooden

stairs and no partition is in suspended ceilings.

Catherine Hickman was one of those who died.

She was told repeatedly to stay put as the fire spread.

The room downstairs is full of smoke.

The operator said, I want you to stay there and don't move.

Today the brigade said their policies were correct but more

is now needed in terms of how those calls are handled.

We have an additional incident command unit that attends

the incident that's dedicated purely for the rescue of those people.

So that line of communication is maintained from the control

operator to the person that's being rescued or seeks our help

and to the crews that are here at the incident ground.

The message from the brigade is simple - high-rises

The issue is, just how well maintained they are.

Is it set to get warmer? Stay tuned for the weather.

It's perhaps a sport that doesn't have the the highest profile,

Because this summer Surrey Sports Park will host

Emma Jones was at the official launch which took place today,

during the National Schools Championships.

Salary is preparing to host the World Cup and, if you are a fan of

lacrosse, that is pretty exciting. We have this amazing sports event,

athletics, it will be lots of fun. I am delighted. I cannot wait, I have

got tickets and I cannot wait to come and watch it. So many schools

around here and we can go and visit. It is a good opportunity to boost

lacrosse here. If you aren't familiar with the sport of lacrosse,

who better to explain it ran one of the England team. It is a game with

12 players on each team. It is a stick and the hard rubber ball. We

throw the ball to our team-mates and we try and score in the opposing

goal. How are you doing well? Fourth at the World Cup in 2013, but this

time round, we are confident we can go out in July and do something

special. We are hopeful we can make the final. This will be the third

time England has hosted the World Cup. In that time the tournament has

grown. 25 countries will compete in the summer. It is hoped many will

come to cheer their country on and many more, like these girls, will

want to take up the sport. The biggest challenge is coaches,

getting people who are able to start a new clubs and bring it into

schools. There aren't enough others yet. The demand is there and the

kids want to play. They absolutely love it. It is getting the people

out there delivering lacrosse. What better inspiration than to be

playing on the pitcher 's world champions will be playing on in

July. He hated school and taught

himself in libraries and today international

best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett was honoured with a plaque

outside his local library Sir Terry's daughter helped unveil

the memorial with the town's The author of the Discworld series

sold 85 million books and died The library was very important to my

dad because this is where he got his education. He didn't like school

much, neither did I say he got his education in the lively. He worked

as a volunteer so he took out everything and read everything.

Libraries unlock the world, no matter where you are, you can unlock

the world through a library. She was an instant hit

when she burst onto our She also dropped in to London

2012 opening ceremony, flying into the stadium

with her trusty umbrella. Now Mary Poppins is making

a comeback - this time with Emily Blunt in the sequel

to the classic movie. As Alice Bhandhukravi reports

filming has got under way It is instantly recognisable and a

much loved classic. Originally a book, in 1964, Mary Poppins was

turned into a movie with Julie Andrews in the title role. The tale

of a super nanny who answers at advert. It was filmed at Walt Disney

Studios in California, using a painted backdrop of London. But this

new version promises to be more authentic, filmed at locations

across the capital like here at St Paul's Cathedral. And here at bank,

where filming around the Square Mile were taken back to the 1960s.

Vintage buses and extras dressed in Depression-era fashion. There were

even glimpses of the new leading lady, Emily Blunt. With the film not

set for release until the end of 2018, Disney are keeping this sequel

close to their chests. There are reports that the memorable, but not

authentic London, Dick van Dijk, will be making an appearance. Fans

will just have to look out for more filming locations and keep their

eyes peeled for any signs of the magical nanny.

So many songs come to mind. Let's see how the weather is shaping up.

We saw and blue skies. Nice walk by the river. Things started to cloud

over this afternoon. This was the scene in Plumstead later in the day.

Tomorrow, the clouds will be thicker and there will be rain at times. But

it is mild weather on the way. Courtesy of south-westerly winds

which will beep coming in our direction over the next couple of

days. This weather system is taking its time and that is why we have

stayed dry do the day. We should stay dry to this evening as well.

But overnight, after midnight, the cloud will thicken up and is heavy

band of rain will work its way through. With that, milder air.

Temperatures will be eight or 9 degrees. Quite breezy as well. Out

and about tomorrow you will be greeted with grey skies, outbreaks

are patchy rain and drizzle. Through the day, the rain will come and go,

there will be dry intervals but more rain returning at times. If you do

see any brightness, and there will be some later in the north of the

region, temperatures could be 14, maybe 15 degrees. As we go through

tomorrow evening, the rain will never be far away. It remains just

to the south of town, but it may come further north. It is because

this weather front will be bumping along the south coast of the UK. As

we go into Thursday, the weather French are clear away so it means a

largely dry day. Will take awhile to clear the cloud so don't expect huge

amount sunshine, especially to the north where there will be sunny

spells. More cloud further south. Temperature 15 degrees. As we go to

the weekend, we stick with those temperatures. If you had any ideas

are basking in the sunshine, I don't think it will be like that because

there will be quite amount of cloud, and some rain.

Peers in the House of Lords are due to vote later on an amendment

to the Brexit Bill which calls for parliament to be given

That's it, I'll be back later during the Ten o'clock news,

but for now from everyone on the team have a lovely evening, goodbye.

I could be a boxing champ, AND build your computer.

I am more than just the beard or the nation's favourite dish.

There's 4 million different ways to understand what British Asian is.

mixed with fish and chips and visions of five rivers,

this is a modern-day collision. That's just how we're living.