08/03/2017 London News

There was relief for the retail sector facing a huge

hike in business rates, but will it be enough to stop

I don't know what we will do about it. We will probably pay but it is

sucking the life out of us, really. And MPs in London slam the extra

funds for social care saying it We'll have full

analysis of the budget. Calls for new powers to restrict

the amount of toxins from building sites,

to improve the quality of our air. Construction is a power thirsty

business. Whenever going to be able to pull down an old factory like

this without vast amounts of diesel in powerful machinery.

And the boy with a rare liver condition that means he has to spend

the rest of his life, living under a lamp.

Further devolution for London is the headline announcement made

by the Chancellor in his budget, which is exactly what our

But there was a lot more talked about, so let's have a look

at the main areas in bite size Budget chunks.

A massive issue in and around London.

Well, ?2 billion has been announced for Social Care over

the next three years, but that's for the whole of England.

Changes to the system mean firms here are facing steep rises,

so a hardship fund has been announced to the tune of more

On top of that, there's ?1,000 discount in rates for pubs.

It'll get many people excited, but there are no new powers

for City Hall, and nothing's been announced that we didn't

Not a mention of Crossrail 2 or a new Thames crossing,

which will be a massive disappointment to many.

As for policing, there's no more money for that either.

And that's something the Mayor of London isn't happy about.

It'll also put added pressure on the new Commissioner

And when it comes to our schools, which have led the entire country

when it comes to improvements, there's no more money there.

Instead, many are set to lose out under a new funding formula.

I'll be putting some of those points to the Minister

for London very shortly, but first let's look at social care

with our Political Editor, Tim Donovan, who's at Westminster.

Pressure on hospital wards this winter has combined with a growing

awareness of a growing population here in the capital with needs that

are often not straightforward and need complex care. And that has

shocked -- shot this issue up the agenda. The local authorities who

have become so associated with the political difficulties over solving

this will get more money. Every council has the potential to get

more under a new fund. Catherine was among many

watching closely today. She has multiple sclerosis and has

been in this private care home Pleased the Chancellor was offering

more help, so far as it goes. I don't think it's

the end of the problems. It is certainly a big move

towards helping council But the main problem,

which is a national problem, not just here in Surrey,

is that social care has been completely

underfunded and is in crisis. Not just in Surrey, but Surrey has

now achieved a special status in all this because first

there was a thread from its Tory leader to raise council tax by 15%,

and then questions about why that Today, just minutes before

the budget, it boiled over Saying that the leader

of Surrey County Council, David Hodgkin said there

was a gentleman 's agreement between him and the government

which meant they would not have My question is what deal was done

with Surrey County Council? He said I didn't answer the question

about a special deal for Surrey. I think I've answered it now three

times but I'll do to fourth time. There was no special deal

for Surrey that was not Taking to the dance floor

in Westminster this afternoon, a borough where the adult care

budget has had to be cut by a third It will keep people out

of hospitals, and all that. And people who can't afford

to look after themselves, This is a gift given

to people in transition. But Labour said the extra money

announced today wouldn't make much Our hospitals are having

to keep patients wardful, two wardful of patients

that they cannot discharge into the community because there

are no services available for them. So, yes, this is welcome but it goes

nowhere near far enough. Others say, though welcome,

it'll take more than cash. It has to be about the

services and what works. Local authorities, the NHS working

together, and we've got So, an emergency bailout

this year but bigger, When it comes to business rates,

changes to the system mean many firms in London will see massive

hikes in the amount they pay. So the Chancellor today

announced an emergency fund Nevertheless, the Institute

for Fiscal Studies estimates companies here will still be worse

off in the coming years, while firms in the north

of England will benefit. Karl Mercer has been gauging

opinion in the East End. There is one further area

in which I can announce action The Communities Secretary and I have

listened to the concerns raised The revaluation and has undoubtedly

raised some hard cases. While the Chancellor

was on his feet in the Commons, Hackney's Brewers were on theirs

on the bottling line. Two small firms, like hundreds

across London, who are facing big You go from the right,

four in, that's my grandad. Bob Cooke was born in the flat

above his Hackney pie and mash shop. At 69, he is still

making 700 pies a day. But, from April, his business rates

are set to go up nearly ?2000. I said to my wife, it's

a terrible thing, I don't know We will probably pay it, but it's

sucking the life out of us, really. Just around the corner, it's

a similar story at this brewery. Four years old tomorrow, they, too,

will see their rates go up. In Hackney itself,

the average is 46% rate hike. And these are all people that make

up our local community. They are neighbours,

they are friends, Today, the Chancellor announced

a little help for London. ?72 million will come to London's

councils to help businesses hardest My first impressions

are it's not enough. I've been speaking to small

businesses across London over the last few weeks and months,

including those who represent The Chancellor appears to have

listened a bit but his announcement My worry is that small

businesses in London, who worked their socks off,

may go under. London will remain as one of only

two cities in the UK where business The majority of cities, actually,

business rates will go down. What we see is in the most

successful cities, London and Reading, actually,

business rates will go up. What that means for businesses

in London, particularly large businesses, is they are the ones

that will bear the brunt Details of the scheme to help

firms affected will be Well, the Chancellor also announced

that he'd reached a deal with the Mayor of London,

Sadiq Khan on further Karl Mercer, you've

looked into this. It didn't take me long to look at

it, either. Five pages. First page title page, second page, a load of

signatures. 2.5 sides of the actual deal. It isn't a weighty tome, there

isn't a lot in there we did know before. Just a couple of things.

They're talking about piloting new ways of raising money to pay for big

infrastructure. More control of business rates. And more powers to

tackle congestion, some pilot projects going on about that. From

my point of view, not too much in there. I wonder what the mayor

thought. You can look at this as a glass half full or empty. This is a

glass half full. It's good news because the government still

believes individuation. It recognises that decisions are best

made when they can pack those that they affect. That is good news for

us. Talking the talk, playing nicely with the government. I understand

there something we haven't heard today, maybe an announcement next

week about health devolution for London. Giving London hospitals more

power than anywhere else in the country to keep the money they raise

from selling land. We will look closely at that.

And there's nobody better to chat to on the subject

than Gavin Barwell, the Minister for London.

When it comes to concrete actions that matter, committing to Crossrail

to or funding for policing or schools, we heard nothing. Instead,

a piece of paper signed by yourself but it isn't much to go on. I think

we had a lot of concrete things in this budget. We had extra funding

for social care, which is a huge issue. We had relief for small

businesses and for our pubs in terms of business rates. Extra funding for

new schools and extra money for maintenance for existing schools.

And this important step forward for devolution so I think there is a lot

in here Londoners should welcome. How much for social care in London?

?2 billion across England, how much for London? So, we're going to get

the individual funding local authority by local authority but ?2

billion is a very significant injection of funding and it shows

the Chancellor has this and the concerns people have in London and

across the country in terms of making sure we get the social care

issue right. He said something else important as well which is we will

come forward with a green paper to have a look at how we reform the

social care system because it is crucial in terms of making sure our

National Health Service can cope with the changes. Another thing you

mentioned was business rates, how the Chancellor has announced help

for small businesses. All that does is he is admitting he got it wrong,

announcing changes and then he has to introduce an emergency fund to

help the people he has made the changes to. He'd already introduced

a ?3.5 billion transition fund to help businesses facing higher bills

as a result of this. When he listens to the concerns expressed to him, we

should welcome that. There are three things he's done. A ?300 million

fund for local authority to help hardship cases. There's also

specific help for our pubs, and for about 16,000 small businesses that

are the worst affected because their rates have gone up so they are

losing the small business rate relief. You may be pleased and the

Chancellor may be pleased but the CBI are not pleased. They say it

isn't enough. The Institute for fiscal policy says London businesses

will be worse off over the next five years while businesses up north will

be better off. We are still funding businesses outside London. It is the

case London is one of those parts of the country well later both --

rateable values are going up, that's a sign of our good economy. But the

Chancellor has listened to the concerns London businesses have

concerned and there is a total of ?400 million more funding to go

ahead with the relief. One more thing, infrastructure. We heard

nothing about Crossrail two, nothing about a new Thames crossing. With

the autumn budget, is that where he has had a word with you and said,

don't worry, wait for the next budget, you'll be fine? On Crossrail

two, we're waiting for the interim business case to come shortly, that

is the key moment where we can reassure ourselves about the funding

of the scheme and it releases the crucial housing we desperately need.

The government is clear in principle be want to see Crossrail two to

happen. Thank you for joining us on the programme.

This is BBC London News on Budget Day.

Stay with us, as we've got other things to come too, including...

The little boy trapped in his room for 20 hours a day due to a rare

condition that affects just 100 people in the world.

I'll be with Pauline Collins and Joan Collins having the time of

their lives at the premiere of their new film.

But, first, the Mayor of London has been very vocal

about dealing with air pollution since he was elected last year,

which is why he's now got the construction industry fixed

You may not think it, but building sites are thought

to produce extremely high levels of nitrogen oxide, which is why,

as part of our Toxic London series, Jim Wheble has

The careful dismantling of Ford's stamping plant at Dagenham.

But amidst the mess is a quiet, clean revolution in construction.

This is one of our normal diesel generators that's running

And this is one of our hybrid generators, which,

when it is running, is completely silent.

Before the hybrids, only diesel generators would have supplied

the electricity to this type of site.

And considering just clearing all this lot will take 2.5 years,

that's a great deal less diesel being consumed.

We've been using our hybrids here for one month and we've already

saved over 3000 litres of diesel we haven't had to use to power

And that's probably about ten tonnes of carbon that we've

saved from being emitted into the atmosphere.

It's estimated that up to 7% of London's and nitrogen oxides

Because since the VW omissions scandal, there is now doubt

What we're doing now with the project is figuring out

onop the sites and we're doing something called PEMS, portable

emissions measurement systems, and we're taking total emissions

measurements from those engines to see how they perform in

In 2015, City Hall did ban the use of older types of polluting

But they are pushing for more broader powers.

So, what we'd like is the powers akin to what we're using for the low

emission zone, so the ability to enforce emissions

standards across London, like we do with vehicles,

but to do it for construction machinery, machinery used

In the shadow of the ultimate symbol of green energy.

Powering demolition this way might be the stuff of Mad Max movies,

but it's hoped the dawn of a cleaner age in construction

A Commissioner from the Independent Police Complaints Commission has

stepped down from her duties while Police Scotland investigate

Jennifer Izekor was in charge of the inquiry into three police

The case collapsed and all were cleared last July.

Scotland Yard has confirmed they're looking at two criminal

It's said the suspension does not indicate any concern

He lives in Luton and he is one of just a hundred people

in the world who suffers from a liver disease called

It means he has to spend 20 hours of every day sitting and lying

Alpa Patel has been to meet him and his family, who are desperate

Four-year-old Ismail has spent almost his entire life like this. A

rare liver condition means he eats, sleeps and plays under phototherapy

lights for a minimum of 20 hours a day. Because he is missing an enzyme

in his liver to break down what we call jaundice, he hasn't got that at

all, so unfortunately because it builds up, it is a toxin in the

blood, and as a toxin if it goes to the brain first thing they said is

he will get death, he will get brain damage, may be permanent. He has to

be propped up in his medical phototherapy bed, which she hates,

especially because we have a seven-year-old sister. So he wants

to run around like a normal for your old boy, run around the house and

play around with her. It is almost like a prison for him. It's hard.

Your family take care of him 24 hours a day. How are you coping? Not

very well, to be honest. The family have a care that comes for six hours

a week but they are hoping to raise money through a crowdfunding page

for a full-time carer. Sleepless nights. Our little sister, the

seven-year-old, isn't getting any quality of life either. We're

basically spending all our time with him, in and out of hospital, so we

don't get to play with her. Having someone to be with him, we can at

least get a bit of a break, a little bit of a rest and then be able to

concentrate on caring for him even more. It's very likely that Ismail

will spend the rest of his life restricted by his rare condition.

Frustrating for an energetic and cheeky little boy. But his family

say they'll do everything they can to make sure he has the best quality

of life possible. And our best wishes to Ismail and his family.

Now, our next guests have decades of film

One is best known for her role as Shirley Valentine, the other

It is of course Pauline Collins and Joan Collins,

who are at the premiere of their latest film

Before we hear from Alice Bhandukravi who's with them,

here's a clip from The Time of Their Lives.

I want to enjoy the rest of my life. So to why. I'm going to reinvent

myself out of the Ashes. Is your wife dead or, shopping? I want

another chance at life. Here they are now, Joan Collins, Pauline

Collins. I have to say you both look stunning. Thank you. You've been on

a bit of an adventure in this film. We certainly higher. We went on a

great adventure, we went all through England, France, we went on buses,

caravans, coaches, ferries... And we're nothing like each other,

either in my full-time dig-mac the film. It's two women who would never

meet, from different planets to come together. This is the dominant one.

Surprise surprise. To help her get two more funeral. Franco Nero, he is

worth dying for. Pauline is an abuse housewife and I see her as that. She

doesn't believe she is, but she is. When she says she sees me, she means

in the character. Not the real Pauline. It's International Women's

Day today. It's a wonderful day to open and I was going to ask you

about the fact there aren't that many roles for women where the women

are the protagonists, particularly older women, where they are the

protagonists in the story. There is this one. I cannot think of any one

except for the Marigold Hotel. And this is really... We other leads, we

are in every scene, we dominate the screen, I hope. Well, she dominates

it. We're very, very lucky to have these roles. I hope more films, long

showing women in this light. There are more women of our age now. That

may be want to see life doesn't stop. And maybe coming back to you

in 20 years' time. It's never too late for another chance, as the

byline of the film says. Thank you very much for joining us.

How glamorous are they! We go from the red carpet to the

grey skies because sunshine was very, very difficult to find today.

However watchers had a go but they didn't have much luck. This was the

scene in talking earlier on. Very cloudy skies. How about Richmond

Park? Cloudy here as well. It produced outbreaks of rain.

Tomorrow's forecast, it'll look very different, much brighter with spells

of sunshine developing, and it still feel mild. Today, some splashes of

rain. It was quite patchy and light through the afternoon but there are

still some bits and pieces of drizzle. This evening and tonight,

particularly to the south of town, it'll stay cloudy, very crisply,

misty and murky, probably largely dry in the north. Wherever you are,

it is a mild night. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll notice mild

fuel to the weather. There will be some cloud around but it will break

up very nicely. Getting on into the afternoon, more in the way of

sunshine developing, the best of that across northern parts of the

region. Look at the temperatures. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we

got 16 degrees. Not bad going at all for this point in March and it will

feel very pleasant with a sunshine. Turning chilly tomorrow evening with

those clear skies but high-pressure pretty close by as we go through

tomorrow night, which means fine weather. A rather chilly feel on

Friday morning. A fine start to the day but the cloud is lurking, moving

in from the West, with it a little bit of patchy rain so by the middle

part of Friday, cloudy, with the odd spot of rain, temperatures up to the

teams. There will be some sunshine through the weekend.

Before we go, a reminder of what's making the headlines on Budget Day

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has delivered the Budget.

Labour has accused him of "utter complacency" with a budget

which ignored the state of the economy.

And let's get a final thought from our Political Editor,

Tim, is it fair to say this was a very anti-London budget?

That would be going a little bit too far but the issue is it is a verdict

pending because we have to wait to see how these big national pots are

redistributed, so how much do London councils get for social care, how

much exactly for business rates. There is a national competition for

original ways of dealing with congestion. Could London get 700

million? Nothing on Crossrail. Some people feel the emphasis has moved

to infrastructure elsewhere. And then the devolution, the talk was of

pilots, future announcements, not the kind of changes which could lead

to the capital addressing its own needs with the money it can raise

from its own people. Some way to go on that. OK, thanks very much.

That's it from us this Wednesday evening, but there's more

from us later tonight, at 10:30pm on BBC One,

Let's Sing And Dance exploded onto our screens,

setting the stage alight...literally.

Stars were a-swinging... Could somebody help me?