31/10/2011 Look East - East

Hello and welcome to a new week on Look East, with Susie and me. In

the programme tonight: Our Cinderella region. The

Government pumps millions into our economy but we're bottom of the

table again. It's a cloudy outlook for solar

power, as the incentive to fit panels is cut in half. I'm reducing

the tariff to spread it as widely as possible and ensure we avoid the

boom and bust in the solar industry we've seen on the Continent.

And never say die. The Canaries snatch a point with just seconds to

The Government said today it was putting �30 million into the

economy of this region. There are two winners - a scheme to relieve a

notorious traffic bottleneck at Luton Airport, and the luxury car

maker Lotus. Luton Council receives �19.5 million to improve Junction

That's the hugely congested approach road to Luton Airport. And

in Norfolk, Lotus Cars receives �10.5 million to support the

company's plans to build more cars at its Hethel headquarters. Let's

start there now, with our chief Yes, this is the finishing shop

where the cars are given their final inspection. It is to make

sure they are in perfect condition to go out to the shower rooms and

customers. Lotus was unsuccessful in the first round of bids for

growth fund cash. Today's grant gives the green light to major

expansion - a new factory and assembly line, and new models. And

over the next six years, some 1,100 new jobs.

It is an accord -- and iconic brand but this new Centre of Excellence

had had -- has had something of a roller-coaster ride. Kevin Youngs

is one of the longest serving employees. He has worked here for

44 years. Obviously, with the downturn, everybody is worried

about jobs and this seems to cement that. It has been good over the

last 18 months and I expect over the next few years it will be good

as well. And this is the future. One of five new models designed to

turn the car maker into a maker of premium sports cars. We get a lot

of feedback for the new cars. We were able to get down payments for

the new cars but we were saying, hold them back because we have to

concentrate on our new cars. It is not going perfectly. It is a tough

time for everybody. But we are trying to wait until the first new

car arrives in 2015. In the summer, Vince Cable visited and was

impressed with what he saw. He said the government support to announce

today was the right decision. The company is now investing millions

of pounds in the expansion plans. Every one of the sleek new models

will be made in Norfolk. Dany Bahar, who we heard from in

the film, came to Lotus from Ferrari, and he's the architect of

this bold expansion plan. So where is the market for Lotus sports

cars? It says about a third of its business is in the United Sates, a

third in Europe, and a third in Asia and the Pacific. Tough

economic times, but the market for top-end sports cars is holding up

surprisingly well, and that's great news for the team who work here on

the factory floor. There's celebrations in Luton

tonight at the news they've won almost �20 million towards a major

roads project. There's been a campaign for years to upgrade

Junction 10a on the M1, which provides access to the airport. The

Borough Council is keen to capitalise on next year's London

Olympics. It is absolutely essential. We have

got to help people come in now who could not before. We are talking

about thousands of jobs here. So, a welcome boost to the region's

economy today. But how well have we done compared to other parts of the

The North West has come out on top, with bids worth �255 million. Then

it's the West Midlands on �207 million. Yorkshire & Humber are in

line for �189 million. Then it's the North East, the South West and

the East Midlands. The Look East region is joined together with the

affluent South East. But as you can see, if we weren't, our share would

be just �36 million, putting us With that in mind, when I spoke to

the Business Minister, Greg Clark, late this afternoon, I wanted to

know why it was that we appear to be doing so badly compared to other

parts of the country. I do not think that is the case. We have had

an enterprise zone here that was hotly competed over and I know

there are part of the country who feel they would have liked to have

had an enterprise zone. This is good news for the region. Lotus is

a great British company and what this investment will allow his

research and development to continue, which is the key to

success for many years to come, not just now. But if you look at the

north-west, 47 successful bids, �255 million. East Anglia, �36

million. Of course, these are not the only funds. The Regional Growth

Fund is principally about helping regions to replace public sector

jobs. There are other funds and initiatives, such as the enterprise

zones, for example, which the eastern region has benefited from.

Your shadows says we would have done much better under the Regional

Development Agency than we are doing with this. More money would

come to this region? The trouble with that is that they were very

much arms of government. What you have got through the local

enterprise partnerships is businesses leading the way and

coming together. It was the Local Enterprise Partnership that put

forward the success of bid for an enterprise zone, for example.

have your assurance that more money next time will come from government

and we will be top of the pile? is always based on an assessment of

applications, but what I was say is that the record of East Anglia and,

in particular, the Local Enterprise Partnership over the last few weeks

has scored very highly compared with other parts of the country.

Thank you. The scene is set tonight for a race

to fit roof-top solar panels. Households across the region have

been snapping them up over recent months, attracted by a generous

subsidy. But today, the Government confirmed it was cutting the

financial incentive in half. Companies which supply solar panels

claim the decision will hit business and jobs.

Dave has just forked out �1,200 on having his roof fitted with solar

panels. The project manager and his team have been working flat out to

keep up with demand for months. has been in St! I cannot put a word

to it. We have got four weeks every week. I cannot put a number to the

number of teams working at the moment. With the subsidy soon to be

halved, Dave and Kathryn are relieved they have done it now.

With rising fuel costs, that is key, and the feed it in that tariff,

which is key. Had it been 21p when you had gone for it, would you have

done so? Possibly not. In the eastern region, so let

installations have jumped from 644 to more than 1,600 in three months.

The cost has fallen. The solar industry says the timing and size

of the current subsidy is going to seriously damage jobs and growth.

The Government wants us to go green, so why is it making it more

expensive? This new low energy centre, being opened by the

minister, and he has said it was unfair. It is not fair sum should

get bumper returns while others are paying for this. This centre is in

Norfolk. Other companies had their subsidies slashed to around eight

pence per kilowatt hour Micra. has made it unworkable. You cannot

build these things with that level of support. You have enthusiastic

people like us who want to take advantage of it and they have

decided to kill it. I don't know why. You energy suppliers are

bracing themselves for a mad dash before December. Others could find

themselves cut off. And there's more on solar power on

tonight's edition of Inside Out at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Still to come tonight, news of a major wind farm development off our

coast, with a special report coming We've got a round-up of the weekend

goals. Plus, Mike Liggins on the rise and

rise of the region's population. Let me introduce you to Conor, who

was born at 1pm this afternoon. He is doing really well. We are going

to have a chat with the mum after news from your region.

The police are investigating an assault outside a club which

features in the reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex. It happened

early on Friday morning near the Sugar Hut in Brentwood. A local

footballer is still in hospital. The Only Way Is Essex is a hit

reality show. Millions tune in to follow the lives and loves of a

group of affluent and glamourous friends. Some scenes are filmed

here, at the Sugar Hut in Brentwood. Now police are investigating an

assault in the street outside. Police believe an altercation may

have taken place involving a group of 10 men, seen on CCTV. It has

left Nicky Morgan in hospital. phoned his family yesterday and

said he is moving his hands and hose but he cannot move his legs.

He has got an operation today. A everybody is praying he will make a

full recovery. A spokesman for the Sugar Hut said the incident did not

take place immediately outside and that the time of the assault, the

club was closed. There has been a partial victory

for the campaign to keep the Cromer Crab Factory open in Norfolk.

Youngs Seafood had warned the site could close, with 230 jobs lost.

But today they confirmed that all local crabs and lobsters will

continue to be processed in Cromer. Today a 6,500 signature petition

was handed over to Young's Seafood. The message - keep this factory

opened. As many signed it as live in Cromer. Local MPs and

politicians came to the factory to meet the management. Became a wear

with a pledge - to retain the processing of local crab and

lobster in Cromer. -- they came away. It is a cautious optimism

because we are still looking at the likelihood of job losses but I

think there is absolutely something worth fighting for here. I went

into the meeting thinking that the Cromer crab could disappear

altogether. We have been told that we can say publicly there is a

commitment that public -- that production will continue here. It

is a step forward. Town is known nationally and beyond. That is why

closing the company and moving production has been such a big

issue. The campaign attracted huge support and celebrity backers like

Stephen Fry and Alan Titchmarsh. The engagement has been very good.

The number of signatures is impressive and we welcome the

interest in the company because it confirms the great heritage of the

company in the local community and with the people as well. Today's

concession secures only 20 local jobs out of 234 stop Young's

Seafood said they are consulting on what happens to the rest of the

company. All the libraries in Suffolk could

stay open under a radical plan drawn up by officials. It would see

the libraries handed over to a new independent body and could save

about �2 million a year. Pressure to cut budgets had put the

future of Suffolk libraries in doubt, but after talks there is a

new proposal which, it is hoped, all 44 will survive and remain

sustainable. I am very glad people have put forward their views. I

would have been sad if there had been little response. We have

listened and learned and we want to carry on what they want to do,

develop their ambitions for their libraries. The campaign has been

fierce and under this new plan, the Council creates and funds and

industrial and Provident society, independent with charitable status,

and it would run the libraries with local community groups who would

need to raise 5% of the annual running costs. If you look at the

headlines of this announcement, they are very positive. Libraries

are open and flourishing. And they will be run by a cost-effective

organisation. Talk to campaigners and they see things very

differently. It feels like a lead into the unknown, and to be

squandering any money at this time of the recession seems a very

dangerous and naive thing to be doing. 20 jobs will be lost as part

of the change, largely at managerial level. If it gets the

nod, seven project could be up and In sport, a weekend which kept fans

on the edge of their seats. I bet you're one of them?

I certainly was, fantastic football over the weekend. A great game at

Carrow Road between Norwich City and Blackburn. The fans watching

and listening says Lee got value for money with six goals in that

game. The last one scored by this man here, Grant Holt.

Sometimes a draw feels like a win, especially when it is wrestled back

from the jaws of defeat. Norwich have only lost once at Carrow Road,

they looked keen to keep that statistic in tact. Just before the

break, Julia Hall it -- Junior Hoilett scored a belter. Whatever

you can do, we can do better. Steve Morrison scoring. Then Yakubu beat

the goalkeeper at his near post. Moments after the restart defender

Chris Samba latched on to a free- kick. That restored the two-goal

cushion. An obscure deflection from Bradley Johnson's shot looped over

the goalkeeper's head. Norwich threw everything at Blackburn. In

stoppage time a penalty was given for handball. Grant Holt stepped up

to level the game. Three per free - - three per free. I was happy with

the buy-back. -- buy-back. The end of the game, we should have sealed

out a little bit. That is not to take away from the fact that the

players worked hard. We scored some good goals, two get a penalty in

the last seconds, that was very cruel.

In the championship, a torrid time beds which, they were Farm 24-1 --

thumped 4-1. Southend United went top of League Two, a 2-0 win at

Macclesfield. The draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup

was made yesterday. Three teams in our region are involved. If

Chelmsford can get past Gloucester they will host at Telford. -- host

at Telford. Ipswich tennis player Elena

Baltacha has described this year as the best of the career last -- so

far. She has been the world's top 50 for the second year running. She

is 50 in the latest rankings. You can get the latest sporting fix on

You are watching Look East, it is hallowed to be 7 billionth baby --

hello. If you have just joined us, the

main news is that the eastern region has been awarded money from

the regional growth fund. There is Platt -- cash for expansion at

Lotus cars. Tonight, news of another project to get our economy

moving again. An offshore wind farm has promised to create jobs in our

region. The East Coast is becoming the

world leader in offshore wind. At the moment we have four wind farms.

The next one will be the big daddy of them all, covering an area the

size of Norfolk. Today its developers said it would news two

ports to build and operate it, Great Yarmouth and another.

could be talking about 50 years operations. This is a long guitar -

- long-term opportunity police Anglia. This wind farm opened in

2004, the first in the area. This one is a minnow. The new farm we

produce a 100 more times than this one. The task of building it should

employ thousands of people. Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft are

capitalising on and wind. We can capitalise -- we are going to sit

support them, we are capable of doing all bad. I think it would

bring a thousands of jobs to Lowestoft, and the surrounding area.

It is not just about East Anglia offshore wind, it is also the

support industries. There are opponents of the scheme, residents

who do not want pile on spilled over their countryside -- pile on.

This is a national project. You have been looking forward to

our next item? The population of the world is

reckoned to have reached 7 billion. There are more people living in our

region than ever before. More people live here than the whole of

Scotland. Also Wales and it Northern Ireland added together.

Today another one was added to the total in Colchester.

This is a ward at Colchester General Hospital. I have some

statistics, population statistics. As far as our region is concerned

there are 5.8 million people living here. That is up 0.5 million from

five years ago. The current population of the Colchester is

181,000. If you compare that with 50 years ago, 1961, that was 65,000.

Quite an increase. Today seven babies were born here. This baby is

one-year-old. She weighed �8.40 ounces. Mother-and-baby is doing

well. Ishi BDA Kate? Yes. She is doing well with her feet. How are

you? I'm fine, just a bit tired. The uncle filmed the birth, the dad

could not be there. At average this hospital looks at -- looks after 11

Burke said day. They have seasonal variations. We are always busy in

September. That is nine months after the new year. We are

expecting to be busy this December, nine months after the troops go

back from Afghanistan we are a garrison town. They are working

hard and coping well with the birds. They have 160 midwives, and no

vacancies. The baby has now gone home. They are hoping it will be

the first of two or three macro. This is another new baby. When was

he born? He was born this morning,, it was tricky. 21 hours. Housing

now? He is absolutely fine. Very quiet and sleepy at the moment.

looks absolutely gorgeous. You're excited? Very excited. Good luck

with everything for the future. thank you very much.

Lovely babies. He loves kids. They Lovely babies. He loves kids. They

were gorgeous babies! Good evening. It has been

exceptionally mild here. Hallowe'en tonight. Here are some pumpkins to

get to in the mood. This was taken at a pumpkin farm in Norfolk. If

you are out to trick or treating tonight, a mild night indeed. One

of the marl this Hallowe'en Night On Record and fact. We have a

couple of things going on on the pressure charts. A cold front

bringing a band of rain across the country. Some patchy rain brass.

This area of low pressure across the Atlantic, that will produce

more sedate and rain by Thursday. It's been pretty crowded across the

region, staying cloudy tonight. A fair bit of cloud. Certainly by the

end of the night a few spots of light rain and drizzle. Locations

like Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex staying mostly dry. Exceptionally

mild. Temperatures going to get down to told Celsius. The average

is about five Celsius. There will be a brisk breeze, a refreshing

southerly wind. A touch fresh at times. Tomorrow, a damp start. He

in the Easter some patchy light rain. Writer's Prize -- brighter

skies further west. Temperatures around 15 degrees. The cold front

will bring in some cooler air. A light a south-westerly wind

expected. Tuesday later on some sunshine. This is what happens next.

The area of low pressure stays well to our West. It is will push this

cold front up around the country. That will move in towards Thursday,

bright and fairly breezy. Later on in the day some rain for. A cloudy

day on Thursday. Isolated showers. We are keeping a close eye on