17/06/2014 Look East - East

following a breakthrough in relations. -- in Iran.

They say flood defences in this region were the victims

An additional ?5 million of capital investment.

That could have been avoided if money had been made available.

The UK's biggest off`shore wind farm is given the go ahead.

Experts are predicting a major economic boost for East Anglia.

Another market town is left without a bank as the march of technology

I Louis Smith, and I have qtalified for the English team. It is all

systems go for Glasgow. Our battered coastal defencds have

been neglected for too long and more That was the verdict today of MPs

who have been looking closely at what happened during

the tidal surge which threatened The tidal Surge left 1,400 homes

flooded along the whole east coast and around

17,000 acres of land underw`ter When the waters retreated, hn this

region alone, 130 defence projects needed repair ranging from ` damaged

sluice gate to an entire se` wall. Today's report says funding for

maintenance is "at a bare mhnimum". And river wall breached in last

September's tidal surge. Thd damage has since been repaired.

It has damaged `` it is dam`ge that a local landowner believes need that

happened. There has been very little

maintenance for nearly 60 ydars That results in low point where

bridges or car. A stitch in time saves nine. If these had bedn kept

in good condition and maint`ined in that condition, there would not have

been a problem when there w`s a tidal surge, we would survive it and

carry on. Instead we have two spend vast expense patching up thd holes.

They say that funding for ddfences is undervalued and has now reached a

bare minimum. It also says that spending money on maintenance is

much more effective than allowing costly flooding to car. Expdnsive

repairs are now needed, to the frustration of the town's MP.

To get the beach back in order it needs an additional ?5 millhon of

capital investment which cotld have been avoided if money had bden made

available for ongoing maintdnance over several years.

Down the coast in Felixstowd, the report has been welcomed. A lack of

maintenance here eight years ago saw the promenade crumble. Thousands of

pounds had to be spent on elergency rocks until the government `greed to

fund new defences. There is no question that the coast

tends to get left behind in many debates both on television `nd more

to the point in parliamentary and environmental circles. We jtst need

to say, don't forget the co`st. Will government accept the

recommendations? That is far from clear. But many people living in

coastal communities Synod today s warning vindicates what thex have

been saying for years. When I spoke to the flooding

minister for the region, he was quick to point out that caphtal was

given, but not enough had bden done in the past.

Just because the numbers of houses and businesses flooded was

thankfully relatively low, that does not mean that there is not `

problem. If the wind had not changed about six hours before the height of

the surge we would have had a very serious floods. In a sense, this

report has said that there hs more to do, but that is a messagd that we

have got loud and clear in central government.

Do you accept that the commhttee is saying that in the past we have not

done enough and we must do lore Despite the fact you see we are

investing more than ever before it is not enough?

I am absolutely clear that what we have got to do is make sure that we

spend this budget, which is bigger than ever before are wisely. And

then there is no doubt that there will be what to do in the ndxt

Parliament for which budgets are not yet set.

Are you disappointed that when we were undergoing tidal surges and

flooding we also got news of job losses at the Environment Agency?

And those people are import`nt to preserving our coastline?

The most important thing is that we spend the money as well as possible

and get as many flood defences on the ground as we possibly c`n. If

that means changes to the w`y that the agency operates, and th`t means

spending more money on the front line on flood defences, I think that

is a good thing. If I'm sitting on a house on top of

a cliff overlooking the North Sea and I think my house is going to

disappear, what would be yotr message to me tonight?

The message I would like to give is that we are listening to concerns we

are working to protect as mtch as possible ahead of this coming

winter, and to have a long`term programme consistent with that to

protect as much of our post and the inland areas that could be `ffected

by flooding as possible. While you are listening, my house

could disappear into the se`. We have to make sure we are spending

the money as well as we can, and we organised the programme of works as

effectively as possible. Also, we should be clear, that if thd worst

happens to the house and gets flooded, or a business, we will be

there to support as happened this winter.

The government's given the go`ahead for a huge new wind

East Anglia One will be built off the Suffolk coast and contain

That's enough to power more than 800,000 homes.

It's the largest wind power project to be approved in the UK

and could bring ?500 million into the region's economy.

Our business correspondent Richard Bond is in Lowestoft.

Behind me is the well`known turbine, one of the tallest of its khnd in

the country. The ones proposed for the new wind farm would be nearly

twice as high as this one. A glimpse of what could go tp

off our coast. These turbines are among thd biggest

in the world, up to 200 metres high, much bigger than anything ddployed

off the east coast. They are being considered for

East Anglia One. The larger turbines are much more

efficient, so they are helphng us to reduce the cost of producing

electricity from offshore whnd. In 2011 the industry set itself

a target of taking 35 per cdnt out of the cost of offshore wind,

and it is through using these big turbines that we're making great

progress towards our target. East Anglia One will be 26 liles

off Suffolk, it is the first of six blocks

covering 6,000 square kilomdtres. East Anglia One would have roughly

the same generating power as the Two wind farms of comparabld size

have been dropped, one off Devon, ScottishPower pulled out

of the Argyll Array saying ht was Will the investment partners

behind East Anglia One deliver? We are comitted to embarking on

the detailed design and procurement of the project, and that process

goes on now and the intention is to Physically, it is very well`suited

to offshore wind, We're very confident about this

project and intend to move forward with the next phase which is getting

on with the detailed enginedring A decision to go ahead could create

2700 jobs during construction. So, Richard, where will work

on this project actually be based? Companies need to decide whhch ports

they will use during the construction phase. The contender is

here in Lowestoft, another contender is Great Yarmouth. They havd been

wanting to get a slice of the action. There is so contenddr in

Essex. But developers say that the thing is so vast a likely to need

more than one port. A Spitfire pilot has dropped a plan

for a flying display in Suffolk Carolyn Grace operates

the aircraft from the former But the future of flying thdre is

becoming controversial and she says The story of Caroline is an

intriguing one. After her htsband died she learns to fly the

Spitfire. After all those ydars of seeing her, she still holds the same

moment of joy of seeing her. They were to be the star turn at the

local display, but now the display is of with a statement from Caroline

saying that she despairs. She will be there as a VIP guest, minus her

wings. The day will start whth a specially written song incltding the

lines, " when morning breaks I hear the Spitfire in the sky". It is a

reminder of how proud and protective this community is of this hhghly

symbolic aircraft. The village is very much behind

her. You can see on the village Facebook page the kind of comments

she is receiving. She is well loved.

The owners want a blueprint for the future which will require rdgulation

of flying. Critics from the Bentwaters campaign group s`y it

could ultimately mean more flights and more nice. In a statement they

said this. If people are in here and hdre the

Spitfire, they go outside and look at it. Or they look out the window.

No one is sitting with their fingers in the years. We love it.

Organisers of the village show sable still be a great day, but on all

sides of the debate, people have three weeks to submit their views.

We have just heard that detdctives have made an arrest in relation to

murder in Colchester. Two mdn have been arrested on suspicion of

murdering her widow in the fence. 86`year`old Oona Crown was stabbed

and set on fire at her bung`low One of the biggest handouts

so far from the national lottery is coming to Southend to help

vulnerable babies and toddldrs. ?40 million will be spent over

the next ten years to improve the health and early educathon

of young children. Southend is one of five are`s across

the country to get a share of ? 15 This woman is determined th`t her

children should get the best start in life but knows that other parents

locally may need a helping hand One in four children in Southend live in

poverty. One reason perhaps by the local council and the preschool

learning Alliance won such ` big lottery hand`out. The money will be

spent on improving services for mothers to be and teaching life

skills to toddlers. If you get things right at the start

it has a knock`on effect. They are more content and more securd, and

from then on they are less likely to go to criminality at a later age.

Everything is better and thdy have a more secure funding.

Evidence suggests that what happens in the first three years of life can

profoundly affect a child's future. The money will spread over six local

words over ten years. How whll you measure its success after tdn

years? The successes of our childrdn can

articulate, they have clear communication and language skills,

mostly, they can articulately and emotional needs, because th`t is

what is missing in Southend sometimes.

Is it a change in policy to give more money to longer term project?

At the moment we're looking at some very large strategic investlents. If

you want to get to the heart of some of these issues you need to invest

significant amounts of monex, and that is what we're to do.

In five years the government funding to the charity leading this project

has been almost halved to around ?600,000. The man having a gentle

kick around with the kids s`ys the government cannot take its dye off

the ball. We spend a lot of money

traditionally on early intervention. This is about

intervention, and I think it should be a policy of central government to

invest more and richer we rdad benefits longer term. It should be

embedded into their thinking. Politics aside, there is re`l

excitement today's lottery windfall will help give these toddlers are

genuinely lucky break. We rdport on the region's disappearing b`nks

And medal winner Louis Smith tells us why he is over the moon.

It's been predicted today that more of the region's smaller

It's not just down to econolics in our smaller towns,

it's down to the march of online banking and the convenience of

25 years ago there were just under 14,000 branches of High Strdet

By last year that figure had fallen to 7,500 a fall of nearly h`lf.

One pressure group believes 25% of those that remain will dhsappear

Last week the only bank in Sawston near Cambridge closed.

Barclays is pulling out of Stansted Village.

On Friday, Brightlingsea is about to lose both the NatWest and B`rclays,

and the last bank in Needhal Market will disappear in September.

Barclays has a long history in the Suffolk market town.

In the flourishing high`strdet behind the post office is

the original site of one of the earliest country banks.

Run by Quakers, it grew to become part of the Barclays Empire.

more than 200 years on there is a lot of anger that

there is lots and lots of pdople, a strong feeling of people being

It is an asset to the village, but if it goes,

I think a lot of people will change their banks to somewhere else.

It is regrettable that it is going to shut.

It is a great little bank, great staff that provides a service

to the community, and I don't know what the town will now do if it has

Toni Digby, who has muscular dystrophy, runs her own company

She was shocked when I told her the bank is to close.

Getting around is not that dasy for you?

I rely on my mobility scootdr to go round the village, and

The cashpoint will also be removed when the bank shuts its doors

Behind the closure programmd is the rise of mobile and Internet banking.

latest figures show something like 40 million separate

Some people have very littld need to call in their local branch.

Nine years ago Paul Hughes switched banks, took up online banking

Your wages get paid electronically, everything comes out direct debit,

you use your card with chip and pin at the shops,

Not everybody has got the Internet, have they?

I think in relation to banks closing, it is important to people

that they can deal with their own money and pay thehr own

bills, and this is important in terms of staying independent

Barclays says customer numbdrs here have been declining.

It hopes those not tempted by digital banking will be `ble to

carry out everyday transacthons at the nearby post office.

The Olympics gymnast Louis Smith will be back in internation`l

competition next month after being named in the England

Despite winning bronze and silver at London 2012 his place was not

Yes, Louis has been fighting to regain his fitness since taking

I will be speaking to him in a moment,

And good sign, and today he had every reason be cheerful. , well

call after he announced he was making a comeback. Where yot ever in

doubt you would make the te`m? I was a little sceptical whdn he

announces comeback, but Louhs Smith is unique, and he made it b`ck to

the main stage. He's one of the world's best

operators on the pommel horse. First things first, return to Comlonwealth

competition after winning gold in Melbourne.

I have been training to 12 xears, and to come away with the gold medal

on the pommel horse is a grdat achievement.

His achievements in the gym and on the dance floor made me household

name. But he has told his agent to cancel the bookings. It is `ll

systems go for Glasgow. Yaz competed alongside Dan Keating is for

Britain, but one of the most intriguing battles at the

Commonwealth Games is England versus Scotland, Lewis against Dan. You

guys are very supportive, does that change, Commonwealth Games?

We want to see everyone do well but obviously there is a little bit of

banter starting. Scotland h`s never got a team medal before, so

hopefully we can go there and get a medal.

Louis Smith will have to do it without his long`term coach in his

corner. He's going all out for gold in Glasgow.

I managed to speak to Louis earlier during a break in training.

And, given the uncertainty surrotnding

his selection, I asked him hf he was relieved, or just raring to go.

I've got a lot of feelings. I'm relieved, anxious. I am verx happy

with myself, because it was a very hard task to get from where I was in

December last year to where I am now. It has been a tough jotrney, a

lot of hours and a lot of sweat and training in the gym. But I'l very

relieved to be where I am rhght now.

Back in December, what was ht that made you decide to go back hnto

competition? And you miss competing?

I miss being able to do somd of the skills I could do. I felt I was

slowly not being an athlete any more. I felt I was turning normal.

If you have been athlete for so long, that feels alien. But I was

commentating at the championships couple of months beforehand and

seeing my friends and other people competing, people I felt I could

still beat, and it gave me ` kick to think, don't waste what you have

got. In ten years when you look back, what if you are seeing what

is? I know you are disappointed not to

be selected for the European Championships, and he said `t the

time you thought it was a political decision. How do you feel about that

now? I have still offering the s`me for

the team as I was for the Etropean team, who knows why I was not

picked? But I'm here, I havd qualified for the Commonwealth

Games, I have had great support from physiotherapists coming in free of

charge, my coach dedicating a lot of time, and it is starting to pay off,

so I am very pleased. Focus was always the Commonwealth

Games, and you have been selected. You did say that would be your last

hurrah. Make you change your mind on that?

I'm not sure. I'm not sure now. Ya got the bug again?

I have got the bug again. It has opened my eyes to see that H still

have a lot more in the tank. 20 5, I will be pushing for European

Championships, the world Championships which is a qu`lifier

for real. But I would be an old man in Rio de Janeiro. The young kids

coming up, so it is going to be tough.

How is your form, foreign old man? My form is not bad. I'm still four

or five weeks away from being in the addition, but I'm going through my

hard routine. It is one of the best routines in the world at thd

moment. Training is going vdry well. I have a few aches and pains,

which is normal. And they are getting a little bit worse `s you

get older, but I am hanging in there.

It is great to talk to you `s always, and we wish you all the best

for the training and further, love games will be rooting for you.

Thanks very much. It must be dreadful to get old!

All those aches and pains! Now the weather: if you livd on the

coast you will have noticed that northerly wind has made things feel

a little cooler. high`pressure keeping things fairly

settled. Things will change overnight tonight, but we h`ve a

fine end of the day. Increasing amounts of cloud through thd night

will bring some spots of light rain, some drizzle and showery rahn into

the early hours of tomorrow morning. A lot of cloud covdr so

that will mean a mild night. Temperatures 12 or 13 Celsits. It

will continue to be windy from a northerly direction through

tomorrow. This weather front will get away quite quickly, so lany of

us may wake up with quite a lot of cloud around. Some spots of rain to

clear first thing. If you lhve in eastern counties, places like

Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, it could stay cloudy throughout the day. The

further west, the better ch`nce of seeing some brightness and

sunshine. Across the West, 09 or 20 Celsius. In the East it will be

slightly cooler temperatures on the course itself. Through the

afternoon, a chance the clotd will break up. Not a lot changes. The

high pressure is still fairly established. It is starting to move

west and that will shift thd wind to south`westerly. That is good news

for us because it means temperatures will climb. They go up towards the

end of the week. Thursday mhght be cloudy with spots of rain fhrst

thing but it will get brighter through the day. Temperaturds into

the low twenties. It may get higher by Friday as that south`westerly

wind continues to bring in some warmer air and it is looking like a

largely fine day for Friday with some sunny spells. A little more

closely on Saturday and getting back to a northerly wind direction.

That's all from us, have a very good evening.