21/01/2014 Look East - West

rain from the east. That's all from the BBC News At

Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: Closing the

crossings ` the campaign to make level crossings safer, but is

Network Rail moving fast enough The battle for classroom cash in

Cambridgeshire, with jobs at risk in a system even the Government says is

unfair and out of date. We will be here later in the

programme with the rest of the news including...

Could this be a champion of the future? The foal whose father is

Frankel. And another potential champion,

Charley Hull, on preparing for her first Major.

Good evening. Railways in this region are safer because one in ten

level crossings have been closed. That is according to Network Rail.

The national target was to shut 750 by April this year. Last week

closing a crossing in Cambridge are meant they met the milestone. Last

year ten people were killed accidentally on the UK's level

crossings and there were many more near misses.

A cyclist centimetres from death. This heart stopping near miss in

Cambridgeshire. One of the closest Network Rail say they have seen

This farm crossing in Cambridgeshire is the 750th they have closed. This

crossing, one less safety risk on the East Coast Main Line. The gate

is padlocked but Network Rail will still use it as an access point onto

the track. Up and down this track, there are many more crossings still

open and still being used by the public. In 2005, teenage school

friends were killed crossing the tracks in Essex. Olivia's mother

says the crossings closed since have been the easy ones. The next ones

will be higher risk, probably higher numbers of people involved and

therefore much more difficult to close. But it is important to close

as many as we can because that is the best way to protect it. Network

Rail say they have spent more than ?130 million on improvements. The

East has more than 900 crossings. Lucky escapes like these have been

captured by cameras across the country. And a crossing in

Huntington, drivers had concerns. You always wary. But don't be

stupid, don't jump them. Not really a problem at all. I just wait for

the lights and go when the lights say go, basically. You think they

are pretty safe? Yeah. Network Rail said they are committed to making me

crossings as safe as possible, but as long as the trains and the public

cross paths, there will always be dangers.

Warwick dentist `` the area director for Network Rail spoke to us

earlier. I think certainly a lot of level crossings have got various

legal complexities which we need to navigate through. We tried to do

that. In the interim period between closing the crossing, we look at

innovative ways using technology to help manage it as best we can.

Ultimately, the safest level crossing is a closed level crossing.

I appreciate it is expensive to close a level crossing or put in a

bridge. Sometimes people do not want them closed. It must be difficult to

overcome that. Ella Macri yes, we often come into challenge with local

communities `` yes, we do come in to challenge with local communities. We

may look to divert the crossings. In the last two years, a number of

bridges have been built to allow us to close the level crossing. I don't

think anyone would deny 750 crossings closed is a big step

forward, but ten people were killed accidentally on level crossings in

the UK last year. You cannot afford to think it is a job well done

already cost at certainly not. We are not becoming complacent. We

recognise yellow crossings are the single biggest risk and therefore we

have now over 120 level crossing managers. Working on improving

safety and moving towards closure. Network Rail was fined ?1 million

following the deaths of Charlotte and Olivia at a crossing. The

organisation knew the crossing had risks but did not do anything about

it. How would you say Network Rail's attitude has changed since

then? I think we have come a long way in that time following the

tragic events. We aim to close another 500 in the next five years

during our control period, but we are always keen to work with local

communities, local users around closing others and we do look for

every opportunity to close any crossings we can.

Next, the worst funded council in England for education. Even the

government admits the system is unfair. Now hundreds of people in

Cambridgeshire have put their names to a petition demanding change.

It is a tightly run ship where every penny counts. This school is the

educational leap pad for almost 2000 children. With Cambridgeshire the

lowest funded county for schools in England, cutbacks, heating,

lighting, maintenance, it is commonplace. Still it is not enough.

We cannot continue without impacting on staffing. We start by looking at

support staff and cut back. If that proves to be insufficient, we will

have no choice but to cut back on the curriculum and the teaching

staff. At the very top of the funding table is the City of London.

They have over ?8,500 per pupil Let us see how this region gets on.

Luton children fared the best with almost ?4800 each. In Hertfordshire,

they are getting just over ?430 . In Northamptonshire, just under ?4 00.

And her Cambridgeshire children and ?4000, right at the of the pile You

can justify in areas of high deprivation and need greater

funding, but you cannot justify that sort of gap where schools are

getting twice as much as Cambridge NEET Cambridgeshire. Already over a

thousand signatures on this petition. Why has Cambridgeshire

been historically underfunded? In a statement, the government agreed the

current system for funding schools is unfair and out of date. We expect

to publish details of our reforms shortly. Head teachers say there

should be transitional funding until all of the promised changes are

made. They say the crisis is here and now.

Next, why women in this region are failing to turn up for tests which

save thousands of lives a year. Cervical cancer kills around three

women a day in the UK. Women between 25 and 65 are invited for regular

screening. One in five do not go. This region is one of the worst in

the country. This woman was diagnosed almost two

years ago and underwent surgery that summer. She was overdue her smear

test by at least a year. The hardest thing for her was knowing she should

have gone sooner. I was working full`time. I had no need to go to

the doctor. I put it off. I knew I was probably due at smear test but

it wasn't on my register. I had them in the past and found them quite

uncomfortable and not the most pleasant of the siege is so it was

not something I was too worried about. Ashley Greg pleasant of

procedures `` pleasant of procedures. A cancer charity says

the Jade effect could be working. Half of women under 30 had delayed

getting tested in Cambridgeshire and a third had put it off because they

feared it might be painful. More than half were not aware of the

virus that caused the disease. We see about 25,000 cases of severe

precancer that are picked up with the screening programme every year.

If we were to do nothing about those, and these are women with no

symptoms, if we were to do nothing, there would be a large proportion of

women developing cancer and needing treatment or even dying from the

disease. Sam still has regular checks, her future is much more

positive and she knows she should still be able to have a family. That

was the one time when I started to fall apart was the phone call to say

they were not sure whether I would need to have a hysterectomy. OK I

might not be old to have children. Up until that point, I had not even

thought about it. `` I might not be able to have children. The choice

being taken away was the hardest thing. Now she is hoping others will

get tested so the cancer could be caught in time too.

The jury in the trial of two men accused of assisting Peter Baris it

real killer has been shown CCTV footage. It is taken from the shop

in Hereford. It shows her entering the store and buying tobacco. The

men denied the charges against them. The trial continues. Those are

the main stories from programmer critter night. Now the

charge the three men arrested or apply to the court for more time.

charge the three men arrested or The latest now on the bid by one of

our most senior MPs to keep his job in Parliament. Tim Yeo has been the

MP for South Suffolk since 1983. It's a classic safe seat. At the

last election, his majority was more than 8,500.

But in November; a bombshell from the executive of his constituency

association. They decided they didn't want him to be their

candidate in next year's General Election. In response, Mr Yeo has

asked for a ballot of all 600 members of the association. We'll

find out the results of that ballot on February third. He insists he

still has widespread support from his party. And there are several

dozen messages of support on his own website.

He declined to speak to Look East today. But here's what he told BBC

News about the ballot. I wanted all 600 members of my party in South

Suffolk to have the chance to take part in this vote. I did not want it

to be left to a small group of 30 people. I look forward to the

results of this ballot eagerly. I am quite happy to be judged on my

record and what I have done in South Suffolk. And what I do at

Westminster for Parliament and for the Conservative Party. And I am

quite confident that, if people look at my record, then they will reach

the verdict I hope they will reach, which is to reselect me.

Critics of Mr Yeo are not hard to find. But what makes this very

unusual is they have become very vocal. Earlier this afternoon, I

spoke to John Hinton, a Conservative councillor in Suffolk. I started by

asking him what his problem is with Mr Yeo. My problem is that, in 32

years in the village, we have had him as an MP for most of that time.

And in the early stages, when it was a brand`new constituency, he was a

very good local, convicted MP. `` local, connected MP. There were the

odd scandals, which were glossed over and moved on with. Because he

was generally doing a good job. In recent years, we have seen little of

him. In the village or elsewhere. And the criticism that comes to me

from other party members is that they do not see him. They do not

seem connected with the constituency. But isn't that a

problem when you become a well`respected member of the party?

You are on select committees and business keeps you in the House of

Commons? To a certain extent, yes. But as I pointed out in my letter

published in the press today, a rough analysis shows that 33% of his

time is possibly spent on his own personal business activities. Yet he

was elected as the MP for South Suffolk, to represent the people.

That should be his priority. It does sound as if there is something

personal underlying this? Not personal from my point of view. I am

involved in all sorts of activities throughout Suffolk and elsewhere.

Certainly, I do not see much of him at those activities if anything. It

is getting very messy, though, isn't it? Messy because everybody should

be abiding by the rules. If the rules had been strictly adhered do,

and much more balanced in their format, it did not need to be messy

at all. I think that, after the 30 odd years he would have been an MP,

we could have turned round, had a party for him and said thank you

very much. You have done a grand job, enjoy your retirement and

business interests. And a new young person would take his place to

revitalise the constituency. Why did you want somebody young? When

somebody with his experience and connections can do such a good job

for you? You say his experience and connections. Yes, a lot of

experience and connections. But I am not sure they are being used in the

right way. Is this to do with the fact you maybe disagree with him on

certain issues? And you want him to follow what everybody else in the

constituency says, other than his own mind? No, not just about that. I

would accept that his views on same`sex marriage differ

considerably from mine. As they did from a lot of other people in the

constituency. But you will understand that lots of other people

might feel differently from you and he may be representing those views?

I accept that. And that is all part of democracy. But when nobody has

actually asked you for your views, you start to think, has it not been

a little one`sided? Mr Hinton, thank you very much. You are welcome,

thank you. Our political reporter Andrew

Sinclair is here now. He says it is not personal. But it is getting

better and personal? yes, and out into the open. `` getting bitter.

The raw problems for the Labour Party, for example. And normally,

you have a private altercation, someone resigns and life goes on,

this is all in front of the media and will continue for the next few

days. Why is he so reluctant to answer his critics? he believes,

after 30 years as an MP, he should not have to defend himself. He

believes his record speaks for himself. He says he has been

re`elected on six occasions, with majorities, he has influence in

Parliament, and he organised one of his friends to speak to as. I find

him very helpful. I know lots of others find him that way. He goes

about his business quietly, does not shout about it, it helps people, and

if you look at his blog, you can see the amount of people supporting him

and saying thank you. Such is getting reaction within 24 hours, 48

hours, being kept informed, which you cannot ask for more. And that

has always been the nub of the problem. He is always been quite

behind the scenes. Maybe they are now looking for someone different.

Thank you. We heard a lot about Frankel's first

foal last week. It was born in Ireland. But the trouble was the

owners didn't want her to be filmed. But now there's another one. This

time the foal was born in Newmarket. And the owners are very happy to

show her off. Jonathan Park is at the National Stud now.

It is a bit like a royal baby arriving, in racing circles, so much

excitement at the arrival of the first Frankel foals. There will be

around 130 born, but here at the National Stud, a glimpse of maybe as

that of the future. One of the most eagerly anticipated sites, the first

Frankel foal pictures just two days old.

We take it in our stride. With over 100 every year, it is just a relief

that they are born healthy and well. More than anything. Last week in

Ireland, the first was born, but the National Stud in Newmarket is the

first in Britain to announce its own special arrival, complete with white

blaze just like his father. With many born every year, few will carry

the same hope, expectation or even pressure than this as yet unnamed

foal. Unbeaten in his career... The greatest! We could wait long for

another horse of Frankel's class, which is why thousands are charged

every time he meets a new partner. There will never be another Frankel.

At first some filly like her to go in the same league as him, competing

group, consistently winning, it will be a better ask. But there is

nothing to suggest that she couldn't compete in the classic level. For

the next five months, the filly will stay close to her mother, which has

its own bloodline, and sold for a great sum. She could be a great

resource. But no guarantees? No, it is not an exact science. And up

against 130 family rivals when it starts racing.

Just beautiful. Not much more appealing than that.

Last year, the teenage golfer Charley Hull from Northamptonshire

took the ladies game by storm. She finished second five times in a row

on the European Tour and became the youngest player ever to take part in

the Solheim Cup. Since then, she's been winning awards and is learning

to live with being interviewed. And there are those photo shoots as

well. That's what she's been doing today at Woburn Golf Club. This from

our sports reporter James Burridge. The publisher quite likes the mean

and moody look. Do you enjoy having your picture taken? It's all right,

if it's a good picture. If it is bad, I'm like no. As calm in front

of the camera as she is on the first tee. After a whirlwhind 2013, the

golfing world cannot get enough of Charley Hull. The sport of golf is

changing. It has quite a stuffy image. Certainly to those who do not

play the game. I just think she is a great role model for golfers of all

ages. From the young to very old. We are pleased she is going to be on

the front cover. The notoriety thing, has it become easy to realise

more people know who you are? I was in Nando's the other day. Someone

was like, you are Charley Hull, the golfer. He was from Corby, I knew

the accent. I was like yes. How did the conversation go? I looked away

and carried on eating my chicken. Despite her success thrusting her

into the media spotlight, Charley is reassuringly normal. At 17, she has

a maturity beyond her years. Her father Dave still accompanies her on

the road. But he is happy to let her steer her own course. Charley has

always been the same. Nothing seemed to affect her. That is the main

thing. If it affected her, I would think ooh! But she is so good at

handling everything, she knows that golf is her profession. After that,

she is the same as everybody else. Do you see yourself as a role model?

I do not look at it like that. But probably to younger kids. At the

moment, I am still Charley who likes to play golf and go out with my

mates. I think of it like that still. This week, Charley and Dave

travel to New Zealand and then Australia. The start of a

three`month stint competing at some of the biggest tournaments. That

first victory can't be far away. She is great, isn't she? Yes!

The last time we had Sport Relief was in 2012. And in this region last

year, we raised more than ?1.6 million. A lot of that money stayed

here, and was shared between 270 different projects. Projects like

the Noah Enterprise in Luton. The charity works to help homeless

people across Bedfordshire. It's lunchtime at Noah Enterprises.

The homeless are drawn to the smell of home cooked food. Today it is

turkey. The busiest time of the day, for obvious reasons. The food we

serve is essential, very necessary. A primary need. It gives us the

opportunity to engage further. Find out people's needs, how they are

getting on. Anything we can help them with. A general purpose.

For 25 years, the charity has helped people with nowhere else to turn.

And in many cases, nowhere to live. Homelessness can strike anyone. The

head of welfare, Tim Archibald, knows that too well. It happened to

him. Within a year of starting to use drugs, I had lost my job, my

family, my home. Soul destroying is the one thing. I was sleeping in a

garden shed. I spent time sleeping on trains going in and out of

London. Even on park benches. Sport Relief has given money to

provide singing workshops. You would not think singing is high on the

priority list of someone with nowhere to live and little to eat.

But what it does for the self`esteem is immeasurable. It also provides a

distraction for those struggling with addictions. Kevin is one of

those helped. He has come out the other side. You meet new people. You

can start to trust again. It picks you back up and gives you something

to do, to look forward to. Meaning in your life. You feel wanted for a

change. Last winter was as cruel as they come. But they found shelter

for 75 people who might have perished otherwise. Sport Relief,

thanks to you, is helping to keep them alive.

Well done to everybody that helped raise so much money. Now for the

weather. A frosty and foggy start this

morning, but this beautiful scene of Unity College, Cambridge, just

before sunrise. Some brave students going out to practice football. And

ending with a four`day garden in Norfolk. A beautiful photograph,

thank you. Still misty and foggy across the region, remaining for

some all day, and a very cold day. Change is on the way. A weather

front marching across the country, and increasing wind will clear mist

and fog. It will also bring rain overnight. Any clear spells

overnight could mean cold temperatures. Cold enough for frost

and icy patches. As the night progresses, we increase the cloud

from the West, the wind freshening, the rain marching through. Patchy

rain I the end of the night in the West, temperatures expected to

recover to around three or four Celsius. Tomorrow's stars wet,

particularly in the eastern half, but getting brighter in the West

later. Rather cloudy, not heavy rain, quite patchy, but staying,

with a lot of cloud in the East impacting on temperatures. Five or

six Celsius, chilly across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, perhaps

Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. A chance of some showers behind, but

it looks mainly dry into the afternoon and evening. Looking

ahead, weather France for Thursday, and another for Friday. `` weather

France. Chillier than last week and stop chilly for Wednesday night,

possibly drier on Thursday. Outbreaks of rain pushing through.

Once the rain clears, a sharp frost, and the next weather front

not arriving until much later on Friday night, clearing on Saturday,

temperatures recovering for the weekend.

That is it for tonight. We will see you tomorrow night, same time, same

place, goodbye. Goodbye.