04/02/2014 Look East - West

into Friday morning and enhance the risk of flooding. That is all from

us, Hello and welcome to Look East.

?40 million in debt, but on track to break even. Is the financial future

of Hinchingbrooke now secure? Tackling youth unemployment in the

Fens. How a new college is offering new hope to young people. Later in

the programme, we will have a special reports.

The changing face of our forces Why Northamptonshire Police is planning

to triple the number of its special constables.

And one woman's battle to have her late husband's children.

Hello. First tonight, the hospital with a debt of ?40 million says it's

on target to break even by April. Hinchingbrooke was the first NHS

hospital in the country to be taken over by a private company. At the

time, there were serious concerns it could close. But two years on, the

Circle Partnership says the hospital is on a secure financial footing. In

a moment, we'll hear from the GMB Union, but first, this report by Ben

Bland. I'm joined now by Steve Sweeney the

regional organiser I have which are for nine years

This lady is in charge of housekeeping on the elderly care

ward. She says staff have more of a say in how the hospital is run. This

is a new store that has been built. We were asked if we wanted any input

and we decided we wanted it at one central location. Everything is

here. The doctors, nurses, care assistance, they cannot find what

they need. Two years ago this became the first and only NHS hospital to

be run by private company. They promised to wipe out the ?40 million

debt built up under NHS managers. I was doing's if you look at our

accident and emergency department, we always maintaining to be one of

the top ten. If you look at patient satisfaction, again, we draw was one

of the top ten performing hospitals. If you were going to

break even, you are still not touching the ?40 million with..

Needs to be paid off. When you take on the challenge of running a

hospital which had ?10 million deficit every year, that means we

are spending ?10 million every year more than your budget so it takes

time to turn this around. You need to focus on the quality. The

takeover was controversial. When it emerged that the hospital would run

privately, there were protests from people worried about the impact on

services and staff. Those backing it said that without the deal, the

hospital would have faced closure. Its future now seems a little more

secure. The hospital was expecting to break even, which means they will

know what longer be making a loss. To chip away at the ?40 million

worth of deaths, they need to achieve a surplus each year. The

challenge, to do that while maintaining the improved standards.

I am joined by the regional organiser for the GM be union. One

circle took over, you told us this would not work. You have been proved

wrong, haven't you? I do not think so. As you have seen in the peace

previously, the ?40 million debt still remains. We still have grave

concerns over the privatisation of the National health service, not

just you, but across the country. Temperature has been used as a

testing ground for NHS privatisation. First with the

takeover of Hinchingbrooke and now we are seeing the largest centre in

NHS history where community services are also at for grabs. I am sorry to

interrupt. You say it is a bizarre experiment but what we have got to

the hospital but is the longer losing money. They will be cost

neutral as far as running costs are concerned. That is an achievement

especially when you look at someone like Peterborough and they are

having to pay interest on their debt. We do know that circle have

had to apply for government loans in the past. What our concern is for

the people who work in the hospital. They have reported that jobs have

been lost, they have reported being clocked every time the code to use

the toilet. The cleaning staff have been cut in half. There has been a

board closure. Although they are in a position where they are required

to balance the books, we are saying, at what cost us back you say the

staff are not happy, but let's take a look at the patients. The hospital

was 102nd in the country as far as accident and emergency waiting times

were concerned. It has risen up to fourth. That has got to be a good

thing. We welcome any improvement in patient care and any improvements at

the hospital but we think that is happening in spite of circle, not

because of them. What would you like to see them to different the? The

bottom line for hours is that we do not think private organisations

should be running NHS services. Essentially, they are accountable to

their shareholders and they are there to make a profit. Whilst we

are in a position where the hospital will break even, they have not

serviced the historical debt and we know that now they have broken

even, the shareholders will be looking for some kind of return on

their investment. That is our concern. We will have two leave it

there. Thank you very much indeed. The jury has been sent out in the

trial of two men accused of assisting serial killer Joanna

Dennehy, who has admitted murdering three men and dumping their bodies

in ditches around Peterborough. In summing up the case, the judge, Mr

Justice Spencer, said he hoped he'd given the jury the flavour and

detail of the case. Mike Cartwright was in court. As police hunted for

her, she bragged she had murdered eight men, the court was told.

Describing herself as a monster she has admitted murdering three. Their

bodies dumped in ditches around Peterborough. One was positioned in

a sequin dress, the other was doused in bleach. This man said he knew

where to dump the body is where no one could find them. The court was

told he had to have her fun. Driving the streets, these men stabbed at

random into separate attacks. Moments before, this is her buying

cigarettes. Outside in the car is Gary Stretch. He picked the victims,

the court was told. He said, well this one do? She kissed him on the

cheek and said, thank you. Seeing the second victim, he said, is he a

better man? He would have said the attack was brittle and frenzied

Leslie Layton can be seen filling a fee will can. He helped dump the

bodies along with Gary stretch, the Jew reach huge. He helped cover her

tracks. He was scared of her, he told the police. She stabbed two men

to death in one day. He thought he would be next. A witness was shown

the knife she murdered three men with, the court was told. She smiled

`` it smelt of blood, she said. She was excited, she revelled in what

she had done, the court was told. The Julie will know decide whether

the men are guilty of helping her or not. `` Jewry.

A police community support officer from Luton is facing a disciplinary

hearing after he was caught shining a laser pen beam into the cockpit of

a helicopter. 53`year`old James McIvor has been convicted of

endangering the safety of the aircraft as it hovered 800 feet up

over the Marsh Farm estate last May. The pilot was forced to take evasive

action to avoid the laser beam. Mr McIvor will have to carry out

community work and pay legal costs. The MP for South West Bedfordshire

Andrew Selous is calling for changes in planning and equality laws to

stop travellers having an unfair advantage over local communities. Mr

Selous, who tabled today's Westminster Hall debate on gypsy and

traveller policy, said so`called twin tracks meant travellers were

entitled to lucrative planning rights not available to the rest of

the population. He said current laws put local authorities under pressure

and opened the system to abuse. I believe the current twin track

separated planning application greatly threatens and undermines

community cohesion and causes distrust and upset. We do want to

see fair play. We are committed to encouraging sustainable development

and it is important the local authorities plan for the needs of

all the Nike into `` communities, but we should not tolerate abuse of

the planning system. The Fens have some of the highest

levels of youth unemployment in the region, but a new multi`million

pound training centre is hoping to change that. It's based in Wisbech

and was officially opened today More than 1,000 young apprentices

are set to benefit. This lady plans to start her own business and her

friend began working as an apprentice. With the college help,

they hope to compete in a tough job market. You have got the

qualification so you can tell your employer is that you have got the

qualification and you can talk them through the job. If you were just

going in, without any experience, you would not be able to tell than

that. It is quite hard. You have two prove yourself a lot more because we

are female and it is not a female job. But they accept it and get on

with it. Today, the college opened the multi`million pound technology

centre at this campus. It has specialist workshops for

engineering, electrical work and plumbing, giving specific

job`related training to get students into the world of work. Because show

that the number of people not in work aged between 16 and 24 is going

down. Nationally, the figure stands at 1 million. In the east, it is

83,000, but the government says everyone aged between 16 and 18 out

of training or work, that costs the average person ?56,000. The figures

on youth unemployment of far too high. Thankfully, they have started

to come down over the last few months, but a lot of it is about

making sure that when people leave school or college, they have got not

only exam results, but also the skills and the behaviour to get a

good job and hold it down and innovations like this are very

important. The college now supports more than 1200 apprentices every

year. But no job can be guaranteed. It is much more likely that they can

get employment if they have got specific industry standard skills

development and given that we work very closely with industry. For

instance, over 90% of our students last year went not only into

employment, but directly into related fields. But some students

have big ambitions. I want to be in the motorsport industry. It is a new

chapter. It is hoped the specialist training will raise skills and help

the wider economy to grow. A plant in Corby that can turn waste

into energy has been approved by councillors. The scheme will mean

household waste is incinerated at the Willowbrook Industrial Estate

and will provide enough power to supply electricity to 15,000 homes.

But there is widespread opposition to the scheme as another application

for a similar plant nearby has also been submitted.

A public meeting is underway in Luton this evening to try and

persuade the police to wear on`body cameras to record arrests. It's been

organised by the Justice for Leon campaign in memory of Leon Briggs,

who died in police custody three months ago. The meeting is taking

place at the town hall in Luton Supporters are hoping to build on

the growing support for the so`called Leon's Law.

Those are a meeting at the county council and

were given hope when the county council said they would get the

parish council to help. Still to come: The Essex MP leading

the fight against the energy companies who charge more when you

pay by cash. And the woman taking the fight to the High Court to keep

her dead husband's sperm for longer. The make up of our police forces is

changing. With pressures on finances, all of our forces are

looking to recruit more volunteer Special Constables.

Because they are volunteers they don't get paid but they can claim

expenses. They must be able to work at least four hours a week. Once

they are trained, they have the same powers of arrest as regular

officers. At the moment there are more than 2500 Special Constables in

this region and there are plans to recruit another 1500.

Northamptonshire has the most ambitious plans. It wants to treble

the number of Specials by the end of the year.

At college, Amelia is no different to her friends but her idea of a

night on the town is. The 19`year`old is one of the county's

youngest special constables. Her friends are bit surprised. They find

it a bit weird because it is not like a normal job. They always ask

me what I have done on my shift. They are really pleased for me.

Amelia became a special constable last month and arranges patrols

around her studies. The Police and Crime Commissioner wants to employ

many more people like her. We remain around the consistent 300 mark. We

want to reach 900 and it will be the biggest in the country. Isn't it

policing on the cheap? Not at all. There is interest in getting

involved in policing. Amelia hopes to join the force as a full`time

officer but for her, it is more than just a job. I love doing it whether

I get paid or voluntary. It feels good to help people in my community.

I feel like a completely different person. Northamptonshire police is

facing many cuts and the force says tripling the number of special

constables is not the solution but admits budget cuts have played a

part. The current situation has been the impetus for a stirring what has

needed to be done for a long time. We have spent too long disempowering

communities telling them they can't take action without appropriate

authority. Now we can give you the skills and get you involved in

policing your local community. You have that local knowledge. Some in

the force don't share the optimism of the Police and Crime Commissioner

as a bid target to triple the number of specials by the end of the year

is simply unrealistic. The success of this scheme will very much depend

on the community itself. A review of how we pay our fuel

bills is on the cards thanks to one of our MPs.

Robert Halfon thinks people who pay by cash or cheque are being ripped

off by energy firms. Today he called a Commons debate on the matter.

However you pay for your fuel, bills have rocketed over the past decade.

The price of electricity has doubled and gas has tripled. The cheapest

way of buying fuel is to pay by direct debit and it is what most

people do. Energy companies give them a small discount because direct

debits are cheaper to administer. Consumers who pay by cash or cheque

pay more. Typically around ?114 a year. Robert Halfon thinks that is

unfair and today he tabled a Commons motion calling for an enquiry by the

energy regulator Ofgem. Energy company said the charges levied on

those paying by cheque or prepayment meters and reflect the higher costs

of processing payments. The industry has met with him and it says it

supports a review of direct debits requested by the Prime Minister.

I spoke to Robert Halfon just before the debate and put to him the energy

companies' claim that the increased bills were down to the cost of

processing cash and cheque payments. Of course it is right that people

cover their costs but I had a meeting with the Post Office

yesterday and they say to print out a computerised bill and to get it

home costs 20p ahead. They are charging ?140 extra. 45% of the

country don't pay their bills by direct debit and there are 1 million

people who don't have bank accounts. The energy companies are penalising

the poorest. Even British Telecom charged ?2 a month and they have

made the decision to be fair to their customers. I think that is the

right way forward. Isn't about the risk of people not paying their

bills? If they are collecting the money ahead of time, there is not so

much risk. One of my constituents has paid every month on time and has

got a letter out of the blue saying that because she didn't pay by

direct debit, she was going to have to pay ?63 extra a year. ?35 of that

is going towards the non`payers but why should pensioners and the

poorest to pay on time face a premium from the energy companies so

the energy companies have the money to chase the non`payers? That is

unacceptable and that is why I have organised this debate in Parliament

with 170 odd MPs supporting me. Are you concerned that the method of

paying by direct debit,, the companies can underestimate the

amount you pay so you are always in credit. That might put some people

off. This gives the energy companies money. When we pay our bills by

direct debit, you often pay more out of your account by the energy

companies. That surplus can be up to ?2 billion. They have surplus money

in order to pursue the non`payers or the late payers. To penalise the

poor and pensioners by saying you get a huge black on your bill from

?63 up to 390, to me, it is totally wrong.

Next, the legal fight being mounted by a widow to allow her late husband

to father her child. Beth Warren lost her husband to a brain tumour

when he was just 32. Samples of his sperm were stored before he

underwent treatment.. But they're due to be destroyed next year unless

Mrs Warren can get the storage period extended.

It's not the first time a case of this nature has been heard in the

courts. In 1997 Diane Blood from Nottinghamshire won the right to

have a child using sperm from her dead husband. Despite the fact that

her late husband had never given his written consent she went on to have

two sons. But this case is different. Beth Warren's husband

gave his consent to have the sperm stored and used. But that consent

will expire 14 months from now unless she can persuade a judge to

extend the time limit. A lot of the problems like this are caused by the

fact that there isn't clear evidence of what the parents consented to

before they died. It will be helpful if clinics could be more particular

about the concerned they take so they are not just asking patients

whether they consent to their sperm being used after their death, but

that they spell out what they really intended. I spoke to Beth Warren

late this afternoon and started by asking how much longer she wanted

the sperm to be kept. We are applying for the maximum period of

55 years. Realistically, I wouldn't need that long. It is difficult to

put a time on how I will feel stronger to become professionally

settled and be ready to do this and decide whether it is the right

thing. Presumably you spoke about this before he died. When you are

discussing it, what did you discuss? First of all, Warren wasn't

something `` someone that wanted to talk about dying, he was someone who

wanted to get better. This was a frank conversation we did have. He

signed the paper to say with could conceive in the event of his death.

I asked him how he would feel if I did that knowing he would never meet

his children. He said if that was what I wanted, that was what he

wanted. He wanted to leave me the choice. What happens if the judge

decides against me? From the time period I have left, I should be

looking to try to get pregnant immediately. There is potential that

I could start IVF and store embryos for a longer period and that I could

apply for special permission to export the sperm to somewhere like

Belgium and then get pregnant mare. Why don't you do that? For the

embryo, it is the cost and the chance of it moving. It is the

emotional side of creating that life. It might not be the right

thing to do in the future. There are so many different reasons. It will

stop me doing artificial insemination. You so you may not

want to do it and there are many reasons. First of all, I have to

think about the child. It is a massive decision. I know that child

will never meet their father. Warren was happy with that and he wanted to

give me that choice. It is also the emotion from losing my brother and

two months later losing my husband. I went back to work and I don't feel

emotionally ready. I have only just started as a physiotherapist three

weeks ago and I am not financially ready. There are many reasons of why

I need more time. If the judge rules against you, your reaction to that?

Probably more tears. It has been an emotional couple of years. I won't

let it go. It is not something I can do. I will need to look at options.

Can you believe it has come to this? No. It has been an emotional time.

Looking at the facts, it isn't right that a man who gave every single

consent he could for his wife to conceive in the event of his death,

has been given a time limit on that. For me, to fight for this, it is the

only option I have. That judgement should come from the

High Court in the next few weeks. We'll bring you the news when we get

it. Now for the weather.

It is a changeable forecast for this week and we will see a lot of wet

and whether `` wet and windy weather. There is an area of low

pressure that has been moving in across the West Country bringing

rain where it is really not needed. Expect a cloudy evening. The wind is

cooking up and the rain for most of us is not getting here until 11pm.

This is when the wind will pick up. There will be gusts of around 55

mph. The rain will clear away and there will be some showers following

on behind. There will be some dry interludes perhaps with a little bit

of sunshine. We have some heavy downpours expected and those winds

pick up. They are peaking between midday and 6pm. Temperatures will be

around eight Celsius. These are the wind speeds that we can expect.

There will be rain or showers following through the afternoon and

into the evening. Then we get a break for Thursday. In the east, the

weather is not too bad. The next blow is on its way and it will bring

further spells of wet and windy weather. There is no let up in this

weather pattern. This is the next few days. Expect a reasonable day.

We will see some brighter spells a man that rain starts to move in five

o'clock. It may well be around first thing on Friday but it will

gradually cleared away and we will see some sunny spells around. The

next blow is not far away. Saturday, we have showers and some sunshine.

These are the average wind speeds. That is all from us. Have a very

good evening. Goodbye.