02/09/2014 Look East - West

degrees. Thursday, more of the same. Is that is all from us. Now on

As more details emerge about the violent past of a taxi driver

granted a licence in Milton Keynes the town's MP demands urgent action.

We need to look at the whold system because something like this to

happen unacceptable. Almost 80 years after the J`rrow

Crusade, the march is recre`ted to We'll be here later

in the programme counting down to With 100,000 Scots living

in the East, and the links with Scottish business, how the outcome

will be closely watched herd. And the search is on for wild hops

from the hedgerow to create a new beer.

The Prime Minister has told the BBC he's shocked at the

"bad decision" to allow a convicted rapist to become a taxi driver

Nadeem Kiani was granted a licence in 2011 despite sdrving

The mayor of Milton Keynes stepped down after it emerged he offered

Today one of the town's MPs has called for

the licensing system to be changed so that it can't happen agahn.

We'll hear from Mark Lancaster in a moment after this report

News there was once a rapist amongst the rank is still sinking in here.

The taxi drivers of Milton Keynes are struggling to understand how he

was ever given a licence, particularly as councillors knew of

his criminal past. Nadeem Khani was granted a licence in April 2011

That was even though he was convicted for a series of vholent

rapes in 1994. He was jailed for eight years. Speaking on BBC radio,

the Prime Minister said he was shocked by the bad decision. Taxi

authorities should check whdther people are fit and proper pdrsons

and we advise that they shotld do criminal records bureau checks and

it's obvious in this case that the council followed the correct

procedures but then made a bad decision. The Milton Keynes taxi

Association which represents the 200 hackney carriage drivers of the town

said it should never happen again. When you work in an industrx

governed by licenses and conditions, everything has to be

squeaky clean. If it's not, then we might as well pack it up. In this

particular case, my immediate question is, how long has it been

going on? How many drivers does it involve? Who are these people? What

have they been doing? And how important is the CRB check to us?

The town mayor has stood down after it was revealed he gave a character

reference to Nadeem Kiana. Two other councillors on the licensing

committee have also resigned their position. The BBC has made repeated

attempts to contact the mayor without success, but he told the

Milton Keynes Citizen newsp`per that he did not know about Nadeel

Kiana's previous convictions at the time he gave the character

reference. He told the local newspaper he felt he had bedn made a

scapegoat for the decision of others. The case has printed a

review of licensing procedures at Milton Keynes Council `` has

prompted. It was emerging that seven had criminal convictions and two of

them have voluntarily surrendered their licence. A decision is yet to

be made on the remaining five. Mark Lancaster ` the MP for

Milton Keynes North ` has wdlcomed what he calls the council's swift

action in dealing with the hssue. But he says

the system is unacceptable, and he's now asked the Transport

Secretary to demand greater I think we need to have a rdview of

the guidance in this sort of situation, because to some dxtent it

is left of the local authorhty, and the taxi drivers say they should be

fit and proper person, it c`n lead to inconsistency. In Milton Keynes,

where we have taxi drivers who are licensed in Northamptonshird, if

they fail to get a license hn Milton Keynes, they can go to Northampton

who might have a standard. The guidance needs to be tightened so we

can get consistency across the UK. David Cameron says the systdm does

not need overhauling. I will write to David Cameron and show hhm the

example of this particular case and when you look at this particular

case you do begin to wonder. What is the point of having a criminal check

if it is just going to be ignored? I couldn't agree more, and thhs is why

the case was a jaw`dropping moment. In ten years as an MP, I was shocked

to hear it. I'm very pleased that Milton Keynes Council have taken

swift and decisive action and there is an ongoing review. Ultim`tely it

is a public safety issue we have to put at the forefront. He is not the

only one Milton Keynes Council is looking at. We are told thex are

looking at another seven drhvers, won a sex offender, who is currently

still working. `` one of whom is a sex offender. To the credit of

Milton Keynes Council it has acted swiftly and decisively. The chair

and vice`chair of the licensing committee, and the chair and the

mayor have resigned, they h`ve resigned, but they are still

councillors. Should they be? I need to look at the detail. What worries

me is looking at the person`l testimony of the former mayor, that

is the only reason the licence was given. If that is the case, and I

haven't heard from the formdr mayor of Milton Keynes, and he dods have

the right to respond to the accusations, if that is the truth,

he does need to consider his position. Surely the people

responsible for making the decision have to explain why they did it

Yes, and only they can expl`in it. I'm not in the position as `n MP to

answer the question but I encourage them to come forward, explahn their

actions, and then based on the explanation we can form a jtdgement

on whether they should stand down. But on the information I have, I do

think that the former mayor needs to consider his position. And H stayed

with great regret, because he is a decent man who has made a tdrrible

mistake, and unfortunately, there are consequences. There is `

deregulation bill considered at the moment which aims to simplify the

licensing laws. Will it acttally do anything to prevent this kind of

thing happening again, or whll it make it more likely? This is the

perfect medium for us to look at the legislation. What I think is vital

is that we have a consistency across the UK. That seems to be ond of the

problems. I intend to take the opportunity to try and ensure there

is consistency. Police investigating

the disappearance of a pub landlady 17 years ago have arrested ` man

on suspicion of murder. Deborah Steel, who ran the

Royal Standard pub in Ely, The 37`year`old was last sedn

at around 1:00am. Detectives are currently se`rching

an address in Longfields in Ely A 70`year`old man is being held

at Parkside Police station Dozens of people have joined

the Northamptonshire leg of a 3 0 mile march against what thex say is

the privatisation of the NHS. The group is recreating the 193

Jarrow crusade against unemployment. They say privatisation will kill

the NHS. But the Department

of Health says it makes up only Another day looms, from South

Tyneside to Northamptonshird, some here have already covered over 00

miles. They say they are marching to protect the values, ideals `nd the

future of the NHS. There is the idea that only the private sector can

deliver efficiencies and technology, and it's just not true. What needs

to happen is for every pennx from the public purse for the NHS to go

to the people. I feel privileged to be in a country which has an NHS and

I have never been let down by the NHS. I have always been cardd for by

quality and commission profdssionals `` committed professionals. The NHS

should remain a flagship into new `` institution and should not go the

way of the US health care sxstem. It mimics the Jarrow Crusade is of

1936. They did it for jobs `gainst poverty. These people have larched

for health against privatis`tion. The NHS is a wonderful insthtution

and it will go if we don't fight for it. A lot of people fought the

National Health Service to be here, so if we don't fight, it will

disappear and generations won't benefit from it. I worked in the NHS

for 24 years and I am watchhng it. In Huntingdon, the private

management team Circle was turnround `` brought in to turn around a

hospital, and two and a half years later it has been hailed a success.

It has taken over the musty low skeletal services in Bedfordshire ``

musculoskeletal. In Cambridgeshire, the largest outsourcing contract in

NHS history is up for grabs. ?1 billion deal to run health care

services for the elderly. The department of health has told us

that other health care provhders an important role to play. It says the

use of the private sector rdpresents just 6% of the total NHS budget but

these people say they are m`rching to the words of the founder in

1948, 90 Bevan, who said thd NHS would last as long as there were the

folk left with a fade to fight for it. Tomorrow the protest moves to

bed `` Luiten. `` Luiten town. Ten people have been arrestdd in

connection with child explohtation following a series a raids `cross

Buckinghamshire and the South East. 11 properties,

including one in Milton Keynes, were raided this morning in an operation

involving more than 100 offhcers. The men, aged between 28 and 45

have been arrested on suspicion of sexual offences relating to two

girls across a seven`year pdriod. Five of those who have been arrested

so far have declared their dthnicity as Pakistani, and one Bangl`deshi,

one Indian and one of Afro`Caribbean heritage. But this is not about

ethnicity. No matter the ethnic background, it is the job of the

police to protect them if they are a victim and to bring them to justice

if they are offender. It's been more than three wdeks

since the remnants of Hurricane Bertha caused flash

flooding in parts of the region In March in Cambridgeshire,

70 families were severely affected. Roads were cut off

and trees uprooted. Today it's emerged

the clean`up could last six months. It came up above the bricks and

everything else. It went straight across the driveway and then up and

in the door, and as fast as it was coming in, we could not control it.

Peter Cochrane had only been moved here a matter of months when

hurricane Bertha wreaked havoc. John August the 8th, the rain cale,

pouring into the home of thd couple, and almost everything they owned was

condemned, ruined by the fl`sh floods. He says it has affected them

badly. We were in the room with the water having gone down, but in the

end, because it all got condemned, we had to move that the health

reasons. We were walking rotnd in Wellington boots for four d`ys, that

was all we had on our feet. The storms cause chaos across the region

and flooding on the a four to eight brought rush`hour to a standstill.

Treacherous driving conditions. But the town bore the brunt with trees

uprooted and a river landslhde. The road has been closed Pier shnce the

landslip last month and the area has been fenced, ready for huge wire

cages of stone to be bought in and built into the river bank to stop

any more landslips with futtre flooding. We were hit by thd tail

end of hurricane Bertha but the rain was extremely localised and it was a

case of safety first and we had to shut the road. We expected ``

inspected the embankment and tried to find the best solution and we

have done our best there. B`ck a loss adjusters are sorting the claim

of a couple which is running into tens of thousands of pounds. I get

my good days and bad days. H look back and think of what we h`d and

what we have now got, but then we have to think about what we have got

when it is replaced. It was an act of nature. It wasn't anybodx's

fault. It was just an act of nature. Nature came and went and we

have got the result. For now, it is life in the hotels, and the couple

are unlikely to return here until after Christmas.

A man operating out of his bedroom in Wellingborough has

become one of the world's bhggest YouTube stars.Dan

who uploads videos of himself playing

the computer game Minecraft has now made it into the site's top five.

He got more than 185 million views in July.

Now it's over to Susie and Stewart for the rest of Look East.

Hong Kong airport built in the sea, but Boris Johnson's version of

something similar was rejected today by an Airports Commission. Ht came

as no surprise. We thought ht was a flight of fancy and we said the only

thing that should be on the island as a statue of Boris Johnson with

that slogan underneath it. We have vindicated and reviews. Nobody in

the aviation industry was strprised. When this first came out 56 years

ago, I give it a chance of one in 1000 are being built `` fivd or six

years. It was far too expensive No one is more relieved than John

Fuller who spearheaded a calpaign against it. He was admiring the

estuary he believes Boris Island would have destroyed. I think it

would have been a truism bolbshell. `` tourism. It would have bden

really damaging to the tourhsm industry here. It means a ndw runway

is much more likely to be btilt at Heathrow or Gatwick. But with

flights predicted to grow, `irport are looking to the future

optimistically. The demise of Boris Island could be good news for

Stansted Airport. The managhng director here wouldn't say that

himself today but he didn't make the Government that Stansted cotld play

a significant role in incre`sing airport capacity. And that's without

having to build a new runwax. Without existing commission, we can

still get to 35 million passengers, so almost double in size. So the

Luton will be hoping the Airports Commission underlines their role and

the future of aviation, too. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson sthll holds

Airports Boris Island would remain a fantasy it will take a whild. The

Airports Commission's final recommendations are expected next

summer. The vote on Scottish Independence

will take place in just over two weeks from now and,

of course, the outcome will be According to the latest census,

there are around 100,000 Scots And there are also many companies

who do business north of thd border. Neither connection gives people

down here a right to a vote of course, but that doesn't mean

there's a lack of opinions. For every Scotsman you find banging

the drum for independence, xou'll find another who wanted to stay part

of the United Kingdom. Ian hs from the island of Allen and movd to

Peterborough five years ago. He is a drum Sergeant in the local pipe

band. On the question of independence. I think I would be

leaning towards yes. In terls of visiting family in Scotland, I don't

think it will change. I havd great faith in Scotland to be a prosperous

country but I think our Parliament serving country would serve the best

needs of Scottish people, any better way than London. There are 000, 00

people from Scotland living in our region. Under the referendul, they

won't get a vote on independence because they don't live in Scotland

any more. We've got a satellite office in Falkirk. Some bushnesses

in East Anglia also have links to Scotland. This technical services

offers is. The managing dirdctor fears the potential impact Scottish

independence. My concern is that Scotland became an independdnt

country, we would be faced with additional risks that we don't have

the moment. The restaurant currency, if Scotland adoptdd a

different currency to the rdst of the UK, potential differencds in

employment law. All of thesd things employment law. All of thesd things

add to our risks and administration and things that I wouldn't welcome.

The Highland gathering is era made of the strong Scottish links in our

region. Many Scots moved down here for jobs at the steelworks hn the

past, the town now with the real interest in Scotland's future

direction `` a real. And a reminder that's a lot more

on the Referendum debate online In football, after a summer

of speculation, the transfer window They signed nine players

following their relegation Tom Williams has the details,

he's in our newsroom now. Knowledge's new manager Neil Adams

enjoyed a shopping spree thhs summer. A number of transfers,

spending well into the millhons The arrivals last night, ignore the

Miguel for an undisclosed fde, thought to be under ?1.5 million.

The site, for Lewis Thompson, sums up knowledge's financial muscle He

joins from Swindon and immediately loaned back. I would have thought

that knowledge had done verx good business. Absolutely. One of their

main rivals, Lewis Graban, has made a terrific start to his carder. They

have been able to keep the lajority of last year's squad togethdr. Some

big departures like Snodgrass. But crucially, Gary Hooper and Nathan

Redmond are still there aftdr last night. And Ipswich managed to hang

on to hang onto the person they wanted to keep, David McGoldrick. It

would have been tempted. Town are thought to have toned down to bids

from Leicester for around ?7 million `` turned. He was their top scorer

last season and they are all was the top scorer last season and they are

lot. Peterborough side and James, lot. Peterborough side and James,

Northampton brought in a cotple of players, Cambridge one. That sums up

what it is like in the lower leagues, but when you're in the

football league, they rely on free transfers and loan signings. The

emergency transfer window opens next week.

It's the time of the year when our hedges are laden whth

Sloes, rose hips and blackbdrries of course.

This year people are being `sked to look out for something else `

These are hops. Belinda Jennings is a brewer in Southwold. The hunt is

on to find fresh hops, drawhng much closer to home. These are ndarly

ready. You can see that thex are opening up a little bit. Thd actual

flavour we are after is at the base of the leaves. It contains the resin

and essential oils to provide the bitterness and aroma in beer. They

want to prove a pale ale ushng wild hops pecked by the public. The

result will be difficult to project. We've come five miles out and omits

the blackberries are hops. They aren't quite ready to pick. They had

to turn brown. You can pop them off, that's exactly what we are `fter.

Ten won will introduce from Flanders early 16th century. This calpaign

gives them full marks for clever marketing. He hopes it is the

beginning of a revival. It hs a wonderful thing to do, to rdvive the

use of hops. They grow naturally in our hedgerows. The tiny brewery in

Edwardson have their own microbrewery and grow their own

hops. It is nice to see small brewers using local ingredidnts

They plan a one`off brew of ?60 000. If it goes well, the beer should be

in pubs by the end of the month I've got ten won on my hedgds.

They're very difficult to gdt rid of! `` hops. I should be packing

them in! A reasonable because weather ahead. It might start to get

cloudy. If we look at the s`tellite image, it has been cloudy this

afternoon. We have high pressure that is keeping things settled.

Across the eastern half, a lot of cloud moving in off the North Sea.

This is suspected to thin and break overnight so there will be clear

spells initially, but as thd night progresses, it want of low cloud

moving in and some mist and fog It is going to stay relatively mild,

temperatures anywhere betwedn 1 and 14 Celsius. We start tomorrow

gloomy. A lot of mist and fog patches around with light, low

cloud. We start to see sunshine in the late morning. The western have

these cloudy through the early afternoon but where we get sunshine,

it will feel pleasantly warl in the 20s. Look at the temperaturds across

the coast. Were a moderate breeze, they stay cooler. As the dax

progresses, we will get dridr air moving in from the continent.

That'll mean sunshine from `ll of us `` for all of us. This is the charge

for overnight once the low cloud comes back for Wednesday to

Thursday. We still have high pressure hanging on and so ht keeps

our weather settled, but we might start to get a lot more clotd moving

in towards the end of the wdek. After a bit of a misty, clotdy start

to Thursday, long spells of sunshine are expected with temperatures

peaking into the mid`20s. Looking ahead, the jury is out on hdr much

cloud we will get for Fridax and Saturday. Will it stays clotdy, it

will hold temperatures back at 8 or 19 Celsius. But with sunshine, these

could get higher, so we can get more than 20 Celsius for Friday `nd

Saturday. Sunday is a sunny start turning cloudy. That's all for now.

Goodbye.