21/02/2017 Look East (West)

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Too far, too fast - the businesses in our region facing

Don't mind a small raise, but to rise it

almost pay 50% in one fell swoop is really unfair.

And will, you know, stop small businesses from

Would banning fast food outlets near schools bring

Milton Keynes wants to give it a try.

The transport of the future that never got off the ground -

the Hover Train tested in the Fens in the '60s.

And I am here in Northampton, where a multi-million

pound redevelopment of the museum has become.

First tonight - prices will go up and

investment will go down - the verdict of one small business

in our region whose business rates are set to almost double.

Jane Thorpe-Codman runs Holiday Lets and -

along with many shops and traders - rising property prices mean she'll

It's the first reassessment of business rates for seven years,

but the speed and fairness of the change is already

It's the start of another busy season for Jacqueline

Deep in any Northamptonshire countryside, they are preparing

Well, we have a family of three coming in.

The tourism trade is the Tories the fickle.

With her annual business rates set to rise by over ?7,000,

And it is frustrating because I want to make sure that,

when they open the door, they are impressed by what they see.

I can't suddenly increase prices by, say, ?100 for a weekend,

because it is going to stop people wanting to book.

Any business which operates out of a property has to pay tax.

The amount they pay depends on how much rent could be charged.

And with eight cottages to let, Jane's bill will increase.

Life is sweeter, however, in Bedford.

The Arcadia sweet shop has been in the family for over one century.

For the first time in years, her business rate is set to be slashed,

It could help us keep on top of bills.

Probably help us to source new supplies of stuff,

which you find because you are not given long to pay for your stock,

We can only buy ours about four weeks before Easter.

Like many small businesses, the Arcadia has to keep

It is a dilemma faced by countless traders.

75% of our members say their business rates is one

of the top three issues facing their business.

The concern for them is the cost of doing business going up

and the average micro business, that is fewer than ten employees,

says that their average amount they will be playing in business

With her tax bill set to double, Jane's plans to expand

Dreams of bigger profits now on the back burner.

Our political reporter Tom Barton is here.

Tom, what's the picture like across the whole region?

there are winners and losers from this change to business rates.

And because the changes are based on property values,

there are significant differences around our region.

the average rates paid by businesses will fall.

In South Cambridgeshire, it will stay the same.

While businesses in East Cambridgeshire and Cambridge

The biggest fall - an average of 13% -

While Cambridge will see the biggest rise,

businesses will see an average reduction of 7%

But these figures don't tell the whole story.

Because there is big variation street-by-street.

So while some businesses will stop paying rates altogether,

And those discrepancies have got ministers in trouble,

with Welwyn Hatfield's Conservative MP Grant Shapps

The truth is that, overall, across the country, it

Quite a lot of that will come from our area.

Yes, there are some places that will see reductions.

There are some places that, unfortunately, will see rises.

It would be much better to be upfront about that,

rather than pretending to everyone that everyone's going to receive

The political row over this is unlikely to go away.

With Philip Hammond's first budget just weeks away,

campaigners hope they can force a U-turn over these changes.

There is, though, a danger for the Government there

if they reverse the changes altogether.

While businesses facing a raise will be happy,

there would inevitably be an outcry from those,

Health bosses in Hertfordshire say a decision to cut over ?8 million

of additional funding for adult social care

The County Council had been due to formally refer the

Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group to the Health Secretary

The CCG says it will now review the issue at a meeting next week.

A Northamptonshire police officer has gone on trial accused of raping

a 17-year-old girl he was supposed to be helping.

28-year-old PC Declan Gabriel is also charged with two counts

He denies all the charges against him.

28-year-old PC Declan Gabriel arrives at Northampton Crown Court

The Northamptonshire police officer was on a night shift in September

2015 when the incidents allegedly took place.

Today in court, the prosecution outlined their case

They say it was around 4:30 in the morning, PC Gabriel

was despatched to a house in Northampton, where a 17-year-old

girl had been thrown out of her home after an argument with her mother.

The jury was told that PC Gabriel drove her off in his police car -

ostensibly to find somewhere for her to stay.

During their two hours they were together,

The prosecution says that this is where he committed

Later, she was driven to the Counties Crematorium,

It's claimed he performed another sexual assault.

Then, it's alleged, he forced her to have sex with him.

This afternoon, the girl has been giving evidence in court.

The defence accused her of changing her story,

but she denied lying and said that if she had

resisted him more, it would have been worse for her.

PC Gabriel denies all the charges and claims

Martin Borley, BBC Look East, Northampton Crown Court.

Next - would banning fast food outlets from opening up near schools

Well, Milton Keynes council seems to think so.

They have a new plan for the town and tackling obesity is a priority,

as Nicola Haseler has been finding out.

As these children start their life in primary school at the age of

four, one in five of them is already overweight or obese. But by the time

they leave and join secondary school, that figure has risen to one

in three. What are your favourite school lunches? Pizza. Jacket

potato. Fish fingers and chips. She's on my sandwich. Like I had

today. Chips. And beans. Tonight, Milton Keynes Council will consider

a plan to ban new fast-food outlets from opening up near to schools. The

plan an exclusion zone of 400 metres around both primary and secondary

schools. Fast-food outlets have their price. It has to be regulated.

Children cannot go their day in and day. Once a week for that type of

food is fine. Do have that everyday is not a healthy diet. Down there is

the primary school where we have just been. At the end of this

alleyway, the secondary school. Right behind a fast-food shop that

is full of schoolchildren at the end of school day. It is places like

these that will no longer be able to exist within 400 metres of any

school. If these plans go ahead. I think they shouldn't have fast-food

centres near to the school. It is not having a good effect on the

children. I think that's fantastic. I don't think it should be easy to

step out of your house and grab it. I am a big fast-food eater. It is

silly, I guess. But with seven out of ten adults in the Tim Kaine is

being overweight, the council says it has to make changes. Milton

Keynes has a higher than average obesity level in adults. We want to

make sure our children are growing up healthy. The cost of publicity

and all of those illnesses associated with being overweight

would be a challenge for the local authority. Have to put plans in

place to make sure people have the option to make good choices in their

lives. If the exclusion zone goes ahead, it won't affect fast-food

outlets already in place. Well, MK's fast food

restrictions have been welcomed Tam Fry from the organisation

joined me to explain. A lot of boroughs in

the East End of London started this trend

about six years ago. The problem, however,

is it is very difficult. Local councils find

that very difficult. But ones like Milton Keynes

who have made that decision should be encouraged

to stick with it. Because in the end, it is a good

decision they've made. Surely, there is some work

for the schools to do Why are children leaving school

grounds to go and get unhealthy food, when surely

there are options in school? The options so far have

been pretty laggedly. But there has been great impetus

to produce, if you will, a good meal The schools are now

obliged, in my opinion, to produce food which will encourage

children not to opt out of school, but to stay in and have their lunch

with their colleagues in Good food perhaps needs

a little help You need to have a cook or a

head chef who really does think about what it is he or she is

putting into the food. After a period of time -

and it does take a little time - if it is good and

nutritious and fun to eat, children There must be a lot of work

for parents as well. Children take quite

a lot of cues from them. And eat a lot of meals

at home, don't they? Of course, the home environment

has to be sorted out. Also, there is evidence

to show that the children are now taking the good

messages home. Saying to parents, if you will,

this is what we had at school. We don't want the junk

you normally serve us. Will you serve us

with good food at home? Again, you have the

education of the parents being taught by their own children

and getting the signals from them. The A6 - around, Rothwell -

is now likely to stay closed until at least

the end of April. The road was shut in January

after problems were found at a bridge that takes

it over the River Ise. Now, similar issues have been

found on another bridge Now, here is more news, sport and

weather from around the east. And "the train that

floats in the sky". Rare pictures of a space-age railway

with a test track in the Fens. It is nearly three months now

since free range poultry flocks were shut indoors, to try to prevent

the spread of bird flu. Next week, birds in some places

will be allowed out, while others in so-called high risk

areas will have to stay inside. Today, an expert in bird

migration told Look East that the risk of bird flu could

continue all through the summer. But first, our environment reporter

Richard Daniel reports. It is an industry which has been in

lockdown since December. Thousands of prods potentially at risk from

the strain of bird flu kept indoors. If they had to stay indoors, many

producers fear they will lose a lot of stock. It is not going away. Last

week, confirmation of the first case in the region. Some vets believe

that firearms closest to the water remain at the greatest risk. Why is

that? It attracts many whale barbs. Politically, ducks. They believed

docs are one of the most important characters -- carriers. From the end

of the month, certain to certain conditions, barbs will be allowed

out once again if they are in the wake area on this map. Those on the

red areas will have to remain indoors. But many farmers are

unconvinced. They see that no media is completely safe. -- area.

Dr Andy Musgrove is from the British Trust for Ornithology.

Late this afternoon, I asked him which wild birds

Most of the whale barbs that have been found to have it in the United

Kingdom have been water-based barbs, like ducks, geese and swans. But

that is maybe because only larger birds are more likely to be

detected. So it is not likely to be songbirds, the smaller ones? That is

not thought likely. He did not give phone carrying disease. It is mostly

thought to be more prevalent in water birds. These are large barbs

which are congregating in large numbers. These other situations in

which evaders can multiply. A lot of things going to change over the next

few years? It is a disease which has been with us for many years. It is

simply that the strain of it has changed, in the same way as the

strain of the likes of influenza virus changes. It is not going to go

be any time soon. People treat industry is really going to have to

think about what this means. Thank you very much for joining us.

A simple wooden frame that allows people with multiple

It costs just a few hundred pounds, but some people say it has

At the moment, the frame is not available on the NHS.

So, a physiotherapist from Norfolk is setting up a national trial

Our health reporter Nikki Fox visited one patient,

A simple frame, but one which is read a real difference to Linda and

Robert. She was diagnosed with MS six years into the marriage. That

was 30 years ago. Last year, she could not walk, but the addition of

this wooden frame has made all their change. I am able to feel my body

again, not just been swamped in a cheer. You do not realise what you

lose. It has made me feel a normal person again. The frames cost ?500

and are used in the national rail service for patients with spinal

problems. But for them to be made available to MS sufferers, they have

to be proven to be effective. That is why a clinician is doing a

project involving 70 sufferers of MS. We want to use interventions

which have been effective. The only way we can do that is to conduct a

random trial. The couple travelled a lot in the marriage. The weather was

so bad. Last year, the council do cruise because Brenda could not

manage it. But thanks to the frame improving muscle strength, the

cruisers once again on the cards. It is amazing the difference between

this time last year. She has a totally different person. Just a

simple piece of equipment like that can do so much. The trial still

needs more volunteers. If results show the difference is noticeable,

they could be available for sufferers of MS on the national

Health Service. When Northampton Borough Council

decided to sell an Egyptian statue called Sekhemka,

the story made headlines They may have made ?8 million,

but they had broken the golden rule of museums - never sell

off your prize exhibits. But the council

ploughed on regardless and is reinvesting

a lot of the money to build an extension

to its museum and art gallery. While the work is carried out,

the museum is being packed up, to keep everything safe.

This from Louise Hubball. Packing away more than 12,000 shoes.

These include Queen Victoria 's shoes from 1840. In more recent

additions from the film Kinky Boots. The museum is about to go on a ?14

million refurbishment programme. It will of the new extension. This

piece will be larger and brighter and more of a journey through time.

It is how the council raise the money to pay for it which was

controversial. It sure -- sold off a 4000 -year-old Egyptian statue,

attracting widespread condemnation. They lost the arts Council

accreditation in process. How far has the reputation of the museum

been damaged? It has been. We are trying to improve the relationship

again. Obviously, that what we're doing, they Babel CBI reinvesting

the money. It will be a real asset for the tone. Everyone is focused on

getting the museum packed up so the extension work can begin. The Stone

Age and Roman section is top of the list for being catalogued. I have

got the number. Coming along with Adam is his support worker, I get to

support his rule being involved with the objects and the history of

Northampton. They are looking for more volunteers to help with the

move. It is expected to reopen to the public in automotive X year. --

autumn of next year. The Swinging Sixties

were an age of change. The Hovertrain was dubbed "the train

that floats in the sky" - a space-age passenger vehicle that

would eventually take people It was tested in the Fens until

the government withdrew funding. Now, archaeologists

at Cambridge University have made a film about this

very strange project. It is a little rough around the

edges, but that is a certain majesty about the Hovertrain. It was hot

news in the 1960s. It was tested on he may track on the Fens. Built in

the swinging 60s. There was a great advances in technology. The idea was

gay did land transport, which was going to be the future. The vision

was that the Hovertrain would run alongside the normal railway. See

separate routes had been calculated. 150 people were working on the

project, some of them the best scientists in the country. The

government through ?5.5 million at the project. But costs spiralled as

the support structure was unable to keep up. The story captured the

imagination of local archaeologist, Christopher. It was almost like

nature fighting back. Something is probably could've been resolved with

a more effort. But it all added to the suspense. Everyone was very

excited. When they heard it was going to close, everyone involved

and it was in tears. At the cost of ?6,000, it was brought to

Peterborough. A team of volunteers are doing their best to care for the

landmark carnage. I wonder we're everyone would set? You did not get

a chance to go in it? Not at the tame. -- tame.

Good evening. Despite the predictions of a lot of cloud, there

was a bit of sunshine alone. Changes are under way. The cloud stand too

patchy rain and drizzle for of us. Mainly dry for most of us this

evening, however. It temperatures for this time of year, again, very

mild. The wind building for tomorrow. This will bring a band of

rain across the region. It could remain for much of the day. Quite

windy, particularly in the morning. Some of that rain could be a Navy

side. Some parts may be lucky enough to avoid it altogether. Despite all

that, temperatures still comfortably in double figures. 12-13 C. As you

may have here, Storm Doris is heading, really on Thursday. That

means strong wind across much of the country. There will be a yellow

warning across our region. It could be some serious disruption because

of the wind. Northants, Norfolk and parts of North Cambs. Keep

up-to-date in the next couple of days, there could be gusts of up to

70-80 mph. So, very mixed bag for all this week. Expect some rain

associated with a low pressure on Thursday. Things are becoming much

more calm on Friday. A court date falling on Friday. Thing is

beginning to turn slightly more mild come the weekend. Did you make it

into the 60s? Just buy one week. Nawal El Saadawi,

the world-renowned Egyptian author