07/03/2017 Look East (West)

No new HQ for Northamptonshire Police as controversial plans

The best thing to do for the taxpayers of Northamptonshire that

drives the best value but is also good for the staff and provides the

certainty that was missing. Easing congestion and

boosting the economy... The new plans for the

Black Cat roundabout. The new living wage

and its impact on care homes... Many businesses say they'll

struggle to survive. And the region's top music venue

plays host to hundreds of schoolchildren hoping to hit

the right note in Ten months after agreeing to sell

its Wootton Hall headquarters, Northamptonshire Police has today

announced it wants to stay put. The previous Police

and Crime Commissioner, Adam Simmonds, agreed the sale

on his final day in the job. Now his successor has

done an about-turn. But first this report

from Tom Percival. This was meant to be the site

of a new headquarters for police and fire

services in Northamptonshire. Cherry Hall Road in Kettering

will still be built, but it will more longer now

be an HQ. Selling this site would have

netted the force three The then Police and Crime

Commissioner, Adam Simmonds, who approved the sale,

said a modern police force did not An HQ that holds onto 400 people

that are not actually police officers but back office staff,

is not necessary, they can be in police stations,

and other operational buildings. And this is a police HQ that is

quite remote from the public. Most of the public don't ever come

here, they would not know where it was, and it might

have a reputation for having thousands of police officers,

but it doesn't have that and it is not fit for

the 21st century any more. But ten months and one

new Police and Crime Now, Northamptonshire Police have

said they do need Wootton Hall It is not fit for purpose,

it is not fit for purpose now. What the PCC now, Stephen Mold,

has said is that he will That's an option that

was not available before. If we do nothing on this site

but leave it as it is, it will become even less fit

for purpose in the future. I am very excited about this

announcement because Stephen Mold has promised the investment

to develop this site, to make it a truly shared site,

creating new opportunities with us to work with the other emergency

services and with other partners to help us to better protect people

from harm in this county. Good news for police staff, though,

is bad news for Wootton Park School. The plan had been for it

to move into Wootton Hall That will no longer now happen,

meaning its students will continue to be taught in these temporary

classrooms, while plans are drawn up for a new permanent home elsewhere

on the Wootton Hall grounds. A site which ten months ago

was remote and not fit for purpose will now be retained,

and in some parts, rebuilt. Northamptonshire Police have said

that overall the decision not to leave Wootton Hall will actually

save money in the long term. But questions remain over how much

has been spent on legal fees in pursuit of an ambitious move

which will no longer happen. Earlier I spoke to Stephen Mold,

the current Police and Crime I asked him why he made

the decision to keep It's the best thing

to do for the taxpayers of Northamptonshire,

it drives the best value, but also it is good for the staff

and provides them certainty And thankfully, with the great

work we have been doing with the education funding

authority, it means that actually we can keep the school

there and we can build on the bonds that were originally

conceived for the idea. But this is a complete U-turn

on what your predecessor Adam Simmonds had planned,

it is quite a bold move, isn't it? Well, it was kind of

a situation that I inherited. The deal was signed on the afternoon

after I was elected but before I took office, and quite frankly,

I was given some significant costs And really, given the challenge

of keeping people safe in Northamptonshire,

it is right that we do the right thing, but also we get

to keep the school as well. So are you saying that the sale

was the wrong decision Let us put it this way,

it is not a decision I would have made had I been the Police

and Crime Commissioner at that time, otherwise we would not have made

the decision we have got now And what about the financial

implications here? How much money has already been

spent that could have been saved? To be honest, yes, there has been

some money that has been spent, But actually it is the human cost

that worries me more because actually we have created

uncertainty for police staff, it has How much confidence can the people

of Northamptonshire have in the decision that you have made

today given the fact that it is very different from the decision

that was made just last year? I think probably for the first time

we have a joint decision that is the right decision,

that means that we are better And also by saving an awful

lot of public money, because we were going to be spending

the best part of ?20 million decanting from Wootton Hall, with,

you know, additional money that would then need to be spent

to create a headquarters. That money can be put back

into front-line policing. Plans to alleviate congestion at one

of the region's busiest road junctions have been put out

to public consultation. Improvements at the Black Cat

roundabout on the A1 near St Neots and the dualling of the A428

towards Cambridge would also bring economic benefits

as Nicola Haseler reports. The A1 is now queueing at the

approach to the roundabout. The approach is slow... The A1 is slow

as usual. BBC Three Counties Radio. If you regularly travel by road

around our region, you will have heard of the Black Cat roundabout.

It links Cambridge with Bedford, Milton Keynes on the M1. For those

who rely on it each day, the constant congestion is frustrating,

unsafe and costly. You go out there, any day of the week from about three

o'clock onwards, it is gridlock. But on a Friday, especially, from 2:30pm

you have to allow at least one more hour on your journey to go to

Cambridge, which had only to 40 minutes. Those who live in the

surrounding villages have said they are fed up of being used as a rat

run. It was a really nice village as now absolutely terrible. It is a rat

run right through to Cambridge. So we get car speeding through the

spillage. Going north and south it always avoid the Black Cat

roundabout because it is so often jammed up. Highways England is

proposing three different ideas, which could include removing the

roundabout and creating a motorway style junction. Building a new

section of dual carriageway to link it to the A428 and alarming the A1

to freely underneath it. Well, all three of the options will relieve

this rush-hour congestion that has built up on all sides of the

roundabout and fixing the traffic problems here will be the start of

building the new Cambridge to Oxford Expressway, linking the east to the

west. Where one proposed route follows the existing A428, the other

two would run through the existing Cambridgeshire countryside. The two

existing options run through the local parish and people will be

concerned about that. The bottom line is that something must be done,

but not at any cost. We want to make sure that I was England listen to

what we have to say to them and actually select the appropriate

option. And you can give your views on the plans until April the 23rd.

Last night we shared the story of a new night shelter opening

in Northampton to cope with the increasing number

of people in our region sleeping on the streets.

Tonight we're at Milton Keynes' winter night shelter.

For many people it's their only chance to find somewhere

warm to sleep at night, but from next week it'll close.

Mike Cartwright is there for us tonight.

Mike. We filmed before the scheme got

underway in November and we are back before it finishes next week. This

is the old bus station which is now empty but if you are a rough sleeper

and Milton Keynes and you come here at 5:30pm they will assess you and

if you qualify they will bus you off the seven churches in this area you

can get a bed for the night. This is where they will be going tonight. It

is the Baptist church at Newport Pagnell, we were there earlier. Each

church can sleep around 15 people per night, they have around 450

volunteers and this is the fifth season that this has been going.

These are the volunteers you tonight providing hot links and food before

they get bust. One of the volunteers is Jack Walker. Hello, Jack. He is

the pastor of the church we have just seen. Jack, the number of

homeless in this town is rising, why? Many reasons, one of which it

is harder to get housing benefit, less people are entitled to it. It

does not cover some of the rents. Half-life conspires against you, a

relationship breaks down and you do not have much in of friends and

family, you can end up on the street very easily. What needs to be done,

what more help? What we do here is merely a sticking plaster. We do it

because he can take people who have no money attached to them and there

is nothing else out there for them. And half of the guests we take, we

are the only hope. But we could do with doing this all year round or

something similar, and at the moment we do it for the anti-half months in

the worst of the winter. It finishes next week, what happens after that?

Well, we are working absolutely tirelessly to get people into

further accommodation during this period. If the worst comes to the

worst, we give people a tent and a four seasons the greenback which

does work and some of the churches will continue with the follow-up.

And some of the other organisations to. But it is grim. It is grim. Jack

Walker, thank you very much indeed. They will be leaving on their bosses

very soon, they get a hot meal, bed and breakfast.

But most will return here tomorrow night. Mike, thank you very much.

Beet farmers in the region have criticised the supermarket giant

Tesco for its decision to stop stocking Silver Spoon granulated

The brand made from processed sugar beet has been replaced

by rival Tate Lyle, which uses imported sugar cane.

The National Farmers' Union has described the move

as "hugely disappointing," as Kim Riley reports.

It's a familiar landmark, the British Sugar factory

Home to a plant that can produce four million 1 kg packs

Across the other side of the A14, a branch of Tesco.

So this superstore just could not be any closer

to the Silver Spoon production line, but that does not really make any

difference because if you pop in now, you're looking for a 1 kg

bag of granulated sugar, this is what you get.

That company's sugar cane is imported from around the globe.

The sugar beet industry behind Silver Spoon supports some

The company works with more than 3,000 growers and supplies 60%

Many consumers in the region will know that we produce sugar beet

to some of the highest standards in the world and it is processed

in some of the most efficient factories, so it is a good industry

and it is a pity that people do not have the opportunity to support it.

If it comes to buying sugar, what would influence you?

To be honest, I am not a big buyer of sugar in general,

Tesco are not stocking the Silver Spoon version now,

I would disagree with that because I would like to support

the local farmers and local the business, particularly

We tend not to buy a lot of sugar in bags like that anyway,

but we would particularly probably choose sugar beet to support

We probably should be thinking local, UK, rather

than cheaper and abroad, but that is Tesco, isn't it?

Tesco told us it aims to provide the best quality products and prices

to its customers in a way that is fair to both

It says it will continue to stock a combination of both Tate Lyle

Now to Stewart and Susie for the rest of the programme.

Stay with us for the hairdressers being trained to

spot signs of domestic violence in their clients.

Jules has got news of warmer weather to come.

And hundreds of young people from across the

region tuning up for the big concert tonight.

The Chancellor Philip Hammond presents his first Budget

and the care sector will be pinning its hopes on substantial help.

The ageing population and uncertainty over Brexit are both

combining to put pressure on council budgets.

But that's not all. The impact of the Living Wage

is already hitting the care home sector.

a pay increase is good news for people on low wages,

but the owners of some care homes say the added cost could force

Another busy morning at Langdon House in Cambridge.

51 people being cared for by up to 30 staff covering three

The home already pays them above the Living Wage,

with many people on up to ?10 per hour.

We ask all of our staff to take level 2 and level

And our managers have level 5 or degree qualifications.

But Langdon House is in a more privileged position

80% of its clients are privately funded, only 20% by the state.

Meaning with careful budget planning they can tackle the Living Wage rise

in salaries head on, or even ahead of time.

I think they are being confronted with, you know,

Do they need to change their business model?

Do they need to move into taking in a different type of client?

Do you think there are going to be some care homes that

And there are care homes who have closed nationally over the years.

Particularly small homes that won't be viable

East Anglian law firm Ashtons recently hosted

They asked care home bosses which would have more impact -

Unexpectedly, two thirds said the latter.

The main worry is how much councils will pay for care.

The amounts which local authorities are able to pay is much

lower than the rates which private people pay.

And as wages are the biggest component of fixed cost,

anything which drives up costs where revenue is following

These students hoping to go into the sector say better salaries

would encourage more people to do the same.

There are things in the health care job that people don't want to do.

Who doesn't like more money, I suppose?

But it is, yeah, it sounds like a really good idea.

Hopefully, it will tempt more people into the care system.

With an ageing population, the demand for care home places

The fear is, if managers haven't planned for the salary changes

forecast for the next three years, their businesses may not survive.

Our political correspondent Andrew Sinclair is here...the

Chancellor will talk about social care tomorrow won't he?

Yes, he was criticised in the Autumn Statement for not talking about

social care. Everyone's council tax is going up next month to help pay

for it. And yet, all the extra money is just a drop in the ocean. Partly

because of the increase in the National Living Wage. Essex, the

money through council tax will buy 11 days extra social care. We will

are told we will get an announcement tomorrow about the future funding of

social care. What else can we expect? The budget is likely to be

big picture stuff. Not expecting big local announcements. Mainly because

all the money for roads, rail and the like has been allocated for the

foreseeable future. Perhaps extra money for Denbighshire because of

devolution. Backtracking business rates which has upset businesses in

our region. -- Cambridgeshire. And also this extra money for free

schools and grammar schools. We won't get details tomorrow. But

increasingly I am hearing speculation that those schools could

be set up in places like Norfolk and Suffolk, and I think we will talk

about this issue in the next year or so.

For some women, a trip to the hairdressers is an opportunity -

not just for a new look - it's chance to have a natter

I know my hairdresser hears all sorts of stuff.

It can be something very personal, something quite dark.

When things are not going well at home,

the special relationship between client and hairdresser

is being seen as a way of tackling domestic abuse.

So do you always go to the same hairdresser or do you

For many, going to a hair salon isn't just a chance

Sometimes my clients will sort of share their problems with me.

If you can help at all, and you'll kind of advise them

of something that has happened in my life and say, well,

You know, you do kind of share problems, definitely.

If you can confide in someone and sort of talk to them

about anything, it's better than hiding these things in.

I really do think it will benefit a lot of women that perhaps don't

To Illinois, where law makers have proposed a new approach

They are looking to the beauty profession to help spot

It is thought to be the first law of its kind in America.

It requires hairdressers to undergo training to recognise

Now, this salon in Norwich has taken up the idea.

In November, when I saw that Illinois in the USA has brought

about a landmark decision to request that hairdressers are trained

in domestic abuse, I decided that it would be a good opportunity for me

to bring the two areas of my life together,

owning a hair salon and working for Leeway.

And what kind of signs are you looking for?

It would be more of if a client feels that they can confide

in their hairdresser and tell them about the experiences

The idea here is supported by Leeway, which helps those

The most dangerous point in any relationship where there

is domestic abuse happening is the point of leaving.

So the hairdressers will be able to support that person,

explain that this is a dangerous time, and that there

And in order to get that help, they can signpost them.

Hairdressers are not being asked to become therapists,

just to encourage their clients to get help.

Every year - at about this time of the year -

the music venue Snape Maltings in Suffolk has hosted

And they wanted to make it a bit special.

Will be taking part in rehearsals and a nightly concert.

Snape Maltings, what an amazing venue for a school music concert.

Children already up on stage hair ready to go on and on in just a few

minutes time. If you look at the statistics here at Snape Maltings

over history, 45,000 schoolchildren have performed on the stage. 90,000

people have come here to see them. Over the years, some of the greatest

names in classical music have performed at Snape Maltings.

Alongside them, since 1987 pupils from Southwark have performed. It

has become a much loved annual event, a celebration. This is the

choir from Claydon high school. I am a keen musician. I play piano and

guitar. We wear at two make a song for the celebration. -- we were

asked to make a song. Its field the criteria and I was really excited to

do the event. When our music has got told it was an opportunity, I

thought that it was a great opportunity and something I really

wanted to do. Performing at a big venue like Snape Maltings is a great

opportunity to show what we can do. This year, a fresh challenge. Every

school has to learn a new specially commissioned 30th anniversary song

-- 30th anniversary It is called I Wage. The logistics

are crazy. Some of the songs are only hearing the song for the first

time. There are six different parts to piece together in a short space

of time. And then one hour on the stage to sew it altogether. Maybe

talk to me tomorrow! Today is a personal milestone for the head of

the county music service, Philip Shaw, who started these causes 30

years ago. Now, teachers bringing students here once performed

themselves. Just to enjoy stepping out here in this incredibly

inspiring place, you remember your De Gea at dandelion. -- De Gea at

Snape Maltings. This venue given over to the children for one special

day. Concerts every evening till

Saturday. Tonight, it kicks off in around seven minutes time.

A sunny start to the day. HIV-1, too. At the Norfolk- Suffolk border.

The satellite picture shows why we had the best of the sunshine. That

helped temperatures up to around nine Celsius. We could see

temperatures tonight falling as low as two or three Celsius. And then,

cloud thickening up and out rates of rain moving eastwards. Some of these

on the heavy side. One of those nights where after the temperatures

fall to around two Celsius, they should right again with mild air. Up

to seven or eight Celsius. A mild end to the night. Tomorrowweather

dependent on weather front. A nightmare to work out how quickly it

will equip tomorrow. As it stands, a lot of cloud with further outbreaks

of rain on and off throughout the day. But by this transaction also.

Probably the best of that further north. With the cloud and the rain,

temperatures could get up to around 12 Celsius. 13 or 14 in the

sunshine. And like to wind. In the Sergeant, a thousand. -- very

pleasant in the Sergeant. Some of us holding onto more cloud than others.

On the whole, a dry day on Thursday. Friday is looking largely cloudy

with some outbreaks of many light or patchy rain. If we are going to see

by this and sunshine, later on. In the weekend, the rain should clear

and decent sunny spells developing. Excellent, thanks. Goodbye.