30/06/2011 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Hello. Thank you for joining us. The headlines tonight: Thousands of

workers in East Yorkshire and lipping shire take part in what

unions call the biggest strike for a generation. -- Lincolnshire.

worked for 16 years. This is something I really, really believe

in. Almost 200 schools are affected and other services close as workers

down tools. Also on the programme tonight, why

this controversial private road to an MP's house will be dug up less

than a month after it was laid. And the children preparing to sing on

stage with one of the world's biggest soul groups.

$$TRANSMIT. Join me me for a detailed forecast including a look

at this weekend's weather in 15 It has been called premature and

wrong. Today, thousands of public sector work ers across East

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire walked out in a row over pensions. Schools

have been the biggest casualty with thousands of teach urs out on

strike. In East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire over 150

schools have been closed or partially closed while in

Lincolnshire it is estimated around 40 schools have been disrupted.

Across Britain, unions estimate hundreds of thousands of people

have taken to the streets to protest in what's been described as

the biggest action of its kind in a generation. In a moment, we'll look

at what impact it has had in this area.

First here's Crispin Rolfe. They rallied in their hundreds across

Lincoln and Hull. The strikes involved not just teachers but

coastguards, lecturers and even defence transport striving driving

instructors. And all for just one reason. ALL:: No cuts no pension

cuts. Why now? The evidence we are being shown is there is no deficit

yet they are still asking us for more money. I don't under Stan that.

Everyone is having to take a slice of pain. Why not teachers? We

already have. We've taken it for three years. In the war over words

between Government and the unions, image is everything. It is

interesting to note some other teaching unions criticised this

strike. The question for parents across East Yorkshire and

Lincolnshire is what they will make of seeing teachers protesting like

students instead of teaching them. I don't think we are acting like

students. We are exacting our democratic rights. The Government

says the public sector pension bill are rise to �30 billion pie 2015,

many protesters feel betrayed by the sudden change in terms. Frpblgs

we'll work for loppinger periods of time, pay more into our pension and

receive less. I'm concerned the way the Government's presenting this as

an attack on gold- -plated Government sector cuts.

Would parents want their children and grandchildren? I wouldn't want

to have them being taught by a dad's army of teachers. But the

Government maintains the pensions burden is unsustainable. Whether

there is more disruption or a return to talks this is one area

where they are not prepared to U- turn frplt the number of placards

show the strept of feeling but the question for the Government is how

do they balance the books with a deficit they claim are in existence.

It is a problem the country, they argue, simply has to face. With

hundreds of teachers on strike and a number of other civil servants

protesting today, what has the impact been? Simon Spark has been

finding out. With nearly 200 schools disrupted

today, the biggest impact of the strikes was always going to be on

childcare. This playgroup in Hull saw more children having to attend

with some frus straighted parents. It is stupid. School's school. They

say about keeping your kids off if they are ill but they keep the kids

off just cos they want more money. But some accepted what was

happening. It is inconvenient for some. There is a cost itch kaigs.

But, people have to stand up for their rights -- implication.

other areas, different professions supported the cause. These men are

Lincolnshire prison officers. They are not allowed to strike but have

taken annual leave to support today's action. For prison officers

working on landings, restraininging prisoners at the age of 66 is

ludicrous. There was similar support at Hull Prison. Staff using

their lunch break to protest. But apart from minor dis ruption, most

services were unaffected. Jobcentres stayed open. So did the

courts and the coastguard kept on a skeleton crew. Many are still going

into work because lives are at risk. They are work hard for that low pay.

But they are thoroughly behind this fight, along with everybody else.

The public bearing the effects of today's action spoke of their hope

for a quick resolution. The possibility of that is still

unknown. Nick Boles is the Tory MP for gram

tham and Saddam for the and the Parliamentary Private Secretary to

the Schools Minister. I spoke to him a while ago asking him what he

thought to today's industrial action. I think they were wrong. I

want to pay tribute to the many public sector workers, even members

of the unions who called the strike, who wept to work. Three quarters of

the nation's schools were open today. Some did go on strike. We

are in the middle of discussions firstly. We have not reached a

final position. It seems pretty strange to go on strike snt middle

of a discussion that the Government's entered into in good

faith. These strikers claim your Government wants to rip up the

contracts it has with them and change the rules part way through

their working lives. That is not true. We've made clear all through

this accrued rights, the rights people have earned in their career

to date will be maintained. We are talking about future arrangements.

Yes, that means for people who are currently teachers, their pensions

would be changed for the years that are left in their working lives.

But what we have to look at is we are paying, as a Government, and

that means the taxpayers are paying, over 14% contribution into

teachers' pensionerss -- pensionss. Name me anyone in private sector

which gets that level of contribution. The A TL have never

been on strike before. What else could they do to get their message

across? We've understood the message already. That was loud and

clear. We didn't need people to actually cause children's education

to be in ter upted. Many working parents to have to take a day off

work. Businesses to actually lose business because they've lost

employees who have to look after their kids. That is entirely

irresponsible behaviour on the part of the union leadership. Just not

constructive when the whole country's facing a really serious

problem and we all have a tighten our belts. Hasn't coalition

mishandled this? Especially the chief Treasury Secretary saying the

Government wouldn't back down over pension reform. The Government

doesn't seem prepared to reach any compromise and that's what's wound

everyone up? We're not backing down on pension reform. But we are open

to suggestions as to how to reform pensions. What we have to do is ask

whether it is fair for taxpayers who are working in the private

sector, who could only dream of pensions like people in the public

sector get, to pay taxes to contribute to enable people in the

public sector to retire several year earlier then them on final

salary schemes that are very, very generous. I just don't think that's

fair. I don't think most people in the country think that's fair.

Thank you very much. The Conservative MP nick bowls. Now

the strikes are over, let me know your thoughts. Have teachers and

civil servants made their point today. If you're a teacher watching

tonight, do you feel today's strikes will change anything? Was

it worth it. If you're parents as After last night's programme, which

was later than normal, a big response on this support story. A

Thank you for those. Look forward to getting your comments tonight.Le

Burglars have raided the home of a couple who were killed in a fire in

Hull over the weekend. Victor Crowther and his wife Anna died

after the fire swept thrie their home in Montrose Street on Saturday.

The emergency services said it was of the most father association

they'd ever faced. Stamford Museum has had its funding

withdrawn and has closed. Some of the arplt facts will be rehoused at

the town's library. Moves to close St Bede's school in

Boston have been finalised today. The school was described as failing.

Three years ago it recorded the second worst GCSE results in the

country A plan to merge it with Haven High will no go ahead.

Contractors are to remove a driveway controversially resurfaced

free of charge at the moment of Beverley's MP Graham Stuart.

Workers laid the drive using materials left over from road

repairs on Hengate. But the move led the MP to being strongly

criticised. Paul, this is an unusual story,

putting a tiny lane in Beverley in the national headlines? Who would

have thought, Peter, 50 metres of Tarmac could provoke such a furious

row. There are those who belief using waste Tarmac in this way is a

great use of resources and saves on landfill. Those who believe that Mr

Stuart should not benefit from publicly-funded Tarmac and

neighbours who believe this ancient lane has been vandalised by its use.

Earlier, we spoke to one of Mr Stuart's political opponents who

has reported him to the Parliamentmentry ombudsman. This is

very much a judgment call. I feel a great amount of sympathy for the

neighbours who have been very upset by this. The fact Graham allowed

this to happen in the first place and that he can't see the

legitimate point we are making about him de deriving an indirect

benefit. He refusing to recognise that shows bad judgment on both

parts. I gather Mr Stuart's fallen out with his neighbours over there

as well? They quite liked their lane with all its potholes. They

didn't want Tarmac on it. They claim the Stuarts have never

consulted them about laying the Tarmac in the first place. Here's

what one had to say a little earlier. It is a quiet, tranquil

little back lane, been that like that over a00 years. Nobody wanted

the Tarmac down: When Mrs Stuart built her house, that was a problem

in itself with all the traffic and etc. Afterwards, she asked how she

might repair the lane, and the one thing we said was we don't want

Tarmac down the lane. Mr Stuart himself has issued a statement

tonight which says it was his wife who asked for the Tarmac to the

laid. No payment was taken-the- contractors didn't know who she was

and it was a good use of waste Tarmac. This tale has more twists

and turns than the lane itself. On Monday, the contractors will turn

up again to dig it all up. It is hoped that after that, peace might

break out in Beverley, although those neighbourly feelings might

take some time a heal over. Paul, thank you.

The time is 7 .42. Still ahead tonight: The final Cod Wars forced

big changes in life on the docks. And taking to the stage, the Hull

children performing with one of the If you have a picture you're proud

of, send it in. Tonight's is the poppy sunset at Thoresway, not far

poppy sunset at Thoresway, not far from Market Rasen.

Good evening. Did you catch up on your sleep after last night?

Tweeting at 4.00am! Somebody snitched on me! Karen said can we

have more of the late night shows. I watched the boys in bed. The mind

boggles! I've started so I'll finish. Before the water shed

tonight? The headline is pleasant for most places. After a sunny

start, it will tend to cloud over. The main thing is high pressure

will establish itself for Friday and over the weekend. Looks a

pleasant forecast for the Waddington airshow. That's

certainly good news. Right now, there are some pretty lively

showers coming in across East Yorkshire and into northern parts

of Lincolnshire. Those showers will continue to feed in from the north-

west. One or two rumbles of thunder are possible. There are some good

spells of sunshine over parts of Lincolnshire. Those clouds melting

away. All parts becoming dry and clear with lowest temperatures down

to 8 Celsius in Goole. That's 46 It looks like we are off to a

glorious start to the day with lots of blue sky and broken sunshine. As

temperatures rise, it does look like the skies will tend to cloud

over during the day. The afternoon mostly dry. Rather cloudy. Some

sunny intervals. A very small chance of a light shower. Many of

us dry. There will be a light north-west breeze. It is one of

those in the sunshine it feels quite warm. Top temperatures not

too exciting but pleasant innocentless. 19 Celsius. That's 66

Fahrenheit. For the Waddington airshow this weekend, just a 10%

chance of a light shower but it looks like it will be a dry weekend.

Partly cloudy, some sunshine. That's the way of the whole of the

region. Staying dry into Monday of next week.

No-one can quite believe you read that one out! Least of all, me!

Right, see you tomorrow. Right, see you tomorrow.

Look forward to it! Role tifs of people using eight

council-run care homes in Lincolnshire say their own health

could be seriously affected if they are closed. Councillors say the

move will save money and improve choice. But each the county's

private sector has cast doult on whether there are enough care homes

in the right places -- dout. Our communities correspondent Vicky y

Johnson has more. Most were elderly, some were frail but all are United

in their opposition to close the care home sooner than expected.

Staff told them at an imprompt ewe meeting that the expected three-

year reprieve is now unlikely. are proposinging to close in March

of next year. Many of those attending look after relatives at

home and use Line lands for a day's respite. Without it, they claim

this couldn't cope. I had him for two-and-a-half years on my own

without these breaks that I now get and I just completely snapped.

wake up in the middle of the night and think about it. And oh dear.

will be absolutely diabolical for everybody. Phil is a union rep. She

says morale is plummeting among care staff because the council have

so far failed to come up with a coherent strategy for the closures.

Why put it out unless it is in concrete what is going to happen.

That's how the council has operated all the way along. They keep

changing their mind from one day to the next. Councillors insist

closures should lead to an improved service. But the Lincolnshire care

association is casting doubt on whether there are enough private

centres spread across the county. Ghee graphically we are not sure

whether the care hopes are appropriately placed in the air yas

where there are a great deal of need. The local authority needs to

carefully think about where it will buy places from within the

independent sector. A final decision's expected next week to

seal the fate of both the care homes and the people they look

after. A young gymnast from Beverley has

won four medals at the World Special Olympics in Greece. Mary

Nolan took a gold and three silver medals as Britain claimed 72 medals

in total at the championships in central Athens.

Intr National Rugby League is returning to Hull after a four-year

absence. England play New Zealand as part of a four-nations series

involving Australia and wells. Hull City agreed a pre-season friendly

with Liverpool next month. When the Cod Wars brought an end to

almost all fishing from Hull and Grimsby, few people could see a

bright future for the Humber docks. It is now hoped green energy will

bring thousands of jobs to the ports once again. For our final

look at life on the dorks, Jo Makel has been considering the changing

fortunes of the Humber. A traditional way of life was about

to change forever as the fishermen found themselves at the heart of a

political storm. I protest on behalf of imagine's Government.

Your action is illegal. Trawler nets were cut and ships were rammed

as the third and final cod war escalated out of control. It got

rough in between the Icelandics and English trawlers. There was some

arpblgy bargey. Tried to push them out of the way. It got very heated

at times. I was fishing in Iceland one time, a gun boat captain got

irate and shot at one of the trawlers. Iceland wanted to ban

foreign trawlers from her waters but the fishermen were prepared to

fight back in any way they could. They gave us extra very, very large

bags of pepper. You were told to make small pepper bombs to throw at

the Icelandic gum boats. Sometimes the gum boat was coming up to you.

Sometimes we had sacks of spuds and pelted them at them. In 1976, the

British Government gave in to international pressure and agreed

to the ban. The most important fishing grounds were lost. The moj

ority of fishermen put the blame on Governments and politicians rather

than the Icelanders. The ships which were working, there was that

much of a Scrabble for jobs you'd had 100 going after one job. It was

sad to see. The Cod Wars started the decline of the fishing industry

in this area but the commercial docks have spent the last 20 years

building on their traditional imports and exports and are now

entering a new phase. As we move away from the carbon-based power

generation towards carbon-free powerbaseed generation, the ports

will play their part in that. whale oil to coal, gas and

petroleum, the Humber ports have a long association with energy. Now

companies like ABP want the ports to be a major player in renewables.

Frpblgs the big plans are based on the north bank to develop green

port Hull which hopefully will see see mens develop a wind turbine

factory at the port there. Grimsby's very well placed to take

shank of the new windfarms which will be developed off shore,

operations and maintenance bases are already being developed in

Grimsby. Here in Immingham, we think the offshore development will

need slightly larger support vessels and Immingham will be

ideally placed for that. There's excitement about the future. But

with such a rich history surrounding the docks, should we be

doing more to celebrate our past? We've great things in the area but

we could do much, much more. A step in the right direction was the

clipper race. Let's do more. Why not have an iconic building which

shows us about man's engagement with the sea to compliment the deep.

We should be really proud of our long and enduring links with the

sea and the way we've opened up the world from this estuary. We are at

least lucky to still have the memories of those people who made

theirs a life on the docks. It was like walking into a another

life being down on the dock. It is sad now that that is all gone. It's

all gone. We had that comradeship contrary to what people say. They

were great men. The docks were gold without any doubt. The dockers had

the money and the dockers spent it. Most blokes went to sea not for the

money, it was a way of life. No moaning. Didn't have to wry about

having a shave or wash, clean your teeth. A lovely life, it was.

knew everybody, you were virtually all in the same industry. A village

within a city. Love looking at the old pictures.

That was the last in the series looking at life on the docks. There

is more on our website. We want to hear more of your

memories of the docks. Email us or Many youngsters dream of singing

alongside a famous pop band. For these children at Victoria Dock in

Hull, Victoria Dock Primary, they are getting the chance to do that

this evening when they go on stage with the soul singers The Drifters.

# You're more than a number in my little red book #

For over 50 years, The Drifters have been singing unforgettable

hits. They've sold over 200 million singles and toured the world. But

tonight, they are singing with schoolchildren from Hull.

# You've got to search for the hero inside your self much much # This

is the final rehearsals before the drifters play Hull's City Hall.

When the music starts I want to see you all rocking like this. Victoria

Dock Primary's among 40 UK schools to sing with the group to give more

youngsters a taste of performing on stage. They sing so well. They are

very professional. Somebody once told me never to work with kids and

animals. Animals I don't know, but kids, definitely, they work.

not all were sure who The Drifters are. Some knew and got very excited.

Some didn't have a clue. One of the children said, isn't that a

chocolate bar? I said it is, it is also a band! But the children's

parents are certainly chuffed. were really excited. My grandma was

as well. They was very proud of me. They know The Drifters. They are

very famous. They were quite surprised. Tonight, the children

will perform two songs with the band. If not for them, then

certainly for their parents it will be a night to remember.

# Saturday night at the movies, who cares what picture we see #

Fantastic big night for the pupils of Victoria Dock school. Finally a

recap of the headlines: Thousands of people in East

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire joined workers across the county in what

unions claim is the biggest strike for a generation. Here, almost 200

schools were disrupted. A dry and sunny start. Clouding

over. Most play places staying dry. Top temperatures tomorrow, 19

Celsius. That's 66 Fahrenheit. More response on the industrial

action today. Alex "public sector workers didn't

cause this mess. Kids can learn a lot from the strikers about

standing up to bullying" "Public sector strike is out of order. I do

not relish a higher tax bill to keep them happy" "I'm a retired

public sector worker. I paid extra contributions to help increase it

slightly. I'm 76 and still working to help pay the bills. Come on