08/08/2013 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

North. The headlines tonight: Months after a fall-out at the top.

It seems to be a rather farcical process. Calls to speed-up the

report into the management of Lincolnshire Police.

A large rise in parents being fined for taking cheap holidays in

term-time. I have had a letter saying I might be fined up to �240.

How a view like this is down to the planning of a man known as England's

greatest gardener. I will be back later in the

Good evening. A former senior police officer has

criticised the time its taking for a report on the future of

Lincolnshire's Chief Constable to be completed. It's four months since an

investigation started into the decision by the Police and Crime

Commissioner, Alan Hardwick, to suspend his Chief Constable, Neil

Rhodes. Gemma Dawson has been looking at why that report still

hasn't been published. For months now, Lincolnshire's

Police and Crime Commissioner and his Chief Constable have been

waiting to hear the results of this investigation. The report was

expected to be published two months ago. Neither Alan Hardwick or Neil

Rhodes has been willing to speak to us about the length of time it's

taking for this investigation to be concluded. But one former senior

officer has told Look North, he's surprised it's taking so long.

wouldn't have thought it was a particular complex investigation. I

am surprised. This all began in February when Mr

Rhodes was suspended by Alan Hardwick - "because of potential

conduct matters." On March 14th, Mr Hardwick appointed the Chief

Constable of Greater Manchester Police to investigate the

suspension. But just two weeks later, Neil Rhodes went to a

judicial review, which was successful, and he was reinstated as

the force's temporary Chief Constable. Then in May, Alan

Hardwick told the Home Affairs Select Committee the investigation

should be complete within a month. spoke to said Peter yesterday. We

are confident the matter, or the decision, that will come from his

investigation will be with me within four weeks.

It's business as usual for Lincolnshire Police. But nearly

three months on, still no report. Chris Underwood-Frost used to be a

member of the Lincolnshire Police Authority - the group that was

replaced with the Police and Crime Commissioner. He says this wouldn't

have happened under his watch. would have taken professional,

outside information and got on with life. This is something we would not

have allowed to carry on like this. In a statement, the group now

responsible for scrutinising the actions of the Police and Crime

positions within a few weeks time. We have a lot of weight in the

senior officers, don't get me wrong. It is just that lack of continuity

and clarity. Nobody has been able to give as any indication when this

report will be published. So for now, Neil Rhodes continues as

temporary Chief Constable, alongside the man who suspended him earlier

this year. Earlier I spoke to Dr Julian

Huppert, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, and asked

him whether the delay was acceptable.

No, I don't think it is. It is another element in what seems to be

a farcical process. We had the suspension of the chief constable,

then the legal case, then the reinstatement. We had the

resignation of the chair. It is not a great advert for the commission,

for the constabulary or the system. Neither the Greater Manchester

police, who are writing the report, the police scrutiny committee in

Lincolnshire can say it - - can say when it will be ready. Might it be

more serious than we thought? hard to know. It does not seem like

it should be such a big issue. One man decided to suspend one other

man. It is hard to see how many details there would be. A High Court

judge has already described it as perverse, anyway. It is incredibly

strong language for a judge to use. It does seem like a farcical

situation. I would have thought it would be in the best interest of the

Commissioner and the constabulary for this to be dealt with, rather

than hanging over. Can you see why there are claims that this is

leading to instability in the Lincolnshire force? Absolutely. You

have a chief constable who has been suspended then reinstated. You have

a Commissioner that is being criticised. You have the chair of

the panel who has resigned. It is not a good situation. I hope it will

not affect the morale of police on the ground. Your committee said it

will be investigating the police and Crown Commissioners before the end

of the year. What do you think you will find in Lincolnshire? I don't

want to prejudge. One thing that is clear, there are not the checks and

balances. We have situations where there seemed to be inappropriate

processes without proper analysis. We will be having a look at that. We

mainly to update the legislation. Thank you very much.

What do you think about this tonight? If you work for the force,

or rely on the services of the force, what impact is the ongoing

uncertainty of the last few months There's been a significant jobs

boost for Northern Lincolnshire today with the news that a national

firm is to make its new headquarters at the former Kimberly Clark site in

Barton Upon Humber. Wren Kitchens - founded in East Yorkshire - says it

will create up to 500 jobs in the town over the next five years.

Caroline Bilton reports on the impact the investment could have in

the town. An East Yorkshire company that's

fast becoming one of the UK's biggest kitchen retailers, already

owning plants in Howden and Scunthorpe, Wren, now plans to

expand further. It's coming here to the former Kimberley Clark factory

in Barton upon Humber. It as being one of the area's biggest employers

for over 20 years. When Kimberly-Clark announced it would

close operations here, it was a huge blow to Barton and the surrounding

areas. The fact that a buyer has been found but if we soon for this

massive site here is fantastic news. People living in this area are

pleased. Janet Oxley is the mayor of Barton

now and she was mayor when Kimberley clark first came to this town. She

knows what impact a big company can have on a local economy like this

and how significant today's announcement is. This is massive,

absolutely massive. It is massive news for Barton and for the

community. It is gone to massively increase the economy and Barton,

massively improve things. Rent started out in business in 2009. It

employs 1200 people in the UK, over half in the Humber region. This

latest investment will see a further 500 jobs being created in Barton.

They're planning to make this their headquarters, creating both

manufacturing and customer service jobs. We have about 2000 people

employed in North Lincolnshire. This is nearly a quarter of that

workforce that will be able to take up these jobs. We will be able to

get them qualified. There are plenty of people that need work, because

there are not many opportunities. is good. There are a lot of people

on the door. They won't be waiting long. It's

hoped 100 of these new jobs will become available within the next six

months. Scunthorpe Steelworks has won a

60,000-tonne order from Saudi Arabia. The order for steel track

will be made for a transport network in the Saudi desert. Tata Steel,

which owns the factory, announced financial losses back in May.

In a moment: A thirst for success. Even the physio's dog is backing

Grimsby Town as they prepare for the Howard sent this in. Thank you very

much for that. Another picture tomorrow. My favourite e-mail was

from lives. My husband James watches every night to see Keeley Donovan.

He likes to see what she will work. Sad.

That is uncalled for examination mark he clearly has good taste.

Tomorrow will start off a bit cloudy. It brightens up nicely. We

should all see some sunshine. You can see on the pressure chart that

will bring us some patchy rain. Behind it, temperatures might be a

little bit down on today. It has been a pleasant day. We will see an

increase in cloud. A few showers in the short-term, then outbreaks of

rain and drizzle will spread eastwards overnight. It will be a

mild night. Temperatures down to 14 or 15. Temperatures not as low as

they were last night. It may be a cloudy start to the day. We could

see the odd shower continuing through the day, but generally an

improvement. We should have some smells of sunshine. Temperatures

will reach around 2122 degrees. It is about average for the time of

year. Through the weekend, Saturday is probably a better day. It will be

and I am marking off the days. Until his Lordship returns. Do you

think his dress sense is better than mine?

Lincolnshire parents being fined if their children fail to attend

school. Fines starting at �60 can be issued in cases of truancy or if

parents want to go on holiday in term time. The county council says

it's fair, but some claim that the system isn't targeting the real

problem. Sharon Edwards has more. Mother of two client is looking

forward to a holiday in Tunisia next June. She is not looking forward to

the prospect of a fine for taking her children out of school. I have

received a letter saying it is unauthorised and I may face a fine.

In half-time, we would have had to pay �900 per child. To go when we

had going in turn time, we only have to pay �500 for one child. Parents

in Lincolnshire are being fined for allowing children to skip school.

The county council says parents looking for a cheap holiday will be

challenged by schools. We always take each family's case and decide

whether they could authorise that. They are not keen to authorise if it

is just cheap flights. If you want to take your children away during

the holidays, it is likely to cost you a lot more. According to one

website we looked at, and all-inclusive family break for four

in Majorca is �1000 more expensive in August and it would be next

month. The same is true for flights. We found a flight going from East

Midlands to Corfu was nearly half price in September than it would be

now. Persistent truancy is also driving up the figures. The council

says families are offered support before fines are issued. When

support does not work, other strategies have to be looked at.

number of penalty notices issued to parents has more than doubled, from

67 to 156. The rise coincides with a tougher stance ordered by

government. The council insist that find I use proportionately, but many

more parents are paying the price of their - - if their children do not

attend school. Nick Raine is from the National

Union of Teachers. I asked him if it was acceptable for parents to take

their children out of school to go on holiday. You can we do not think

it is a good idea for children to miss school at all, but we

understand that sometimes it is inevitable. Do you agree with fining

parents? No, we do not. We think taking money out of family budgets

is not good for children and we do not think it is a solution. It is a

cheap headline. Lincolnshire county council is not sympathetic to

parents of them for cheap holidays. Have they got it wrong? I think

individual schools try and do their best. We are faced with a situation

where the government dictates the action of parents and teachers. We

do have sympathy with parents who cannot afford holidays during normal

holiday times. We think that is different from children who are

persistently truancy. How do you tackle those who were persistent

offenders? That needs to be tackled at a much earlier stage. It needs to

be addressed by various agencies. Fining parents later on has not

proved to be a solution. It is simply a headline. If you have lots

of persistent offenders, then you have a much lesser number of those

taking kicked out of school for a cheap holiday, can you understand

why those parents feel annoyed? can understand why parents are

angry. In these tough times, people want family holidays, and sometimes

they can only afford to do it during term time. That is different from a

situation where people allow children to miss large amounts of

their education, which can be detrimental to their future. Thank

you very much. What do you think? If you're quick

with an email or text on this one, I'll have your thoughts before the

end of the show. Is fining parents the right approach at all to

tackling school absences? Have you been fined for taking your child out

Thank you to everyone who got in touch with us about the Yorkshire

MEP Godfrey Bloom's comments on foreign aid. Mr Bloom said he

regretted any offence that was caused by his use of the phrase

"bongo bongo land," but stood by his claim that too much government money

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

is being spent on overseas aid. Non-league football's top

competition The Football Conference begins on Saturday with both Lincoln

City and Grimsby Town hoping to make their mark. Grimsby narrowly missed

promotion last season whilst Lincoln fought a season-long battle against

relegation. Simon Clark has more. On a clear and beautiful day, they

are expecting brighter times ahead at Lincoln city. Under their latest

manager, Gary Simpson, they have recruited heavily from far and wide

this summer. Seven players live under the same roof. That is one way

to get a team bonding. At one stage, I think there were three in one

bedroom. I think they have sorted out now. I mean, you know, it is a

big house. Seven, I think, of those. It has been good. Will their high

spirits be enough for the Imps? achieve, you do need a good spine.

Gary has been superb in the way he has gone about his business. It

looks to have paid off. Last season was difficult for the Imps, until

Simpson pulled them up. Neighbours Grimsby looked like they would be

promoted but stumbled in the closing weeks. Last week was a struggle for

Lincoln city, but there seemed to be a bounce in their step this time

around. They seem capable of being better. What about their friends and

rivals at Grimsby town? Remember, they never got promoted last season.

Can they go one step further? Like Lincoln, there have recruited well,

with a number of players joining. Last year, we lost in the play-offs.

It is a big season for risk season. We have a smaller squad. I think

they have deeper quality in it. If you look at the squad and compare

it, it is an improvement. Like Grimsby physio Dave's Labrador, both

teams have a thirst for success. The draw has been made for the

second round. The Tigers have been drawn away to league one side Leyton

Orient. It's been a fantastic summer so far

and gardens everywhere have thrived. So tonight we're beginning a series

looking at some of the most impressive and interesting gardens

we have in this area. Jo Makel's been to Burghley House, near

Stamford, where work is under way to restore an 18th century vision of

its grounds. It is one of the country's greatest

Elizabethan houses. And the grounds surrounding Burghley are also of

historical significance designed by one of the most famous names in

gardening, Lancelot Capability Brown. He is considered to be one of

the country's greatest landscape gardeners, but his ideas were

radical. He had such an impact and changed everybody's view of what

surrounds a great house in the country. Brownlow, who was ninth

Earl inherited in 1754. He employed Brown straightaway. He had a man

called John Hames to draw every angle of the park in the house

before Brown to make a record of what was here. Formal gardens were

going out of fashion and labour was becoming expensive. Brown's redesign

reduced the number of gardeners needed from 26 to ten. He did his

normal thing and put in a park landscape. He took away the gardens,

the reflecting ponds, the maze, the wilderness, all of that went. Sad in

a way because they must have been fantastic gardens. Brown the vandal,

or Brown the creator, depending on your view. This was a job which

really built Brown's reputation. In the end he was here for 23 years and

at �1,000 a year, that was an enormous 18th Century investment in

his vision. I would have this vision of Mr Brown leaving, among a sea of

mud, saplings growing, and Mr Brown leaving, saying, it will be good,

your grandchildren will like it. That generation will never see the

effect. The Capability Brown parkland is all about views and

vistas. And giving tantalising glimpses of the house. This is one

of the best views of Burghley House from the south. Look how it's framed

between the trees. I think we have the most intact example of a

Capability Brown parkland and I think you've only got to look at the

landscape here to see, I think, he was a star, a bit of a legend,

really. It is a really wonderful vista and view we have got here.

While much is unchanged since Brown's day, work is now underway to

restore one of the fuse which over the last century has become rather

obscure. - - restore one of the reviews. It is at the bottom of

almost like an amphitheatre. We're trying to get these views are.

house, recently created a garden. It is formal, contrived. It is a darkly

what he did not want. Yet his garden was equally design. It was driven by

his vision. It looks brilliant there. You can

see the second part of the service next week. We can have a recap of

the headlines. The largest baby-boom sees the population growing

Thanks for the responses on the subject of the late into the report

of the suspension of the police chief constable. This was an

anonymous. I work for Lincolnshire police and I can say the issues have

had no impact whatsoever on officers on the ground. We continue to

perform well and offer Lincolnshire a professional service. Alan says,

it is nothing but a farce. We were also talking about whether parents

should be fined for taking their children out of school to go on

holiday. Andrea tweeted to say: "If they want to fine us for taking kids

out of school we should have a say on when to have holidays." Andrew

says, parent does not have a right to withhold education. Finally,

Allen in Cleethorpes said, if teachers had four or five weeks

instead of 14 per year, like everybody else, they might perhaps