22/01/2014 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Sunday. Make the most of Saturday because Sunday looks pretty filthy.

Thank you. Good evening and welcome to BBC Look

North. The headlines tonight. Demands for flood protection for the

land that grows our food. I think the Environment Agency and

politicians need to take it seriously. The biggest fall in

unemployment for 15 years ` the Government says thousands more are

in work in this area. Short taxi trips for council staff

labelled an absurd waste of money. With three Yorkshire B voted

among the best in the world, we find out what makes a good one. That

detailed forecast comes up in 15 minutes.

Farmland in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire should be protected from

flooding in the same way as homes ` that's according to local farmers

who believe food security should be given higher priority. The

Government has said that protecting houses will come first when flood

defences are repaired and improved. But experts have told BBC Look North

that the salt water which flooded onto fields in December could have

caused long`term damage. With more, here's Linsey Smith. This was Paul

Martinson's land in Yokefleet last month. Lying beneath the salt water,

winter crops he thought would perish. But as he takes soil samples

today, there are positive signs. I think the winter crops will

survive, it's just the effects of the salt and total progress through

spring. But they look fine the moment. But experts at Bishop Burton

College say salt can cause untold damage. We have simulated salt water

flooding here. We have topped it up with saltwater, which caused this to

disburse. The structure is ruined. Your crops do not grow. How many

years can it affect it? It could be five years or even longer.

That's a concern because over 15,000 people are employed on the land in

East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The country's larder, it produces 30% of

the nation's vegetables and salads. Which is why some argue it should be

given a higher priority in flood plans. There is more the Environment

Agency could do to help farmers would flood defences. It is a

two`way stream. It needs to be caught about. The Environment Agency

told as they do not decide where defences out bills. That is based on

a points scoring system set down by the government. It's something on

Bruce Rowle's mind. He watched salt water saturate 450 acres of his

family farm in South Ferriby. The tide was three feet higher than in

1953. They were the most damaging floods in history and killed 300

people. It had less effect. Flood defences have been improved in that

time, but the messages, we have to keep improving them because these

events happen. It will be some time before salt as return their results.

In the meantime ` farmers are hoping this was a freak event ` rather than

a taste of things to come. I asked and Macintosh what the priorities

should be. The Labour government and in 2005 and made sure that life,

people and property at the first line of funding. It is clearly

unacceptable if we lose that tracks of land to tidal coastal surges in

this way. I suppose the question is, is their money there to protect

fields and land and defend them from the saltwater? I think we have to

look at new sources of funding, possibly insurance companies. Is it

not a government job? Every single department has to look at its

budget. What we are looking to do is factor in partnership funding. There

is a possibility of farm funds under the new budget. There are a number

of funds we can look to. A lot of this land is very close to the

scene. Maybe we can afford to do anything. I look at food security

and take it very seriously. If we are going to lose farmland to the

same, obviously the landowner must be compensated. I believe we should

become more self`sufficient. Our self`sufficiency needs to be

increased. I take the loss of food production through these floods very

seriously. We are not going to be out of the Jews food if we do not

have fields and plan to do it on. `` we are not going to be able to

produce food. I believe there is a way we can work with farmers to make

sure if they repeatedly lose land, there has to be some form of

compensation for them. I believe there are new funds we could look

out for that purpose. Another story we will continue to follow.

A young mother from Hull who had post`natal depression when she

killed her five`week`old baby should have been offered more help for her

condition, a report has found. Natasha Sultan, on the right, was

given a three`year supervision order for infanticide. A serious case

review by the Hull Safeguarding Children Board, found the death

could not have been prevented or predicted but extra support for

post`natal depression would have been beneficial.

The number of people out of work has fallen again. The latest figures

from the Government show that thousands more people are in work in

the Yorkshire and Humber Region and also in the East Midlands which

includes Lincolnshire. Tim Iredale has been looking at the figures.

The latest figures show the largest quarterly fall in unemployment since

1997. The jobless total in the Yorkshire and Humber region fell by

8,000 to 235,00. Meanwhile, unemployment in the East Midlands

region ` which covers Lincolnshire ` fell by 28,000 to 149,000. The

Employment Minister says that means fewer job`seekers in our area are

having to get on their bikes to look for work elsewhere. They should not

have to leave the area. Employment has gone up, so it shows there are

opportunities. There is work across a spectrum of jobs.

With an unemployment rate of 6.4% the East Midlands is below the

national average of 7.1%, but the Yorkshire and Humber region still

has a unemployment rate of 8.4% and there are pockets of our area where

the jobless total remains stubbornly high, such as East Hull. There's not

many available jobs in the area. A lot of people have applied and there

are no vacancies. I think they're right jobs available. I think a lot

of people are stalking the benefits trap. I think a lot of people are

brought up to think that sometimes it is easier to stay at home and get

benefits, but they're right jobs if people are willing to put themselves

out. `` there are jobs. All the main political parties have

welcomed today's news. However, senior Labour figures have expressed

concern that unemployment in Yorkshire and the Humber isn't

falling as fast as other regions in the South.

Since last October, we've been following these four ` Teri, Stefan,

Josh and Jess ` who're all hoping to find employment. Gemma Dawson has

been to find out if the New Year has brought new opportunities.

It's a new term, and Jess is back in class. We're playing a game adding

numbers together and testing children's mental arithmetic. As

part of her traineeship she has been helping out at this primary school

for the last few months. I have realised I want to work with

children of an older age, but I may start working with children younger

and then work my way up, because there are not many teaching

assistant jobs available. At college, Jess and Josh are preparing

for work. Josh is studying for a skills exam next week and is hopeful

he will be able to find a job soon. I'm feeling slightly more confident.

There's a new Tesco, so there will be loads of jobs opening up there. I

have heard that many other places are starting recruitment. Stefan is

continuing computer training in Lincoln. He has been out of work for

17 years due to his epilepsy. He was hoping to launch his own literary

company next month, but has just discovered he is not eligible for a

government scheme which offers money and support to people starting their

own business. It makes it harder. Not impossible, and just makes it

that much harder. The difference would be, you would have that safety

net. In Bridlington, Teri is packing. She has lived in the resort

most of her life, but after four years looking for work, she is

moving to Doncaster. Brid has really got me down. The fact that I've been

running around trying to find work, and I think doing this move to

Doncaster is going to be a hell of a lot better all`round. So the New

Year is bringing new challenges for these four people, all hoping they

will soon find employment. I've been talking to the Labour MP

for Hull East Karl Turrner if he welcomed the latest figures which

show that Unemployment is down. We would welcome any drop in

unemployment. However, I think this mask the reality of what is

happening in places like Hull. This is the biggest fall in unemployment

since 1997. That shows the coalition has got it right. Peter, in Hull

East, the number has gone down 27 cents last month. I welcome that

works I want to know what the judge that, if indeed they are. People

coming off benefits does not necessarily mean they are rigged

full`time employment. The reality is people on zero our contract, people

who are underemployed. Do you agree with M The Who so that young people

must be prepared to lower their ambitions and take jobs in coffee

shops and they want to get on in life? I think people in my area are

lucky to get anywhere. People are desperate for employment. If that is

available, I welcome that but I want proper jobs, not zero our contract

jobs of part`time jobs. We saw that lad in the film who is excited at

the prospect of a job in Tesco in Lincoln. She is saying many people

think these jobs are beneath them and don't want to do them. How about

is the evidence for that. Certainly not my experience. People I see on a

regular basis at desperate for proper work. What they don't want

and cannot afford to do is have a zero our contract were their

employer is taxing them and expecting them to turn up in an

afternoon, work two hours then travel fans. She has also said young

Britons are less prepared in the world of like the migrant and need

to learn the basics like turning up on time. Our young people let

themselves down? I doubt whether there is any evidence. It might be

headlined travelling. It proves how out of touch this government is.

They are complacent on this issue. There is a cost of living prices

they need to address. It's in my area are ?1600 a year worse off as a

result of the government policy. Women in my area and ?1900 a year

worse off. You the governments are not in touch and they leave to

address it. Thank you. We want your thoughts on this story.

What are your experiences of the employment situation at the moment.

Is Esther McVeigh right when she says young people should be prepared

to set their sights lower to get into the jobs market or is it the

case that the jobs simply aren't there?

Still ahead tonight: Rugby returns ` Hull's super league teams prepare,

with more than a dozen new players. Nice clouds at Middleton on the

Wolds taken by Nelly Naylor. Oh, yes.

Thank you for that. You were putting me off then. Margaret wants to know

what has happened to Keely Donovan. She is lying on a beach in

Australia, presumably trying to get a tan like yours. She will be back.

I am working this Friday. She will be back next week. We will look at

the headlines for tomorrow. Short, sharp bursts of heavy rain around

nine o'clock in the morning. That will be out of the way and skies

will brighten up from the West. That was the weather fronts that brought

the rent from overnight. As it's looks like it will be a fairly

straightforward night across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and

Norfolk. There will be a few showers pushing in from the west. Watch out

for icy patches on untreated surfaces. Roundabout dawn, it will

be dry. A very short active weather front. It will last about an hour or

two. The afternoon looks quite nice. Sunshine with one or two

showers. Highs of six Celsius. Unsettled outlook Friday.

Potentially heavy rain later on Sunday.

I would love to stay and chat but good night.

It's a journey of just 500 feet but it's cost local tax payers ?42,000.

Lincolnshire County Council has spent the money on taxis shuttling

workers to a call centre from a parking area to a nearby call centre

because of safety concerns. But it's been called an absurd waste of

public money. Sarah Corker reports. An early morning taxi picks up

council workers in Lincoln today. Nothing unusual there you might

think. But their journey to the office is just one tenth of a mile.

It's because some staff say the short walk is unsafe in the winter.

It is intimidating. There are people who come up behind you, you can see

they are, on bikes. People have been mugged around here. It is a

dangerous, intimidating place. It can get very dark, especially around

this area. It is not particularly safe, especially for young ladies.

Employees are shuttled 524 feet from the Spa Road car park over the river

to a call centre. A service costing ?7,000 a year ` that's been running

for six years. Others who use this area, like the rowing club, told me

it's a waste of money at a time of council cuts.

And the shuttle runs between November and March, morning and

night. Maybe they should improve the public transport facilities. I don't

know. They are making cuts everywhere else but they are

ferrying staff unnecessarily. The problem is, pedestrians are not

supposed to use as bridge. There is no footpad. It is a 20 minute walk

along an unlit route by the river. The council said it has a duty of

care to make sure its employees get to work safely. How can you justify

spending less money on taxes when the council has to make savings of

?39 million? We do understand that. It was not a decision we made

lightly. We looked at lots of options. The difficulty we have is

that everyone is different shifts, so they do not all come to work

together or leave work together. We had to look at a cost effective way

of getting people to. ?? new line As the light fades ` the evening taxi

arrives. But there's not much demand for it tonight. The council is

looking for a cheaper alternative until improvements to the roads are

planned. There could be up to 14 new players

on the pitch when Hull FC welcome neighbours Hull Kingston Rovers to

the KC stadium on Sunday for a pre`season friendly. You Both teams

have recruited heavily in the winter hoping to improve their fortunes.

Here's our sports reporter Simon Clark. See when Hull FC and Hull

Kingston Rovers meet this week in a friendly, fans will be introduced to

a number of new players. They have both built extensively. Key signings

include: we had a few friendlies last year.

We are missing one with Sean Gleeson. We will play whoever

performs the best will be there. We are carrying a decent sized squad

this weekend. When they say Hull Kingston Rovers and Hull FC are

neighbours, it is quite literally true. When come to the league

campaign and to this friendly match at the weekend, will they be close

together far apart? Peter Stevenson was once a leading Everton player

until serious injury robbed of his career. He has graduated as a

journalist. Who better to offer an objective view of the Derby? Is the

body needs to get prepared for that sort of contact. New blokes have

never experienced it. Whoever wins on Sunday, don't read too much into

it because there is a long way to go until now and the end of the super

league. The annual pantomime performed by

BBC staff in the region looks set to reach a fundraising milestone of

?100,000. His This year, people from BBC Look North and BBC Radio

Humberside donned wigs and glitter for Mother Goose, their 12th festive

production. All the money raised from ticket sales and donations over

the years has been given to local charities and Children in Need.

A bed and breakfast just over the East Yorkshire border has been named

the second best in the world. First place went to a B in Dorset in the

Travellers' Choice awards by the website, Trip Advisor. But what

makes a B so special and do we have the competition in the East

Riding to rival it? Simon Spark has been finding out. So here we are in

Filey, North Yorkshire looking at the second best Bed Breakfast in

the world, apparently. You'd hardly know, except for the peppering of

five star awards outside, and its perfectly presented frontage. I

don't think we need to plug it more than that. If this has got world

attention now, we need to capitalise. So come on, East

Yorkshire. Pull your socks. But first we need to know how and for

that market research in nearby Bridlington. We can be better. What

would make the world's best bed and breakfast? A good breakfast. A

comfortable bed. Value for money in this day and age. Good food and good

bets. The attitude of people who own it and how clean it is. When we put

all these ingredients together we think we've found a suitable

sparring partner for Filey. The Wolds village in Bainton. This is

the main staircase. We have been put forward to the finals for visit

Britain. It means we are in consideration for one of the top B

and bees. I will take you to the Gothic Victorian room. For a long

time, North Yorkshire has been the destination. We I think we have

proved we are perhaps the best in the walls and we need to go on to be

the best in the world. So the gloves are off. Watch out, Filey!

It is not just East Yorkshire but Lincolnshire as well. If you have a

story you think we Let's get a recap of the national and regional

headlines. Should know about, let others know.

The biggest fall in unemployment for more than 15 years.

Tests to see if tidal floods have seriously contaminated some of the

most productive farm land in this area.

I believe we should become more self`sufficient. I'd take the loss

of food production through these recent floods very seriously indeed.

And Macintosh. The weather tomorrow: big response on the subject of jobs.

John says, I am not on job`seekers but the agency I am with have only

give me one day was of work this week, and that does not pay the

rent. Steve says, I think people are happy to be on the dole. I was made

redundant today at one o'clock and by four o'clock I had got a new job.

Jordan says, I am 17 and will take any job because I am not going to

achieve my ambition is due to the lack of jobs available here in Hull.

Thank you for those. We read and listen to them. Good night.

We all have hopes and fears for the future

and for the lives our children and grandchildren will lead.

I want to build a Britain where everyone feels secure,

so our long-term economic plan is building a stronger,

more competitive economy and securing our country's future.