20/07/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to Wednesday's Look North. Tonight: One of the

North's top police officers faces a vote of no confidence.

Please slow down - the message to motorists from the mother of a

teenager killed in a road accident. You walk into the room and there is

all the machines and tubes, and you hold his hand and you hope that he

will show signs that he is OK, but he never did.

All our yesterdays - a nostalgic look back at the early days of

regional television. We once had a letter from a lady, following a

breakdown in the programme, and I was filling in. And she wrote and

said she was laughing so much that she burnt her husband's tea.

And sacked - the police dog that was too "softly softly" to catch

criminals in the act. In sport, tough new rules for

Newcastle away fans after those pitch invasions at the Darlington

Arena. And aiming high, but this Olympic

hopeful will have to be patient One of the north's top police

officers came under the politician's microscope today.

North Yorkshire's Chief Constable Graham Maxwell faced a vote of no

confidence from Lib Dem county councillors. But unlike his police

colleagues in London, he remains in post tonight. Mr Maxwell was

recently given a final written warning after a �300,000

investigation. He'd admitted "gross misconduct" by helping a relative

in a police recruitment drive. Lib Dems said taxpayers had suffered

badly because Mr Maxwell should have admitted the allegations

earlier. But the ruling Conservatives backed the Chief

Constable and told him to get on with his job. John Cundy reports.

The man behind the vote of no confidence. Liberal Democrat leader

on the Council for Geoff weather. It is not a discrepancy and talking

about. It is the way that he, for six months, as he flitted around,

trying to avoid answering the charges and wasted public money.

Think of the public perception of Mr Maxwell, said his opponents.

is so disappointing bad people in these positions locally, it is

throughout the country. When I read about the fellow, it sounds like he

has his head screwed it the right way. You think he is all right to

carry on? Yes I do. He has still got his job secure and safe, even

though he has been in the wrong. is certainly unanimous across the

general public, who cannot understand why a man who has

effectively wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds of public funds

can still sit on a comfortably-off salary, closing police stations or

reducing hours and reducing the number of policemen on the beat.

But only eight people voted for the motion. Graham Maxwell will shrug

off today's failed attempt to bring a vote of no confidence against him,

despite being the first Chief Constable in 35 years to admit

gross misconduct. Mr Maxwell told Look North recently that he fully

intends to carry on. It is time to put this behind us. I have a force

that needs to be led and I am the right person. Graham has said that

he will rebuild his reputation and he wants to move on and the

authority will support him. apparent son North Yorkshire County

Council Saudi rebuff, -- his opponents on. Today was one of the

better days for Graham Maxwell been a difficult year.

A mother from Sunderland, whose teenage son was killed after being

hit by a car, is supporting a major summer road-safety campaign. 14-

year-old Daniel Evans died after he ran into the road and was knocked

over outside his school. Now his mum is calling on drivers to cut

their speed to 20mph in all built- up areas. Lyttanya Shannon reports.

It's been three and half years since Karen's 14-year-old son

Daniel was knocked down. But the memories of seeing him in hospital

for the first time are still as vivid. It was horrible, I wouldn't

want anybody else to go through it. You walk into the room and there is

all the machines and tubes, and you hold his hand and you hope that he

will just grip it and start coming round, and shows signs that he is

OK, but he never did. Karen is now supporting the road-

safety charity Break in their campaign to ask drivers to slow

down to 20mph in residential areas. It is the start of the summer

holidays, so they will be venturing out during the day more and more.

Just keep your speed slow. When you are driving through a built-up area.

You never know when a child is going to just pop in front of you.

According to the Department of Transport, in the north-east in

2009, 163 children were killed or seriously injured on the region's

roads. In Cumbria, 22 children were killed or seriously injured.

For bereaved parents like Karen, those figures are hard to stomach.

People are not getting the message and they still think they can drive

down at speed without consequence. There is a consequence. You are

going to take some body's live and devastate a family. Think of other

people, not just what you want to do and way you are getting too.

Think of the consequences that Teachers at a Gateshead school have

been on strike in protest at plans to turn it into an academy.

Whickham School and Sports College closed, as more than 100 members of

the NAS/UWT walked out. The school's governing body wants it to

leave council control. The union says it could affect jobs, pay and

conditions. The headteacher Steve Haigh claims the strike is

politically motivated, and says the school will gain financially from

academy status. Police in County Durham say they're

dealing with thousands of hoax, silent or frivolous 999 calls each

year. Response times are going up, and it's preventing officers from

dealing with genuine emergencies. Officers are urging people not to

abuse the service. On one occasion, a teenager rang 999 over a minor

A thief who was caught on camera as he tried to disable CCTV and cover

up his tracks has been let off with a caution from police. The 19-year-

old climbed up a pole to tamper with the security equipment at a

boatyard in Blyth, in Northumberland. After just hours of

his picture being released by the police in June, people began

ringing in with the teenager's name. He has has now been cautioned for

criminal damage. They've been the subject of much

protest and controversy. But now the Mayor of Hartlepool has

promised there'll be no more landfill sites created in the town

for the next 15 years at least. He says for too long the town's been

seen as "a soft touch" for landfill developers. There are currently

three sites in Seaton Carew alone. Stuart Whincup reports.

Every morning, Anne Wise wakes up She's been here for seven years and

this what living next door to a landfill site is like. The smell,

the stench, the seagulls. The lorries. The noise. This is five

days a week. The area has been an easy target for landfill, according

to the town's mayor. He says they've listened to the protests

and there'll be no new ones built for the next 15 years at least.

message is out there now that people know that Hartlepool isn't a

soft touch. Some of the smells and the noises then there have been

disgusting. I have the utmost sympathy with the people who live

there. We have been trying to work with the site owners to try and

minimise any disruption. But all of this doesn't mean an end to

landfill. While the council is against all new applications, it is

in talks with Able UK, who owned this side, and are looking to

extended. Back at home, Anne says many of her neighbours have tried

to move but can't. People can't sell their houses because of that

over there. We are not even going to try for a couple of years.

Still to come on tonight's Look North - Wednesday's Sportsdesk.

Plus: the man who's giving his right arm to help protect wildlife

in Turkey. We have had more than a fair share of summer rain today,

things do look right for the Cup -- next couple of days, I will have

Every parent wants the best education for their children. And

getting them into the best school is a priority for many. But gone

are the days when your son or daughter was guaranteed a place at

the secondary school of their choice. These days, schools can

choose who they admit - leading to claims that it's a lottery. In

tonight's Look North report, Richard Thomas examines how the

system is working in the north-east and Cumbria.

What are the effects of exercise? The heart rate increases.

They are said to be the best years of your life. But choose the wrong

school and they could be anything but. In Stockton, for example,

there are a dozen secondary schools. With hundreds of places on offer,

some schools will be more popular than others. Penny and her brother

Tom have managed to get a place at oversubscribed Egglescliffe School

near Yarm. It's actually outside their primary school's catchment

area and has an excellent reputation. I love the fact that we

have got a choice, that you can go around the schools and see what is

best. You have that position, really. I think we are quite lucky

here, in that we had a good choice of schools. Almost all of the

schools that we could have chosen you would say are good schools.

There are some areas where you don't quite have back. Parents

really have the power, they can shop around. I know people look at

fiscal and compare it to different schools, not just in Stockton but

in Darlington and Middlesbrough -- at this school. And inevitably

where some schools are doing well, there'll be others that lose out.

In Stockton Borough, for example, some schools are heavily

undersubscribed, leading to accusations that the system is

unfair. Certainly in Stockton, we try and work as a collaborative. In

an age of falling rolls, that is difficult. Every school in Stockton

is doing a good job. The fact that some are more oversubscribed is not

a reflection on how good they are. It does create competition. People

want the best pupils in their schools so they can be seen to be

raising standards. It should be equitable right across the patch,

of whatever kind of school it is. These days, selecting a school is a

time-consuming job. Prospectuses, form filling, the list goes on. And

at the end of it, there's no guarantee you'll get what you want.

But here's the good news. Because we live in a part of the world

where a lot of parents get the school they want their children to

go to. There are 15 local education authorities in the north-east and

Cumbria. In 14 of them, more than nine in 10 children are offered

their first choice school, an average of 95%. Only Middlesbrough

is the exception, at 82%. That is partly because one school,

MacMillan college, is oversubscribed by almost 140%. But

there are more than 1,000 children who won't get their first choice

school. Few people, though, believe there is a better way will stop I

think the system we have got is probably the best we can have at

the moment. There may be some consultation with the Government,

but I think what it does do is it allows children to hopefully get

their first preference and it is difficult to actually see whether

other systems could do better. These days, schools are not just a

place for learning. They are businesses competing in a market

environment. Pupils equal money, and the more seats you fill the

more cash you get. The first lesson in economics for more than 40,000

children starting secondary school for the first time in the north-

How often have you heard someone say they would give their right arm

for something they really want? One man has come up with a novel way of

doing just that. Tristan Reid is having his entire right and --

right arm and shoulder tattooed with per to compete wiped out if a

huge dam is built in Turkey. He is raising money online to protect

Turkish what life. Tristan Reid is a serious birdwatcher, even from

his own garden. But a recent trip to Turkey left in determined to do

something about its threatened speeches. All the water ways have

been sold off to private companies, and there is a plan to create over

1,700 Hydro-Electric power plants. There are a dozen dance being built.

This means that a lot of the really important habitats in Turkey would

be completely drained. solution? To give literally his

right arm, tattooed from the shoulder down with the birds in

peril. We took him to a tattoo parlour to talk about what might be

involved. I do not like needles at all. But it is something I have

thought about having done four years, but I have not really got

the build, the big muscles that people have. If I was going to get

something, I would want it to mean something. He has asked people to

vote for the birds and donate money. He hopes to raise �10,000. To every

person is different, and every piece of skin is different. Some

bits will be comfortable, and some bits he will have to sit there for

A brave man! 50 years ago, regional television programmes like Look

North were very new and experimental. Times have moved on,

and new technology means that we can bring you the latest news live

from anywhere in the north-east and Cumbria. Tonight, BBC for is

celebrating the early days of regional programming. He is quick

preview, featuring our first newsreader, Frank Bough, presenting

Home At Six. Here is Lucinda. have recently been to which the

bees -- Whitley Bay to see how all Scots people when they each and

every year. I took some photographs. No doubt this one of these two

ladies enjoying their holiday. first, hopefully, Diana. Have you

got the film yet? It has been one of those funny days! We once had a

lady on following a breakdown, and I was laughing so much that I'd

burnt my husbands to the! I was livid that he missed the break

down! Could he repeat it? We did, frequently but not deliberately!

Over in Carlisle, Border Television did not have much of a record in a

higher age documentary making. It had more sheep than Dewar's! The

rising stock was Derek BT, a local ventriloquist who trained as an

accountant. He was a perfect host for an unusual show. He would say,

"I saw that programme, what a load of rubbish!" 8 committee of us

wrote the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet in Jordi! Or I broke the

last bit. I rewrote one of the lines as to Iraq! I am sorry you

That programme, Regional TV: Life Through a Local Lens, is on at 9pm

on BBC for. We know you watch every night, Mike, and we still love you.

A local police dog has been fired because he would not bite. Vegas

the German shepherd had her employment terminated when she

would not tackle criminals. A nervous disposition is not the best

qualification for a police dog. It seems Vegas is good at police dog

theory, running and jumping, but not so good at a police dog

practice, sinking her teeth into criminals. Riper than take the

gamble on Vegas, police have found her new home away from the force

kennels. David Davies was a Durham police dog handler for 30 years. He

and his patrol dog any retired two years ago, and now he runs his own

police dog training business. get nervous dogs who tend to part

with their front teeth. All dogs tend to use their front teeth --

front teeth first. They are known to change their real teeth. They

are trying to distance themselves from getting hold of them. If you

would like to find Vegas a new home, police are looking for a home with

no other dogs and no children. She is a lovely character. We are

putting the number on our screen He looked far too nice to be a

police dog! Time for the sport. Big news at son James's Park. Newcastle

fans are very unhappy. Newcastle United have banned non-members and

those without season tickets from attending away games after violence

erupted at the pre-season friendly game at Darlington at the weekend.

Many fans say the club has over- reacted. This was the incident but

caused the action. Hundreds of fans flooded onto the pitch after

Newcastle United's second goal last Friday. It took 10 minutes to clear

up the fans from the pitch. At the club has taken the strongest

possible action, and by banning fans who are not members from away

games, they have been true to their word. No one was available for

comment yesterday, but the news has not gone down well outside St

James's Park. Because of a handful of people, you are punishing

everyone, and that is not right. They have to try and control it

somehow, but people pay good money up front. It is sensible to keep

them coming. I feel that some stuff that goes on here isn't worth

repeating. I go to away games. Identikit will be much of a problem.

Many people feel that it has driven a wedge between fans and the men's

-- men at the top. There is a lack of communication with the

supporters, and they need to deal with it, because otherwise that is

going to happen again and again. It is a class difference. It is saying,

if you are not in possession of the season ticket, you cannot go to

away games. Nothing surprises me with Newcastle United. The club

says that fans who have already bought a ticket against -- a ticket

for the game against Leeds who do not have a season ticket can attend.

Last night, Durham beat Hampshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match.

Begin Bridge their hopes of getting to the semi-final. Paul Collingwood

once again showed all his experience. He hit 73 off just 63

balls. He shared a century partnership. The game was rain

affected and reduced to 35 overs. Hampshire never had any chance of

reaching their target. It can be a spectacular sport to watch. How

many of you knew that trampolining was in the Olympics? It is its 4th

games. It is a long process, but we have met an athlete with high hopes

What would it mean to compete in London 2012? Everything. To compete

in front of her home crowd, it can't beat that. Meet Kat Driscoll,

who left Kent when she was 18. loved training with pill, and so

when I was 18, I moved up here full-time. She is a very confident

young lady. It is a mental toughness she has, which is

allowing her to be one of the best competitors in the world. Now 25,

Catt is based at the Apollo Trampoline Club at Washington

Leisure Centre. She has just returned from events in China and

Japan with three silver medals, justifying her day job being given

up. When others working full-time at HSBC, I was not doing any

conditioning work, and when I gave up working full-time, I am doing

over 20 hours for time. I am going to to dated stadium a lot, and it

is helping. Catt has shown that she has got all the skills to do well

in London 2012. Now she needs a lot of patience. The decision will not

be made for the Great Britain team I was not expecting that! Time for

the weather now. If there was not enough, the great British weather

We concentrate on clouds tonight. There has been no shortage of

concentration of clouds over Cumbria. You can see this funnel

cloud. You can see the bottom of the final here, and that is a

tornado not quite touching the ground. This is a picture of the

sunshine and showers. Thank you to Stephen for that shot. We have a

Met Office warning out for more rain. Things will improve as we

head through the night. A quieter spell of weather for the next

couple of days. Still some heavy bursts of rain as we head into the

later part of the evening. Overnight, still one or two showers

around, but it will move away. Ten Celsius the typical temperature. We

start off tomorrow with a fairly cloudy picture. One or two showers

here old bear. Do the cloud will break up. The showers will be

fairly well scattered. There's always a risk of one or two showers.

Elsewhere, most reach dry with some brightness. Even some sunshine. It

is not going to feel that warm. More like 13 or 14 Celsius way you

are more exposed to the north- easterly, somewhere like Berwick,

for instance. The low-pressure news a way, and we have a week high-

pressure building as we go through Friday ended to the began. It

should be drier than it has been. The winds will come from a

northerly direction, so tempters will not break any records. Showers

left -- less widespread as we move to Friday. Cold wet exposed.

Remember at 7:30pm on BBC One, don't miss the programme. The

British summer, what happened to it?! In the phone hacking row, the

Prime Minister admits that he would not apply at Andy Coulson de finos