16/10/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

details throughout the evening. Thank you very much.

Hello and welcome to Wednesday's Look North. Tonight, 1500 workers

could lose their jobs at a North East council. Unions say it's a

nightmare scenario. Can London's massive Crossrail project benefit

companies here in the North? Honoured ` the soldiers re`united

with their families after serving in Afghanistan.

The first calf to be born at this farming college since the foot and

mouth crisis 12 years ago. And he's off ` the Tyneside man

planning to run across Australia begins his epic journey.

Good luck to you we are going from the heat of Australia to the cold of

the winter Olympics. And we've been to meet a young motor racing star

who's polished up his act to pick up yet another title on the track.

It was the nightmare scenario and now it's happened. That's how

workers and unions responded to the news that 1500 staff could lose

their jobs at Middlesbrough Council. The cuts could be made over the next

three years, as the council needs to save ?67 million. The shortfall

comes after a reduction in government grants and the rising

costs of adult and children's care. This evening councillors are being

told of the financial situation in Middlesbrough, from where our

reporter Stuart Whincup joins us now.

They may save the pain of these cuts would be felt by every single person

in the town. People were lining up to say if these cuts were met they

could not operate. He has worked for the Council for 20 years, a bus

driver for the elderly and has had his hours cut. He is worried he will

now lose his job. The worst part is the worry, whether you will pay the

mortgage and will this happen again? One of the selection criteria

they use a sickness. Already they have seen the closure of sports

stadiums and community centres and libraries but these cuts go deeper

with 67 million pounds needed over the next three years and up to 1500

jobs could be lost. This town would disintegrate rapidly. It is

practically half the workforce. It is all going to stop. The council

will fold. The cuts have been described by the Middlesbrough mayor

as savage but they could even face bankruptcy. Coalition politicians

say that is not true and many other local authorities have made big

savings without greatly affecting front line services. The protest

signed petitions will now gathered as the public tried to protect vital

services and protect jobs. We have already seen people losing their

jobs and compulsory redundancies. If that size of job loss happened it

would be the end of Middlesbrough Council. He is worried about the

future but knows it will be months before he finds out whether he will

be keeping his job. This even in Kennesaw is meeting to discuss the

situation and if you minutes ago we spoke to the mayor and asked him

about how he felt hundreds of workers would be feeling. The

culture of the coalition have imposed these cuts on as and we have

to do that year`on`year. Hopefully we can mitigate the situation so we

do not lose 1500 people, but it could still be a very big figure. It

is important to point out although this is worrying news at this point

it is just numbers and we will have to wait until next month to see what

is earmarked to go. Well, while the focus has been on

Middlesbrough today, other councils are also facing squeezed budgets.

Durham needs to save ?20 million, Gateshead 45 million, and Cumbria 80

million. Now to try to put all these numbers in a bit of context, I'm

joined by our Political Correspondent Mark Denten. Mark,

more cuts to our councils ` but they've had big savings already. I

suppose the question is when will all these cuts end? It feels a bit

like Groundhog day. The consultation, the meetings, no doubt

the protests. Now I hate to be the bearer of bad news but some council

experts I've spoken to today say we could be looking at council cuts at

least until 2018, possibly until 2020. In other words, even in the

best scenario we're not even half way though this. And to put that all

into a bit of context, since 2010 North East Councils have seen cuts

of nearly ?352 million. The Office For National Statistics says that

over 15,000 council jobs have been lost in the region in the last three

years. So are our councils getting a worse deal than other parts of the

country? Of course it depends on who you ask. Certainly the Association

Of North East Councils say councils spending power has been cut more

heavily in the North East than other parts of Britain. Indeed, Newcastle

Council has just produced what they call a heat map to show in more

detail where the funding settlements for local councils will hit hardest

over the next couple of years. Basically, the deeper red the

colour, the bigger the cuts. So in Middlesbrough which we've reported

on tonight, they say there will be council cuts equivalent to over ?350

per household. It's a similar story in Newcastle. Now although some

parts of our region appear to be hit less hard, in South Lakeland the

report says cuts over the next two years are between 150 and 200 per

household. But according to the Newcastle data, no council in our

region does as well as some down South. For example, Chichester sees

a council funding cut of only up to ?150 per household over the next two

years. So what does the Government say? They insist funding is

distributed fairly overall. Government spending figures show

that we in the North East get more per head spent on us than any other

English region outside London. The North East gets ?9,389 public

spending per head. In the south east that figure is ?7,565. A Communities

and Local Government Department spokesman said Newcastle at the

moment has ?2,515 spending power per household compared to ?1,815 in

Wokingham. But one North East council spokesman was giving that

short shrift tonight. He said you might as well compare Newcastle to

Mars than Wokingham. You will be busy! Thank you.

It might be taking place in the capital but the boss of the

Crossrail project say it will help people in the North. The building of

new tunnels and stations has been underway for four years now but they

see the peak construction period is about to begin, providing a window

of opportunity. Our Business Correspondent Ian Reeve reports.

London's Crossrail project is immense. It's Europe's biggest

construction scheme with a value of nearly ?15 billion. But the benefits

of transforming rail transport in the capital are not confined to the

capital. This County Durham company has won seven contracts supplying

steel. But the boss of Crossrail says the project is only halfway

through, 25 contracts have been awarded in the north east, but there

are lots more opportunities. We very much hope the north`east will pack

up with urgency and enthusiasm and it will become not one of the few

but one of very many in the north`east. What Crossrail has done

here in Darlington is bring in millions of pounds, ensure the

longevity of a famous bridgebuilding factory, and keep 300 jobs secure.

Without the Crossrail work we would have fewer people employed so it has

been very useful to us to secure the future year. They will be bidding

for seven more contracts but there's a really big one that could be a war

that he be awarded here in the region. Crossrail has to decide who

will manufacture the rolling stock for the project. `` awarded.

Hitachi, which intends to build a carriage assembly factory in Newton

Aycliffe is one of three bidders, so what are its chances? One of those

suppliers, the Japanese company is committed to manufacturing the new

electric trains for the Northwest. They are one of three organisation

is technically able to deliver trains and what they have to do is

make sure we get the best quality for the best value for money. That

contract will be awarded next year, a six month wait to see if

Crossrail's benefits really do percolate down to the region in a

big way. Some breaking news and reports are

coming in of a serious incident in a North Yorkshire town this evening.

What can you tell us so far? This is still very much ongoing and started

around 5pm. What we know is that armed police stopped a suspect

vehicle in the Market Square area of Knaresborough. One man has been

arrested. We do not know why officers stopped the vehicle but it

has caused a huge amount of disruption this evening. We are

starting to see a high police presence and at one stage pupils of

a nearby school were locked inside for their own safety. Parents have

subsequently been allowed to collect their children but there was huge

traffic disruption particularly Aaron the high Street and Market

Square and people are continuing to deal with this with motorists being

sent the wrong way around the one`way system in order to leave the

town. More than 80 men have contacted

police examining historic allegations of abuse at a County

Durham young offenders Centre. They were all inmates at Medomsley

Detention Centre near Consett. A fresh investigation by a 60`strong

team of detectives into the treatment of young offenders was

launched in August this year. A previous investigation ten years ago

led to the conviction of a two former members of staff who were

jailed. Both have since died. Many of the inmates were first time

offenders who today would have been dealt with by a caution.

Two more men have been arrested in conjunction with a pub disturbance

which lead to the death of a Middlesbrough man. Benji Bolsenbrook

was out celebrating the birth of his son when he became involved in the

disturbance at the Park Hotel pub ` he died later in hospital. The two

men have been bailed. That brings to ten the number of people on bail in

connection with the attack. The latest unemployment figures have

been released today. Between June and August the rate was 10.3% in the

North East, a fall of 2,000. In Yorkshire there were just over 6500

people claiming job seekers allowance in September, that's a

fall of 274 since August. And in Cumbria there were 7,300 claimants,

a fall of 338. This week's death of a British

soldier in Afghanistan is a reminder that our troops are still in the

Middle East, and still putting their lives on the line each day. At home,

the pressures on loved ones awaiting their safe return, are just the

same. So it's always good to bring you scenes of soldiers and their

families re`united, as they were in Northumberland today. Gerry Jackson

reports. This is what they go to war with and

after another six months in Afghanistan, parried in before both

families is the reward for the 74 battery. They are home with all 70

personnel safe and sound and by the end of next year and nearly all

British troops will be out of the Middle East but for now the risks

continued. Another battery has already replaced this unit and there

will be another one after that but this will come as a relief to many

of the families here today that this group of men probably will not have

to go out there again. The campaign medals get an extra sense of a job

kneeling its end. Some of them have been found many times over. This is

five times I have been away. Does it get any easier? No. You go through

it together and come back home safely so it is a privilege to serve

alongside them. She is my daughter, my baby back at the same time she is

doing good work out there. I am pleased she has been there and tried

to make a difference. Later, a nice touch. Medals for the children as

well. How does it make you feel about your bad? It makes me feel

very proud. A reminder that the people who fight foreigners are

often very young. `` fight for us. I do not want to go back. I am only 19

and want to be back with my family and stuff.

You are watching Look North and still to come, the Tyneside man

setting off on an epic journey across Australia to raise cash for

charity. The sun will come out tomorrow so

join me later for all the weather details.

Now, it's 12 years since the foot and mouth epidemic brought crisis to

our countryside. The process of recovery has, in some cases, been a

long one. Cumbria's Newton Rigg farming college has just welcomed

its first calf, since the herd was lost to foot and mouth in 2001. It

comes as the college is enjoying something of a revival. There's a

big increase in student numbers and a new ?2 million commercial dairy.

Graham Moss paid a visit. Meet Newton Rigg Mars Belle, or

Belle to friends. She's a pedigree Holstein, the first new arrival

since 2001. But she's not alone. She's one of 17 new arrivals. It's

also something of a rebirth for the Newton Rigg college, just outside

Penrith. It is a hugely significant day for us and it signifies the

start again and it is a massive event for the college itself and the

local community. Although the focus today is on the Castle bid is much

more to hear than that. There's a whole range of land`based studies

with subjects ranging from gamekeeping to horticulture. Student

numbers have doubled as more and more young people look to the land.

It is going to be a lot brighter for the future. Farming will get a lot

better with more people coming to the industry. The industry is on the

rise overall with a lot more people going back into it after foot and

mouth. It seems there's a need for young educated workers. The future

there is an incredibly bright with the amount of economic investment

and the rise in student numbers meaning we have the resources to

take forward the College and the workforce into the next decade. They

were some dark days following foot and mouth but since being taken over

there has been steady growth than the next step is the opening of the

new daily next year. It's been in the planning for two

years but today a Tyneside man set off an epic journey running across

Australia to raise cash for charity. Mark Allison, also known as Run

Geordie Run, left Perth and hopes to be in Sydney by Christmas Eve.

That's a journey of around 2500 miles through the outback, and in

the fierce heat of an Australian summer. Jonathan Morrell has been

talking to Mark as he prepared for this latest challenge.

It is one week since he arrived in Perth in Western Australia where

this run would be the hardest he has done. I am very excited. There are

no nerves surprisingly. I thought I would be nervous but I am just keen

to get on with it. What sort of training have you been doing? This

takes a lot of planning and preparation is all I could have done

a lot more but I have done up to 66: Occurs in one particular run

which is what I will have to do day and day out. The plan is to raise

thousands of pounds for the children's foundation and the Bobby

Robson foundation. He is aiming to complete around 40 miles a day.

There will be some brief rest periods but he knows he will be

under pressure. He has support on the road. There's a team of six

support people who will join and leave the team at regular intervals.

They are all volunteers and I am very grateful for their help.

Without the support team, this could not happen. It is only two years

since he arrived in New York in the middle of the night after running

across the USA. He will face conditions like this. Australia is a

massive country and there are vast areas where there is plenty of road

but not much else. It means communications will be a challenge

not to mention the heat. The heat will be extremely difficult

especially getting into the summer in December. I ran across America

two years ago and the temperatures peaked at 115 Fahrenheit so the heat

will be the least of my worries. It is the sheer distance involved that

needs to be run. The heat I am sure will play its part in this run. He

is now running through the countryside of Western Australia and

he says what keeps him going as the messages he receives from the public

and the knowledge he is raising thousands of pounds for two very

good causes in the north`east. I get tired if I drive that

distance! All the best. On to another hero now

` a young man who's had quite a bit to celebrate lately. First he

claimed back`to`back victories at the Silverstone race track,

clinching the 2013 Triumph Triple Challenge with a round to spare. And

then he reached the ripe old age of 18. But we first met him, when he

was even younger. Chrissy Rouse was just 14 when he

first caught our eye. Even then, he'd built up quite a collection of

trophies. Fast forward a few years, and in the bedroom of his home in

Burnopfield, in County Durham, there's no room for the birthday

cards, because the shelves are now creaking under the weight of

silverware. Clearly, Chrissy, who's also studying for his A levels at

Emmanuel College in Gateshead, is a young man who's going places. And

pretty quickly. From a young age I have been given a

lot of opportunities and have been doing this since I was seven years

old, so I have developed the skill and worked very hard. A lot of it is

to do with purposeful practice and the way you learn from your defeats

so you just put everything together and I did a good job this year. It's

an expensive sport, though. And a step up into Spanish racing next

season could only be taken with a lot more sponsorship. To get this

far, Chrissy's already had to rely heavily on his family. I have two

sisters and we have had to do with a lot of things like holidays. It is a

massive sacrifice and I am eternally grateful. Naturally, dad Martin and

mum Karen are Chrissy's biggest supporters, so how is it for them,

watching him race? It is absolutely terrifying. People laugh and joke

about how stressed I get but I have to do it. It is like going into

labour and waiting for the dentist appointment and having a migraine

and waiting for Christmas all in one. I have to be there to support

him. We just work as hard as we can and do our best.

Now, from a young sports star, who's just turned 18, to one who

celebrated her 20th birthday last month. And what a year it could be

for County Durham bobsleigh driver Mica McNeill, who'll find out in

January whether she's been picked to compete for Great Britain at the

Winter Olympics. Mark Tulip reports. A gentle training session at

Gateshead College's Academy of Sport for Mica McNeill, whose bobsleigh

season gets underway in three weeks' time. The final announcement of the

GB women's two`man bobsleigh squad for the Winter Olympics will be made

in mid`January less than a month before the Games at Sochi in Russia

begin. For me to get to the Olympics I have to be in the top 14 in the

world, so I do a load of races between now and the end of January

and they take your best results and they put you on a world ranking and

I have to be in the top 14. Mica, who lives near Consett in

Derwentside, will spend much of the Autumn and early winter competing in

North America. She could have chosen a cheaper sport! It is an expensive

sport, I think second most expensive to equestrian. UK sport help us out

a lot but as a driver you need different sets of runners for

different temperatures and conditions so the equipment plays a

huge part and I am looking to get my own. And if Mica, who finished 20th

in the World Championships does make 2014, she'll be ahead of schedule.

This one was never my main aim. I am going for the long`term plan to 2018

but I have the opportunity to get their so I am pushing to get there.

Let us hope she makes it. Do you remember when you could do that!

The recipe for today's wet weather was low`pressure and this front that

came up from the south west bringing cloud and rain with it. You can see

the brighter colours were the heaviest bursts were. It is still

with us into the evening so the rain is becoming more intermittent

through the first part of the night and we will be well into the early

hours before we see the back of it. Temperatures only just made it into

double figures and into single figures overnight. Those easterly

winds turn more westerly by the end of the night. Tomorrow is an

improving picture with one or two showers first thing in Cumbria. The

afternoon looks dry and bright foremost with good sunny spells

developing. With a bit of sunshine, the wind is mainly coming from the

west tomorrow and it should feel more pleasant. Temperatures peaked

at around 14 Celsius. This ridge of high pressure brings improvement

tomorrow but enjoy it while it lasts because it remains unsettled

bringing yet more cloud and rain and gusty winds. More pressure wrote to

the West stays in charge saw a show is a picture for Saturday and

Sunday. Reasonably mild. The next few days, heavy rain on Friday and

showers on Saturday but maybe less so on Sunday. Wind continues to come

from the south. The north`east is a little more sheltered with the rain

more intermittent but worth the risk of one or two showers into the

weekend. This is above the seasonal average with the wind continuing to

come up from the south. If you think you have the October weather

picture, send it to us. Just before recall an incident on

that breaking story in Knaresborough. We can bring you

eyewitness pictures with armed police stopping a car. They were

four men inside and one have been arrested but the police have not

said what for. The main roads they are still cloud and I will bring you

more on that at around about 10:25pm. For now, that is it. Good

night. You ask us to get behind you

and why should we? You're punching above

your weight, aren't you? He wouldn't do that to me because

he wasn't that sort of a man.