28/11/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Louise, thank you. That's all from the BBC News

Hello, welcome to Look North. Tonight ` power cut. Energy giant

Npower is axing more than 400 jobs at its North East headquarters. And

the German`owned company is closing its entire Teesside operation at

Thornaby. Over 1000 jobs going, 430 in the north`east, it is a pretty

bad time of the year for those families in the community.

Also tonight, the North East has fewer young people going to

universities than any other part of the UK ` but is that about to

change? A seasonal gift for our friends in

the South sets out on its long journey to Westminster.

And we celebrate the 25th anniversary of a football fanzine

that's always been reaching for the stars.

430 jobs lost to India. 1100 more shifted to different locations. 540

transferred to an entirely different employer. And two offices closed

down. That's the impact of the German`owned energy giant Npower's

restructuring of its operations in the North East. Npower's customer

service staff find themselves pawns in an international game of

high`finance chess. The company operates from three towns in the

North East ` Thornaby near Middlesbrough, three offices in

Peterlee and at Houghton`le`Spring near Sunderland. Under Npower's

plans, 430 back office jobs will be lost ` outsourced to India ` from

the company's site at Rainton Bridge, Houghton. Will report on the

political backlash from today's news and sheer from the workers and

unions affected. First let's join Ian Reeve who is at Npower's

headquarters at Rainton Bridge. The figures are not great. It could have

been worse, couldn't it? Yes. Last night the unions were painting a

picture that could have seen 1000 redundancies and there was no hint

at all that affected workers, Npower's workers in Teeside would be

offered jobs at Npower here on Wearside.

Daniel and then have a choice to make. Npower said today that Teeside

call centre will close but all 500 plus that have been offered jobs at

the company's Wearside office 30 miles away. I don't have the option

because I do not drive it. It is too far away. I cannot get there. It is

hard getting here at times, especially with public transport so

it is just not feasible for me to be going longer distance. At least I

can maybe do a job at Rainton. I don't have any kids, so I don't have

a problem getting there. I will just bite the bullet. At least they have

a choice. Here at Rainton Bridge where Ben and Daniel are being

offered jobs, 430 back office as yet unidentified posts are going.

Outsourced to India. 430 jobs going from Houghton`le`Spring. What is the

rationale for that? Part of that is moving some of the back`office

processes, but equally moving work into Houghton`le`Spring to be able

to do that. We have had over 3000 roles in the north`east and that

means any of our customers can call our call centres and speak to people

within the north`east. Other jobs are being moved here from Peterlee

and dumb are being transferred from the County Durham site to a

different company entirely. `` some are being transferred. It is part of

a five`year cost`cutting plan despite Npower making big profits

last year. They have hiked bills by up to 11%. Yellow like there is a

customer tramper 's mission programme that makes us able to

improve customer satisfaction. We need to change the organisation,

improve customer satisfaction and working with partners enables us to

drive that forward. What may seem like good news on Teeside, the offer

of jobs elsewhere, in spite of the call centre closure, and not be good

news for the town where it is based. Some traders could be hit hard. I

had a customer in after finding out what had happened this morning. She

said she did not know whether she was going to lose her job or not so

I asked her where she came from, and I asked her if she would carry on

shopping in here and basically she said she would have to travel and

would not be able to do it. So therefore there is one customer

down. How many more? It was not Npower would just walk away from

Thornaby. But the unexpected gesture of offering jobs on Wearside I'd

also have an unexpected consequence there. Joining me here on Wearside

is Chris Jukes, senior organiser with the GMB union. Very sad for

those 430 people here live lose their jobs but is fair to say that

it could have been worse than this and it is not as bad as it could

have been? We would not say that. Yesterday was a convoluted day in

terms of rumour and Canterbury but the fact is, or people are losing

their jobs in the north`east and families will be affected. However,

there is another 1000 elsewhere in the country the same, so those jobs

are going to the offshored. There is 570 people who are going to transfer

which will have a knock`on affect. Last night the union said 1400 jobs

all across the country would be outsourced to India. But it is

harder than 30. You must be relatively pleased? At all. Our

figures are correct. As either 570 that are transfer into another

provider. Last night the GMB union said 1400 jobs were going to India,

then not. There is 430. Young in the north`east, yes. But there is other

sites in Stoke and other parts of the country and they are going as

well, another thousand jobs, so the figures are correct.

As I say, you were bullish yesterday. You're talking about a

public inquiry. If Npower wants to cut costs, there is nothing we can

do about it. Is there? There is a issue with the market. That is for

starters. But equally it is about customer service efficiency. It is

about cost. RWE in Germany are in severe natural difficulty and there

is much bigger strategic issues at stake, that is why we need an

inquiry to look at the nature of the markets. The safe supply of energy

etc. Thank you. It is probably fair to say that it could have been a lot

worse but let's not forget, 430 people here and undoubtedly at least

a few more on Teeside will lose their jobs. Act to you.

Thank you. The behaviour of energy companies

like Npower has been at the centre of debate for weeks now. Labour

wants the market shaken up, and the Conservatives say more competition

is needed. So it was inevitable that there'd be a strong reaction ` and

some condemnation ` from local politicians to today's

announcements. `` back to you. Here's our Political Editor, Richard

Moss. Npower may be owned by German

company RWE now, but it does have a history rooted in the North East.

Right now you could save up to ?140 off your gas bill if you switch to

Northern Electric. Remember Northern Electric? It was the North East

Electricity Board before it took on a new privatised identity in 1990.

For a while it survived before being swallowed up by Npower. But the past

partly explains why the company employs as many as it still does in

the region. And why North East MPs were quick to raise their concerns

today. 560 workers at the Npower call centre in Thornaby where many

of my constituents work are going to be affected I Npower's announcements

to remove 100 400 `` 1400 jobs from the UK. What is the Minister's

community and is with Npower? We will work across government,

particularly across my department, to help people affected by this

announcement. Even before today, Npower and other suppliers have been

facing a lot of political heat. Labour leader Ed Miliband tapped

into public anger at his party conference, offering to freeze

charges for 20 months and overhaul the industry. Npower's response ` a

price rise of 10%. And some claim today's announcement shows the

company's contempt for communities and customers. There are some 500

people in Thornaby working in Thornaby currently who spend at the

local shops, spend in the town centre, and that is very important

to the local economy. They are one of the biggest employers on Teeside,

we are losing those people from the economy locally so we must do

something to persuade the company to change their mind. They are only

interested in profit. We have seen the huge increase in energy prices

in recent times. They want to do is maximise their profits. They do not

care about the local economy and they do not care much about their

customers. Npower says today's restructuring will improve customer

service. And there'll be plenty of people in the North East who'll be

able to judge that. Many Northern Electric customers have never

switched suppliers. That means Npower still has a 64% share of the

region's energy market. Well, joining me now from

Westminster is James Wharton, the Conservative MP for Stockton South

whose constituency takes in Npower's Thornaby operation. Mr Wharton, we

heard Alex Cunningham in that last report accusing Npower of treating

Thornaby, and its customers, with contempt. Do you agree? I certainly

think it has been a bad day. It has not been a disastrous day that it

could have been and we thought it was going to be yesterday when there

were talks of much larger numbers of jobs being lost and I am pleased

that although we have had this bag is to deal with, people who work at

the Thornaby call centre are not losing their jobs, not being made

redundant, they are being moved and I have been talking to Npower today

already about what package will be in place to ensure that the

transport needs, the additional cost that they would incur, are going to

be met, whether it involves putting on buses so that people can keep

those jobs. It is a bad day, bad news, I am not happy with the way it

has come about the decision Npower has taken. It is just about

transport. There are childcare issues as well for some people. It

is inevitable there will be a lot of people who will not be able to make

that move to Rainton Bridge. Yes. There will be people for whom it is

not practical no matter what Npower do to help. It is important we get

the best possible package in place for them. There is a knock`on impact

for people in the local economy, people will not be spending money in

Thornaby town centre and that is bad news. At the same time, we should

recognise that the site had a lot going for it and we have to be

careful when talking about issues like this that we do not then

Teeside in talking about the challenges that this presents us. We

have got falling unemployment in places like Stockton South, it has

fallen every month this year. This is a bad blow to that but it is not

the end of the story or the world. We have to protect those workers the

best we can and ensure we continue to work to keep our economy growing

locally and turn the corner after all the problems we have had in

recent years. The big energy companies are in the firing line

because of the big price rises they're bringing in. Is this not

further evidence that they need to be reined in? I think it is very

clear that there is a problem in the way the energy market is functioning

and what I do not like is the cheap opulence politics of having a pop at

them, thinking up a policy one morning and presenting it on behalf

of a political party of whatever colour that night. We need aerial

and serious investigation into the way our energy market works, into

where the problems are and the correct and structured approach to

ensure long`term stability for companies and customers and for the

employees of these companies because less we forget, these company

shareholders are our pension funds and savings or it is a complex

picture. Something needs to be done, the government is correct to

be looking at increase in cognition and where the market is not working

properly, this is not a time for cheap, popular statements. It is a

time for serious reflection. Thank you.

More of today's news now. A grandmother who stabbed to death her

son's former partner has been found guilty of murder. 58`year`old

Heather Emmonds, from Seaton Delaval in Northumberland, stabbed

42`year`old Tina Casey, fearing she would never see her grandson again.

Emmonds had admitted killing Tina at a house in Holywell Village, but

denied murder on the grounds of "loss of control and diminished

responsibility." The jury at Newcastle Crown Court found her

guilty. She'll be sentenced tomorrow.

Newcastle Airport has been awarded ?2 in "nominal damages" at the end

of an expensive court case against a firm of solicitors. The airport

alleged the law firm Eversheds had failed in its duty to them, because

it hadn't explained in simple terms the impact of an ?8 million bonus

deal negotiated by two of the airport's directors. The Court of

Appeal ruled that even if Eversheds had explained the situation in plain

English, the chairwoman of the airport's remuneration committee,

economist Rosemary Radcliffe, would probably not have read it properly.

Police investigating the accident in North Yorkshire early yesterday

morning, in which three Polish people died, have revealed a mother

and her teenage son were among the fatalities. The woman, aged 40, and

her 18`year old`son, died alongside a 47`year`old man. The two other

passengers in the car ` men aged 30 and 37 ` remain in Hull Royal

Infirmary. A 48`year`old Pickering man, who was driving the other

vehicle involved, has now been discharged from hospital. The dead

all lived in Hull. The former Newcastle United

footballer Michael Chopra has told a court that players would bet sums of

?30,000 while gambling on the team bus. The 29`year`old ` who later

played for Sunderland ` was giving evidence as a witness in a cocaine

trial at Newcastle Crown Court. He said he had gambled away around ?2

million since making his debut for Newcastle at 17. He described the

sessions as "team bonding." The North East has fewer young

people going to universities than any other part of the UK ` according

to the latest figures. Just a third of school leavers in the region

enter higher education, compared to nearly half in London. And fewer of

those North East students who take a degree will go to the most

academically`selective universities. But is the picture changing? Oxford

University has recently been holding interview workshops on Tyneside.

Luke Walton went along as part of our Big Question, asking: Are we

bottom of the class? Let's move on to thinking about what

Oxford and Cambridge are looking for.

How to get here from here. For any university applicant, Oxford and

Cambridge are the ultimate challenge. But these Newcastle six

formers hope not an impossible one. Especially with some expert advice

from an insider. I applied to Oxford from a conference of and I remember

not really having any idea of what would be awaiting me in the

interview room. I think today is about giving them a sense of the

kind of questions that they might face. Doesn't make it less

frightening? Yes. The tutor has been really comforting. She had explained

that they are not all horrible creatures and are going to ask us

trick questions. We are realistic about our own potential and that we

might not make it. It is a hard process. But we should be able to

have a chance to take it if we can. The two schools represented at this

event have both had success in getting pupils into top

universities. Both regularly sending students to Oxford or Cambridge. But

that is not the picture in every part of our region. The director of

admissions at Oxford was brought up in Gateshead. He says the university

is building stronger links with the north`east but there are challenges

for the schools as well. If we take A`level performance and kids getting

three grade eggs which is the basic level to make a competitive

application, in Newcastle local authority two years ago there was

only 8% of children who got that, in reading, then in the south`east, 34%

of kids got that. What we have to do is work out why the schools in

reading or achieving that, and what can be done to transplant that two

schools in the north`east. The numbers going to all types of

university vary sharply from area to area. In North Yorkshire, 46% of

young people enter higher education. In Tynemouth, 45%. Both above the

national average. But in Copeland, the figure is just 29%. What we are

going to look at now are fingerprints. Could this be the

answer? Academics from Teeside lead a lesson in forensics at a local

primary school with the aim of sparking interest in science and the

very idea of university. They go past it on a daily basis and they

know there is people there studying there, lecturers here, they know,

they have met them, so it takes away that mystery of what the university

is and they see that it is real people and it is for them and

achievable for them. Encouraging the young into higher education is not

just a matter of raising awareness. Higher tuition fees and the worries

about graduate unemployment loom large but staff here insist

university remains a good deal for the students as well as being vital

to the economy. The skilled in the employment industry around Teeside,

we provide opportunities for those students to prepare them for work so

our industry around this region, our courses, are always tailored to meet

the needs of employers. What is important is whether the young

choose it university in the first place. At the demand for skills and

qualifications grows ever higher. Tomorrow night we look at how

employable young people are when they leave school. The Big Question

asks: Do they have the right skills to start work? Still to come, the

signal boxes that have become listed buildings, a birthday celebration,

and a Christmas present. After a cloudy day today, a

different field tomorrow. It will be brighter but it will be windier and

that will make it feel colder. Join me later for the full forecast.

Twelve old`style signal boxes on railway lines in the North have been

given Grade Two listed status. On the list are Marston Moor and

Hammerton, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire, along with the box at

Settle Station in Cumbria. The status has been awarded by the

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as part of a project to

safeguard the nation's railway heritage. Heidi Tomlinson reports.

Things are done the old fashion way at Marston Moor on the York to

Haringey line. This signal has worked here since 1978. `` this

signal worker. The chimes at heard `` are her cue to close the road to

traffic. The bell goes again wish straws that train is coming. Then

she pulled the lever to lift the signal. Marston Moor was once used

as a station and there is still a platform here but for the last 40

years the trains have just rumbled straight through. Drivers relying on

the mechanical signals. It is a simple system. If the arm is

raised, it is a green light. If Lord, a red light. The lever frame

it makes this 165`year`old signal box and shall and is one of the

reasons why it is being giving a grade two listed status along with

two others in North Yorkshire, Hammerton and settle. It deserves

that state is because it is truly old. But very reliable. I put the

keys into the gate locks, I pull off and then a signal comes off. It has

never failed you? No. I have been here 35 years. And the work is very

interesting. I have loved every second of it. But modernisation is

inevitable. And a few years `` a few years time, the Marston Moor signal

box will be decommissioned. We have to move with the times with the

increasing demand of real services, we are signalling to operating

centres to enable us to run more trains are visually and

unfortunately the signal boxes will not be used any more. Hence the

listed status, protection for a piece of real way history. ``

railway history. They look great.

Now, as we all know, these are tough times for the print media with many

publications going "online only" or folding altogether. So, raise a

glass this weekend to a football fanzine which is celebrating its

25th anniversary. And the special birthday issue of "Fly Me to the

Moon" will mark the first home game of Middlesbrough's new Spanish

manager. Mark Tulip reports. The fanzine's very title was taken

from then borough boss Bruce Rioch's famous quote that if he ever had to

fly to the moon, he'd take his captain Tony Mowbray with him.

Mowbray appeared on the front cover of the very first edition back in

1988, and lateras Middlesbrough manager on the front of the 500th.

But his recent sacking left Fly Me to the Moon's editor with mixed

feelings. It is sad. It would have been good to have done this issue

with Tony here. Definitely. The fanzine is lots of fans views, I am

eating together their fans' viewers who are sad and disappointed that it

ended like this. `` I am putting together. It is hard to actually sit

there and put all that together and you think, it is at the end of an

era. But we are in a new era now. If Tony to go to the moon, perhaps new

manager can change the philosophy of the way football is played. `` if

Tony took us to the moon. Since that first edition ` produced on a

typewriter then photocopied ` there have been plenty of highlights. Back

an 1880s, we had just staved off liquidation so to actually be in a

cup final, that was fantastic. But `` back in the 1980s. And then of

course a UEFA cup final, it has been incredible. An incredibly eventful

quarter`century. What about the fans I'm's future? We need bigger crowds.

We need more subscribers to keep it viable, but I wanted to get going,

as long as people want it, I to keep producing it.

Middlesbrough have this evening agreed to sign Republic of Ireland

goalkeeper Shay Given on a one`month loan from Aston Villa. The

37`year`old goes straight into the squad for Saturday's game against

Bolton Wanderers at the Riverside. `` I want to keep it going. Given

made 461 appearances for Newcastle before moving to Manchester City. He

also made 17 appearances for Sunderland, so if he makes his

borough debut, he will become one of a select band of players to have

represented all three major North`East clubs.

For the past 12 years, the Christmas tree for London's Houses of

Parliament have been provided by our very own Kielder Water and Forest

Park. And today the Westminster tree was lifted onto a truck ready to

head to the capital for all the world to see. The tree will

eventually be positioned at the base of Big Ben, where all eyes of the

world will see it. Julie Smith joined today's operation.

Around 3000 homes in the North East will decorate a tree from Kielder

this Christmas. But not as big as this one, chosen to stand at the

foot of Big Ben. And getting it to London is a delicate operation. It

is 40 foot long so obviously it is about 2.5 tonnes, so it is crucial

we get it up and over and into the truck without damaging any of the

branches. Someone in the houses of parliament might not be too happy if

it goes down there with broken branches. The tree has been rapped

for the occasion. There is less chance of doing any damage to the

brand sees when we are lifting it on and off, plus it is easier for them

to manhandle when they get it down there. This is one of 250 trees

headed for our towns and cities this season. And that 40 foot high, the

Forestry Commission say it will be one of the most autographed trees in

the world. `` photograph. It has taken 30 years to grow the tree. It

is a difficult task. It is not normal. The tree is all about being

the right shape, the right height, and the right colour. Big eyes have

handled it with a degree of profession not to damage it. The

dangerous element is to make sure you do not break the tree. With no

damage done, the challenge is to get the tree safely transported and in

place in London. I think we will stick with an

artificial one this year! It does not feel like Christmas yet, Paul.

not feel like It is very quiet weather`wise. A

quiet weather picture to start us off this evening, a nice cam, recent

short of their went water. `` Derwent Water. Tomorrow the skies

will be brighter but it will be more windy. It will be colder. This

evening and overnight, we are keeping an eye on this weather

system in the North West. That will eventually come down and bring that

changing the weather as head into tomorrow. A lot of cloud around this

evening, any breaks in the cloud and East will unload a few mist or fog

patches to form but most places are cloudy and eventually we see some

outbreaks of rain spreading in from the North West. One of the heavier

burst later in the night, further south and east you are more likely

you are to stay dry. Temperatures for a time down to three or four

Celsius, they will pick up again later in the night at the cloud they

can do that westerly winds picked up as well. The first thing tomorrow

morning, it is cloudy, more rain at times but that rain won't hang

around too long, by eight or nine o'clock most places are markedly

right. Lots of sunshine tomorrow. One or two showers coming in on that

north`westerly wind but many places being and dry. `` staying dry.

Temperatures on paper are similar to D`day. A Celsius, but adding the

effect of that north`westerly wind and it really will be noticeably

cooler. `` similar to today. As we head into the big end, that is what

is bringing us a blustery weather tomorrow at the low pressure pulls

away, the high start to build again through the weekend, still a

northerly wind on Saturday. But lighter winds open up and then more

cloud and high`pressure on Sunday. High pressure in charge, so nothing

is going to change that dramatically through the course of the weekend.

If you are out and about, Saturday and Sunday, if it is blue sky you

are after, that today is the pick of the two, if it is my other

temperatures and you do not mind paying the price for some cloudy

skies, Sunday is the day to go for temperatures, just about into double

figures, 10 Celsius. Lighter winds by then as well. You can get free

updates from the BBC weather app. Not bad at all. Thank you. Hundreds

of people in north`east will be made redundant or relocated as energy

giant Npower restructures its business. We will have more on that

later on tonight. Join us at 10:25pm.