17/01/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Tonight. Anger as a cash`strapped council

spends almost ?1 million on a crane that's lying idle in this shipyard.

Cuts in the number of street wardens and police officers lead to fears of

a rise in anti`social behaviour. Are traders in one of the North's

most affluent towns facing a crisis of confidence?

And celebrating the lives of the unsung heroines of the North's

fishing industry. In sport, a high profile departure

at one of our Premier League clubs during the transfer window, but it's

not a player who's leaving. And we catch up with the veteran

goalkeeper trying to guide his third North East club a little closer to

promotion. They're a familiar sight on our

skyline. But it's emerged that a crane, valued at almost ?1 million,

has been bought by a cash`strapped council and has lain idle for almost

a year. The crane, which was bought by North Tyneside Council, would

normally stand 200 feet high, but is currently lying in pieces on the

floor of a former shipyard. Yesterday, the council revealed

plans to make savings of ?64 million over the next four years. Andrew

Hartley reports. A skyline once famous for its

cranes. Monday, it is hoped this will be a live again. This crane is

said to be more than 200 feet tall. You should be able to see it for

miles around. But it's nowhere to be seen. That's because it is lying on

the ground in pieces. And that means North Tyneside Council will have to

spend tens of thousands of pounds more on putting it up and making it

operational. The crane was originally bought

early last year by a firm given a licence to operate here. But the

decision by the previous Conservative administration to award

the crane licence was subject to a legal challenge and then revoked. So

the firm was left with an expensive crane it couldn't use. Today it has

emerged that the council, now run by Labour, has itself bought the crane

for ?900,000 to compensate the firm and says it will do the work itself.

We were not ready to have a crane in advance of the remedial works. The

plinth has tunnels underneath, and all of that needs work. I do not

know why people struck a deal to get a crane before these works had even

started. But former Mayor Linda Arkley absolutely denies

this and describes the process of awarding the licence last year as

fair and above board. She also questioned the decision by current

Labour administration to buy the crane.

Using public money to buy a crane is just beyond belief. And then not to

have anybody to use it, to operate it. It just does not seem right to

me at all. I am sure the residents of North Tyneside should be asking

questions. What I be going to do with a crane? If it attracts work,

fine, if it does not, it is a waste of time. They should tidy the high

Street first. The council says that the crane will one day begin to earn

back its investment, but for the time being, this is one tall story

that is not over, not by a long way. Andrew's with me now. Andrew, this

is not so much the decision to spend the money on a crane, but the timing

of it? Yes. North Tyneside Council, in

common with all our local authorities, is facing huge and

ongoing budget cuts. Yesterday, it announced a further ?64 million in

cuts, and that is bound to affect front line services. So the decision

to spend almost a million on a crane it will not be able to use for many

months, if not years, looks odd to say the least. Even if the council

says it had no choice in the matter. And that's why tonight there is so

much political mud`slinging. Neither side wants to admit they

fault. Many of the region's police forces

have been reducing officer numbers in response to cuts to their

funding. In the Cleveland force, the total is due to fall by more than 20

per cent over a six`year period. The Government says reforms, aimed at

making policing more efficient, can maintain public safety. But in

Middlesbrough, there has also been concern about cuts to the council's

street warden service and fears of a rise in anti`social behaviour. Our

reporter Luke Walton has been to North Ormesby to investigate.

For Ashley Barratt, his pet shop is both a passion and a livelihood. But

his work has been made harder by a series of bin fires outside the

business. The floor, the walls, the push the bin right up against the

wall. What could be the implications? We have a flat above

us. Potentially lethal. Others here have similar stories. And some see

cuts to police numbers and council street wardens as part of the story.

People are giving on the street, it is really getting bad. How easy is

it for you to get help? It is harder. Middlesbrough Council says

it has been forced to reduce its team of wardens from 78 to 15 by a

sharp drop in Government funding and says help is being focused on

greatest need. Cleveland Police has also cut numbers to find savings,

but insists the front line remains protected. Our communities may seem

less of us, and fewer yellow courts and support officers over the next

two years, but our commitment is that we would do everything we can

to maintain the safety of our communities.

Recent figures show a fall in crime across the North East. But those for

Cleveland also point to a small rise in anti`social behaviour. Some here

still need to be convinced that things are getting better, not

worse. And Sunday Politics will be talking

to Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner about those problems.

That's this Sunday morning at 11 o'clock here on BBC One.

The company which runs the Sellafield plant in West Cumbria has

lost its appeal against a fine of ?700,000 for illegally dumping

nuclear waste. Sellafield Limited last year admitted four charges of

sending low`level waste to a landfill site in 2010 but claimed

the fine was too high. Judges at the Court of Appeal in London rejected

their appeal. It's more than 50 years since most

of their rural neighbours were connected to the grid, but 21

households in one valley in the Northumberland countryside are still

waiting for mains electricity. And now people in Upper Coquetdale,

north of Rothbury, have launched a campaign to see themselves

connected. Northern Powergrid says new customers usually fund their own

connection, but it wants to help find a solution. Hannah Bayman

reports. Topping up the generator with oil.

Farmer Shona Anderson says she spends up to ?10,000 a year on fuel,

a bill that is rising but would be cut if the farm was hooked up to a

mains electricity supply. One day, you can wake up and Northern

Electric because there is something wrong with the generator. That can

be quite costly. The man that comes to service it, he lives in Aberdeen,

so you do not always get somebody straightaway. Residents say young

families are put off the area because of a lack of electricity,

which means farmers can't branch out into tourism like in other areas. We

have got a farming business and we would like to diversify into things

like camping, but we would need supply of electricity. There is talk

of superfast broadband coming up into Google areas. We just feel that

we would rather have means electricity first. Most people

living here are tenants of the Ministry of Defence, which uses the

nearby Otterburn Ranges for training. One estimate puts the cost

of connection to the grid at ?40,000 a household. In a statement, the MoD

said it was not in a position to fund the cost of connection work. In

the rest of the Northumberland National Park, about 80 homes and

farms are also without mains power. Residents he will present a petition

later this month to the council. Although most people here don't own

their homes, many are prepared to pay towards the cost of connecting

to the mains. But they would like support from the authorities.

It is regarded as a well`heeled spa town, famous for its Turkish baths,

spa waters and genteel tea rooms. But is Harrogate in North Yorkshire

now facing a crisis of confidence? Look North has been told that, for

the first time, eight per cent of the town's shops are unoccupied and

that businesses are worried they cannot compete with online sales and

other retail centres in Yorkshire. Phil Chapman is live for us in

Harrogate now. Phil. Good evening. I give up and down

this street in Harrogate quite a lot. Nine times out of ten, you will

see a queue forming outside Betty's tearoom. Prove that people are

coming to Harrowgate, but I the only spending money on tea and cakes?

With proud statements about new developments, it does not look like

Harrowgate is having a confidence crisis. But why has been special New

Year meeting? For the first time, we have had 8% of our shops

unoccupied, absolutely unknown in Harrogate. We know that people

online, and are spending less time in the town centre. We need to

encourage people to come into our town centre. There are two unique

businesses here that Harrowgate is trying to attract more of. We have

seen the town centre for many years and I have been radical changes. The

success of a town centre like ours is engagement. We are Allstate

coders. Whether you are visiting, shopping, working, playing a living

in the area, the health of the town centre is quite drastic. We think

Harrowgate needs more independent businesses. That is what the public

wants these days. With shiny new shopping centres cropping up not

far`away, Harrowgate could be fighting for its retail life. Town

centres such as this are changing. We have made a conscious decision

that we have got to get ahead of it. If we do not have a vibrant town

centre, the consequences could be severe. The whole world will be

watching when stage one of the Tour de France finishes here.

So, Phil, what happens next in Harrogate?

The council have vowed to work hand`in`hand with businesses and

trade. They will engage consultants to come up with a strategy for

improving the town centre. Anything from better floral displays to

attracting more quirky and independent businesses. This is not

about impressing people coming for the Tour de France. The findings of

this report will not be out until October.

The Canadian mining company that has been test`drilling in Cumbria and

Northumberland says one of Europe's biggest deposits of zinc could lie

underground there. Minco has sunk a borehole, 1,600 feet deep, near

Nenthead. The test drilling is the company's first in Northumberland.

If the numbers add up and planning permission is won, a new mine could

employ hundreds of workers. Our Business Correspondent, Ian Reeve,

reports. High on a blasted moor, this is a

hunt for valuable zinc. Under here could be one of Europe's biggest

deposits. We expected real for another two years, try to understand

what is going on here. `` to drill. There could be mine here sometime

the future. The test drilling is this company's first in

Northumberland. Others have been done nearby, but in Cumbria. If the

numbers add up and planning permission is won, a new mine could

employ hundreds of workers. It could transform the prospects of the

nearby village. In the 1800s, thousands of workers were employed

in its mines. Nenthead was one of the wealthiest villages in the

country. Its prosperity made it the first in England to have electric

street lighting. And this was the miners' reading room. Today, it's

the village shop, but a mining return is longed for. It's quiet at

the moment, but if these minds open, hopefully it will be busy. I

think a lot of people would be for it. To bring more people for work

into the area. Across the village, Gary's coach business is in the old

lead washing building, but the opinion's the same. I think

everybody is in favour. The village has struggled since lead mining

finished. The school is now down to 30 pupils, the shop does well to

keep going. A working mine though is many years hence. There's no

favoured site yet. And it might not happen. The company could walk away.

But what will remain is an apparent local appetite to rekindle the past.

A full scale knitted boat is the centrepiece of a unique celebration

of the lives of the unsung heroines of the fishing industry. Follow The

Herring is an art and drama project which began life in South Tyneside.

It will tour the length of the east coast next year, hitting local

coastal communities on the way. Here's our arts reporter, Sharuna

Sagar. It's herring time again. Knives are sharp, lips are red, and

the fisher girls are ready. They were also known as the herring

lasses, following the fleets along the coast and meeting the catch at

each port. It was back breaking work from dawn to dusk, but these were

strong, resilient and independent women.

They lived as a community. Their stories have been mostly untold.

Without them, the herring industry... But now their story is

being told in a touring arts production which will include this

boat with a coat. What is that? It is going to cover the outside of the

boat. What are you making? Part of the inside of the boat. The Follow

The Herring tour along the east coast will feature a play about the

Eyemouth Fishing disaster of 1881, the worst the country has ever seen.

189 men died and communities were torn apart. The stories inside

display are to do with the lives that those communities lived. They

resonate all the way down the coast. We have people knitting, community

quires, `` choirs, it is a community project. That will be in May next

year. But right now the organisers here in South Shields are making a

casting call. The project is about fishing and knitting. And they need

your help. Because the thing they are short of is herrings The knitted

kind. Chaz the fisherman has made a few. Good work, Chaz. The first time

she has done any knitting. Time for sport now and a significant

transfer window departure at Sunderland in the last couple of

hours, but not one of the players, Dawn?

No, that's right. It's the Italian Director of Football Roberto De

Fanti who's left the club, or parted company as a two`line official

statement puts it. De Fanti was the man in charge of recruiting

Sunderland's 14 summer signings in a spending spree that has since been

largely discredited, especially after a disastrous start to the

season. Well, Gus Poyet will be hoping

Newcastle can do his Sunderland side a favour with victory at struggling

West Ham, managed of course by ex`Magpies boss Sam Allardyce. The

big question for the Black Cats is can they build on the

morale`boosting win which took them off the bottom of the Premier League

table? There's no question that Poyet

inherited a mess when he succeeded the sacked Paolo di Canio as head

coach in October. Too many summer signings failing to make their mark

and longer`serving players out of form, or out of favour. But is the

timing of Di Fanti's departure a surprise? Not at all. When you look

back at preseason, all their signings, Paulo di Canio identify

the type of player, and the quality of the player was not good enough.

Adding he wants to have the last say, shall we say, on the players

coming in and going out. Adam Johnson's hat`trick in the

surprise 4`1 win at Fulham last weekend has given the club new

belief ahead of the visit of Southampton, who have had their own

behind the scenes departure this week. Everything we have been doing

away from home, we want to bring that... I hope this situation will

help us. It is sad to say. They are still having a great season.

After his touchline rant during the unlucky defeat home defeat by

Manchester City, a contrite Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, who

escaped punishment by the FA, is giving himself community service.

I'm not proud of the comment I made and I am going to punish myself. I

have a couple of ideas that I would do, helping boys clubs in the area

and stuff like that. I will make sure I look after my local community

here. Four successive defeats in all

competitions might be misleading, but a fifth at West Ham, who are

getting key players like Andy Carroll back from injury, would be a

hard pill to swallow. Middlesbrough are on a bit of a roll

at the moment, unbeaten in five games and hoping to add another

three points tomorrow when they face Championship strugglers Charlton at

the Riverside. Wearing the keeper's jersey once again will be north east

shot`stopping legend Shay Given, one of only a handful of players to have

respresented all three of the north east's top teams.

Manager Aitor Karanka brought in Shay Given on loan from Aston Villa

two weeks after he took over from Tony Mowbray. It can be no

coincidence that the Irishman's arrival has been matched with a

characteristically modest keeper, who's extended his loan until the

end of Feb, would rather be playing every week in the Championship than

sitting on the bench in the Premier League. It's frustrating when you

are not playing, just training for nothing. I was delighted when the

manager brought me here. Put me straight in the time. I am delighted

to be back out there again. Would you like to stay until the end of

this season? It is out of my hands. I would much rather stay then go

back and not play at Aston Villa. It's a future that could even herald

a return to international action for the man who was Newcastle's number

one for 12 years. And the former Magpies' favourite admits he still

keeps an eye on his old team. Newcastle this year are doing really

well. Great credit to Alan Pardew and the staff. Sportsmen are

notoriously superstitious, of course, and it seems Middlesbrough's

recent run of good results may be down to a new dressing room pet as

much as anything else. Hollie the hamster. She came around Christmas

time and we had been unbeaten since then. Hopefully Hollie stays fit and

well because, in theory at least, Boro should keep their winning

streak going against strugglers Charlton tomorrow. We have to really

focus on playing the top of our game. Anyone can beat anyone.

Find out how Shay and the boys get on at the Riverside on BBC Tees.

League One Carlisle's attempt to overcome a badly`timed injury

crisis, at home to Colchester, is on Radio Cumbria. In League Two, York

City hope to continue their mini`revival against Bristol Rovers.

And BBC Tees DAB has Hartlepool's game at Fleetwood.

Hartlepool United's new signing, Marlon Harewood, goes straight into

the squad for that clash with high flying Fleetwood. The former

Newcastle United striker who signed after being released by Bristol City

a couple of weeks ago should add some firepower to Pools' attack.

After a tremendous run at the back end of last year, they have lost

their last two games 3`0 at Victoria Park. But the boss says there's no

reason to panic. Before that, we were unbeaten in the

league in December. We had not lost at home going back to September. At

the start of the season, people did not have a clue what we were doing,

through October, November and December, people thought we were the

best thing since sliced bread. I think the reality is somewhere in

between. We have to improve what is already at Hartlepool.

Good luck by the way to Colin Cameron, the new Berwick Rangers

boss, whose team take on Stirling. Finally cricket and another

demoralising defeat for England Down Under. They looked odds on to win

the second one day international in Brisbane. But, chasing 301 to win, a

late onslaught by James Faulkner, seen here hitting Durham's Ben

Stokes for six, saw the Aussies recover from 235 for eight to

inflict an eighth on England. Yorkshire's Tim Bresnan

hit for the decisive boundary. They must be gutted tonight. That is

depressing. A little bit of brightness for the

weekend. A little bit of everything in fact. Tomorrow, we are expecting

outbreaks of rain. Overnight tonight, mist and fog, particularly

for the Vale of York and the North Pennines. That fog will be dense by

Don. Temperatures lower than three Celsius. But still too mild for a

frost. The southeasterly breeze will bring in wet weather. Mist and fog

merging with low cloud and rain through the afternoon. Fairly grey

and dismal. Some drier spells, but also continuing showers. Saturday

afternoon, drive but cloudy across much of North Yorkshire and the

north`east. In the West, still showery. Top temperature here nine

Celsius. Still very mild for this time of year. Still raining heavily

across the leaks tomorrow afternoon. `` the Lakes. Low`pressure sweeps

its way across the UK tomorrow, bringing that wet weather. But by

Sunday, things are drier and brighter for a time. We are in

between weather systems for much of Monday as well. It should stay dry,

but quite cloudy over the next couple of days. Across the North

East, we are expecting it to Brighton for the day on Sunday.

Possibly a spell of rain on Monday, but most places will avoid it. The

weather looks even better in the West. On Sunday, some lovely blue

skies across Cumbria. Monday should also stay dry. Saturday gloomy,

getting better on Sunday. Tonight, I am doing the late news. I

will see you at 1025. Goodbye.