11/02/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

That's all from the team here in news where you are.

Welcome to Tuesday's Look North. In tonight's headlines: spiralling

clean`up costs ` an influential group of MPs describes the price of

decommissioning Sellafield as "astonishing".

A Northumberland coach company is accused of falsifying driver

records. Searching for a safer net ` a new

poll suggests some parents are out of touch with the dangers their

children face online. And the region's oldest company is

facing closure through lack of demand.

In sport: we hear from Gus Poyet as Sunderland go in search of their

first win at Manchester City in more than 30 years.

And the unique link`up with Northern Ireland that's helping Team

Northumbria climb netball's Superleague.

An influential group of MPs has condemned the rising costs of

de`commissioning at Sellafield as "astonishing". The Public Accounts

Committee has been told that the cost to the taxpayer of cleaning up

the nuclear site has risen to ?70 billion. It comes just a year after

the same group of MPs criticised delays and over`spends at the plant.

This is the third time the committee has looked at the spiralling costs

of clean up at the nuclear site, and each time members have been highly

critical. In one instance, the cost of one project almost doubled to

?730 million in just over a year. MPs say it's just not good enough.

The consortium of companies that were brought in to improve

efficiency on the site have walked away with ?230 million and have not

added to the efficiency. They have not project managed. They have

brought in people from outside who earn an average of ?300,000 per

year. That is a lot for this region. And yet the nuclear decommissioning

authority has simply renewed their contract.

In their defence these companies say that what we are dealing with at

Sellafield is a unique and complex challenge. They say that in the past

12 months, progress has been made since the last report by the Public

Accounts Committee. The knowledge that the latest report suggests

things must improve. The committee has now issued a string of

recommendations to the NBA, including setting out how it will

review the performance. `` N D a. People should have made arrangements

for disposing of dangerous nuclear waste and that did not happen. We

are now dependent on this organisation to get a grip and to

improve its performance. So Mark, what happens if these costs continue

to spiral out of control? 's Jeff, you've heard a few of the

recommendations that Margaret Hodge and the Public Accounts Committee

have made in the light of their report.

Chief among them is this insistence that the contract that the NDA

renewed with the NMP last year should be looked at again just 12

months down the line. And Margaret Hodge is quite clear ` if problems

persist, if costs continue to go uip, if NMP continue to make the

kind of mistakes the committee has accused them of, then Margaret Hodge

says the contract should be torn up. And earlier today, the Copeland MP,

Jamie Reed said he welcomed this report and said "business as usual

is NOT an option." So some pressure all round to get this under control

` the NDA and the NMP told us in statements that they believe they

will. A North East coach company is being

being taken to court, accused of falsifying driver records. Howard

Snaith Coach Travel runs a number of school bus services. The case is

expected to go before magistrates next month.

This family run company has been accused of falsifying their driver

records. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency has been

investigating their tachograph charts. It's understood the charges

relate to how many consecutive days drivers have been behind the wheel.

And how many rest days they've taken. Northumberland County Council

has 60 school transport contracts along with six public bus services

with Howard Snaith Coach Travel. The company has been operating since

1971. They started out as a one man operation before buying more and

more coaches. They run trips to places such as Harrogate and

Edinburgh. Along with their school bus services. The owners say they

are appalled by the allegations. Rather than answering questions they

would only read out a brief statement.

We deny any wrongdoing. The first hearing is some weeks away and so

far we have not been served any evidence. This is all I can say

right now. You cannot tell us how you feel?

No comment. VOSA tell us the case is due before

Newcastle Magistrates on the fourth March.

Howard Snaith Coach Travel's solicitors say they strongly deny

any wrongdoing. The A1 was closed in both directions

in North Yorkshire today as emergency services dealt with a

lorry fire. It happened at Dishforth, near Junction 49. Smoke

from the blaze blew across both carriageways and diversions were put

in place. No`one was hurt. The new head teacher of one of

Workington's troubled secondary schools left his last job at an

academy in North Tyneside after just four months. David Dawes became head

teacher of failing Stainburn School yesterday. It's in the running to be

turned into an Academy with Southfield Technology College. Mr

Dawes led the controversial merger of a private school with a primary

to create the King's Priory Academy in North Tyneside. He stood down at

Christmas over what were called "vision differences".

More than ?4 million is to be spent on flood prevention schemes in

County Durham over the next 14 months. The areas earmarked for the

cash have been identified following significant flooding caused by

extreme rainfall in 2012. Eleven schemes have been approved and work

on two of them will start as early as next month.

Parents are still out of touch when it comes to the dangers faced by

children and teenagers using the internet. That's according to a BBC

poll, out today, in support of Safer internet day. Almost one in five

children who use tablets or smartphones said they'd been upset

by something they'd seen online in the last year, and half were worried

by sexual content. Stephanie Cleasby joins me in the

studio now. So many parents are unaware of the negative impact that

the internet can have on children. More than 4000 adults and children

were spoken to and almost one in five children who have used tablets

or smartphones said they were upset by something they had seen online.

Half of them were worried by sexual content. This is double the figure

that parents thought. The majority of children are using devices and

supervised. Some schools are making tablets part of the learning

process. I went to one school in Newcastle to talk to some children

there. Mostly today we have learned about the dangers on the internet.

My parents check my Facebook everyday.

You have to be careful who you talk to. People can send you messages and

you don't know who they are so you need to be careful who you are

talking to. My mum and dad use the same websites at home.

What do the experts say? With children spending more time

online than ever before for education, playing games or

socialising, lessons in internet safety are now more important than

ever. An expert at this conference today believes that the online world

needs to be better policed. You need to be a celebrity to get protection

these days. If you are being bullied online. If you are just some child

at school, then you suffer in silence. That is not good enough and

there needs to be a better solution. It is time for parents to do more

but also for this Government to sit up and take notice.

The message is that for young people they should feel safe online and

report anything that upsets them. Also that parents should feel

confident to discuss internet with children.

They've been educating children in the countryside for hundreds of

years, but many small village schools have received a stark

warning: change the way you operate or face possible closure. In North

Yorkshire alone, nine rural schools have closed in recent years against

a back drop of council cuts and falling pupil numbers. Plans are now

being considered by North Yorkshire County Council that would see every

school sharing their expertise and even head teachers. It may be a

small village school but there are few with views like this. Kellbank

School has been teaching children for 200 years. It is reliant on just

to surrounding villages for its pupils.

I like it here because everybody welcomes you with open arms. If you

get something wrong able help you. Kellbank School is one of 75 schools

in north Yorkshire with fewer than 50 pupils. How does a small school

like this survived when faced with cuts and pupil numbers rising or

falling? For the last few years, Kellbank School has had a secret

weapon. This woman is a business manager.

It has worked for us. It is a model that seems to have made a

difference. We can direct the resources where we need to.

Across this region, many village schools have not been so fortunate.

In Cumbria, five village schools have been lost in recent years.

Across the North East, other schools have also gone. Nine village schools

have been lost in North Yorkshire. Here in the Yorkshire Dales, this

small school has taken steps to secure its own long`term future. The

school has developed a working partnership with the nearby

secondary school. To make financial savings, this man has been appointed

headteacher of both schools. He travels between them two or three

times a week. The partnership means that both schools can share teaching

expertise and save thousands of pounds.

I think the days of very small schools having just one headteacher

and working in isolation are gone. Through working in partnership we

can not only sustained education in the area, but improve it as well.

Some small schools have struggled to attract headteachers or qualified

teachers, given the uncertainty over their future. This has potential to

guaranteed education and make sure that is of highest quality.

It is a format which the council says could transform the way that

education is delivered. A working partnership that would also throw a

lifeline to many of our rural schools. Now, it's the region's

oldest business but its days are coming to an end. Peter Hutchinson's

tailoring company in the tiny North Yorkshire village of Westow was

founded 326 years ago. It once employed 30 people, but the hunting

jacket maker today has just one employee.

Peter Hutchinson is an eighth`generation tailor. His

business more than 300 years old. He's also the last tailor in the

North handmaking hunting jackets ` or pinks as they're called ` whether

scarlet, blue or black. It's an industry whose influence ` and

workers ` he's seen wither away. We had thousands of people in the

past. But now all work is diverted abroad. So for Peter, now 80, and

his assistant Anne, this is a way of life drawing to a close.

So what next for a business started in the reign of James II?

I will just run it for as long as I can. Once upon a time there were

proper tailors in every town. But now that is all gone. Everything now

comes from large department stores. It is a shame. Small companies are

dying out. But when Peter sews his last, his

ledgers will remain. This one from 1918 when his father was away

fighting in the Great war, the writing his grandfather's.

Jacket, best and trousers costing ?4 and ten shillings. Peter will now

stitch and sew away the time until the last pink is made and his

tailoring days are over. Still to come tonight: disappointing

news for a Cumbrian figure skater. A Durham housing estate is the

temporary home for a bird who should be wintering in the Caribbean.

And a full weather forecast coming up. Snow and ice tonight.

It divided communities up and down the country. And in the coming

weeks, people involved in the miners' strike will be remembering

its 30th anniversary. To mark the milestone, a theatre company is

taking a special production of the stage play Brassed Off to York and

Darlington and around the country. It tells the story of a colliery

facing the threat of closure, through the eyes of the community

brass band. Scenes like these will be etched into the memories of

people on both sides of the picket line. This year, those who were not

even born when the strike happened are helping to mark the anniversary.

She plays the lead in a special anniversary tour of Brassed Off.

I am named after a small mining village. That is where my mother

grew up. It is a college town. `` eight colliery town. I am looking

forward to doing this. I will be very proud.

After York, Brassed Off takes the story further north to Darlington

Civic Theatre in March. Memories came flooding back for some of those

who lived through the real thing. The divisions that caused among

people, some were in favour and some were not. We were told there were

years of work and then told we only had five years left. They made

redundant in a matter of weeks. It is amazing how relevant it still

is. Everyone is still so emotional about it. The recent death of Mark

Thatcher has brought a lot back. There is no danger of the strike 's

leading into distant memory. A new generation are keen to learn about

what happened. It is personal interest, why I came to hear about

the strike. My family were involved. I wanted to find out more.

It was early in 1984 when strikes were called here, followed a few

days later by the Durham miners. For thousands of families across the

region, there was devastation. There is no doubt that the memories of

what happened will be told for years to come.

Brassed Off was a great film. It should be a good stage play.

Sunderland go looking for their first top`flight win at Manchester

City tomorrow for 32 years. The Black Cats will be without defender

Wes Brown who begins the first of a two`match ban for his red card in

Saturday's home defeat to Hull. But otherwise there are no new selection

worries. And although a trip to the Etihad will be seen as the most

daunting of outings ` manager Gus Poyet is taking confidence from his

side's current run of six unbeaten Premier League games on the road.

We need to be solid, strong, make good decisions and be brave enough

to pass the ball and attack and try to put Man City on the back foot.

There are plenty of things I want to do well. The main thing is that for

whatever reason so far this team has been feeling more comfortable away

from home. In League One, Carlisle, who're just

one point above the relegation zone, have a crucial game against Bradford

tonight at Brunton Park ` boss Graham Kavanagh could hand a first

start to on`loan Wigan midfielder Daniel Redmond.

Team Northumbria has linked up with an international side in a unique

partnership which they hope will make their netball team more

competitive in the Superleague. The deal will also help Northern Ireland

as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by giving them the

top competition they can't get at home and it already seems to be

working. Team Northumbria's netballers came

bottom of the Superleague last season. But now with Northern

Ireland players on board and new signings on the roster, they hope it

will be their most competitive season yet.

It's just looking at how we delivered over the last few years,

it hasn't been particularly successful. We've looked at how we

can change it and who we can work with, how it benefits the franchise,

how'd ultimately benefit women's sport and netball. Ultimately we'll

become more competitive, get better staff, and better people coming to

the North East and Newcastle. Northern Ireland called Kate

Carpenter takes over as head coach from Lisa Stanley Craig, who becomes

her assistant. The Northern Ireland girls train in Belfast during the

week while the Northumbria half of the team go through their paces in

Newcastle. The team comes together only on match days.

It's working quite well at the minute. We've done a few pre`season

tournaments, Northern Ireland for three days, that was good. It's hard

with a small training group, but what we do is concentrate on more

individual things. And when the team comes together it gels really well.

So far so good and under new captain Darcie Worsdale, they followed up a

narrow defeat to champions Bath with victory over Celtic Dragons and drew

with Yorkshire Jets last night. We've got a new dynamic and it's

exciting to be at the forefront of the bunch of girls who want to train

as hard as they can and are always working for each other. It works

really well. At the Winter Olympics there's been

disappointment this evening for the Cumbrian figure skater David King

with his partner and fiancee Stacey Kemp. Sadly the duo struggled in the

pairs short programme at Sochi. This tumble meant the pair ended up with

a lower than hoped mark from the judges and were facing elimination

from the tournament with the competition still in progress.

Now, if you think the North East weather has been a bit miserable of

late, spare a thought for a very special visitor to the region which

should have been enjoying the sunshine thousands of miles away.

This Yellow`rumped Warbler from North America was spotted during the

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch two weeks ago. Its location was kept quiet at

first ` but it was revealed at the weekend that the warbler had set up

home on a housing estate outside Durham. Soon the twitchers were

flocking. It should be sunning itself in the

Caribbean but instead this North American Yellow`rumped Warbler is

wintering in County Durham. The bird is thousands of miles from home `

but these twitchers have travelled some distance too.

We set off at 5:15am and got here just in time for the bird to show.

Brilliant views. We came from Essex this morning. This is the first time

we have seen this bird. We are all bird`watchers and when something

like this comes on the news, we travel around the country. We were

able to see the bird this morning. Enterprising birders have attracted

the bird out of its favoured garden with a feeding station in a nearby

hedge. It was a delicate location. It was

on a housing estate and we had negotiations over the last ten days

with the lady whose garden was frequented by the bird. Kindly, she

has allowed bird`watchers to learn of the presence of the bird.

Such a sighting is not am president. That might not unprecedented.

Another similar bird was found in a housing estate in Kent a few years

ago. People living here are hoping that this bird will keep a lower

profile. Good evening. If you have been

waiting for snow to arrive, you may have seen some. As we head into

tonight, snow and ice are the things to watch out for. Clear spells in

between. You could see icy patches even if you do not see snow. The

rain and hills now cleared away eastwards and there was some sun but

then this band of showers came in at tea`time. The showers will become

less frequent as we head through the evening. Watch out for icy patches.

Temperatures down to minus one Celsius. Wins are fairly light

overnight. Tomorrow, many places drive. The dry weather does not last

long. Most of the snow will be restricted to high ground tomorrow.

Exceptionally gusty winds to come. 70 mph. Perhaps even stronger. That

could do some damage. Difficult travelling conditions. It will stay

and settled over the next few days. More strong wind on Thursday. Some

blustery showers. Things quieten down on Friday. But on Friday night

we have this weather system heading our way. Some rain at times in

Cumbria and hills now, gusty winds and again on Thursday. Drier on

Friday before that next low area of pressure spreads in for the weekend.

Thanks. Finally tonight, a look at the

headlines: an influential group of MPs has condemned the rising costs

of de`commissioning at the Sellafield plant in Cumbria as

"astonishing". That's all from us, have a good

evening.