06/03/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

It was hailed as a massive infrastructure project, of national

significance. A new renewable power station to be built in

Northumberland ` bringing whth it hundreds of jobs, and hundrdds of

millions of pounds of investment. Planning permission for the biomass

plant was only granted last year. It would have been built on thd Blyth

estuary which is already hole to other renewable energy scheles. But

today the lights went out on the new power station, as Richard Thomas

reports. Battle Ship Wharf on the Blxth

Estury. This was to be the home of the North Blyth Biomass Powdr

Station. But even before thd foundations have been dug, or a

single brick laid, the comp`ny behind the project, have pulled the

plug. The renewable energy developer, RES, says uncert`inty in

the energy market has resulted in a key European investor pulling out,

so they just can't fund the project. And they say it's because of the

coalition's energy policies. The government have a different strategy

and policies to support different generation technologies and biomass

is only have been supporting for several years but they have changed

their policy, and that conthnual change means we are unable to make

the long term investment in this project.

The power station would havd been a large development. And would have

used imported sustainable wood to create the energy. The cost involved

would have been ?250 million. It would have taken two and a half

years to complete. Once operational the 100 megawatt power stathon would

have been able to supply eldctricity to more than 170,000 households

every year. For Blyth, it mdans the loss of hundreds of millions of

pounds of investment in the Northumberland economy. As well as

300 construction jobs and around 50 full time posts. But the local MP

says isn't all bad news. A lot of the local people were opposdd to the

power station in the first place, and on the other side of thd coin is

the fact there would have bden 0 full`time jobs here, and 300 jobs in

construction, so it is a mixed bag. Some will be happy and some unhappy.

The region does already havd a number of biomass plants. Hdre on

Teesside, at the Wilton complex this power station is one of the

biggest. Only last year, Business Secretary Vince Cable was bding

shown around, the Sembcorp facility very much held up as a succdss

story. But now it's his govdrnment that's being blamed for this new

power station failing beford it s even started.

And Richard's here now, so government policy being citdd as one

of the main reasons, what h`ve ministers had to say? Well, it's not

Vince Cable's business department this falls under, but rather the

department for energy and climate change. In a statement they said

they were disappointed that RES have decided not to take this project

forward, however they say it's very much a commercial decision for them.

The government says the UK hs one of the world's most attractive places

to invest in renewable energy, ranking second in the world for

biomass. With regards to thd governments electricity market

reforms, they say it'll delhver at least ?40 billion of investlent in

renewables between now and 2020 providing enough power for ten

million homes. But, for now, it looks as though Blyth won't be

making a contribution. They've failed to charge me, now thdy're

trying to blacken my character. The words of the former chairman of

Cleveland Police Authority, after it was revealed he claimed ?123,00 in

expenses in five years. Dave Mcluckie was one of ten people

arrested as part of multi`mhllion pound corruption investigathon.

Yesterday he, and all the others, were told they'd face no further

action. Stuart Whincup reports. He says he was the victim of a

witch`hunt. Labelled as corrupt his reputation has been destroydd by

smear and innuendo. Now he's considering suing for his wrongful

arrest. This has destroyed just about everyone who has been

involved. It has ruined carders destroyed my 25 years in public

life, all gone, completely wiped out. After four years and more than

?4.5 million, Operation Sacristy's failure to bring a single charge

brought much criticism. And questions over the credibilhty of

the entire force. We are very nearly at the point at which Cleveland

police would become untenable. Trust has been shaken over decades and

this is not just one decade. Although there were no crimhnal

charges, Cleveland Police today tried to show that Operation

Sacristy hadn't been a wastd of time and waste of money. It has released

hundreds of papers from the official investigation and on top of that,

details of hundreds of contracts, some given away without the proper

process, then there are the trips abroad than the internation`l travel

and bonuses for senior managers On top of this, credit card details for

all the people in top posithons Cleveland's former Chief Constable

Sean Price spent nearly ?58,000 on his corperate credit card on hotels,

travel and meals. The former Chief Executive of Cleveland Police

Authority, Joe McCarthy spent nearly ?80,000 on his credit card over the

same period. And the former chair of the

Authority, Dave Mcluckie, claimed over ?123,000 on his expensds, again

on hotels, travel and meals. If you are controlling a budget of

300 million and a private company, those expenses would be double what

hours were. Those expenses were legitimate expenses, claimed

legitimately. Cleveland Polhce says the people investigated havd now

left or been sacked and it's time to move on. It has been a long and

torturous process and has c`st a shadow on the organisation `s a

whole, but I am pleased the Crown Prosecution Service has comd to this

conclusion. But with the foler head of the police authority considering

suing for wrongful arrest, `nd the former Chief Constable now

challenging his sacking, moving on is not going to be easy.

The family of a County Durh`m woman who was found dead in the stairwell

of an American hospital, have begun legal action for damages. Lxnne

Spalding, who was originallx from Haswell, was found not far from her

bed at San Francisco General Hospital last October, 17 d`ys after

going missing. She was 57. Lawyers for her two American`born children

have filed a legal claim ag`inst the city, seeking unspecified d`mages.

The claim alleges negligencd on the part of the hospital and thd city's

Sheriff's Department. Eddie Stobart, the well known

Cumbria`based trucking business has new owners, after a controlling

stake was sold to private investors in a ?280 million deal. Stobart s

will use the proceeds to pax off debts and invest in its gredn

energy, and air and rail, interests. The firm transports woodchips to

biomass fuel plants. It's not clear yet what impact there'll be on jobs

in Cumbria. A house at Ripon in North Yorkshire,

which was damaged when a sinkhole opened 25 feet wide, has bedn

demolished. The owners had to be moved out, along with peopld in two

other homes, when the hole `ppeared last month. Yesterday the

100`year`old house was pulldd down. Other householders returned last

week, but there's still concern about the possibility of more holes.

The government has given thd go`ahead for seven North East

councils to join together, to try to boost the region's economy. The new

North East combined authority, which calls itself the LA seven, will

start work in April, covering an area from Berwick to Barnard Castle.

It won't replace the existing councils, but it will see them work

more closely together. Our Political Editor Richard Moss is here now

Richard, what will this new authority do? It will not elpty your

bends or run your library, that will rest with the existing seven

councils. What it will do is incorporate on the big stuff, which

roads should be improved and so on. It does not mean a huge flow of

money but they will be able to borrow money together. The

government have said no extra powers of resources will to learn tnless

they agree to join together. Isn't it just another layer of local

bureaucracy? Remember, Tyne and Wear council was abolished and voters

soundly rejected the idea of a regional assembly. Voters in 20 4

solid as a white elephant and a waste of time. The people bdhind

this saying it not matter and it is just an agreement for existhng

councils to work together btt there will be questions about staffing and

salaries and whether it will need offices headquarters. We do not know

the answer is as yet but thdre's not a lot of money around so we cannot

see them spending a huge amount The government has said that in the

future they may be able to have a directly elected mayor voted for by

people. What are the chances that seven different councils, all with

their own agendas, will acttally agree on a single course of action?

It is six middle`aged men and the women that are the leaders of these

authorities and you would think they got on famously but there h`ve been

problems. Sunderland Council almost torpedoed this because they thought

the power would reside firmly in Newcastle. It will be cruci`l that

they get this to work. They are all forming these combined authorities

and it will be NVQ for investment with powers from the governlent

Thank you. About 1500 shop and supermarket

workers across the region wdre today given a bonus equivalent to eight

weeks' salary. Staff at the John Lewis Partnership, a business owned

by the employees, share in the annual profits, as our Business

Correspondent, Ian Reeve, rdports. It's a countdown to a yearlx ritual.

What percentage of the salaries of John Lewis workers will be paid to

them as a bonus. The staff here at York's Waitrose are obviously

pleased with that, even thotgh last year they got 17%. It's still a

great perk to have. It is rdally good to be recognised for the hard

work we put ten and the bonts is higher than the a lot of people were

predicting. I was guessing 04 but it is 15. It makes a real diffdrence.

This is the one time of year you can treat yourself and it can m`ke a

difference. Something you could not otherwise afford. The pay`ott is

possible because the John Ldwis partnership made profits of ?37

million. This store that its bets. Since opening this has been a huge

success. We are continuing to grow and have a good presence in the

local area and the business is booming. Next year things whll be

different. New rules mean that most staff, or partners as they're

called, won't pay tax on thd bonus. A great perk will be even bdtter.

Still to come tonight, creating a new end of the pier show. And

success is sweet. The seaside ice`cream maker who's just scooped

his second national award. Handing out an award for thd web as

well, you can find out which picture has been chosen as the best of

February's selection. It's been battered by storms, served

as a second world war torpedo base and now it's due for a masshve

face`lift. Roker pier in Sunderland was completed in 1903, but now it's

about to close for a ?1.3 mhllion restoration. Eventually it's hoped

the tunnel that runs beneath it will also be open to the public. Peter

Harris has been for a look round. It was once hailed as a tritmph of

engineering and underneath hts head and secrets. A tunnel where the

names of the engineers' rel`tives were stamped for prosperity. It was

vital at one point in powerhng the building work above. This whll need

a lot of work before the public can be allowed in. It drops to `round

five foot eight in height. This tunnel was originally built soul it

could be reached in high se`s without the dangers of going over

the top. It is still used for rescues. First, a major restoration

above ground with the entird surface being replaced that the cost of more

than ?1 million. There is a fair bit of work to be carried out bdcause

she is suffering from the wdather conditions. We will do some pointing

work. It is a fantastic strtcture and was built to safeguard the

entrance to the river and still plays the role today. It once housed

torpedoes to repel any invading wartime ships. One day the public

might be able to emerge frol that tunnel onto the Lighthouse xear As

you can see, there's plenty to do to get the less into working order The

restored land tour guides bought sent to this day and the work means

closure of the pure for now and not all anglers are happy with the

council. ?75,000 on a gate! It is a disgrace. We have to make stre we

safeguard the structure as ht is great two listed. Some of the plans

depend on works being within the budget but much of it should be done

by Christmas. A shop in Whitley Bay in north

Tyneside has scooped the title of "Best strawberry ice`cream hn the

UK." Luciano Di Maeo has bedn coming up with the recipes for his shop for

the past 13 years, and it's the second year in a row he's won a top

award. Alison Freeman reports. You can see at mixing nicelx! He's

got the magic touch when it comes to ice`cream. Luciano di Maeo was named

Champion of Champions by judges at The National Ice cream compdtition

for his Strawberry flavoured ice`cream. Just a passion for ice

cream. We even try other people s wherever Riegel. As long as you keep

it fresh you will lock the flavour in. It's the second year Luciano's

ice`cream has come top at the competition. Last year his vanilla

flavour was voted the best hn the UK. We just want to keep thd ice

cream as natural and good and bring it to the north`east.

But he's not the first ice`cream maker in his family. His gr`ndfather

came from southern Italy to make his fortune in the North East to make

his fortune 100 years ago. @nd the tradition is being passed down from

generation to generation. Ltciano run this shop in Whitley Bax for 13

years. He deserves it because he spends a lot of hours and hd works

with his heart and soul, and that makes us very proud because we know

the business will carry on. He is always a step ahead and thinking of

something different. You cannot come here and not try the best ice cream

in the UK. Thank you very mtch. And with that, he can probably lake the

best in the world. Enjoying that job far too mtch!

What's your favourite flavotr? Mint chocolate chip. A friend of mine had

Chianti ice cream. Let's do some football.

A big problem for Middlesbrough Football Club in recent years is

getting attendance figures tp. They're still pushing as hard as

possible for people to get season cards. And one player has even been

to supporters' homes. Jonathan Swingler has more.

A major headache over the ydars has been dwindling attendance. For one

day only, this defender took to bringing door bells to deliver

season card renewal packs. The media circus was April. Rise. I thought it

would be one man and a camera. The premiership years, there was no

problem and everyone wanted to be there. What I really like is the

ones that bring young kids `nd families. It was not always that

way. The big news for supporters is that prices have been frozen again.

The player also spent time chatting to some baroque smack to sole of the

younger season`ticket players. It is one of the best experiences and I

think he is really good plaxer. He is amazing. He is pleased whth the

reception he has had on Teeside but just wants to see more people at

matches. The club is going for a family club of the year award so to

come here and see what they are doing and see what they are like, it

is great. I am not from this area but I have felt very welcomdd by

everyone and double back out and meet some people, it has bedn

brilliant and I am grateful. Watching them play recently has not

been easy for supporters with almost 12 frustrating hours of football

going by without a goal. We scored goals and we went and peopld will

come to support us. Fingers are being crossed for the forthcoming

match against Ipswich at thd weekend.

Rugby League Championship shde Workington Town have agreed a

development partnership with Super League champions Wigan Warrhors The

deal will mean Town are loaned players under the dual registration

scheme, tightening a relationship that has already seen three Wigan

youngsters temporarily joinhng the West Cumbrians this season.

Finally, disappointment for County Durham's undefeated light

welterweight boxer Bradley Saunders. Saunders, here on the right, had

been due to fight Ireland's former British and European champion Paul

McClosky on the undercard of the Stuart Hall world title defdnce in

Newcastle at the end of the month. But a knee injury has forced

McClosky to pull out. A new opponent is now being sought. Sorry, a

shortage of pictures there! Now it's almost time for the we`ther

prospects. But first, Hannah, important business on the c`lendar

front. It hardly seems possible but we are

into the second month of our competition and it is time to reveal

the winner of our February weather picture competition. This thme

around we've been to Berwick upon Tweed and we've handed the

responsibility to the youngdr generation at England's most

northerly school. Paul Moondy reports.

Well come to bury said Mary is. `` pierBerwick St Mary's..

From the displays on the cl`ssroom walls they look like an artx bunch

so let's meet the guest judges. My name is Scott and I am nine years

old. My name is Amy, I am ehght years old and I like reading. I am

nine years old and I love to play football. I am eight years old and I

have a pet hamster. My name is Kieran and I love playing cricket.

And to the task in hand with the headteacher lending a hand. After

what seemed like a doll February new weather pictures gave the children

plenty to discuss and with February being a month of long nights and

short days perhaps it is no surprise that the final short list contained

two night`time shots. The fhrst runner`up came from David Rhodes. I

think it looks like a big bdt rainbow and it looks like an unhappy

face because of the cloudy skies. The other runner`up was Andx Gray's

Northern light shot. It looks like one of those logos in movies at the

very start or the very end, it appears with the picture and then

the writing comes on the bottom It is a beautiful picture. And the

February when was a unanimots choice with Michael Connor's Tyneshde

picture taking the honours. It looks like a painting when I fall that all

that and looks really nice `nd symmetrical. It has an amazhng

picture. Well done, Michael Thank you very much and I whll

repeat the well done to Michael His image will appear on the February

page on next year's calendar, out in October.

The seasoning it will be brhght and breezy and very wet tonight.

Instability in the atmosphere has given us some beautiful clotds. We

can see some lenticular clotds, snapped by viewers across the

region. Can we look at the photos? This was not a UFO but the scene

this afternoon. Thank you vdry much indeed to the foot refers whth those

clouds often blamed for false UFO sightings around the world.

The seasoning, we are expecting it to continue to be cloudy with heavy

spells of rain in the West `nd a weather warning in place for heavy

and persistent rain. It is listy as well tonight and mild with

temperatures nor lower than between eight and 10 Celsius. A yellow

warning on the map for West Cumbria with heavy rain lasting into the

morning rush hour but slowlx the rain will start to clear and through

tomorrow morning it becomes bright and still breezy. Westerly through

the day and where you are sheltered a pleasant afternoon in shaping up.

Temperatures today rose to `round 11 Celsius and less days for tomorrow.

A few degrees above the average for this time of year. One or two

showers and the afternoon `` into the afternoon. Bright skies across

Cumbria with a Reg of high pressure. Looking at the big picture, the high

pressure moves in and low pressure takes its place from Friday

afternoon on words, so Saturday and Sunday looking much cloudier with

possibly spells of rain in the West. Let's look at the detail ovdr the

weekend. Temperatures staying reasonably mild despite the lack of

sunshine. Some bright spells and we are the sunshine breaks through

pleasantly springlike. Feelhng very nice on Sunday.

Thanks, Hannah, now for a l`st look at tonight's headlines. 21 xears

after Stephen Lawrence was lurdered, the Home Secretary has annotnced a

public inquiry into undercover policing, in response to a damning

review of Scotland Yard's h`ndling of the case.

And the developers of a planned biomass power station near Blyth in

Northumberland have scrapped the project. That's all for now. You can

join us later tonight, goodbye.