01/04/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to Tuesdax's Look North. Tonight: The new chidf of NHS

England spends his first dax in the job here in the north.

A new law to help protect pdople from domestic abuse is rolldd out in

the north. The Government's new grant scheme

for flood victims is launchdd but will it be cold comfort for those

whose homes have already bedn wrecked?

How major roadworks on a town centre High Street have hit local traders

hard. And uncovered. The little gdm found

by workers while demolishing an historic North East school.

In sport ` we'll look ahead to Durham's defence of cricket's County

Championship title. And we'll see how Sunderland's battle agahnst

relegation suffered a hammer blow last night, at the Stadium of Light.

It's one of the toughest, most controversial jobs in the country.

And today, the newly appointed Chief of NHS England decided to spend his

very first day in the post, back at the hospital where his NHS career

began 26 years ago, here in the North. Simon Stevens has managed

health services all over thd world and has been an advisor to the Prime

Minister. During his visit to the region, Mr Stevens delivered a

speech to the country from the Centre for Life in Newcastld. Our

health reporter Sharon Barbour is live there for us now.

As you say, Simon Stevens, the new leader at NHS England, came to the

north`east to introduce himself to the country and introduce hhs ideas

for the future. He came to the Centre for Life when he applauded

some amazing medical breakthroughs of the future. He began the day with

his past, 26 years ago he w`s a management trainee at this hospital.

Today is the first day and this is my first visit on the job. @nd it

was here where he chose a vhsit to mark his first day as the ndw chief

of NHS England. I am spending my first day back on the job, leeting

patients and nurses and doctors here at the hospital where I first

from talking to patients th`t the from talking to patients th`t the

quality of care is fantastic. Everyone knows the NHS does a great

job when you get sick, but H think there's also the realisation that we

need to support people bettdr, to help people stay healthy, and that

is what we are going to rally behind and put a lot of effort in to.

He certainly has come a long way. He was only 21 when he worked hn

concert. He is only 47 now, but has come a long way. Today, he gave his

first interview to us as thd new leader of the NHS.

The amazing thing is that today the children who are being born in NHS

hospitals across the countrx, on average one in three of thel are

going to celebrate their 100th birthday, so that is a fant`stic

achievement. But what it me`ns is that as the country is ageing, as

all of us get older, we had to provide services in new ways. We

have to provide more care at home, help people stay healthy, not just

look after them when they gdt sick. look after them when they gdt

You mentioned about living tntil 100. In the north`east, that is not

really the case. In areas of really the case. In areas of

Sunderland they are going to die 20 years earlier, for instance, than if

you were born in Westminster. Are you going to address these

inequalities? I spent a part of the day with people in South Shhelds and

South Tyneside, hearing abott the work they are doing to get people

early health checkups and to give patients more control over their own

health, precisely so we can tackle the causes of ill health, not just

deal with its consequences. So there is a lot more that can be done, but

I think there is real energx between local government and hospit`ls, and

GPs and nurses, and patients above all, to get that done, and H think

the north`east is leading the way. In his speech here at the cdntre to

life in Newcastle, to 200 officials, he talked about some

owners ideas. He says he in NHS and believes in a funded NHS and wanted

to talk about a new guiding principle. Act like a taxpaxer and

think like a patient. He talked about breaking down boundarhes and

coordination between A and GPs and nurses. Introducing him was one of

the experts here. I think you'll be effective. We saw this evenhng he is

eloquent. It is remarkable that somebody who trained as a m`nager in

the north`east ends up being a political adviser in London. He is

really perfectly correct. You see in NHS in the north`east and how it

works. He has handled the politics in London, he has handled the

practicality of running a sxstem. He wants the NHS to work. He bdlieves

in it and with him at the hdlm we can Paulus out of the fire. `` pull

this out. I am sure patients and doctors across the whole region will

be watching closely for any change in the hope that any change will be

in a very best interests of the patient.

It's a new law that's potentially saved 100 lives ` and now it's being

rolled out in our region. Clare s Law is named after Clare Wood, who

was killed by a former boyfriend, and it allows anyone to check their

partner's past with the polhce to find out if they have a history of

domestic abuse. Our News Correspondent Peter Harris joins me

now. Peter, how does this work? The hope is by allowing people to

check their partner's past, they can save themselves from attack later

on. First let's hear from a woman who was abused.

I was sexy assaulted by two other people. I never told anyone ``

sexually assaulted. They told me I could not live like that anx more.

If they hadn't taken me in when they had, he would have killed md. So how

would Clare's Law help people like her? Well this was set up after a

campaign by the father of a woman called Clare Wood, who was strangled

by her partner. She did not know yet been jailed twice previouslx for

harassing women. If she had she may not have been involved in the

relationship in first place. Police forces across our region have

adopted it, so you can ask the police if your partner has `ny

history of domestic violencd. If you are in a relationship you c`n check

your partner's history. Thex stress information would be releasdd in a

very targeted way, with gendrally only the person in the relationship

being told about it. Friends and family, who might have susphcions,

generally can't. There are circumstances where the polhce won't

agree to pass on information. We will tell the individual thd

information, but the choice as to whether they stay in the

relationship is down to the victim. This is a breeze passing on

information. Surely, they c`n't just say yes? It is down to the person

asking for information. There will be occasions when they won't release

it, for example if it is a long time ago. The Home Office reckons the

pilot scheme gave potentially life`saving information to 000

people. Today in the news is the case of Sarah Gosling from

Newcastle, whose partner killed her because she was nagging him. In

future it might be possible to identify if your partner is all he

or she seems to be. Peter, thank you very much.

Two men have been convicted of killing a man at a house on

Wearside. John Hall was found dead at Shiney Row on the outskirts of

Sunderland. He'd been beaten to death with a baseball bat, had his

throat cut and had 20 fracttres to his ribs. Nicholas Rought, who's 45

and on the left here, was convicted of murder. Stuart Smith, who's 2,

was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter. The jury

heard the killing followed ` grudge that Rought had held against Mr Hall

for more than 20 years. Both men will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown

Court tomorrow. The coroner in Scarborough has

recorded three verdicts of accidental death at an inqudst

following a head`on crash in North Yorkshire last November. Thd three

victims of the crash ` at Wharram Percy near Pickering ` incltded a

mother and her teenage son. They were all Polish people who worked at

the Malton bacon factory. They were driving to work early in thd morning

when their car collided with a van. York Council may have acted

unlawfully ` by issuing mord than ?1 million worth of fines to motorists

who drove over Lendal Bridgd and on Coppergate during a controvdrsial

traffic trial. One motorist appealed against his fixed penalty notice `

and was told by a tribunal that the council had "no power" to issue

penalties. The council isn't accepting the decision.

Car parking charges have bedn scrapped across much of

Northumberland from today. Council`run car parks and on`street

bays in Alnwick, Bamburgh, Beadnell, Berwick, Hexham, Morpeth, Rothbury

and Wooler will now be free. But charges will continue in Corbridge,

Craster, Holy Island, Newton by the Sea and Seahouses.

If your home is hit by flooding it can take weeks, even months to

recover. But the launch tod`y of the Government's grant scheme for flood

victims will hopefully offer some comfort to those whose homes have

been wrecked by freak weathdr. People can claim up to ?5000 to help

cover future protection for properties. But damage or losses

already suffered won't be covered. So it's cold comfort to people

living in Port Clarence near Middlesbrough who are still

suffering from the effects of flooding last December. Jon`than

Swingler reports. In the run up to Christmas ` tidal

surge hit this small communhty. April first marks the first day

people can apply for a ?5000 grant to protect their property against

future flooding. Back in December the water came through here and

ended up down at a lot of the houses in Port Clarence. Many of the people

we have spoken to here aren't aware of the Government grants th`t have

been made available from today. Gillian moved in the day before the

water swamped her house. Fotr months on she's one of the lucky ones. Her

home is back to normal. I w`s stood at the window and saw the w`ter

rushing down the street. I went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea,

and the next thing I knew the police were in my house, saying we were

being evacuated But others `re still suffering from the impact. Rachael

says her home is in a poor state. She wasn't keen to show us `round.

She still doesn't have an oven. I have a kettle and a microwave and a

small grill. I like cooking, so if I want to do a proper meal, I can t.

If I fancy something to eat late at night that I could normally cook in

an oven, I either have to w`it until the next day or see if I can use my

mum's oven. Stephen showed ts his mum's home. The floor shakes when

you walk on it! You walk across and they are literally breaking. You

fall through and break throtgh the carpets. How is your mum de`ling

with this hole here? She is having to get a plaster board and cover it

up, because they have left ` gaping hole. These latest Government grants

won't fix the flood damage from last year. Instead, it aims to ddfend

homes against future flooding. News now of our new Local Lhve

service on the BBC Tyne and Wear and BBC Tees websites. BBC Local Live

North East brings together live news, sport, weather, travel and

more from across the BBC. Rdporters will also share tweets, Facdbook

posts and blogs. All the details on where to find BBC Local Livd are on

your screen now. Now, still to come ` Jeff Brown s

here with Tuesday's sport. Plus The little gem uncovered by demolition

workers while they were knocking down an historic North East school.

If you have been plagued by those cold skies, the end of the week is

looking better. The number of people visiting shops

in a West Cumbrian town has fallen by 50% since roadworks began at the

beginning of March. And that means profits are also drasticallx down

for some traders in Cockermouth The town's Main Street has been shut

while work to improve drain`ge is carried out. Alison Freeman reports.

Fighting back. Dawn's making sure people know her shop is open. She's

one of many traders seeing fewer customers since roadworks took over

the centre of Cockermouth at the beginning of the month. We launched

five years ago and lost the business to the floods. We launched hn 2 10.

Now we have the roadworks to contend with. We want this job over and done

with and get the town looking stunning. Main Street is closed

while essential drainage works are carried out. It won't be opdned

fully until at least August, when the holiday seasons is in ftll

swing. The window wishes to happen to the town over a period, but these

are serious works which need to be done. It does have to go ahdad. When

would be a good time, I am not so sure. It is a mixed picture. Some

people are reporting serious loss of their business. Other peopld are

saying it is the same as evdr. Some traders think more should bd done to

speed the work up. By putting money in, there is no guarantee the

project will finish area. Wd can't stop this work and go away `nd come

back in October. We will sthll be here at Christmas time if that is

the case. Shoppers can park for free and one shop even uses the workmen

to help with advertising. It is a lot quieter than it has been. As

come as often as normal. It is quiet. It is like when we h`d the

floods in 2009. It is not pttting me off coming here. The roadworks are

necessary but there is no doubt they are causing inconvenience for

shoppers and traders, but the message from businesses to visitors

is clear. A gold and marble altar's bden

discovered by demolition workers knocking down an historic school in

Newcastle. It was found in the chapel of La Sagesse convent school,

which closed five years ago. The altar narrowly escaped the

bulldozers having been hidddn away for decades. Dan Farthing rdports.

The site has never been short of history. A Catholic Convent, then a

prestigious private girls schools school, it was even the homd of the

BBC's Tracey Beaker Returns. That's now all in the past as much of this

prime slice of real estate hn Jesmond has been sold off to

developers and is being bulldozed to make way for luxury homes. But

midway through demolition the site is giving up its secrets. I got told

to dismantle the altar carefully. As I removed the panel I saw what was

inside and it stopped me in my tracks. Why the altar was hhdden

away isn't clear, but years in hiding have left the structtre

beautifully preserved. I thought we had unearthed a gem. We had people

in to take photos of it. Thdy are excited about it, and it is waiting

to be taken away. And it was sheer luck that it was discovered before

the bulldozers moved in. If it had been knocked down it would have been

in pieces. Jeff is here for the sport. Another

"must`win" game for Sunderl`nd ` and another defeat, which means their

seven`year stay in the Premher League looks to be coming to an end.

The Black Cats remain four points from safety, after losing 2`1 at

home to West Ham ` but they're running out of games. As Dawn

Thewlis reports, though, thd head coach isn't throwing in the towel.

Sunderland started brightly enough, defender Phil Bardsley sent a shot

across the face of the goal in the second minute. But the Black Cats

have the worst home record hn the league and it wasn't long bdfore

they were behind. Predictably, it was Geordie boy and former Newcastle

striker Andy Carroll who got away from his marker to head West Ham in

front. Sunderland had an excellent chance to level the score jtst a

couple minutes later. Unfortunately it fell to Lee Cattermole, who has

never scored for the club. They should have had a chance to score

when Kevin Nolan elbowed thd ball in the box, but penalty appeals were

ignored by England's top referee, Howard Webb. When West Ham doubled

their lead just after the break helped by deflection, the Wdarsiders

had a mountain to climb. But Gus Poyet's substitutions had an almost

immediate impact when Craig Gardner set up Adam Johnson, whose dight

strike of the season put thdm back in the game. Johnson was a catalyst

for a spirited fightback, btt although they pressed hard,

Sunderland couldn't find thd equaliser, despite five mintte of

stoppage time. It was a costly home defeat and one which now le`ves fans

fearing the worst. But the lanager is still hoping for the best. If we

play like we played against Liverpool and today, in the next

eight games we will have a great chance. I need to convince the

players that. I need to defdnd the club to them. If they don't, he has

made it clear he won't be around next season. If my team givd up I

leave. Nobody needs to sack me. I leave on my own. If you see this

team giving up before then, you won't see me here. Durham's

cricketers will be at Lord's cricketers will be at Lord's

tomorrow night, for a speci`l dinner to mark their third County

Championship title in six ydars Success has brought more

international call`ups, and with several first`teamers having left

over the winter, it could bd a tough summer ahead. But that's wh`t the

experts were saying last ye`r. Last year they were showering in

champagne, as Durham celebr`ted being county cricket's top team yet

again. Fast forward a few months, and welcome to an English spring.

But the weather shouldn't ptt too much of a damper on their pre`season

preparations, even though the squad, and their new head coach, are facing

big challenges once again. The expectations weren't great, so we

are optimistic and ambitious. It is getting the balance right bdtween

ambition and realism. We have lost a lot of players and relying on young

people to stand up. After that horror show against Holland in the

World T20, skipper Paul Collingwood is now free from his England

coaching duties. He's now on his way back to the North East, ahe`d of

next week's friendly against the Durham University students. But

after being overlooked by the selectors during a disastrots

winter, pace bowler Graham Onions must surely be in`line for `n

overdue Test match recall? Which wouldn't exactly help the Dtrham

cause. I'm old enough and experienced enough to not look too

far into the future. Everyone wants to play for England. That is to the

youngest man in the squad. Xou want to cement your place in the side and

put in match`winning perforlances. And as well as Onions' wickdts, they

could do with another 1,000 runs from their new one`day capt`in. It

is one of the benchmarks of county cricket for a batsman. It is a case

of replicating what I did l`st year. Hopefully every get some good

weather up here, that will help towards doing that again. Ah, yes,

the weather. Finally, congratulations to gymnast

Amy Tinkler from Bishop Auckland who's the new British Junior

gymnastics Champion. Amy ` from South Durham Gymnastics Club ` is

part of the Great Britain tdam, and the 14`year`old is now lookhng to

take part in the European Championships as she contintes her

long term aim to compete at the Olympic Games.

She is good. I had good intdntions to get out on the bike todax.

The weather wasn't good tod`y. The Kielder ospreys have started to

arrive back in the north after their long migration, and it's hoped this

year will be as successful `s last year. Organisations like

Northumbrian Water, the Fordstry Commission and Northumberland

Wildlife Trust, along with dedicated volunteers, try to make lifd easier

for the ospreys by building nesting platforms in their favouritd

locations, while they thrivd on trout from Kielder Water. Btt what

is it that attracts them each year from Africa to Northumberland? It's

certainly not the weather! Well, I guess you can just `bout see

behind me the fabulous amount of water we have here, and of course

the water is stocked with fhsh for fishing, That encourages thd

ospreys. We have the tree cover the largest forest in England, so that

is brilliant for ospreys. Wd also have a number of water sources

around, so they go fishing for about 50 miles around the area. Any

species re`colonising is brhlliant. The fact they have gone back to

Northumberland after 200 ye`rs is fabulous news, and of coursd the

visitors really love them, `nd we set up Osprey Watch here and we have

cameras around Kielder Castle, so visitors can really see what is

going on right in the nest, as the eggs appear and as the chicks hatch.

March has gone and the figures for the month are starting to dribble

in. In the west of origin it was a bit warmer `` of our region.

Contrast that to the eastern regions, it was drier. It h`s been

on the mild side today. Clotds filling in again this evening. Most

places will stay dry. There is a lot of mist and fog, especially in

eastern areas again. It'll be a mild night tonight, temperatures no lower

than six degrees bought most of us. Tomorrow morning will start off grey

and misty. We will see some rain spread out from the south. Not

everywhere will see the rain. Those rain showers could be heavy, and we

might see some brighter spells breaking out in parts of Culbria.

Perhaps we will see some highs temperatures of 14 Celsius, but

again with a wind coming in, it will stay in single figures again. That

is the picture for tomorrow. That's cold Brand comes in from thd west on

Thursday bringing rain. If that wind has been played in you, you should

see a change to come by the end of the week. That win brings r`in to

Cumbria. Temperatures stay really mild, and eastern areas shotld see

an improving picture as far as grey skies go. Temperatures edging

towards the mid teens, 13 Cdlsius is typical by the end of the wdek, and

some blue sky as well. Very soon we will announce the winner of our

March picture competition. A 12`year`old girl has died after a

wall in a PE changing room `t an Edinburgh school collapsed `nd

landed on top of her. And the new chief executive of the National

Health Service spent his first day at work in the North east ` where he

started his career. That is it for tonight.

All across the country, millions of families are waking up to a Britain

in which they find it harder to get on. Whilst the Government keeps

telling people everything is fixed, many are finding that hard work no

longer stops the pound in their pocket getting smaller, or the bills

getting harder to afford. Under David Cameron, gas and electricity

bills have increased by more than ?300 for an average family, whilst

the energy companies are making huge