14/12/2011 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West tonight with Ranvir Singh and it

Roger Johnson. Thousands of people out of work in

the north-west as used unemployment more than doubles. Some employers

tell us they are disappointed with those they take on.

A lot of the lads we take on, just for them to get out of bed, they

won't get out of bed or go to college.

Also in the programme, trapped in her own home, the 84-year-old stuck

in her flat for three months because the lift is broken.

Everything is such a big effort to do it. I have to keep stopping and

sitting down in between. The lights are up, but they are not

on, how are row over health and safety has taken the sparkle out of

Christmas for one Cheshire family. I'm still fighting - Amir Khan

tells us he is appealing against his world title defeat and hopes

his belts will be handed back. Did you believe the result could be

overturned deep down? I think it can be, definitely can

We catch up with our pantomime crew as they prepare for open and night.

Thousands of young people in the north-west are out of work, and

that figure is getting bigger. In fact, in the last year of the

number of people who have been unemployed for more than six months

has a more -- more than doubled. You might expect figures to go up

in a recession, but some employers say the downturn is not the only

thing to blame, saying young people like not only the skills but the

desire to work. This week we are looking at the big economic figures

with our Economics Correspondent. Tonight those figures are grim

indeed. 301,000 people are required indeed. 301,000 people are required

in the north-west, 19,000 up on the previous quarter. There has been a

dramatic rise in the number of young people on benefits for more

than six months, that has more than doubled to 15,500. We spent some

doubled to 15,500. We spent some time with them as they fought for a

much sought after apprenticeship in Merseyside.

There is a lot riding on these interviews.

This is a handful of 600 young people who were here today to court

for interviews for hundreds of apprenticeships inside.

That is the shortlist. It is a measure of how competitive it is

out there now, how tough it is for young people.

These employers will pay around �200 per week part-funded by Europe

to help people like Michael back into work.

How did it go? It was all right.

How many jobs have you gone for? 500 at least.

But to chat to these employers and if there is a college -- common

concern. Lee and Colin lost both their jobs in the last recession

but they believe many young people like the skill and the drive to get

out of the Stone de -- downturn. We have taken on many people in the

last nine years and there has only been one who has taken it on and

made a career out of it. The what has gone wrong?

A lot of the lads we have taken on in the past, they won't get out of

bed on attend college. Many here said they were loath to

take on young apprentices, preferring to take over the over

twenties. The don't know basic maths.

The is that complicated stuff? Well, it is what I did when I was

In some cases we have people who give us certificates with lots of

qualifications, yet they can't answer simple questions.

But Michael here is proof there are a good candidate and there.

Top-notch. They just need the chance. How hard

has it been getting to this point today?

It has been so hard but it will make the world of difference to my

life. A congratulations, Michael.

It is tough out there, Jayne. It is. There were some cracking candidate

there today, but of the employers I spoke to all had candidates on

their interview list he did not turn up today. On the lunchtime

turn up today. On the lunchtime news bulletin we had an e-mail from

James Black who owns a computer company in Altrincham, and he

We want to hear you from this and we will go through some of the e-

mails at the end of the programme. Please do get in touch. Do young

people like skills and drive or is it a case in this competitive

market employers are being really picky?

Next tonight, 84-year-old Florence Bailey says she has become a

prisoner in her own home. For almost three months she has not

been able to go out. She can't. The left at a block of flats has

been broken since September. The management company says it is not

worth fixing. Another day indoors for Florence

Bailey. 84-year-old has not been out since September 21st. That is

the date the left at her block of flats in Stockport broken down.

Florence says she can't manage the stairs.

I get out of breath with everything I do. Everything is such a big

effort to do, I have to keep stopping and sitting down in

between. Even if I could get down, I have to have my shopping trolley

for when I am walking outside. Neighbour, Ian Braddock, used to

get her shopping for her, but since he broke his leg he to say is

getting out is a major problem. I only go downstairs when I have to

visit hospital. It is a problem getting up the stairs, popping with

crutches. The block is managed by Manchester-

based Northern Estates who say repairing the lift would be too

expensive. In a statement, Northern Estates

told us they had been working hard to try to resolve the issues of the

left, but engineers had advised them repairing it would not be

economically viable. It was deemed unsafe and could not be insured.

That was why it was decommissioned. Seoul, does Florence have any legal

Seoul, does Florence have any legal right to insist the lift is fixed?

Under the Property Act, property managers must -- under the quality

at property owners must make reasonable efforts to assure public

because it -- ensure public area the like are accessible.

A service charge that Florence pays goes towards maintenance of the

left so she could apply to a leasehold tribunal. But Florence

leasehold tribunal. But Florence says she just wants the lift fixed.

An inquest into the death of two- year-old Joshua Jones from Runcorn

has heard how hospital staff raised serious concerns 11 days before he

died. He died from a blow to the head at his home in 2007. His

mother's partner was later jailed for his manslaughter. Today,

several members of Warrington hospital said he had previously

come in with what appeared to be known accident will injuries.

A man has admitted trying to blackmail Coleen Rooney for �5,000

over stolen personal photos. Stephen Markham changed his plea to

guilty on the third day of his trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Malcolm initially denied handling stolen goods and blackmail,

claiming he only acted as a middleman for his boss. The trial

has been adjourned until tomorrow. The Dutch airline KLM is axing its

route from Liverpool to Manchester next year. It is blaming the

economic downturn. It has been flying the route for more than two

years, providing international connections from the trouble.

Passengers at KLM's Liverpool check-in this afternoon, China and

South Africa among the end destinations.

The travellers don't want the Liverpool-Amsterdam service cut.

Not good news. I have to fly to Manchester and have a longer trip

by train or taxi. We want to go back to China from

Amsterdam. K ALM says it is acting the care of

-- Liverpool flights because the economic downturn means it has to

take tough decisions. The report says passenger numbers are bid.

We're disappointed. We have worked with them to try and boost their

sales. Unfortunately, with the economic situation, it was not

enough to pull it over the line. EasyJet still fly at Liverpool-

Amsterdam, but that is not the same as having an airline like KLM,

where passengers can get forward connections across the globe. KLM

is keeping a flight from Manchester and Newcastle, but lovable says it

will not be easy to outrider other air line with global connections.

I understand the airline has said we will be looking for another

connection from another hub, but there are not that many to choose

When last summer's riots spread across the North West, many claim

they were organised by social networking sites. There were calls

to shut down sites like Facebook and Twitter the next thing there

was large-scale disorder. But, a Manchester Professor who studied

tweets from the time of the disturbances says that few was

completely wrong and put it was a force for good.

The rights to cold and Salford, Liverpool, Manchester, spreading

across cities. But where the spreading because of things like

Facebook and Twitter? Everyone watching these horrific

actions will be struck by how they were organised by social media.

Three-floor of information can be used for good or ill.

Jordan Blackshaw and Perry Sutcliffe and were both jailed for

four years for creating Facebook sites are urging rioting in

Cheshire. But a study of tweets found there were more positive

messages than bad. We found that Woodrow was found it

-- used extensively to mobilise support and organise the post right

clean-up. We feel the weight of evidence is that Twitter was used

as a force for public good. There were twigs like, 9am, Salford

There were twigs like, 9am, Salford clean-up, Salford Present, clean up

We had 15,000 followers within 12 hours. Social media on that scale

alone is fantastic, it helped people get mobilised and organised.

It can be useful source of information and can help people

make informed decisions about what to do.

Valuable to to police. Another eight people were arrested over the

riots in Greater Manchester. Many arrests overall were made because

of information shared by social networking sites.

Love them or loathe them, this time of year most neighbourhoods have

one or two houses with Christmas lights and displays. For the past

two years, the Newcombes' warm had been one such home. Now they have

been told by their housing association to take down or come

This is the Newcombes' home in all its festive glory. It is a labour

of love. It has taken about five weeks to do that. My husband has

done it on days off and when he has been on early shift. A lot of

people come down, drive down to see the house. Lots of people enjoy it.

Amongst them, their son Conor. For now though, 3-year-old Conor

will have to enjoy what he can see of this display in daylight.

Sanctuary Housing who own this house say they had a complaint the

lights were unsafe. They sent an electrician round who confirmed

this. If the Newcombes want to turn them on, they'll have to install

several outdoor power points and get watertight boxes for the other

plugs, something they say will cost them hundreds of pounds.

The Newcombes say they would never endanger their or anyone else's

safety. The lights are only on for two hours a day when they are in

the house. They feel they've been singled out. There is not one

person in the country who follows those regulations. It is just us,

being picked on, being made to switch them off. They do not check

the safety of every resident. They are just doing ours because of the

complaint. And the Newcombes are not the only

ones who want the lights to stay. My little girl likes watching them

from her bedroom. It is a shame. Sanctuary Housing told us: We have

no intention of spoiling anyone's Christmas, but the wellbeing of our

residents remains our priority and because of the safety issue, we had

to take appropriate action. So the lights will stay up for the festive

season. They just won't be able to sparkle.

It is a shame. I will have to check my lights at

home! Sport now, and Tony, a fabulous

night for Fleetwood, but a bad day for Preston manager Phil Brown? Yes,

in a minute we'll be talking to the Cod Army about their FA Cup giant-

killing, but first big news from Preston North End today.

They've sacked their manager Phil Brown and his assistant Brian

Horton with immediate effect. Brown had only been at the club since

January, and they're only five points off the play-off places.

So why have they got rid of him? Has it anything to do with the new

chairman, Peter Ridsdale, who was appointed just eight days ago? Well,

we don't know if Mr Ridsdale was the prime mover behind Phil Brown's

dismissal, but he will have been involved in the decision. He says

Brown was brought in to keep PNE in the Championship, but they were

relegated. He says the club was hoping to quickly return to the

Championship, but they've only won one of their last 11 league games.

In response to that, Phil Brown tonight issued a statement saying:

"More time was needed to achieve our objectives and it is with

regret I have been given less than one year in charge of Preston North

End." Well, they're called the Cod Army

and, tonight, the fishing port of Fleetwood is looking forward to a

big catch - a Third Round FA cup tie against local rivals Blackpool.

Fans of the non-league side celebrated all night after a 2-0

giant-killing at League One Yeovil. Our reporter Richard Askam is at

Fleetwood's ground tonight. Richard, you've been speaking to fans and

players today, how big a deal is this for everyone at the club?

It is a big deal. This is a club that has come a very long way in

recent years and they believe they will soon be back in the Football

League. Until recently, they did not think they would see a tie

against Blackpool. I have a programme of from their last tie.

Here is a flavour of what has been happening here today.

For the Cod Army, it was a once-in- a-lifetime feeling. It is some baby

have wanted for so many years. Today, there was just one topic of

conversation. We do not what Manchester or Liverpool, we prefer

to play back pool. We are expecting an official announcement tomorrow

or Friday. I heard today about a man who had come to buy a ticket,

25 minutes before we were due to open. It was made possible by Jamie

McGuire and Jamie Vardy. overwhelmed. I think everybody up

north was supporting a fleet would. -- Fleetwood. It is a dream tie.

Terrific as you can imagine. It is such a big deal for us. At the

prospect of the tie came out and we all be new that we had to do our

best to deliver. It will be a massive game of football. Just

imagine the celebrations if they win at the next one. The man who

once this is with me now. What does this mean to you? It is

unbelievable. This tie is better than the Manchester United or

Manchester City tie. It is a bigger one for me. But we are on the up

and up now. It is a big deal to everybody, including the chief

Executive. Tell us about the celebrations. It was absolutely

unbelievable. I was watching our supporters. They were fantastic.

Everyone had a good drink and it was a memorable night. There are

lots of links between the clubs? Yes, people I have not heard from a

for many years a tried to get tickets. We get lots of Blackpool

fans who come here when they are not playing. My grandfather played

for both clubs. The passion around the town and beyond is fantastic.

Thank you very much. If you are wondering about tickets, they are

not out yet. The clubs will lead you know later in the week.

I'm good to call at the Battle of the Beach Boys.

And it was also a great night for Oldham. Chris Taylor scored the

only goal against ten-man Southend to send Latics into the FA Cup

third round where they'll meet Liverpool at Anfield.

Amir Khan may have come home from Washington DC without his WBA and

IBF world title belts, but he's still not ruled out winning his

weekend fight with Lamont Peterson. When I caught up with him today at

his Bolton gym, he revealed he has appealed against the performance of

the referee who deducted two points during the bout. And he hopes the

result of that appeal could turn the points defeat on its head.

Back in Bolton a beaten man. But bowed? Not on your life. It was the

fight of the year. It was just one of those things. I do not get the

decision, but I am still looking. I want to prove that I'm a better

fighter. Amir lost controversially on Saturday night when he fought a

DC based fighter, with a DC based ref in front of a DC crowd. And

today, the fight went on. Was the referee are incompetent or

mistaken? I think he is from Washington, so he will favour the

home not a fighter. -- the home of fighter. Did you believe the result

could be overturned? Yes, I think it can be. We should find out in

the next 10 days. This is a public Amir Khan, but when you were on the

plane home, in your private moments, have you had a moment when you get

upset? Yes, you get upset. We do not want it to lose your world

titles. I think my world titles were snatched from me. He should

get another shot. Still better.

Now, no more panto gags from us tonight. Well, the odd one might

slip out. If you were watching last night, you'll know this week we're

following the fortunes of a community group from Manchester as

they stage one of their biggest performances yet. The Wythenshawe

panto group has been preparing for 11 months to stage a performance of

Beauty and the Beast. Elaine Dunkley has been finding out

how they're getting on. The bright lights of the stage are

not too far away. Lines need to be learnt and there is concern that

some members are not taking the Agadoo seriously.

And there are a few cast members up to mischief. One of the girls put

jelly in her slippers. All sorts of tricks go on. Check your costumes.

Check your shoes. Do not trust everybody.

The cast may be working hard to bring this fairytale to life, but

sometimes the harsh realities of life get in the way. Linette is

playing lead character Bella. Last week, her mother passed away

suddenly. A few days after, I was thinking, how will I do it? But I

think I will do it for her. If not for myself, do it for her.

After a long night rehearsing, the team are in for an even longer

night at the Forum. It's all hands on deck to get things ready. It is

exhausting. We have got all the clothes provide ready to go up. We

have to measure each one individually. -- cloths.

All the props are made by John and size really does matter! Editors

only little, it is rubbish. You have to make them bigger. If you

see something, you can fetch them home to use. Costume changes will

need to be slick. It takes Brian 20 minutes to get into his turkey

costume and he's been preparing for months for his plucky role. I have

had all the jobs. -- a jokes. You can to chicken out now, I have had

all the jokes. Fowl gags aside, the cast are really beginning to feel

the heat. I was a roasting. And all the lights were on. Join us

tomorrow as the cast get emotional before the performance. It is like

Good evening. The first snows of the winter have hit the Isle of Man.

And many of us could see some snow as we head through the next 24

hours. This weather front is moving slightly further south. It is very

close to us. Parts of Lancashire could be hit by that area of snow.

The details are not firmed up yet. We will have more details during

breakfast tomorrow. The vexed problem is ice as we head through

tonight. The range showers mean that the ground Istabraq because

the air is called -- because the ground is damp and the ear is

called, it means icy patches. Some cloud cover will head in over night,

but it will be slippery first thing tomorrow morning. Tomorrow, you

will find a lot of cloud. The best of any weather will be first thing

tomorrow morning. Mr forming in the early hours. It will feel wintry as

well. Then the afternoon, cloud is increasing all the time. Showers

heading in that during the afternoon. Not a great deal of

sunshine on offer at all. The winds have been pretty brisk today.

Tomorrow night, this weather will start to move towards us. It looks

like there could be snow. And it could be at low levels as well.

More details during the breakfast bulletins tomorrow was stop we have

had lows of e-mails a form you. Rachel has applied for hundreds of

jobs but has been told she would not have enough experience.

Kerry says Mike 19-year-old has applied for over 50 jobs and has

only had it two replies. My other Sion has 11 GCSE East. Nobody has

replied do is applications. I spend four hours a day applying

for jobs. I have put out the 38 C Ds a week