03/02/2012 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Tony Livesey and

Annabel Tiffin. Our top story: Built by private finance, bailed

out by the Government - two of the region's hospitals are rescued, but

at what cost to taxpayers? We look at the financial controversy

surrounding St Helens and Whiston hospitals. Also tonight: Cruise

control - Liverpool's new terminal becomes a major start and stop

destination for the world's biggest liners. A very close shave. Brave

little Lola helps her mum fights cancer. She is so sensitive and

kind and took so much care. It was like, oh it is setting me off.

Widnes Vikings first match back in Super League for seven years.

talk to a support - supporter who has travelled thousands of miles to

be here. Also tonight: Brace yourself - snow's on its way.

Dianne's popped outside to see if we're all in for a white weekend.

Yes it seems that bad weather is like buses, you wait all winter and

then it all comes along at once. Let's start with tonight's problem.

We're already sub zero, tomorrow you will have heard there is a

warning of snow. Two to five centimetres falling anywhere up to

ten centimetres on high level groups. By Saturday night it turns

to rain and falls on frozen surfaces and ice could be a massive

problem. Thank you. Two new hospitals built under a

controversial private finance scheme are to be bailed out by the

Government because of crippling financial problems. The trust which

runs Whiston and St Helens Hospitals is being given a share of

�1.5 billion. The Government says without it services for patients

would be at risk. Last year North West Tonight reported on fears the

hospital was being pressured to go private because of those financial

problems. Thousands of people signed a petition and handed it

into the Government. That's now not going to happen, but millions of

pounds will now have to come out of the NHS budget to keep the trust

solvent. Our health correspondent Laura Yates is here now with more.

Yes a they are two of the north- west's best hospitals. All that

comes at a cost. Because St Helens and Whiston are PFI hospitals.

Built by a priev company and rented to the NHS, -- private, - every

year they have to pay mortgage. This year this a �42.5 million. 17%

of their annual budget. It is a mortgage they cannot afford. Last

year we revealed pressure on the trused to go private so, deep were

its problems. -- the trust. Today they got what they wanted, a

bailout. Several select committees, most recent think treasury and the

Public Accounts Committee, have said what an appallingly

inefficient scheme it is for building public projicts --

projects. �1.5 billion has been put into the pot to be shared between

seven hospitals. The Government says Labour left them with a dismal

legacy and that without the bailout, patients' services would be at risk.

But Labour say they only used PFI to support hospitals. The Trust is

pleased at the news, but what notice clear is how much of the

money they will get. We know it will be spread out over many years.

Liverpool's status as major centre for tourism was boosted today with

the news that cruise liners will soon be able to begin and end their

voyages there. Until now ships have only been allowed to make stop off

visits on the Mersey. The city council says it expects so-called

turnaround cruises to begin as early as May. As part of the

breakthrough, it's agreed to repay up to �9 million of a Government

subsidy, which should allow the more lucrative voyages to start.

But Liverpool's rivals still aren't happy, as Andy Gill reports. A

cruiser with passengers who will spend money in Liverpool, if their

voyage starts and ends here, they will spend more than if they just

stop for the day. Is why Liverpool is keen on what are called turn

around cruiser. But the terminal was built with public money for

stop offs only. Now council will pay �9 million of the money back to

the Government. It is right cruises come back to the city and we have a

turn around facility. It is a unique city that visitor want to

come to. Liverpool said the Government's agreed to stagger the

repayments and an independent assessor will decide how much they

will be. People promoting the city say it will make a difference.

People will be here not just for a day will be vital in in addition

there is the boost to the hot -- hotel industry. It is great news.

But Liverpool didn't just get Government money to build the

terminal. It got �9 million of European money too. And rival ports

like Southampton have said they think that Liverpool should pay

back that as well. But the council say there is no legal requirement

to pay back the European money and Europe has not asked for money back.

Liverpool has a turn around facility already at the unlovely

Langton dock. Work on baggage and customs facilities on the new

terminal should be ready by May. A Merseyrail guard has been charged

in connection with the death of a teenage girl at James Street train

station in Liverpool. Georgia Varley from Wirral was hit by a

train after falling between the carriage and the platform and died

from her injuries. Christopher James McGee, has been charged with

manslaughter by gross negligence. The nurse who was accused of

tampering with saline at Stockport's Stepping Hill Hospital

has lost an appeal against her dismissal from her job. Rebecca

Leighton spent six weeks in custody last year, but was released in

September when all criminal charges against her were dropped. She was

sacked in December after admitting stealing drugs from the hospital.

Lancaster University has announced a scholarship in memory the Indian

student killed in Salford on Boxing Day. The Anuj Bidve Memorial

Scholarship will fund a student graduating from his former

University in India, to study a master of sciences in Lancaster's

Engineering Department. Now the story of Sara done Dan, can, a cab

cancer patient who has become an unlikely you're tube star. She

decided to make it a positive experience and got her daughter

involved, her partner filmed it and that film is now an internet hit.

This is Sara's story. As we were doing it, she was laughing and we

were laughing. When I saw the look on her face of pure concentration

and how kind she was with the scissors and where the clippers

were going up and she carefully put my hair in the bowl and it was just

like... She's so sensitive and kind and took so much care. It was like,

oh it's set me off! What the children have seen, they have seen

me in tears and they have seen me get ill and get better and get ill

again. By doing things like this, it is important to us and it helps

others as well. It is about raising money for cancer charities. The

power of the individual owe -- video, it hopefully stirs emotions

to get people to donate to one of the cancer charities. Once it was

over, like all my hair had gone and it was like a weight was lifted,

the decision wiz - was done and now I wish I had tone it earlier in a

way. Yeah, it's helped. What a brave thing for a little girl to do.

Now still to come: The battle of Clough Head, the cafe in the

country with survival on the menu. And a new era for Salford Reds as

they start life in their new home. As we know it is a big year for

Preston, as they gear up for their gild celebrations, there are

questions for the economy after the collapse of the Tithebarn

development. It was meant to be a retail revolution, but with the

loss of scheme, what next for Preston. Presston is a city missing

something. We have got to find our USP. What is our unique selling

point. It was meant to be the Tithebarn development. But with its

collapse, what trection now - direction now? We're asking the

thoughts of people old and new. What do they think is the way

forward. You have to sell the city. To investors, what should the focus

be? No pressure. Just have a pause for a second. In fact he is a she.

What would woe we have do. Lorraine Norris and she and the council are

asking students to flag up and map out their ideas. Maybe advertise

the festival. Up market shops. That is what it is lacking. Down the

road a generation that wants presston to flourish, but wants

something more niche. It is about tradition and investment in the

quality of its people. In term of crafts and skills set. But for the

next generation, was the John Lewis retail revolution a bad idea?

wasn't a bad idea, some people couldn't see the advantages, but it

was a good idea. Big new shops, or something else? What direction will

the council go in? They think retail isn't the only way.

economy, if you look at the economy, what isn't doing well at the moment

is retail. Surprised there was ant sin Manchester I don't know if you

have heard of the palace. There isn't anything similar in presston.

We have got to look at the gaps in the market. The gaps new leisure

and one year to make a mark and It's a tiny little place in the

middle of nowhere but there is a big protest building to try and

save Clough Head Cafe, nestled on the West Pennine Moors, near

Haslingden in Lancashire. United Utilities, which owns the

property, has warned it will have to close. It seems the problems

arisen because it has no mains water supply. But the woman who

runs it says she will not go without a fight. Peter Marshall

reports. It has everything an exhausted

walker could need at the end of a day on the Moors. Food, drink, but

it is more than just a cafe. June we do so much for the community. We

even had a funeral here a few weeks ago for one of the walkers that had

passed away. So that shows how popular the places. Yes, yes.

Cumming took over the Clough Head Cafe and visitor centre three years

ago. Earlier this week, she got a letter from the owners, United

Utilities, saying she would have to close in 28 days. The problem, it

seems, is the standard of its water supply, which comes not from mains

but from a bore hole. There is nothing wrong with the water. It is

the new directive. They have to follow rules, I understand that.

But it did not think they realise he -- special this place is.

Despite the fact it passes through two filters and is boiled before

use, United Utilities says it has a legal obligation to improve raw

water supplies to met new European standards. It has given the cafe a

stay of execution until September, but after that, the future looks

bleak. United Utilities says that because there are no water mains in

the media, it has to consider the cost effectiveness of pitting a

supply to a single property. It does however say it is willing to

discuss alternatives. We would be devastated, because they would be

no were to come back to, no facilities for us. Overall, it is a

very busy place. It is a special place. The fight to save the cafe

gathers momentum. They might have a fight and there

and! They will be paid if they try to

the sand which tomorrow! -- they will be brave if they try to have a

sand which tomorrow. Sport now, and it is a big day for

Rugby League fans with the start of the new Super League season. And

for Widnes Vikings in particular, who kick off in the top flight this

evening for the first time in seven years. They face Wakefield and

Richard is at their Stobart Stadium. It looks freezing.

It is not exactly warm. It is well below freezing here. There was

never a danger of this game being called off. It is an artificial,

state-of-the-art pitch. It has enough give in it for all of those

knocks and collisions that you get in rugby league. There is going to

be a lot of emotion around tonight, because this is a club that has

been through an awful lot. This man I am about to speak to, the

chairman, a lot of the fans' credit him with turning this club around.

An emotional day for you? I think it is an emotional day for all was.

The fans have been on the same journey that we have all been on.

And we're very excited fortnight. What does it mean for everyone

here? I suppose it is the beginning of a journey. We want to PY near

ideas in the sport. The pitch and what you see here today will be

really a revolution. It will be great to be a part of that. There

will be a lot of the motion for supporters and for everyone

involved. Everybody told me when I got involved that they wanted Super

League nights, they wanted the local derbies, the big games. This

is the culmination of all that. What does well but there is -- it

is the beginning of something. you very much. One man that has put

himself out to be here. You have fallen from Bangkok to be here.

People say you're mad. Why did you feel as if you had to be here.

was here five years ago on a fan's evening and Steve gave a speech

about what he wanted to do for the club. I got into that. I think

tonight is my way of saying thank you to him and to all the people

behind him for what they have done it to this club. You have been

falling the team for 25 years. The effect the glory days might return

to my definitely, why not? I think five years ago, when Steve picked

us up, who knows where we would have been at that time. The fans

have been through one degrade and that is just continuing. It icy

give it another five years and this man can put the score back at the

top. We certainly hope so. Thank you for talking to us. All of a

Super League clubs are in action this weekend. And it will also be a

landmark occasion for Salford City Reds who play their first

competitive match in their new stadium. Here's Stuart Pollitt.

For more than a century, the New Lodge -- rugby league century --

fans have been travelling here. Now it they are planning to move to a

It is quite a change. It is a beautiful stadium. It has been a

long time in the coming. Chief executive David Tarry has worked

here for three decades. Half of that time has been spent planning

for this moment. This is a new beginning for the club. To all

intents and purposes, it is a new club. Dave is hoping the new

Salford City Stadium will use its entire 9,000 capacity against

Castleford tomorrow. The mascot will come on and hold a balloon.

you have cleaned them out for tickets? I have! It has taken the

will to get them! It is a modern facility and I hope it will take

the club forward. It is a big day for us all. With an infrastructure

as good as any in Super League, the next challenge is to make the team

more competitive. There are five new signings and a new coaching

team of Phil Veivers and Sean Long. We're not getting carried away with

ourselves. We just want to improve on last year. We have fought for a

stadium for a long time and now we have something to build on and that

is the start of a new era. All that remains is to finish a few jobs,

and that new year can get started. -- new era.

And there's full commentary on the game here, Widnes versus Wakefield,

on BBC Radio Merseyside medium wave and DAB.

And tomorrow you can hear London Broncos versus St. Helens.

Meanwhile, BBC Radio Manchester is covering Wigan versus Huddersfield,

Hull against Warrington, and of course Salford City Reds' first

game in their new home against Castleford.

This game will definitely go ahead because of the stadium's new

artificial pitch, but a number of football matches have already been

called off. The postponed games so far are: Bury versus Hartlepool,

Oldham versus Leyton Orient, Preston versus Brentford and

Morecambe versus Dagenham and Redbridge.

Blackburn's captain Chris Samba will not play against Arsenal

tomorrow despite being fit. Rovers refused to sell the defender after

he put in a transfer request. Samba is reported to still be unhappy and

despite talks with manager Steve Kean, the issue has not been

resolved. Liverpool are being given only

2,100 tickets for next Saturday's match at Old Trafford. Luis Suarez

is expected to play against United after completing his eight-match

ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra. Safety officials cut

Liverpool's allocation by 1,000 tickets because of the need for

extra stewarding and segregation. The fans are just starting to come

in, I do not blame him for staying inside. It is very cold beer. There

will be a lot of emotion. Widnes biking fans have been through so

much and there's a feeling that they dare back in Super League,

they can be now -- they can now become one of the real powerhouses

of the sport. Thank you very much and good luck

to the Vikings. At the end of a freezing cold week, we now face the

prospect of snow tomorrow. Remember the chaos it caused in recent

winters? But are different parts of the region better able to cope?

Di will be here with the all- important forecast in a moment. But

first we wrapped up two of our reporters and sent them out to

brave the elements. Stuart Flinders took the temperature in Manchester,

while Dave Guest headed for the It looks lovely, doesn't it, when

viewed from a for? -- are far? But snow can cause chaos. Perhaps the

mild winter we had enjoyed so far has lulled us into a false sense of

security. Even here, there is only a slight snow. But they never take

anything for granted appear in Cumbria and there are always

prepared for the worse. Take the villagers here, near Windermere.

They have clubbed together to buy their own better and snow plough.

In winter as previous to this, we had a hard time. The village was

effect -- essentially cut off for several weeks. There was no chance

of getting in and out. But the man who operates the Plough believes

people in big towns or cities can over-react when a small amount of

snow falls or the temperature drops. They seem to think that the world

is going to stop revolving round if it will snow. What is your tip for

keeping warm? A good hat and a good coat as well. This man has no hat

or quote for that matter. The general manager of a hotel

regularly takes a dip in Windermere, no matter of the weather. It is

invigorating. It blows away the cobwebs and did she feel fantastic

about ten minutes afterwards. will take his word for it. There

toughing it out in the countryside but let us see how they are coping

How many layers DL1? I have lost count. It takes me 20 minutes to

get undressed when I get home, put it that way! How long do you have

the standard you? All in all, about six hours. Can you jump up and down

a bit, or something like that to Mac I am all right, thank you.

Where is your boss to? I will go Starting off first thing, it must

be horrible. A Yes. Where are you from? Bulgaria. What is the weather

like there to? It is minus 20, so here is good. This is much warmer!

It will get colder tomorrow and I cannot look at this next bit. And

We have been talking about it all week and we're now really quite

confident that there will be snow when the forecast as the go through

Saturday. It is a really tricky weekend, having had such a mild

winter. There will be snow, 2-ten centimetres. It will be lying on

the ground as well. Back to tonight, temperatures already sub-zero. Even

at Blackpool, along the coast lasted we saw temperatures down to-

six Celsius. For the most part, everywhere is below freezing. In

rural areas, down to-six or seven Celsius. Whitbread hard frost first

thing tomorrow morning. The Isle of Man, perhaps hovering around his

eagle to two Celsius. A thing can changes to go through the day

tomorrow. There is a yellow warning for most of us that there will be

snow. That is up to a number warning over the highest levels. --

and amber warning. As the rain moves over the Isle of Man and the

higher ground, sweetie snow will fall. -- sleet and snow. Two to

five centimetres of snow was a distinct possibility, sticking on

the ground. It is the perfect recipe for this all to come

together. Through the afternoon, the snow could continue to fall.

That will cost destruction for drivers and the right be some

trouble problems through the day. - - there might be some trouble

problems every day. -- Travel. On the Isle of Man, the temperatures

gradually start to get a bit better. As we head through Sunday, we see a

gradual rise in temperature. I will not say it is warm, but certainly

less cold. That is a long way off and is thus no turns to green on

the tail-end of Saturday and Saturday night, ice will be a big

problem. As the snow clears way, the rain starts to fall and frozen

ground will make ice a problem on Sunday morning. The air is coming

in a bit milder on Sunday, but it will be called on the ground. Mist

and threes and fork could be a That is horrible, tomorrow!

It is horrible, but it is a first bad one.

I have to point out that over the last couple of days, a we have had