31/07/2014 North West Tonight

Welcome to NorthWest Tonight with Graham Liver and Beccy Meeh`n.

Understaffed and putting lives at risk ` claims a new regional

On one occasion, a crew travelled from Carlisle to a rescue in Bolton.

It's revealed one NHS hospital in the region paid ?2500

Gay Pride rolls into Liverpool but new figures show hate crime is up.

Sowing seeds in the city. An organ gardening festival hits the

streets. It's been hailed as a way to save

our fire services millions of pounds. In May, all the North West's

fire control rooms, except Merseyside, were brought together

into one regional centre in Warrington to deal with emergency

fire calls. But the fire brigades union says the new centre is beset

with problems and is putting lives at risk. It claims the centre is

chronically understaffed and that in one incident, a fire crew from

Carlisle was sent to a rescue near Bolton. Our reporter Abbie Jones is

here with more. Who deals with our emergencx fire

calls and where is a controversial subject. They used to be mobilised

by local control rooms in their own counties but

control rooms in their own counties. But since May, 999 calls in Greater

Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria have been dealt with by one

combined North West Fire Control centre in Warrington. Merseyside

opted out of this. The Fire Brigades Union says there have been serious

problems as a result, putting lives at risk.

since May there are occasions where they are waiting 15 minutes to get

in touch with control. That is just unacceptable. It could lead to the

loss of life for a member of the public or a fire officer going

loss of life for a member of the public or a fire officer gohng to

loss of life for a member of the public or a fire officer going to an

public or a fire officer gohng to an incident and not coming back.

The union claims the centre is chronically understaffed. 56 people

there. But when counties had their own control rooms, the union says

there were well over 100 staff. And it claims many operators in the new

centre don't have crucial local knowledge. I've seen evidence that

last month, a crew from Carlisle in Cumbria was sent to a rescud in

Fire Brigade members in Cumbria would have been amazed and staggered

at how this could have occurred This particular project and the

software that is in use is not fit for

But firefighters say a price can't be put on their safety

Well in the studio now is Cheshire's chief fire officer Paul Hancock.

the example of a Carlisle crew being sent to Bolton shows that software

cannot replace local knowledge. We became aware of that particular

became aware of that partictlar incident yesterday and have

investigated that allegation. We have not been able to find any

have not been able to find `ny evidence that that actually

occurred. We have asked the union to provide us with specific details to

enable us to do further investigations. We have seen

evidence that this did occur. What is your response to that? It makes

sense doesn't it? That you have to have people who know the best way to

deploy cruise to save lives. Absolutely. The staff are made

deploy cruise to save lives. Absolutely. The staff are m`de up

Absolutely. The staff are made up from people who have transfdrred

from the old fire control centres. from the old fire control centres.

That they do is second to none. They interrogate collars to establish

exactly where the location is. The exactly where the location hs. The

technology is state of art. So know exactly where they are calling

technology is state of art. So know exactly where they are callhng from

and where the nearest fire engine and where the nearest fire dngine

is. We are now responding more efficiently software has its limits.

But after only 56 compared to 1 0 efficiently software has its limits.

But after only 56 compared to 100 in the old system, it has to bd

But after only 56 compared to 1 0 in the old system, it has to be less

the old system, it has to bd less safe? Not at all. The staffing

safe? Not at all. The staffhng numbers are based upon call volumes

that go back to 2008 and 2009. So we have actually increased our staff

based on those figures. In those years there were 140,000 calls

across the Northwest Fire Sdrvices. What we have now done is a review of

the 12 and 13 year calls which has the 12 and 13 year calls whhch has

gone down to 106,000. We actually have some resilience in some

have some resilience in somd capacity with the existing staffing

model to make sure that there are sufficient staff available to deal

with peak activity. Thank you. A prisoner's escaped from a jail

in Lancashire. 40`year`old Wayne Whitely w`s

serving a life sentence for a series of violent armed

robberies 10 years ago. He absconded from HMP Kirkh`m

on the 19th of July. Police say he has links to `reas

across Greater Manchester. Meanwhile, the performance

of two prisons in the North West are The Ministry of Justice says

HMP Risley in Cheshire and HMP Kennet in Merseyside ard

among 29 jails that fell below of Man who said the turbines could

have blocked shipping routes to The consortium says

the project had become 'economically It's been revealed a North West

Hospital spent nearly ?2500 for Morecambe Bay NHS Trust paid an

agency to provide consultant cover The figures were obtained

by a Freedom of Information request, and have been described as 'not

providing good value for money' Earlier I spoke to the medical

director George Naysmith, and asked him was spending so much money

on a loccum good value for loney. No, I don't think it's

good value for money. But when we are faced with ` gap

in staffing which potentially puts patients at risk, then we h`ve to

procure staff with the necessary skills and have to, unfortunately,

pay what the agency consider to be And where those staff are in short

supply, the agencies, I'm afraid, do have the facility to charge more

than we would normally charge or costs that we would normally expect

to meet for that amount of work It sounds like you have

a real problem attracting doctors The problem that we have is that

at the moment is that we are trying to expand our staff base

so that we don't have to employ agency and locum staff in

the way we have done in the past. When we get to that staffing level,

then I would hope that we will never It isn't a problem that is peculiar

to our trust, it affects many. I think we were chosen

in this instance because this particular doctor

appeared to be the highest spend I'm sure we have people listening

in the Morecambe Bay area who are slightly worried seeing you,

in a way, wasting money likd this when you have hospitals in your area

that are in special measures. The procurement of staff

and the safety of patients is not When we can actually procure

sufficient staff to ensure that we can cope with unexpected absence,

then we will be But that really depends

on a market that is quite difficult because every trust in the country

at the moment will be looking for additional staff, both nursing

and medical staff, in relation to raising the standard of care that we

have provided in the past and also providing the same level of care,

particularly in terms of medical staff, throughout the weekend as we

do Monday to Friday at the loment. Police say the number of hate crimes

against gay, lesbian, bisextal and transgender people in Liverpool

city centre has gone up by lore than The figures were released ahead

of this weekend's Pride Festival The Pride Festival coincides with

the anniversary of the death of Michael Causer,

a gay man who was beaten to death. Our Merseyside reporter, Andy Gill,

joins us live from Liverpool now. Andy, what's been

the reaction to these figures? Behind me you can see fencing going

up ahead of the Pride festival. People are disappointed in the

figures. Police see it as pdople coming forward to report them when

coming forward to report thdm when they wouldn't have done in the past.

Both parties agreed there is a need for more education.

This afternoon, the people behind Liverpool Pride were getting

The event's been running for five years and attracts tens

Liverpool now has an officially designated gay quarter.

One Pride trustee says she's surprised that the city centre

It's a shock really. Even though the figures may seem small, every attack

as an attack on the whole community. We are very disappointed.

In the year to July last ye`r, there were 43 reports

of hate crime related to sexual orientation or transgender issues.

In the year to this July that figure was 59, a rise of 27$.

Police say the increase doesn't necessarily mean more

But people have the confidence to report them.

They do believe they are going to be listened to. They do believd

They do believe they are gohng to be listened to. They do believe that

listened to. They do believd that police officers understand announces

of hate crime. It is an inshdious type of crime. It is an attack

type of crime. It is an att`ck against an individual for some

characteristic. If it happens to any of us, it is really horrible and

of us, it is really horribld and nasty.

Liverpool's Pride event is timed to coincide with the death six years

ago of Michael Causer, a gay man from Huyton who was beaten to death.

His family say a small proportion of the community are still prejudiced

against people whose sexualhty is different from the mainstream.

I'm not shocked at the figures. It's something that's just going to keep

growing and growing and tell the education and parents stop `ll this

hatred. The Pride March starts from St

George's Hall on Saturday lunchtime. Joining us now as the Liber`l

councillor, the openly gay Steve Wright grave. I think there are two

stories. Authorities are cldar Wright grave. I think there are two

stories. Authorities are clear about reporting hate crime is but the

biggest issue is that hate crimes are going down. It has been reported

less than in previous years and that is what we should be expecthng. The

fact that people are targetdd cos of their sexuality or race or religion

or disability is appalling. We need to move the culture of the city on.

That's why this weekend's Pride event is in wonderful statement for

event is in wonderful statelent for the vast majority of the city to

show where we stand. You came out 32 years ago. Oh how people ch`nged

since then `` how have people changed? The vast majority are far

changed? The vast majority `re far more sensitive, far more accepting

as neighbours. But there is a hard pocket of prejudice. That ndeds to

change. We can't afford to be complacent because people's lanes

are being damaged in the me`ntime. Thank you. If you do want to come to

the Pride festival, it is cheaper to buy your ticket now and on the day.

`` than. A snapshot of life on the streets `

a group of young homeless people tell

their stories through photographs. I never thought I would ever be in

front of a camera. Coming to the place that helped me do these

photographs has brought me out of my shell.

Next stop Chelsea, the urban gardening festival showcasing

Onto sport and we had word that big news was

imminent at Everton this tile last night Richard, and then came

confirmation of the summer signing the supporters really wanted.

Yes, and it's the size of the ?28 million fee that has

Not because he isn't worth the money.

He's only 21 and has alreadx scored plenty of goals for his clubs

But it smashes Everton's previous record, the ?15 million thex paid

And it's certainly put a smile on the face of Blues fans.

A familiar face and now a permanent fixture.

Number one transfer target and the man his manager sees

A very significant thing in the history of our football club.

Sometimes when you sign a player, you bring excitement.

Lukaku's goalscoring record is impressive.

In 72 league appearances for Anderlecht, he scored 33 goals,

17 in 35 for West Brom, and, last season, 15 in 31 for Everton.

I know but he's worth it, he did well for us last season.

A proven goalscorer, double figures the last two years in a row.

The big striker, one of the rising stars of world football, is coveted

But says his heart was set on the Goodison return.

I feel pleased to be coming to play in such a wonderful club with the

It took ?28 million to get him, a transfer that, for many close to

All the credit in the world has to be given to the

chairman Bill Kenwright for finding the funds as it is a lot of money

and Roberto Martinez, being the man that he is, attracting the sort

Add to that the arrival of Bosnian international Mohamed Besic

and England's star Ross Barkley committing his future to the club,

and it has been a big week for the Blues.

Many are already predicting it could prove to be the foundation

Over at the Commonwealth Gales in Glasgow,

another North West competitor is going for a medal right now.

Discus thrower Carl Myerscough's already won two Commonwealth bronze

As it stands, he's in seventh position.

But how have our other competitors fared on day eight?

Preston's Louisa Porogovska missed out on a gold medal match this

morning after defeat in the women's 55 kilogram wrestling.

But all wasn't lost as she took on and beat Kathryn Marsh of Scotland

There was no medal for Danidl Purvis who managed fifth.

Another Prestonian in the medal hunt is Laura Lassaro.

Having already won silver in the singles squash,

she and partner Jenny Duncalf beat their Australian rivals to reach

Also through to the semi's `re England's mens hockey team.

`` semis. Chester's Phil Roper got an assist for the opener

But the medals evaded our cxclists in the men's individual time trial.

Wirral's Stephen Cummings h`d been in the medal positions for a time,

but finished seventh, while 2010 games bronze medallist

Mark Christian from the Isld of Man was 11th.

His sister Anna Christian, meanwhile, finished 14th

More chances of medals for our competitors this evdning

We'll let you know how they got on in our late bulletin.

Onto Super League and Wigan host Salford tonight

in a derby that should see the return to action of Joel Tomkins,

following four and a half ydars with Rugby Union side Saracens.

Here he is in his first spell with Warriors.

He actually rejoined six wedks ago but has struggled with injury.

And there's full match commentary from the DW Stadium on

A group of young people have told their stories of being homeless

through a new exhibition of photos at Blackburn Cathedral.

The charity Nightsafe taught them camera skills

and asked them to capture ilages of places where they'd slept.

It's helped many of them to turn their lives around.

15 young people all from different backgrounds but all with experience

of being homeless and all chose to be photographed with a park bench.

It represents homelessness because there are a lot of young people

between 18 and 25 that are homeless. It's showing that people ignore us

and think we are different to the outside world when all we are trying

to do is get into the same situation. I've got my own place and

my own car and my own familx. situation. I've got my own place and

my own car and my own family. The my own car and my own familx. The

project was organised by the my own car and my own family. The

project was organised by thd charity project was organised by the charity

Nightsafe. They thought it would be great to show places where there are

friends have slept rough. We were friends have slept rough. Wd were

very lucky. We had a young person who had been sleeping in a tent for

three months. Four. Many are still sleeping in hostels but the project

has brought new opportunities. Things are looking a lot better than

they were. These photos bashcally they were. These photos basically

brought me out of my shell. It doesn't matter whether you are

doesn't matter whether you `re homeless or not, everybody matters.

The exhibition is open until the 13th of August.

Manchester's urban gardening festival starts this weekend.

Dig The City is designed to inspire people of all ages to start growing

flowers and vegetables, even if you don't have a garden!

Window boxes and show gardens will be dotted around the city,

and volunteers have been spending the day putting them togethdr.

The organisers think some are so good we could soon be seeing them

Our environment correspondent Judy Hobson has been taking a look.

Yes, Manchester city centre is going green.

Look at this, a garden right in the middle of one

It's all to encourage people to garden even if they live in a city.

Sean Harkin is one of the organisers.

This is a gardening festival but the difference, isn't it?

It's in the city centre and it's free.

It's not just about show gardens, we have 20 amazing show gardens to

come but it's also about getting involved.

There are so many activities for families.

It's really just all of Manchester's gardening community coming together

I'm now with Tim from Hume garden centre.

You've got this fantastic garden here.

The idea basically was to show people that you can grow

your own produce in a very small space just by

producing these raised beds, filling them with fruits, berries, herbs,

And this has been created with volunteers?

Yes, everything we do at thd garden centre is with volunteers.

How important is it to have a community area where people can

It's very important, that was the whole point

of our organisation, to provide public space where people c`n come

any day of the week, and somewhere to bring the community together

You can come down and have ` look at all these fantastic gardens all over

We on other Internet has become an indispensable part of modern life

which is why Cheshire Council has teamed up with a number of

organisations to get the early on superfast broadband. The scheme is

called Connecting Cheshire but some say they are being left on the hard

shoulder of the information superhighway.

Overlooking the West Coast mainline. The village of Ch`rlton is

mainline. The village of Charlton is well`connected. Not so much with

broadband. These has to get his Internet connection from a lobile

Internet connection from a mobile because the landline is so poor The

residents are frustrated. We because the landline is so poor. The

residents are frustrated. Wd feel because the landline is so poor The

residents are frustrated. We feel we residents are frustrated. Wd feel we

have been left behind. We need broadband. Outside, has young

neighbours are burning rubbdr. broadband. Outside, has young

neighbours are burning rubber. It neighbours are burning rubber. It

keeps freezing when I'm tryhng neighbours are burning rubbdr. It

keeps freezing when I'm tryhng to use the Internet. The reason they

are so frustrated is because the are so frustrated is because the

information superhighway is thundering past behind his back

garden. The area is about to receive superfast broadband from the local

council and the EU. So why `re council and the EU. So why `re

people here being left in the slow lane? It's because trials and has

led to a different exchange. Begley has not been upgraded to broadband.

We get EU funding for our broadband connection. We can't use it in

commercial areas and theirs is a commercial area. It is a bureaucracy

with BT so they can't use that money to make it work. BT say they

with BT so they can't use that money to make it work. BT say thex are not

at fault and reflected as back to at fault and reflected as b`ck to

the project. I'll meet the council and talk to them. I know thdm well,

they are good people. We don't want any equality, inequality. Now let's

get the weather. You saw the report their in

Manchester about gardening. The weather will begin this weekend for

gardening but cancel any outdoor plans! It's going to be verx messy

plans! It's going to be very messy indeed. Tomorrow, we have shown very

rain heading in our direction from the West then on Friday, he`vy rain

the West then on Friday, heavy rain will last until Sunday. If xou're

camping on Sunday, you may see sunshine. To recap, showery rain

tomorrow, proper rain on Saturday, overly easing away on Sundax.

tomorrow, proper rain on Saturday, overly easing away on Sunday. ``

overly easing away on Sundax. `` hopefully. Occasional stray showers

here and there in between the sunshine. Another mild might, not as

much as last night, with temperatures down to 14 or 05

Celsius. The showers begin to merge to bring longer spells of r`in.

to bring longer spells of rain. Hopefully it is shimmery throughout

the afternoon. Dry spells in between, with highs of 20 Celsius

between, with highs of 20 Cdlsius for tomorrow. Tomorrow night, the

rain will continue. It will become heavy across parts of Cumbria.

rain will continue. It will become heavy across parts of Cumbrha. We

heavy across parts of Cumbria. We have an early yellow warning from

The Met office. This is valhd for The Met office. This is valid for

Saturday and Sunday. This is the picture on Saturday. Heavy rain have

others for most of Saturday with highs of eating Celsius and

hopefully on Sunday we start of weight but the rain pushes `way

weight but the rain pushes away, leaving you with sunshine.

I don't do camping! That's ht from us. We're back at 10:25pm tonight.

Good night.