03/09/2014 North West Tonight

Britain will not be cowed, says the Prime Minister. That is

Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and Roger Johnson.

Inspectors say hundreds of young people were put at risk by failures

We will commission an independent review of our arrangements so that

we will have a proper and detailed look at this.

But it's not just social workers who are criticised.

Police and health authorities are also blamed.

Fighting back against Islamic State ` reports 20 Kurdish men have joined

The ice bucket challenge which landed workers in hot water `

one man lost his job for doing it in break time.

How Liverpool's unforgettable Champions' League win has become

Hundreds of children in Manchester have been put at risk

by a failure of social services and other agencies to cope with

demand, according to a report published today.

It's rated both Manchester City Council's children's

services and the city's Safeguarding Children Board as inadequate.

The Ofsted investigation found some children waited six months to be

visited by a social worker and one waited nine years to be adopted.

Yes, Ofsted visited Manchester to inspect children's services in June

They found a huge and found they

They found a huge backlog of nearly 500 cases where families

by social services, leaving a long time to be assessed

44 children had waited at risk ` although the council says

Some social workers were six months to be visited.

Some social workers were dealing with 50 cases.

We will ensure there is a earlier cleared

We will ensure there is a earlier help for children and, crucially,

that when referrals are made, instead of them just being assessed

by social workers they will be assessed on a multi`dash`mac agency

basis and we have started to do that.

Children rated good just three

Perhaps most disturbingly after the stories of sexual grooming

by finding out where found that not enough was

I want to shine a bright light on and who they were mixing with.

childhood sexual exploitation and make sure we do all we can to tackle

this hidden crime. As an aside, we will commission an independent

review of our arrangements with GMP so we will have a proper and

detailed look at this. There is no wilful blind I'd

It's not just Manchester City Council who've failed here.

That's made up the city's Safeguarding Children

That's made up of other agencies including

In a statement, the Safeguarding getting involved in

findings and has already put plans in place to address these

doing within two years. to see how they're all

Tributes have been paid to one of the people who died in a fire

46`year`old Polly Connor from Kendal was married with three children.

A shed containing fireworks for a wedding reception ignited

Her family say they've no idea how she became involved with

the fire and say they're devasted by her death.

The Jaguar Land Rover plant will start building the new model in the

next period of time. The team here have a strong

delivering on their commitments and I am sure they will do that again.

We've created 250 jobs, our jobs, so it positive reaction in

Halewood and the whole Liverpool city region as well.

A Liverpool city fan has described what was a spiteful survival on the

terraces in Hillsborough. Andy Ashcroft 's lead he was rescued by

fellow supporters. He said that even their fans were

trying desperately police putting them back into the

pens. Our correspondent joins us now.

Then, Mr Ashcroft was lucky to survive by the sound of it. Just

tell us more about his experiences? Yes, he was very lucky indeed. The

court heard Andrew Ashcroft was 23 when he went to the match. Today he

said the crowd disorganised. He described how he

and a friend made gate the police had opened to

relieve a tunnel that became crushed with

people and out moments of arriving, he knew there

was a problem. He could see fans terrace by other fans in the West

stand above them. He duck underneath it and enjoyed a

lull in the were people dying inside the pen. He

said that is when he see a police officer helping people

out of the pen. Then, after everything he

through, how then did he manage to escape?

Well, it wasn't easy. He said that crowd determined where he could

move. At one point he was horrified that he was handing on a fan. He

tried to help him up but he could feel the crowd closing in around

him. At one stage, he said a brief opening open next to him through

which he can `` could make to the side and fans hoisted him

out. He said he didn't have Members of the region 's Kurdish

community have told North West Today that up to 20 men have left to fight

in northern Iraq. A Kurdish takeaway owner was filmed

fighting there Prime Minister has urged UK citizens

not to travel there to fight. Kurdish Peshmerga forces on the

front line fighting militants in Iraq. It is believed their ranks

have been altered by a group of young men from Manchester. I know

none of them but it is correct that a group of young people have

Kurdistan to join the Peshmerga forces. That claim was repeated to

the BBC by a member of Yorkshire 's Kurdish community and

he is following home. He accepts someone to get

involved. This is something completely independent. Individuals

have their own decisions and nobody forced them to go back to Kurdistan

and fight. There are estimated to be

thousand Kurds living in the north`west most in Manchester, but

some in Liverpool. Many took part in a demonstration in Manchester

against Islamic state last month. One of the organisers notes Kurds

who have gone to the Middle East but doesn't think it is necessarily

fight `` knows Kurds. You can't distinguish

see their families and people who get involved in some

fighting. People are eager to support and help the

can do other things. The alternatives include

help. The Home Office said it could be an

under threat, it is likely more UK Kurds will at least descended taking

direct action. `` will at He was the most senior counsel

official in rather when allegations were first made of child sexual

exploitation. Liverpool 's mayor wants to speak to

him on his return from holiday. We're joined now from Merseyside

studio. I believe that he has given a statement today. What has he

said? Gerard Fitzgerald has released a statement. He is the chief

executive of Liverpool City Council. Between 2001 and 2003 he held the

same post in rather and during that post `` time a report was written

into sexual abuse in the town. Some senior members of the council

believed the facts and figures were made up. Today, Mr Fitzgerald

vulnerable young people exploited and

He said he will discuss this extremely serious matter in the

coming days. I understand the mayor has says he

wants to question Mr Fitzgerald about his time in Rotherham.

Yes, the mayor was to know whether he knew about the report at the

time. He once to be in touch with the author of the latest report and

Rotherham council. Mr Fitzgerald wasn't mentioned in the 2002 report

or the latest report but he can expect robust questioning from the

mayor when he returns from holiday. Events in rather have again focused

attention of the issue of grooming and how to combat it but one part of

the Northwest is enjoying some success in tackling child sexual

exploitation. Wigan 's safeguarding children's

board put into effect a system which tries to stop people becoming a

victim in the first place. Our reporter has been taking a

at how it works. This teenager was duped and

abused by a paedophile who groomed him via the Internet. His

said he was 19 nine he was 47. `` his abuser. It probably all started

when I was 15. He said it was a way going to school. When did you

realise it was wrong? he got quite frustrated with me and

after a couple of police and his abuser is now in

jail. Zak comes from Wigan, a exploitation. Local safeguarding

board and approach to tackling grooming. We

realised it wasn't just a and we needed to look more in depth

as to whether young people who were being targeted

and whether we had unidentified group of perpetrators. Prevention is

key. Zoe, not her been disappearing from home, a sign

she could be is so Sarah has been assigned to

work with her from coming to She is a youth worker. At first it

was a shock that were `` people I'd been but it was nice to know

people cared about me. other youngsters. Jake is 18 but is

employed full`time by training to children to keep them

safe. On the real world. Taxi drivers have also

been possible exploitation when they are

out and about in the borough. back of your car would you feel

confident to intervene? I've done this job quite a long

time. Still to come: The Liverpool

with confidence. Still to come: The Liverpool doctor

back from studying Ebola in Africa who is warning that the current

outbreak could be catastrophic. And, remember this? Liverpool 's

unforgettable Champions League comeback has become the backdrop for

Bosses at the new North West Fire Control Centre have

been fighting back against criticism of the new system.

The centralised control room came under scrutiny after the Fire

Brigades Union said a lack of local knowledge was putting lives at risk.

But managers say the new system is quicker and more efficient.

Andy Gill was the first television reporter to be

in Warrington will stop all at the Northwest Fire control centre

except those Northwest Fire and rescue resources,

In July, the Fire are deployed from here.

In July, the Fire Brigade union said a fire crew from Carlisle was sent

Bosses here say a into a reservoir 100 miles away.

alert was sent to Carlisle, operator and system error meant an

alert was sent to Carlisle, but the incident was handled successfully by

at the appropriate of the resources needed were sent

at the appropriate times from the appropriate

Cheshire and Greater for Cumbria,

I take the view that the call centre still deployed from one location.

for the whole of this massive region, a region with more

` certainly the further putting at risk

` certainly the further away they are from that command centre.

There are new systems here more

There are new systems here which allow the operators to

gives more flexibility in deciding emergency much more quickly and it

gives more flexibility in deciding who to send to an emergency.

We are looking at ?20 money for frontline services.

which was of savings over the

which was part of the business case and if you equate that

about 550 full`time posts. that's about 25 engines and

This has handled more than 19,000 mobilisations since May.

Next, Ebola is one of the most terrifying illnesses and while it

reduced nurse recovering makes headlines tonight, a doctor is

warning against complacency. His latest trip in a 30 year chip

studying tropical diseases and he warns more needs to be done or the

current outbreak will be catastrophic. We went to see him at

the School of tropical medicine. In Liverpool, a new generation of

top tiers prepares to take on the fight against the deadly Ebola

disease. The School of tropical medicine... For four weeks, Doctor

Dempsey risked his own life in Sierra Leone. Many of the patients

were very ill. In terms of basic hygiene and so one, there were some

problems with that. The epidemic has claimed the lives of over 1000

people. As it spreads, so does fear and stigma for those working to

suppress it. He worked along with the word `` the doctor who

contracted the disease. Not all health workers have been given the

all clear though. Many became ill and some died. In trying to keep in

touch with colleagues that are still there, I'm hearing news of further

illness among geeks colleagues. Despite the risk, he is keen to get

back and so are many of his students. There will always be

risks. You have to weigh up whether it is a risk you are willing to

take. I did a course in December last year. Liverpool is one of the

major centres for tropical medicine. He doesn't know when he will be able

to go back but he knows first`hand that this is a disease that will

play many more lives. If we do not launch an effective international

It has become a fundraising craze on both sides of the Atlantic and if,

unlike us, you've not done it yet, chances are you know someone

has. The ice bucket challenge. It involves having icy water tipped

wherever you and then making eight donation to motor neuron research.

One worker said he has been sacked for doing it while at work.

Millions of people have done it all over the world. But when Phil Lucas

tipped a couple cost him a donation to charity, it

cost him his job. That is due in orange, isn't it? Is that you

telling him to get back to work? Yes. It is global now. It seems like

I'm the as well. Other people in the video

have had nothing said to them. It's a disgrace. Over the last few weeks,

for charity as social media timelines have been taken over

have done it, North West tonight presenters have done it `` North

West Today... But this one, filmed in Leeds seems to have had

unintended consequences. Phil says he received this letter warning him

of disciplinary action and telling him to go to a meeting the next day.

here later the same day he was sacked.

was become of the ice bucket Challenger and he was

Phil admits he had one written warning previously, but he says that

to sack him now over this makes no Lots of comments on Facebook about

that. Have a look and join in. Moving on to sport.

Lancashire 's cricketers have moved closer to relegation after a heavy

defeat. They needed to bat out the final day but they

Liverpool fans will never forget that incredible match in Istanbul

when their side came back from 3`0 down to win the European cup.

that centres around that remarkable night is about to be released.

It features a number of top actors and actresses as

Probably the matches than on the big

Probably the clubs greatest night and arguably the most remarkable

final in European history. How on earth do you go back telling that

story? It's not just football, is the Champions League final

if somebody in Hollywood had written it we would have said it was a load

of Tosh. The film follows down in their luck cabbies. The whole idea

of the movie is to tell about football fans who are so fanatical

they will do anything to get for a football game. Robbie

part of the team but was in the crowd as a supporter and

unfortunately. When you're a young player and you

the fourth time, everyone hates it and I'm no different will

furniture as he is a stadium tour guide. It has gone in a full circle

was in the film. What about Hollywood then?

know where to start. I wouldn't get too carried away. I

just being modest. The film will be launched in

That's great, isn't it? I remember that night so well. I was

here working for is up I was not watching it in a public house and I

I got home in time for the penalties.

Now for the weather. It's not been too bad today.

I promised a bright afternoon but the clouds have been so is

they would not shift. Having said that, it has been fairly warm.

that over the next two or three days,

main story. For the weekend, temperatures will drop. Plenty of

cloud around this evening. Like last night, where there are holes in the

cloud we are likely to see fog and mist patches. Temperatures in double

figures in towns and cities. Where we have clear skies, temperatures

could be down in single figures. Another one day tomorrow but again

extensive cloud cover from the word go. Mist and fog patches will lift

and the linger for a while. We may see

occasional but how much sunshine we will see

tomorrow is On Friday, still a lot of cloud but

into Saturday, a frontal system pushes in a band of rain. For the

first time this week we are likely to see rain on Saturday.

Disappointing test `` temperatures We thought it was going back to

summer again. Maybe next week.

We'll keep our fingers crossed. Thanks for watching.

Good night.