19/01/2017 North West Tonight

Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin.

Six people are killed as a tour bus carrying pilgrims from Manchester

Obviously, it's a very bad time for the families

One of those who died was a two-month-old baby.

New figures show we have more failing secondary

Criticism for the North West Ambulance Service as health bosses

say its safety and leadership must be improved.

How Rufus the rescue dog saved little Betsy's life.

Four members of the same family from Manchester have been killed

Among those killed is a two-month-old boy.

They were on a pilgrimage and were travelling from Mecca

Our correspondent Clare Fallon is live in South Manchester for us

and there are tributes being paid this evening.

They are. Really heartfelt tributes being paid this evening. I have been

talking to some of the extended members of this family and I think

it's fair to say that they are just absolutely struggling to come to

terms with what has happened. They find it just unimaginable. They have

been telling me that the relatives may have lost, they have been paying

tremendous tribute to them. Exactly what happened is still not entirely

clear but I will go through with you the details that we know. 12 members

of this family were on this pilgrimage, most of them lived in

Manchester although two of them lived in Glasgow. They were on this

pilgrimage and were travelling from Mecca to Medina when the crash

happened. They were all together in the same vehicle and as you

mentioned, among the six people who have been killed, a baby just two

months old called Adam. Also killed in this crash, two sisters as well

as those who were killed, six people were injured. One of them is in a

critical condition and among those people who have been injured is a

woman who has lost her two-month-old child, the mother of Adam Angie has

also lost both of her parents so this is an incredibly difficult

thing to to be dealing with. Earlier, I spoke to the travel

company through which the family booked this journey. They have been

helping with their trouble. Well cured from Mohannad Arif.

Obviously, it's a very bad time for the families

Since last night, we were with the families.

We were sharing their grief and we were

trying to help them out with any they needed.

So I think you get a sense there that as well as dealing with the

emotional trauma this family is going through at the moment, there

are also practicalities that they are dealing with and the most

immediate members of the family are travelling out to Saudi Arabia this

evening so they can be with their injured relatives. Thank you very

much. She will have more at 10:25pm. A man in his 20s is in a stable

condition after being It happened in Stockbridge

village yesterday evening. Police believe the shooting

was targeted, and have increased

patrols in the area. Baroness Helen Newlove,

whose husband Gary was killed outside their home in Warrington,

is urging the Government to strengthen the rights

of victims of crime. The Ministry of Justice says it

will announce plans "in due course". Baroness Newlove says

in the past year only 15% of victims had been given

the opportunity to make a statement This review shows that enough

is enough and I'm looking for the Government to ensure that victims

have the rights that they truly deserve to give them respect

and dignity and also the protection that they feel that their voices

being listened to. One in six secondary

schools in the North West That's according to new figures

from the Department for Education. It is more than anywhere else in the

country. More than one in eight young

people are being taught in schools that haven't managed

to meet new national standards. Ian Haslam has been looking at this

in more detail and joins us now. Yes, these figures show that young

people in our region are more likely than in any other

part of the country. And three of the five

worst-performing local authorities are in the North West -

Halton, Oldham and, with the worst

record in the country, Knowsley where every one

of the borough's six secondary This was the reaction

of parents today. Most of my son's class

actually went out of borough I was proud of what they put

my children through. The education seems

very poor around here. Knowsley Council declined

an interview but told us it's "naturally disappointed"

and is already making changes. Four of the six secondary schools

are now academies and it's recently invested a million pounds

to establish an Education Commission That million pounds

follows years of problems. Knowsley has long been

one of the country's It has the country's

worst GCSE results and, when this school stops offering

A-level courses this year, it'll make it the only council

area in England Our three worst performing

areas are all Labour run authorities, but today

the Shadow Education Secretary and MP for Ashton-under-Lyne told me

Government failings were to blame. We really need to see class sizes

reducing again We need good quality teaching

and we need decent schools for all our kids, not just

for those down south. But all the north-west's worst

performing local authorities And they also had nearly half

if not over half of their budgets, cut over this period.

We asked the Department for Education for an interview.

They declined, but say that over the last six years, the gap

between disadvantaged pupils and others has narrowed.

Let's talk about this further with Damian McNulty

Thank you very much for joining us this evening. Why is the Northwest

performing so badly in secondary schools? One of the first things to

remember is that it's not as simple as just the new progress measure and

a high degree of caution needs to be used. We need to think of the hard

work and dedication not just of the young people but of the teachers as

well. On top of that, there are some unique features within the Northwest

that remain challenges for the communities in general. We have

heard about social deprivation and I would echo the shadow Secretary of

State's view on council funding. It is not unique in that though, is it?

Other local authorities would say that their money is tight, they

would also say that they have deprivation. It does not really

explain why we have come out so badly. No, but we need to look at

all the services and look at the educational provision on offer for

children from preschool all the way through primary school and into

secondary schools. There is no doubt that the councils in the north-west

of England have faced a sustained, substantial cuts to services at all

ages and supporters of our most vulnerable and most challenging

areas. Some people would say that a failing school is purely down to

feeling teaching, feeling readership. Well, I refer you back

to the simplistic measure. The Northwest of England traditionally

has trained many, many teachers more than is required in those teachers

go across all of the UK. Many teachers across the Northwest have

worked in challenging schools, go on to work on other more successful

school so it's definitely not about the calibre of the teaching and

learning, it is about those institutions that they work in, the

schools, academies, allowing them to focus on their job of teaching and

learning and not be focused on other workload intent issues that take

away from adding that valued the young people they work with. Are you

saying that reports like this, assessments like this are actually

more of a hindrance than a help? They certainly can be. If we just

judge schools on one simple measure and Knowsley schools from many years

have had a bit of a kicking in terms of the academic progression. There

are many historic reasons that are very complex that I'm happy to going

to around a long legacy over 30 or 40 years of families and children

going to traditional schools that those families would have known in

the Liverpool area, St Helens area and many have stayed with that and

those children tend to be those that attain highest at primary school

results. Thank you very much for joining us this evening. You're very

welcome. The North West Ambulance Service

has been told it has to improve by the health

watchdog, the CQC. Inspectors expressed concerns

about staff shortages, particularly paramedics,

and a lack of training The Trust says it's faced

an extremely challenging year Our health correspondent

Gill Dummigan reports. The president control room, one of

three in the Northwest. Today, they'll deal with around 1100 calls

and around 4000 across the three states. The most important thing to

remember when you work in the control room is that at the end of

every 999 col is a patient and one of our primary focuses in the

initial training of staff is that everything has to be patient

centric. The report found that the trust was effective and caring but

it found that safety required improvement particularly when it

came to emergency and urgent care. There were particular concerns with

reporting of serious incidents and that some staff needed more training

in safeguarding. Di CQC was can particularly concerned about the

number of vacancies for Paris addicts at the time of the

inspection nearly one in six posts will fill -- paramedics. They said

this was causing too much strain on the paramedics who were working.

There was no morale in some areas. A lot of the paramedics were working

extra hours and overtime to compensate for the staff shortages.

There was also reliance on community first responders to attend to

emergency calls. The pressure is on the system are well documented. Long

queues outside a and E and the last year at 999 calls have gone up by

23%. There has been an increase pressure on staff. They have to go

out and deal with more intensive tuition and experienced staff are

leaving to find less pressurised and better paid jobs. The service as

they accept the findings but they have already started solving the

problems, particularly in recruitment. Already, they have

taken on paramedics from Poland and Finland. We are not taking this

lately and we are a learning organisation and the things that we

have learned in this report we will be learning from and we have learned

from and as I said earlier, we have actually corrected the bulk of them

now and some of the things that are outstanding are things that cannot

be solved immediately but we have plans to deal with them. This is one

of the last of the ambulance trusts in England to be reported on. Of the

nine so far rated, seven have been found wanting. Two seriously so. It

is a challenging time for the service. The question is whether the

response to that challenge can be improved.

Overseas fans help make Manchester United the world's

How the springador saved Betsy's life and why

That might get a few people thinking.

Will get some e-mails about that! The former Bishop of Liverpool says

being made a Freeman of Liverpool Is being given in large part for his

work on Hillsborough disaster. They should change chaired the

independent panel. I'm sure you remember. But it also recognises as

wider work. He has been speaking to our reporter Andy Gill.

We spoke to Bishop James in the Lord Mayor's parlour

at Liverpool Town Hall just ahead of the ceremony

In 2012, he chaired the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

Its report led to new inquests for the 96 people

Last year, the new jury decided the 96 had been

I asked the bishop what's getting the freedom of

It's a huge personal honour. Although, I suppose the great honour

has been to serve the people of Liverpool for 15 years and

especially the Hillsborough families and the survivors. You recently got

a knighthood as well. How does that compare with the freedom of

Liverpool? Well, in Liverpool, nothing compares to the freedom of

the city of Liverpool! But it's quite interesting because the

freedom of the city and, indeed, the United, they are ways of the

community recognising the importance of what has been done and the

families over the years have always believed that their struggle for

truth and justice has not just been for themselves and the survivors,

it's not just been for the city even, but it's actually been for the

nation. But the award also recognises the bishop's other

contributions to Liverpool. He chaired a regeneration panel in the

Kensington district and was Bishop during the murders of Rhys Jones and

Anthony Walker. One of the features of Liverpool is that when terrible

things happen, people come together in extraordinary solidarity. We are

talking about the influence you've had as a former bishop of Liverpool,

but held the city changed you during your time is your? I remember one

senior clergyman of the dioceses taking the aside just after I

arrived and saying, Bishop, if you can't laugh at yourself, you'd

better pack your bags and go. It was very good advice. And this tumour

for which Liverpool and indeed the Hall of the Northwest is famous,

this Schumer actually flows from the humanity of the place. There is an

earthiness about Liverpool and as you open your hearts to people and

they open your their heart to you, I was affected by that earthiness and

that humour. The Bishop is now hosting a review of the Hillsborough

families' experiences over the past 27 years.

Many congratulations to Bishop James for receiving the freedom of the

city. We wouldn't normally bring

you a story about a council constructing a new entrance

to one of its buildings, but the building in question -

Preston's Harris Museum - is considered by many to be

an architectural gem. The plans to change

the Grade One-listed icon are being condemned as

a "mutilation" by conservationists. Even if you've never been in it,

you'll know it if you know Preston. Slap bang in the middle

of the city, the Harris Museum. It's built in the same style

as the British Museum, but where the British Museum

is approached by a grand flight of steps, the entrance to the Harris

is through a side door. There used to be a road here,

so the architect couldn't put a flight of steps down

from the museum The council believes

that the foot of the It puts people off going inside,

and they want to put a new entrance right here in the

middle of that wall. Incidentally, in case

you thought they'd already started building the new entrance,

the crane blocking our view today But this gives you some idea

of what the door would look like. A door in the front, some entrance

in the front, would be one way of allowing greater access

and would show to the rest of the city that the Harris

was a welcoming place. Critics say the entrance

would mutilate the classical facade. This is our city's

finest work of art. It's like having the Mona Lisa

and saying, "Here, that lass, "I'll take my felt tip out and just

put a smile on her." The council's bidding

for ?10 million of lottery money and the organisation that protects

Grade One-listed buildings would still have to

be approve the plan. It would be really good

because now people have to go I mean, it's practical but then

so are the side entrances. Yeah, it would spoil

the building because it looks So I think people more my age

would think, oh, what's that? Next step, the council

will find out if it's won It is a stunning building though.

It's got us talking, that's for sure.

Sport now, and while Manchester United may be struggling

to return to the pinnacle of the Premier League,

they have returned to the top of football's rich list

They last topped the table a decade ago, but last year they earned ?515

million, more than Barcelona and Real Madrid. Manchester city are the

fifth richest club in the world, Liverpool be ninth richest club in

the world. What is about the Northwest? But it is United who are

making the headlines. Manchester United haven't been

the Premier League's number one since Sir Alex Ferguson's final

season four years ago. But far from stalling,

their commercial momentum And after a gap of over

a decade, they're back something the industry's

experts have seen coming. They realised that certainly with

new media coming along that there were vast opportunities for the club

to enhance the money which can be generated from fans,

sponsors and so on. United's commercial growth is,

of course driven by demand. They count their global fanbase

in the hundreds of millions. As there always are, there

are plenty of tourist fans And their big sponsors

pay a heavy premium. Addidas - ?750 million

over ten years. Chevrolet who are on the front

of the shirts - just shy But it's the number of deals around

the world that tips the balance, including seven mobile

phone companies from Azerbejan to the

Carribean and Nigeria, separate soft drinks

partners in countries and even an official

motorcycle brand for Thailand. They've taken advantage

of the fact that United have all of these fans in all

of these different countries and they've picked up individual

sponsors in individual countries and that allowed them to negotiate deals

and be very successful and exactly The unerring drive

for commercial supremacy gives United unrivalled spending power

in the transfer market. But tickets and merchandise

remain expensive. Ten years before the

takeover in real terms, Manchester United were top

of the Deloitte league then and so we're just getting back

after, you know, ten years

of financial hardship. And with the current ?10 billion

Premier League TV deal, there's no doubt they're working

in a favourable financial climate. But it's also fair to say that

United have been Jumping back to the top of the

league. Staying with football

and Liverpool finally overcame League Two Plymouth Argyle

to progress Manager Jurgen Klopp

fielded another young side despite the criticism he received

after the initial tie at Anfield. 30-year-old Lucas Leiva

scored the only goal, his first in seven years,

to set up a fourth round In rugby union, Sale Sharks have

terminated the contract of winger Tom Arscott

with immediate effect. It comes after Sale complained

to the Rugby Football League that one of their players -

believed to be Arscott - gave information to a former club

before a match between the two. We have some guests in the studio.

You may be about to see one of them as she walked past... There she is!

They say dog's are a man's best friend.

It was definitely the case for 21-month-old Betsy

whose life was saved by a rescue dog called Rufus.

I don't know who is cuter, ruthless or Betsy.

Rufus was staying with Betsy and her mum Emily in Macclesfield.

Rufus raced to the rescue and raised the alarm.

Along with Emily, Betsy and Ann Lovell from the charity

Rufus actually is not your dog, Emily. He is a foster dog. From

Labradors in need. You were looking over the Reed after him. Tel was

what happens. Betsy had not been very well and then Rufus came in and

started polling at me and barking and then I followed him through and

Betsy had been sick and so I managed to put her over so that she could be

sick so she wasn't in any danger after that. But it was Rufus you

raise the alarm. So he sensed something was wrong? Yes, even

before the alarm went off on the baby monitor. He was already there

letting us know that she wasn't very well. Brilliant.

I have a little word of that, I've been too busy! Excuse me. And, Rufus

is a cross between a springer spaniel and a Labrador. Are they

good pets? Labrador cross make fantastic pets. They are a boil,

great family dogs. Britain's top choice as far as a dog goes. We have

quite a lot of people on our waiting list and we have some dogs still

waiting for homes. We are going to put the website on screen in a

minute because Rufus, as you just explains, can't stay with you. He is

a foster dog. He stays with us through a short time until he finds

his feet. And we do have two other dogs, our own dogs. Once he finds a

forever home through the charity, labrador is in need, he will go to

that forever home. Before when you came and spoke to us, it was

astonishing, he was showing her so much attention and really looking

after her. They have an amazing bond. I think they are feeding off

each other so she is a bit insecure and then he will pick her up on the

other way round. They are very close. She likes to walk on the lead

and stuff. I think you can see pictures of them together. Before I

got distracted by my new best friends, I was bringing up the

website. People can get in touch and they can put themselves through the

process to adopt a dog, but it is a proper process and Rufus is up

adoption, isn't he? He is, along with some other dogs at the moment.

We are a charity entirely run by volunteers will stop we don't have

anyone employed by the charity, we all work. We are desperate in the

North West particularly for foster homes like Emily. People took on

track for us and people to adopt. Fundraiser, sponsor our dogs that

are in long-term foster and as a charity... I'm worried she's going

to fall off! She's fine. Thank you very much.

Thank you Rufus. Thank you Betsy who is the star of the show.

They say never work with animals and children!

But we like to. We have already mopped a little puddle of the four

you'll be pleased to note. Puddles, you know.

My favourite thing is that everyone at home is going, all, isn't he

gorgeous! And none of them mean you, Roger.

We have been stuck in a rut weather-wise but things will start

to change. Temperatures will start to fall away this weekend. The

result is a reason for this in our reason is that the error is coming

from the continent. That will start tonight and the more southern part

of the region may start to see temperatures falling a little bit.

Just a little bit. When we move into this pattern, an area of high

pressure is going to drop the error from the continent. We are going to

get stuck in this pattern so we have been in the mild air and we will

stay in this pattern and it will take some time for that to change.

If you have been looking for bright days, cooler days, that is what we

are moving into. At the minutes, I'll about the cloud. The cloud is

with us and you can see spots drizzly rain here and there. In the

more southern parts of the region, in the early hours we may see a

break in the cloud cover here and there so that may allow one or two

places to go to two degrees but still the numbers for the most part

are pretty good, five and six. First thing tomorrow morning, a lot of

cloud cover. One or two spots of rain but from the south, here comes

this clear whether moving into parts of the Midlands, Staffordshire and

Cheshire and Merseyside. The sun could come out from many places as

you head through the afternoon so some brighter skies here and there.

Not for everyone but eventually, we will start to feel this cooler air

coming in so while the numbers on the chart are six or 7 degrees, that

may be at lunchtime and as the cool air comes in, things will start to

chill off and tomorrow night there could be a frost in many places. As

we go through the weekend, that'll be the pattern. Cold air coming in,

not wall-to-wall sunshine but some brighter skies and not one is

listening to a word I say! Were sorry. She was very good.

And lots of people want to adopt Rufus.

Rufus, you have been brilliant to! Thank you for watching, have a

wonderful evening., bye-bye! Bye-bye!