15/02/2017 Points West

Our main story tonight: A councillor and his drug dens.

He was part of a gang renting houses and turning them

into cannabis farms, while serving as a respectable

Quite what he was to right at the centre of this conspiracy, only he

will now. He has lied through his back teeth in these proceedings, in

my opinion, and now he must face the consequences.

Tonight, Councillor Hassett is in jail.

We will have the full story of his deception.

Our other headlines tonight: Two new mums start a support group

after suffering strokes days after giving birth.

Council tax bills are going up by the biggest amount in a decade,

but it is not enough to stop cuts in services.

And splashing out on a refurb of the pool in Portishead,

And splashing out on a refurb of the pool in Portishead.

A councillor has been found guilty of conspiring to grow vast amounts

of cannabis in homes he rented under fake names.

Councillor Donal Hassett ? who is 56 - is one of a number

He has already been suspended from the Conservative Party,

but he remains a representative on the council in Bath,

even though he is in jail tonight awaiting sentence.

A respected Conservative councillor, Donal Hassett, has been

A respected Conservative councillor, Donal Hassett has been

suspended by his party, though is technically

despite now being a convicted criminal.

This was one of the raids we filmed with police last year.

Donal Hassett had rented this Wiltshire home using fake

names and cover stories to access four properties.

With the rental agreements secured, Hassett's accomplices moved in.

With the rental agreements secured, Hassett's accomplices moved in,

Rental properties you wouldn't ordinarily think would be used for

anything other than normal families. Then electricity would come in and

after three months, you have millions of pounds worth of

cannabis, ready to cultivate. Four had already pleaded guilty

via Vietnamese interpreters. Bath Council said it could not

comment until Hassett Today the leader of its Conservative

group said Hassett was no longer a member and added,

we feel very let down as a party and I feel personally let down

as his group leader. Cannabis farms are often part

of a criminal portfolio. The farmers inside, often

Vietnamese, are sometimes, say police, trafficked

into the UK illegally. The young man we filmed in February

last year was left looking He has since disappeared, along

with another young Vietnamese man. Police are appealing for help

finding Thang Van Tran and Dang Chien, not for any crimes,

but to make sure they are not still The prosecution said the cannabis

growing operation was organised and sophisticated. Councillor Donal

Hassett was remanded in custody today. He will return to court to be

sentenced at a later date. When he does, it is very likely he will face

a prison sentence. The police have released a CCTV

image as part of an investigation into the death of a woman in South

Gloucestershire. 43-year-old Joanne Denham was found

on Hill Street in Kingswood A 38-year-old man arrested has

been released on bail. Police say that the man in this

image could be a potential Two women from Wiltshire

who had strokes just days after giving birth,

are warning others about their Jo Wallace and Stevi Marshall have

set up a support group after finding Doctors initially put their symptoms

down to being new mums, when actually things

were far more serious. Our Wiltshire Reporter Will Glennon

went to meet them. Jo Wallace and Stevi Marshall each

had their first child last year. But just days after the birth,

Stevi started getting bad headaches, It was like I wanted to just scratch

that part of my face to get something out. I had a lot of

confusion. I couldn't read. I would look at words and I couldn't even

tell you what they said. It got to a point where I couldn't cope. It was

throbbing at the back of my head. Basically, I lost my eyesight. My

memory is coming back, but it was quite severely affected.

The Stroke Association says more women than men have strokes,

This may be because more women are living longer and having

But it is still highly unusual for young women

Stroke during pregnancy and after childbirth is rear, but it does

happen. Having a stroke can have different effects. Every single

stroke is different. People do recover and the future can be very

bright after suffering a stroke. Jo and Stevi feel very

fortunate to have survived They are now part of a support

group for Mums in Swindon None of us want to dwell on it. We

accept this has happened to us, but we are all here, we all have issues,

but it's not life threatening. We all have our babies and they are

gorgeous and lovely. And we will hopefully get to see them grow.

Both women are recovering well, and warning other mums to watch

Andrew Marr made a brilliant programme about strokes and it is

available on the iPlayer. We have got lots more

still to come before 7pm, including: The councillor in charge

of homeless policy who slept And a new lease of life for the lido

- the open air pool in Portishead Council tax across the West

is facing its biggest rise in a decade, despite ongoing

cuts to services. Today two of our biggest councils,

Somerset and Gloucestershire, In Taunton, there were protests

as members voted through controversial changes

including job cuts. Here's our political

editor Paul Barltrop. Across the West, it is a time

for difficult decisions. This morning in Somerset

that hour had arrived. The reality is that anyone sitting

in this position would have to make the same tough decisions. The Devil

is in the detail. I don't like the lack of detail of any of the cuts to

services. Controversy in the council

chamber over ?18 million And outside from unions

and service users worried Service users are suffering and

staff are making impossible choices about how to do their job, to keep

our communities safe. The situation is quite bad. The situation we have

with the budget for next year is there is no detail about where the

cuts will fall. Yet, even as spending falls,

council tax is rising. It is the same in Gloucestershire,

but slightly less in Bath In North Somerset it will be 4.75%,

while all the West's other big councils are going for 4.99% -

pretty much the most allowed. Overall, that means Band D tax bills

will rise by between ?50 and ?80, Children and adults need care which

we need to pay for. The situation is not perfect. We were able to freeze

council tax for eight years. It is getting more difficult as we go

forward. He is to meet Government ministers

to discuss ongoing cuts in funding. But no bailout is expected,

so cuts including the loss So, strong feelings as councillors

voted through tax rises and spending reductions. Efforts have been made

to protect services. Across the West, local elections take place in

May. After that, councils will have to start planning further rounds of

cuts. However, many people in Swindon

might get a bit of a shock when they receive their council tax

bills this year. A rise of up to ?200

is being planned. It will be used to pay

for new parish councils They will then take over

services which the borough Concerns have been raised

about the ethics behind an award-winning green energy

plant in Somerset. It generates heat and power

from waste, and one source is slurry But animal rights campaigners claim

conditions there are appalling. A claim that has

today been disputed. We are really passionate about

sustainability... As the UK's biggest

independent cheese maker, Wyke Farms takes its green

credentials very seriously. They have even built this green

energy plant near Bruton. Next door you can see the pig farm

from where it gets some This is what was secretly filmed

on that pig farm one Sunday night in January

by animal rights campaigners. where dead pigs lie

amongst the living. Perhaps - say campaigners -

not quite what green energy When people make an ethical choice

about where their energy comes from, most British people reject factory

farming. I think they would be shocked to discover that some energy

comes from factory farms. Wyke Farms does not own

or run the pig farm. But given the link between it

and their energy plant they told us today they are "committed

to the highest standards of animal welfare and is extremely concerned

by what is shown in the video." Adding they "will be reviewing

future supply of waste The farm owners JMW Farming

has made no comment. The National Pig Association says

the farm's been inspected. The National Pig Association says

the farm has been inspected and that no welfare regulations

have been breached. Explaining that across the industry,

dead pigs should be removed But without staff on overnight,

that sometimes has to wait Wyke Farms says the pig slurry

is just 1% of the waste source But they will talk to the owners

before making a decision if they will continue to use waste

from their pigs. The former Chief Inspector

of Prisons Lord Ramsbotham says councils in our region

are being short-sighted for not offering a full-time speech

and language therapy service He says evidence has been in place

for more than a decade showing most young offenders have problems

with speech and language, and addressing this cuts

their reoffending and keeps Our reporter Lee Madan

has travelled to Devon, where therapy is offered,

to see what difference it makes. In any month, where does the 17th

come? Gulliver has been working with a speech and language therapist for

three months, but says his life has already been turnaround. He spent

his childhood feeling out of place, but didn't know why. I was mixing in

with the wrong crowd. I started using cannabis to fit in with

people. I think it is what caused my offending. He was first caught with

drugs aged 15. He got into trouble again after becoming angry while

unable to explain himself and when others couldn't understand what he

was trying to say. It would cause frustration because I felt stupid.

The other person was getting frustrated that I wasn't listening

to them. Considering communication skills such as empathy and being

able to understand someone else's point of view, this is crucial

regarding language. Gulliver has now realised he is not stupid or bad,

but has problems with memory which he now manages. I take deep breaths

and count to ten. I have a notebook to take notes. These techniques have

helped him avoid getting into difficult confrontations. He gets

better with others, can hold down a job and make nicer friends.

Important factors that make it less likely he will commit more crime. He

received help because he lives in Devon, where the council employs two

speech and language therapists specifically to work with young

offenders. In our region, it is less likely he would have been helped. It

is one of the scourges of this century. I wish all councils would

think this through. This lack of communication was the cornerstone of

all their problems and the cornerstone of improving prospects.

Most councils in the West told me they want to run a full-time service

for young offenders, but are struggling with limited budgets and

a lack of funding. Gulliver's message is clear. Spending money on

speech therapy works and it is the reason he is confident he will not

reoffend. Elsewhere in the region, provision

is limited. In Swindon, a therapist is only employed one afternoon a

week. Across the West, there were 1311 young offenders last year. And

only 7% received the offer of speech and language therapy by their local

council. Of government data shows that at least 60% are likely to

speech and language problems which are thought to be a key factor on

why they committed the crime in the first place.

Why the link between speech and language problems or crime and

reoffending? Well, we think speech and language problems make at child

vulnerable for success in education and once you are not succeeding in

school, you fall behind, it is difficult to keep up with your peer

group, get involved in activities that bring you into contact with

criminal activity. As with any speech and language therapy, it's

not one fits all. What sort of treatment or reason talking about?

First of all, many of these young people have quite complex disorders,

so there might be an underlying delay in their language, they may

have problems such as a stammer. They may have difficulties with

understanding which are not immediately obvious and which they

will often try to cover up. So they need a detailed assessment. Would it

not make sense to look at it earlier when they are still at school? It

would be, but we don't have the sort of screening for speech and language

problems that other European countries have. Once children are

showing difficulties such as behavioural difficulties at school

or they are at risk of exclusion or they are not in education, those are

all risk factors for undiagnosed speech and language problems, so we

really should be focusing on children at those points. And what

would you like to see change? I think it would be good if we had

speech and language therapy provision within all youth offending

teams and young offender institutions. That would be helpful

because then if young people have missed out earlier Ron, we could

catch them, but we could also support the staff and ensure that

they benefit from provision to prevent reoffending. As you said, it

would also be much better if we could detect the problem is much

earlier. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. .

Last month on this programme we highlighted the growing problem

Latest figures show Bristol has had the biggest rise

Up from just eight in 2010 to 74 now.

There are nearly five times more people sleeping rough

on streets in Swindon than there were six years ago.

Last year, 28 people were without a bed for the night,

In Bath, the numbers have nearly tripled from nine

to 25, with a similar picture in Gloucester.

Well, the councillor in charge of homeless policy for Cheltenham

spent three nights sleeping rough in the town to get

Here's Councillor Peter Jeffries' story.

We are about 4pm and the sun is starting to go down. The temperature

is dropping. And going to have a wander around and see if I can catch

up with anybody. Then I will find myself quite spot. I have spent

three nights sleeping year. Relatively close, not fully, very

cold. Lots of noises. Apologies if I seem in I have not had any alcohol.

It is sleep deprivation. You get little or no sleep. It is almost

like the layers of humanity are disappearing. Self-respect and

hygiene levels are lowered. There are two worlds. There is a world

that is poles apart completely at odds and they are living at the end

of almost existence. I found quite quickly a lot of your energy and

thought process is about surviving, where you will get your next hot

drink or hot meal. Will your sleeping spot be safer that night?

Having time to think about getting out of the situation is almost

nonexistent. Before you can scratch the surface to look at the needs and

get to that point, there is a definite feeling of resignation to

the situation. It is sad. Very sad. It has given me a lot more

compassion. There will be times where you have to take tough

choices, but taking them with the knowledge and compassion, I think is

good. Having heard her voice, it gives me comfort.

Over the next few days on Points West, we are looking

at the issue of homelessness and how different organisations

are trying to find solutions to the growing problem.

In his piece, Councillor Jeffries talked about survival

Tomorrow, we will be talking to organisations which help people

move beyond survival and get back into normal life.

In football, there wasn't much to celebrate for our teams

City were unhappy that this first Leeds goal wasn't disallowed

for a push on defender Bailey Wright.

Bristol Rovers drew 0-0 with League One leaders Sheffield United.

Swindon Town suffered a fifth successive defeat

and in League Two Cheltenham lost and Yeovil drew ahead

Major structural repairs are underway at Portishead Lido

But ?25,000 is still needed to finish the job.

Michelle Ruminski has joined the volunteers who are now

Even if it was raining, we would be down here with our raincoat, sat on

the steps, waiting for the lorry to come with the hot water.

You will be pleased to know biomass boilers heat the open pool now.

But across the decades, it has continued to play a big part

Opening in 1962, Dave and his friends were some

But now, after 45 years, the cracks are beginning to show.

The pool started dropping one centimetre per day after a cracked

last year. We are going to like it and it will be lovely.

New pipework is being fitted too and the original water treatment

plant is being replaced with an energy efficient one.

It is all costing three quarters of a million pounds,

but the trust which runs it - who are mainly volunteers -

They are hoping the public will give them a lifeline.

We have loans lined up, should we need it. We will be doing the job.

So now it is all a race against time.

I remember when it opened and I went there in the first summer. I seem to

remember the weather was nice in 1967. Do you have pictures? You are

the perfect person to reopen it. I recommend the cafe. Nice cake always

wins them over. We must stop chatting!

I don't know whether I would want to make a judgment of going into the

lido. There will be people swimming in the Bristol Channel at the

moment. Tomorrow will be a decent day. Some parts of the West Country

will be seeing some fog around during the course of the morning.

Then it's a question of how quickly that clears. In association with low

cloud, to get us into a phase of weather which should be on the most

part pretty bright and sunny. Technically, the risk of some light

showers around. And overwhelmingly dry story for the majority of you.

Earlier, a band of rain moved north eastwards. Still some lingering

outbreaks of showers this evening. We expect that to be the way of

things tomorrow. A fairly quiet pattern of weather. It should

brighten up. This evening, the resurgence of some showery rain.

Shouldn't get too far to the east. Looking dry through the course of

the night. Towards the south, parts of South Wiltshire and Dorset, here

we have a high risk of fraud. In those territories and into southern

part of Somerset, the skies may be clear enough for long enough to

allow temperatures to drop into a territory to give us a risk of a

frost. Elsewhere, I wouldn't be surprised if some urban areas held

closer to 6 degrees. We should get under way but some of you under at

the fog. That will lift. Low cloud will lift. The should be a

reasonable amount of dry weather about. Small chance of an isolated

shower. Most places dry and find. Similar story in some respects for

Friday. Looking mostly dry and mild. Thank you.

Just before we leave you, can we wish a very happy 40th

birthday to one of the West's most famous sons.

The much loved plasticine character Morph was brought to life

He first appeared on Vision On, before finding real fame

Nowadays he is often found travelling in his creator

when farmers leave their daily routines behind...

Right, here we come, Dorset! ..for a show day.