18/01/2012 Spotlight

The Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police is leaving after

five years in the job. Good evening. Stephen Otter has been offered a

new role with the Inspectorate of Constabulary. We'll be live at

force headquarters in Exeter. Also tonight - the desperate fight

for work. As one company reveals it was overwhelmed by applications for

just two posts, one job seeker describes the battle for work.

is so scary. You have no idea until you walk into a place like a job

centre what everybody else has to go through, it is just daunting.

The councillors who have awarded themselves a big increase in

allowances while many staff face a pay freeze.

And back on track, the disused line reopened to take freight off the

road and onto the railways. The chief constable of Devon and

Cornwall Police is leaving his job. Stephen Otter has been appointed

one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary. His move comes at a

time of great change for the force. Spotlight's home affairs

correspondent, Simon Hall, joins us from force headquarters at

Middlemoor in Exeter. What were the concerns about the Chief Constable

leaving? Stephen Otter has been in charge of

Devon and Cornwall Police for five years now and has adopted unending

and listening style which has gone down well. His time has been

remarkable for a lack of controversy and that at a time when

he is coping with unprecedented change. Budget cuts mean he is

losing hundreds of staff. He has also introduced a radical new ways

of working. That is very much his baby so I think there will be

concerns how that will continue with the man who dreamt up the

vision they are leaving the force. And there is more change to come

for the police, isn't there? Yes, we have the new elected police and

crime commissioners coming in by November, but fundamentally

different way of operating police forces. So, a lot of change go on

for Devon and Cornwall Police at the moment which is worrying some.

Thought obviously, the chief constable is a career policeman and

his career will take into all places in the United Kingdom so we

wish him well in his new appointment. However, the forces go

through major change at this time we need strong leadership. My

members are critical of the actual system and the fact that the

introduction of a police commissioner means we will not have

a new police -- chief constable appointed at this time. Tell us

about his new job. It is a prestigious an important one. He

was interviewed for the job by the policing Minister himself. The

inspectorate oversee police forces and make sure they are officially

and effectively run. What does the police authority have to say?

have just been speaking to the chairman and he said he was glad

that the talents of Stephen Otter had been recognised but sad to lose

a man of such calibre. He did go on to say that he had other senior

officers in Devon and Cornwall Police of great ability and talent

and he was confident the force would continue to be run smoothly.

We are planning to talk to Stephen Otter on a lunchtime news tomorrow

and on the programme at 6:30pm. Unemployment has risen sharply

across much of the South West, according to figures out today. In

most places it's still below the national rate, but that gap is very

clearly beginning to close. In a moment we'll find out which places

are worst affected, but first this report, from Exeter, from our

business correspondent, Neil Gallacher.

Eight per dissent it used to redundancy. She was laid off from

her job just before Christmas. wake up every morning thinking

about how his ally good to get through this. Then I have to think

of my husband of where we live. It is a knock-on effect. At the end of

the day, it is on my mind all the time. Regency Wines in Exeter can

testify to the toughness of the labour market. More than 250 people

applied for two vacancies as van drivers. We were inundated from 9am

in the morning, from going into the paper and onto the internet. After

two weeks we had to stop taking applications because it had reached

250 and we were so overwhelmed that we barely had time to go through

all the CVs. Coming from the construction industry, there are

lots of people being laid off. There are lots of people I know

struggling for works or was amazed to get this job, especially after

seeing how many people applied forehead. One discouraging thing

about the unemployment figures today is that many job cuts that we

know are coming in the public sector still have not been

implemented yet. Place by place, then - who's worst

affected at the moment? Bearing in mind the latest overall national

picture is a claimant count rate of 3.9, which has stayed broadly flat:

We saw rises in each of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. All of

those places, as you can see, have still got rates below the national

rate, but notice Cornwall is beginning to nudge up now within

striking distance of it. In the two unitary authorities, Plymouth was

noteable for seeing a fall this past month but Torbay saw yet

another rise and retains the dubious honour of being the only

place in the patch that's above the national rate. Which places are

seen unemployment rise particularly fast here? Cornwall and Devon and

counted, the raw bits of Devon, have seen a rise significantly

steeper than the national rise. These are places that had been

doing really well, doing well for consumers spend. They were trendy

and upmarket but just in the last six to 12 months we have seen

consumers spend finally being squeezed and that is shown up in

the figures. We have just seen that Plymouth appeared to be bucking the

trend. Why was it seeing a fall? do not think there has been any

particular job creation in Plymouth. Lots of local agencies have come

together in Plymouth for really big push to get your people off the

dole. They are either going into specialised training or into

workplace has to make them more employable to buy you do have to

ask what will happen at the end of those schemes, will they go back on

to the dull? With the at look as it is at the moment there does appear

to be every danger of that. Councillors in Mid Devon have

awarded themselves a pay rise of 23%. It means each councillor's

basic allowance will go up by nearly �1,000 a year. In all, the

decision will cost taxpayers an extra �50,000 pounds a year. The

local government union, Unison, says it's not fair at a time when

council staff are on a pay freeze. Spotlight's Amy Cole reports.

A time of austerity? Some might well be questioning if that's the

case at Mid Devon District Council, where councillors have accepted a

pay increase of 23% - almost unheard of in the current public

sector climate. There was some surprise on the streets of Tiverton

today. I think it is excessive and ridiculous that this time, it sends

out the wrong message. I can imagine if I was unemployed and

struggling to feed my family and I hear that some of the councillors

are giving themselves a 23% pay rise, he would not sit comfortably

with me. But the council's conscience is clear. The leader of

this �50 million a year organisation insists pay must go up

in order to attract the best people and prevent the authority from

floundering. It was clear that we had to attract more people to stand

as candidates, I hope this will go some way towards addressing that.

After this particular increase which think we will catch up with

the dead than average, any future increases will be link completely

with what over the staff may get. The local government union Unison

says that's not fair, when the council's 500 staff have had a pay

freeze. Members are agreed that councillors have accepted a 23% pay

rise, knowing that their own positions are being cut we are

constantly asked to make savings. Back on the streets of Tiverton,

and there is still a feeling of incomprehension. It is the wrong

time. Do it when they have got some money. We have to accept lower

wages. So they should accept it as well. Today, to local government

minister said his colleagues had seen cuts and caps to their

salaries and that the council should think again.

Thank you for your comments on this story. Mr Phillips, who lives in

East Devon, says he's appalled. He goes on to say. It is particularly

insensitive at this time and confirms what I suspected -

councillors represent themselves. John says, how do these parasites,

who claim to have their ratepayers' interests at heart, justify voting

themselves a pay hike of outlandish proportion? And Maggie in

Hawkchurch says, I would like to suggest that if the councillors are

awarding themselves a bonus, we, who fund this rise ,should also get

a bonus, in a reduction of our rates! Michael, who used to be a

councillor in the 1980s, says, then it was the case of do the job

because she wanted to help your constituents, not rake-off public

money to subsidise one's own income. Thank you for all of your thoughts.

An investigation is under way after an 81-year-old pedestrian was

seriously injured when she was hit by a police van in Exeter. The

woman was walking on Heavitree Road, near the police station, when the

collision happened just after 7.30 this morning. The police say the

vehicle was not responding to an emergency call at the time - the

incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints

Commission. The woman is still in hospital.

A Cornish MP has again urged the Government to go back to the

drawing board on its shake-up of the NHS. The Liberal Democrat MP

for St Ives, Andrew George, told David Cameron in Prime Minister's

Questions today that the changes are based on flawed information.

year ago the prime minister told me that the recent fall the new health

bill was simply that this country now has European levels of health

spending but does not have European levels of success. Now that we know

that is not the case, will the Prime Minister please Shell for

disruptive and destructive Burl which is struggling in another

place, go back to the coalition agreement and built up from there?

David Cameron said the NHS plans are based on a wide consultation -

and that the health service does need to be changed. He says it is

not the case that we at outcomes that a less than some parts of

Europe. I'm afraid, it is the case and in some cases we could be doing

a lot better. To argue that the NHS simply needs money and not reform,

I do not believe is right. Dorset MPs opposed to plans to close the

helicopter search and rescue base on Portland say the Transport

Secretary Justine Greening has promised to look into their

concerns following a meeting with her this afternoon. The base is due

to close in 2017, but campaigners fear that lives could be put at

risk. Passengers will be able to fly

direct from Newquay to two more UK destinations this summer. The

airport is to launch weekly flights to Newcastle and Belfast from 5th

May. The Exeter-based airline, Flybe, says the service is in

response to customer demand. Still plenty to come in tonight's

programme, including the 14-year- old from Totnes whose work has been

snapped up by one of the world's leading technology giants. And the

changing face of Plymouth. History as seen through the eyes of those

who lived there. A newly re-opened railway line in

Devon will keep hundreds of lorries off the region's roads. The four-

mile track near Newton Abbot is being used to transport hundreds of

tonnes of timber to North Wales. It's the first time wood has been

moved by rail in Devon and Cornwall and each train load replaces 24

lorry loads. Heavy lifting near Newton Abbot.

For the first time, wood from Devon and Cornwall is being moved by rail.

Once a week this train goes to North wales ladden with almost

1,000 tonnes of timber. Basically, our train carries around 27

lorryloads of Coimbra said that is taking 27 lorries from the M25. We

tried to make things as efficient as possible and that is what we

have done here. And there's plenty of wood to move. The region's

forests have never been so busy. The deadly disease Sudden Oak Death

means plenty of trees are being felled. Moving timber by train

makes perfect sense. The rail is on the old branch line. The four mile

stretch last saw freight trains 10 years ago. The cost of fuel going

up has played a key part. It is still quite expensive to run a

train but in comparison to running 30 lorries, the benefit is there,

and also we are much more green it conscious now. Environment is a big

issue where as many years ago it was not. And industry analysts

expect more rail freight like this. There is a lot of traffic

congestion, rail can guarantee delivery times much more easily.

Customer-service is increased and the environmental benefits of rail

are massive. Freight rail is not cheap. The engine for the strain

cost �2 million alone, but a train a quarter of a mile long release

the raids of dozens of lorries. Few would argue with that. New research

shows supported housing for older people leads to longer life and

better health and could save the NHS millions, but there's not

enough to meet growing demand. In Extra Care Housing, people live

independently but with the care they need. But while some South

West councils are moving from traditional residential homes to

extra care, others have no plans for more schemes. Sally Mountjoy

reports. She only moved in last July, but 87

year-old Peggy Holiday would not want to live anywhere else. She has

a flat here but appreciates the 24 hour care and support on offer.

have in -- new live independently and if you want to go down and get

company, you can, and if you want to stay at you can. The development

has communal facilities like a restaurant and a lounge. The scheme

is described as Extra Care Housing, where people over when their own

apartments but get the care that they need. People live longer than

they would otherwise, have fewer false and hospital admissions and

cost the NHS and care services less. Researchers say that while the

number of older people is increasing, there are not enough of

these purpose-built homes. What we would like to see is a real growth

in this market. At the moment, we think that less than 1% of older

people, aged 65 and above, living Extra Care Housing. Some councils

are committed to moving away from traditional residential care to

Extra Care Housing, such as Plymouth and Devon, but others have

no plans for new schemes. Peggy things or people should have a

chance to get a home like hers for stop You may remember that

yesterday we ran a story about Clive Venables, who lives in a

listed house on Dartmoor. He's been served with an enforcement notice

by the Dartmoor National Park Authority asking him to remove

windows and doors which have been in place for more than ten years.

That's because they're double- glazed and he didn't apply for

planning permission. Well we had a huge response from you on Twitter

and by email. Jim in Crediton says, The legal bill for taking that chap

on Dartmoor to court over his windows will be more than the job

is worth. Clive says, In these days of energy saving it is ridiculous

that we are not allowed to use double glazed glass. Charles in

Pendeen emailed, What a load of nonsense. Funny how we can afford

these activities, when we are cutting essential services to the

elderly and vunerable. Ian from Exmouth says, Have they not heard

about discretion? Well, the Director of Planning at Dartmoor

National Park Authority emailed us today in response to yesterday's

story saying, We have a duty to consider all breaches of planning

and listed building control, and are required by government

legislation to ensure that any works to a Listed Building do not

harm its character and are carried out with the appropriate consent in

place. Of the 69 applications we received last year for Listed

Building Consent only two were refused permission. We only take

action when it is absolutely necessary.

Then default those comments. He was CEO of his own company at the age

of 11, and today, at the tender age of 14, computer whiz Orion

Trenshaw-Leggett has designed some software for a world famous

technology company. He's become one of the youngest software developers

to launch his own app for computer giants Apple. Johnny Rutherford has

been to meet him. A digitial native. That's a person

who, through interacting with digital technology at an early age,

has a greater understanding of its concepts. And Orion certainly is

one. He's been experimenting with computers all his life, all 14

years of it. At 11 he set up his own company, Touchdown Studios, at

12 he became a registred software developer for computer giants Apple,

and just over a year later launched his own app. It is a 3 D drawing

tall with some other really call things. If you cannot draw you can

make something really called Looking and if you can draw it can

make even more impressive things. He has just got and the ease with

that, and I think he has a particular passion for designing

and innovating that not every kid has. A lot of kids like computers

to win games but he likes to invent things. Last week, Education

Secetary Michael Gove announced a shake-up of the IT curriculum in

schools saying it was dull. Orion's Dad agrees. They are learning

really fast. They can be way ahead of the cave and a think what

schools be to do is give them somewhere they can really run with

it. Yes, they have to learn the basics but they also need the

chance to go their own way a little bit. Orion's company has already

got clients in America as well as in the South West. I have done a

lot off with first mentoring, which is where someone younger than you

teaches you about the competing that they have grown up with,

whereas older people, as in people over 30, might not have had access

when though younger and grown up with the technology. Orion hopes

the profit from the app will pay for more of his ideas to be

developed. The changing face of Plymouth has

been charted in a new book which brings together old photographs

belonging to people who have spent their lives in the city. Old cine

film has also shown how Plymouth emerged from the ravages of the

Second World War. Historian Chris Robinson has collated all the

material, as Emma Ruminski reports. The buildings look familiar, but

the buses are a giveaway - Royal Parade in the mid 1950s was almost

complete. But post war Plymouth was still waiting for repairs to St

Andrews Church and the Guildhall after being badly damaged during

the war. This footage is part of a DVD of archive footage from the

'50s and '60s, compiled by the historian Chris Robinson. People

work enormously proud of post war Plummer. We were ahead of the game.

We were able to pull strings that other towns and cities were not

able to pull. When Royal Parade was pretty much completed, other

dignitaries from around the country were coming here and saying, how

did he do that? Some of the cine film and photographs have been

given to Chris by Plymothians who played their part in the city's

history. It Kitchen not just the official take on the history but

the sort of thing that everybody was doing. Other bits of footage

you might recognise are from the South west film and television

archive and from the BBC. The latter caught some famous visitors

on film at the beginning of the '60s. What do you think of it?

is jolly nice. Can you guess from this photo which Radio Devon

presenter also features? Why, it is a young Judi Spiers!

And she has not changed a bit! Time for the weather now, and part of

the BBC Stargazing Live event, David is in the Somerset town of

Welcome to Dulverton. I am on the top of the church tower in the

centre of Dulverton, looking down on the town which later on tonight

will be turning all of its lights off for the final night of BBC

Two's Stargazing Live. We have people prepared to get a glimpse of

the skies but sadly the weather is not really behaving. It is one of

the number of outside broadcasts tonight so if we do not get it you

here we may well get one in another location across the country. It

starts on BBC Two tonight at 8pm. Tonight is specialising on what is

out there in the galaxies and stars that could be life forms. Are there

other people out there in the other galaxies? It we will find out

tonight. Let us start with a forecast for this location. It does

not look all that promising. We have a lot of cloud. The drizzle

has been with us all afternoon and there's not much changed in that

baton. Also a lot of flock around. -- fog. But that is not to say that

in other parts of the South West or of the country there may be clear

skies. A lot of cloud covering most of Britain at the moment. Some of

it is high level but some is rain bearing Clyde. There is a weather

front, a slow-moving one coming down from the north. It will not

really clearers until tomorrow. For tonight, the light and patchy rain

becomes extensive and heavy up. By lunchtime on Friday, somewhat

brighter conditions but lighter cloud. Some of the light rain does

not really get picked up on the satellite picture but you can see

hints of play which is the wet weather that we have now. This

evening's forecast is for that band of rain to become more widespread

and turned heavy. Breezy over the coast and headlands with overnight

temperatures of 10 or 11 degrees. Tomorrow, a wet start for all of us.

We continue to see problems with hill fog. By the afternoon, it

somewhat drier and brighter conditions start to move in from

the north-west so hopefully a better day tomorrow. Tomorrow's

temperatures are going to struggle to get much below 10 or 11 degrees.

A few places may get 12 or 13, which is unusually mild for this

time of year. And windy as well, with West League wins fearing

north-westerly later in the There are certain conditions on

both North and South Coast are likely to be quite messy. Becoming

a bit clean up later in the day as The out look through to the weekend

shows Friday a little bit brighter. Perhaps a hint of some morning

sunshine. Further rain comes in late on the day on Friday and into

Saturday which looks like you could be quite damp. Sunday is a little

bit brighter. Also still with the risk of showers throughout the day.

Slightly colder. Do not forget, tonight, 8pm on BBC Two, Stargazing

Live from here in Dulverton, on a very wet, misty but relatively mild