21/02/2017 Spotlight

Welcome to Spotlight. so it's goodbye from me,

As we go on air tonight a major incident has

has been evacuated, we will have the has been evacuated, we will have the

latest from the scene. Also Tonight as council tax bills go

up in Cornwall and services are cut, Well, my message to Government

is that they're not helping us. My message to the Government is that

austerity can only go on for so This simple wooden frame is

transforming a woman's life. It's revolutionised my life,

really, I would say. Living together separately,

the co-housing idea which is gaining popularity, we'll find

out how it works. First tonight, a major incident has

been declared in Exeter. The Riverside Leisure Centre has

been evacuated after Fire crews were called just

after four O'clock this afternoon and the health suite was described

as "well alight". Swimmers were forced to flee

the building after the pool I just remember what I was told at

school, left everything and got out. Grabbed my coat but everything else

was left in there. Obviously you are thinking of safety so you just get

out. I've just been speaking to the

incident commander. The fire is still burning, the Fire Service

believe it has spread to the roof. They have an aerial platform up

there trying to make sure it is contained. It started in the sauna

and quickly filled the centre with smoke. They evacuated the people to

a nearby cafe where they are being cared for. This major incident is on

one of the major routes through Exeter and is causing severe traffic

problems. One piece of good news, we have just heard there were only two

casualties with only my -- minor injuries.

Of course we'll keep across developments and bring

There are also all the photographs and information on our BBC Spotlight

page. "Many believe local

Government is under assault." The words of the leader

of Cornwall Council John Pollard, as the authority today became

the latest in the south west With council tax rises

and cuts to services, The average household in Cornwall

will have to pay an extra ?50 per year on its council tax

bill from April. It's a rise of nearly 4%,

half of which will go Cuts of ?33 million have also

been given the go-ahead. Cornwall's decision comes days

after Devon and Dorset councillors approved increases of almost 5%

along with a near 4% rise in Somerset

which prompted angry protests. Tamsin Melville has been following

the days events in Truro... It is becoming a bit like an annual

production. The same themes, largely the same characters and plot seems

to end the same way for the people of Cornwall, bigger bills, fewer

services and this plea from the lead leader. My message to the Government

is they are not helping us. My message is that austerity can only

go once so long, that needs to change. My message is please invest

in adult social care. Since 2010 Cornwall Council is made savings of

nearly ?200 million. In the coming year there will be another ?33

million cut. Not many areas of spending escape but off-loading

libraries and leisure centres is key this year. Council tax bills are

going up again by ?1 a week for an average band D household. Part of

this is the screws of leak for adult social care. Personally I'm happy

that's really good. They need to be that's really good. They need to be

looked after and not thought of as a nuisance. Surge in the pit of my

heart just thinking, more money, more money. We can rob Peter to

people as long as we like but not people as long as we like but not

everyone will benefit. Councillors could have put another 1% on council

tax for social care but this was rejected, with some conservatives

themselves angered at the thought. We have to stand firm and canvas

central Government and say on social care it is a nationwide problem and

they need to fund it from the centre. And what will the ?5 million

raised actually fund? A lot of that will get sucked up through the

increases to the living wage, the national living wage obviously

influence those hikes to the lowest paid, which I absolutely agree with

and should happen. So the 2% really will only just cover that. Today's

vote also paves the way for around 300 further job losses by 2020.

Meanwhile the Government is insisting its financial settlement

councils is fair. Tamsin Melville is at

County Hall in Truro. So what is the Government saying

about its sale settlement councils? It is saying that they have put more

money into social care and that the four-year Central meant they are

giving councillors means they can plan ahead. But it is not just

hearing Cornwall there taking issue. Councils across the south-west

grouping together saying there needs to be an urgent review and that

Whitehall simply isn't addressing the crisis in social care funding.

MPs at Westminster will be tomorrow debating the settlement but it is

looking unlikely that any new money for adult social care will be making

its way from central Government. Thank you.

The pub trade in the South West has added to the growing pressure

on the Government to rethink controversial changes

Recently we featured concerns from some owners of holiday

lets who also face a big increase in bills.

Now some pubs say they are also being penalised.

The Babbacombe Inn in South Devon says its rates

But the Government says increases will be capped and the average bill

Martin Strange has been here for 18 years, and

has invested heavily in the Babbacombe Inn.

His business has grown and so have his business rates.

The rates assessment of his pub has risen 650%.

Over the next five years it will triple,

It's taken away the stimulus to invest in this market and this

Because the busier you are, the better you are, the more you

grow your business, the more you're going to get taxed.

Business rates for shops are based on rents and

floor space, but for pubs it takes into account turnover as well.

This means the more successful you are the more you pay.

But in turn it also means a like-for-like pub not

doing so well will pay much less for selling exactly

The hospitality trade body ALMR is calling on the Government to

At the moment pubs across the country are

subsidising the business rate burden by about ?500 million a year.

That is ?500 million we think they are paying more than they

So we are asking for some temporary help.

But whilst some pubs are unhappy, other businesses, like

retailers, are expecting their rates to fall because our economy

That said, the fall might not be as much as they hope.

Retailers, for example, that think they may be in line for a

big decrease, they are not going to do as well

because that decrease bytransitional relief is being offset

against the increases elsewhere in the country.

The Department for Communities and Local Government

says the average bill for pubs in the south-west will go down.

There will be caps on rate rises and there

will be transitional relief where the increase is high, and that

Martin, though, will be one of those who loses out.

And he says it could mean he'll have to put his expansion plans on hold.

Businesses are now calling on the Government to drop

Our Political Editor Martyn Oates is in Westminster for us tonight.

As you say this is by no means confined to tour by. At beginning of

the year we heard concerns from St Ives. I am joined by their MP who is

one of a few Conservative MPs very unhappy about this. It is worth

pointing out that for many businesses in Cornwall the business

rate revaluation is positive. More than half will be taken out of

business rates altogether. I think the Government has done good work in

most respects. But the average increase is 24% across most

businesses. But for some it is 60% going up to 100% increase. ?1000 a

month sums for in St Ives. Rubicon tolerate that. The secretary has

been pretty unsympathetic. He says it is the result of distortion and

scaremongering. 32 small businesses have approached me and given me

their rent figures on how their rates have increased. We are taking

each one of those to the valuation office to get them to look again. I

believe there is a mistake being made wasn't Ives, I believe they

have concentrated on big business and perceived prosperity there. We

need to make sure this formula works so that the small businesses who

work hard in St Ives, to then put an extra ?1000 on their business rates

they have to get that whether they work or not. Personally business

rates doesn't work. It's just an arbitrary figure. Thank you. As I

said the Communities Secretary has not been to be sympathetic. There is

a rumour that the Chancellor could be rather more is pathetic in his

budget in two weeks' time. Thank you.

A privately run home in Cornwall that provides care for adults

with learning and physical disabilities is being investigated

after allegations were made about the care being provided.

Bowden Derra Park near Launceston currently has 70

Cornwall council says no-one is at immediate risk of any harm.

As you can see behind me, this is a sprawling estate. At the top you can

couple of the properties. It is in those properties where they care for

the adults who have learning and physical disabilities, some of them

also have rather complex health care needs. This morning is when we were

first alerted to a situation. A joint statement came out saying a

number of allegations had been made about the care being received. They

have suspended all placements to the home whilst those allegations are

currently investigated. What we have also know is that yesterday the Care

Quality Commission sent in a team of inspectors. We don't know their

findings, but we do know that when they last came in in March 2016 they

rated it of overall a good standard. All sides have met today to discuss

the allegations which have been public rereleased will stop we know

70 adults are being currently cared for here. Just over half of those

are on council funded places. The ferry has stressed this afternoon

that the allegations have not raised concerns that anyone is at immediate

risk of harm. Some of the families who have loved ones in the home have

been in contact with their local MP to praise the on-site care. In a

statement released this evening the care home has made it clear that the

health, safety and well-being of the individuals it cares for is its top

priority. It will continue to work closely, it says, with Cornwall

Council but its focus remains to providing the same excellent care it

has done here for over 38 years. Stay with us for the animated

version of Archie the Fire dog. And later news of a

change in the weather. Well, Storm Doris has been named

but what impact will it have on the south-west when it

hit us on Thursday? I'll have all the details

later in the programme. A woman from Devon has

described a simple wooden Sally Morgan has multiple sclerosis

and hasn't been able to stand She is now able to be upright

for around an hour a day. The frame isn't universally

available on the NHS, but now academics at Plymouth University

are leading a trial to assess Our health correspondent

Jenny Walrond has more. It's a simple but sturdy frame

and for Sally Morgan it She has multiple sclerosis

and hasn't been able to stand up for Sally has been taking

part in a study run by Plymouth University, looking

at whether the standing frame is effective in helping people

improve their strength. Oh, it's revolutionised my life,

really, I would say. Obviously, when you are sedentary,

when you are sat down most of the time, all

your muscles contract. Whereas now the muscles

behind my knees and my quads in my legs, all my those types of things

have suddenly become more stretched and my upper body strength has

improved and it is freeing up The frames have been made

by a family firm for some time. They cost around ?500

but, in order to get them commissioned on the NHS,

academics must prove that they are effective in improving things

such as core strength We are hoping to find out,

firstly, to see whether this intervention is effective,

because without that kind of evidence then we are unable to often

provide this kind of equipment because we need evidence to

demonstrate to commissioners of care who purchase these kind of aides

and equipment to see whether it is relevant for people and whether it

does make a difference to their lives and whether it

is cost-effective. For Sally and her husband Matt

the change has been obvious. Her legs are less swollen,

she is now able to stand for about an hour, and finds it easier

to transition from her Well, it's been amazing for Sally -

it really has transformed her life. Dealing with MS on a day-to-day

basis was really tough for both of us, but it has

made her physically more positive, she feels she is able to do

more, much more. The trial is ongoing

and still needs more volunteers. If the results show that others

benefit as Sally has, this could become

available on the NHS. There are details about that study

on our BBC Spotlight facebook page. You don't have to be a member

of facebook to find them. Now a quick round up of some

of the other stories tonight An official site built to house

travellers at a Devon beauty Teignbridge Council wants

to build three more units at the Haldon Ridge

site near Exeter. A decision on the additional pitches

is expected in April. Plans to pedestrianise parts

of Taunton town centre have Taunton Deane Borough Council wants

to ban traffic from East Street, Hammet Street and St James Street

for an 18-month trial period. The plans are on display

at Taunton Library. People are being asked

for their views on scrapping free deckchairs for the over 60s

on Weymouth Esplanade. Weymouth and Portland Borough

Council says scrapping the free pass for those who live in the borough

would save ?5,000 a year. The deckchairs have been free

of charge for the past 30 years. The Somerset trained horse

Thistlecrack that was favourite to win this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup

will miss out due to injury. Its not all doom and gloom

at Colin Tizzrd's yard though as he does still have the second

and third favourites. It's a familiar part of student

life, but now communal living is becoming increasingly popular

among older people. It's known as co-housing

and involves residents living in smaller properties and sharing

a kitchen, dining area The idea may help to ease the

growing pressure on housing and could be rolled out across the

south-west. A number of sites have already been earmarked. Our reporter

has been to one scheme in Dorset to see how it works.

They live side-by-side but they are not students.

They get on well but some have only just met.

They eat together but this is not a house

There are 14 separate homes here at the

But when it comes to gardening and cooking

They have one central kitchen and dining

For them it is a greener way of living, a

And they are therefore each other if they need support.

Actually, what this was very important for me was

that my son stopped worrying about me,

because he knew there were lots

of people around who would look out for me.

It's sending a message, really, to other people that these things

can be done and sustainability is not

just about the green aspects and the environment, it's about people

living together within a sustainable community.

Co-housing is a microcosm of humanity.

You have exactly the same issues that any group of people

have, it's just that it's an intentional community,

so we intend to make the effort to get on with

each other and do things together and enjoy life together.

According to the most recent figures, there

are 7 million single person houses have sold in the UK.

And we although about the shortage in housing

Well, here in Bridport, 40 miles away from the Threshold Centre, one

local group are hoping another co-housing scheme can help to

The co-housing movement started in Denmark in the 1960s.

It is now growing in popularity with other schemes near

In Bridport, they are now confident work will begin here in the spring.

We are looking at the sort of lives we want to live in the future and

the constraints we may face on our lives in the future, and I think

that co-housing will answer many of them

because it is flexible and

people can have as little or as much company as they need.

I suppose a real hermit would need somewhere

else, you know, they wouldn't like it.

But for most people there are benefits.

Particularly single parents, there is a distinctive benefit.

The town is very supportive of us, the sort of people that live

here, a lot of people are interested in what we are doing and interested

The first residents will be moving in to the Bridport co-housing scheme

For now, at the Threshold Centre, there are chores to be done.

Now they're man's best friend and we must admit

We were more than a little pleased to see these

dogs with jobs arrive at our studios this morning.

Devon and Cornwall Police's Cosmic and Tara, accompanied

by their handlers and volunteer puppy walker were here

for an interview with Radio Devon's David Fitzgerald.

But they're not the only dogs with an important

You may remember Archie from the Cornwall Fire

and Rescue Service, who appeared on Spotlight last year.

Well, now he has a starring role in his very own animation.

Reporting for duty and ready for the next shout, Archie the fire

dog and his canine colleague Woody have become rather animated.

And my name is Woody and I'm learning to become a

He is not quite three years old and he's part

Archie's role is to assist us in determining potentially the

causes of fires and looking for ignitable liquids or hydrocarbons

stranger to the spotlight. or develop that fire Archie is no

He has already been on our red sofa and is

He's also got an important job to do.

Get ready, Archie - the alarm is ringing!

Archie and Woody's fire investigation adventure shows

everything from the paw protectors going on to Archie arriving at the

We wait for the firefighters to put out the fire.

Now we sniff the whole room, searching for any of the scents we

So what we are going to do is test Archie and see if he can

Now, Mark, what have you put on this?

It's methylated spirits that is on that

stick, which is one of the hydrocarbons that

Now I'm going to hide it under this door frame.

How long do you think it will take him to find it?

Well, with a bit of direction from myself, he is purely

looking on scent, 20 to 30 seconds, maximum.

Archie's skill or mose in helping to find the

possible causes of fires has given the animators plenty to work with.

Since the release of the film in the early part of last week,

we've had several thousand people viewing it already, and we've had

some really positive feedback from all over

the country and all over the world, actually.

And they think it's a great adventure.

But there are some serious safety messages in the film.

Always remember, if a fire does start - get out,

And what about after a hard day's work?

And we'd like to hear from you if you have a dog with a job.

Whether it's a hearing dog, service dog, guide dog or herding dog,

if you rely on your dog day-to-day, why not tell us your story.

There are the usual ways to get in touch.

Let's see what the weather is doing across the south-west.

As long as they're an know whether dogs! We have had a lot of fog

across the south-west. We've had low cloud, mist, generally fairly murky

conditions, but I think tomorrow we should see the breeze pick-up and

that could lift the cloud in places. A largely great, damp day. You can

see we have a fair amount of cloud across much of the UK. We haven't

had much in a way of sunshine. It is all tied in with this weather front.

We are on the southern side of it so we have fairly warm, moist air but

it leaves us with fog. Tomorrow the breeze or pick-up, it could shift

the cloud in places but we will see a largely overcast today. On

Thursday we have Storm Doris, the greatest impact is further north but

we will see gusts of 40 to 50 mph. Acquired today on Friday, light

winds and a little more in the way of sunshine. There's been a lot of

cloud today. You can see we've had light rain and drizzle two. Earlier

today one of our went to the North coast of Cornwall. The breeze is

dropping receives an little but you can see the extent of the cloud,

it's solid, it's low. Poor visibility, low cloud. Many of us

have not seen the sun today. That will continue through tonight. Out

there tonight there is a lot of cloud, tonight there will be light

rain and drizzle. The breeze picks up but they're still could BC and

hill fog. Temperatures by night what you would expect by day, falling to

around eight or 9 degrees. That means tomorrow has a similar start.

Low cloud, rain. Rain is light and patchy but could turn heavier over

them higher ground. The breeze could pick up lifting the cloud but I

think you will be fairly lucky if you see the sun. Temperatures still

doing very well for the time of year, most places making it into

double figures. One or two spots could hit 11 or 12 degrees. For the

Isles of Scilly there will be a lot of cloud, mainly dry, but extensive

mist and fog, and the wind is picking up in the afternoon and

overnight. Here are the times of high water. Roughly three in the

morning and afternoon. In terms of service, we have slightly bigger

waves towards the north coast, down towards the south we have three to

five foot and messy. A breezy day tomorrow, rains from West to

south-west. There will be rain and drizzle on and off through the

course of the day, visibility moderate or good occasionally poor.

Tomorrow is a mild day, very little difference between today and

tomorrow. If anything we will see a little more breeze. Thursday we will

see a spell of rain early on clearing by lunchtime and while many

of us will see sunshine, from lunchtime onwards we will get the

in the warning area but we could see in the warning area but we could see

some strong winds. In Devon and Cornwall we could see gusts of 40 to

50 mph. A slightly cooler at night Thursday into Friday. And we should

then see more in a way of sunshine on Friday but it will be cooler. It

turns milder through the weekend. Wind is picking up on Saturday, a

lot of cloud with some fairly heavy downpours.

A reminder of the top story. Major incident has been declared after a

fire broke out in the leisure centre in central Exeter. One person

received minor burns. We will have the latest on tonight's late news.

That is all for tonight from us. Good night.

Nawal El Saadawi, the world-renowned Egyptian author

A fearless feminist facing a world in turmoil.