24/03/2017 Spotlight

I would like to see national Insurance repurposed as a health and

social care insurance. We'll hear why Devon MP

Sarah Wollaston wants a ring-fenced fund, as a former MP says income tax

will have to rise. Also tonight - the grande dame

of the naval fleet sails back in. HMS Ocean returns to

Devonport following its They have changed my life and so

many other families' lives. On Red Nose Day, how one South West

charity is making a difference And rising to the occasion to raise

money - we're back in the kitchen, where the judging of cake baking

doesn't get tougher than this. How do you tackle the problems

being faced by the NHS? One Devon MP who's also chairman

of the Commons Health Committee She's suggesting ring-fencing money

which will be solely Dr Sarah Wollaston says

National Insurance could be used specifically to fund health

and social care. Her comments come as a former MP

in Cornwall says people need to face the harsh reality that an income-tax

rise is the only way Emergency departments throughout

England have just come through one More patients have been treated

than at any time in NHS history. At the same time, there has been

a fierce row about spending. Now a former MP for St Ives says

the public need to hear If we are being honest with people,

being honest with the public, a 2p increase in tax,

or up to 2p increase in tax, would be necessary

in order to save the NHS. In the Budget earlier this month,

Chancellor Philip Hammond said the Conservatives were funding

the NHS with a ?10 billion One of the Conservative Party's

own MPs, who also happens to be chair of the Health Select

Committee, says it is time the NHS was directly funded

from ringfenced taxes. I think there is much more support

for these kind of taxes if people know where it is going,

so I actually do think is a good idea and I would

like to see National Insurance repurposed as a health and social

care insurance and for that The Treasury is yet to respond,

but this year the Government can expect to raise more money

through National Insurance With me now is our political editor.

How likely is it that some kind of dedicated health tax could be

implemented? Sarah Williston is not alone, the former head of the NHS

has said they support the idea of a ring-fenced tax. But the Treasury

tends not to like this kind of thing, so that is an obstacle. If

you divert a chunk of existing taxation to the NHS, clearly some of

that money will have to come from somewhere else. Can you imagine the

government saying, we will spend more on the NHS but, for example,

take it from schools? Hence this proposal from the Lib Dems that

taxation overall needs to go up. But of course that will prove very

unpopular as well. The Lib Dems have made great play of this being very

difficult but we have to be realistic and grasp the nettle. I

interviewed two MPs, conservative Neil Harris and labour's Ben

Bradshaw, and they both said, yes, we agree that taxation needs to go

up to support the NHS. Here is Ben Bradshaw.

You have to look at everything, whether it's a combination of income

or National Insurance tax, more sin taxes like the sugar tax

that the health committee recommended and has now been adopted

by the government, already been very successful at reducing sugar useful.

Any ideas as to where they should come from?

Well, you can think of a number of things, fat, sugar, salt,

I think that the public would accept that perhaps more than income tax,

and I don't think we should rule out the idea that we had

when we were in government, for social care, of some kind

So the idea that this will be more popular if it falls on a specific

area or the proceeds will be directed at a specific area. How

attractive that will be to offer to the public at the general election

remains to be seen. The debate continues this weekend

on the Sunday Politics at 11am on BBC One, when Martyn's guests

will be Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw, and Tiverton

and Honiton MP Neil Parrish. A roundup now of other

stories making the news A former Royal Marine from Somerset

jailed for the fatal shooting of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan

must wait until next Five judges at the Court Martial

Appeal Court have been urged to free Sergeant Alexander Blackman

from prison following the reduction of his murder

conviction to manslaughter. Police are appealing for witnesses

after a number of objects were placed on the railway line

in Devon, causing damage to trains. The latest incident this week

involved a train hitting a traffic sign at 65mph that was placed

on the line at Lapford Two new operators will soon be

running bus services in Torbay. It follows the announcement last

month that "Local Link" was pulling out of the fare element

of their business in April. Most of the threatened routes will

now be replaced or covered by other services.

The RNLI has released dramatic footage of this week's rescue

operation to free a whale caught in fishing nets and lines.

Crowds had gathered to watch the whale at Start Bay

in South Devon, which has been putting in a regular appearance

A number of businesses in Weymouth are refusing to pay a levy

for the business improvement district, known as BID.

The money, that is in addition to their rates, is used for projects

The schemes exist across the country and have paid for everything

from additional policing to better signage.

In Weymouth some members claim the BID team isn't doing

enough to promote the town and that the money isn't

But elsewhere in the region, BID schemes are being described

Thousands of people pack into Falmouth for Falmouth Week,

one of the highlights of the town's festival calendar, and this is just

Falmouth is now a Business Improvement District.

Once a town has adopted a BID scheme, local businesses

In Falmouth the money's being used to promote events, advertising,

signage and town improvements and the council says it has

We've been able to extend our events programme now through the year,

there's always something to do in Falmouth, there's

always something to see, and the other thing is that the town

is always busy, the shops are always active.

Local businesses say BID has brought everybody together and it works.

We're all very proud of Falmouth and the more all of our businesses

and institutions can link together, the more vibrant our town becomes,

and the better destination it is for visitors to come.

And Falmouth has changed so much in the last five years under

the BID process that it has now won an award for the best

High Street in a coastal town in the whole of the UK.

But 150 miles down the coast in Weymouth not all

Although they think in principle BIDs are a good idea, they say it's

not working well here as those running it are not doing enough

This year some of us have decided not to pay the levy and go to court.

First and foremost we would like them to listen to us.

We went to the very first AGM, there were lots

and lots of questions, some were answered, some weren't.

The second AGM, they didn't let us ask questions, they said

The third AGM, many of us didn't bother to go.

The BID manager for Weymouth has defended their record,

saying they have done a lot to promote the town,

including a Christmas festival and a seafood Festival,

but these business owners say they have witnessed BID's success

in other towns and now they want a slice of the action.

The Royal Navy's largest warship, HMS Ocean, has returned home

after a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean and Gulf.

Hundreds of family members were at Devonport Naval Base

to welcome the ship and their loved ones home.

The helicopter carrier and assault ship's crew of 500 now

have a period of leave before Ocean makes one final deployment

prior to being taken out of service next year.

Picking up where they left off, families reunited after more

It has been a long six and a half months away.

Especially without seeing the little ones and stuff.

Two weeks and I ended up having to move house

and had another baby, so now I will carry

This had been Ocean's longest deployment, and one of her last.

The helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ship is due to be

It is the penultimate deployment for HMS Ocean based

However, we have a follow-on deployment after this and we will be

sailing later in the year, so actually we're busy preparing

for that, believe it or not, even though we've come home today.

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, visited HMS Ocean during a trip

For the crew, after a tour which has taken them thousands

of miles around the Med and the Gulf, there

Missed your birthday, missed Christmas.

We will be having Christmas when we go back as well now.

Lovely scenes, I love the family who are now going to have Christmas. I

hope it is a happy Christmas. A look at how Comic Relief

is making a difference The young rugby side which has

secured a match at Twickenham. This weekend the clocks spring

forward one hour and I think we will probably get some spring weather,

even some sunshine. Now, you can't have missed that

today is Red Nose day. It's organised by Comic Relief

and is all about raising money Many charities across

the South West benefit One of them is Pete's Dragons,

which helps people who've lost Spotlight's Andrea

Ormsby has the story. Life has been very tough

for 18-year-old India Sanderson Last year, two of her

friends killed themselves. I was just in a state

of shock all the time. I didn't really know

what I was doing, I was just kind of going through day to day just

confused and I couldn't concentrate and I was just so emotional as well

because I realised it could happen to anyone and especially

because you do not know what is happening on the inside

and I worried for my family, for my closer friends,

anything could happen. Her counselling here with Alison has

been helping but it really came into its own a few weeks ago,

when a member of India's family also That helped so much,

because I could have been so much worse than I was when my two friends

committing suicide, but just knowing that Alison was here,

and I'd already learned some of the coping strategies already,

that it helped me a lot, and because I learned those

strategies I could help my family. So have you been practising

your mindfulness? Alison set up the charity after her

brother, Pete, killed himself. Now Pete's Dragons is

getting busier and busier. What we have found this year

is we are picking up historical cases where because we are the first

specific suicide bereavement support group in Devon and we have

approximately 86 suicides a year consistently, we are picking up

historical cases as well where people just haven't had any

support and they have lost a loved Just knowing that there's somebody

there who has been through the same thing and understands the bizarre,

you know, the guilt, the pain, Last year, Comic Relief provided

crucial funding for the charity. Please do get involved

with Comic Relief. I can say that their funding has

made an enormous difference to the face of this charity

and what we are able to offer. They've really changed my life

and the lives of so many other families and they deserve every

penny that they get from funding To run the service this year

alone, Pete's Dragons One of the charities to benefit

from Comic Relief money. And later we'll see how

teams from Spotlight, Radio Devon and Radio Cornwall got

on as they took part It's time for the sport now

and Andy's here with news of a top Promotion isn't enough,

Plymouth Argyle still have their sights set on winning

League Two. While Exeter City take on neighbours

Yeovil Town on Saturday, Plymouth's trip to Doncaster sees

the division's top two The hosts may have the best home

record in the league, but it won't worry the Pilgrims,

who happen to have However they'll need to be

at their best and the return to form of playmaker Graham Carey in recent

weeks couldn't have You know, I've won the title

twice in Scotland so I'd like to try and do it

in England as well. You know, the players

are all focused on that as well, so we need to go to Doncaster

and win the match to push on. Doncaster's football team may be

at home but their rugby players will be making the long journey down

to Penzance for their In the Premiership,

the Exeter Chiefs will be looking to put the disappointment of last

week's Anglo Welsh Cup final behind them when they welcome

the Sale Sharks to Sandy Park. The Chiefs will no doubt have happy

memories of the last time the two sides met just before Christmas

when they ran out convincing Of course another boost

for the Exeter faithful is the return of England winger Jack

Nowell. It will only be our fault

if we do let it slip now, because at the end of the day

we don't have to chase anyone, we're up there, we just need to keep

on picking up points where we can. So it's another good chance

for us to show what we're While the Chiefs look well set

for another final in May, one school from the South West has

already booked their The Thomas Hardye School

hammered their opponents in the last four of the National Schools Vase

competition on Saturday and next week they head to rugby HQ in London

to try and bring the trophy They are friends on and off

the field and they celebrate together reaching a Twickenham

final. Today it was back to school,

and on Wednesday the lads will swap these gates for the gates at rugby

headquarters as they share They will be far from a madding

crowd but it's not about that. Staff are stopping me

in the corridors and The kids are getting

pats on the back. Everybody wants to come

with us next Wednesday. We're taking one coach,

not everyone can come. But, yeah, everybody wants

a little part of it. It's a first for the school to send

a team to Twickenham and following the emphatic victory

in the semifinal confidence is high. It is a team of mates

and everybody knows their job. Just shouting at them

and keeping them going. I've kind of just pictured walking

out through the tunnel, just with the massive stadium,

it's sort of hard to focus on anything else

really at the moment. It is an excellent carry

by number eight John Stewart. Obviously I'm not trying to be cocky

or anything but I think if we could play how we play day in,

day out, we will be OK. The number eight may marshal

the forward pack but the backs also possess some special talent

and in fly-half Orlando Bailey Despite a sparkling performance

in the semifinal capped off by a hat-trick of tries,

the playmaker remains humble. Yes, it's obviously great doing it

for my mates because we're all such a close bunch,

and to sort of go out and do it for each other,

it's what it's all about, really. So the big question, is running out

on the hallowed turf enough or does We've come this far,

we want to win now. Of course it does matter

because it makes that memory You don't want to go

to Twickenham and lose. Obviously it's amazing to still play

there but to win there, If you can't wait until tomorrow

for your sport, the Plymouth Raiders match against the Bristol Flyers

is being shown live Tip-off at the Pavilions

is just after 7.30. Let's hope they can bounce

back in style after last Today is Comic Relief 2017,

and yesterday we saw BBC presenters from radio and television going head

to head in a Great British Bake Off style Cake Off challenge

to raise money for charity. Their task was to make a Victoria

sponge, and as we saw they did that with varying

degrees of success. Tonight we see them baking

and decorating their cakes and then trying to sell them to unsuspecting

students and staff at The winner is the one

who makes the most money. But as you're about to see it wasn't

quite as straightforward as that. Ladies and gentlemen,

you should think about getting I went to look at Martin's

mixture, my cake's gone. BBC Radio Cornwall

have vanished as well. We haven't thrown it

away, don't worry! Last time I baked a cake

was when I lived with my parents! Are you still getting

texts from your expert? Well, it's whether I can go home

tonight, really, isn't it? This is a moment we never

thought we'd see. It will be an improvement

from last time. This is one of those things that

you think when you've seen it on the internet it's going to be

a really good idea, and then you actually start doing it

and you realise it's not a good idea because it's really

intricate and really fiddly. David, is there

something to admit here? I gave the oven a little bit

of a shake, it looks like it might It does have quite

an alarming crack in it. Well, there's only two

words to say to that. It's going in the

bottom of the cake. Firstly let me say thank you very

much indeed to all of our presenters for throwing themselves into this

task with such gusto. It's very clear that some

of you spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen baking,

some of you perhaps less so. I think the most spectacular cake

and I think the one that's probably It looks like fantastic fun. Mel

Osborne's cake looked fantastic. And in true Oscar style

BBC Radio Cornwall's Mel Osborne wasn't the winner

- it was... The whole aim of the game was to

sell the cake and make the most money. My cake was rubbish but I

sold it all! Julia looked lethal with a palette knife. Three palette

knives under the cake! I couldn't possibly say is. It is very nice.

Congratulations on your win. You shouldn't eat cake just before

the weather. I want to see that all eaten up by

the time I get back. It looks like we will see some

lovely weather for the afternoon. If you have jobs queued up for the

garden, this is the weekend to do it. You may have to wrap up more

warmly than looking out the window suggests because we have blue sky

but a keen wind from the east. It will be windy, especially tomorrow,

and rather chilly at night but during the daytime it will feel

rather pleasant out of the breeze. The cloud we have seen today is

melting away from us so we have high pressure coming our wafer the

weekend. It looks like we will see the cloud in the South sink slowly

away from us. -- high pressure coming our way. We are on the edge

of the high pressure so it squeezes the isobars are bit so it is likely

to be windy on Saturday and Sunday, not so much on Sunday. By the early

part of next week we start to see low pressure getting closer so only

really for the weekend and into Monday before the low pressure

brings more cloud. That was the cloud we saw earlier today. It looks

like it is breaking up quite nicely now. It will continue to move

westwards and the skies are largely clear tonight. Ordinarily we could

see a frost because of that but there is enough of a breeze to keep

the air moving. A few places will C temperatures close to freezing,

particularly for Northern Devon and parts of Somerset. -- will see

temperatures. Tomorrow we have a blustery day but a fine day. Plenty

of sunshine, in fact almost unbroken for most of us, just a bit of patchy

cloud floating past. Winds from the north-east or East, strong at times

and quite dusty, especially over the high ground of Dartmoor, Exmoor and

Bodmin Moor. We could get pretty good temperatures but the wind will

hold those down. 14, 15 possible to stub out anywhere away from the wind

but along the coast not so warm. -- possible just about anywhere. It

will be a blustery day for the Isles of Scilly, fine weather but a bit

breezy with a top temperature of 11 or 12. Onto the times of high water.

Penzance, 2:36am and 15:01pm. For the surface, not a huge wave, the

winds will whip up the seas are bit but most of our main surfing

beaches, no more than two or three feet and predominantly clean. There

is the coastal waters forecast, the winds from the east or north-east,

five to six but occasionally seven through the English Channel.

Generally fair with a bit of a haze. On Saturday night the clocks go

forward and our so I think that means we lose an hour's sleep as we

move into Sunday. Sunday's forecast is bright and dry, a wee bit more

cloud coming our way on Sunday. By Monday and Tuesday the winds start

to change direction, southerly and south-westerly winds and the threat

of a few more showers later in the day. I will have to remind myself

not to eat cake before I do broadcast this time.

It was very nice, could have done with a cup of tea.

From seven o'clock this evening we have more from Red Nose Day. Good

night.