:00:00. > :00:00.Hello from Nottingham Castle, where tonight we're asking, how does the
:00:00. > :00:14.world of football deal with allegations of racism?
:00:15. > :00:18.We investigate what is really happening on and off the pitch.
:00:19. > :00:21.Football needs to be far more accountable now, and should want to
:00:22. > :00:24.be far more accountable. Also tonight, remarkable archive
:00:25. > :00:25.from the war at home. We uncover the real 0
:00:26. > :00:33.from the war at home. We uncover the real story of Nottingham boy pilot
:00:34. > :00:36.Albert Ball. He was frightened of the adoration, of the people. He
:00:37. > :00:39.didn't think he deserved it. He was doing what he thought was right.
:00:40. > :00:41.And a warning that inheriting a retirement home could cost you
:00:42. > :01:01.thousands. When it comes to racism, the world
:01:02. > :01:04.of football has had its fair share of unwelcome headlines. The
:01:05. > :01:05.footballing authorities are urging players at every level 0
:01:06. > :01:07.footballing authorities are urging players at every level who feel
:01:08. > :01:14.they've been racially abused to come forward. Well, teenagers at two East
:01:15. > :01:16.Midlands clubs did just that. So how were those claims dealt with? Sarah
:01:17. > :01:26.Sturdey investigates. The Asian Football Awards at
:01:27. > :01:35.Wembley. Their message, that race shouldn't be a barrier to success.
:01:36. > :01:40.But beneath the glamour of the beautiful game,
:01:41. > :01:44.at every level of football, just like the rest of society, prejudice
:01:45. > :01:45.permeates. So what 0 like the rest of society, prejudice
:01:46. > :01:51.permeates. So what happens when allegations of racism are made? To
:01:52. > :01:55.go against someone just because of the colour of their skin is wrong.
:01:56. > :01:59.To happen in football, when you try to have a game, it is not right.
:02:00. > :02:02.Adding what happened at Notts County is a bit of a wake`up call.
:02:03. > :02:07.Leicester Nirvana Under 16s in training. The club campaigns against
:02:08. > :02:12.discrimination. It's even received a visit from the American civil rights
:02:13. > :02:15.leader Jesse Jackson. But their under 15 away game last season, just
:02:16. > :02:25.outside Leicester, descended into chaos with chanting. Riley John was
:02:26. > :02:31.playing for Nirvana. It upset me and angered me that I cannot just come
:02:32. > :02:36.out and have a game of football without being racially abused from
:02:37. > :02:36.spectators as well. Just upsetting. It 0
:02:37. > :02:40.spectators as well. Just upsetting. It was generally the monkey chance,
:02:41. > :02:45.coming at me, it was getting out of hand. No one should suffer it hit,
:02:46. > :02:49.especially the teenager trying to play a game. The referee didn't
:02:50. > :02:58.report it to the county FA. Riley's dad was so shocked at what happened,
:02:59. > :03:02.he reported it to the police. At the time, the kids were only 14. It was
:03:03. > :03:05.really out of order. And the nature of how it all ended, it was
:03:06. > :03:08.disgusting, really. A 50`year`old Blaby and Whetstone spectator
:03:09. > :03:12.admitted in court invading the pitch and using threatening words. He
:03:13. > :03:14.received a 12 month conditional discharge. There was insufficient
:03:15. > :03:15.evidence on 0 discharge. There was insufficient
:03:16. > :03:23.evidence on any racial elements. It was then left to the County
:03:24. > :03:28.Association, football's local governing body, to deal with it.
:03:29. > :03:38.After almost a year a decision was reached. The county FA ruled that
:03:39. > :03:41.offensive, racist language had been used in the home club failed to keep
:03:42. > :03:47.its supporters in order and off the pitch. The finds for those offences,
:03:48. > :03:51.?100. `` the fine. Nirvana's club chairman is Kirk Master. They were
:03:52. > :03:57.left wondering whether it had been worth speaking out. There was a lot
:03:58. > :04:02.of disappointment, there was a lot of, well, that was not worthwhile
:04:03. > :04:05.and I would never go to that experienced again. That makes it
:04:06. > :04:08.difficult. The County FA say the ?100 fine was the maximum they could
:04:09. > :04:14.impose under national guidelines. But the FA nationally said there is
:04:15. > :04:17.no maximum for that type of offence. They say they take discrimination
:04:18. > :04:20.very seriously and since August last year they now have local expert
:04:21. > :04:33.anti`discrimination panels and clear reasons for outcomes will be
:04:34. > :04:33.available to the public. It has taken 20 0
:04:34. > :04:36.available to the public. It has taken 20 years to get a point where
:04:37. > :04:39.you feel but if you make a complaint, it is to be investigated.
:04:40. > :04:43.Lord Herman Ousley campaigns for race equality and against
:04:44. > :04:53.discrimination in football. What does he think of the fine? Pathetic.
:04:54. > :04:57.Absolutely pathetic. If we don't get it right, people will self organise,
:04:58. > :05:00.and quit the leagues 0 it right, people will self organise,
:05:01. > :05:03.and quit the leagues and the associations. Former only and do
:05:04. > :05:07.their own thing and that will take us back to the dark ages which is no
:05:08. > :05:13.one wants. `` Babel for their own leagues and do their own thing. What
:05:14. > :05:16.happens if allegations are made within a professional club? It
:05:17. > :05:20.happened here at Notts County youth academy. One of Lord Ousley's Kick
:05:21. > :05:22.It Out team visited County. The charity's confirmed that, after
:05:23. > :05:26.their visit in the spring of last year, a number of teenage boys came
:05:27. > :05:26.forward. They complained to a member of 0
:05:27. > :05:30.forward. They complained to a member of staff about the way they were
:05:31. > :05:40.being treated by two coaches. The club took statements from the boys.
:05:41. > :05:44.In one incident, it is claimed a coach through a banana with a swear
:05:45. > :05:48.word written on it at a boy who was black. It is also alleged that
:05:49. > :05:52.another coach switched out the lights in a changing room, and
:05:53. > :05:57.referring to the boys who were black, told them to swell so he
:05:58. > :06:02.could see them. The two coaches were being `` told them to smile so he
:06:03. > :06:05.could see them. But the two coaches were also accused of bullying.
:06:06. > :06:07.Hannah Dingley has the highest level professional coaching qualification,
:06:08. > :06:12.the UEFA A licence. She trains Nirvana Under 16s in her spare time.
:06:13. > :06:15.Her first job was at Notts County. She worked with the coach involved
:06:16. > :06:25.in the light switch allegation and felt his methods were very different
:06:26. > :06:28.from hers. Almost dictatorial, very aggressive manner. I think my
:06:29. > :06:33.coaching philosophy was very different in terms of, more focused
:06:34. > :06:36.on the holistic development of the child, making sure that they are
:06:37. > :06:40.comfortable in the environment. Enough to be able to communicate
:06:41. > :06:44.freely with each other and staff. John Elliott knows some of the boys
:06:45. > :06:48.involved. One of them asked Mr Elliott to sit with him at a club
:06:49. > :06:53.hearing. But Mr Elliott says he was told it was for the coaches'
:06:54. > :06:57.disciplinary hearing. The boys were very brave. They came forward. What
:06:58. > :07:02.I found when I went into the meeting, it shocked me. It was a
:07:03. > :07:08.very intimidating atmosphere. Within the hearing, these boys were asked
:07:09. > :07:12.to sit next to the chief executive, facing the accused, surrounded by
:07:13. > :07:21.eight people. And questions were fired at them. It has to be fair.
:07:22. > :07:25.And just. For both parties. What I saw did not resemble a fair and just
:07:26. > :07:29.hearing. Mr Elliott says one parent with his teenage son was asked to
:07:30. > :07:35.leave the hearing because one of the coaches felt intimidated. So was
:07:36. > :07:38.this dealt with properly? Speaking for the first time since the
:07:39. > :07:39.allegations were made, Nottingham City Council say the club should
:07:40. > :07:47.have alerted 0 City Council say the club should
:07:48. > :07:54.have alerted them straightaway. I think for the boys to be put in any
:07:55. > :07:57.form, or even informal environment, where they are facing the alleged
:07:58. > :08:01.perpetrators, that is totally inappropriate. What should have
:08:02. > :08:06.happened? Those boys should have been spoken to and that is a role,
:08:07. > :08:06.if we had been involved as a local authority 0
:08:07. > :08:11.if we had been involved as a local authority soon, that would have been
:08:12. > :08:14.social workers and well`trained pre`dash`macro police officers, they
:08:15. > :08:20.would talk to the boys to get their statement, understand what happened
:08:21. > :08:23.to them and make sure that evidence was put to the alleged perpetrators.
:08:24. > :08:27.Instead last summer the two coaches resigned. Notts County announced
:08:28. > :08:33.they'd gone, thanked them for their service and wished them every
:08:34. > :08:33.success for the future. Within the game, 0
:08:34. > :08:35.success for the future. Within the game, the Professional Footballer's
:08:36. > :08:41.Association said it was happy with the way the club handled it. The
:08:42. > :08:45.club didn't want to be interviewed but said in a statement they were
:08:46. > :08:46.happy the correct procedures were followed and they wanted all
:08:47. > :08:46.employees 0 followed and they wanted all
:08:47. > :08:48.employees to feel 0 followed and they wanted all
:08:49. > :08:52.employees to feel free from any form of discrimination or abuse.
:08:53. > :08:55.Nottinghamshire police have also told us the club should have
:08:56. > :09:00.reported the allegations to them straightaway, as they needed
:09:01. > :09:04.investigating. Instead, they were informed several weeks later by
:09:05. > :09:14.another organisation. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was
:09:15. > :09:17.insufficient evidence to prosecute. The club have improved their
:09:18. > :09:20.procedures, and we have confidence that should this be happening now,
:09:21. > :09:23.they would know what to do. Seven months after the allegations were
:09:24. > :09:27.made the boys involved received a letter from the FA to get in touch.
:09:28. > :09:27.One parent told me they were fuming, not 0
:09:28. > :09:31.One parent told me they were fuming, not just because it had taken so
:09:32. > :09:40.long, but the letter was sent via the club. The parent tore up the
:09:41. > :09:45.letter in disgust. Would you like to know where those two coaches are
:09:46. > :09:48.now? I think everyone who knows about this case and knows that it
:09:49. > :09:52.had an unsatisfactory outcome, because it was not concluded, would
:09:53. > :09:54.like to know where they are now, whether they are still working in
:09:55. > :09:55.football, 0 whether they are still working in
:09:56. > :09:58.football, with a clean bill of health. We've tracked down one of
:09:59. > :10:02.the coaches involved in the banana allegation. He's working in Canada
:10:03. > :10:06.as a regional academy coach. He denies being racist. His employers
:10:07. > :10:12.say they're aware of the past allegation, the case was thoroughly
:10:13. > :10:15.investigated and was unfounded. Almost a year on, the FA have told
:10:16. > :10:18.us they're still investigating what happened. The council's working with
:10:19. > :10:21.them. Despite several 0 happened. The council's working with
:10:22. > :10:24.them. Despite several attempts, we've been unable to contact the
:10:25. > :10:33.other coach involved in the light switch allegation. I think football
:10:34. > :10:34.is still in a bubble, and people are not dealt with in 0
:10:35. > :10:38.is still in a bubble, and people are not dealt with in the same way as
:10:39. > :10:42.they would be if I was working for the university, the council or any
:10:43. > :10:46.other organisation. There is a lot at stake for these young people,
:10:47. > :10:52.this is potentially their chance. Blowing the whistle and speaking out
:10:53. > :10:55.can be especially difficult. I would press that young people themselves,
:10:56. > :11:03.their families or other staff working in these clubs must come
:11:04. > :11:06.forward to us. Kirk Master was inundated with calls from other
:11:07. > :11:09.amateur clubs after the Nirvana case and things are changing. Hopefully
:11:10. > :11:12.with some of the work we are doing behind the scenes, it will start to
:11:13. > :11:14.give some of these clubs and individuals a bit more confidence to
:11:15. > :11:16.go about their business without feeling threatened, intimidated and
:11:17. > :11:27.possibly at risk of being abused. This is just one of the many
:11:28. > :11:31.memorials around here to World War One flying ace Albert Ball. The boy
:11:32. > :11:35.pilot from Nottingham shot down 45 German planes before he died in 1917
:11:36. > :11:41.and was awarded a posthumous VC for his bravery. To help launch the BBC
:11:42. > :11:44.series World War One at Home, Tony Roe has been digging through the
:11:45. > :11:47.archives and discovered one of Britain's most famous war heroes was
:11:48. > :11:58.actually a very private man who shunned his celebrity status.
:11:59. > :12:09.Yesterday I shut down to in one flight. He was frightened of the
:12:10. > :12:14.adoration, he did not think he deserved it. He was doing what he
:12:15. > :12:22.thought was right. I admire him for his sheer courage. You emphasise the
:12:23. > :12:26.heroism, the necessity, the moral goodness of what was going and you
:12:27. > :12:29.create heroes at people as well, to encourage young people to continue
:12:30. > :12:38.to invest. Albert Ball was 18 when war came in 1914. Britain wasn't
:12:39. > :12:43.prepared. New recruits were needed urgently. Propaganda kicked in. The
:12:44. > :12:47.Government and the newspapers portrayed the war as a just war. In
:12:48. > :12:51.other words, it was sold, if you like, in a moral way. People were
:12:52. > :12:53.told that Germany was capable... Or German soldiers were capable of
:12:54. > :13:00.horrendous acts of evil towards Belgians in particular. At school,
:13:01. > :13:09.patriotism had been drilled into Albert Ball and his peers. "England
:13:10. > :13:12.expects every man will do his duty." Albert's land dealer and councillor
:13:13. > :13:13.father, also called Albert, had sent him to Nottingham 0
:13:14. > :13:13.father, also called Albert, had sent him to Nottingham High 0
:13:14. > :13:15.father, also called Albert, had sent him to Nottingham High School. Here,
:13:16. > :13:27.he was taught how to shoot. In the Nottinghamshire archive are
:13:28. > :13:33.Albert's letters home. For he was soon sent away to school. At first,
:13:34. > :13:38.to Grantham. He really loved his mother, but his father was the one
:13:39. > :13:39.he most desired to please. Another school move. A boarder at Trent
:13:40. > :13:41.College in Long 0 school move. A boarder at Trent
:13:42. > :13:49.College in Long Eaton with his younger brother, Cyril. A school
:13:50. > :13:53.which fired an engineering ambition. I should like to have a chance to
:13:54. > :13:54.work my way up from the bottom and try to get to 0
:13:55. > :13:56.work my way up from the bottom and try to get to the top. Ambitions for
:13:57. > :14:01.Albert and his generation were halted by war.
:14:02. > :14:07.He joined the Sherwood Foresters but wanted to fly. He had the means to
:14:08. > :14:08.take lessons. Flying would get him to 0 0
:14:09. > :14:15.take lessons. Flying would get him to the fight quicker. I had a
:14:16. > :14:21.ripping flight this morning, but had a very near shave to a smash.
:14:22. > :14:21.At last, we are in for the sport and really 0 0
:14:22. > :14:23.At last, we are in for the sport and really look like having plenty of
:14:24. > :14:32.it. There was bravado in his letters
:14:33. > :14:42.home but Albert was a solitary figure at the front. He didn't join
:14:43. > :14:46.in the rough and tumble in the mess later on, or participate in heavy
:14:47. > :14:49.drinking sessions. He was, in all effect, a loner, probably slightly
:14:50. > :14:49.introverted. Except when it came to girls, 0 0
:14:50. > :14:54.introverted. Except when it came to girls, which he seemed to attract
:14:55. > :14:58.easily. Today Albert Ball holds a fascination for those who followed
:14:59. > :15:02.him in the skies. At the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, you see how
:15:03. > :15:02.flimsy those early planes were. Flying 0
:15:03. > :15:06.flimsy those early planes were. Flying was new. And they had to
:15:07. > :15:12.teach themselves to fight. Albert Ball didn't even wear a helmet or
:15:13. > :15:14.goggles. It's the guts that he had to do it. And people in those years,
:15:15. > :15:17.they had a lot more guts 0 to do it. And people in those years,
:15:18. > :15:24.they had a lot more guts to do those things ` they were fighting for king
:15:25. > :15:28.and country. A great many Huns have been done in
:15:29. > :15:35.yesterday. One was brought down. Pilot and observer were killed. I
:15:36. > :15:43.dived at him and put 120 shots into the machine, after which he turned
:15:44. > :15:43.over and was completely done in. You had 0
:15:44. > :15:46.over and was completely done in. You had a special device that you could
:15:47. > :15:49.actually pull the machine gun down and one of Albert's favourite things
:15:50. > :15:55.was to fly underneath another aircraft and be able to shoot it
:15:56. > :15:56.down from underneath. Maybe they thought that they were invincible, I
:15:57. > :15:58.don't know. 0 thought that they were invincible, I
:15:59. > :16:01.don't know. But the losses were horrendous. The Royal Flying Corps
:16:02. > :16:06.losses were absolutely horrendous, but to go to war in one of those...
:16:07. > :16:09.A great deal of heroism, in my view. Heroes were needed at home. Germany
:16:10. > :16:17.had the Red Baron. Britain had Albert Ball. It was 1916. Losses in
:16:18. > :16:20.the trenches were severe. Him being a pilot was important, because it
:16:21. > :16:24.attracted attention away from the battlefields, where so many men were
:16:25. > :16:29.lost. So there was a romantic element to that, too. After only a
:16:30. > :16:35.month of combat, Albert Ball won a Military Cross as the kills mounted.
:16:36. > :16:42.The DSO followed. In six months Ball had downed 30 enemy aircraft. They
:16:43. > :16:46.did keep a close eye on their personal score. They wanted to know
:16:47. > :16:49.what they'd got. Ball knew that the top Allied pilot was a Frenchman,
:16:50. > :16:51.Guynemer. And he wanted to get the same number or more than Guynemer
:16:52. > :16:57.and then 0 same number or more than Guynemer
:16:58. > :17:01.and then retire. But there was clearly reluctance from Ball to his
:17:02. > :17:04.new status at home. I like doing things. But I don't like big songs.
:17:05. > :17:06.If they wish to 0 things. But I don't like big songs.
:17:07. > :17:10.If they wish to say I have downed five machines and a balloon, all
:17:11. > :17:15.well and good. But nothing else must be put in.
:17:16. > :17:19.Ball was brought home to train the next batch of pilots. At home he was
:17:20. > :17:19.feted and honoured again, here a Freeman 0
:17:20. > :17:19.feted and honoured again, here a Freeman of 0
:17:20. > :17:26.feted and honoured again, here a Freeman of Nottingham. His father
:17:27. > :17:30.once again behind him. He couldn't step out of his front door or on to
:17:31. > :17:34.the High Street without people coming up to shake his hand and
:17:35. > :17:40.greet him and so on. It made his private life pretty unbearable for
:17:41. > :17:46.him. Ball wanted to escape back to the action. He sought the help of
:17:47. > :17:49.powerful people. I had breakfast with Lloyd George
:17:50. > :17:54.and his daughter yesterday. It was very nice. I am seeing Lord
:17:55. > :17:58.Northcliffe re getting out again. I do hope it can be arranged.
:17:59. > :18:05.Northcliffe, the press baron, was also a propaganda minister. Ball got
:18:06. > :18:09.his wish. All it indicates to me is his importance. Yes, because all of
:18:10. > :18:12.these men were tremendously influential. Obviously, Northcliffe
:18:13. > :18:16.had the ear of the Prime Minister at the time. So I can only glean from
:18:17. > :18:20.that that Albert Ball was a tremendously significant person of
:18:21. > :18:24.the age. Am about to start the great game
:18:25. > :18:28.again. Oh, how nice it will be and I will try so hard to be a credit to
:18:29. > :18:29.you. Ball found the 0
:18:30. > :18:29.you. Ball found the fight 0
:18:30. > :18:35.you. Ball found the fight harder.
:18:36. > :18:39.Exhausting. But he did not let up. Have flown all day and must sit down
:18:40. > :18:42.and write letters. It cannot be done, for I simply must sleep. Must
:18:43. > :18:51.sleep. A month after his return to France,
:18:52. > :18:54.Ball was dead at this spot. A lot of pilots that flew with Ball knew that
:18:55. > :18:58.the end would be coming soon enough, because he was pushing himself to
:18:59. > :19:06.the limit. His plane came out of low cloud upside down, no engine
:19:07. > :19:10.running. It smashed into the ground. The Red Baron's brother, Lothar Von
:19:11. > :19:14.Richtoven, claimed the kill. But that was more than likely
:19:15. > :19:20.propaganda. There were no signs on Ball or his plane that he'd been
:19:21. > :19:24.shot down. He was at the time, I would say, the best that we had.
:19:25. > :19:25.Therefore, it makes it all the more disastrous when he's 0
:19:26. > :19:31.Therefore, it makes it all the more disastrous when he's killed. In
:19:32. > :19:34.death, Albert Ball was awarded the Victoria Cross, which sits with his
:19:35. > :19:37.other medals in a cabinet at Nottingham Castle, alongside some of
:19:38. > :19:45.the souvenirs Ball had sent home to his father. In death, he continues
:19:46. > :19:48.to be celebrated. A statue at the Castle was his father's idea. Public
:19:49. > :19:56.fundraising was a struggle but it was finally unveiled in 1921. Sir
:19:57. > :20:03.Albert Ball had pride of place in front of a huge crowd. His son was
:20:04. > :20:09.buried not far from the crash site in a cemetery with German war dead.
:20:10. > :20:13.Ball was a hero. I mean, I think he'll always be remembered because
:20:14. > :20:17.he was a young lad who put everything he had into what he did.
:20:18. > :20:19.It was a game. But it was a deadly game. Albert Ball is 0
:20:20. > :20:22.It was a game. But it was a deadly game. Albert Ball is remembered in
:20:23. > :20:26.France and on memorials at home. He left behind a diary which could
:20:27. > :20:33.explain why he decided to go back to fight. But that, it seems, has been
:20:34. > :20:38.destroyed. I feel so sorry for the chaps I have
:20:39. > :20:42.killed. Just imagine what their poor people must feel like. I must have
:20:43. > :20:50.sent at least 40 chaps to their death.
:20:51. > :20:55.The BBC's World War One at Home site has more incredible stories about
:20:56. > :21:06.what happened here in the East Midlands, the UK and Ireland.
:21:07. > :21:11.As people get older, many like to simplify life and move into a
:21:12. > :21:13.retirement home, where things like repairs and gardening are all taken
:21:14. > :21:17.care of. 0 0 repairs and gardening are all taken
:21:18. > :21:20.care of. But if you inherit one of these properties, it could turn out
:21:21. > :21:28.to be an expensive liability, as David Whiteley discovered. Many
:21:29. > :21:32.people reach a time in life when they want to move to a smaller home.
:21:33. > :21:37.Retirement homes are sold as being the perfect place for older people
:21:38. > :21:40.to live. You have to be over 55 to live in them and no worries about
:21:41. > :21:46.maintenance or looking after the garden. But those services come at a
:21:47. > :21:49.price. And when the time comes to sell the home, some people are
:21:50. > :21:53.finding themselves tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket. Ann and
:21:54. > :21:57.Mike Johnson live in Apethorpe in Northamptonshire. Ann's mother lived
:21:58. > :22:02.in a retirement home in nearby Rutland. Two years ago, her mother
:22:03. > :22:05.died and left the property to them. They expected to sell it for
:22:06. > :22:09.?125,000, but despite dropping the price by ?13,000 it hasn't sold and
:22:10. > :22:18.they are paying ?3,000 a year in fees. I expected from way back,
:22:19. > :22:22.shall we say, that it would just come to us and it would sell and
:22:23. > :22:28.then we would have some money to enjoy from it. 0
:22:29. > :22:31.then we would have some money to enjoy from it. It was just at the
:22:32. > :22:37.time when the property market was beginning to drop. Everyone was
:22:38. > :22:41.having problems selling. But if you add to that the fact that it was an
:22:42. > :22:51.over`55s site and it was leasehold, then it wasn't necessarily the most
:22:52. > :22:54.popular buy. Like most retirement properties, the Johnsons' bungalow
:22:55. > :22:57.is leasehold. That means that someone else, usually the developer,
:22:58. > :23:04.owns the land and can charge for annual rent and maintenance, and the
:23:05. > :23:08.property is on a fixed`term lease. It hasn't been a problem to deal
:23:09. > :23:14.with, it's been... Apart from haemorrhaging money ` that was the
:23:15. > :23:17.problem, really. Changes designed to bring empty
:23:18. > :23:18.homes back into use have caught out people 0
:23:19. > :23:21.homes back into use have caught out people in Ann and Mike's situation.
:23:22. > :23:25.The Government has changed the rules allowing councils to charge a higher
:23:26. > :23:30.council tax ` up to 150% of the standard charge when a home has been
:23:31. > :23:31.empty for two years. So the Johnsons are faced with an 0
:23:32. > :23:34.empty for two years. So the Johnsons are faced with an annual council tax
:23:35. > :23:41.bill of ?1,800 for an empty house they can't sell.
:23:42. > :23:49.Glenda Kerruish's mother died six years ago. Her house has been on the
:23:50. > :23:56.market ever since. We pay out probably 5,000 a year. That's on
:23:57. > :24:00.maintenance charges, council tax... You know, it's been six years and
:24:01. > :24:07.perhaps over ?30,000 and I can't keep doing it, no. It's been
:24:08. > :24:12.extremely stressful and emotional, particularly for my wife after her
:24:13. > :24:15.mother died. The last thing you want is for something like this to
:24:16. > :24:19.happen. We really thought... It's such a lovely house that we really
:24:20. > :24:25.thought it would move very quickly, and it hasn't. It was originally on
:24:26. > :24:26.the market 0 and it hasn't. It was originally on
:24:27. > :24:30.the market for ?400,000. They dropped the price to ?250,000 last
:24:31. > :24:35.autumn and are still waiting to sell it.
:24:36. > :24:40.So are the Kerruishes and the Johnsons just unlucky? According to
:24:41. > :24:44.the official figures, in the last year, in the general housing market,
:24:45. > :24:45.prices have gone up. While in the retired housing market, prices have
:24:46. > :24:55.gone down. The biggest challenge is that it is
:24:56. > :25:00.the 55 and overs market, so you're ruling out quite a big sector of the
:25:01. > :25:02.market there. You're only going at a small age group. Recently,
:25:03. > :25:06.one`bedroom retirement flats that we've sold in and around the area at
:25:07. > :25:06.about ?85,000 were purchased new at around 0
:25:07. > :25:09.about ?85,000 were purchased new at around about ?110,000, and that
:25:10. > :25:17.would probably be about six years ago. Slightly larger, two`bedroom
:25:18. > :25:19.ones in the same development, which we're now selling at around
:25:20. > :25:28.95,000`100,000, probably would have been purchased new at that time for
:25:29. > :25:31.about 125,000. Age UK offer advice about retirement housing, and
:25:32. > :25:37.suggest that people take time and advice to understand what they are
:25:38. > :25:41.buying before making a decision. It's so important that you look at
:25:42. > :25:45.the lease, because it's very hard to extract yourself from the lease once
:25:46. > :25:47.you've signed up to it. So that's why it's important that anybody
:25:48. > :25:50.thinking about retirement property and then looking ahead and thinking
:25:51. > :25:53.about their family inheriting that property, that they do look at all
:25:54. > :25:57.those clauses that might affect their ability to do that, to pass
:25:58. > :26:04.that property on or to sell it later on down the line. Is there a better
:26:05. > :26:07.way of doing this? Yes, one approach that they have in American is the
:26:08. > :26:11.commonhold system, the condo system, condominium. That means that people
:26:12. > :26:13.actually own a share of the freehold, so you don't actually have
:26:14. > :26:15.a lease. In fact, the 0 freehold, so you don't actually have
:26:16. > :26:18.a lease. In fact, the lease system is something that's very unique to
:26:19. > :26:22.this country. And, of course, if you have a lease, it has a diminishing
:26:23. > :26:25.value. I think, unfortunately, in this country, there are so many
:26:26. > :26:27.vested interests in keeping it as it is, that it's very difficult to have
:26:28. > :26:29.that 0 is, that it's very difficult to have
:26:30. > :26:32.that system. We contacted the managing companies for both
:26:33. > :26:35.properties. The managers of the Kerruish's property at Belton House
:26:36. > :26:41.did not respond, but the Johnsons' landlords, Barchester health care,
:26:42. > :26:44.told us... "These properties are not investment opportunities. People buy
:26:45. > :26:48.the properties to have the support of the care home but maintain their
:26:49. > :26:51.independence. It is the duty of the solicitor to make any potential
:26:52. > :26:59.buyer aware of the terms of the lease." Meanwhile, the property
:27:00. > :27:02.market may be picking up. In the last two or three months, the
:27:03. > :27:06.general property market has picked up quite a lot, both here and in
:27:07. > :27:07.other areas. Suddenly, we've found people are ringing and saying,
:27:08. > :27:09."Right, I'm 0 people are ringing and saying,
:27:10. > :27:12."Right, I'm ready to go ahead, I want to buy this," and now the
:27:13. > :27:16.majority of our retirement properties have all been sold. And
:27:17. > :27:21.the Johnsons have found a temporary solution for their property. We've
:27:22. > :27:25.managed to rent it and the income from the rent will more than cover
:27:26. > :27:29.our costs and we'll have a little bit extra to save up so that next
:27:30. > :27:37.time we want to sell it, we'll have something behind us so that we
:27:38. > :27:42.can... If it takes a while to sell, we won't have to worry so much. So
:27:43. > :27:45.is it a good idea to buy these retirement homes? The experience
:27:46. > :27:49.we've had is that my mother`in`law absolutely loved being there and
:27:50. > :27:54.there was never a question at the time she lived there of there being
:27:55. > :27:58.a possible problem later. It never crossed our minds. Knowing what we
:27:59. > :28:00.know now, I think our advice would be, quite clearly, think very, very
:28:01. > :28:01.carefully about 0 be, quite clearly, think very, very
:28:02. > :28:09.carefully about buying a property such as this, with the restrictions,
:28:10. > :28:12.the age restrictions, as they are. And don't buy it unless you're happy
:28:13. > :28:23.that you can finance it being empty for many years before selling.
:28:24. > :28:29.And that's it from us for this week. If you have a story you think we
:28:30. > :28:35.should be reporting, then drop me a line.
:28:36. > :28:40.Next week, controversy in the countryside ` should 4x4s and trail
:28:41. > :28:43.bikes be banned from country tracks? It just makes it impossible to use
:28:44. > :29:07.and enjoy places that walkers and riders have gone for generations.
:29:08. > :29:12.Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90 second update. Two women and four
:29:13. > :29:15.dogs have been found shot dead at a house in Farnham. An 82-year-old dog
:29:16. > :29:20.breeder has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He's been named
:29:21. > :29:23.locally as John Lowe. Dave Lee Travis is to face a
:29:24. > :29:26.re-trial over two charges of indecent assault and sexual assault.
:29:27. > :29:29.The former Radio One DJ was cleared of 12 other offences earlier this
:29:30. > :29:33.month. He said his "nightmare goes on".
:29:34. > :29:36.They call it a living hell. These are the faces of men, women and
:29:37. > :29:39.children desperate for food. More than 20,000 are trapped in a
:29:40. > :29:45.bombed-out area in Syria. Just 60 packets of food made it in today.
:29:46. > :29:48.We've a special report at Ten. Just where is Ukraine's former
:29:49. > :29:50.President? He's on the run after the crisis there. An arrest warrant's
:29:51. > :29:55.out for Viktor Yanukovych. He's wanted for mass murder.
:29:56. > :29:58.Was he just too British for American tastes? CNN is axing Piers Morgan's
:29:59. > :29:59.primetime chat show. The programme