28/10/2013 Inside Out East

Code or more. His little town on the up?

Luton airport. I am feeling quite confident. We get behind the wheel

with some of the fastest kids in the country. We will be even stories

from closer to home. Tonight, we are in Luton. The

government says the bedroom charge will save millions of pounds. They

want people with spare rooms to downsize. What does that mean for

people who have to pay more or move? We followed to people to find

out what that really means. Peter has been looking after his wife

Jackie for 16 years. She has advanced multiple sclerosis and

Jackie is dependent on him. I used to work. I worked all my life. But

somebody come and tapped me on the shoulder one day when I was at work

on a late shift and said, "Your wife has had a fall at home, get off

home." I rang my employer up and the secretary said, "Ring the doctors

up, tell them to put you on the sick so you can stay at home and look

after your wife." He has been looking after her ever since.

Jackie, as well having MS, has osteoporosis and diabetes. Peter

receives a carer's allowance. I want to know how they're coping with

changes to the housing benefit? and is moving the right thing? The

council has already adapted the house in Ixworth in Suffolk for

Jackie at a considerable cost. The extension was completed in 1999. It

consists of ramps out here for access into the house and the

extension on the back which consists of a downstairs bedroom and

bathroom. These adaptations cost ?36,000. Under new rules affecting

housing benefit, they are faced with staying and paying more or moving.

That's because their house is now categorised as too big. There are

two spare bedrooms upstairs and the extension downstairs is now also

counted as a bedroom. They have to find over ?100 a month ` which they

haven't got. Peter is happy to move as long as the property is suitable.

In the long`term it is would be better for us to move because it

will be a smaller place ` gas and electric bills will be smaller, as

long as it was adapted for my wife's needs. In the neighbouring county

Cambridgeshire, tenants are a facing a similar upheaval. It's July `

three months since the benefit change. Susan Satchwell lives on her

own in a three bedroom council house in Knapwell ` her family have all

moved away. She too can see that moving has its advantages. For me as

a single person I can see that is doesn't seem fair to some for people

to have three bedrooms ` so I am prepared to move financially,

primarily. Susan is ?15 a week worse off and she is struggling

financially which is affecting her health ` another big reason to move.

I have lost weight, yes, not happy. I like to be happy ` it is something

that is on your mind all the time when you have to constantly add up

figures in your head. She is also worried about how she can afford

removal costs. I don't have any savings ` I don't have any spare

cash at the end of the month, none at all. All of it all goes on

outgoing and keeping myself fed. I just don't know how I am going to

move. The Government has provided money to councils which can help

cushion the blow of moving. But back in February when Susan would have

moved from her house to a flat ` there was no offer of any financial

help. It would have been suitable ` two bedrooms, it was in a really

lovely location. I was torn ` it wasn't ideal, but I would have

moved, but what they wanted me to do was make a decision there and then.

And within a few days they would have given me the keys and once I

got the keys I would have to start paying rent on that property and

also on this property until I actually moved. So I would have

moved into that property with a debt immediately. They did try and be

understanding. She was told by South Cambridgeshire District council that

nothing could be done. I asked them to give me 28 days, to give me a

month without paying rent on it to get myself together ` without

starting with a debt. They weren't able to do it, unfortunately, so I

had to turn the property down ` there was just no way I could move

into it. So I am trapped here really. It's been very tough for

Peter too. When we first met him in August he had been building up

arrears as he cannot afford to pay for the extra rooms. While the

arrears mount to over ?200, Peter and Jackie are offered something

smaller, it is 25 miles from where they live and a 40`minute drive

away. At first it looks promising. Kitchen not too bad, actually. But

it is not suitable. Even the doors are too narrow for Jackie's

wheelchair. They are normal sized doors. Jackie will be isolated from

the people she relies on to help her like her doctor. And Jackie is not

happy. Peter, I couldn't move here. I would not be happy here, so I

would like to stay where I live now. I know you would. The social housing

in the area is managed for the council by the Havebury Housing

Partnership. Is there really any point moving a family from a home

that has already been adapted at a cost of ?36,000? It seems like a

waste of money. In terms of value for public money, in terms of the

adaptations he has got, we have been very clear with Peter. We have over

270 household on the waiting list looking for a property that has been

adapted. We have offered Peter and his family two properties since we

started these conversation and both these properties could have been

adapted for significantly less than ?36,000 to meet his wife's needs,

and he has a daughter as well. Both these properties have been turned

down, because although they could be adapted, Peter felt they weren't in

the right location and that is something we are working on with him

at the moment. It is eight months since Susan saw her first flat. Like

Peter, she is now also in arrears, but she has been offered another

property. And this time the council has offered her help with the cost

of moving. The new flat would save her about ?7 or ?8 pounds a week.

But it is not enough of a saving because she would have to pay for

the extra petrol to get to work. It is a nice house, it is really is and

the space. But I am not making much financial gain for what I am giving

up. I can't say yes today. I think it is going to be a no. So far out

of over 500 households affected by the bedroom charge in South

Cambridgeshire only 23 have moved and 80 are waiting to downsize.

Susan wishes that the council could have helped her with removal costs

first time round. I was offered another bungalow in another

village. That location would have been much better for work. If the

financial package had been there, the help with removals, for instance

decorating and stuff had of been available back in February, I would

have gone. No question I would have gone. We put that to South

Cambridgeshire District Council, who told us they have now changed the

way they help tenants. We have been really proactive we think, more than

any other council I know of, actually, in trying to put

everything together and we have now adopted a policy from first April

when the charge came into effect. We have adopted a new policy that does

allow some free rent week removal expenses and provide a range of

support and advice so those sorts of issues can overcome in the future.

For now Peter and Jackie are staying in their home and are hoping they

will get help with their arrears, but it is a worrying time. Not

sleeping, not slept right since March time. I keep getting

headaches, not feeling well. It's something I don't need. Don't you

think for Peter and his family, for people like them, it is sometimes

best to leave them where they are, given their circumstances? I think

the fairness or otherwise in the Government policy is a matter for

politicians. For us, we would rather find Peter an in`situ solution that

means he can afford to stay in his home as he is, but I fear that may

not be the case and in fact the only solution for the household moving

forward, in the light of the welfare reforms, will be to move. Do you

feel sorry for him? Yes. Susan knows it is only a matter of time before

she will have to move on. There a lot of memories here, a lot of

parties, of having family and friends here, and it will be heart

breaking to move away. A lovely view over the wood, sunrises over there.

It's things like that I really will miss, but at least I have had it.

Since we filmed, it looks as though Peter and Jackie will be able to

stay in their home for the time being. One of their daughters has

moved back and helped out financially. Susan has still not

found anything suitable soap will be staying where she is. You can send

me an e`mail if you think of something we should be looking into.

I am also on Twitter. Coming up, we meet the sisters who are two of the

fastest kids in the country. I torment her before the race, then I

can win. She is pretty good. Over recent years, Luton has suffered

from negative press. Stories of racial tension has not paid a

glowing picture. `` painted. An offer left but has now thought about

coming back. We filmed the meeting artists and musicians hoping to

change Luton for the better. This is my hometown ` Luton. I grew

up here during the '80s in Marsh Farm. Since then, there have been

riots here and racial tension in the town. It's an image that still

haunts Luton. All I dreamt about was leaving. And as soon as I was 18, I

did. I became a journalist and felt so strongly about my childhood in

the town I wrote a book about it. I thought of Luton as my past, not my

future. I live in London now, in a pretty modest two`bedroom flat.

BBut, house prices being the way they are, I can't actually imagine

being able to buy a house there. `` but. So that's made me wonder

whether I could ever imagine living back in Luton. Whether the things I

love about London ` the creativity, the cultural richness ` whether I

could find those things here. But is it really possible to go back home

again? I was a student at Luton Sixth Form

College 25 years ago and, when I was studying for my A`Levels, the reason

I wanted to pass my exams was because it would mean I'd get out of

Luton. So how do people who're studying for their A`Levels today

feel about their home town? I've come back to college to find out. If

I was to write the word Luton down, give me some words that are conjured

up by that word. What is the first word you think of when I see Luton?

Luton Airport. I am not from that horrible place that has loads of all

the goings on bad stuff. It is just oh, Luton Airport. Pretty much.

Where do you say you're from when people ask? If they actually ask `

Milton Keynes. Got family in Milton Keynes, that one works. I would

never see Milton Keynes because it made me who I am and I am able to

walk through their and they will all see me and I won't care. You are

carrying on in a way, giving people a bad representation of Luton. You

are doing well for yourself, going to meetings and you are giving the

credit to Milton Keynes. Nobody is going to build a good reputation for

Luton. How many people would it take to big up Luton? It seems Luton

still has an image problem but there are successful creative people out

there bigging up Luton. One person who's so proud of Luton he wears it

as a badge of honour is Dominic Allan. He's an artist whose work is

inspired by everyday life in his home town and the Saatchi Gallery in

London have bought some of his work. He lives in London but always comes

back to support Luton Town. He's even added Luton to his name. I

changed my name, not by deed poll, to "Dominic from Luton". I think

that people did not taken seriously to begin with but when people start

finding and buying work under that name, for me it validates that it is

taking seriously. To be honest, name, for me it validates that it is

Are the envious or do they say that they come from creative places and

you come from Wootton? I think people are weary and a bit annoying

about it. `` Luton. Everybody has an opinion on Luton. Until recently,

not that positive. That is why I wanted to wear it as a badge of

honour for me. When I was growing up, this was a place of terror.

Football fans rampaging. The very summery of close mindedness is not

the community and one. Both of these things are things which pulled me

away from Luton. It is interesting. There are two things which bring me

back, my parents and this place, I think. I would also say that I think

there is a lot more going on, a much bigger conversation taking place

between what is your, this football club, and realising we sits in the

community and how the community has changed around it. Another artist

who portrays a different view of Luton is Ben Hodson. Ben produced a

major piece of work called Lutopia. Then, what is it? For me, it was the

name of a project I started right back in 2007. It was this basic idea

that Luton gets a lot of bad, negative press. I am sure you have

heard a lot of it. The project was investigating what Luton was.

Looking at the body, not necessarily beautiful places, but also the

mundane. The king of the tower blocks, parks and roundabouts and

trying to find ways of expressing the beauty in the everyday and

mundane. When I sit and look around, all you hear is extremism, tensions,

all of these things going on. Very quickly, I am drawn to using massage

to paint a different picture. `` my art. The Luton that I am seeing is

very different from the media stereotype. Certain areas have also

benefitted from investment to create a more bohemian feel. Luton Culture

is an independent charity that has been behind part of this

regeneration. The former hat factory has been transformed into an arts

centre. The punk band UK Decay have never lost touch with their roots in

Luton and played here recently. I met their lead singer Steve Abbott

with his old school friend Fahim Qureshi, who's now a manager at

Luton Culture. He was part of the team that regenerated Hackney in

London and thinks the same can be done in Luton. Basically, what

changed Hackney was people doing it for themselves. And then the

authorities Jie Zheng, you know, trying to catch up behind and

provide some kind of infrastructure for the artists. `` the authorities

chasing. It reminds me of the places in London. You go there and it is

like blini are. It is a very good me in full. `` like Bush senior. If I

was to meet you in five years, how much do you think it would have

changed? You see artists growing. You look at the shows on here, they

are not like local shows. Conceptually or standard wise. It is

a much broader palette of the arts than it was in our day, when it was

literally just music. I think what you will have as more people like

him who leave Luton, make surnames elsewhere, big in London and New

York, you will see those people coming back to Luton and being

affiliated with that. You're going to have... It is going to be much

more of a buzz. Much more vibrancy. There is definitely a magnet in

Luton. What is bringing you back? Coming from somewhere that you are

proud of. We have been invisible because you don't wear it on your

sleeve as you would if you are from Manchester or London. What we find,

and the band are now touring again, our diary is Milan, Luton, Madrid.

That is what the world is now. It always says Luton's home UK Decay.

You come to Luton for the culture? Yes. Although Luton clearly still

has real problems, listening to Fahim and Steve, I almost start

believing it's set to be a creative Mecca, a hipster heaven. But then

I'm reminded of the mixed feelings of some of the students at my old

college. Is Luton on its way up or down? I think that Luton will get

worse before it gets better. I think it is going up. There is support for

people who are in bad situations. There are new houses being built.

There are new schools being built. There is a university that is doing

well. When I started making this film, I had no idea what I would

find. What I've found is a thriving, stimulating town that is a world

away from the claustrophic tedium of my childhood. I love living in

London but I think I could imagine returning to Luton. There's just

something very special about hometowns. Like families, we don't

choose them, we spend our childhoods kicking against them and then once

we have forgiven them, we can't help but love them.

When we think about motor sport, we think about serious money. If we are

talking about Formula One, you'd be right. But there is a more

affordable, family friendly motorsport no less thrilling and it

has its roots right here in The East Midlands. Stuart Woodman spent the

summer following some of the fastest young drivers in the country.

They're mean, they're lean, some say the ultimate driving machine. Junior

Dragsters are the scaled version of the top fueled racing cars. ``

scaled down. They first appeared on the racing scene 25 years ago and

now Santa Pod Raceway has become home to this high adrenaline motor

sport. We'll be heading there shortly for the European Finals. But

before that, let's meet two young drivers. I am a little nervous

because I am against my best friend so I will have to see how it goes.

How does your Cardiff to your sister's? Her car goes the in under

two seconds. `` Har differ. It is faster? Yes! Sisters Belle and Paige

live in Wellingborough. They're already international drag racers,

recently returning from America. We're joining them at in the Santa

Pod raceway, where they're completing in the Spring Speed

Nationals. `` at a county Raceway. It is round one of elimination is

salt 50% of the kids will lose in ten minutes. It is always a nervous

time. The first round always feels like the most difficult. Once you

get through that, life gets a bit easier, or at least feels like it.

How are you feeling? Quite confident. Hopefully I will qualify

a bit higher but I will try my best. I am very competitive. We want to

both win. I'm going to win! And I torment her before the race and then

I can win. She is pretty good. But I don't like telling her that

otherwise she gets pig`headed. `` big headed. This is a fast moving

sport and to the untrained eye it may look like first car over the

finish line wins but it's not that simple. What happened? Islet of the

early and he just came out in my blind spot so it was all down to me.

But I will get him next time. `` I came off too early. During a race, a

staggered start allows different sized cars to compete. Each team

also chooses a 'dial in', which is a predicted finish time. They have to

get as close as possible to this finish time but not to go under it.

Starting on a red light is also not allowed. Sisters Paige and Belle

occasionally race against each other. But they're main rival is Joe

Kellet ` a talented drummer and one of Europe's hottest young drivers.

It just comes naturally. My drums help and the way I can just get off

the start line, in rhythm, I know how to time it perfectly. I was at

fault a few times. It seems to be that Joe does the glamorous and you

do the graft? Yes, and he takes the prize money. Good result for Joel?

Really good one. Do you think his reaction is down to his drumming?

Definitely. He was drumming last night with the band so...

Preparation? Good prep, definitely. Every driver's dream is to get into

the big league and cars don't come bigger than this. They're called Top

Fuel. These cars have top speeds of over 300mph. They accelerate zero to

100 in under a second and burn 15 gallons of fuel in one race, which

lasts under five seconds. Joe Kellet's had a good year so far,

winning races in Germany and coming top of his class in smaller events

in the midlands. But the big challenge remains for all our young

drivers ` the European finals in Northamptonshire. Best event of the

whole lot. It is the best. The cars and the noise and everything. It's

just all about motor sport. I love it, absolutely love it. Santa Pod

has earned the reputation as the home of European drag racing. Belle

Wheel is also unlucky. I lost. I was really disappointed. I thought I

would be timid first but then it all changed in a few seconds. `` I would

beat him. That is the way it goes. Things are looking hopeful for Paige

and Joe and they're now racing each other in a head to head semifinal. I

have him next. I am excited. What will be will be. It is going to be

an interesting race. It's going to be a tough one. Whoever wins goes to

the final. A lot of people think my mum drives that but I see it as me

and they don't believe me and have to have proof of it. Is it safe?

Absolutely. I have no fear of him getting in the car. They are fast

cars but it is a very safe track. The crew are fabulous so I have no

worries of him going down the track at all.

It was 200 of a second at the finish line so it was close but Joel one.

Very disappointed. Joe makes it to the final. But then a fatal error!

He starts his race too soon, incredibly 4000th of a second too

early. A red light is a bitter blow for this previous European winner.

That is drag racing. Red light means you're out. There's no doubt this is

a family motor sport, with mums and dads becoming race mechanics, team

coaches and a source of finance for these young drivers. And while

winning is important, it's the fun and thrill of the race which makes

Junior Drag Racing so popular. It's like "phew" . You can see your reels

vibrating. It is really cool. `` your wheels.

That is it for this week and the series. If you want to get in touch

with me about any stories, you can e`mail me or contact me on Twitter.

I will see you in January, well I will be back revealing more stories

from the East. `` when I will be back.

I will be finding out who owns the east. I will be getting to the

bottom of the cost of offshore wind power and the intriguing story of

how a circus publicity stunt led to the biggest loss of life in a

Norfolk seaside town. It is one of the greatest disasters in Great

Yarmouth but there's nothing to see it existed in the town. That