13/02/2012 Inside Out South West

Hello and welcome to Inside Out South West. Stories where you live.

Tonight, the housing benefit clampdown. Our constituents working

hard to give benefits to people to live in homes they could not even

dream of. I don't think that's fair. We investigate the impact in the

south-west. I don't know where I'm going to end up. I don't know if

I'm going to have to be living with people. The more you think about it

the more you're like, oh my goodness. Also tonight, celebrating

the story and the glory of Mary Rand, the South West's first

Olympic golden girl. When I see it now, I can't quite believe I jumped

that far. And home is where the heart is.

the moment, I've got Chris, Nathan, Megan. Who else? Simon, Dougie.

Cornish woman who's thrown open her house to the young and homeless.

Once they get that self-worth about themselves, that someone actually

genuinely cares about them, you can see the change in them in a matter

of days. I'm Sam Smith and this is Inside

Housing benefit costs taxpayers �20 billion a year. It's a bill the

Government says is excessive and that it is determined to cut.

Campaigners say that policy could lead to more homelessness and

knock-on costs. We've been investigating the impact in the

south-west of the latest benefit clampdown.

Two year-old Honey lives with her mum and dad in an Axminster flat

paid for by housing benefit. But Alexa and Graham, who are both

unemployed, are splitting up. Honey is going to live mostly with her

dad and Alexa's moving out but she doesn't want to downsize. Basically,

I want to find a two-bedroom property where I can settle and be

happy. Also, for Honey as well, because it's bad enough me and

Graham separating and having to go to and fro between the houses, so I

want to find somewhere comfortable. Is there much accommodation

available around here? Not around here, no. It just seems to be a

very expensive place to live and a lot of the properties around here

seem to be second homes for people that do have money. Generally, 80%

of the year they're just locked up. A local shortage of rentals isn't

Alexa's only problem. Under new rules, the amount of housing

benefit she can get is restricted because she's under 35 and she

won't be classed as her daughter's main carer. Are you worried? I am

extremely worried to be honest. don't know where things are going.

I don't know where I'm going to end up. I don't know if I'm going to

have to be living with people. The more you think about it, the more

you're like, oh my goodness. It's just not straightforward. But the

Government says some people on benefits have had it too good.

The point everyone in this House has got to consider, are we happy

to go on paying housing benefit of �30,000, �40,000, �50,000? Our

constituents working hard to give benefits so that people can live in

homes they couldn't even dream of? I don't think that's fair. Last

year, housing benefit rates for private tenants generally were cut.

In January, the under-35 rule came in, affecting just over 3,000

claimants in the south-west. This is the largest of the rooms.

Claimants like unemployed Sean and John. Here you can see the gas and

central heating. They're each hoping to rent a room in this

Plymouth house. The landlord has stated if you are unable to get a

bed, he will supply a bed. rooms are smart and at �70 a week,

there's been a lot of interest. You've got everything you need in

here, gas central heating, table and chairs, fridge-freezer. I've

been looking for about four months now so 30 places, half of the

places you would not put a dog in. I am living with my parents. I'm on

the sofa. It's inconvenient for everybody. Until the under-35 rule

came in, Sean and John could have claimed enough for a one-bedroom

flat. Now, a bedsit's all they are going to be funded for. They both

have young daughters so visits could be a problem. Where do you

put a child in a shared room? Exactly. I would love to have her

overnight and be able to take her out in the mornings and stuff but

it's just not possible at the moment. That puts a strain on our

bond because I don't get to spend as much time as I want to. It's

just, yeah. Back in Axminster, Alexa will face

the same problem, if that is she can find a landlord who will have

her. A quick internet search reveals none of the handful of

local bedsits she could afford takes people on benefits. That's a

problem Inside Out highlighted when the first cuts were announced back

in 2010. Most of the letting agents we contacted then didn't deal with

claimants, leaving them with limited choice. Anything else?

the moment, no. That's all we've got at the moment. That's it?

two bedrooms. We've got a couple of one-bedroom properties but not

three bedrooms at the moment. actually haven't got anything?

at the moment, no, that will accept housing benefit. Ian Maitland says

the situation for claimants is even tougher now. He's a landlord and

the director of an agency in Plymouth that helps tenants by

guaranteeing their deposits. In the City of Plymouth, there's probably

no more than two or three letting agents who will even consider

people on benefits. You've got to remember that landlords are

businessmen. They want full rooms, they want no voids and if they can

get good tenants to pay rent and not cause any problems, they will

keep them there and keep them there forever. I've got housing benefit

claimants who have been with me for 19 years. Clearly obviously very

good tenants. Very good tenants. Lot of housing benefit claimants

are very good tenants. It's the minority who aren't who a landlord

can't afford to take the risk. what of rent levels? One aim of the

cuts was to encourage landlords to bring them down, an aim met

according to the Prime Minister. What we've seen so far as housing

benefit has been reformed and reduced, is actually we have seen

rent levels come down, so we have stopped ripping off the taxpayer.

Ian Maitland in Plymouth is not so sure. Landlords who had tenants who

were on benefits did reduce their rents. That was 18 months ago and

the levels have almost crept up to where they were. If I was looking

with a businessman's head on, I would be out there looking for

bargains, to buy up houses and turn them into shared houses. If I was

on the homeless list, I would be very, very worried. Because there

is a shortage now and the shortage is going to grow.

Back in east Devon, Alexa has finally found a flat that will

consider claimants. Here we are, the kitchen, electric oven...

agent says rents here have not budged either. We have not seen a

huge difference at all. Rental properties, the rental price has

stayed the same across the board. Properties that come through may

already be out of their price range. Some landlords are also not keen to

have people on benefits in their properties. But Alexa's hoping she

can afford this place. The government's given councils extra

money to help in special cases. Alexa's eligible. But will her

budget of �425 be enough? Unfortunately, this property is

�475 per calendar month. There's no chance that they will put it down?

It's not long been on the market. We can ask the landlord but I don't

think they would be moving down to 425.

For Alexa, it's a real blow. would have been perfect for Honey

and me but again, it's out of the price range I've been given. What

are your options? That's it, I don't know. I'll just have to keep

looking. Alexa may have to move away from Axminster and her

daughter. Do you understand why the

Government wants to cut the benefit bill? I just want what's best for

my daughter. I just see it as I see it as up rooting her. It's

really getting me down, to be honest. Alexa certainly isn't

applauding the benefit cuts. But the Government seems certain they

will discover savings and taxpayer Now, with the Olympics just months

away, we are celebrating the achievements of Britain's first

track-and-field golden girl. Mary Rand's talent took her all the way

from Somerset to glory at the Tokyo Games, as Alastair Mackie has been

finding out. At the Town Hall in Wells, the city

council is gathering for a special meeting. On the agenda, a proposal

sent in by a local campaigner to honour one of Somerset's most

famous daughters, Mary Rand. it's Olympic year this year, I

thought it was about time Mary was awarded the freedom of the City of

Wells. The torch is coming through Wells as well and what a fantastic

time and occasion to remember one of our Olympians. I'm keen to find

out more about Mary Rand. She's had roads named after her. Even a set

of gates. Now looking a bit the worse for wear. But the biggest

clue is right under your feet in the city's Market Square. It's a

plaque. A really, really long one. It commemorates both a world record

and an Olympic gold. It was 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. What a beautiful jump,

a new world record and the Olympic title for Britain's Mary Rand!

didn't stop there. She went on to win silver in the pentathlon and

bronze in the sprint relay. As the years have gone by, the memories of

that exciting day and her stunning achievements have faded. So

whatever happened to Mary Rand? To find out, I've come across the

Atlantic to California. Mary moved to America more than 40 years ago

and she now lives in a city called Atascadero on the Pacific Coast

road between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now in her early 70s,

she leads a gentle and relaxed lifestyle, a far cry from her heady

days on the athletics track. I asked her about her memories of

growing up in Wells. We had a great childhood. We used

to go hiking and we'd be out all day. I knew everybody and everybody

knew me. I don't know if that was a good thing but I really did have a

great childhood and that's where it all began. I used to go to the

local fete and they used to have a little race around the orchard and

I remember running around the orchard and beating all the boys.

She excelled in athletics at secondary school. Then, the life of

the daughter of the local chimney sweep was to change forever with a

sports scholarship to the exclusive Millfield School in Somerset. There

was a man at Millfield called John Bromfield and he was like a

sergeant-major of our times. He was a wonderful guy. He really had a

lot of faith in me and I started to get an invitation for an

international meet. I will be forever grateful to Millfield. I

understand you got expelled? Well, they always say I was expelled. I

wasn't actually expelled. I had a boyfriend who was from Thailand.

His parents wanted me to go to France to meet them. I had a

telephone call saying if you leave the country, you cannot come back.

It didn't say you'd be expelled, but you're not coming back. My

father spoke to the headmaster and said, "If this is the case, she

won't be coming back." So you weren't a wild child back then?

Well, what do you mean by a wild child? I was just normal. My life

was consumed with athletics, really. What happened in Rome in 1960? You

went there as favourite in the long jump? Yes, I did. Yes, I did. When

I think back to that night, nerves must have been playing into it a

little bit. I just started having a lot of trouble. When you're in an

event like the Olympics, you're on your own. You've had all that

training and help and you've got to be able to do it. I did learn

something from it but it was a disappointing Olympics.

Despite the temptation to quit, and now newly-wed with her first child,

she put failure behind her and trained hard for the next Olympics

in Tokyo, where she would triumph. Talk me through your world record

jump. What went through your mind? You're so nervous so you've got to

try to get your mind set and block everything out. It was on my fifth

jump that I did the world record. beautiful job, she really sailed

there. You can see that, she must be in front of the world record.

You can see the world record mark there. It looked to me like the

first 22 footer by a woman, Mary Rand. And here she is in slow

motion. It's a new world record - 22 feet, two and a quarter inches.

A new world record and an Olympic title for Britain's Mary Rand.

They called out 6.76 and I thought, I didn't know what it was, because

it was in metres and we weren't into metres then. But it was an

incredible moment. What's it like being on the middle step of the

podium? I remember standing up there and I really wanted to jump

up and down and yell and scream but I didn't. I was very composed,

really. What was the reception like in Wells? Unbelievable.

Unbelievable. I couldn't quite believe it when I got back there,

and I went back to visit my mum and dad and they had this huge Rolls-

Royce. They had a marching band and there were people everywhere lined

in the street. It was so neat to look out and see all those people

you had grown up with and you knew and to see how thrilled they were.

That was spectacular because we were all out there to greet her and

see her and it was a success for all of us. It was our town and our

street. It was a fantastic day and I was very proud and honoured to be

leading the procession carrying a mock-up of the Olympic torch.

was particularly special because that's what I was born, that's

where I grew up. To be proud of what you'd done and to be able to

share it with them, I guess. Even more accolades followed. She was

voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1964, followed by an MBE in

the New Year's Honours. But what does Mary think about this latest

honour which is being discussed, of whether or not to give her the

freedom of the City of Wells? feel it is a long time. If you ask

any young person today, they won't know who I was. If you ask someone

around my age, there is a possibility they might remember. I

totally understand and I don't expect to be made a fuss of, really.

More than 5,000 miles away back in Somerset, Wells City councillors

have been debating behind closed doors for more than an hour. It

looks like they've finally made their decision. I am pleased to

announce that Wells City Council has decided to award Mary Bignal

Rand the Honorary Freedom of the City of Wells.

Tony can't wait to tell Mary the good news. Hello. Hello, Mary. I'm

outside the town hall at Wells and have got some excellent news. You

have been granted the freedom of the city. I have been granted the

freedom of the city? You have been granted the freedom of the city.

That's fantastic, Tony. You've worked so hard. I am a little bit

emotional at the moment. Thank you and just tell everybody I'm over

the moon and I'm really, really delighted. Well done, Mary, that's

absolutely superb. I can't believe it. I can't believe it, thank you.

Well done, my love. Bye bye. Speak to you later. Congratulations, Mary.

That's wonderful. Thank you. How do you feel? Thrilled. I can't believe

it. I didn't expect anything like this but it's a great honour.

That's where it all started so I'm really thrilled to bits. I think

it's absolutely fantastic and I have to thank the Council for

giving me the freedom of the city. This is going to be absolutely

superb, an Olympic year. What could be better? The people of Wells will

now start planning the historic ceremony in which Mary will receive

the city's highest honour. They'll be preparing to celebrate another

welcome home for the golden girl who leapt into the record books.

When I see it now, I can quite Next tonight, the story of a woman

who's helping troubled young people in Cornwall in the most remarkable

way. As Carole Madge found out, she has opened up not just her home but

her heart. What's for lunch? Spaghetti bolognese. Quick, cheap

and easy. Helps you when you feeding the 5,000.

This is a normal day in Julie's lifestyle. Everybody's in and out

and everybody's doing certain things. At the moment, we've got

Calum, Chris, Nathan, Megan. Who else? Simon, Dougie, and Rodney.

And the baby here! Spaghetti bolognese turns into lasagne for 13.

Thank you, Julie. Looks lovely. Julie tries not to turn anyone away.

Some are just out of prison, others are alcoholics and drug users.

People say that I'm wasting my own life for them or on them. I don't

see it as wasting, I see it as helping and supporting. If it

wasn't for me, I don't know where they'd be actually. What's it like?

It's lovely. Really nice. Dougie is the latest arrival. He's battling

with drug addiction and has been in and out of prison. Royalty, innit?

Compared to what it was. Living in a caravan with no food at all, or

relying on homeless shelters to eat. A lot better. That there is all

I've got to my name. All my stuff for fishing and cutting cauliflower,

working on the land and that. Dougie has four children and with

Julie's help he wants to see his family again and come off the

heroin substitute, methadone. takes a strong person to come off

it and to be honest with you, if you haven't got any help, you're

not going to come off it because you're not going to want to come

off the heroin and be stuck with nothing. But to see his children

again, he has to go through the courts. Would you like to get back

together with your children? kill to, yeah. Julie thinks that

just a short time here can make a difference. Once they get that self

worth about themselves and think that somebody actually genuinely

cares about them, you can see a change in a matter of days when

they come through the door from being on the streets to coming into

the house. This is Uncle Simon. Simon has been

living with Julie since coming of prison in the summer. She's a right

little cutie. When Simon came here, obviously he was homeless. He was

actually a very distressed lad and very mentally broken down, actually.

He came to me in a real bad state. I just started hanging around with

the wrong people and doing the wrong sort of things. Started doing

drugs, started doing loads of crime. In and out of jail, that sort of

thing. I just had no interest in anything at all except for the

drugs, to be honest. I don't need it. Try to sort out the washing. I

could do with my own launderette actually. We'll take it in turns

for just juggling all the washing around. Although she charges rent,

it doesn't cover Julie's costs. Who's going for haircuts? Carol,

Daniel and Simon. We'll grab our toast and then we'll go down.

At the end of the day, I am saving the state a lot of money from

paying for them in prison. I get �65 for a shared room from the lads

which people think, nine or ten, that's a lot of money. But not when

they come with nothing whatsoever. I'm not dealing with children, I am

dealing with adults with big feet. With a lot of money that needs to

be found. The local barber helps out with cut-price haircuts. A

proper trim is a luxury. To make a life for themselves, the lads need

work. And they need to stay out of trouble. I've had things obviously

being pinched because obviously I'm dealing with criminals. I've seen

something down the road is being sold, a couple of CDs or this or

that gone. I've had situations where my car's disappeared. To me,

if you just chuck them out, you're not gaining anything, I don't think.

Over the past months, weeks, years, I could have chucked them all out.

You're not solving the problem. Tonight, it's a rare treat for the

lads. A night out at a local curry house. Right, guys. Food is ready.

It's the first time some of them have been out to a restaurant. The

owner does his bit to support Julie by treating them all to a free meal.

In turn, the lads help out in the kitchen. Tonight, it's Dougie's

turn. It's early days because everything else I've ever done I've

always mucked up. I don't want to relax and go back on heroin and

other things so really, my only option was to get myself sorted out

or back to prison. -- relapse. Julie's plan is to set up a halfway

house. She thinks some of the lads are ready to move on and she needs

the space. I'm in the caravan tonight. I'll be making sure that

all the lads are fine and OK in the house and then I'm on the drive in

the caravan. There's nine in the house tonight so Julie's given up

her bed. If they need me, they come out to me or use the house phone to

phone me to tell me to come back in. For Julie, it's a sacrifice worth

making if it keeps the lads off the streets and out of trouble. When

they're sat in the dock and you're sat in the court yourself, and

seeing them sentenced and taken away, people don't understand what

it means. They don't understand why it means so much to me. I have my

moments, my tearful moments, but I try to keep that to myself a bit.

Because obviously, I don't want the lads to feel unstable, really. If

I'm unstable, they become unstable, so I can't be unstable.

It's a month on and there's a real breakthrough for Simon. He's been

given a chance to fulfil a lifetime's ambition. Do the water,

do the hay bale. Do it as neat as yesterday because that was awesome.

He's got work experience at a local stables. Since 2006, I've been in

and out of jail six or seven times. I can't be bothered with it. It's

no life really. The mentality I used to have was not good at all. I

didn't feel good about myself or the things I was doing. The guilt I

was feeling inside was just eating me alive. I've got so much

determination and drive to carry on as I am and things are really

starting to improve and I'm a lot That's all from this week's Inside

Out but we're back next Monday with more stories from the south-west.

We'll be in the picturesque Somerset village of East Coker as

battle lines are drawn in a fierce planning row. I just couldn't

believe it, the scale of it. This school and the industrial and this

beautiful field with houses everywhere.

The story of two men, one house and a High Court battle. He's got