20/09/2011 Reporting Scotland

Tonight on your national news: Possible fraud and serious wrong-

doing. A special BBC Scotland investigation into building repairs

carried out by Edinburgh City Council.

How the death of this English school girl from brain cancer led

to her family setting up a research centre in Scotland. I suppose we

knew we would lose her at some point, so, for us, this is so

important because, hopefully, they will find a cure through this

research. Also tonight:

We're live at the weather beaten home of golf's Scottish Open.

I'm at Castle Stewart near Inverness where the tournament's

main sponsor is pulling out. And 90 years after it was stolen

and dumped, Aberdeenshire villagers search for a First World War German

An investigation has uncovered evidence of possible fraud and

wrong-doing in building repairs overseen by one of Scotland's

biggest councils. Some homeowners have overpaid thousands of pounds

for building repairs forced on them by Edinburgh City Council. Police

are now investigating allegations of Institutional Corruption amongst

some officials in the capital. Here's our social affairs reporter

Fiona Walker. Just one thing after another.

work to fix this fruit had jumped from �25,000 to �80,000. He and his

neighbours that a statutory notice where the council takes over repair

work on private buildings. The moment he opened the final bill, he

felt sheer panic. I thought it was a dream. But I wasn't going to get

away from it. It is something you worry about, the bill. It was a

great amount of money. People don't have it lying about. We asked some

experts to look at his case. would hang my head in shame if I

ever had to report to a client that the job had leapt up like that

without any control. The Building Company was action building

contracts. They worked on the council did -- they were not on the

cancer has approved list of contractors. The materials used

were not good. Is was �80,000 worth of work, more than double the

original cost. Trevor believes he was overcharged and wonders why

action building contracts got the work, contrary to the council's own

tendering rules. Why would somebody choose not to use the correct

procurement system? There must be some element in there again,

because it is either neglect or personal gain, I'm afraid. We also

believe police are investigating other allegations including claims

a council official went on holidays paid for by contractors. The

council's house provides a list up until 2009 has now been lost. --

council's hospitality list. I am convinced something illegal has

gone on. And that has involved a few council offers us. We know

police are investigating allegations of fraud but we have

also discovered they are looking into claims that some council

officials took bribes or a cut that could amount to institutional

corruption. The contractors have declined to comment. Around 15

council employees have been suspended. Edinburgh City Council

says these are precautionary and has commissioned a thorough

investigation into the complaints. You can see more on this story on

Scotland's Property Scandal tonight at 10:35pm on BBC One Scotland.

Tomorrow's the day when the Finance Secretary reveals how he's planning

to spend our money. But John Swinney will have �3 billion less

to spend over the next three years because of the UK Government's

efforts to tackle the deficit. Our local government correspondent

Jamie McIvor is here with his assessment of what it might mean

for jobs and services. Tough choices definitely lie ahead,

and, sooner or later, we'll all notice the effect of some of them.

If you work in the public sector, there's a good chance you won't

have had a pay rise for the past year. And that pay freeze for many

staff earning more than �21,000 a year is set to continue. And while

the Government is promising there'll be no compulsory

redundancies, the total number of staff working in the public sector

is falling, which sometimes means more work for the people who remain.

But it's not just public sector workers who feel cuts. We all do.

Protecting some services means others face hard choices. And

what's most obvious is what the government is trying to protect.

Free prescriptions for, a dream when the NHS was founded, but soon

abandoned. Now, finally, in place. In Scotland. The Bill? �57 million

a year. Other things that are saved? Free bus travel for those

over 60. Investing in projects in helping the economy get moving,

like help for struggling housebuilders. But John Swinney has

got to find savings from somewhere and even supportive councils

readily acknowledge they could share in the pain. I think we need

to take our fair share. In previous years, we have done rather well

from the government. We know that cannot go on necessarily, local

government being protected, so we need to make sure that we take a

fair share of any of the cuts in the public sector. So when even the

Government's supporters don't envy John Swinney's position, what can

we expect him to do tomorrow? Well, there may be big rabbits from

the hat. Remember when he scrapped the Glasgow airport rail link two

years ago? And just today the Government said it had beaten

targets for efficiency savings, all helping to avoid cuts in services.

But, sometimes, the cuts we may feel won't come directly from

Holyrood. They're all further down the line. And that takes us back to

councils. The Government's hoping to persuade them to freeze the

council tax for five years and the offer will not be easy. In recent

months, we've seen some councils cut libraries, street lights even

Hogmanay parties. So don't expect whatever Mr Swinney will say

tomorrow to be the end of it. Far from it. And we'll have full

coverage of the Budget here on BBC Scotland tomorrow, on TV, radio and

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come before

seven. The green-fingered train buff who's

on track for the title of Scotland's top railway gardener.

In sport, it may be a common practice but Neil Lennon would have

preferred it if Kris' tweets had been shredded.

Plus, band of brothers. The Pumas hope to lead Scotland on a merry

The fundraising efforts of a woman whose daughter died from a brain

tumour aged just 16 mean that Scotland is now the new home of the

UK's first brain tumour tissue bank. The cash is providing a huge

resource for scientists trying to find new treatments for a cancer

that kills more children than any other. Our health correspondent

Eleanor Bradford reports. 16-year-old Charlotte Smith, seemed

on the right going to her school prom, died just 11 months after

being diagnosed with a brain tumour. There is still no cure for her kind

of cancer. Charlotte's mother began fund-raising and many events

involved horse-riding, which Charlotte's love so much. She's

raised so much money she can set up the UK's first brain tumour tissue

bank. For Charlotte, she had the worst prognosis for her cancer. We

knew at that time when they were giving its options for treatment

for Charlotte that it was a guest. Was this going to work? Was this

particular drug going to have an effect? Wasn't going to keep her

alive for another month, or two months? We wanted her to be here

forever. We didn't want to lose her. For us, this is so important

because, hopefully, they will find a cure through this research.

Hospitals and universities and commercial organisations have their

own banks of tissue that other people cannot always access. The

new tissue bank will be open to everyone and the tissue samples

will be stored in Greek phrases like this. By opening it up, we

increase the likelihood of some like -- valuable pieces of

information coming out of it. The more people using the resource, the

more likely patients will benefit. Oh, she would have been so proud.

Because she wanted to help people. Her friends... If they ever had a

problem, she was there for them. She was just... She was just lovely,

and she would have loved this. brain tumour tissue bank will sit

alongside an existing buyer depository in Glasgow where it is

hoped these tissue samples will help other people have a brighter

future. The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick

Clegg, has launched a scathing attack on the First Minister saying

his '''sole obsession'' is to ''yank Scotland'' out of the United

Kingdom. At the Liberal Democrats' conference in Birmingham, the

party's leader also accused Alex Salmond of playing "cat and mouse

with the Scottish people" when it comes to an independence referendum.

He should have the courage of his convictions and say that Scotland

wants independence, and let us have a yes or no referendum and then

let's ask Alex Salmond what it means for jobs, for investment, for

business. David Porter joins us now from Birmingham. The gloves are off,

then? It is a toughening up of the

language being used by the coalition parties. In effect, what

Nick Clegg is saying to Alex Salmond is if you believe in

independence, go on and hold a referendum and tell us the date it

is going to be. The coalition what to very much toughen up the way

they are seen to be reacting to the SNP. Privately, those around Nick

Clegg and David Cameron as well feel that the SNP government on

this issue has been given a free ride and in future that is going to

change. There is going to be far more probing, and far more forensic

questioning and the nationalists, out and say they want certain

things. Tonight, they have hit back, referring to the AV voting

referendum championed by the Liberal Democrats. It was

comprehensively lost by the Liberal Democrats. They say that bearing in

mind Nick Clegg's record, they need no advice from him on how to hold

referendums. Ministers are backing Scotland's top civil servant

despite a report saying he'd helped lead a project which wasted �500

million of taxpayers' cash. Sir Peter Housden was Permanent

Secretary at the Department of Communities in England when they

tried and failed to set up a series of regional fire centres. As our

correspondent, Raymond Buchanan reports, MPs say its shocking no-

one has been held accountable for the waste of public money.

They were meant to be the future. Regional fire control centres work

so -- supposed to given England a rapid response to disasters but

they became one themselves. MPs say that almost �500 million of

taxpayer's cash was wasted. Why? Because of an extraordinary failure

of leadership. Of the careers of most of the senior staff

responsible have carried on, as if nothing had gone wrong at all, they

say. Civil servants also walked away without any blame or

accountability or Tamsin Hezzell responsibility, and some of them

got a pay rise. We have been picking up the bill. This civil

servants led the department went the project haemorrhaged money. Sir

Peter Housden Has for a new job of being Scotland's top civil servant.

The budgets are in billions for his new projects. Ministers are

accountable for the decisions taken, and in all of the civil servants I

work with, I have confidence in their contribution and faddy

ability -- value. The Department say they have learned from the past

Some of the other stories across Scotland this Tuesday evening.

The kidnapped wife of a Scots oil worker has been rescued in the

Philippines. Luisa Galvez Morrison was injured in the incident

involving army troops in which it's reported three militants were

killed. The 34-year-old was kidnapped earlier this month. Her

husband, Raymond, is originally from Keith.

A court's been told that a man was killed by a woman to whom he'd

shown nothing but kindness. Robert Brereton was stabbed 26 times by

his former girlfriend Melanie Stevenson, when he visited her flat

in Forfar in March. She admitted the stabbing, and prosecutors said

she was suffering from diminished responsibility. She'll be sentenced

next month for culpable homicide. Other defied year-old man has been

arrested in connection with the theft of a specialist ambulance. It

was taken from outside and it on- call medic's home in the

Renfrewshire last night. Golf's Scottish Open is searching

for a new sponsor after Barclays withdrew their support of the event.

The decision comes two months after the competition relocated to Castle

Stuart Links near Inverness where bad weather caused flooding and

landslides on the course. Jackie O'Brien's there for us this evening.

I brought some unseasonal weather. You will remember the big build-up

of the Scottish Open coming to this relatively new but impressive

course overlooking the Moray Firth bringing with it some of golf's top

names. Thousands of spectators flocked here and millions more

watched on television but the event was severely hampered by

territorial rain which curtailed play. In a statement, Barclays Bank

said the weather and the adverse publicity it could have brought has

not brought about the decision to withdraw sponsorship. In fact, its

managing director said the decision was made reluctantly based on

current market forces and it has been stressed it was approaching

the end of a ten-year deal with the open anyway. Nevertheless, a bit of

a blow. What has been the reaction locally? Attracting a major leg of

a competition like this was a coup for this relatively young club and

it obviously brought millions of pounds into the local economy.

Local community leaders are not despondent. Very disappointing for

me for Barclays Bank to pull out but it is at the end of a ten-year

sponsorship and I am very hopeful that with the European tour at

Castle Stuart and with the help of the Highland Council we will find a

sponsor and I am very optimistic. The European tour is committed to

staging another two years' of the Open here it Castle Stuart. They

say this location will find a new sponsor and it is confident of that.

I have been told that in the last hour at least four prospective

investors have been in touch. A missing piece of Scottish history

has been found at an Aberdeen quarry. They have been searching

for the Stewart Field Gun and the hope of restoring it for posterity.

They have found it but Sarah moving it would be too dangerous.

The peaceful village of Stewart felt but hidden deep underground, a

legacy from the Great War. After four days of digging and German

howitzer gun has been found. It was placed in the village square by the

local laird. When Ireland in their the said it would never come out.

Who is going to say 100 years from now it we will not have a different

machine and will be able to take it out. It is in a little house down

there on its own. It isn't broken and his complete and we're happy

with that. The exact location was pinpointed by dowsing decades after

it was filled in. Soldiers coming home and seeing this decided to

dispose of it in another. It ended up in this quarry. It would be nice

to get it back where it was because we are all friends now, all

Europeans. Some 1200 tons of soil and rock have been removed from

this old quarry. It is now too dangerous to shift any more. Over

the next few days, this side will be filled back in. It tells us to

remember there are many things that will never die that cannot be

buried in the earth. There was remembrance for other men who may

have died at the end of this UN. Well it is buried for now, it is

hoped its discovery will help keep local history alive.

Let's get the latest sports news. The Celtic manager Neil Lennon says

he won't be making a big issue of Kris Commons going public on a

social network site to contradict him over his fitness. Eyebrows were

raised when Commons was left out of the team which lost to Rangers in

Sunday's Old Firm derby. The winger though is back in the plans for

tomorrow's Scottish communities League Cup tie against Ross County.

John Barnes reports. 48 hours after sitting on the

sidelines, Kris Commons was back in training and looking to catch the

eye of his manager. Questions had been asked why Kris Commons didn't

play against Rangers. The manager said he was injured. Later on his

Twitter account, Kris Commons said he was fit and available for

selection. Although the spelling could be better. It is better to

keep this in house but this is the modern age and social networking

seems to be the way forward. He is obviously frustrated he was left

out of the squat and by except that and they will not they can issue.

The manager went as far as to clear up the mystery over the Scotland

international's finesse. She said he was fit but he did not train on

Saturday. I didn't want to take a chance. While his firepower was

missed against Rangers, the manager believes the extra few days out or

have been beneficial. He has looked a lot brighter in training and it

may do him good. With Scott Brown, Georgios Samaras and Mark Wilson

Allatt injured, Kris Commons could be in the team which starts in

Dingwall. Ross County not Celtic out of them a cup last year so he

and his players are aware of the threat the first division side can

pose. Ally McCoist has told BBC Scotland

he believes his goal keeper Alan McGregor, has the personality to

handle any situation. The Rangers keeper made an uncharacteristic

blunder in his side's 4-2 victory in Sunday's Old Firm derby. McCoist

though, insists his confidence won't be shaken. I think all people

-- goalkeepers of his car over make mistakes like that three or four

times in his career. I have no issues. He is a top-class

goalkeeper and that will remain. The third round of the Scottish

Communities League Cup gets underway tonight. Keep up to date

with all that's happening on Sportsound, Open all mics on BBC

Radio Scotland 810 mw. To the Rugby World Cup now and it

might be a case of gamesmanship but Argentina's Gonzalo Camacho says

Scotland are good enough to qualify for the quarter finals of the

competition as winners of pool B. The Pumas, seen here in a

synchronised training session, are next up for Andy Robinson's men

followed by England. Comacho says Scotland have the ability to win

two games on the bounce. They can one as well against England. There

are very good team. We will see. In a World Cup, anything can happen.

One match defines anything -- everything's so we will see what

happens. We'll see what happens on early Sunday morning.

They were a much loved feature of our railways - station gardens,

often the pride and joy of staff who tended them. But times have

changed. While Scotrail still pays for floral displays, community

volunteers do the work these days through the company's adopt a

station scheme. One of them is on track to be named Scotland's top

railway gardener, as Willie Johnston reports.

He's a former professional garden and lifelong railway enthusiast. No

surprise that he is behind the floral displays that brighten his

local station. Stranraer was just the start and he now looks after

six stations using the train to transport and sell plants, compost

and tools. I travel on this line a lot and I saw the stations looking

sad and neglected and I thought we could do something with the skills

I had as a horticulturist. You must wonder what he is going to come off

the plane with next? We do. He is doing a wonderful job changing the

arrangements of keeping up to date. Each station has its own character

and charm. I wish the trains were better scheduled sometimes but I

managed to do it I am here for a while and then I travel on to a

year. He has also improved the stations at Troon and air. There is

a challenge with the wind and rain. He is nominated in the outstanding

volunteer contribution category. Whatever the outcome of that, the

real reward of that is here. member of staff said to me I was

going through a rough time and it just walking through here brightens

my day and makes it more enjoyable. Well done to him and I think he

will be interested in this. Take a look at these pictures filmed in

Glasgow's Kelvingrove park earlier today which appear to show autumn

in full swing already. But despite the wet summer, the Woodland Trust

says the lack of rain in spring has resulted in an overall water

deficit this year, and that is what is leading to this early autumnal

colouring and leaf fall. Experts call this a fake autumn, with the

real one expected to arrive in the next few weeks. Is the real some a

next few weeks. Is the real some a lost cause? Probably. Let's not

talk about that. Today, showers and many parts of the country. I

thought initially the satellite picture to show what is coming next.

Heavy rain on the way for tomorrow but this evening, some late

sunshine to enjoy before dusk. It will be be easy and die for most of

us. From 7pm, there will be some showers across the north-west which

will at times form longer periods of rain but for most of us, dry.

Temperatures in towns and cities more than 10 Celsius. By dawn, the

rain will be more organised and heavier thanks to the weather front

pushing in associated with this area of low pressure up towards

Iceland. That will move in early tomorrow morning bringing heavy

downpours. There is the risk of some coastal gales and the whole

country will see some strong winds tomorrow. That the band of rain

will continue to work its way in. Some heavy rain for many places

tomorrow but it will move through quite quickly and by mid-afternoon

it will be drier and brighter, particularly in the east with some

sunshine and temperatures of 14 Celsius. Still with that these in

place, so there will be a blustery feel in some parts. The far north

will stubble at around 13 Celsius. For the rest of the afternoon and

into the evening. Some late sunshine through the South and

through the week towards Thursday, we will hold on to that I picture

for many places. Still with that went from the West and the chance

of some showers across the north- west of the country. Highs of 15

Celsius. Towards the end of the week, pretty cloudy with the chance

of some rain. Temperatures up slightly. Tomorrow, some very wet

and windy weather on the way. Thanks.

Now, just before seven o'clock, a summary of tonight's top stories.

One of the world's most influential financial organisations has issued

its starkest warning yet about prospects for the global economy.

The International Monetary Fund says there is a risk of a double

dip recession and Britain is included in that gloomy forecast.

A BBC Scotland investigation has uncovered evidence of possible

fraud and serious wrongdoing in the building works overseen by

Edinburgh City Council. Last year the council carried out �30 million

worth of work on property in the city.

The nurse accused of tampering with drugs at a hospital in Greater

Manchester has been speaking for the first time about her ordeal.

Rebecca Leighton was held by police for six weeks. Despite being