21/02/2014 BBC London News

A reminder of our main story. Thousands of protest to remain in

livestock moved into barns. And that's on top I

Independence Square tonight, despite a peace process...

Tonight on BBC London News: Criticism of the Mayor as he fails

to spend millions of pounds allocated for affordable homes.

It's no good the Mayor's office saying, "Oh, we'll reprofile this

and we'll do it in the future". The Mayor's own targets and the housing

crisis we face in London now demands urgent action.

But City Hall has defended its house building programme.

Also tonight: The moment a shop assistant confronted an armed robber

who opened fire. Police appeal for witnesses.

Plus, the birthplace of British cinema ` how this 19th century venue

is to be restored to its former glory.

This Italian restaurant has just reopened after the floods. I will

look at how local businesses are getting back on their feet.

Plus, the birthplace of British cinema, how this venue is being

restored to its former glory. Good evening and welcome to the

programme. The Mayor's been heavily criticised

for failing to spend more than ?100 million allocated for housing. City

Hall had committed nearly ?300 million to building affordable homes

over the past year but has spent little more than half of it. Critics

say Boris Johnson is neglecting the pressing need for housing in London.

But his office has defended its house building programme and says

it's on target for a record number of new homes. Here's our political

correspondent Karl Mercer. Building the homes that Londoners

need has long been a priority for the Mayor. What could possibly go

wrong? At an east London development back

in November the Mayor admitted the issue hadn't been properly addressed

by politicians in the past. We have probably built less than half of the

homes that London needs. And the problem is now a crisis.

But these documents suggest the problems may not have gone away and

reveal City Hall has not spent the money it planned to this year on

finishing new homes. Under the National Affordable Housing

Programme, City Hall had a budget of ?207.7 million for the year. But it

says it will spend ?138 million, an underspend of nearly ?70 million.

It's a similar story for the Affordable Homes Programme. Of the

original budget of ?76.1 million, City Hall thinks it will spend just

?25 million this year, a shortfall of more than ?51 million. That makes

a total underspend on these two programmes of ?120 million this

year. The mayor says that delivering affordable housing is the most

important priority for London but his record is abysmal. It is no good

the Mayor's office saying, we will do it in the future. The Mayor's own

targets and the housing crisis we face in London now demands urgent

action. In fact, this year City Hall says it

expects to finish 7086 affordable homes for Londoners, the lowest

level for the past four years, and less than half the number built just

two years ago. I see this year as yet another example of the mayor

striving to deliver more homes for Londoners. We have the commitments

from developers to build homes. We are getting more commitments from

developers. We will pay them when they have built those homes. Can you

see why people find it hard to say, we are striving forward and it has

been a good year, when the number of completed affordable homes this year

will be lower than the last four years? I can't. Over the two terms,

the mayor will deliver more affordable homes that at `` than at

any point in the Greater London Authority's history.

It is a promise City Hall officials admit will be tough to meet. The

Mayor's office remain confident they will get there and say money not

spent this year will be spent in the coming years.

Lots more to come, including the parking signs which gives motorists

20 minutes to load, so why are they getting tickets after five?

Dramatic CCTV of an attempted armed robbery in east London has been

released by police. It shows the moment a shop assistant confronted

an armed robber who later opened fire. Detectives want witnesses to

come forward, as Marc Ashdown reports.

Midnight on the Hallowe'en, and a horrific attack unfolds. Two men,

masked and armed, burst into an East London shop. Behind the counter, the

assistant tries to make a grab for the shot gun, not once, but twice.

His boss, the owner, tries to defend and soap with a broom before chasing

them out. The men's league, but one turned and fired the shot gun and

the owner was hit full in the chest at point`blank range. He staggered

back to the shop and collapsed into a coma. The 51 euros was in

intensive care for a fortnight. Although he is recovering slowly, he

is lucky to be alive. `` the 51`year old was in intensive care for a

fortnight. The man had run the place for 14 years and is well loved and

respected in the community. At the moment, his injuries mean he is

unable and too afraid to come back to work. The assistant was also hit

in his leg by shrapnel. Very brave, trying to protect their livelihood.

I understand totally. They have been in business for a number of years

and this is their livelihood. You understand why people will react

like that and try to defend their premises and their business.

However, dangerous men, the consequences are ultimately could

have been a lot worse. The CCTV is very good quality. You can see one

of the men's faces clearly visible. A ?20,000 reward is being offered to

anyone who can identify these cowardly, dangerous men.

A suspected crystal meth factory has been uncovered in a suburban street

in Hanwell. Police raided a house on Cawdor Crescent after reports of a

dispute between a landlord and a tenant. Detectives say they

discovered equipment used to make the highly addictive Class A drug

inside the premises. A 29`year`old man's been arrested and a cordon is

in place for safety. The family of a woman who died when

part of a building collapsed onto the car she was driving have spoken

of their grief. The 49`year`old woman died last Friday after masonry

fell on top of her car jarring a storm. The mother of three worked as

a minicab driver. Today, her family thanked emergency services and said

they took comfort from the messages from friends and members of the

public. Work began today to fill the massive

sinkhole which appeared on a housing estate in Hemel Hempstead on

Saturday. Engineers have been pumping a special type of concrete

into the void left after ground beneath the road gave way. People

evacuated from the 17 properties are still waiting to return to their

homes. It has been a stressful few weeks

for people who live and work in the parts of Surrey and Berkshire

affected by the floods. But some are beginning to go back into their

properties. Sonja Jessup `` Sonja Jessup is in Datchet. Is it back to

business as usual yet? At first glance, it may not look

like business as usual because of these sandbags on the high street

but I have some good news. If we come inside this restaurant in

Datchet, it has actually reopened this evening. It has been closed for

ten days. It is quite quiet at the moment because most bookings are for

later in the evening but it has been quite a transformation in here. We

had water all over the floor, up to the skirting boards. They had quite

heart `` hard work to turn it around and get it reopened. That is not the

picture of all businesses, some of which will take months to get back

to normal. My colleague has spent the day in Datchet, speaking to

local firms slowly starting to get back on their feet.

Datchet, under the Thames, ten days ago. Today, a village that is still

slowly drying out. At Little Venice, it was a case of life

imitating art. The family business surrounded by water. But now,

finally, they are ready to reopen. The water came above skirting level

into the restaurant and contaminated the fridge, so we had to wait for

health and safety to give the all clear. They came on Wednesday so we

have spent the last couple of days preparing everything and tonight we

are ready to rock 'n' roll and hopefully bring some smiles back to

the village. Most of the damage occurred in here on the floor. We

were only a couple of inches under but it got into the ramp, which

caused the problems. Repairs have been on hold here for two weeks, but

with the workshop open again, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

But the floods have cost them. We are doing between ten and 12 cars

each day. This is not a massive face. If you average ?300 per car,

you can imagine how much money we are losing. But we will get there

and sort it out again. It will be fine. Other businesses are also

getting back on their feet but some are finding that the damage is worse

than they first thought. Over the road, this beauty salon is welcoming

customers again. But there is more disruption ahead. We have a lot of

work to do. We are open but the electrics are damaged underneath.

Next week we will start lifting the floorboards and start doing the

electricity. The salon will have to close maybe about a month. It

reached about this high. There is much to repair here, too, but she

says support from customers has made it easier to cope with. They have

been really good, understanding. They have been dropping things off

and saying, it is OK, do it in your own time, we are not in a hurry.

Last week, this place was deluged. Today, it is more of a trickle.

Despite all of this, businesses are once again up and running.

You can see that already some people have started to come into the

restaurant to enjoy a quiet meal. We can speak to the manager. Good

evening. This is a family run business. It must have been

heartbreaking to see it like this. It was heartbreaking. It is a family

run business. Thanks to my staff who have been working endlessly we are

now back up on our feet, which is the main thing as a business. It

could not have come at a worse time, over some of your best booking

days. It hit us on the week commencing Valentine's Day, which

fell on Friday this year. We were not able to open, so we have to get

back on our feet and do the best we can to get back up and running as

per usual. Have you been able to claim on insurance? We are insured,

but it is not as if the check will be delivered tomorrow morning. It is

a long process. We need a general income, so we are working as hard as

we can. Tonight we are open, which is fantastic and with the help of

the local community we will be back on our feet and back up and running,

which, for us, is the most important thing. Has there been a lot of

support from the local community? It has been fantastic. The community

has been superb. As a village, everyone has come together, over

social networking. We have had endless amounts of people saying,

can we help you, do this, do that. We could not ask for any more and we

look forward to welcoming them in and getting back to some kind of

normality. Thank you very much. You saw the sandbags still outside. They

are not taking any chances in case it starts to rain again. The word

from the Environment Agency is that they still expect river levels here

to continue to fall. But they say there are still 30 flood warnings in

place throughout the south`east, including parts of Wraysbury and old

Windsor. So it is not over. But businesses like this are hoping that

things will now start to improve and get back to normal.

If you were to see this parking sign, you would be forgiven for

thinking you had 20 minutes of loading time. Not so in Streatham,

where motorists have been given parking tickets after just five

minutes. The local MP has taken up their case, saying that fines are

being wrongly issued. We have all nervously read a parking

sign, not quite sure whether it is telling us that we can or cannot

park in a particular space. But some signs seem clear, including this

one. What do you think this means you can do? I thought it meant I

could park here. For how long? 20 minutes. Normal loading is a maximum

of 20 minutes. Not necessarily. A local man parked here to unload and

he was here for less than 20 minutes, but he was given a fine for

?130. Transport for London says it can do that if they don't see any

loading or unloading in a window of just five minutes. It says it's not

practical to observe a vehicle for the full 20 minutes. I think that's

a bit cheeky. Most people think they can do that for longer than that, so

it is tricking people. I'm not sure if they've got it right. Boris and a

few other people need to come and see it for themselves. Transport for

London says if you get a fine and you can prove you were unloading or

loading, you can claim a refund, but the fine comes first. People are

stressed, anxious, they have a lot going on in their lives, and to

expect them to waste time going through a process which they

shouldn't be put through in the first instance because they acted

within the rules is absolutely outrageous. Local businesses say

overzealous parking enforcement is damaging the area's economy. To my

business it has been devastating. I have had many customers who say they

can't park. Once they have had a ticket, if they can't park they go

around the block a couple of times and don't come back. People here

want Transport for London to rethink the system and avoid what they say

is unnecessary parking related stress. Still to come... After the

floods hit our non`league football clubs, we'll hear how one set of

fans helped their team back into action. And 118 years ago today, and

amazed audience so moving pictures in London for the first time. What

next for this theatre, the birthplace of British cinema?

So no gold medal for our men's curlers in Sochi this afternoon, but

their silver added to a successful overall Games for Team GB. Here with

the rest of the sport is Chris. Yes, a record`equalling medal haul

of four for Great Britain. One member of Team GB who has already

arrived back on these shores is Surrey`based skier Chemmy Alcott.

She might not have made it onto the podium herself but, as she's been

telling Warren Nettleford, Sochi 2014 is a Games she'll never forget.

Here we go. This is the first time that Chemmy Alcott has watched her

downhill run from the Sochi games. It's almost as exciting the second

time round. I was always slow at the top. Just back from Russia, where

she exceeded her own expectations by finishing 19th. Her career has been

hampered by injury. She races with a metal rod in her leg, after

suffering a number of leg breaks. The latest injury setback when she

had little time to prepare for the Games. I made Team GB and then I got

there and was hoping for a top 30. It would have been amazing with the

preparation I've had. To come down less than two seconds out on the

Olympic track, one of the toughest tracks I've never raced on, was

amazing. To see 19th up there, it was phenomenal. She will be pushing

for a medal, but after all the injuries she has suffered, it's

great to see her back on the hill. For her, finishing in the top 20

felt like a gold medal. She's battled through the pain barrier to

get there. When I got to the bottom and my leg was really sore, it meant

I'd let my legs go away and powered the turn, so it meant I was faster.

But there was also disappointment. She expected to do better in her

preferred Super`G event, she finished in 23rd. She is a six time

British champion who's made it to four Winter games, but this will be

her last. I thought I would suddenly get to the bottom and it would be,

OK, this is the time to retire or I'm going to keep going. But the

fact I believe I'm still fast, it's inside me, I just want to keep

going, keep going. I've got the rest of my life to retire. Two more days

of competition remaining in Sochi and it could yet get better for Team

GB. They have a chance of a medal in the men's bobsleigh four`man team

event. London`born Lamin Deen is the pilot for GB's second sled. He and

John Baines finished a disappointing 23rd in the two`man but should do

better this time. GB Sled 1, piloted by John Jackson, was fastest in

yesterday's training run and could get among the medals. Plenty of

smiles in Sochi, few though for Fulham in the Premier League

recently. Tomorrow they begin life under their third manager of the

season, Felix Magath. The German's first task is to try to win away to

West Brom as Fulham seek to move off the bottom of the Premier League.

The former Bayern Munich boss thinks he's already pin`pointed some of his

team's problems. They are a little bit uncertain. They have not enough

confidence to play forward. So we have do stay together, work together

and then you have to fight together. That is the only way you can go on.

One team that has definitely enjoyed the new manager effect is Crystal

Palace. They were bottom of the table earlier this season, now they

are two points above the relegation zone. The arrival of Tony Pulis as

manager in November kick`started their season. Tomorrow they host

Manchester United, and winger Jason Puncheon has been telling Football

Focus about the manager's qualities. He has just brought organisation and

belief. That has shown in our performances. The new boys have come

in, we have team bonding and a team ethic. Lower down the football

pyramid, the recent floods have caused huge problems for many clubs

with matches called off and facilities damaged. Non`league

Leatherhead are among the teams who have been badly affected. But as

Emma Jones reports, the work of fans and volunteers has helped the team

take to the pitch once more. At last, something for Leatherhead's

fans to cheer about. This, just the second time in over 11 weeks the

club has been able to hold a match at their ground. And it is thanks

largely to the supporters and volunteers who had to help with the

clear up again and again. It was worrying, it has flooded four times

now. The fact we are still going, it's because of loyal supporters

helping out. The clean`up has been dreadful. We've been hosing down and

cleaning down the chairs and the clubhouse. Floods over Christmas

were just the first of many to damage the ground, including that

valuable clubhouse. It came to about 18 inches in here. Bad enough to

damage the electrics, all the fridges and everything behind the

bar. For now it is sort of back to business, even if the floors of

their as the recovery continues. Clubs at non`league level are used

to rolling their sleeves up, painting the stands and doing odd

jobs, but this has been far more than that. While here the football

has finally returned, dozens of other clubs continue to struggle.

This recent picture of Staines ground just one example of what

they've had to cope with. The last few weeks have been tough for

everyone. Of course, it's not only the not playing, the players want to

play, the people want to come and watch but it costs money to be

involved in running a club, so the club depend on people attending

matches. More good news for the home fans. An early goal in what would be

a 3`1 win. And while the club waits for much`needed revenue to return,

they hope the hard times are now behind them as they push for

promotion. So much good work that's been done at grass roots level to

ensure fixtures go ahead this weekend. That's all the sport. It's

Britain's oldest cinema, used by the Lumiere brothers to screen the first

ever film in the UK back in 1896. Now the 200 seat Regent Street venue

is to be restored to its former glory, if it can secure the final ?2

million it needs, as Wendy Hurrell reports.

A family tea`time. A hosepipe prank. Workers leaving a factory. Campbell,

everyday scenes with the first films of the Lumiere brothers shown in

Regent Street on this day in 1896. It must have seemed like magic. The

rather sport `` sparse audience of just 54 had never seen anything like

it, as the train chugged into the station they all ducked! It happened

here at what is now the University of Westminster. It hasn't been used

as a cinema in more than 30 years, but there are hints of its heritage

everywhere. An original organ, the projection room, 1920s plasterwork

from its cinematic heyday. As a theatre, it first opened in 1848 and

was the place to go to see the innovations of the day. Some

journalists have talked about the strange smells and explosions

emanating from Regent Street. All sorts of things were on display

here. There were magic lantern shows, there was a Peppers ghost

appeared here at one point. There were very many different kinds of

activities. For all future activities, the university has

raised from donations, lottery grants and sponsorship, two thirds

of the money so the restoration begins in April. But they still need

?2 million and today renewed their appeal for funds, with the support

of Elima Nike now working in the industry. We are hoping that the

single title sponsor for coming, who understand how unbelievably valuable

it will be and what an opportunity it is to put your name behind what

is the birthplace of British cinema. Once the cinema has reopened,

hopefully in spring next year, it will look like this. It will show

independent films, world cinema, documentaries and classics, for

students, teachers and the community, it will be a hub for

learning and a place to show work. Perhaps one day it will become part

of cinematic history themselves. In my book cinema is all about magic.

The first effect of the Lumiere brothers still works very much with

people who are going up to the cinema. I think people still go to

the cinema for the magic experience. As the floodwaters recede, the

clean`up continues. The settled weather continues through the

weekend. You will notice the breeze picking up as we go through

tomorrow. A really nice day, a chilly start with some sunshine.

Dull and resolute on Sunday. Not really any significant rain and the

forecast in the coming days. The next couple of days, quite similar

to what we had today. We've seen some showers moving towards the ice

balls, and that will feed through towards us tonight. They are hit and

miss. They clear off towards the south and east through the early

hours of tomorrow morning. Things then become quite chilly and

clearing skies. Temperatures down close to freezing in the Home

Counties. Doing a bit of scraping potentially first thing tomorrow

morning in rural spots, but some good spells of sunshine. The winds

will slowly picked up through the day. It slowly starts to increase.

Good spells of sunshine and generally staying dry for the bulk

of the day. Temperatures above average for the time of year.

Tomorrow night not as chilly as tonight because those winds continue

to pick up and cloud starts to thicken as well from the West will

stop this is annoying drizzle more than anything, it is not really

rain, but it's certainly worth me mentioning it to you. Sunday is a

grey day. These bits and pieces of rain coming through our just

nuisance value. Out towards the West is a more organised band of rain.

For us, we will largely stay clear of that on Sunday. But the winds

will be picking up all the time. Later on Sunday we will see some

brightness coming through, but this weather system is trying to make its

way towards us for Monday. The main news headlines now. A peace

deal to end the conflict in the Ukraine has been signed between the

president and opposition leaders. It will see the presidential election

brought forward to December. Rebekah Brooks broke down in tears on her

second day of giving evidence at the Old Bailey. The former editor of the

News of the World denies charges of phone hacking.

That is it. I'll be back later during the 10 O'Clock News. Do have

a lovely evening.