:00:00. > :00:00.rain. A reminder of our main story...
:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from the BBC News at Six. It's goodbye from me and on BBC One,
:00:00. > :00:16.we now join the BBC's news teams where you are. Tonight on BBC London
:00:17. > :00:19.News. Disruption on day two of the tube strike. LU says it's operating
:00:20. > :00:21.services on all its lines. The RMT says platforms have been
:00:22. > :00:23."dangerously overcrowded". Meanwhile the Mayor says David
:00:24. > :00:29.Cameron's promised a speedy change to the law on strikes. There will be
:00:30. > :00:33.a plan to protect the citizens of the great commercial world city from
:00:34. > :00:39.wildcat strikes. But this evening Downing Street is denying the
:00:40. > :00:43.mayor's claim. And with more strikes looming next week, we'll speak to
:00:44. > :00:46.the RMT and London Underground live. Also ahead, a step closer to the
:00:47. > :00:55.so`called 'Robin Hood tax' that some say could hurt London's financial
:00:56. > :01:14.services. Plus the love affair between London and New York as
:01:15. > :01:20.played out on Broadway. Good evening. This week's tube strike is
:01:21. > :01:23.due to end in a few hours' time but another one is just around the
:01:24. > :01:26.corner. A three day walk`out is planned for next week. For millions
:01:27. > :01:28.of passengers it's been another day of disruption. London Underground
:01:29. > :01:31.claims that just over half of its services were operating. And that
:01:32. > :01:35.there were trains running, albeit with skeleton services on all eleven
:01:36. > :01:38.lines. The RMT union says that at some stations and platforms there
:01:39. > :01:45.was "dangerous overcrowding. We start tonight with our Transport
:01:46. > :01:47.Correspondent, Tom Edwards. He is on the platform at Oxford Circus
:01:48. > :01:55.station. What is your assessment of today? It does not look too bad down
:01:56. > :01:58.here on the platform. It is not that busy on the Bakerloo line. Although
:01:59. > :02:02.there are a few trains coming and going. The real problem we have
:02:03. > :02:07.found is above ground. The roads have been gridlocked. This has been
:02:08. > :02:15.a really tough day for some Londoners. Day two and more weary
:02:16. > :02:20.resignation as the RMT strike hits London's tube. Commuters struggled
:02:21. > :02:27.to work and back home again. The bus did not come. When it arrived, it
:02:28. > :02:34.was full. I have been waiting for the bus to get to work. There was an
:02:35. > :02:38.hour wait for cabs at Paddington. Data from TfL shows that nine out of
:02:39. > :02:44.ten regular Oyster users still used its services. Any switched to
:02:45. > :02:47.buses. All buses were again in service today. The rest stayed at
:02:48. > :02:53.home or found other ways to get to work. The roads were more congested
:02:54. > :02:57.than usual. We were looking at enormous delays. Junction four of
:02:58. > :03:01.the M4 to Piccadilly, which normally takes an hour, it was taking
:03:02. > :03:08.something like two and a half hours. In effect, a 150% increase in
:03:09. > :03:11.congestion. Experiences varied. This dispute is about the closure of all
:03:12. > :03:17.ticket offices. London Underground says that they are underused and 950
:03:18. > :03:23.job losses. This was lantern and ends usual, there was claim and
:03:24. > :03:29.counterclaim of the impact. `` this was lantern and as usual. I'm going
:03:30. > :03:35.to be late for work because of the strike. It is an inconvenience. It
:03:36. > :03:39.has been very easy with my journeys. It has been empty. This French
:03:40. > :03:45.family have had to change their plans on a trip to the capital. They
:03:46. > :03:51.told us that compared to Paris, Londoners seem much more civil
:03:52. > :03:54.during industrial action. I apologise to everyone who has been
:03:55. > :04:01.having a tough time of it at the moment. It has been, I'd appreciate,
:04:02. > :04:05.very convenient for loads of people. And today, the mayor said that he
:04:06. > :04:10.had been told by the Prime Minister that tougher strike laws will be a
:04:11. > :04:15.priority if the Conservatives form the next government. I have had it
:04:16. > :04:21.from his lips in public that on day one of a new Cameron
:04:22. > :04:27.Administration, and let's hope it is a majority government, he will be
:04:28. > :04:36.able to deliver a deal that gives us the protection that Londoners want.
:04:37. > :04:39.Downing Street says it has no plans of introducing a strike law on day
:04:40. > :04:46.one of nothing is off the table long term. The has accused the May of
:04:47. > :04:51.posturing. `` the mayor. At the moment, three days of strikes are
:04:52. > :04:53.planned for next week. There was a softening of the
:04:54. > :04:58.language from both sides this morning. You often get that at this
:04:59. > :05:02.stage of a dispute. Later in the afternoon, it was also announced
:05:03. > :05:05.that we would get talks at ACAS on Friday. The good news is that both
:05:06. > :05:12.sides are still talking but the bad news is that we have been you
:05:13. > :05:16.before. Indeed. Tom Edwards there. Well, more strikes are planned for
:05:17. > :05:20.next week. Let's talk to both sides and find out what it will take to
:05:21. > :05:22.get an agreement. Joining me here in the studio is Mike Brown, Managing
:05:23. > :05:26.Director of London Underground and Mick Cash, the Acting General
:05:27. > :05:31.Secretary of the RMT union is in our Westminster studio.
:05:32. > :05:37.Good evening to both of you. Talks being held on Friday, but cannot
:05:38. > :05:41.imagine that helps industrial relations when you send a letter to
:05:42. > :05:45.the late Bob Crow saying that you agreed to discuss a station by
:05:46. > :05:50.station review, including ticket office closures, and then that does
:05:51. > :05:54.not happen. It is happening. Why have seen the pack personally. I
:05:55. > :06:02.look added yesterday. It is about two inches thick. `` I looked again
:06:03. > :06:08.yesterday. It is working through the Piccadilly line, station by station.
:06:09. > :06:11.We agreed the agenda and Mick's colleagues wore in the room when we
:06:12. > :06:16.agreed it. We have followed that agenda. We will stick to what we
:06:17. > :06:20.committed to do. But does the review includes ticket offices or is it
:06:21. > :06:27.about staffing levels in the stations? There is a difference.
:06:28. > :06:31.There is but we have a model around a ticket selling service continuing.
:06:32. > :06:36.What is the answer to that question? We think it is better to free up
:06:37. > :06:41.people to more proactively go and assist people when they have a
:06:42. > :06:44.problem with ticketing. To do an instant refund on an Oyster card,
:06:45. > :06:49.for example. We think that is important to do. I've said that we
:06:50. > :06:53.will review all of the stations on the network. Let me ask you again.
:06:54. > :06:59.Does the review includes ticket offices? We do not think ticket
:07:00. > :07:04.offices are part of the future but we wait to hear constructive ideas.
:07:05. > :07:08.I look forwards to constructive thoughts from the RMT but you do not
:07:09. > :07:19.have constructive thoughts when you hold people to ransom. Let's put
:07:20. > :07:23.that to make cash. `` Mick Cash. It is good to see you but this is
:07:24. > :07:28.the second time we have spoken this week and I think your answers are
:07:29. > :07:30.evasive. In February, we undertook to suspend the actions show that we
:07:31. > :07:37.could have a review, station by station. What is clear is that
:07:38. > :07:40.unfortunately London Underground are turning around and saying that we
:07:41. > :07:44.can have a review of the booking offices will close. To ask, that is
:07:45. > :07:49.not the proper way to have a review, the cars you are predetermined the
:07:50. > :07:55.outcome. On Monday, Mike, I made a suggestion that if you suspended the
:07:56. > :08:00.closure or booking offices and suspended over 1000 jobs, allowing
:08:01. > :08:06.proper consultation with ourselves and the travelling public, that we
:08:07. > :08:11.would suspend the action. And your evasiveness around booking offer
:08:12. > :08:15.just `` booking offices, I would say, is pretty worrying. What is the
:08:16. > :08:19.objection to closing ticket offices if there will still be a member of
:08:20. > :08:25.staff in the station, just not necessarily behind a pane of glass?
:08:26. > :08:30.We wanted to examine, in detail, not only the staffing on the platforms.
:08:31. > :08:37.It is interlinked. But also the impact of the closure on booking
:08:38. > :08:43.offices. But we have not had that. That is the point of a meaningful
:08:44. > :08:48.consultation. Can I say that this morning, I was on the radio on BBC
:08:49. > :08:51.London, and I've got told that Boris Johnson had said that they planned
:08:52. > :08:57.to keep some booking offices open. Let Mike Brown answer. There is a
:08:58. > :09:03.visitor information centre being sent up. `` set up. They will sell
:09:04. > :09:06.tickets. That is important for people who are less annoyed with the
:09:07. > :09:10.network will stop we have to deliver a modern service that gives value
:09:11. > :09:14.for money to Londoners. We have to move forward with technology. My
:09:15. > :09:17.commitment is that we will have a dedicated supervisor on every
:09:18. > :09:21.station, visible and helping passengers. We will have more
:09:22. > :09:26.customer assistance. But the issue for Londoners is, where are you
:09:27. > :09:32.prepared to copper mines? Otherwise the talks on are pointless. Exactly.
:09:33. > :09:37.And we have been here before. To be honest, if the RMT keep leaping into
:09:38. > :09:42.industrial action before they even talk, and it ballot was called for
:09:43. > :09:45.this dispute before we even had one single meeting. I am afraid that
:09:46. > :09:50.that is the problem we face. It is great to the other trade unions, who
:09:51. > :09:57.are still at the talks. Final thought, Mick Cash? This is a bit of
:09:58. > :10:04.deja vu. It is no accident that today we had Boris Johnson
:10:05. > :10:08.threatening to get strikes band. He has is own political agenda and now
:10:09. > :10:13.I know why. Mike Brown is saying no because it is clear that it is not
:10:14. > :10:16.about the station booking offices it is about Boris Johnson and his
:10:17. > :10:23.political agenda. It a disgrace. Thank you for your time. Let's see
:10:24. > :10:26.what happens on Friday. Lots more to come including the
:10:27. > :10:31.Londoners putting their best foot forward to beat the strike. And
:10:32. > :10:34.Europe's top court has rejected the Europe's top court has rejected the
:10:35. > :10:37.UK's challenge to the introduction of an EU financial transactions tax
:10:38. > :10:39.which ministers have said will damage London's economy. It has been
:10:40. > :10:41.four tough years for London's councils but how much Will austerity
:10:42. > :10:59.influence the way that people vote in the local elections? Europe's top
:11:00. > :11:01.court has rejected the UK's challenge to the introduction of an
:11:02. > :11:04.EU financial transactions tax which ministers have said will damage
:11:05. > :11:07.London's economy. The European Court of Justice described the challenge
:11:08. > :11:10.as premature, since the details of the tax had not been finalised. The
:11:11. > :11:12.UK said it was prepared to take further legal action. Chris Rogers
:11:13. > :11:15.reports. Anger over bank bonuses and salaries
:11:16. > :11:19.outside Barclays annual general meeting last week will stop for
:11:20. > :11:26.many, the root of our economic crisis lies with the greed of banks.
:11:27. > :11:30.Keep going, I don't want to be late. Since the credit crunch, there has
:11:31. > :11:33.been a determination to make bankers give something back to the
:11:34. > :11:37.taxpayers. In this atmosphere of anger, the EU proposed a tax on
:11:38. > :11:43.transactions, often called the Robin Hood tax, a small charge on trades
:11:44. > :11:47.and equities across EU markets, including London. The funds raised
:11:48. > :11:52.would be piled back into public services and rebuilding broken
:11:53. > :11:56.economies. This tax would balance the economy, and stop the gambling
:11:57. > :12:01.of the city. It would make sure that the city paid back some of the money
:12:02. > :12:05.that we all lost because of the financial crisis that because to.
:12:06. > :12:09.And it would give government the money to save public services like
:12:10. > :12:13.the NHS. The government refuses to sign up to the tax and today it lost
:12:14. > :12:17.its legal challenge in the European Court of Justice. It argued that
:12:18. > :12:20.increasing costs will mean London's financial centre will lose out to
:12:21. > :12:25.competition in New York or Singapore.
:12:26. > :12:30.The value of savings and pensions relies on things going well over
:12:31. > :12:35.there. They need to make money, not lose it. That is why the government
:12:36. > :12:38.and our own London may have vowed to carry on challenging the proposals
:12:39. > :12:45.for a transaction tax. The debate is over whether they are banking the
:12:46. > :12:47.bankers or you, the taxpayer. `` backing of the bankers. The
:12:48. > :12:54.government is sticking with the taxpayer. Our estimates are that if
:12:55. > :13:01.the FTT was introduced, it could cost the taxpayer ?3.6 billion. That
:13:02. > :13:03.would be a hit to savings. Despite the likelihood of legal challenges,
:13:04. > :13:08.the European Court's decision matters. The government's
:13:09. > :13:14.determination to detect the city of London is seen as a test of the
:13:15. > :13:18.city's influence over the EU. It failed and European elections are
:13:19. > :13:23.just around the corner. On that note, they have marched on
:13:24. > :13:26.the streets and taking their message to parliament. Now health
:13:27. > :13:34.campaigners are bidding for a seat and next month's European elections.
:13:35. > :13:37.The National health action party says it wants to fight what it calls
:13:38. > :13:44.the privatisation of the health service. Comedian and actor Rufus
:13:45. > :13:47.Hound is signed up as a candidate, alongside two of the doctors who
:13:48. > :13:50.fought to save Lewisham Hospital's A Here's our Political
:13:51. > :13:54.Correspondent, Karl Mercer. These are scenes the capital has become
:13:55. > :13:57.familiar with over recent years. Londoners have not been slow in
:13:58. > :14:08.coming forward when it comes to standing up for their local
:14:09. > :14:11.hospitals. Hoping to harness that energy to win seats in the European
:14:12. > :14:13.Parliament is the National Health Action Party, standing eight
:14:14. > :14:16.candidates including the comedian and actor Rufus Hound. I announced
:14:17. > :14:21.my intention to stand on Jonathan Ross because I am bloody showbiz.
:14:22. > :14:24.Top of their list of candidates though are two of the local doctors
:14:25. > :14:29.who led the fight to save Lewisham's A To win a seat they'd have to
:14:30. > :14:35.get around 170,000 votes. I'm standing because I am willing to do
:14:36. > :14:39.the job. If I got elected it would send a powerful message to Brussels.
:14:40. > :14:43.The people are saying no more running down of the NHS. No more
:14:44. > :14:51.privatisation. Richard Taylor, independent, Kidderminster Hospital
:14:52. > :15:00.and health concern, 28,000. Health has delivered election success
:15:01. > :15:04.before. Back in 2001, a local doctor won a seat in parliament on a ticket
:15:05. > :15:07.of saving his local hospital. My main job is to show that you can get
:15:08. > :15:10.elected and once you what they are, you can be effective. European
:15:11. > :15:14.Parliament elections are good for established parties like the Greens
:15:15. > :15:19.or UKIP or the British National Party, because they can get a C in
:15:20. > :15:24.different regions with 7% of the vote. If you are a really small
:15:25. > :15:28.party, or really new, then even that hurdle is too high. Perhaps then the
:15:29. > :15:34.answer is a rallying cry from your most famous candidates family. My
:15:35. > :15:43.son said, I am going to find the guy selling the NHS and kick him in the
:15:44. > :15:56.goodies. `` the goolies. Let's start kicking people in the goolies! It is
:15:57. > :16:00.not just European elections coming up but local elections, too. Local
:16:01. > :16:04.councils have had their budgets cut by central government. It has
:16:05. > :16:09.affected some of the private errors in the UK. Tim Donovan takes a look
:16:10. > :16:13.at how savings have been made and what effect they have had on council
:16:14. > :16:16.services. This has been one of the toughest periods the capital's
:16:17. > :16:20.councils have faced, covering some of the most deprived areas of the
:16:21. > :16:24.country. In the government's efforts to cut
:16:25. > :16:29.the deficit and public spending, local government has been a
:16:30. > :16:33.particular target. He has decided not to cut spending on the NHS,
:16:34. > :16:38.schools, but that means the cuts elsewhere get much bigger and local
:16:39. > :16:48.authorities have not been exempt. What has this meant in the capital?
:16:49. > :16:52.This is what London Councils has to say. Between 2010 and 2015, it says,
:16:53. > :16:56.government money for councils has been cut by more than one third.
:16:57. > :17:03.Here is another indicator of the capital's position. Shown by the
:17:04. > :17:06.reduction of spend per Welling, while the government has cut
:17:07. > :17:12.spending by ?300 per dwelling on average across the country, in
:17:13. > :17:16.London it has been cut by ?540 per dwelling. The services clearly have
:17:17. > :17:21.not collapsed and rather than complain too loudly, most
:17:22. > :17:25.administrations do appear to have got on with things as best they can.
:17:26. > :17:31.Some argue it has spurred creativity. Councils of all
:17:32. > :17:34.political complexion have been innovative in the way they have
:17:35. > :17:38.moved towards different commissioning models, they have
:17:39. > :17:42.reconfigured services and on different partnerships. For many
:17:43. > :17:47.people, the impact of austerity will be felt. But there are some specific
:17:48. > :17:53.issues which might make a difference to an election in some places. Take
:17:54. > :18:03.libraries. A totemic hydra some out for how cardiac has fallen. There
:18:04. > :18:10.have been 30 on my bees which have closed out of 350. According to
:18:11. > :18:17.another calculation, more than 340 library staff have lost their jobs.
:18:18. > :18:23.Libraries can close because of lack of demand or centralisation. How
:18:24. > :18:27.much will it influence how people vote? There is no disguising the
:18:28. > :18:32.fact that we are only halfway through these cuts and at the same
:18:33. > :18:36.time, councils are catering for a rising population may need
:18:37. > :18:42.transport, housing, schools and particularly, more elderly or
:18:43. > :18:48.requiring care. London councils spend a third of their budgets on
:18:49. > :18:51.older people about is rising by about 3% every year. We have shown
:18:52. > :18:55.that could rise further because people will have fewer family
:18:56. > :19:00.members to rely on in future. The implications for councils are that
:19:01. > :19:04.they need to find other ways of reducing spending because the
:19:05. > :19:10.settlement they are getting is decreasing year`on`year. So, in four
:19:11. > :19:16.years' time, the state of services and finances could be very
:19:17. > :19:19.different. London's West End and New York's
:19:20. > :19:22.Broadway have long shared their stars and their shows, with Phantom
:19:23. > :19:25.Of The Opera as one of the most successful musicals on either side
:19:26. > :19:27.of the Atlantic. Our Entertainment Correspondent, Brenda Emmanus,
:19:28. > :19:34.reports from New York and speaks to some of the talent who sustain this
:19:35. > :19:49.love affair. I Tim Cook trial last year. We have
:19:50. > :19:53.been accustomed to American stars on London stages but British to has
:19:54. > :20:03.long graced the status of Broadway theatres, enthusing audiences and
:20:04. > :20:07.critics alike. There is a strong Anglophilia among audiences. They
:20:08. > :20:21.are always interested to see what actors are in productions. It is a
:20:22. > :20:31.marker something that they believe they will be interested in. The
:20:32. > :20:44.story of a writer and a cabaret performer has its revival here at
:20:45. > :20:55.Studio 54 and stars Michelle Williams. A new production of
:20:56. > :21:08.Cameron Mackintosh's Liz Ms Rabbit opened. An American took the title
:21:09. > :21:16.role having auditioned in London. I have always streamed of being in the
:21:17. > :21:23.show. I have always doomed of this and it is traditionally not played
:21:24. > :21:28.by a black man. It is the first time with a black male in it so it is
:21:29. > :21:31.very exciting. Creative tensions may sometimes occur but this theatrical
:21:32. > :21:34.love affair is set to last. Returning now to the Tube strike.
:21:35. > :21:38.Millions of people have had to find alternative ways to get to work. And
:21:39. > :21:45.as Gareth Furby reports, for many the best way seems to be the
:21:46. > :21:52.simplest. When the bus queue is going nowhere
:21:53. > :21:56.or there is a nightmare, there is an alternative. This was Shepherd's
:21:57. > :22:03.Bush today, the starting point for some walking to work. This software
:22:04. > :22:10.analyst was heading from Marble Arch. It is about an hour for here.
:22:11. > :22:17.It's very good for your health. Linda, a corporate financial, was
:22:18. > :22:23.left with no tentative. I will get there, it's just that I need to get
:22:24. > :22:29.their rather fast. So, how long can it take? About 35 or 40 minutes. And
:22:30. > :22:35.unfortunately, he was not joking. We decided to follow Titus Thompson, a
:22:36. > :22:39.PR manager who may just be one of the fastest walkers in London. I am
:22:40. > :22:46.trying to walk fast enough but that I do not make a sweat. I am pretty
:22:47. > :22:50.fast. We clocked him at just over four miles per hour and his target
:22:51. > :23:00.was to get to Park Lane by nine o'clock. Seven minutes. We are at
:23:01. > :23:04.Notting Hill gate, it is pretty bad. Was queues were bypassed. I was
:23:05. > :23:09.thinking about this boss but I do not think I will make it. Clothing
:23:10. > :23:16.was removed. I am working up a sweat. In the end, it still was not
:23:17. > :23:21.fast enough. This is it. 19 minutes late. But for a marathon runner this
:23:22. > :23:27.was a good start of the day. For many others, a good way to beat the
:23:28. > :23:32.strike. I wonder how long it took him to get
:23:33. > :23:35.home. Let's get a final thought from our transport correspondent Tom
:23:36. > :23:40.Edwards. We heard earlier that both sides still seem quite far apart.
:23:41. > :23:46.What most people want to know is how long can the stalemate go on for?
:23:47. > :23:53.These timescales are very tight. There is only Friday, realistically,
:23:54. > :23:59.to sort this out. We have a buy quality on Monday. It all depends on
:24:00. > :24:03.how much each side is wedded to their position. Having heard the
:24:04. > :24:10.debate earlier, I am afraid it does not sound that promising. Are
:24:11. > :24:13.correspondent Tom Edwards. Let's see if we can get better news with the
:24:14. > :24:22.weather. Better? It was pretty good. For
:24:23. > :24:28.those who had to walk, we have done quite well today. We had some
:24:29. > :24:34.sunshine, 20 degrees, but elsewhere underneath the cloud further north,
:24:35. > :24:38.six degrees only across the eastern side of Scotland. That was the
:24:39. > :24:42.maximum temperature. Maybe one or two showers in the Thames Estuary to
:24:43. > :24:46.finish the evening, one or two further north. We are in for a dry
:24:47. > :24:54.early part of the evening. Things bring up out West. Not a cold night
:24:55. > :24:59.by any means, so no problems for gardeners. Tomorrow, pretty grey
:25:00. > :25:07.skies with a weather front close by to us. This time tomorrow, a sparky
:25:08. > :25:12.end to Thursday. Not a write`off but there may be rain first thing. Later
:25:13. > :25:22.in the day when the heat comes through we may have some showers and
:25:23. > :25:26.some thunder out West. Temperatures close to where we have been the last
:25:27. > :25:30.few days. The showers get going through the evening. Tomorrow you
:25:31. > :25:33.can watch out for those. They tend to fade away. You get the sense that
:25:34. > :25:37.things are drifting from north`east to south`west and that is because we
:25:38. > :25:41.will eventually import cooler and fresher conditions from the
:25:42. > :25:46.north`east across us. The weekend, bright but colder.
:25:47. > :25:53.The headlines... 815 new old boy has been charged with the murder of a
:25:54. > :25:57.teacher stabbed to death in front of her pupils.
:25:58. > :25:59.Ann Maguire was months away from retiring after working at Corpus
:26:00. > :26:03.Christi Catholic College in Leeds from more than 40 years. Tributes
:26:04. > :26:07.have been paid to Bob Hoskins who has died from pneumonia at the age
:26:08. > :26:11.of 71. There has been disruption for
:26:12. > :26:16.millions of commuters on day two of the strikes. A three`day walk`out is
:26:17. > :26:19.planned for next week. There will be fresh talks on Friday.
:26:20. > :26:24.That is it for now. Thank you for joining us. I will be back with the
:26:25. > :26:25.latest during the ten o'clock news. Until then, have a lovely evening.
:26:26. > :26:50.Goodbye. Some people don't think real change
:26:51. > :26:55.in Europe is possible. Some people don't think real change
:26:56. > :26:59.is necessary. Some people don't think
:27:00. > :27:02.it's worth fighting for. But we want to make Europe work
:27:03. > :27:05.for Britain, and give you the final say
:27:06. > :27:10.with an in-out referendum in 2017. have made Britain's economy
:27:11. > :27:15.stronger and more competitive. a record number of people in work.
:27:16. > :27:21.And we're predicted to be the fastest-growing economy
:27:22. > :27:24.in the G7 this year. We're working through
:27:25. > :27:29.our long-term economic plan at home