16/11/2012 BBC News at One

The first police commissioners for England and Wales are elected. In

the first vote of its kind, 41 commissioners have been chosen.

They'll be in charge of police spending plans with powers to hire

and fire Chief Constables. But with some counts already over, there are

real concerns over what could be a record low voter opportunout.

Another night of heavy bombing over Gaza amid calls for an end to the

violence. This was a Hamas interior ministry building. It was deserted

overnight, nobody was hurt here. Locals are saying these air raids

were designed to spread fear and panic. There's a lot of residential

buildings in this neighbourhood and next door, a United Nations school.

A Christian man, demoted for his posting his opposition to gay

marriage in church on Facebook, wins a breach of contract case

against his employers. And a warning to patients not to ask for

antibiotics, over fears bacteria On BBC London: Plans to create two

new Catholic schools in Richmond are chalepgd in the High Court.

Just one in ten thousand journeys on the cable car are by regular

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. The results of the

first elections for Police and Crime Commissioners are coming in

as counting continues in many areas. The new positions have been created

to oversee police forces in England and Wales, except for the

Metropolitan Police in London. Police commissioners will have key

powers such as the ability to hire and fire chief constables, but the

number of people who turned out to vote for them was very low. Let's

join Matthew Amroliwala who's in Manchester. Kate, good afternoon.

Well turnout here in Greater Manchester is as low as 13.5%. In

some parts of the West Midlands, as low as 12%. Elsewhere, it's been

slightly higher, but not by a great deal. The police minister Miranda

Green dismissed the suggestion the Government had mishandled -- Damian

Green dismissed suggestions that the Government had miss handled the

elections. He said millions had voted that -- and that the

commissioners would have a political mandate that they have

never had before. We will see what this means for your area, first

Mike Sergeant reports. I therefore give notice that Angus Macpherson

is duly elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for the Wiltshire

Police area. APPLAUSE

A small handful of supporters cheered the first ever commissioner.

Angus Macpherson was elected in the early hours this morning. Some of

those brought in to count ballots had rather a quiet night, just 15%

voted in this area. The winning candidate says the low turnout

would not undermine his position as the new Police Commissioner.

have a pot of money. We are going to commission services, using that

pot of money, from the police, from voluntary sector, working with

local authorities, working with other agencies to reduce crime.

Police and Crime Commissioners are today being sworn in, governing 41

forces in England and Wales. They'll set the police budget in

their area and hold the Chief Constable to account. The

commissioners will themselves be overseen by a new police and crime

panel. The Government says the real test is what these commissioners

can achieve rather than the turnout. But there'll be many questions at

the Home Office about the policy, about the timing of these elections

and whether much more should have been done to explain it all to the

public. Because all the counts taking place today seem to tell a

similar story - whether a case of apathy or confusion, only a

minority thought this a worthwhile election. Does that affect the

legitimacy of those elected? Millions of people voted yesterday.

Nobody ever voted for the chair of a Police Authority, there's clearly

a democratic mandate that wasn't there before. I think these Police

and Crime Commissioner elections have proved a complete shambles as

a result of the Government's decisions. We warned them that this

was the wrong policy at the wrong time. Yet they chose to spend �100

million on these elections rather than spend it on 3,000 police

officers instead. Now it's up to the new commissioners to show they

can have a significant effect on policing and the way each force

prioritises its resources. Ultimately the test will be whether

crime falls and people feel safer. But there won't be another November

poll. Future contests will be held in May, at the same time as other,

for familiar elections. Let's look more closely at the

picture in one area. Jon Kay is in Swindon. What are people saying to

you, why didn't people engage in these elections? Well, there's a

mixture of reasons, some say they couldn't be bothered, there was

apathy. Also a lack of information about the candidates, many have

said. Others told us they didn't understand what the commissioner

job was about, what the role was. That's why they didn't really

bother this time. Though they say they might in the future. Wiltshire,

the turnout here was 15%. One of the biggest changes in policing in

this county over the 200 years it's had a police force, but when we

took to the streets this morning, not a huge amount of interest.

So, this morning, Wiltshire made history, but in Swindon, we found a

distinct lack of electoral buzz. didn't vote. I didn't vote either

I'm afraid. We're no good to you. Why not? I don't know anything

about it. I haven't heard anything about it. Nothing at all? Nothing

at all. Do you know who the candidates were? No clue. Do you

know who won? No. Someone good, hopefully. Do you care? Not overly.

I'm ambiflent. Didn't know it was happening. It was yesterday.

wasn't aware. Too busy watching I'm a celebrity. Do you know who won?

No. Do you care? No. No. Pankhur is it s think they might be

related to Emily. As you might expect they normally vote but not

this time. Did you know enough about the candidates?

definitely not. Probably not. I don't think there's been, nothing's

been advertised that much. I didn't vote because there wasn't any

information through. The turn out was higher in rural areas of this

county, but there was still confusion about what the job of

commissioner involves. I have voted because I feel it's a shame to

waste your vote. But no, there wasn't very much information at all.

I had to work quite hard to find any information really. I think the

candidates themselves are a little short in putting themselves about.

In Swindon I finally found someone. You're the first person I've found

who voted. Can you tell me who you voted for? No, I don't remember to

be honest. The small turnout means only 7% of Wiltshire's electorate

actually voted for the winning candidate.

Standing here this lunch time just about sums it up, people asking

what are you doing? What's the live broadcast? Is it Children In Need,

most ask or is it about the Christmas lights being switched on.

The Police and Crime Commissioners elections are far from their minds.

It's not just Wiltshire, it appears to be similar across England and

Wales. We can speak to Norman Smith now.

Is there a question mark over legitimacy now given this low

turnout, do you think? Downing Street insists there is not a

legitimacy question surrounding these commissioners because they

argue any election is better than no election. Indeed they are

blaming we in the national media to some extent. They say we failed to

provide sufficient coverage to these elections. If in the a

legitimacy question, there is sefrpbl a question mark surrounding

the political authority of these commissioners. Because their

political self-confidence, their ambition surely has to be

circumscribed to some extent by the low turnout. It is very hard to

conceive of a commissioner going down the road potentially of firing

a Chief Constable when they know what limited public support they

appear to have. How awkward, embarrassing is it for Government,

though? This was the big flagship idea on law and order. I think it

is embarrassing. It was the brand, new spanking idea. Private live

many Tories are aghast it wasn't given more oomph by the Government

in promoting the elections. It makes it harder for ministers to go

around beating trade unions about the head when they have low

turnouts and bring members out on strike. It's also awkward because

it adds to the long list of constitutional reforms pursued by

this Government which have left the public decidedly underwhelmed.

Thanks very much. There is plenty more on these elections for Police

and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales on our website:

Labour has held two seats in by- elections in Manchester Central and

Cardiff South and Penarth. Lucy Powell was elected to replace Tony

Lloyd in Manchester, where the turnout of just over 18% is

believed to be the lowest in a by- election since World War II. In

Cardiff, Stephen Doughty retained the seat, which has been held by

Labour since it was created in 1983. The turnout there was just under

26%, down from more than 60% at the 2010 general election.

In what's seen as a mid-term test of the David Cameron's leadership,

Labour is hoping to win the seat of Corby where a result is expected in

the next couple of hours. If Labour wins the seat, it will be the

party's first gain from the Conservatives in a by-election

since 1997. The second round of vote counting

in the election for Bristol's first directly elected mayor is under way.

Independent George fergson and Marvin can be reeves are the top

two candidates. Earlier today people in Hartlepool voted to

abolish the role of mayor. The Israeli attacks on Gaza have

been condemned as a disaster, by the Egyptian Prime Minister, who

made a brief visit to the territory. Israel suspended its bombardment

for three hours during the visit. It said militants continued to fire

into Israel. In the past hour, sirens have wailed to warn of

rockets in Tel Aviv, sending people scurrying for cover. Ben Brown is

in Ashkelon in southern Israel. Thanks very much. We're close to

the border with Gaza here. Actually, Ashkelon has had lots of rockets

being fired into it from Gaza this morning, several times today we've

heard the air raid sirens go. People run for the shelters to take

cover. Shops are closed. Schools are closed. Very few people out on

the streets. They really are living on their nerves, full of fear, as

they are, of course, in Gaza, as well. It's from Gaza that this

report comes from. It does contain flash photography.

Soon after sun rise, Gazans came out to assess the damage. After a

long night of air strikes, that Israel says hit up to 150 targets,

across the Palestinian territory. Remarkably, there appeared to have

been few casualties. This was a Hamas interior ministry building.

Like a lot of targets hit overnight, it was deserted. Nobody was hurt

here. What locals are saying is that these air raids were designed

to spread fear and panic. There's a lot of residential buildings in

this neighbourhood and right next door, a United Nations school.

Families spent the night huddled in their homes. My children are afraid.

And crying. Too much. And all this as Egypt's Prime Minister, on the

left, was welcomed by his Hamas counterpart. Hisham Qandil's visit

was fleeting, less than three hours. It still lasted longer than the

supposed ceasefire. Even as he visited a hospital, two more dead

bodies came in. He said, Israel's operation was a disaster, calling

it an aggression and said that Egypt could not remain sielt. --

silent. Israeli air strikes are ongoing. Israel says in response to

continued Palestinian rocket fire. There is no end to the violence in

sight. So how long will the Israeli

operation in Gaza continue? Pillar of defence is the code name. There

is speculation that there could be an all-out ground offensive. We

know thousands of Israeli reservists have now been drafted in.

Let's hear this report now from Richard Galpin in Jerusalem.

Israeli military forces gathering along the border with the Gaza

Strip. Preparation for a possible ground offensive. This movement of

heavy armour, earlier today, coming as the army said it had begun the

recruitment of 16,000 reserve soldiers. As far as we understand,

the Israeli government here has not made a decision about whether to go

for a ground offensive. It has to weigh concern about casualties

amongst the troops and also the possibility of far more civilian

casualties in Gaza. But today, more homes in southern Israel have been

hit by rockets, fired from the Gaza Strip. The owners of this house say

the rockets came through the kitchen window. Luckily no-one was

there. One hospital in the region has even

been transferring premature babies and other patients to safer places,

because of the persistent threat of rocket attacks.

TRANSLATION: We're transferring several groups of patients to safer

places. Our units are usually not secured. We've transferred

premature babies, children and old people. Israel's missile defence

system is being used extensively. Knocking out a significant number

of rockets, but not all. And the government is increasingly worried

about threats to major cities, like Tel Aviv. With more and more

Israelis, like these, forced to hide in shelters, the question is

whether the government will feel Here in Ashkelon, you can see the

beach behind me. Normally on a Friday, it would be full of people.

Right now, it is deserted, because the rockets have been coming in

throughout the day. People fear that will continue for many more

days to come. The people we have spoken to are fully behind their

government. Many of them want a ground offensive into Gaza. Our top

story this lunchtime: Counting is underway in the first

elections for police commissioners in England and Wales, but there are

concerns that turnout is very low. Coming up:

Another difficult day for England's cricketers in India.

Later on BBC London News: with Children In Need just a few hours

away, we meet the London schoolchildren singing their way to

The manager of a housing trust who was demoted for writing on Facebook

about his opposition to gay marriage in church has won a legal

case against his employers. Trafford Housing Trust said Adrian

Smith broke its code of conduct by expressing religious views which

might upset colleagues. The High Court ruled that the Trust's

actions amounted to breach of contract.

Social networking sites, where the distinction between what is public

and what is private, can be difficult to define. Today's case

centres on comments which were on a private page and meant only to be

read by certain people. But when Adrian Smith described gay marriage

as an equality too far, his employers heard about it and he was

demoted. Today, the courts ruled that they had breached their

contract. Outside court, the Christian Institute, who have

supported Adrian Smith, spoke for him. Something has poisoned the

atmosphere in Britain, where an honest man like me can be punished

for making perfectly polite remarks about the importance of marriage. I

have won today, but what will tomorrow bring? Age in Smith's

employers at Trafford Housing Trust, after nearly 20 years in the job,

he was demoted from manager to rent collector and his salary was cut by

So once again, the law is being tested in relation to social

networking sites. Sites like Facebook and twitterers are

becoming an integral part of the modern legal landscape. This case

is highly significant. This case also focuses on the issue of

freedom and gay rights. Last month, one gay couple, Michael Black and

John Morgan, one their discrimination case when they were

refused a double room in a B&B. As for Adrian Smith, he wants his old

job back. At the moment, there is no word on this from his employers.

The foreign secretary, William Hague, has hailed a potential

turning point for Syria as he held talks with leaders of a coalition

of parties opposed to President Assad. Mr Hague said he had been

encouraged by what he heard and would make a decision about

recognising the group as the official Syrian opposition within

days. Our diplomatic correspondent James Robbins is at the Foreign

Office. Tell us about the coalition. How cohesive a group does it appear

to be? This is a very big moment for the Syrian opposition, both

political and rebel leaders. After months of bitter division, they

have managed to come together, most of the key groups, representing

perhaps as much as 90%, they say, of the Syrian people. They have put

a lot of differences behind them and form a coalition. They have

succeeded this week in persuading France to recognise them officially

as the sole legitimate voice of the Syrian people. Today they are

trying to persuade the British to do the same. It seems that the

Government is moving towards that position. But first, William Hague

wanted assurances from the new coalition about guarantees he

requires before Britain comes in squarely behind them. The Foreign

Secretary saw the three key leaders this morning. This was what he said

in response. Our welcomed the commitment that he has made to

reach out to all opposition groups and communities in Syria and to

respect human rights, to finalise a clear plan for political transition

in Syria and of course, to demonstrate that the coalition can

be a credible political alternative to the Assad regime. So what should

we be reading into what Mr Hague had to say? The message was clear.

He is itching, frankly, to recognise this new opposition

coalition. Recognition my Britain may come very early next week, when

William Hague goes to a European foreign ministers' meeting. He will

be discussing this particularly with the French, who were the first

in with their recognition. That will be seen by many as a big step

forward for this opposition coalition. They will have greater

moral legitimacy among the international community, and they

believe that will help in their fight to bring down President Assad.

A court in The Hague has acquitted two Croatian former generals of all

war crime convictions and ordered for them to be freed. The men, Ante

Gotovina and his co-accused, Mladen Markac, were appealing against

their convictions for atrocities against Serbs during the break-up

of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Crowds of supporters in Zagreb celebrated

following the decision. Doncaster council has been severely

criticised by Ofsted inspectors for failing to protect vulnerable

children. Their report coincides with a separate investigation into

the torture of two boys in 2009. The council has admitted "features

of systemic failure of that time remain today".

Three years ago, two boys, 10 and 11, were taken from this park. In

these woods, they were beaten and tortured. Their abusers were all so

young boys, known to social services, who missed chance after

chance to stop the attack. Today, the same council, Doncaster, has

been told its services are inadequate, and once again,

children are at risk. We spoke to the family of one of the victims.

We can't identify them, but they told us their verdict on children's

services in Doncaster. I feel like we have been failed. I want the

world to know that Doncaster has failed not just with us, but with

everybody. Today's Ofsted report found that when it comes to

children, families, carers and management, at every level,

Doncaster is failing. For the team who are supposed to have improved

services, there is a long way to go. The main answers to the issues we

have got are to recruit good staff and create stable teams. That is

not helped by poor publicity. failures in Doncaster were known

about three years ago, when a serious case review was published

into what went wrong. The government's view was that lessons

were not being learnt. Today's Ofsted report shows that those

fears were correct. Now the Government is demanding change to

prevent more stories like Edlington and children like Baby P and Khyra

Ishaq are dying because of system failures. If we don't learn

properly from what went wrong, we don't support the profession

properly. Nor have we modernised its ways of working. When children

are taken into care, we take too long to find them a secure and

loving home. There was also a call for more children to be taken into

care more quickly. There is a lot at stake, and if councils don't get

it right, children's lives could be left devastated.

Patients are being urged to stop asking doctors for antibiotics for

coughs and colds because of the rate at which bacteria are becoming

resistant to them. Health officials have warned that unless people

change the way they react to common illnesses, some infections could

become impossible to cure. Every winter, of Drs' waiting rooms

fill up with coughs and colds, fevers and flu. Many patients

expect their GP to give them antibiotics, not realising that

they do not help with these common illnesses. Doctors say it is hard

to get the message across, to explain that sometimes, simple

remedies and rest are best. 40 million prescriptions for

antibiotics are issued each year in England. Experts warn that this is

creating your bacterial infections, resistant to treatment. We are

increasingly seeing cases of TB where they are drug resistant and

difficult to treat. In my old age, it could be that I go for a hip

replacement and get some infection, and I can't be treated. Antibiotics

only became widely available after the Second World War, giving

doctors a new weapon against deadly infections, one of the wonders of

modern medicine. But now there is concern that they are being over-

used, taken from minor illnesses or not taken properly. The message to

patients this winter is clear. However bad it is, antibiotics will

not get rid of your cold. In the long term, it is better for all of

us if they are only used when needed.

The BBC is holding its "biggest ever" Children in Need appeal this

evening. The show will be presented, as ever, by Sir Terry Wogan. This

year's entertainment will include a live performance from Girls Aloud

and the official single for the fundraiser, Something New.

Britain's Olympic and Paralympic heroes will be getting involved

with the likes of Tom Daley and Ellie Simmonds dancing in a music

video. England's cricketers suffered

another punishing day in the First Test against India. A double

hundred from Cheteshwar Pujara helped the home side set a huge

total of 521 for 8 before they declared. England's luck didn't

change when their batsmen took to the crease. They finished the day

on 41 for the loss of three quick wickets. Joe Wilson reports from

Ahmedabad. Friday morning, and England needed

acceleration in Ahmedabad, wickets, quick. But things go at their own

pace here. You can't always move something that doesn't want to be

moved. Meanwhile at the Test match, India's batsmen were making their

own progress, completely untroubled. It was all going very well. First

the local lad Cheteshwar Pujara made his 100 on his way up. He

could be doing this for another decade for India. Not long ago, we

wondered if Yuvraj Singh would ever play cricket again. His first match

since recovering from cancer was a triumph. He only Graeme Swann posed

India possible problems. The only question for India was when they

would become bored of batting. 521 was enough. England's turn at last.

England's bowling tactic was obvious, trial by spin. Jimmy

Anderson was sent in to occupy the crease. India would happily pick a

team of spinners against England. Suddenly, every ball prompted panic,

England's preparation undone in minutes. Suddenly, this Test has

accelerated. England are lurching Now the weather. It does not look

inspiring. It is not inspiring. It is pretty mucky. There is a lot of

low cloud. It is dull, dreary and damp in places. And there is a bit

of light and patchy rain. There are some breaks in the cloud around

North Wales and northern England. A few breaks are cropping up in the

south-east as well. We have two weatherfronts, one in the West and

one in the south-west. They will meander closer together during the

afternoon and overnight. What you have at the moment is what you will

keep for the rest of the afternoon. There is the potential for a few

showers in the south-east corner. We could see some damp and drizzly

weather from that cloud. Overnight, our weatherfronts gradually come

together for a brief hug. They will probably finish the night across

northern England. Some of the rain will turn heavy for a time across

Wales. Across England, it will be cloudy, dull and damp again.

Further north, the temperatures will be fallen away. We start off

with the rain across northern England and through Wales on

Saturday. A few showers continue up to the extreme north and west, but

there will be a considerable difference in the weather by the

middle of the afternoon for some. Cornwall and Devon have sunny

spells. Cloudy and damp through the Midlands. In the south-east corner,

the rain may take most of the day to clear away. Better in the north

of England. A few showers in Northern Ireland and western

Scotland. Some winteriness over the tops of the hills. But in eastern

Scotland, you should see fewer showers. Those showers continue

overnight on Saturday and fall on cold surfaces, so there could be

icy stretches first thing. The weatherfront gradually clears away

from the south-east, to leave a noticeable drop in temperature on

Sunday morning. A widespread frost is likely in rural spots. It will

be a chilly, but sparkling start to Sunday. But cloud and rain gather

in the West. This is an indication of what is to come on Monday. It

A reminder of our top story: Counting is underway in the first

elections for police commissioners in England and Wales, but there are

concerns that turnout is very low. Still to come on the BBC News

Channel in the next half hour, we'll bring you those election