21/01/2014 BBC Oxford News

rain from the east. That's all from the BBC News At Six.

Good evening. It's been dubbed a bitter blow by education officials.

The BBC has learnt the budget for Oxfordshire's school expansion

programme could face a funding shortfall of nearly twenty million

pounds by 2018. How police in the Thames Valley have find more

motorists than any other forces. The firefighter who is planning to grow

part of the Pacific ocean. An educated ale, has students in

Reading are helping promote local brew. The BBC has learned that the

budget for an expansion programme could face a funding shortfall of

?20 million. The number of school age children in the county is

expected to rise by 5000. This could mean more temporary classrooms and

building projects being put on hold. Windmill Primary in Oxfordshire is

just one school in the county expanding. Each year 90 new students

start here. A few years ago that figure was nearer 60. It means

there's more need for new classrooms and in time, more facilities. The

worry here is that with budget cuts those expansion plans are at risk.

We were asked to expand because we need those places. From the

parents' point of view, many are anti`expansion because it changes

the nature of the school and the opportunities that children have so

it is up to the expansion projects to make sure we do not go back and

minimise what all of the children get. Over the next seven years the

population of Oxford is going to grow. And so will the number of

pupils. By 2021 it's thought the number of primary school pupils

needing places will go up by 15%. All those places need funding.

Oxfordshire County Council says if it can't change the government's

decision, the money will have to come from somewhere else. I am sure

when we put out the case and provide the details, and understand where we

are coming from, we will be able to get the additional funding. If we do

not, then we will have to look at temporary classrooms or getting

funding for elsewhere, but they are things we do not want to do.

Meanwhile, the free school meals programme is at risk too. Council

bosses say it costs around ten million pounds to run in

Oxfordshire. But they've only received around a million pounds of

government money. I think there are innovative schemes in some of the

villages that will help some businesses, and will not require a

whole new kitchen to be built. The Department for Education says

Oxfordshire has already been given enough resources to allow for the

school spaces it'll need. The council disagrees and intends to

challenge the decision. Well, our political reporter Helen Catt joins

me in the studio now, and Helen where does the County Council go

from here? It is a case of trying to change minds at the Department for

Education. As you heard Ian Hudspeth in Victoria's piece there say ` the

council plans to lobby government and set out why it needs more than

it's being given. Later this year it has to provide up to date estimates

of pupil numbers and it hopes that will help sway the decision in its

favour. How likely is that? The Department for Education's been

quite robust in its defence. It says, in total, Oxfordshire will

have had more than ?63 million to go towards building new classrooms and

providing school places. It says that, together with the two new free

schools which opened last year in Oxford and Upper Heyford, should

create all the school places needed by September 2017. What has the

government said about the school Meals promise and the cost of new

kitchens? The County Council couldn't provide us with much detail

on how it had calculated the ?10 million figure, saying it was an

initial assessment. The Cabinet Office says it had spoken to all

local authorities and schools before deciding how to allocate the money.

More than a thousand people have signed an online petition ` calling

for David Sylvester to resign from Henley Town Council. Mr Sylvester

has made headlines ` after suggesting the recent flooding in

Oxfordshire is God's response to the government's policies on same sex

marriage. He's been suspended from UKIP, the party he represents. Power

company bosses have been defending their response to the Christmas

storms that left thousands of homes without power. In Oxfordshire,

strong winds, torrential and flooding affected around 1,400

homes. Appearing before a parliamentary committee, the

managing director of Scottish and Southern Energy said lessons have

been learned. It was just the impact of the event, it was a massive

event. I heard it quoted that it was the biggest storm since 1969, and we

have not seen damage like this since the early 1990s or the Great Storm

of 1987. Thames Valley Police says its given out more fixed penalty

notices for careless driving than other forces since new powers were

introduced in August. 77 fines have been issued by officers for offences

like tailgating and hogging the middle lane. Jessica Cooper reports.

Forget life in the fast lane, these fines are targeting drivers too

comfortable in the middle lane. Instead of a lengthy court process,

when police see careless driving like tail gating and poor lane

discipline they hand out fixed penalty notices. Is it a good use of

time and money? Probably not. Do I agree with middle lane hogging? No.

I think it is a good way of keeping the middle lane clear. I think maybe

the time could be spent on better things, but if there is another way

of governing it, I think it is a good idea. In the first four months

since the new powers were introduced in August, 77 people were fined for

driving offences. Each fine was for ?100 and more than half were for

lane discipline ` described as needlessly hogging the middle of

outside lane. Clearly, to issue a fixed penalty, the police officer

has to be behind a vehicle or in the vicinity to see the offence. Police

resources are stretched and this is reflected in the number of tickets

that are issued. Thames Valley Police says its given out more fixed

penalty notices for careless driving than other forces. And it says

fining drivers for this offence is just a small part of the work they

do to improve road safety. But some say the fines aren't harsh enough.

?100 is not an effective deterrent for these lawbreaking drivers who

are putting lives at risk with their behaviour. Police say the new

measures for careless driving work alongside the many fines issued for

other traffic offences ` all aimed at reducing the number of deaths or

serious injuries to make our roads safer. Jessica Cooper, BBC South

Today. A pub chain has been accused of putting "profits before sense"

after opening a new outlet at a motorway service station. JD

Wetherspoon's pub on the M40 at Beaconsfield will serve alcoholic

drinks from 4am to 1am, seven days a week. The charity Alcohol Concern

says after years of campaigning to stop drink`driving, it sends the

wrong message to motorists. Wetherspoon's claim most people

using the pub will be having food and nonalcoholic drinks like coffee.

An Oxfordshire couple ` who've been sheep farming for just three months

` say they've already had four animals attacked by dogs. Dan and

Lauren Marriott run Hill Farm at Wittenham Clumps near Wallingford,

want dog owners to be more responsible around their flock. They

say it costs them up to ?350 to dispose of every animal killed. We

have our telephone number on all the signs so that if anyone finds a

sheep in distress or that has been attacked, or their dog has attacked

the sheep, then they can give us a and we may be able to save that

sheep, and we would rather that than eight dead sheep. Take

responsibility for your actions, that is what we are asking. `` a

dead sheep. . When Darren Taylor from Charlbury heard that his school

friend Alex Flynn, had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

he wanted to help. Little did he realise that would involve rowing

across the Pacific Ocean for charity. Today Darren's training

took him to Farmoor Nature Reserve where conditions got a bit stormy `

as Sinead Carol reports. Beautiful skies above, slightly wetter on the

water. Oxfordshire Fireman Darren Taylor wanted to recreate rough sea

conditions ahead of a mammoth rowing race in the Pacific and his fireman

collegues were more than willing to help. It is not going to be as cold

as that but it gives you a rough idea of not seeing anything and

having rain in your face. It is disorientating and trying to

transfer that to the Pacific Ocean is a difficult thing. It was great

to come down, I had a really good time, not as fun as everybody else,

but a good time! Darren will row around 2700 miles from California to

Hawaii this Summer. He'll be joined by his school friend, Alex Flynn.

And Alex is no stranger to endurance races. He was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease in 2008 at the age of 36. Since then he's been

raising money and awareness about the disease ` embarking on a ten

million metre challenge, that included running, cycling, climbing

and rowing across America. 2000 miles over 45 days, I was the first

person to do that. For me, it was like changing and it showed that it

does not matter what you have got, you can keep pushing your boundaries

and challenging yourself, that is the message. Today Alex is in Dubai

for his last marathon meanwhile Darren's been keeping things afloat

on this side of the world ` the pair row the Pacific in June. We wish

them the best of luck with that big adventure later this year. That's

all from me for the moment. I'll have the headlines at eight and a

full bulletin at 10.25. Now more of today's stories with Sally

increased focus is placed on how our rubbish is disposed.

Still to come in this evening's South Today: Sport Relief is back!

We find out how your money has been helping this Bournemouth charity to

bake. They were marketed as the "best

beach huts in the world", launched with much fanfare as part of the

regeneration of Boscombe seafront. But, five years on, a third of the

luxury designer beach pods overlooking the artificial surf reef

remain unsold. 43 were put up for sale in 2009 with prices of up to

?90,000. In the 60s, the crowds came here. In

later years, its charms they did, but in 2009, new life was breathed

into it. With designer input, the chalets became beech pods, a stylish

room to call your own by the sea with running water and electricity,

though no overnight stays. A 40 year lease costs between 65 and ?90,000.

Sales then slowed. In 2011, in a bid to boost sales, the council changed

the sales pitch, making shortest leases available. There were some

takers, but today, there are still 15 pods unsold. In 2009, your

director of tourism thought there was significant demand and was

confident about sales. At the time, he was spot on. What he didn't know

is that we would get big banking crisis. All bets were off after

that. Wayne Hemingway told us he doesn't know what all the fuss is

about. He said he always designed the pods to be for a mixture of

sales and rentals. If the reader had worked, it would attract people to

use them. It's kind of a difficult situation. It was very brave of the

council to invest in something different. If I was a young person

with a young family, I would rather have one of the wooden ones that you

can throw the children out straightaway. The council says it is

making money renting out unsold pods and plans to use them to host spa

treatments when the coastal activity park opens in the spring. Shouts of

shame came from the public gallery as Portsmouth City Council voted

against the motion to publish a report on the conduct of the

Portsmouth MP Mike Hancock. The Pascoe Report as it is known

concluded that Mr Hancock who is a Liberal Democrat councillor failed

to observe the council was my of contact. However a Full Council

bought sided with the original decision by a council standards

committee not to publicise why. No charges have ever been brought

against the MP but he faces the High Court civil dispute over sexual

assault allegations made by the High Court civil dispute over sexual

assault allegations made by feeble constituent which he has always

denied. Campaigners say the closure of the

Portland Coastguard Centre later this year has been causing staff

shortages at the base. Coastguard SOS says workers are leaving the

centre, causing staffing levels to drop below a safe, risk assessment.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency says the figures do not have

anything to do with the centre's closure and there is no risk to

safety. The image of the typical student has

changed over the years, but now e`group Reading University are

taking it one step further in brewing the raw and real ale and

selling it on campus. Called Extra Curricular, it has been developed

with the local microbrewery and sold out on its first night at the pumps.

It is something of a home from home and would think, Ben.

There is acutely as reversal in this bar because this university is a

place where students provide the beer. Here is a fresh point of Extra

Curricular. This is not home`brew but it is incredible to think that

after centuries of academia in Britain, this is the first beer that

has been properly brewed by students.

There is the degree of something different at the student bar. It

serves Extra Curricular, brewed by the University's real ale Society

whose thirst for knowledge has led them to Sherfield Village Brewery.

We did not think about selling at commercially, but we have put it

with the broody. The students actually make the beer.

As befits an academic ale. Nothing is added to make it look better. It

all comes together under the watchful eye of the Chuter, brewer

Peter Cook. They seem to enjoy themselves and we

have a few beers to taste so they get an idea of what they want to

emulate and what they want to change. The smell the hearts and

decided what to use and off they went.

This beer is being sold at university bars and at some local

pubs. These are tough times for microbreweries saw it is important

that the brew does well on campus. We have people queueing up and

waiting for the beer and we sold 72 points in 90 minutes on Friday. That

was the whole barrel gone. We ordered another three or four

points. The popularity of the beer has end

the society a special place in these halls of learning. The first

"draught" certainly gets an a. This is Brian Jones from camera. He

has not tried the real yet. Or, yes. This is definitely the point for the

intelligent drinker. That is high praise indeed. Is it important for

students to get involved? I know microbreweries can struggle. They

are our drinkers know and our drinkers in the future. Perhaps they

will be running microbreweries in the future. I think there is a very

good chance, given what they have done today. I think it is high time

I got back to my studies. Take your first set. Enjoy the

moment and savour the moment. Sadly, we have you on end as well.

That is not how I remember Reading student union bar. It looks far too

smart. I think they gave it a deep clean

this morning. I hope Ben will bring some back.

Tony is herewith sport. We were talking on Friday about a couple of

ice skaters. On the 7th of February, the winter

on the pic starts. Do you feel that when the global?

A bunch of ice skater and her partner have had the perfect boost

ahead of the second Winter Olympics. Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland have

just returned from Budapest with me the podium in the European

championships. Britain has not had an Olympic ice dance medal since

Torvill and Dean. Even something as simple as picking

up kit can be an inspiration. This is one of the best days we have ever

had and going out there and getting our cat and having team GB on our

backs again is fantastic. They could hardly be more confident as they

prepare for a second Olympics. Last week, they claimed bronze at the

European championships. It was good timing for us to get our first medal

before we came here before the Olympic Games and we are very happy

and showing off our medal. They are boyfriend and girlfriend of the ice

and finished 20th in the Vancouver Olympics, the first Olympic games.

The bronze medal shows that we can be up there with the best in the

world. I don't feel nervous although I did last time. It was my dream in

my life and I was nervous when I got there but now I feel excited and

this is what I have what my life for. Offaly will get there one more

time after this. The peer has skated together for

nine years but the best these may still be ahead.

Katharina Liebherr has tonight issued an open letter to Southampton

fans saying she hopes to bring a few smiles to the football club. She

refers to the events of the past week but does not mean Nicola

Cortese who quit his post as executive chairman last week will

stop she has insured manager Mauricio Pochettino there are no

plans to sell any players as January. Her letter says she is

absolutely committed to continuing Oxford hope to get to round four of

the FA cup against Charlton and there will be live coverage on BBC

Radio Norfolk the and also Crewe are playing tonight. They play against

MK Dons. Former Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas has made an

impact after returning from injury playing industry earlier's Big Bash,

competition. He took a wicket with his first ball.

Today is the official launch of Sport Relief and that means lots of

exercise. There are many ways for you to raise

money for charity but you could always hit the kitchen and big.

We sent to say the farmer who went head`to`head with Paralympic hopeful

Alice Tai on the bake off. Friendly rivalry in the name of

Sport Relief. This is a charity based in Bournemouth and is one of

the organisations that has benefited from the hard work that Sport Relief

does. We help people with mental health

problems and disabilities and the brain injury. They are hoping to

work again and we help them on the way.

It gives me freedom to come out somewhere safe and feel part of the

team and enjoy myself. The money has helped us by tables and chairs and

we have a venue that looks really good. Alice is 14 years old and is

already being tipped as a hopeful for real in 19 in 2016. You could

swim or run or walk or cycle or skip or do whatever you like and whatever

distance you want to. That is good. Not bad.

At the last Sport Relief people in the South raised more than ?2.5

million which has gone on to fund more than 270 projects in our region

and you can get involved in many different ways by walking and

running and jogging and swimming. It is time for me to get training.

More information on the website. Mike Kem took this great photo of

Corfe Castle surrounded by the morning fog. Jessica Cath captured

the morning dew and mist on Woodhay Downs in Berkshire. Rain is forecast

over the next 24 hours. We are expecting rain through the course of

the night. There will be no frost for most of us but once the rain

clears western areas we could have a touch of frost in the countryside

and the rain could be heavy at times but will ease its way eastwards very

slowly with temperatures falling to around five degrees or seven

Celsius. It will be a wet starts tomorrow but will slowly improve and

we will start to see some bright and sunny spells and dry periods. There

will also be showers which could be on the heavy side with temperatures

reaching a high of eight degrees are 10 Celsius. Rain could be on the

heavy side tomorrow night but there is a risk of heavy fog. Another band

of rain is waiting in the wings and will come in on Thursday morning.

Thursday is the repeat of Wednesday. We will have breezy conditions and

some showers in the afternoon. There is a ridge of high pressure just

below me which means that Friday will start on a chilly note with the

touch of Frost. Here is the outlook. There will be rain tomorrow and some

showers in the afternoon which could be heavy. Thursday will be the

same. Those winds will come in from the North West which will take the

edge of temperatures and give each of the field. There will be more

rain expected on Friday after the chilly start. Towards the weekend,

sunshine and showers and some heavy rain on Sunday with perhaps some

guilt force winds. Stay tuned to the forecast.

These socks are very fetching. We are back tomorrow. Thank you for

watching. Good night.