:00:00. > :00:10.Good evening. Workers at Mini in That's all from us.
:00:11. > :00:14.Good evening. Workers at Mini in Oxford are to get a pay risd of 4%,
:00:15. > :00:17.more than twice the rate of inflation. The rise doesn't apply to
:00:18. > :00:20.staff at the pressing plant in Swindon. Mini sales reached record
:00:21. > :00:24.highs last year, with 300,000 cars sold worldwide. Victoria Cook
:00:25. > :00:28.reports. They're one of the biggest dmployers
:00:29. > :00:32.in Oxfordshire. And now, thdy believe, their pay deal is `mongst
:00:33. > :00:35.the best in the sector too. The unions say there has been tough
:00:36. > :00:46.negotiations since last October but they're pleased with the outcome. It
:00:47. > :00:54.also shows that the company are again invested in them and showing
:00:55. > :00:57.them for everything they have done, the hard work they have put in. More
:00:58. > :01:00.than 4,000 employees will now receive the 4% rise. It means
:01:01. > :01:04.workers will be taking home around ?1,000 more a year. It takes the
:01:05. > :01:18.average salary at Mini in Oxford to just under ?27,000. It is good. It
:01:19. > :01:21.is the equivalent to about 05p and are or something, but it is a
:01:22. > :01:24.start. The pay deal comes as good news at a time when other
:01:25. > :01:28.manufacturers within the sector are struggling. Honda in Swindon has
:01:29. > :01:37.announced that 500 jobs are to go there. It blames continuing poor
:01:38. > :01:42.sales in Europe for its dechsion. Mini has said it is pleased the
:01:43. > :01:45.workers have accepted this ` deal. It's as it comes with the
:01:46. > :01:50.introduction of a new, thred shift pattern, where employees will work
:01:51. > :01:53.shorter shifts. It says it hopes all this will lead to the successful
:01:54. > :01:56.production of the new Mini hatchback. The increase will come
:01:57. > :02:02.into effect in May and will be backdated to January.
:02:03. > :02:06.Earlier I spoke to Professor Kevin Morley, the former Managing Dirctor
:02:07. > :02:15.of Rover. I asked him what the secret of Mini's success is. ``
:02:16. > :02:19.managing director. They produce a car for all over the world. The
:02:20. > :02:24.problem with Honda in Swindon is the fact that they produce a car just
:02:25. > :02:29.for Europe. Europe is suffering In any part of the world, therd will be
:02:30. > :02:33.its doing well and it's doing less well. For Mini, they are dohng very
:02:34. > :02:40.well in America and Russia, in India, the Middle East, so they have
:02:41. > :02:45.a widespread `` wide spread over the world. What about the decishon to
:02:46. > :02:56.award this page increase for the plug in Oxford? `` the plant. I
:02:57. > :03:01.understand there are conversations going on at the moment becatse the
:03:02. > :03:05.policy of BMW is to do it plant by plant. So what will happen hn
:03:06. > :03:08.Swindon, we don't know, but that in itself is odd. I would have thought
:03:09. > :03:15.to do it for all of the factories under the BMW banner would lake more
:03:16. > :03:20.sense. It seems a big rise. It is starting off at 2.8%. As English and
:03:21. > :03:24.came down to 1.7%, this into have gone up, they have increased over
:03:25. > :03:33.inflation. The shift pattern has changed as well. It has gond to
:03:34. > :03:36.three 7.5 hour shifts. The result is then to be some compensation for the
:03:37. > :03:39.workforce, for that change. Probation officers have been
:03:40. > :03:42.protesting in Oxford as part a national walk`out over changes to
:03:43. > :03:45.the justice system. They're claiming privatisation plans would affect
:03:46. > :03:48.public safety. The proposals include outsourcing 70% of the servhce,
:03:49. > :03:52.which probation staff say is a "dangerous social experiment". The
:03:53. > :04:01.Government says the changes are designed to cut costs and rdduce
:04:02. > :04:06.reoffending rates. People whose homes have been flooded
:04:07. > :04:08.could be awarded to ?5,000 to protect their properties. From
:04:09. > :04:11.today, anyone who's been directly affected by flooding can apply for
:04:12. > :04:14.the Government grant. The money is to pay for equipment like driveway
:04:15. > :04:17.barriers and water resilient doors and windows. Residents who've
:04:18. > :04:24.already bought flood defencds can also apply to be reimbursed. It is
:04:25. > :04:27.something we have been asking for, for a long time. Some kind of help
:04:28. > :04:33.for people to make their holes more flood resistant. And more flood
:04:34. > :04:39.resilient as well, that is, once the water has got in, it does ldss
:04:40. > :04:43.damage. We have been pushing for this for a long time. The insurers
:04:44. > :04:46.tend to put things back as they work, which is the last thing you
:04:47. > :04:49.want if you are going to be flooded again.
:04:50. > :04:52.Technology that could help xou cut energy bills by allowing yot to
:04:53. > :04:55.switch your heating and lighting on and off with your smartphond is
:04:56. > :04:57.being tested by families in Milton Keynes. Installing the smart
:04:58. > :05:01.radiators, lights and electric sockets costs hundreds of pounds. So
:05:02. > :05:06.can they save money in the long run? Louise Hubball has been
:05:07. > :05:11.investigating. Many of us have become reli`nt on
:05:12. > :05:16.one of these, a smartphone. Could the next thing be a smart home? You
:05:17. > :05:20.can operate most of the electrical devices in this home when you're not
:05:21. > :05:26.even here, to save time and money. This radiator is controlled and can
:05:27. > :05:32.be set from your mobile when you're out, costing over ?300. All the
:05:33. > :05:38.prices are based on a three`bedroom house. Like Bob that can be switched
:05:39. > :05:45.on and off, again, from your mobile, for ?100. And smart plugs, which
:05:46. > :05:52.show you how much energy each appliance is using, ?144. The home
:05:53. > :05:59.is part of a trial between Lilton Keynes Council and an energx
:06:00. > :06:04.company. The experiment has been extended. Jason is testing which
:06:05. > :06:08.gadgets work best. He finds this app and even switching off lights when
:06:09. > :06:14.his daughter forgets. Do yot think this has saved the money? Yds, I
:06:15. > :06:17.have been saving quite a bit. I have the resources now to look at it
:06:18. > :06:21.easily, instead of waiting for a bill to come through. Do yot have
:06:22. > :06:28.any idea how much it may have saved? On average, about ten to 15%
:06:29. > :06:31.a month. But the acid test to whether a smart home could become as
:06:32. > :06:36.common as a smartphone depends on whether you would be willing to
:06:37. > :06:42.spend up to ?600 on new technology to try and bring your bills down.
:06:43. > :06:45.That's it from us for now. @lexis is coming up with the weather forecast.
:06:46. > :06:54.We're back tomorrow morning in BBC Breakfast. Goodnight.
:06:55. > :07:04.A bit of a mixture tonight. And East`West divide. Clear spells the
:07:05. > :07:09.further East you are. Showers further West. Mild temperattres to
:07:10. > :07:13.around ten to 11 sources. Some areas may start off on a dry note with
:07:14. > :07:17.some mist and fog. Once agahn, the risk of a few showers. Showdrs more
:07:18. > :07:21.likely for western areas. There will be a good deal of dry weathdr, with
:07:22. > :07:29.sunny spells align temperattres to reach a high of 16 or 17. Looking
:07:30. > :07:30.ahead, we are expecting showers a band of rain affecting us on
:07:31. > :07:33.Thursday, wet start on Frid`y, and the afternoon. The outlook, rather
:07:34. > :07:44.cloudy with some rain on Thursday. Good evening. Before we get to the
:07:45. > :07:47.weather details, little bit about the pollution which we have been
:07:48. > :07:52.talking about in the weather reports over the last couple of days. The
:07:53. > :07:53.pollution levels actually during the