23/05/2014 BBC Oxford News

Hello and welcome. Tonight, is it a sign of what is to come? The

Conservatives win in Swindon, the town seen as a barometer for the

general election. In West Oxford, UKIP failed to gain the place on the

council they were looking for. A jobs fair is laid on by Honda as the

company drives out 450 workers because of falling car sales. And

later, a shortage of teachers at this school because they cannot

afford to buy homes in the area. Good evening. Politicians, parties

and pundits have had their eyes on our region today, on the town that

seems to predict the outcome of the next general election, Swindon. The

Conservatives have kept control and won seed from Labour. So far the

councils have remained in control of the same political party. Oxford has

remained under Labour control. The Conservatives have held onto

chervil. They have also retained control of West Oxfordshire. In

Swindon, Labour hoped to win seats but the Tories have held on. Votes

in Milton Keynes Dons still being counted. In a moment, I will be

joined by our political reporter, but first this report. Another Tory

win in West Oxfordshire. Of the Conservatives may have been fearing

the UKIP factor, they need not have worried. They gained two seats and

strengthened their position in Cameron's own constituency. Vote

share went up compared to last year. We held councils like Swindon and

Tamworth, which were Labour for many years before. I am confident that in

spite of the difficulties, this is a base from which we can go forward

and win. Labour were celebrating, too. Absolutely thrilled. I cannot

believe it. I did not know which way it would go. I am absolutely

honoured that people have put their faith in me. I am really touched and

excited. They also gained two seats in Cherwell. Swindon is often seen

as a barometer for the country. So Tory relief here, to, as the council

stayed blue. This is probably the best night we have had in the 14

years I have been coming here. We have racked up record wins. It was

generally a plague on all your houses. We lost seats to UKIP and

that has cost us. Better news for Labour in Oxford. They hold control

of the City Council, finishing with 17 seats. The Lib Dems got five, the

Greens, three. The UKIP vote is essentially a protest vote about

posterity. We understand that. It is something that people feel very

deeply, that this government is not listening and it has caused the cost

of living crisis. We have policies to deal with that. We will deal with

UKIP by doing positive things. No seats for UKIP in Oxfordshire or

Swindon but they did get plenty of votes. We are up with the big boys

and we are sowing the seeds for the next time. Things can look

completely different next time. If that is true, next year's general

election could be hard to predict. I'm joined by Helen CAT. Any news on

Milton Keynes Dons Still not yet. They have been counting all

afternoon. We checked before we came on air and they are still counting.

We will bring you the result as soon as we have it. A good day for the

Conservatives? Yes. Possibly more so than there were expecting. They

would be particularly cheered they did not lose any seats to UKIP in

Oxfordshire, particularly as Nigel Farage was on radio Oxford a few

days ago saying that Oxfordshire was the fastest growing area of support

for his party. David Cameron will also be sweeping a little ``

sleeping a little more soundly tonight knowing that he has held

onto Sweden. That has got to be good news. Labour would be raising a

glass to having taken another seat in his backyard, Chipping Norton,

and in strengthening their position in Oxford. Despite losses, the Lib

Dems do have some comfort. They have held onto several of the seats that

would be in their key target seat of Oxford West and Abingdon in the

general election. Why have we not heard the European results? They

will not be counted until Sunday. Many countries in Europe have not

voted yet. Thank you. Swindon's troubled car factory said goodbye to

450 workers today. Honda is struggling to sell its cars in

Europe and has cut production dramatically. The plant has been

mothballed and the total workforce has fallen from 5000 to 3000. A

special jobs fair was held this morning. There were 200 jobs on

offer in the room and more companies who could not come but can hire. It

was a day to look forward for Honda workers. I have already got an

interview for them `` with them. I am looking forward to that. A new

company that is coming to Swindon. The job I fancy is to work for Aston

Marton. It sounds a good job to me. There were fewer volunteers this

time around. Some 100 people have left jobs at Honda against their

wishes. The unions say that number could have been reduced. More people

could have been kept on but Honda decided to employ contract workers.

They pay them less than Honda workers. As a result we have seen

nearly 100 Honda workers being forced out of their jobs and

contract is staying in their jobs that previously Honda workers were

doing. The company would not talk today, insisting they must remain

flexible. They are doing all they can to safeguard jobs at the plant.

While production slows down here, other car firms are going flat out.

We cannot get hold of some of the cars. Honda was always in the middle

of the range. You are finding that BMW and Audi have brought prices

down, and that is nipping at the top end of Honda. Their main products

are getting squeezed in the middle. Will be `` will this be the last

jobs fair for workers leaving Honda? That depends on Japan. Not the swing

Dhoni and to make the cars that might not the Swindon workers. A

demonstration has been held in Witney. Many of the protestors

suffer from bleeding disorders and claim they were infected after

receiving blood transfusions in the 1970s and 1980s. The Government is

looking into the situation. People feel so frustrated with what has

gone on over the years and the continued procrastination. They have

had enough. We are dying at least one a month now. Over a thousand

people have died. We're running of time. I feel very passionate, very

passionate. It has ruined my life. Take aways are on the increase but

restaurants are falling numbers. Last year saw a rising bakers but a

fall in shoe shops. The Federation of Small Businesses has launched its

keep trade local campaign in Buckinghamshire.

Independent, local and thriving. This shop is keeping a presence on

the high Street because most of the businesses taking place online. We

will never get passing trade back in the high Street again. The way

people shop has changed. There is no regular trade any more on the

high`street. That is what brought the speaker and booking MMP John

Bercow to Winslow today, together with the Federation of Small

Businesses, to highlight the plight of the small independent shop. We

would like a broader mix across the board, rather than ten charity

shops. It would be better to have a butcher and a baker and a hardware

store. Selling pet food has put his business among the winners. We

opened a second shop and got eight freezers. Two and a half years on we

were overwhelmed with the support from the local community and the

Aylesbury community. Last year more independent shops closed than open.

The economy and cost of living will continue to be the political battle

ground between now and polling day next year. All the evidence of

decades of general elections is that they have tended to turn, not

exclusively, but very significantly on how people are doing, how they

think they are going in 12 months to be doing and how they think the

country is doing. And for the speaker, a spot of spontaneous

shopping in the form of pet food. I think he will enjoy his feast. Order

is the name of his cat. There are positive signs of a resurgence in

this sector, but the secret to success is offering a service the

big players cannot compete with. A four`year`old boy from Oxford has

been rescued from the roof of a house in Haddington by firefighters.

George Groves climbed out of a window from the third floor of a

family friend's house and ended up sitting in the covering before being

rescued. I cannot describe how scared I was. I was speechless. My

mind is blank. I don't know what to do. I cannot describe how scared I

was. Any second he could slip off and that is the end of the world.

That is all from me for the moment. I will be back at 10:25pm when we

should know more election results. More on the Sunday Politics.

The work of Cecil Beaton goes on show in Salisbury. Armed police in

Dorset have shot at a vehicle outside a branch of Nationwide

Building Society in Poole. It happened at about eight o'clock last

night in Broadstone. Police had to shoot tyre deflation rounds into the

vehicle to disable it. Three men have been arrested on suspicion of

conspiracy to commit robbery. The families of four British sailors

missing in the Atlantic say they are saddened by news that a US Coast

Guard search could be suspended later tonight if nothing is found.

James Male, from Romsey, and Andrew Bridge from Farnham, have been

missing for the last week. They were part of the crew on the Cheeki

Rafiki, which was sailing back into Southampton when it got into trouble

last week. An RAF Hercules plane will continue searching tomorrow. A

new rail franchise promises new trains, better seats and better

services. The `` it merges the current Thames Link and Southern

roots. Paul Clifton reports. The new company will carry one in

five of all Britain's rail passengers. It will get 1400 new

carriages. Overall it will run 500 more than there are today. That is a

huge increase in capacity. 10,000 more rush`hour seeds each day. Most

of this was already known. But a complete new fleet of Gatwick

Express trains to replace these old ones, that is a surprise. They will

be running just two years from now. The passenger, quite rightly, will

say this is good news because we are going to see a better chance of

getting a seat, more capacity, more rolling stock and an infrastructure

being put in place which is now capable of delivering for the 21st

century. 100 stations will get free Wi`Fi. No mention though of what

passengers would prefer. That is free Wi`Fi on`board the trains.

Today's deal makes this the biggest train operator. A joint venture

between go ahead and part of the French state`owned railway. The

changeover starts in September. Here is a little context. This company

will carry 273 million passenger journeys a year. Nationwide that as

more people than at every airline at every airport, and every traveller

on every ferry combined. It is a big deal.

Two men have been charged today with keeping three people in slavery and

the car wash in Southampton. The group work kept as forced labour.

Emma Vardy is in our newsroom. At this stage, what do we know? Police

and immigration officers visited a car wash on Monday and they found

ten men, all from Romania, who they believe may have been the victim of

trafficking, exploitation and possible slavery. What modern`day

slavery actually means in reality is not so much that people are being

locked away, but that they may be being subjected to some form of

intimidation or macro control. The two men involved are both from

Southampton. They were charged with ten counts of slavery. How our

authorities being made aware of this? Trafficking and exploitation

is an issue authorities are increasingly taking seriously.

Police are being encouraged to spot the signs, perhaps were somebody is

allowed to legally live and work in this country but may be vulnerable

and the victim of exportation. The Government is also introducing new

measures to tackle modern`day slavery. There is a bill going

through Parliament. We have also had some other similar operations to

this in the south. In March, six men were rescued after a police raid on

a garage in Bournemouth, were men were living in a caravan on site.

Hampshire Police say there is something of a national picture

building up which shows that some car washes are linked with organised

crime. Police have urged people who use car washes to consider whether

they are above board. The ten men rescued from the car wash are being

supported and looked after. The two men charged with slavery will return

to court next month. Last night we reported on the

problems of first time buyers being forced out of the housing market.

Whether you are buying or renting, the South has some of the highest

living costs. That is having an impact on employers. We have been to

a school in North Hampshire looking to recruit teachers. This is

Avril's first teaching job. She can only afford to work here because she

has been able to move back in with her parents. The compromise I made

to get a good school was to move back home, unfortunately! It is not

ideal at my age. I make a 40 minute commute to work every day. Still

this junior school is struggling to find stuff. A few years ago it would

get as many as 20 applicants per vacancy. Now it is only getting one

or two. We have a few vacancies left to fail and it is a real difficulty.

We are very picky about the quality of the candidate we want. It is very

difficult for people to live here with the cost of housing. Last year

a recruitment crisis prompted pupils in Winchester to make this video in

an attempt to find a new headteacher. Westfield has resorted

to nationwide Twitter appeals. I have only just started looking for a

house. It is a bit more expensive than I had anticipated. I would love

to apply here. But looking cost wise of renting, trying to find somewhere

to live, the area is far too expensive. This school is not alone

in its struggle to attract the right candidates. There are 346 teaching

vacancies in state schools in Hampshire alone.

I'll disport, Lewis is here. Shall we talk cricket? All day it has been

torrential. Apparently now there is glorious sunshine. Shall we talk

Hampshire? They have started really well, haven't they? They had a great

win during the week against Leicestershire. They lost in the T

20. They have a great chance to finish it tonight. They are back to

the G20 blast competition against Sussex. The match begins at Hove at

seven o'clock. Sussex have won both of their opening games. Chris Wood

could be included for the first time this season after injury.

Meanwhile, Sussex cricketer Chris Jordan starred for England in their

one`day international wing over Sri Lanka. He smashed 38 runs of 14

deliveries to help England reach 347`6. With the ball, he took three

wickets. England won by 81 runs. Staying with cricket, the England

and Wales Cricket board have referred the Guardian newspaper to

the Press Complaints Commission regarding an interview with

Hampshire batsmen Michael Carberry. In the interview, he claimed he had

been the victim of unfair treatment by the England managing. ``

Management. The board feels the tone of the article was on balance. Last

night, Keegan Bradley from the Isle of Wight won the PDC world youth

championship title in darts, in front of a sell`out crowd at the O2

Arena. He came from 3`1 down to defeat his Austrian opponent. It

included a one to one finish on his way to the ?10,000 first prize. ``

121. When he was 3`1 ahead, I thought, Ho, no. You have practised

hard. He got back to 5`4. It should not have been a deciding leg.

Thankfully, touch wood, it has gone my way. It is great to see it means

so much to him. In golf at Wentworth, Justin Rose finish that

one over par. It leaves the U.S. Open champion at one under at the

halfway stage. Nine shots behind Thomas Bjorn. Rainey and Wentworth,

sunny and Hove. A mixed bag. We will have the weather in a moment. First

though, Sir Cecil Beaton was renowned for his fashion and

portrait photography, but also for having a number of notorious love

affairs. Now an exhibition containing most 200 Sotheby's

photographs has opened at the Salisbury Museum. Our reporter went

along for a look. A sparkling career capturing the glitterati of the day

and even royalty. Through his portraits and photography Cecil

Beaton gained celebrity status. He had a special retreat of his own.

Ashcombe house. Ashcombe is a very isolated house. It allowed him the

chance to decorated how he and slightly mad bohemian friends.

His two Wiltshire homes set an impressive stage for entertaining,

causing quite a stir among local village life. The family who ran the

local shop were amazed at him ordering extraordinary things like

bottled water in 1951! They said, why you ordering that? He is a

sophisticated character. It was not just eccentricities outside the home

that got neighbours talking. He was more adventurous inside. His circus

bedroom has been recreated. you. Just to remind you about the

local elections, if you want to know what is happening in your area, go

to the BBC website. On Sunday, we will have the election results

programme. Whatever you are doing this bank

holiday weekend, enjoy yourselves. Bye`bye. Good night.

Let's look at the history of BBC TWO with me, Simon Schama.

'Harry And Paul's Story Of The 2s - part of

'the Big Bumper Bank Holiday Comedy 50th Birthday Weekend.'