08/09/2014 BBC Oxford News

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford.

Prince William arrives in Oxford to open a new multi`million potnd

centre strengthening the university's links with China.

Not surprisingly, the visit's overshadowed by news

offering support to men and boys who've suffered phxsical

and mental abuse ` the new charity reaching out to help victims.

why plans for one of the cotntry's biggest solar farms are being

Pensioners in the South have been tellhng us

about their financial traum` over a certain type of mortgage.

It may've been overshadowed by the big story of the day ` but Prince

William's long`planned visit to Oxford is a royal seal of approval,

for efforts to build better links between the UK and China.

The Duke of Cambridge was in the city to open a new ?21

million university building, bringing all academics with an

Although Kate's morning sickness forced her to pull out

of the event at short noticd, news of the new Royal baby on

China has now come into our lives in the west in a way we couldn't

even have imagined, perhaps, ten or 15 years ago.

Within, a few years it'll bdcome the world's biggest economy.

Here in the UK, we simply don't know enough about it. With

that the university building visit was over. Eight men arrested over a

number of child sex abuse offences in Buckinghamshire have been

remanded in custody at Amersham It follows raids on residential vest ``

addresses last week. The men appear in court for a pre`trial he`ring in

late November. It is an isste that many find difficult to talk about.

Male rape and domestic abusd. Reports of sexual offences of

violence across `` against len is on the rise against the Thames Valley

but a charity in Paul was jtst 4 when he was attacked and raped by a

stranger. Too terrified to report it he kept it a secret for nearly 0

years. I had no one to talk to, or so I felt, and I just carridd it

around a year after year. It hit my self`esteem and I lost my confidence

stop I lost trust in people. Also I turned to alcohol. I used to drink a

lot. From almost straight after it happened, anything to just drop ``

block it out. Paul says he found the courage to speak out followhng the

Jimmy Savile scandal in 2012. Thames Valley Police and support charities

say they have seen a surge hn reports of sexual offences of men

and women in the last coupld of years. There has been a lack of

counselling services for male victims. The charity hopes to break

down taboos and help men talk about their experiences. The men that are

coming forward to us want to talk about it. It affects their life

drastically, whether it is through PTSD or depression, it affects their

relationships with their partners in the family and friends and `lso

their working life as it can make them emotionally unwell for a long

period of time. Nationally 02% of rapes are on the man but it is

thought the figure could be much higher because many feel too afraid

to report it. The charity hopes to empower both men and boys to come

forward. That is what Paul hs doing and he hopes his story will motivate

others to come forward. With the results of the Scottish

referendum coming up a report says other areas could do with more

responsibility over how thex are run. They could choose their own

priorities and spending plans. A short time ago I asked Ben Lucas

Whiteley the city growth colmittee commission believes some cities

should go further. What we `rgue in our report is that cities all over

the world are now driving growth. They are the concentrations of

productivity, innovation and creativity. In Britain our cities

are not achieving their full potential because they do not have

enough of the powers that they would need to drive growth in the place ``

their places. We had a similar thing happen in Oxford with the chty

deal, allowing spending priorities to be decided on a local level. Is

it right to widen those powdrs? Yes, I do. City deals are an important

first step but they are onlx a first step. A number of cities we think

are ready for much greater powers. One of the things we advocate in the

report is an independent colmittee to make a decision about thd

capability that the cities have in order to move to having gre`ter

fiscal powers. Is Oxford ond of those cities? That is for the

independent commission that we are suggesting should be created to make

that judgement. We think all cities in the long term have the potential

to be able to achieve greatdr control over their own growth.

Clearly some cities have put more effort into already establishing the

infrastructure, the governance and the capability they need for that.

Thank you very much. Planning officials in South

Oxfordshire have advised to Tesco to resubmit its controversial proposals

to open a new express store in a disused pub opposite goring station.

The owners of the pub had got permission for an expansion of the

building with a new kitchen, bar and dining area. The additional space

has not yet been built but Tesco's would rely on that expansion is part

of the redevelopment. They say the company must now submit a ndw plan

so it can be considered properly. Protesters say Tesco shop could plan

the stores in the middle of goring. It is due to become one of the

biggest solar farms in the country, generating power for ?12,000 in

Swindon `` 12,000 homes in Swindon. Approval had already been ghven for

the field of solar panels btt the project is now being reconshdered at

a public enquiry which starts tomorrow. This could soon bd home to

one of the biggest solar farms in the country. 150 solar panels on 170

acres of land, generating enough electricity to power 12,000 homes.

It is one year since Swindon Borough Council gave its permission for a

solar farm to be built on this airfield site. It is by the hangers

we can see behind me. It was hoped that building work would begin this

month by the government stepped in. The Department for Communithes and

Local Government says that they have openly changed planning guidance on

renewable energy to give grdater protection for local heritage, how

landscape and to protect good quality farmland. A campaign spoke

to us. They will not put thd solar panels on the tarmac runways or the

buildings but on the green bits in between that are effectivelx fields

and they have been farmed until very recently, if they are not bding

farms now. The government ddcision to bring in a planning inspdctor has

been criticised by others. When you are doing a scheme incredibly well

that is very well supported by the local community, by the loc`l

council, and yet Eric Picklds and Westminster are still calling it in

and saying there is a probldm, that just destabilises and underlines

confidence across the industry. The land is owned by the Sciencd Museum

that stores big objects in the hangers around the site and they are

backing the plans. The solar park and other research and development

activities such as those behind us help to bring in income into the

site that we can reinvest. Lembers of the public can invest in the site

now as well and the planning department will get evidencd until

September 18. Oxford's annual St Giles' F`ir

started today and continues tomorrow Thousands are expected to enjoy

the traditional funfair ridds The event started out

as a parish festival back Various road closures are in place

until Wednesday morning and some bus That's all from me

and the team here. I'll have the headlines at 8pm

and a full bulletin at 10:24pm. For more of today's stories,

here's Sally Taylor. fantastic parents and, yeah, another

little baby. It is good news for the village of course, people are

thrilled around here. Lovelx! Still to come

in this evening's South Tod`y.. Could Portsmouth pull off a giant

killing and beat Manchester to Ashya King is tonight in Pr`gue

hospital of planned proton beam treatment, after a legal order which

had made him a ward of court was removed. Denby was taken from

Southampton General Hospital earlier this week and doctors had qtestioned

the benefit of the proton therapy. `` Ashya was taken. We have seen a

war of words between Southalpton General Hospital and the clhnic in

Prague over this proton beal therapy, whether it is really

necessary. The doctors here say it will not do Ashya any harm but

equally it will not do anything they could do with their normal

radiotherapy. There was no benefit in Ashxa's

case for proton radiotherapx. We do not say it was

unacceptable treatment. In Ashya's case,

with the type of tumour that he has, because we need to irradiatd

the spinal cord and most of the brain because of the tumour, the

advantages you would get from proton radiotherapy are not as gre`t.

Is this just the hospital trying to defend itself? I think therd is a

point in that but also generally medically they think they are in the

right word in the last half an hour they say they wish Ashya well in

Prague and I hope he makes ` full recovery. He is over there `nd

likely to start therapy soon. That is their treatment of choice

and according to current knowledge it should spur some of the dffects

of treatment . I understand Portsmouth Citx Council

is writing to the family to ask about their schooling ` bec`use

classes went back this week and those children are still abroad

Clearly exceptional circumstances, but the council wants to know they

are not losing out and may even be sending somd home

education packs out, if thex can get an address for them.

Police are continuing to qudstion two people about the murder

of a mother`of`five who was stabbed to death on a New Forest farm.

The body of Pennie Davis was found in a field

A 37`year`old man, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender,

A 24`year`old woman is still in custody, and police have bedn given

extra time to question a 22`year`old man on suspicion of murder.

A new coastguard control room started taking responsibility

Next week it will replace Portland coastguard as well.

It marks the end of a hugely controversial process,

strongly opposed by coastal communities, coastguards

It will be responsible for coastal safety from Beachy Head

in East Sussex right down to Topsham in Devon, but also have overall

The coastguards' union has warned that a loss of local knowledge

Our Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton reports.

This is the National Maritile operations centre. When a M`yday

signal is received the Coast Guard teams, life guards and helicopters,

will be run from here. Unlike older centres, from here you can't see the

sea. You can barely see daylight. Does that really matter? Air`traffic

controllers at Swanwick can't see aeroplanes. Today good

communications is all about computers. So the old Coast Guard

base at Lee on Pompey computers. So the old Coast Guard

base at Lee on the Solent whll is computers. So the old Coast Guard

base at Lee on the Solent whll is a base at Lee on the Solent whll close

later base at Lee on the Solent whll close

name synonymous base at Lee on the Solent whll close

later this week. base at Lee on the Solent whll close

name synonymous with base at Lee on the Solent whll close

later this both base at Lee on the Solent whll close

later this week. Portland whll base at Lee on the Solent whll close

later this week. Portland the base at Lee on the Solent whll close

later this week. Portland whll close a week later. Mark Robb awax used to

work at Portland. `` Rodawax. Half the coastguards in some are`s have

applied for voluntary redundancy. The national coastguard agency has

not brought a lot of the st`ff with them and that is a lot of experience

that will not be transferred to this new centre and that will affect

ultimately operations in thd future. This place was built as a fhre

service headquarters but it was never used for that. Since 2008 it

has stood empty, rented by government at ?120,000 a month. I

suspect this is to do with loney. It is not all to do with money. To be

fair, it did not need modernising, if that is the word, but I think

they modernised too far. Ne`rly 50 coastguards will work it, increasing

to 100 in a year's time, colbination of national control Centre `nd the

20 47 `` 20 47 macro centre for the south coast. `` 24/7. city `nd

Pensioners from the South who were sold "shared appreciation mortgages"

have called for help in getting banks to change what they ddscribe

Inside Out South has been investigating after being told

by some homeowners they havd been left trapped in their properties.

When Brian Daughtry retired after working for charities abroad he had

little in the way of a penshon so he was tempted by the offer of a

in the ?35,000 interest`free loan from the

Bank of Scotland in return for a 75% share in any increase in

the value of his New Forest home. Since then property prices have

soared and if he sold the house role tomorrow he would have to ghve the

bank more than ?232,000. Thousands of such mortgages were sold. is in

and out A group action

against the banks failed before the details could ever be assessed in

court. The banks argued technicalities

until the legal funds ran ott. The way it has turned out

is very unfortunate. I am really

in a difficult situation. of Both banks say they can't change

the mortgage terms and that I am really

in a difficult situation. of the at the time pensioners were advised

to take independent advice club but they say they do try to help

people who are trapped in homes that And you can see Jon's full report on

Inside Out tonight at the l`ter time It's one of the biggest fledts

of green buses in Europe, and is and today a specially built filling

station was opened for Readhng's The state`of`the`art facility was

built with a grant in from the Department of Transport,

and, as Ben Moore reports, the drive to be eco`friendlx is

catching on in the town. is When Reading buses need to fill

up with gas they do just th`t. The depot's new ?1 million natural

gas station has been paid for We find Reading is

a great place to trial new hdeas because it is willing to take on

that risk and innovation and we want other cities across the UK, who can

also access funding if they choose, to take a look at what is h`ppening

here. There are 34 such buses

and all are now in service. But if eco`friendly travel hs

your thing the bus is not Of the town's 216 black cabs,

113 are being converted to hybrid natural compressed gas at a cost

of ?370,000. For once there will not be

the finger pointed at taxis and say, look, there's a polluting

vehicle going along the road. We will be cleaner,

which can only improve the hmage Does that mean fares

are going to go down? As two forms of transport go green

there is a spirit of collaboration. We fuel our buses

in a great hurry in the evening when they come off service so

in the day this depot is largely empty and the fuelling facility is

sitting here unused and has enormous capacity for providing gas

for road vehicles other than buses. This is ultimately

a commercial venture ` But with taxis converting too it

seems the commitment to go green Portsmouth stepped up

its bid to become the first 'City Three cities are in the running for

not only the title, but over one and a ?500,000 of Sport England money to

spend on developing the gamd. As I discovered earlier,

Portsmouth is going all out to win. Pompey is a name synonymous with

both the city and its footb`ll club. When you talk of Pompey,

you don't know whether it's The spirit

of the fans is clear to see. Today was about making it

official and becoming Sport ?1.6 million will be award

to invest in the game. For that kind of money,

I think we should have Earlier, a delegation from

Sport England toured the city to see The money would mean we

could make such a differencd Sports England will make

the decision next week. As for Pompey, we all know

what they're looking for. If they win, they'll hold

the title for two years. The ultimate goal is to find

the next generation of talent. So they performed well

off the pitch, but not quitd Portsmouth were beaten 2`nil

at Burton Albion They fell behind after just two minutds `

manager Andy Awford criticising And a fine second goal eased Burton

to a fifth successive home win. Meanwhile,

Oxford United won their first away point of the season thanks to

Danny Hylton's second half penalty. Michael Appleton's men are still

without a win though and In Athletics, Hampshire's Andy

Vernon beat his personal best time The Fareham runner lost out again to

Mo Farah, but his time of 62 minutes and 46 seconds was

enough to give him a sixth place finish in the half`marathon between

Newcastle and South Shields. Dorset Eventer William Fox`Pitt

finished fourth at the Burghley Here he is during the Cross Country

round, riding Bay My Hero. A perfect show jumping round moved

him up the rankings, New Zealander Andrew Nicholson

became the first man ever to win the competition

in three successive years. beaten in the opening fixtures of

the season, and London Irish were narrowly beaten.

It is only the beginning of the season. Now the weather, Aldxis is

here. We have an area of high pressure well established over the

UK. It was a misty and murky st`rt in

some places and the mist and fog tonight could be more dense than in

other areas. Clear skies me`ns temperatures will fall away in the

countryside into single figtres seven or eight Celsius. Ten to 3 in

the towns and cities. A cooler, fresher feeling night than last

night. Temperatures similar each night this week, cooler in the

countryside. Lots of sunshine initially tomorrow and as the day

wears on we will see a lot lore cloud in eastern areas. West is best

for the sunshine, with a high of 21 Celsius. Slightly cooler along the

south coast with the breeze. Through the course of tomorrow night it

stays right again under cle`ring skies. Temperatures falling away the

single figures in the countryside. A low of 11 to 14 in the towns and

cities. Much of this week stays dry thanks to this area of high pressure

well established over the UK. I can't promise wall`to`wall sunshine

but recent amounts at times. Western areas faring best for the stnny

spells, eastern areas have cloud creeping in from the North Sea and

the English Channel. We will have chilly nights and a misty and murky

start. The fog could be quite dense and take its time to clear.

Wednesday, sunny spells, bit more cloud on Thursday, but all hn all

quite pleasant thanks to thd high pressure, and temperatures on Friday

around 19. Throughout the summer you whll

notice that Alexis has been mentioning some events. We `re going

to talk about social media. We are starting a new events section

on our Facebook page. Every week I will pick one at random. I will not

be able to pick everyone. It will be called Don't Rain On My Par`de. .

That is it for ask, more from us at 8pm