24/09/2014 BBC Oxford News

The Oxfordshire based Caterham Formula One team

at Leafield has been referrdd to the pensions regulator.

It's paid nothing into employees? pension schemes since new owners

The troubles at the West Oxfordshire`based Formula One firm

It was sold in July to a Swiss Middle Eastern consortium who

dismissed a total of 44 members of staff almost immediately.

This pub is said to be a favourite amongst Caterhal stuff

Now understandably, none of them wanted to appear on camera.

But, one employee has told the BBC the firm stopped paying

Around 300 people are affected and I can confirm,

the F1 business has been referred to the Pension's Regulator.

But is this part of a much bigger financial problem for the industry?

It costs around ?60 million a year to run the smaller tdams

But the bigger ones are spending more like ?250 million.

The implications are felt in our region, where hundreds of companies

Some tell us they are now h`ving to wait months to be paid.

This uncertainty leaves manx worrying about their dependdnce on

It's not clear who employs the staff at Caterham F1.

When we asked, Caterham told us the staff are employed by a company

that is a supplier to the company that holds its F1 licence, the

licence that allows it to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship.

I asked the editor of Race Tech Magazine, William Kimberley if he

I try to discover the entitx that owns the Caterham F one teal,

even going to companies house, but I'm afraid I've drawn a blank.

It seems extraordinary that a company can be so mysterious

It must be very unsettling for the staff at Caterham to not

Especially when this new group came into by the team.

The first thing they did was basically make 50 people redundant

and that has a very unsatisfying effect throughout the whole team.

Let's talk a bit more widelx about Formula One, it's an dxpensive

How do you see the future for smaller teams like Caterham

I think the future is prettx dire, I'm afraid.

The cost of competing is ?64 million a year minimum.

And to have that sort of money, have the infrastructure

and the team to become compdtitive and move up the grid is acttally not

Do you think there's a way of making it easier for the smaller tdams to

Cost capping, making sure teams don't spend money

willy`nilly has been in fashion and out of fashion for quite a while.

But until the FIA gets to grips with it and actually take a firm hand,

Hundreds of companies in this area supply the Forlula One

to, what effect is the currdnt uncertainty having on them?

If you supply a Formula One team, you do realise that there's teams

at the low end of the grid light be gone next year or the year `fter.

But there is an association called the Motorsport Industry Association

If you are a member, you have access to this and who the bad paydrs are.

Next, Thames Water engineers have started to repair a water m`in

in Oxford which burst, flooding more than 50 homes.

The flooding caused severe damage in 23 homes in Normandy Crescent

68 residents were put up in hotels last night

and alternative accommodation is being found for them.

It may be six months before some people can return home.

Only a handful of the homeowners and businesses who suffered during

last winter's floods in Oxfordshire have applied for grants to help

A Government grant of up to ?5, 00 has been available since March.

So far only 61 applications have been made.

Councils say they've used social media and road shows to let

people know, but some feel there hasn't been enough informathon.

Obviously they should write to us or send the forms so we can fill

If they don't send it, how would we know?

The priority should be to inform the people.

It's not just me, there's lots of other busindsses

on this road and nobody knows and nobody has claimed.

More than ?400,000 a year is spent in both Oxford and

In Oxford, four tonnes of rtbbish is picked`up off the streets every day.

The City Council says if people put their litter into bins the loney

saved on clearing`up costs could be put towards other services.

An early start for rubbish collectors in Oxford and thd usual

We start at six o'clock in the morning and go through

Today there is probably over 40 operatives on the roads and eight

The council now wants more of us to make an effort.

A huge pile of rubbish was on display

in the city centre this morning to show the full scale of the problem.

It amounts to about four tonnes and that around the weight of

We are wasting all this mondy on clearing rubbish which wd could

be spending on building council houses, improving our parks,

It's just clearing up litter that is often thoughtlessly left.

Clearing up after the millions of people either working,

visiting or studying in Oxford, takes up a significant porthon

And for those caught litterhng, they will also be hit

Hundreds of people were findd last year, but would you tell

I was met with abuse, so it put me off doing it again

I don't think I would be brave enough to do that.

Sometimes I throw rubbish on the floor,

Across Oxford and Aylesbury Vale, more than ?800,000 a year is spent

A habit both councils hope to get rid of.

Sarah Farmer's on the way with the weather.

Tonight, is a rather chilly affair whth clear

Towns and cities down to eight or 9 degrees.

Rural spots could get down to two or three.

A chilly start to Thursday morning and a bright one.

Sunny spells but we will sed cloud piling in from the North.

Perhaps producing spits and spots of light rain or drizzle.

Highs up to 18 degrees and the breeze picking up

Looking ahead to Friday it hs cloudy perhaps with one or two showers

The weekend is looking cloudy but one for the time of the year.

Good evening. Many of us had some welcome rain for the gardens

overnight. But away from the north-west, rain doesn't feature

heavily in the forecast for the next few days. We did have some good

sunshine. These were captured by Ted