15/02/2012 BBC Points West

probably before retirement. He lived alone in the beautiful

vicarage and tonight police are trying to piece together what

happened from when he finished a church service on Monday morning

until his body was found at 10:20am yesterday morning. At just after

3pm this afternoon the police announced that they have made an

arrest. Our Home Affairs Correspondent reports.

The murder investigation has been intense. The police were searching

every inch of ground for vital pieces of evidence before

announcing they had made an arrest. I can confirm that the body found

yesterday in the vicarage was Reverend John Suddards. He suffered

multiple stab wounds. Therefore, this is now a murder investigation.

A 43-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The 43

year-old suspect, who has not been named, was arrested late last night

here in Thornbury. He is now being questioned by murder squad

detectives. No murder weapon has been found. And as yet, police are

no closer to discovering the motive for this killing, which has left

this community without their parish priest. John Suddards was last seen

alive at 12:30pm Monday lunchtime, and the man leading the hunt for

his killer made this appeal for the public's help. The Reverend had

only lived here a few months and we do not have a good understanding of

his friends and family at the moment. We do not know who visited

him so we are appealing for the people he went to church and who

knew him to come forward and tell us what they knew about him. Who

visited him? Who were the people he associated with? In particular, I

am keen to speak to anybody who saw the referent after 12:30pm on

Monday. Already, the police have been told of local sightings of the

suspect before Reverend Suddards' body was found. He was discovered

lying on the hall floor when two builders were let into the house by

a caretaker. Detectives now have an initial 48 hours to question the

man. He has not yet been charged with any offence.

The vicarage is in an idyllic part of the town, just next to Thornbury

Castle, which once hosted Henry the VIII and Anne Boleyn. It is rather

off the beaten track. We do not know what happened inside, but all

vicars are used to troubled souls are turning up at odd hours,

looking for help. As the local archdeacon said, this attack is a

reminder that the clergy can be vulnerable. Sadly, this event

highlights of the vulnerable nature of parish ministry in some of our

communities today. We will, of course, in the coming months,

continue to bring our care and support in every way we can to the

people of the Thornbury. We do not know if that is relevant to this

inquiry yet, but it is an obvious line of the police investigation

and I suspect judges up and down the country are reviewing their

security tonight. The church is still cordoned off tonight but in a

small chapel down the road, the congregation met to pray this

morning. Steve Knibbs reports on the impact that the vicar's violent

death has had on the community. The killing of Reverend John

Suddards has struck at the very heart of this community. Despite

only being the vicar of Thornbury for the past six months, people

that knew him talk of his kindness and sincerity. Those closest were,

understandably, from within the Church. He was a very gentle man.

He was very friendly. He did not necessarily speak out but when he

said something, you thought yes, I need to listen to that. I would

like to share with you this morning in this Eucharist as you come to

terms with tragedy. At a special service in Thornbury this morning,

the Bishop of Tewkesbury said the congregation were part of a fallen

humanity where tragic events happen. A reminder that this tragic event

shows murder does not discriminate its victims. It is a very difficult

time for all of us and I think all of us are in shock and it is really

hard. Whilst Thornbury takes in the horror of the murder, the

shockwaves are being felt elsewhere. A few miles away, overlooking the

River Severn, stands the church of St Arilda in Oldbury. John Suddards

was the vicar here, too, and in his short time in the parish had come

to be highly respected. It is so tragic, such a waste. He was always

friendly, always joined in everything. He was always on time

and always had a good word for everybody and spoke to everyone. I

thought the world of him. I do not know how we are going to cope

without him. So often when killings such as this happen in a community,

the church becomes a focal point, a place to grieve, reflect and ask

why. This time it is different because the Church is at the very

centre of his investigation, an investigation into the killing of

the one man in his community who would have been there to help

anyone who needed it. There has been a church here for

900 years. It seems so real to see it sealed off with officers inside.

Even these days, because can be the pillar of the community, and when

they fall, the community shatters. -- vicars of the pillar of the

community. Now the rest of the day's news.

The number of people out of work here in the West it is up again,

with an extra 3,000 people signing on since before Christmas. And now

two hotspots in Wiltshire have been identified where joblessness

amongst the young is a major issue. One is in Swindon, the other is in

Calne, where our reporter has spent the day.

It is one of the Aldys market towns in Wiltshire but this area of Calne

is in trouble, with the highest unemployment rates for 16 to 24

year-olds in the country. It is terrible. There is no way of

getting a job. Not around here. Apprenticeships and stuff you have

to go away to get. I got sacked for not turning up. I really need a job.

There is nothing to do. But every time I go and ask for a job they

say they will call me and they never do. One of those desperate

for work is his 18-year-old. It is really hard. I have been trying for

quite a while and I am not getting anywhere. She has now turned to her

father for help. He manages the local community hub and has started

a job club to help young people with their CVs as well as teaching

them computer skills. So what is the long-term plan to improve the

employment situation here? We have to make sure be introduced more

apprenticeships, attract more visitors to our local area, all

taken responsibility for the young people within our community, do the

best we can. Offer them any opportunity for work experience

that will improve their CV. Having spent the day here, the message to

get from the young people is that there are too few jobs and there

are too many people going for them when they are available. But the

problem is that they do not have enough money to travel outside this

area. The town elders here are saying it is not all doom and gloom.

They are trying to get his next generation into employment but they

say it is not a long-term project - - it is a long-term project, not a

short-term solution. Our reporter has spent the day

quenching the unemployment numbers. What have you found? I have been

looking particularly at that issue of youth unemployment and where our

reporter was in pockets of Swindon and Calne, you find one in eight

the young people without work, double the average for the West

Country. The problem is they are in a very competitive marketplace

because the figures show today there has been a slow but

incremental rise of joblessness across the West Country for about

the last year and this month is no different. So those youngsters in

the report, PEOPLE who may have been laid off at some point in the

last year. -- up against people. They are skilled so it is difficult

to get on the job ladder. It is an employer's' market place so they

can pick and choose who they want if they have the confidence to

higher in the first place. Next, to Hinkley Point in Somerset,

where French energy company EDF wants to build two new nuclear

reactors. Today a row has broken out between EDF and one of the

local councils about who should be paying for vital research. Sedgmoor

District Council says it is unwilling to use public money to

fund the work but unless EDF pays it will raise council taxes. There

has been a nuclear power station on this site in Somerset since Hinkley

At last, Hinkley Point has gone into production...

Back then, nuclear power was new and the station was broadly

welcomed as the obvious answer to our growing energy needs. Hinkley A

was followed by Hinkley B, which is still generating but due to stop

within the next five to ten years. Now plans are afoot for Hinkley C,

but this time nuclear energy is a bit more controversial and the

process is a bit more complicated. We will not actually find out

whether Hinkley C is to be given the go-ahead for a long time yet,

possibly not until the end of the year or the beginning of 2013.

Before then, there are many complicated consultation processes

to be carried out, concerning jobs and safety, but also the impact of

the proposed reactors, and their construction on the local area. It

is down to the local councils to scrutinise the plans and represent

the interests of residents but it is a time-consuming and expensive

prices. One of those in false Sedgmoor District Council. They say

it is costing them �250,000 a month. Next month, the funding from EDF is

due to run out. The councils involved are hoping for a further

�2.3 million from EDF. If they do not get it, they say they will have

to consider raising council tax. the money is not forthcoming we

will have really big difficulties in terms of representing our

communities at the examination process. It will result in a

challenge to the integrity of the process. As ever, the subject of

nuclear energy is an emotive one. Many people here are in favour of

the jobs and opportunities promised by Hinkley C. Others are worried

about potential safety issues and think we should be investing in

renewable energy instead of nuclear. Whatever the outcome, the more

pressing issue today seems to be who should pay to help those

decisions to be made. I spoke to Richard Mayson from EDF

Energy and put it to him that if the company wants the reactors they

should be the ones to pay for the research. Absolutely. We are fully

committed to paying the proper costs of the council's through this

process and we have already paid those costs over the last three

years, amounting to something like �30 million. But Sedgmoor Council

say it is costing them �250,000 a month and that is a lot for a small

council to find so presumably they need more. I think we should get

around the table and actually talk through the amount that is needed

in the next six months. The prices we are going through his frenetic

and withing the largest costs have already happened. We are keen to

talk it through with the council rather than having a debate in the

media. How is your relationship with the cancer? We have had a good

relationship. -- with the council. But on this occasion I would really

like to sit around the table and get stuck into the numbers because

so far we have not had any side of their assertions on the amount of

cost. It would seem there is some tension here because they are

saying they revert going to have to put council tax up all one side

will not be properly represented in the consultation, if you do not

provide more money. I can give you categorical assurance that EDF

Energy will not be the party that would lead to the rise in council

tax. Almost 500,000 people in our region

are living in fuel poverty. That means that a quarter of us are

spending more than 10% of what we earn on fuel. For some, it means

having to make a choice between heating and food. But what happens

to the money we spend? We have been finding out.

Across the West thousands of us are paying more on our fuel bills than

ever before. Electricity and gas bills have doubled in the past six

years. They do vary, but the average combined electricity and

gas bill is now more than �1,200 a year. So where does our money go?

Well, nearly half of it goes just on buying the gas and generating

the electricity that we need. Then there is the cost of getting it to

our homes, about 19% of the total bill. About 7% of the bill is spent

on the Government's green energy initiatives. 5% goes on VAT. What

is left is about a fifth of the bill. It is used to keep the system

in good shape. The leftover is the profit, for the firms and their

shareholders. This is the part of the bill that is the most

contentious, because there is no way of really finding out how much

of it goes back into the company. Quite tight budgets at the moment.

We are aware we are paying a lot and do not seem to be getting much

back. There is not one price and people get very confused when they

see different offers. The whole system is very complicated. Yes,

too expensive, the same as everything else. Everything going

up. Big organisations take a lot of money. They are all in profit. I do

not see why they need to be charging us that much. We asked for

six energy companies to talk to us about their finances, but none were

available for comment. The Energy Retail Association gave us the

But Ofgem, the energy regulator, save that profit is nearer �125 per

household. And that is the problem - nobody can really agree how much

Tomorrow Luke will be looking at some of the communities in the West

that are clubbing together to lower their fuel bills. John Gething runs

a community co-operative in north Somerset. We are in changing times.

People find that hard. People have been used to switching on and the

power flowing. Climate change, fuel prices, fuel is getting short in

supply. All these things are coming together. You can find out how you

can change that as well tomorrow evening on Points West.

The charge for driving across Clifton Suspension Bridge could

double later this year. The trustees say the increase of 50

pence to �1 is needed to pay for vital repairs. The proposal needs

to be approved by the Department 400 street lights in Swindon that

were switched off last year to save money had to be switched back on

again. The council says it is responding to the public who were

unhappy about the original decision. But switching the lights back on

and running them for a year will cost �30,000.

That is �10,000 more than the switch-off was originally meant to

save. They still tower over roads

throughout Swindon but for the last few months, these lights have been

purely for show. Back in July, the local council decided that to save

money it would switch off lights like this one. It believed it could

save �20,000 by pulling the plug on these lights for a year. The

problem is, the council did not reckon on the anger that the

decision would cause. From people like Mike Rendall. He is a member

of a running club near Swindon. He feels switching these lights off

made his sport of choice more dangerous. It is a small town and

there are not that many routes to choose from. So the council has

bowed to public opinion and pending approval at a meeting tonight the

lights are going back on. I hope that more people would embrace this

idea. We felt it was a sensible thing to trial, with a view to

expanding in later on. But given the public reaction, we decided it

probably was not going to get public acceptance and was not worth

fighting. Across the West, local authorities are saving thousands by

turning off the street lights. Here in Clevedon, a man died over

Christmas when he was hit by a car on a road where the lights had been

turned off. Here, the decision to put lights back on received a mixed

response today. There are other things that perhaps they should

prioritise. If the safety of local people is at risk, it is a good

idea. The council says it will cost �30,000 to keep the lights on for

the next year. It has got savings to make but it seems this

particular bright idea may not be Mixed fortunes for our football

sides last night. Bristol left it late became a way with a draw in

the dying minutes. The Battle of League 2 continues to heat up.

With just two points separating the top six sides in League 2,

Swindon's victory over Crawley could prove crucial come the end of

the season. The highlight, this stunning strike, helping Torfaen to

their Sikh straight win. The boss watched from the stands because of

his third touchline ban of the season. They gave me the

opportunity to watch the game from the stand. Normally when I stay in

aid to doubt, I have to watch the game because I do not have a clear

picture. Cheltenham went down 1-0 at home to fellow promotion rivals

Torquay, although they remain second in the table. We have a good

side with good players. We just need to work through a little

sticky patch we're having. Bristol Rovers suffered their first defeat

since Mark McGhee took charge, losing 1-0 to Shrewsbury but the

comeback of the Nat Dem at Ashton Gate, Bristol City looking to be

heading for another defeat as they slipped two goals behind at Crystal

Palace. The striker came on as a second-half substitute and scored

twice to rescue a point. The equaliser came in stoppage time.

They were full of sheer determination. Yeovil Town moved

four points clear of the League 1 relegation zone with a 3-2 win at

There are normally bitter rivals, going head-to-head in a highly

competitive market, but today six of the West's independent brewers

have joined forces. To celebrate their tipple of choice, they are

creating a special brand of beer in time for next month's Bristol Beer

Festival. Our reporter was knocking on the brewery tours the first

thing this morning. -- doors. A champagne breakfast, but with

beer. Well, this is a brewery. And yes, somebody has organised this

get together. Why? Because of this, a new one of beer that six Bristol

and Bath brewers are developing together. We wanted to bring the

local breweries together to create a beer for the Bristol Beer

Festival and to celebrate what we think is the greatest drink and, in

the cider city, to give beer its fair due. So what is the

collaborative concoction that will not cider off its perch? Right now,

it is a very pungent mash that smells like warmth that for us the

real soap in Oval team and then sprinkle lightly over hot porridge

but should turn out to be a special blend of flavours. You have the

mould which can create flavours like bread, toasted, rested

flavours. Caramel. And then you have the hops And you can lead

those two great tropical fruit flavours. I like to think of them

as different colours on a palate. This beer will be a dark beer,

slightly smoky, full-bodied and smooth. That is what it will be

like, but not just yet. Beer takes a lot longer to make than to

consume. It has been rushed in there and now it is being fed into

this Vettel where the hops are being added. Then you add the yeast,

in one of these fermenters, where the beer will ferment. From there

it would go into casques and cakes into bottles and finally into

classes when it is launched at the next month's Bristol Beer Festival.

A collaborative concoction, I like that.

The weather. It has been very mild. Yes. It is mild at the moment due

to a ridge of high pressure anchored in the Atlantic. It is

keeping things static for a few days but it will come to relent. At

the weekend, out-polled system begins to sweep Tara Andy does

herald all changed. We turned to frosty weather. These were some of

It is because of relatively mild air mixed with very good spells of

sunshine. Decent breaks in the cloud. Everywhere saw a little bit

of sunshine combined with the mild air. Some of the breaks in the

Plaid continued to write and where that happens it will be chilly in a

few places. -- cloud continues to arrive. Chilly for some. Tomorrow

morning, that is. But almost a repeat performance. A fair amount

of power. Some breaks here and there. Beeson does have a decent

amount of warmth. Double figures in many places. Maybe, with the

moisture coming in from the Atlantic, some chances of patchy

light rain and drizzle. It will not amount to a great deal. There are

the statistics for tomorrow. Visibility has been good. Into

tomorrow evening and night time, again we are looking at a cloudy

picture. Retaining the mild air. Friday, we do it all over again.

Cloudy and breezy at times but mild. Change comes at the weekend with

the cold weather front moving down. Frosty on Saturday and Sunday night

Let's go back to David in Thornbury this evening after the police

confirmed the local vicar was found stabbed to death in his own

vicarage. Some fresh information, in the last

few minutes the police have asked for extra time to question the man

that they have arrested. This church has been here for a long

time and perhaps religion plays a less a part in the life of the

community than when it was built but the murder of a vicar is deeply

troubling. It jars with the gentle rhythm of parish life. Tonight the