:00:00. > :00:08.Welcome to BBC Points West with outlook is mixed. Thank you.
:00:09. > :00:12.Welcome to BBC Points West with David Garmston and Alex Lovdll. Our
:00:13. > :00:15.main story tonight: Back on the Levels ` residents return to their
:00:16. > :00:22.houses, but it will be months before they're home and dry. I'm
:00:23. > :00:24.accountable for everyone `` for everything I do and I would expect
:00:25. > :00:31.that from others. We'll be speaking to victims ahead
:00:32. > :00:36.of an expected visit by the Prime Minister later this week.
:00:37. > :00:40.Our other headlines tonight: Over 50 and thinking of retirement ` could
:00:41. > :00:44.buying property beat a penshon? How staying trim in middle `ge could
:00:45. > :00:48.add years to your life, and life to your years.
:00:49. > :00:50.And, in trouble on and off the pitch ` now Yeovil's plans for thdir
:00:51. > :01:04.stadium are blocked. `` put on hold. Good evening. The Prime Minhster is
:01:05. > :01:08.expected to visit Somerset this week to discuss the aftermath of flooding
:01:09. > :01:12.with civic leaders. It comes just a few days after the dredging work he
:01:13. > :01:14.ordered began on the Rivers Tone and Parrett.
:01:15. > :01:18.The floodwater has all but gone now but the damage it caused will take
:01:19. > :01:21.many months to repair. Our Somerset correspondent, Clinton Rogers, has
:01:22. > :01:22.been back to the village of Moorland eight weeks after the emergdncy
:01:23. > :01:32.evacuation. Spring in Moorland. Wherever you
:01:33. > :01:40.look they are stripping plaster pulling down walls, rebuildhng homes
:01:41. > :01:45.that were four feet deep in water. There is an army of builders in
:01:46. > :01:49.Moorland. Right now these homes are uninhabitable and are likelx to
:01:50. > :01:55.remain so for many months to come. It is why there is a high vhsibility
:01:56. > :01:57.police presence here. And at night road blocks check everyone coming
:01:58. > :02:07.into and leaving the villagd. Picture postcard from the ottside,
:02:08. > :02:10.but step inside John Griffin's home and you see exactly what flood
:02:11. > :02:24.recovery means ` pretty much starting from scratch. Back into
:02:25. > :02:26.almost a state when I purch`sed it but the outside looks reasonable
:02:27. > :02:30.compared to the inside. Coincidentally, the builder here ` a
:02:31. > :02:37.former councillor ` is one of those people who'll be meeting thd Prime
:02:38. > :02:42.Minister in Somerset tomorrow night. What will you say if you get a
:02:43. > :02:49.chance to talk to him? Who will be accountable for what they h`ve
:02:50. > :02:53.done. 130 homes destroyed and families displaced. Is someone going
:02:54. > :02:56.to be held accountable? We're not sure if the Prime Minister will
:02:57. > :03:04.visit flood victims while hd's here, but if he does come to Moorland I
:03:05. > :03:08.would offer him a cup of te` if I had a kettle!
:03:09. > :03:10.It's probably in the skip! BBC Somerset were broadcasting live from
:03:11. > :03:15.Moorland today, hearing movhng stories of the mental effect of the
:03:16. > :03:23.flooding. This mother says her children are still suffering.
:03:24. > :03:27.Nightmares in the middle of the night and crying because shd wants
:03:28. > :03:37.to go home. Not quite knowing where they are when they wake up. All that
:03:38. > :03:40.is setting in noun. `` now. We have been sacrificed in favour of the
:03:41. > :03:43.town. John Griffin has taken to verse to express his view that
:03:44. > :03:48.Moorland was deliberately flooded to save the town of Bridgwater. The
:03:49. > :03:54.Environment Agency says that's simply not true, excessive rain
:03:55. > :03:58.caused the flooding. From the air you can see that Moorland is now
:03:59. > :04:02.drying out. But here they are now calls for a public inquiry to
:04:03. > :04:09.determine why the floods cale so quickly and lasted so long. `` they
:04:10. > :04:14.are now calling for a public enquiry. Well, today MPs have been
:04:15. > :04:16.investigating the floods. In Parliament, the Environmdnt
:04:17. > :04:19.Committee heard from senior figures at the Environment Agency. Ht was
:04:20. > :04:22.revealed that fewer jobs ard being cut, with a pledge that front line
:04:23. > :04:26.staff will be protected. Thd chairman of the agency welcomed the
:04:27. > :04:36.start of dredging, but warndd it won't stop all flooding.
:04:37. > :04:41.If we had kept the rivers in that condition, it would almost certainly
:04:42. > :04:47.not have prevented the Somerset Levels from being flooded. What it
:04:48. > :04:56.would do is help us to clear the water away from the Somerset levels
:04:57. > :05:01.`` the Somerset Levels fastdr. Councils in Somerset and
:05:02. > :05:04.Gloucestershire have been awarded more than ?1 million to help them
:05:05. > :05:07.merge services. The biggest winners are Taunton Deane and West Somerset
:05:08. > :05:10.who're joining forces to st`ve off financial collapse.
:05:11. > :05:13.It's a turnaround for their deal which a few months ago faced strong
:05:14. > :05:15.criticism. Here's our polithcal editor, Paul Barltrop.
:05:16. > :05:18.For the two councils that h`d been staring into the financial `byss,
:05:19. > :05:21.today was very significant. Only five months ago, Taunton De`ne and
:05:22. > :05:24.West Somerset were turned down for government funding to help them
:05:25. > :05:27.merge all of their services. Critics said ministers weren't imprdssed.
:05:28. > :05:38.But they applied again, and today got ?750,000 ` one of the bhggest
:05:39. > :05:44.awards yet. Absolutely delighted. It is a real accolade for the Council.
:05:45. > :05:48.A vote of confidence in the two councils business plans and I
:05:49. > :05:52.particularly thank all the staff for the teamwork and huge amount of work
:05:53. > :05:54.they put in putting this pl`n together and, in fact, impldmenting
:05:55. > :05:58.it. They'd met the minister sevdral
:05:59. > :06:05.times. Now what they're doing in Somerset will be held up as an
:06:06. > :06:09.example for others. There are big opportunities to save the t`xpayer
:06:10. > :06:13.locally and then that money can be spent on front line services. From a
:06:14. > :06:18.central government point of view, it is a better use of taxpayers money
:06:19. > :06:20.and we will do what we can to help authorities deliver on that for the
:06:21. > :06:24.benefit of local people. Also being helped: A partnership
:06:25. > :06:26.involving the Forest of Dean, Cheltenham, Cotswold and West
:06:27. > :06:30.Oxfordshire councils. They're getting half a million pounds. They
:06:31. > :06:33.already share departments lhke finance and payroll and thex'll now
:06:34. > :06:36.go further. For the staff involved it can be unsettling. In Tatnton
:06:37. > :06:38.they're having to familiarise themselves with a new area. The pace
:06:39. > :06:51.of change is about to pick tp. It's a pension really the bdst way
:06:52. > :06:57.to save for your retirement should `` retirement or would you be better
:06:58. > :06:59.off buying a house or flat to rent out?
:07:00. > :07:05.This week, we have been looking at the cost of growing older whth a
:07:06. > :07:08.pensions expert. Tonight, otr business correspondent challenges
:07:09. > :07:11.him to challenge the altern`tives to the traditional pension pot. All
:07:12. > :07:16.week, I've been out with a lan passionate about pensions.
:07:17. > :07:21.Does it worry you about what you will live on in retirement? We took
:07:22. > :07:27.him to a Cheltenham care hole where they understand the cost of growing
:07:28. > :07:34.old. Yesterday, the entire workforce signed up to a new company pension
:07:35. > :07:40.scheme. And your employer ptts money and so it means you get mord
:07:41. > :07:45.savings. Yes. But this could be a tougher challenge. It is tile for
:07:46. > :07:49.Tom McPhail to meet his critics Not everyone thinks the pension industry
:07:50. > :07:56.is so clever. I want you to meet some people who think your hndustry
:07:57. > :07:59.is, frankly, a rip`off. We were working on pensions commisshon s
:08:00. > :08:03.systems and I could see how much these guys were getting paid. For
:08:04. > :08:09.Robin and Terry this is thehr pension pot ` bricks and mortar
:08:10. > :08:13.They saw the pension industry from the inside, writing the computer
:08:14. > :08:20.code that generates commisshon for the sales calls. They are on up to
:08:21. > :08:26.3% of initial commission followed by years of trails commissions and that
:08:27. > :08:30.got me in the gut. Quite galling. What gives you the most fear is that
:08:31. > :08:38.you are putting money into ` black hole and you don't see it until
:08:39. > :08:41.retirement age. This has had one external photo and 30 applicants
:08:42. > :08:48.viewed the property. It is `n easy place to market. So, for thd
:08:49. > :08:54.pensions and Pusey asked, hdre is a guided tour of an alternative. Robin
:08:55. > :08:57.and his friends have set up a small firm helping ordinary peopld by
:08:58. > :09:04.ordinary houses and make wh`t they claim are extraordinary profits We
:09:05. > :09:10.have a paramedic in Cheltenham who is now living in Spain. He has seven
:09:11. > :09:15.properties now. He said we have pulled forward his retirement plans
:09:16. > :09:20.by five years. He is living off the rental income and is able to buy
:09:21. > :09:27.another one soon. Do you have to be minted to get into property? I am
:09:28. > :09:32.not. If you have some equitx somewhere along the line yot can
:09:33. > :09:37.invest it in property. So otr houses the route to happiness in old age?
:09:38. > :09:45.Unsurprisingly, the pension man has his doubts. Everyone puts all their
:09:46. > :09:48.chips on blacks. I have bought my own home and I will leave it to
:09:49. > :09:55.generate spare cash to buy `nother home. If anything goes wrong with
:09:56. > :09:58.the property market I am sunk. How much did your parents pay for their
:09:59. > :10:06.first has and what is it worth today? Could you have saved that
:10:07. > :10:11.money any other way? It is not accessible for most people. If you
:10:12. > :10:17.are on a salary, the most sdnsible thing you can do is join thd
:10:18. > :10:21.employment pension scheme. Ly challenge is that most people in
:10:22. > :10:28.their 30s or 40s need to put a sizeable amount away every lonth. Up
:10:29. > :10:33.to ?500 to amount to any kind of pension. I `` I challenge whether
:10:34. > :10:41.people can find that extra cash these days. It is a huge galble as
:10:42. > :10:45.you are borrowing to invest. They argued back and forth. What do you
:10:46. > :10:51.think? Pension or property, which do you trust?
:10:52. > :10:57.I've been reading through the e`mails and a lot of them echoed
:10:58. > :11:02.both sides of the argument. However you choose to fund your rethrement
:11:03. > :11:07.it is equally important, in fact more important, to have your health.
:11:08. > :11:13.More than three quarters of you think that retirement is solething
:11:14. > :11:17.to look forward to. So we sdnt our health correspondent on the train to
:11:18. > :11:22.Minehead to find out what you can do now to stay fit in later life.
:11:23. > :11:31.The West Somerset Railway couldn't run if it didn't have volunteers.
:11:32. > :11:35.Many are retired. They find it a good way of keeping active,
:11:36. > :11:41.physically and mentally, and perhaps there are lessons I can learn.
:11:42. > :11:45.People in West Somerset leave `` live on average to an older age than
:11:46. > :11:51.anyone else in the country. Up the line, they live longer than anywhere
:11:52. > :11:56.else in Europe. I am coming here to get my health checked out to see
:11:57. > :12:02.what I can do to look forward to a healthier and happier old age. My
:12:03. > :12:09.first stop is at Minehead's main surgery. We will check your blood
:12:10. > :12:17.pressure. The government paxs deep peas to have health checks for
:12:18. > :12:21.people like me. The computer gives me a 6% chance of heart att`ck or
:12:22. > :12:25.stroke over the next decade. Apart from avoiding ladders, how can I
:12:26. > :12:31.improve my chances of a healthy retirement? If you lost somd weight
:12:32. > :12:36.that would effectively change your blood pressure, it would fall a bit,
:12:37. > :12:40.and you would be less likelx to become diabetic. It could rhsk ``
:12:41. > :12:46.push the small risk down evdn further. It is something th`t
:12:47. > :12:51.everyone, as they get older, should be thinking about as they gdt into
:12:52. > :12:57.their 40s if they want a long and happy life. They should look at
:12:58. > :13:03.their lifestyle. In Somerset, less than 4% of eligible adults `re given
:13:04. > :13:07.these tests. Doctor Ford thhnk it's better to help patients if they have
:13:08. > :13:13.specific concerns rather th`n test the worried well. There may be
:13:14. > :13:17.something else that is not diabetes. It may be a prost`te
:13:18. > :13:22.problem for someone in their 40s or 50s but it is worth exploring this
:13:23. > :13:28.with someone who is a health care professional to think, what do I
:13:29. > :13:32.need at this point in time, rather than something that could bd seen as
:13:33. > :13:41.a politically targeted drivdn screening check. For those patients
:13:42. > :13:49.who reach a ripe old age like this 96`year`old patient, taking exercise
:13:50. > :13:53.is a vital ingredient. It is to keep everyone active and they have a lot
:13:54. > :14:00.of fun. It brings the community together and it keeps peopld
:14:01. > :14:07.flexible and be able to comb hair, reach cupboards and so on.
:14:08. > :14:10.My GP told me it can also bd a mistake to be attracted to the sea
:14:11. > :14:16.air and retire here if you don't know anyone as that can lead to
:14:17. > :14:20.isolation and mental illness. Keep in the mind exercised with difficult
:14:21. > :14:26.challenges is also essential. For me, retirement seems a long way off
:14:27. > :14:30.but according to people likd Doctor Ford you cannot start plannhng
:14:31. > :14:33.things in terms of your health soon enough.
:14:34. > :14:40.So, the message from Matthew's GP is very much you can't start planning
:14:41. > :14:44.too early for your old age. With us in the studio is Grdg
:14:45. > :14:47.Thorley who is the Director of Life Academy. They run pre`retirdment
:14:48. > :14:57.courses helping people to plan for all aspects of retirement, not just
:14:58. > :15:03.financial. You are independdnt. So what are the main concerns people
:15:04. > :15:08.come to you with. Finance is the main concern. Whilst
:15:09. > :15:12.that is important, we help them understand broader issues to
:15:13. > :15:17.consider for retirement. Such as, the extra time they will have and
:15:18. > :15:23.the effect of retirement on their relationships. Also, the loss of
:15:24. > :15:31.status and social circles `` circle circles associated with a
:15:32. > :15:38.workplace. How early should people plan? People think about it in their
:15:39. > :15:46.50s and we are encouraging people to think it `` think about it darlier,
:15:47. > :15:52.say in their 30s. 30 or 40 xears ahead? We have to think abott
:15:53. > :15:57.longevity as we are all livhng longer so retirement very often can
:15:58. > :16:06.be as long as some people 's working lives. But you don't want to live ``
:16:07. > :16:13.wish your life away either? I am not suggesting you focus all yotr time
:16:14. > :16:21.on it but financial education should start in schools. We all tend to
:16:22. > :16:25.leave it. We all think of cliff edge retirement, we reach retirelent
:16:26. > :16:33.having not thought about it. Why is that? We live in a culture where we
:16:34. > :16:39.can do things pretty immedi`tely in the moment. At least in the last 25
:16:40. > :16:44.years. With the recent financial situation, that has changed to some
:16:45. > :16:50.degree as people have got used to planning. So it is a product of our
:16:51. > :16:53.times and recently we have dnjoyed holidays and cars etc. That is good
:16:54. > :16:59.but we need to help people to think of tomorrow.
:17:00. > :17:07.It is interesting what you say about lifestyle changes. Coming up a
:17:08. > :17:10.little later in the programle: One of the original grumpy old women,
:17:11. > :17:19.Jenny Eclair shares her thotghts on growing older. At 54, it is not too
:17:20. > :17:24.bad. There will be some at home saying, she looks older!
:17:25. > :17:29.It's "Onesie Wednesday", a day for stepping out of your ordinary
:17:30. > :17:34.clothes and into something lore comfortable, like a onesie or
:17:35. > :17:38.pyjamas. The idea is to show support for anyone with autism by bding
:17:39. > :17:41."different" for the day. Around 700,000 people have the
:17:42. > :17:43.condition in the UK, but it remains a largely unknown and misunderstood
:17:44. > :17:54.disability. Zoe Gough reports. Tea, cakes and onesies. Tod`y is
:17:55. > :17:56.about taking people out of their comfort zone on World Autisl
:17:57. > :18:06.Awareness Day because doing things differently is a way of lifd for
:18:07. > :18:14.some. I don't get embarrassdd easily. Sometimes I say things I
:18:15. > :18:20.shouldn't. Sometimes people tend to walk out and I tend to throw what
:18:21. > :18:27.they would call a strop. Get too close to people. Touch them when
:18:28. > :18:30.they don't want to be touchdd. Yet. In Taunton, sleepwear was m`tched
:18:31. > :18:39.with chains of office as thd mayor and senior councillors also took
:18:40. > :18:44.part. It's a really good catse to support and make people stop and
:18:45. > :18:47.think twice about being mean to somebody who looks different.
:18:48. > :18:54.It's thought around 67 millhon people worldwide have autisl. In the
:18:55. > :18:57.UK, it's more than one in 100. There's no medical detection or
:18:58. > :19:00.cure, but early diagnosis ilproves outcomes. Today is about helping
:19:01. > :19:11.those with the condition be less misunderstood. Everybody is
:19:12. > :19:14.different and I would just say respect everybody. You will then get
:19:15. > :19:22.respect back no matter what the problem is, I think.
:19:23. > :19:28.An inquest into a motorway crash that killed seven people in Somerset
:19:29. > :19:32.has heard from members of the near where it `` nearby rugby cltb which
:19:33. > :19:37.hosted a firework display the same evening. The organiser has been
:19:38. > :19:43.cleared of wrong doing alre`dy. Today, an inquest into the deaths
:19:44. > :19:45.heard how the club was unable to find an original risk assessment for
:19:46. > :19:50.the display and Howard calldd an emergency committee meeting after
:19:51. > :19:54.news of the crash filtered through. The inquest continues.
:19:55. > :19:57.An Avon Somerset police officer is to stand trial accused of assaulting
:19:58. > :20:01.magistrates heard how PC Gary magistrates heard how PC Gary
:20:02. > :20:03.Tester, seen here in the julper was arrested after Wiltshire Police
:20:04. > :20:06.officers were called to the Premier Inn during the early hours of
:20:07. > :20:11.January 19th following a disturbance. PC Tester, who pleaded
:20:12. > :20:15.appear before Chippenham magistrates Sullivan, by beating, was b`iled to
:20:16. > :20:19.appear before Chippenham magistrates in August.
:20:20. > :20:24.It's still not known if Yeovil Town Football Club will be able to fund
:20:25. > :20:27.the redevelopment of its ground The club wants to build a large
:20:28. > :20:30.supermarket on land next to Huish Park to pay for a new all sdater
:20:31. > :20:33.stand. But Councillors in South Solerset
:20:34. > :20:39.have deferred a decision on whether to grant planning permission for the
:20:40. > :20:48.store. Our sports editor, Alistair Durden, is at Huish Park now.
:20:49. > :20:54.This has been Yeovil Town's home since 1990. He wished part, since
:20:55. > :20:59.the days they were a non`le`gue club. They have now risen up the
:21:00. > :21:05.league and that is why the club says they need to upgrade their
:21:06. > :21:09.facilities. They think they have found a way to pay for it. This is
:21:10. > :21:14.brand`new all`seater stand to the ambition for Yeovil Town,
:21:15. > :21:21.brand`new all`seater stand to replace the ageing open terraces.
:21:22. > :21:29.The club says is it `` it is at a crossroads and the redevelopment is
:21:30. > :21:36.essential if it is to sustahn its success. If we are going to keep
:21:37. > :21:40.progressing and be a club for the fans where they are comfort`ble and
:21:41. > :21:45.in a nice environment, the ground is tatty at the moment. We are talking
:21:46. > :21:51.about level playing fields but we haven't got one. Today, club
:21:52. > :21:57.officials and fans filled the chamber to see the plan approved but
:21:58. > :22:01.local councillors wanted thd scheme rejected because of concerns over
:22:02. > :22:07.traffic and the effect on the town centre. Also, the loss of a public
:22:08. > :22:12.open space despite the football club offering ?2 million to find an
:22:13. > :22:18.alternative. South Somerset council agreed to defer the verdict for two
:22:19. > :22:20.months to address those concerns. It is the best news we could h`ve
:22:21. > :22:40.received to date. The attempt to keep up with a rapid
:22:41. > :22:45.rise is proving a hard challenge. Yeovil Town might consider today as
:22:46. > :22:49.something of a moral victorx. They didn't have much support amongst the
:22:50. > :22:56.town and parish councillors but now they have two months to refhne the
:22:57. > :23:01.News today about Bristol Rovers News today about Bristol Rovers
:23:02. > :23:05.redevelopment plans as well? Yes, the campaigners who were
:23:06. > :23:08.objecting to a Sainsbury is being built at the Memorial Staditm have
:23:09. > :23:14.confirmed they will not takd their case to the Court of Appeal which,
:23:15. > :23:19.effectively, is the last obstacle gone for Bristol Rovers so they can
:23:20. > :23:24.start work on building the stadium. I am told they hope to have that
:23:25. > :23:30.started on time this summer. They have a battle on the pitch to sort
:23:31. > :23:34.out first. Last night 's defeat means there is the little threat of
:23:35. > :23:37.above the drop zone with six games above the drop zone with six games
:23:38. > :23:43.left of the season. Some work to do there.
:23:44. > :23:47.Thank you Alasdair. This week we have been hearhng about
:23:48. > :23:59.getting older and from some of our best loved `` loved comedians. Jenny
:24:00. > :24:07.eclair will be launching her show, "Grumpy Old Women". We asked if
:24:08. > :24:13.growing older models `` bothers her. It doesn't really bother me. I am
:24:14. > :24:21.representing the youthful end of the ageing spectrum at the moment. But
:24:22. > :24:25.daily it is getting worse! Ht is something you can't deny so you have
:24:26. > :24:32.to kind of get on with it. That s my mother says, it is not for sissies.
:24:33. > :24:38.I'm 54 so it is not too bad. At this point there will be people `t home
:24:39. > :24:42.saying oh, she looks older. Jenny, how do you approach getting
:24:43. > :24:47.older? There are days when I don't think
:24:48. > :24:52.about it, but other days my knees plate like gunfire as I get out of
:24:53. > :24:58.bed and I am reminded. Then I walk past the "mean mirror" is in my
:24:59. > :25:03.bathroom and that reminds md. Basically, if you want to ignore it
:25:04. > :25:10.you can take your glasses. Stand further away from the mirror and
:25:11. > :25:17.dimmer switches can be very kind. But there are perks. I do no more
:25:18. > :25:25.staff and I am not afraid to use that knowledge. I do feel vdry much
:25:26. > :25:28.that I am allowed to... Not throw my road `` wait around because that
:25:29. > :25:34.sounds nasty, although I have moments, but I am allowed to say,
:25:35. > :25:39.know I am rather `` I write because I know such and such.
:25:40. > :25:45.We have put that on our Facdbook page if you want to see it `gain.
:25:46. > :25:51.Let us cross to Ian who is on the roof.
:25:52. > :25:59.Thanks very much. Generally, the further west you are you will see
:26:00. > :26:08.the bulk of the weather. Further eastwards, less so. There whll be a
:26:09. > :26:14.lot of cloud around. A broadly dried picture now but we usher showers
:26:15. > :26:18.from the south later tonight and more particularly in the early
:26:19. > :26:28.hours. They will pass prettx much directly over Bristol. After that,
:26:29. > :26:33.Exmoor could get quite a so`king. And the uplands of West Somdrset.
:26:34. > :26:39.Broadly dried this evening but one or two showers feed up as the night
:26:40. > :26:44.wears on. It will be towards daybreak that the next set of
:26:45. > :26:52.whether shows from the south. Mild temperatures tonight. Tomorrow we
:26:53. > :26:57.start with a lot of cloud. Generally dried towards the east but dven a
:26:58. > :27:06.few showers here. Showers in the West will be quite heavy at times
:27:07. > :27:13.with a possible rumble of thunder. Late afternoon, the showers will
:27:14. > :27:21.drift away and things will dry out. Dry conditions for Friday. Lower
:27:22. > :27:27.temperatures tomorrow than today. Beyond tomorrow, Friday will be
:27:28. > :27:29.better with light rain on S`turday. Sunday will turn a good deal wet and
:27:30. > :27:43.windy. Thank you. BBC Two in a few minutes
:27:44. > :27:47.Nigel Clegg and Nigel Farah drilled debate over the EU.
:27:48. > :27:49.See later.