01/11/2011 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today, with Kylie Pentelow and me, Dominic

Heale. Our top story tonight: Odd jobs for the elderly - a

council plans to double its charges. As a new round of cuts starts at

Nottinghamshire County Council, even the cost for pensioners to get

a light bulb changed is doubling. Also tonight, in with a gang. Now

children as young as eight will be taught to steer clear.

Plus, why aren't more health workers having v flu vaccine?

And will Cinderella go to the ball? We'll be looking at the months of

Good evening and welcome to Tuesday's programme. First tonight,

even more cuts are on the way at a council that's already shed 2,000

jobs. Today another 500 posts were marked as being at risk of

redundancy at Nottinghamshire County Council. The council says

despite making massive savings, it's now got to cut a further �12

million from its budget. That's leading to increases in charges for

some services, including the fee pensioners have to pay to get a

light bulb changed. Mike O'Sullivan is at County Hall and can tell us

more. Yes, we're in the middle of a three-year cuts cycle here at

Nottinghamshire County Council. In a moment, I'll be talking to a

union leader about the effects on jobs and morale. But with extra

cuts and savings now being made here, even the cost to older people

of getting the council to change a light bulb is going up.

The cuts planned at Nottinghamshire County Council are massive. �150

million over three years. Now the council says it needs to make

another �12 million of cutbacks on top of that. As well as making

cutbacks, the council is increasing its charges for it handy person

service. Jobs like changing a light beef -- a light bulb will go up

from �10 to �20. Some are not happy. I asked pensioners at an Asian

lunch club for their reaction. for that work was expensive enough.

Now 20 is unacceptable. Totally! cannot afford that all stop people

have got their gas bills up, their electricity up. The man in charge

of the finances defended the doubling of the fee for the handy

person service. I am sure that in this day and age, you can get

somebody else to change the light bulb for you in the community and

do not have to call up a special service. So overall, it is very

good value going forward. The new cuts are wide-ranging. They include

�1 million cut from the connections advice service for young people.

Saving around �520,000 will happen by switching off more street lights

and relief -- reducing Highways staff. The handy person scheme will

save the council �50,000 over two ideas. The savings made it could be

wiped out by just one elderly person being injured by falling off

a ladder, trying to change the light bulb on their own.

council still says it will workout at savings of �250 a day.

The council briefed staff today about which jobs were under threat.

I'm joined now by Martin Sleath from UNISON. What sort of posts

were marked as being potentially at risk today? We have not been given

all the details but we know of there are jobs largely in the

children and adults social care departments. They include jobs such

as community care officers and adult care team managers of adults

care services. Occupational therapists. When it hit the front

line? Inevitably. What's staff morale like at the council? You can

imagine that morale is very fragile in many cases. We heard in my

report there that the cost of the handy person service, doing jobs

like changing a light bulb for elders, is doubling. What do you

think of that? I think it is shameful and an attack on our most

vulnerable in society. The council says it is having to make these

cuts and savings because of increased pressures on his budgets.

Also things like having to pay for a lot more children in care and

things like inflation. Thank you.

Still to come on the programme, finding the Olympians of the future.

Could a set of simple measurements identify which of these children

will excel in sport? And although the mild temperatures

will continue, we have further rain A 32-year-old woman from Leicester

has appeared in court charged with the murder of her seven-month-old

baby girl. Carly Jakes from Netherhall Road appeared before

Leicester magistrates this afternoon, as Victoria Hicks

reports. For seven-month-old baby, called

Sky, was taken to hospital, as officers were called to Netherhall

Road on Sunday. A postmortem has taken place or stop the police say

further tests are being carried out to establish further how she died.

Her 32-year-old mother, charged with her murder, has appeared at

magistrates this afternoon. Carly Jaques appeared in the dock with

her neck and wrists bandaged. Crying into a tissue, she spoke

only to confirm her name, address and date of birth. She was remanded

in custody and will appear at Leicester Crown Court in two days'

time. The Transport Minister, Theresa

Villiers, has pulled out of a long- planned visit to Derby. Mrs

Villiers was due to be the keynote speaker at a rail conference on

Thursday. Supporters of Bombardier said they planned to be there to

protest over the Thameslink decision. Mrs Villiers is said to

have pulled out because of commitments in her constituency.

The police are staging a month-long knife amnesty in Derby. Rams

striker Nathan Tyson was on hand to lend his support to Operation

Jagger. Throughout November, anyone can hand in weapons at city police

stations with no questions being asked. The amnesty has been

organised by Operation Redshank, a specialist team set up to tackle

gang crime in the city. Amnesty's do get rid of some of the knives

but they are not the only thing we do. Sometimes we have no more,

kitchen knives handed in. But some of the knives you can see, you

would not want them anywhere near you or the place you live or work.

East Midlands Today has been told that children as young as eight are

going to be targeted as part of radical plans to tackle gang

violence in Nottingham. The city's begun recruiting an 18-strong team

who'll work with offenders, their families and schools. It's all part

of a detailed plan to deal with guns, gangs and knife crime. Our

social affairs correspondent, Jeremy Ball, reports.

It is not hard to find Nottingham's street gangs posturing on the

internet. There's a lot of bravado, but look at these weapons. City

officials reckon hundreds of children as young as 12 are being

sucked into street crime and some move on to drug dealings, mugging

and even organise violent crime. You would never think this has been

a hotspot for crime but you do not have to look too hard to see how

gangs and weapons have been ruining lives. You can see tributes to

Danielle, a teenage girl shot dead in the street. Next to here, the

faded graffiti tag of a gang and a rival area. It is a mark of

disrespect and it is designed to provoke. There honour rules. They

have to get the money for the buzz. It is nothing except joining a

gang... If giving your mate money. That is what everybody seems to be

on. In the past, it has been dealt with as a drugs problem. Police

targeted suspected dealers and their weapons as part of Operation

vanguard. A new strategy is aimed to prevent teenagers from joining

gangs are using support from families and asking schools to warn

children as young as eight about the dangers. There is disruption as

well, with mediation schemes, and medics could get training to deal

with battle-tied injuries. And they want to create new job

opportunities so people can earn money legally, to entice them out

of drugs. Nottingham City Council hopes it can make a significant

difference. Gun crime is nowhere near the problem is used to be but

there is complacency. We are committed to early intervention and

trying to get upstream of some of the issues that young people can

cause. It is a priority. Nobody knows how many gang disputes

involve guns and knives but many are suspected young criminals who

do not want the police involved. But innocent victims can get caught

in the crossfire. That is why dealing with gang violence is so

important. The NHS is hoping to get more

frontline workers to have the flu jab this autumn. Last winter in the

East Midlands, only a third of those eligible had the free

seasonal vaccine. Bosses say they're concerned about the low

take-up. They say nurses, doctors and other key workers should have

the jabs to protect themselves as well as patients. Our health

correspondent, Rob Sissons, reports. They are working really hard here

at the King's Mill hospital to get as many NHS staff are vaccinated as

possible. But why do people not want the jab either not go for it?

Caroline, a junior doctor, has her own ideas. Time. Making time for

the jab on a busy shift is a barrier. Taking 10 minutes out to

have the flu jab, it is difficult, and you might not prioritise it.

Last winter, only a third to cut the offer of a seasonal flu jab.

Sherwood Forest hospitals had one of the highest uptakes in the East

Midlands, at 50%. That compares favourably with Derby and Leicester

hospitals. One reason that they are doing better here is that the staff

come to visit and there are frequent clinics. But I was

surprised to hear that some nurses are frightened of needles. There is

a myth around having a vaccine and some people think it gives you the

flu either makes you sick. That is generally not the case. Experts

insist there of three are good reasons to get protected. It is

important to protect yourself from getting sick, not patients and of

family. It is difficult to get vaccinated when you are very busy

but the flexibility of more appointments and opportunities will

make sure staff have that opportunity. Last winter, there was

a last-minute rush as swine flu took hold. They are hoping to avoid

that this time around. You're watching East Midlands Today.

Coming up, the sport, weather and panto.

And don't shout about it too loud, but a very rare bird has just been

spotted here. Find out more later. It's thought that two or three

children in every classroom struggle to learn to read and write.

The charity Dyslexia Action says that with the right support and

teaching, the effects of the condition can be minimised. Carol

Hinds has been to see how one eight-year-old boy is getting extra

help to understand words and sounds. Dyslexia Action works closely with

people with the condition and Wade sees staff on a weekly basis at the

Nottingham centre. Dyslexia is difficulty with reading, writing

and spelling and it affects the memory and processing speed and

phonological awareness. Wade particularly has difficulties with

these processes, which is gritting sounds together to make words. That

obviously hindered his progress with reading and spelling. No, no...

Today we are going to be looking at the sound off A, made by these

words. We will be doing lots of activities learning that spelling

pattern and sound. We are playing tennis... Wade's grasp of words and

sounds is improving. For him, learning is fun because of the way

his progress is rewarded. Do you like coming here? Yes. What do you

like? The chocolate! When you get 15 stars, you get a treat.

staff say they will take as long as Wade needs to remember the words he

has learned that this week's session. We were visited again next

week to see what he has remembered. If he has not remembered it, we

will keep returning to it. Anybody concerned about themselves or a

family member should contact their local dyslexia Action Centre.

Hundreds of people from across the country have been flocking to the

Attenborough Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire, to point their

binoculars and cameras at an extremely rare bird. There have

only been three sightings of the squacco heron in the county in 130

years. But now it's returned, and Tom Brown went along to see it.

It's had people from all around the country twitching with excitement.

Over the past few days, more than 500 had gathered here on this

bridge to catch a glimpse of this - the squacco heron. Its appearances

in the East Midlands have been few and far between but the people here

were convinced it was worth the wait. I got back from South Wales

to see it and I am very impressed! Very impressive. It is like an

exotic butterfly. It has flown a long way to get here and there are

only three or four each year in Britain. It is a rarity. It has

been an amazing experience for us to see this incredibly rare heron

that has turned up at Attenborough. It is a life tick for me. I have

not seen one in this country or anywhere else in the world. I

arrived on Friday to see it and I cannot get enough. Although the

bird has not been seen in Nottinghamshire before, bird

watchers in Derbyshire have not been so lucky, until last weekend,

when the bird flew over the area awash, crossing over the county

border for the first time. It has flown on a number of occasions over

the field behind us, and has obviously appeared now on the

Derbyshire list. The bird is usually found in the slightly

sunnier climates of the Mediterranean and Middle East, but

with a unseasonably mild temperatures and an endless supply

of fish, it seems content to stay here in the East Midlands. And as

long as it is here, so will they be. Great pictures there. You like your

birds, don't you? I do! It is now time for the sport.

Before we start on Leicester, Forest and the rest, can I get you

to grab a pen and some paper. At the end of the bulletin, I'll be

giving you details of how to get tickets to join us at the BBC East

Midlands Sports Awards later this month. Be quick, because there's

lots going on, including Leicester City's trip to Burnley. Still no

new manager at the King Power Stadium. Can't be long now, surely?

I went to catch up with fans leaving for Lancashire.

As the Leicester faithful got ready for departure, one men kept

cropping up. Billy Davies. Billy Davies. Billy Davies. Perhaps a

slight surprise, but his record has clearly impressed. I know he has

been a Forest but the jockey has done with no money has been

fantastic. -- but the job he has done. He has been motivated,

successful where the egos. He knows the championship. Another familiar

name was in the frame. Pearson. has something to prove down here.

He has not said no yet, has the? Another person already mentioned.

It's somebody from abroad coming in and tying v Ts. We will wait and

see. Nottingham Forest are at home to

Reading, and for their new loan- signing it's another step on the

road, as Mark Shardlow reports. It was a New Year's Day he will

never forget. Greg Cunningham, then with Leicester, on the floor with

agony. His leg had been broken in a challenge. His three-month spell

with City came to an end. It has been tough physically and mentally.

A long road. But I was in good hands at City. I am now back

stronger. He made a good impression at Leicester. And eye for a free-

kick. But 10 months after his break, it is all about fitness, and on

Saturday, he lasted 85 minutes. had to come off with cramp. They

took me off as a precaution. Tonight, they come across a team

who have not lost for two months. But under new management, it seems

Forest is a happier place. The guys are fantastic and I have got on

really well. I want to settle down quickly. I have been enjoying the

game. Happier still if Cunningham can return to his best.

There's live commentary tonight on both Forest and Leicester on your

BBC local radio station, and we'll have some action on our late news

tonight, and all the goals here tomorrow night, when we're hoping

to have a very special guest live in the studio. As a clue, he's one

of the top names in sport at the moment.

Now, it may sound a little crazy, but one of our potential gold medal

winners at London 2012 had little interest in sport as a teenager.

She was "talent spotted". It's not quite the X Factor, but teams of

sports coaches are going into schools looking for future

Olympians. International canoe star Helen Barnes has been finding out

more for us. This is no ordinary PE less than.

From this bunch of children, talent spotters are hoping to find

potential Olympic medalists. They reckon that tests and measurements

can show them a potential top canoeist, he even though they may

never have been out in a boat before. These children are doing a

canoe slalom. The children selected will be given expert coaching over

the next few years. Certainly a fantastic opportunity. We are

hopeful that a number of the students, because we do have some

talented pupils who can go on to bigger and better things, and they

will progress and hopefully we will see them he NFU years' time at a

higher level. -- in a few years' time. A great opportunity.

should be able to experience what it is about. Rachel Cawthorn is a

European champion and Britain's most experienced and successful

Pabla. She was identified as school. It is giving people a chance to

have a go at something they did not really know about. Before I started,

I was not a sporty person. I used to swim about three, four times a

week. I did not think I had it been made to train like this. Like

others out there, I was waiting to be told. But the first stage of

testing is over and with the final 20 selected, it is time to have

some fun. At the end of the day, you have got to enjoy the sport to

invest yourself in it. As the coach made their final decisions, the

children are up for an amazing because I'm about to give you

details about how you join us on our big night, the BBC East

Midlands Sports Awards. It's going to be a great night with loads of

entertainment, at Loughborough University on Thursday 17th

November. And you get to see who we crown our East Midlands Sports

Personality of the Year. To be there you need to do something

rather old-fashioned. Send us a stamped, addressed envelope. It

needs to go to this address. We'll send back two tickets per

application and you need to apply Do join us if you can. It was a

great night a couple of years ago. Now, for many it might still seem a

bit too early to think about Christmas, but behind the scenes at

the Nottingham Playhouse, staff have been preparing for the festive

season for months. From elaborate sets to sequined costumes, the

annual pantomime is a grand affair, and we sent Geeta Pendse to see the

Whether it is outrageous dames or glittering sets, Christmas is not

Christmas without a pantomime for many. But creating the magic is no

easy feat. The team here at the Playhouse have been working on

their production of Cinderella has since May. The teams get through

550 litres of paint and 10 kilos of glitter. It starts in May, when the

design unveils the look of the show and then the construction and

painting begin. In the warehouse, they are unveiling of the horses

that will draw that all important Courage. We are finishing the

construction of the horses for Cinderella's carriage. We have

Tim's original model piece. And you can see they are about 3.5, four

metres tall. They are quite big. For many, it is the outrageous,

shoot -- costumes that are the shows dealers. Without a doubt, it

is the dames that have the most elaborate ones. Quite often, Helen

will phone me and say, how big can I go on this? Sometimes you have to

fly the dresses up into the ceiling so they are out of the way and a

wee drop them down on top of the performers. That is incredible!

There is something about panto that is unique. It is the only theatre

where people come to have actually have a good time and to take part

and get involved. The team have a few weeks left until the show opens

but I am sure Cinderella will go to the ball. Oh, no, she would! Be oh,

yes, she will! We were just thinking, we could be

the stand-ins. I can be Prince charming and you can be Cinderella.

So we are just looking for... Where are your two sisters?

How cheeky! We have had a lovely It will turn cooler but not

dramatically so overnight. Do send us your lovely weather pictures.

Keep them coming in. We have got this big area of low pressure. This

is the area that brought those freak snow storms and severe

blizzards to the east coast of America that we have been hearing

about in the news. It is heading our way. Before the children get

too excited, it will not be bringing snow, but some very strong

wind and rain, too. We have good, clear skies over much of the UK at

the moment, however. The rain is not too far away and we will see it

working its way towards us. Still keeping those clear spells

overnight and a little cooler than last night, but not dramatically so.

Mist and for to start the day tomorrow and if you do not wake up

to that, if it will be a nice, bright, sunny start. The cloud will

increase through the day, with temperatures not dissimilar to

today. Through much of daylight hours tomorrow, we'll stay in dry,

but then we see that next system working its way through. That will

bring rain overnight, clearing through Thursday, but into the

afternoon, we will see some short, sharp showers. A little unsettled

on Friday and a bit of a damp affair for your Bonfire Night on