:00:00. > :00:19.Tonight: Shouldering the burden of Town Hall spending cuts.
:00:20. > :00:26.Councils in the East Midlands, according to new findings, `re
:00:27. > :00:30.taking some of the biggest cuts across the country, but is that
:00:31. > :00:33.fair? Also tonight: The seven`year`old found dead in a flat.
:00:34. > :00:41.The woman accused of murderhng her is her aunt. And, the real`life War
:00:42. > :00:45.Horse. Songs that survived the fighting and died peacefullx in
:00:46. > :00:50.Leicestershire. He was buridd with full military honours, incltding the
:00:51. > :00:58.medals awarded to him during the First World War.
:00:59. > :01:03.First tonight, many of our most valued council
:01:04. > :01:06.services in the East Midlands are facing some of the biggest spending
:01:07. > :01:13.A new report says the budget squeeze is particularly noticeable on road
:01:14. > :01:18.The findings come from the Chartered Institute of Publhc
:01:19. > :01:25.So, is the East Midlands missing out, and is that fair?
:01:26. > :01:28.We'll be putting that point to a leading Conservative MP in ` moment.
:01:29. > :01:40.First, this report from our Political Editor John Hdss.
:01:41. > :01:45.Protesters gathered outside the headquarters of Derbyshire County
:01:46. > :01:49.Council today. They wanted their voices heard as councillors inside
:01:50. > :01:54.voted on big budget cuts to council services for the homeless. What this
:01:55. > :01:58.means in real terms is going from working with 400 young people every
:01:59. > :02:03.year to 40 for the whole of Derbyshire. The protesters were
:02:04. > :02:06.invited to make their case. Our local politicians have been trying
:02:07. > :02:10.to make their case over what they say is the disproportionate impact
:02:11. > :02:14.of Treasury audit budget cuts. As the last four years in East Midlands
:02:15. > :02:18.today, we have reported on the warning and impact of austerity
:02:19. > :02:21.budget cuts that have domin`ted the decision`making of our local
:02:22. > :02:25.councillors. For example, at County Hall in Nottingham they havd shed
:02:26. > :02:30.almost 800 posts in recent xears, and this new report confirms the
:02:31. > :02:33.extent of the budget cuts, `nd which services in particular across the
:02:34. > :02:38.East Midlands are vulnerabld. Total spending is forecast to fall by 4.1%
:02:39. > :02:48.this year. That is the second highest in England. That colpares
:02:49. > :02:50.with 2.9% in the West Midlands, and 1.8% in the Northwest. Only the
:02:51. > :02:55.north`east, at 5%, has a bigger cut. The national average for England is
:02:56. > :02:59.3.3%. This is the big figurd. 29.1%. When adjusted for inflation,
:03:00. > :03:03.this is the reduction in local authority spending since thd
:03:04. > :03:07.coalition came to power. Lehcester City mayor says it is time local
:03:08. > :03:12.councils were less dependent on Treasury grants to fund loc`l
:03:13. > :03:15.services. Urban authorities like Leicester, Derby and Nottingham
:03:16. > :03:19.ought to have the flexibility to raise their revenue from a luch
:03:20. > :03:24.wider range of sources. We need to be able to look at the largd
:03:25. > :03:29.supermarkets, or those who benefit from our services like hotels. Elise
:03:30. > :03:33.spending in the East Midlands is down by 2.4%, the highest in England
:03:34. > :03:39.it is the same for highways. Those potholes will take longer to
:03:40. > :03:45.prepare. Dash`macro repair. Joining us now is the Sherwood MP M`rk
:03:46. > :03:52.Spencer. It does not look f`ir, does it? No, but some figures ard
:03:53. > :03:58.misleading. Looking at educ`tion, the funding to an academy goes
:03:59. > :04:05.directly to the schools. Also, the pothole fund, has extra mondy as
:04:06. > :04:09.well. When you think about the West Midlands, the difference is almost
:04:10. > :04:13.double to us. You have to understand in the East Midlands historhcally,
:04:14. > :04:17.we have been better off than some of those other areas further south
:04:18. > :04:21.Does that mean we had more hand`outs from the government? Per capita we
:04:22. > :04:26.are still better off than some of those in the south`east. But we need
:04:27. > :04:29.to be more efficient with the way we spend our money. Talking about
:04:30. > :04:35.efficiency, somebody in that report said they would helping 400 young
:04:36. > :04:39.people and that has gone down to 40. One would assume that the 360 not
:04:40. > :04:44.getting help in years to cole I going to use up even more money
:04:45. > :04:46.That is a classic example of a mistake, putting front line
:04:47. > :04:54.services, rather than looking at backline costs. In my consthtuency I
:04:55. > :04:58.have got for local authoritx Chief Executive is. I think we cotld be
:04:59. > :05:03.smarter in the way we organhse local government and in the way wd spend
:05:04. > :05:09.taxpayers money. Is it time to change local Guzman dramatically?
:05:10. > :05:13.Peter Salisbury would like greater powers for local councils. Hs that
:05:14. > :05:17.the way we should be going? I think it is a debate we ought to have
:05:18. > :05:21.about how local authorities are organised and how the money trickles
:05:22. > :05:26.from government to them. It is now time to have that debate. I assume
:05:27. > :05:30.that this is only going to get worse. Once the election is out of
:05:31. > :05:36.the way, we will have those big cuts. We are turning a corndr in the
:05:37. > :05:40.economy, generating more cash, but we are still in a difficult place,
:05:41. > :05:44.spending more than we earn. The economy needs to continue to expand
:05:45. > :05:47.and we must continue to spend taxpayers money as efficiently as
:05:48. > :05:50.possible. Police have released a photo
:05:51. > :05:53.of the seven`year`old girl who was found dead at a flat in Nottingham
:05:54. > :05:56.last week. Shanaye Walker's aunt has
:05:57. > :06:11.been charged with her murder. A little girl, Birtley old dnough
:06:12. > :06:15.for primary School, posing hn pink trousers with a matching bag. But
:06:16. > :06:19.today, Shanaye Walker is at the centre of a murder inquiry. It is
:06:20. > :06:25.five days since her body was found here, a crime scene marked out by
:06:26. > :06:26.tribute fit for a victim who was only seven years old. Flowers,
:06:27. > :06:36.balloons, a teddy bear. It has emerged that her own aunt is
:06:37. > :06:41.under arrest for suspicion of murder. She was due to appe`r at
:06:42. > :07:36.Nottingham Crown Court todax. dot`mac Nottingham's tram ndtwork
:07:37. > :07:43.could be extended even further into parts of Derbyshire. Long`tdrm, the
:07:44. > :07:49.council has plans to take the tram to Kimberley in Nottinghamshire The
:07:50. > :07:54.costs of getting the tram into Ripley. For me, it would be
:07:55. > :07:59.fantastic, I could commute hnto Nottingham. They would benefit me to
:08:00. > :08:07.immensely. You would have a straight run from Nottingham to Ripldy. On
:08:08. > :08:18.the tram. Instead of changing buses. They were at it years ago. Ht would
:08:19. > :08:25.be brilliant, I think. Coming up in a moment, the pet owners struggling
:08:26. > :08:31.with vets bills. Help could be at hand. The factory in bloom. They
:08:32. > :08:35.have been working night and day to produce thousands of poppies to
:08:36. > :08:38.commemorate World War I. For whatever flowers you have in your
:08:39. > :08:40.garden, they are going to bd enjoying a drop of rain. We have
:08:41. > :08:50.some heavy rain on the way. An animal welfare charity s`ys it's
:08:51. > :08:53.getting more and more requests for help as people struggle to pay
:08:54. > :08:57.their vet bills. Now, for the first time, Blte Cross
:08:58. > :09:00.has joined forces with a prhvate Among the first to benefit was
:09:01. > :09:09.a dog owner who's been helpdd with her pet's cancer and dental
:09:10. > :09:24.treatment ` treatment she otherwise Millie is on her way back to the
:09:25. > :09:29.veterinary centre in Derby will stop this time it is her owner who can
:09:30. > :09:35.say thank you for the pain relief and charitably funded treatlent that
:09:36. > :09:40.has seen all of the dog's tdeth removed. Some had already dropped
:09:41. > :09:49.out, so she ended up losing the last few of what we left. We soften the
:09:50. > :09:53.food and she manages quite well But, just yesterday, her other dog
:09:54. > :09:59.had to be put down after suffering from cancer. Towards the last few
:10:00. > :10:07.weeks she had lost almost all her body weight. They were two of the
:10:08. > :10:12.first pets to be treated at this new charity clinic in Derby. It is nice
:10:13. > :10:15.to give something back to the community for those people who
:10:16. > :10:29.cannot afford to look after their pets. There is little alternative
:10:30. > :10:33.for them. Blue Cross says in the past year alone it has seen a 1 %
:10:34. > :10:38.rise in demand for its anim`l Hospital and pet care service. This
:10:39. > :10:40.new project in Derby will bd available to people on benefits who
:10:41. > :10:47.live in seven different postcode areas. It is great to be part of
:10:48. > :10:55.this. It was officially opened today, the Chief Executive `t Blue
:10:56. > :11:00.Cross. This is something we have not done before. It is the first
:11:01. > :11:02.partnership of this type. Wd would love to do more of these. This is a
:11:03. > :11:18.wonderful initiative. spring in her step. That me`ns she
:11:19. > :11:28.has shaken off the pain frol her problem teeth. A teenager h`s been
:11:29. > :11:35.jailed after pleading guiltx to murdering a woman in Derby darlier
:11:36. > :11:38.this year. She was found de`d on the back of houses in Hartington
:11:39. > :11:47.Street. She had been stabbed 18 times. The 18`year`old had planned
:11:48. > :11:59.to rob her. He will serve at least 24 years. The man behind genetic
:12:00. > :12:07.fingerprinting has won the world's oldest scientific prize. Thd Royal
:12:08. > :12:17.Society has rewarded him with a medal for his pioneering work. He
:12:18. > :12:20.was `` it was first awarded in 731. Bosses at eight Nottinghamshire
:12:21. > :12:26.hospital have spoken of thehr regret at being prevented from employing a
:12:27. > :12:32.gay clergyman. Canon Jeremy Pemberton was refused a licdnce to
:12:33. > :12:41.access as a chap playing. `` Champlain.
:12:42. > :12:57.You will almost certainly h`ve seen those remarkable images arotnd the
:12:58. > :13:05.tower of London. The work is that the team from Derby who produced
:13:06. > :13:09.nearly 900,000 poppies around the clock. Designed by a Derbyshire
:13:10. > :13:21.artist, each poppy represents one soldier who died during World War I.
:13:22. > :13:30.They have been working night and day since January to produce 888,00
:13:31. > :13:36.poppies. Keen to improve `` to involve the local community, the
:13:37. > :13:40.team ranges from Art graduates to local tradesmen. Each poppy wrap
:13:41. > :13:49.sent a soldier who died durhng the war. While it is a repetitive
:13:50. > :13:53.process, everyone here in the factory recognises that thex are
:13:54. > :14:00.representing somebody with dach one. I make 800 poppies every single day.
:14:01. > :14:05.To see them, coloured and installed, and to see the reaction of people,
:14:06. > :14:12.it is brilliant. Once the poppies are moulded, they are ready to be
:14:13. > :14:13.set. They are brought over to these three kilns.
:14:14. > :14:19.are moulded, they are ready to be set. They are brought over to They
:14:20. > :14:25.are heated to 1180 Celsius. They would then be glazed, and they are
:14:26. > :14:30.producing 30,000 poppies evdry week. Many other raw materials ard sourced
:14:31. > :14:31.from Derbyshire, and the red paint developed from a company in cold
:14:32. > :14:38.bill. `` Coalville. developed from a company in cold
:14:39. > :14:47.bill. `` This is a proud molent for an artist he graduated just four
:14:48. > :14:51.years ago. It was important to get people together. Once I got to know
:14:52. > :14:59.about it, they have taken ownership of everything down to realising if
:15:00. > :15:06.they break one, it represents somebody's life. The last poppy will
:15:07. > :15:14.be planted on Remembrance D`y. It is now shared with the world. Ht is
:15:15. > :15:17.quite stunning. Beautiful. Now, it's well known that mhllions
:15:18. > :15:21.of soldiers died in the Gre`t War ` what's less well known is that
:15:22. > :15:24.an estimated eight million horses And, even
:15:25. > :15:29.if a horse or mule lived though it all, then thousands were sl`ughtered
:15:30. > :15:32.in France at the war's end. So it makes the story of ond
:15:33. > :15:35.Leicestershire warhorse, whhch not only survived but lived to ` great
:15:36. > :15:54.age, all the more remarkabld. Two sculptures near an otherwise
:15:55. > :16:03.unmarked grave. The horses `re a clue. Here lies and old warhorse.
:16:04. > :16:09.That is Songster there. Nearby, John recalls the horse, Songster. Yes, I
:16:10. > :16:15.sat on him as a youngster. H still remember it. John's uncle c`red for
:16:16. > :16:22.Songster after World War I. Around 8 million horses were killed hn the
:16:23. > :16:29.conflict, so it was Dracula is `` miraculous Songster survived. He was
:16:30. > :16:35.nowhere to be found. Two hotrs afterwards, he came trotting back.
:16:36. > :16:39.He had the uncanny knack th`t he could untie him self from hhs peg,
:16:40. > :16:43.wander back, and comeback when he wanted to. He had been drafted into
:16:44. > :16:49.the Leicestershire Yeomanry in Loughborough marketplace in 191 .
:16:50. > :16:53.The horses were lined up at the top and everybody was marched down onto
:16:54. > :16:59.this road to line up into the market square behind us. Although Songster
:17:00. > :17:02.came through unscathed, his rider was outraged that the army could
:17:03. > :17:06.contemplate putting Songster and thousands of other horses down after
:17:07. > :17:12.outstanding war service. Thd people that wrote him respected th`t, and
:17:13. > :17:16.wanted to have him back. He shared the same experiences as the soldiers
:17:17. > :17:24.throughout the war, and so he was rescued and brought him. So he was
:17:25. > :17:31.returned to work on this farm. We looked after him for nearly 20
:17:32. > :17:37.years. My uncle loved the animals, he really did. At that therd is an
:17:38. > :17:44.archive on Songster, who became quite a star. They used to drink in
:17:45. > :17:52.an old pub called the Boot. Songster used to climb the stares and join
:17:53. > :17:57.them for a pint. He would w`lk around the room and walk back down
:17:58. > :18:03.the stairs as well. Songster went to Leicestershire Yeomanry camps. This
:18:04. > :18:07.photograph is taken in 1935, and it shows those men of the Yeom`nry that
:18:08. > :18:12.had served in the First World War and were still serving in 1835. Of
:18:13. > :18:18.course, amongst the group is Songster, the warhorse. Belheved to
:18:19. > :18:23.be a remarkable 40 in 1940, one day on the farm, Songster collapsed He
:18:24. > :18:30.could not get up again, so they took a barn door of its hinges, put
:18:31. > :18:42.Songster onto it, and pulled him into the stable. You can im`gine the
:18:43. > :18:45.scene, not a dry eye in the stable, the horse lifted his head for the
:18:46. > :18:47.last time and passed away. He was buried with full military honours,
:18:48. > :18:50.including the medals he recdived in the First World War. In the last
:18:51. > :19:03.year, the present owner of the farm joined us to say he had found this
:19:04. > :19:08.in one of the outhouses. Just wonderful, what a start. Yot can
:19:09. > :19:14.read about many other storids from where you live by going to the
:19:15. > :19:24.website. You can click on the at home section. What a character. We
:19:25. > :19:31.have two for the price of one. Natalie is here.
:19:32. > :19:38.Yesterday, Stuart Pearce has said that he is not happy that two
:19:39. > :19:43.players had been sold to Newcastle. They have been sold against his
:19:44. > :19:52.advice. Natalie is here to pick three things. What are the key thing
:19:53. > :19:57.is that he is saying? He is saying that should the players movd be
:19:58. > :20:15.completed, the transfer fees will significantly help the club to hit
:20:16. > :20:19.the FFP criteria. That's not what Stuart Pearce said yesterdax. He was
:20:20. > :20:25.disappointed. He was unhappx with the man at the deals were done. He
:20:26. > :20:31.did not sanction the transfdrs. He would be making it his business to
:20:32. > :20:51.try and find out the financds of the club. Are the financial problems?
:20:52. > :20:56.There have been several winding up positions. There have been puestions
:20:57. > :21:09.about the running of the cltb. In other Sports News,
:21:10. > :21:11.England's women rolled over Spain in their second game of the
:21:12. > :21:14.World Cup, with Hinckley's Vicky Fleetwood a key part of the pack,
:21:15. > :21:17.and Desford's Emily Scarratt contributing a flawless 15 points
:21:18. > :21:20.from the boot in a 45`5 win. In cricket, a new three`year
:21:21. > :21:22.contract at Nottinghamshire It's a reward for this season's
:21:23. > :21:27.consistency which has seen Fletcher, who's from Bulwell in Nottingham,
:21:28. > :21:30.become a regular in all thrde competitions and display
:21:31. > :21:33.a real talent for controlling Just one game in the Royal
:21:34. > :21:58.London One Day Cup to mention. Paralympic swimmer Ollie Hynde has
:21:59. > :22:03.one in his class. Amongst the stars coming back home, the Nottingham
:22:04. > :22:06.gymnast Becky Downie, a hugd success, having won both thd team
:22:07. > :22:11.event and the uneven bars. This evening, Becky Downie and hdr medals
:22:12. > :22:15.have returned to her gym, and I will leave you with the welcome home
:22:16. > :22:19.party and Kirsty Edwards. She may have just returned from the
:22:20. > :22:22.games, but Becky Downie was back in the gym today, and much to her
:22:23. > :22:29.surprise, so were some proud friends and family. Two gold medals. Has it
:22:30. > :22:35.sunk in yet, what you have achieved? Not really. It dodsn't
:22:36. > :22:38.feel like that much of a big thing. So many people are saying
:22:39. > :22:42.congratulations and well done, it will take a while to sink in. They
:22:43. > :22:47.wonder simile people were hdre to celebrate with her. What an
:22:48. > :22:52.achievement. You always chase the dream, and when you actuallx get
:22:53. > :22:57.it, and you get the Europeans and the Commonwealth Games, you think,
:22:58. > :23:00.we have actually done it. Wd have got the gold medals, fantastic. No
:23:01. > :23:07.one proud ahead today than lum Helen. What a mum you are. Xou have
:23:08. > :23:09.a daughter here who has been willing these gold medals for the
:23:10. > :23:15.Commonwealth, you're younger dirty about to go off to the youth
:23:16. > :23:19.Olympics as well. It has bedn a manic year. Both doing so wdll at
:23:20. > :23:23.the Europeans. Now it is off to China she is the only girl to be
:23:24. > :23:28.selected from Great Britain with one boy. I am proud of her. What did you
:23:29. > :23:33.think you when you watched Becky Downie up there? We knew shd would
:23:34. > :23:40.do really well for the team, and she really wanted to win gold on bars.
:23:41. > :23:48.We found the beam amusing. We won't talk about that! Who cares `bout
:23:49. > :23:54.that? Two gold medals, you can't go wrong with that. I am reallx used
:23:55. > :23:58.with the achievement tonight. Gymnastics is just one of those
:23:59. > :24:05.things. It is something that we can put under the carpet and just look
:24:06. > :24:08.forward to the next event. So, straight back to work for Bdcky
:24:09. > :24:15.Those championships coming tp in October. Younger sister Ellhe flies
:24:16. > :24:21.out to China on Saturday for the youth Olympics. What a family!
:24:22. > :24:23.Don't you worry about falling off that bar, I could not even have
:24:24. > :24:39.climbed onto it. We have seen quite a lot of grey
:24:40. > :24:43.today on a few more showers than we were forecasting this afternoon
:24:44. > :24:48.They sprung up ahead of a wdather front which is now starting to click
:24:49. > :24:53.away. Now we are looking at what is developing in the south`west. Some
:24:54. > :24:57.heavy rain on the way tonight. It looks as though it will be lostly
:24:58. > :25:00.through the night time period. It will still be around first thing
:25:01. > :25:11.tomorrow, but will clear aw`y fairly quickly. A few showers around at the
:25:12. > :25:15.moment, which are starting to fade away. Try for the first part of the
:25:16. > :25:34.night, but the persistent r`in will push in from the early hours of the
:25:35. > :25:40.morning. A mild night, much milder than recent nights. If you `re up
:25:41. > :25:48.early in the morning, there will still be some rain around. Ht clears
:25:49. > :25:51.fairly swiftly. By midday it will be clearing all of us. We will see that
:25:52. > :25:56.sunshine returning later in the day. A couple of showers following
:25:57. > :26:08.behind, but it is mostly drx and brighter for the afternoon `nd still
:26:09. > :26:13.fairly warm. Thursday will be the best day of this week. Dry `nd
:26:14. > :26:18.bright with temperatures up into the 20s. But it looks like it is turning
:26:19. > :26:23.messy into Friday with more low`pressure. Shari outbreak of rain
:26:24. > :26:27.and stays unsettled for the weekend. And we're going to leave yot with
:26:28. > :26:31.the Last Post that was playdd by Ray Gould
:26:32. > :26:33.in Brassington village last night. It was a wonderful tribute
:26:34. > :26:37.as part of the Lights Out c`mpaign, which I know many people
:26:38. > :26:40.across our region took part in. We don't tend to use the bathroom
:26:41. > :28:03.together here. I leave the ashram, travel halfway
:28:04. > :28:07.across the world to find my father, Oh, well. As Vashrati says,
:28:08. > :28:15.gotta keep smiling! We don't tend to use the bathroom
:28:16. > :28:17.together here. All right, well,
:28:18. > :28:19.I'll catch you later. This ashram of yours,
:28:20. > :28:23.it might be a cult. I take it back,
:28:24. > :28:28.he's definitely Cuckoo's son.