25/01/2017 East Midlands Today

Now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Dominic Heale.

First tonight, an estimated 400 school support workers in Derby have

staged another noisy protest this evening as part of their

long running dispute with Derby City Council.

It follows a protest by parents at the city

They say the strikes are damaging their children s education.

The dispute between the council and its teaching assistants has gone

on for more than a year, with some schools forced

As the disputes between Derby City Council and school

support staff took a noisier turn today as parents joined the debate.

We really support the teaching assistants in what they are doing,

but I think it's really important to also focus on the children, who

They weren't going to stay outside the council house for their protest,

which was also supported by teaching assistants.

The parents are backing the TAs, many of whom have seen their pay cut

by 25% due to changes to the terms and conditions of their contracts

brought about by the equal pay review last year.

But their main concern is their children's education,

which they say is suffering because of the strikes.

He doesn't know if he's coming or going.

He's had so many days off I've lost count.

We've had to take time off to look after him.

It was clear who the protesters wanted to speak to -

They may not have got the chance to speak to Ranjit Banwait,

but ten parents were invited for a meeting with the cabinet

member for jobs and employment, Councillor Lisa Eldret.

Well, I just feel like we're going round in circles a little bit.

They have agreed to meet us again in two weeks' time.

Earlier today, our reporter Navtej Johal met with

Councillor Lisa Eldret from Derby City Council.

He started by asking her why the authority is holding out

The reality is that these workers were being paid a full-time wage

So, if we carry on with that situation, it could have wider

implications for the authority in terms of other groups of workers

The risk of that and the potential cost to the authority could be

huge and, essentially, could bankrupt the authority.

So we have to look at the bigger picture when we're

We can't look at the teaching assistants in isolation.

I don't want to underestimate the impact on that very small number

of workers within schools, on that 40 who've

We do recognise that impact, but that is why we have been working

with schools to try and find a solution and that's why we've

put a significant offer on the table to Unison,

?1.1 million, to mitigate that loss and reduce that impact.

What will it take to bring an end to this dispute?

The only way we can end this dispute is by Unison

Continuing industrial action is not going to resolve this dispute.

Next tonight, the Prince of Wales received a very warm welcome

He met teenagers, army cadets, and dropped in on one

of our latest heritage railways at Mountsorrel in Leicestershire.

But, as James Roberson reports, he also went on walkabout in one

of Britain's most multi-cultural streets, the busy

I've just graduated and I've just seen Prince Charles!

I'm so happy that I'm part of Great Britain,

Because you feel as if they are part of our family.

And one of the family took a stroll today down their street.

He's got a very good sense of humour.

I adore Her Majesty and, obviously, the Royal family, as well.

The girls made this cake and decorated it in front

He said to the girls, "You're a genius".

Earlier, he'd been at Leicester College,

where it was all about the teenagers at the heart of the charities

he set up for them through the Prince's Trust.

Next stop, a lesson in work being done by the army to strengthen

relationships with minority and faith groups.

Back at this Narborough Road hairdressers, started

through the Prince's Trust, surprise to meet the founder.

Even the chances of winning the lottery are similar.

To an enthusiastic welcome, Prince Charles arrived

chauffeur-driven at the Mountsorrel halt on the little one and a quarter

But, for once, the Prince was about to turn chauffeur himself.

He took the controls on the short trip from Mountsorrel to see

the hundreds more are assembled at Nunkley Hill.

And I think His Royal Highness really enjoyed it, as well.

Particularly on the steam train because he actually got

He could pull off the regulator and away we went.

And I think the volunteers are just absolutely made up.

It really is a sort of, you know, the best thank

you for all their hard work that they could have had.

The Prince not only met local children, but more of the 120

volunteers who worked for ten years to restore the line,

build the stations and car parks, and the heritage centre

The Prince signed the visitors' book, then unveiled a plaque.

Next tonight, our sports editor, Natalie Jackson, has gained

an exclusive interview with the owner of Nottingham

It's his first since the collapse of the planned takeover

by an American consortium two weeks ago.

That breakdown sparked a large protest amongst fans at the weekend.

Tonight, Al Hasawi said he no longer wants to sell the club.

He was speaking at his home in London's Mayfair.

First of all, we heard the Americans would still

Well, I cannot say why because there is a confidentiality between us.

I cannot say anything about the deal.

But you tried to sell the club twice in the last year.

At the moment, I'm not going to sell the club right now.

I would like to focus on the club and I would like to build

a structure for this club and I would like to put

I know you would tell me, or people will think that I am,

sorry to say this, lying or just saying things, it's

But I will let action talk better than words.

By trying to sell the club, you have left the club as a shell.

Hardly any people are working there at the moment,

there is no chief executive, no chief scout.

There is an interim manager at the moment.

Why have you let the club get like this?

I have told you, a year ago I was committed to a buyer

Every time I was talking with the buyer, I don't

want to say who they are, I was telling them the club

You have been at the club four and half years,

There are two dramatic sales which have fallen through.

Will you sort out the situation at the club?

With all respect to the managers of Forest, where are the managers now?

Putting that aside, you are now near the relegation zone.

You are now in trouble, you have no structure in the club.

You have fans protesting in the car park.

How are you going to win their trust?

As I told you, there is no structure.

Now I can tell them, and I promise them, that I will do

the right thing for Nottingham Forest.

I don't want them to say, oh, you are always talking like this

It will happen and you will see action soon.

Well, if you want to see more of what Forest's owner had to say,

you can see the full version of Natalie's interview

with Fawaz Al Hasawi on the BBC Nottingham Sport Facebook page.

On the pitch tonight, Forest were playing away at Leeds.

So, it's goodbye from me, but with your weather now, here's Lucy.

Good evening. Today certainly didn't feel very warm, but tomorrow it will

feel even cooler. Over to the east, high pressure is in charge having a

battle with the low pressure to the West. That means cooler air is being

drawn up on the continent, so it will be very cold moving through

tonight. Plenty of cloud around. Most of us will stay dry but we

could see an odd spot of drizzle and the odd flurry of snow. Temperatures

falling to a low of about -2 tonight. There will be a widespread

frost and patches of ice on untreated surfaces. I think most of

us are looking at a cloudy day tomorrow, with some hill fog around.

The temperature is not up to much with a maximum of one Celsius. It

will feel colder when we add in the south-easterly breeze, we are

looking at more like minus five Celsius, so a really cool day

tomorrow with plenty of cloud around. Just the chance of seeing an

odd spot of drizzle. Moving into Friday, the wind direction will

shift slightly, it will become more southerly, and that will make a

difference with more brightness, but turning increasingly cloudy and the

chance of some rain. You can see the temperature is recovering as we

take a look at the Outlook towards the weekend.

Good evening. If you think it was cold today, for many it will be

colder still tomorrow. Cold even when we have the sunshine today.

This was one of the wonderful weather watcher pictures we had sent

in from Cornwall. It contrasts with a cloudy and foggy eastern half of

the country, and a bank of cloud. Still foggy, but it is starting to

lift. It is being pushed north and west, this bank of cloud. That will

continue through the night. We will still have some fog sitting on the

hills. Even with the cloud, it will be a cold night, with temperatures

away from the far north and west falling to