:00:15. > :00:16.And now the news for the East Midlands.
:00:17. > :00:20.Alex Hamilton's here with the latest on Storm Doris,
:00:21. > :00:22.still heading straight for us tonight.
:00:23. > :00:25.The full update in our weather forecast at
:00:26. > :00:30.First though, the boss of an East Midlands drinks
:00:31. > :00:32.manufacturer has warned his company could be seriously damaged
:00:33. > :00:35.by the soft drink sugar tax planned by the Government.
:00:36. > :00:37.Belvoir Fruit Farms uses sugar to flavour its products.
:00:38. > :00:45.Our Health Correspondent Rob Sissons has this report.
:00:46. > :00:50.Presses, cordials, made in the shadow of Belvoir Castle.
:00:51. > :00:53.It's a business that employs over 80 people and turns over more
:00:54. > :01:02.But the boss is really worried about the sugar levy.
:01:03. > :01:05.These will be taxed a lot and we've got to work out whether we can make
:01:06. > :01:09.them with lower sugar but the same amount of quality taste so that
:01:10. > :01:12.customers who love them won't be put off by them.
:01:13. > :01:14.If they do attract the tax, a classic example is ginger beer.
:01:15. > :01:17.Ginger beer, because it is so peppery and sharp
:01:18. > :01:19.with the taste of ginger, it needs sugar to soften it.
:01:20. > :01:22.That one, if we make the ginger beer without sugar,
:01:23. > :01:26.it really doesn't taste very nice at all.
:01:27. > :01:29.Some people will say sugar is sugar and we've got to do something
:01:30. > :01:33.It's not just taxing soft drinks, though.
:01:34. > :01:35.Much better would be to tax bulk sugar.
:01:36. > :01:38.If you taxed sugar which went in everything then the government
:01:39. > :01:45.The sugar tax could work out at least 18p more on the firm's
:01:46. > :01:47.sparkling elderflower presse and put more than a pound on the cost
:01:48. > :01:55.Up to 100,000 bottles pass along this production line every day.
:01:56. > :01:57.This business is worried about the sugar tax,
:01:58. > :01:59.that it could put the brakes on expansion or even put
:02:00. > :02:06.It could have a profound impact on us, depending
:02:07. > :02:09.on how high it is set, where exactly these things kick in,
:02:10. > :02:22.The East Midlands Chamber of Commerce has written
:02:23. > :02:25.to the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, asking him to rethink
:02:26. > :02:31.Local independent shops say it's unfair that the tax is based
:02:32. > :02:33.on the rental value of a commercial property, as well as rises
:02:34. > :02:49.in property prices over the last decade.
:02:50. > :02:52.Bills for the coming year are due out on Friday.
:02:53. > :02:54.And some businesses are expecting a steep hike.
:02:55. > :02:56.Our increase is likely to be about ?4,000-?5,000 a year
:02:57. > :02:58.extra and that is over and above the ?44,000
:02:59. > :03:02.In the last six months, our product has become more expensive,
:03:03. > :03:05.our cost of staff has gone up by about 5%, our sales
:03:06. > :03:07.have dropped about 10% and now our rates are going up.
:03:08. > :03:10.What we are calling for as a chamber is fundamental
:03:11. > :03:13.As it currently stands, they dis-incentivise growth.
:03:14. > :03:16.If you invest in your business, you will end up having higher tax
:03:17. > :03:19.for your business rates and they put many businesses, large and small,
:03:20. > :03:24.Earlier, I spoke to Natalie Gasson, development manager
:03:25. > :03:25.with the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Federation
:03:26. > :03:29.The federation wants business rates assessed not on property value
:03:30. > :03:39.First of all, the business rate system is quite out
:03:40. > :03:42.of date and the Federation of Small Businesses have looked
:03:43. > :03:47.The best ones seem to be based on turnover because currently
:03:48. > :03:51.the rateable value of a property is based on just that,
:03:52. > :03:53.the value of the property, not on the business's
:03:54. > :03:57.So for example if you are a new business and,
:03:58. > :04:00.even before you have opened up, your business rate bill arrives.
:04:01. > :04:03.What we would like to see is businesses almost
:04:04. > :04:05.get a bedding-in period where they have a better idea
:04:06. > :04:12.Under the current system, which is based on the value
:04:13. > :04:15.of the property, the government tells us that the business rate
:04:16. > :04:18.burden will actually drop by 3% under what is being proposed,
:04:19. > :04:25.It doesn't sound too bad but we have looked at those
:04:26. > :04:28.We have estimated around 400,000 businesses will not
:04:29. > :04:31.see a change at all, 900,000 businesses will see
:04:32. > :04:35.a decrease and 500,000 businesses will see an increase,
:04:36. > :04:39.so suddenly if you were to take 500,000 businesses out
:04:40. > :04:41.of the economy, that is a massive impact.
:04:42. > :04:45.So 3% doesn't sound so bad but 500,000 businesses hit
:04:46. > :04:50.Your idea of rating businesses on turnover, finally,
:04:51. > :04:52.would that not dis-incentivise friends to make money,
:04:53. > :05:06.However, as I said, the system as it stands is out of date.
:05:07. > :05:08.What we would really like to see is it replaced completely
:05:09. > :05:11.but currently that is the lesser of the two evils.
:05:12. > :05:19.Leicester City Council has tonight decided to go ahead with the closure
:05:20. > :05:22.of a library in the city, despite a vocal protest outside
:05:23. > :05:28.The council's shutting down Rushey Mead library and merging it
:05:29. > :05:33.Library users, though, believe it will threaten
:05:34. > :05:39.Navtej Johal's in Leicester for us tonight.
:05:40. > :05:41.Making a racket for the future of their library.
:05:42. > :05:45.Ahead of tonight's full council meeting, protesters made themselves
:05:46. > :05:49.heard regarding plans to close Rushey Mead library and merge it
:05:50. > :05:53.with the nearby recreation centre, saving the authority around
:05:54. > :06:04.It is just a few rooms, and our normal library is much bigger.
:06:05. > :06:08.How important is the library building, Rushey Mead
:06:09. > :06:11.Very, very important, it is the heart and
:06:12. > :06:16.This is one of the daftest proposals the council
:06:17. > :06:20.has ever come up with, in my view.
:06:21. > :06:22.The idea that you take a library twice the size
:06:23. > :06:25.of this building here, this room we're in, put it in this
:06:26. > :06:27.room and pretend everything can carry on as before.
:06:28. > :06:30.The authority says the move is justified due to the cuts
:06:31. > :06:32.it has had to endure from central government.
:06:33. > :06:37.We do not have an option in regards to the savings.
:06:38. > :06:39.Will there be a scenario where for example there will be
:06:40. > :06:44.dancers or aerobics in one room and in the nest room there are kids
:06:45. > :06:54.There are are more than enough opportunities and gaps
:06:55. > :06:57.in the recreation centre timetables to allow for additional activities.
:06:58. > :06:59.Despite the protests, the council agreed to go ahead
:07:00. > :07:02.It was extremely disappointing that it seemed they were quite
:07:03. > :07:05.blatant about the fact they were going to disregard us.
:07:06. > :07:08.Our choice now is to continue to protest and demonstrate and show
:07:09. > :07:15.them exactly what the people of Rushey Mead are capable of.
:07:16. > :07:17.A Nottinghamshire policeman's facing charges of gross misconduct,
:07:18. > :07:20.after he failed to spot an elderly man had had his driving
:07:21. > :07:24.87-year-old Albert Newman had dementia, and went on to cause
:07:25. > :07:27.a fatal accident in October last year, driving the wrong
:07:28. > :07:35.Mr Newman and a passenger in a van both died.
:07:36. > :07:38.A force disciplinary hearing today heard that PC Jonathan Mortimer
:07:39. > :07:40.encountered Mr Newman a year before but, it was claimed,
:07:41. > :07:42.didn't check if the pensioner was allowed to drive.
:07:43. > :07:53.The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has asked for the decision to shut
:07:54. > :07:56.Grantham Hospital's A overnight to be looked at.
:07:57. > :07:58.Lincolnshire County Council referred the decision to him last year.
:07:59. > :08:00.Today the authority was told an independent panel will do
:08:01. > :08:02.an initial assessment of the decision, to see
:08:03. > :08:07.It comes on the day three local MPs met with the Prime Minister
:08:08. > :08:11.to express their worries about the unit being
:08:12. > :08:21.Leicester have been playing Seville in Spain in the last 16
:08:22. > :08:25.The Foxes lost 2-1 and Colin Hazelden has sent this
:08:26. > :08:30.Let's start with a very, very big moment indeed.
:08:31. > :08:36.Jamie Vardy scoring his first goal of 2017.
:08:37. > :08:38.A massive moment for Leicester City in this tie
:08:39. > :08:40.and a massive moment for him as well.
:08:41. > :08:41.He wasn't the only hero this evening.
:08:42. > :08:44.Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester City goal had to make
:08:45. > :08:46.a string of saves to keep Seville out.
:08:47. > :08:51.As it was, they had to be happy with their two goals, splitting
:08:52. > :08:55.They will be disappointed, though, to have looked at Vardy bulging
:08:56. > :08:57.the back of their net and meaning that at the King Power
:08:58. > :09:00.in three weeks' time, a 1-0 win would be enough
:09:01. > :09:02.for Leicester City because they have the away goal.
:09:03. > :09:12.So, it's goodbye from me, but with your Doris
:09:13. > :09:28.Storm Doris is on the way over the next day or so and we have an amber
:09:29. > :09:35.whether warning -- weather warning in force tomorrow. From 6am to 8pm
:09:36. > :09:39.tomorrow. It means be prepared but what are we prepared for? Amber
:09:40. > :09:45.warning stretches right across the country and the East Midlands is
:09:46. > :09:53.right in the middle. Wind gusts expected at 60-70 mph, traps even 80
:09:54. > :10:00.mph over the Peak District on higher ground. We could see fences down,
:10:01. > :10:04.high sided vehicles need to take extra care on the roads, and we
:10:05. > :10:10.could also see some trees down as well. That is not to say this will
:10:11. > :10:13.definitely happen but be prepared. Through the afternoon we expect the
:10:14. > :10:22.peak of their gusts of wind at around three - 4pm. Stay tuned to
:10:23. > :10:26.your local radio stations tomorrow morning. We expect the isobars to
:10:27. > :10:32.squeeze together through the afternoon. Tonight we expect a wet
:10:33. > :10:39.and windy night ahead. Widespread rain and low temperatures of six
:10:40. > :10:47.Celsius. Slightly more dry tomorrow morning. We will start -- as we move
:10:48. > :10:51.towards tomorrow morning. We will start on a wet note. But slightly
:10:52. > :10:59.drier and brighter into the afternoon. A bit of a respite on
:11:00. > :11:02.Friday, with highs of around seven Celsius. More wet and windy weather
:11:03. > :11:07.on the way for Saturday. some sunshine around and light
:11:08. > :11:08.winds. For more on Doris and its impact, here is the national
:11:09. > :11:17.weather. Good evening, a rough patch weather
:11:18. > :11:22.on the way. Time to fasten your seat belt. A high wind warning from the
:11:23. > :11:27.Met office, an amber one, so pretty severe. Let's see where Storm Doris
:11:28. > :11:30.is right now, only just developing to the west of the UK, in its early
:11:31. > :11:35.stages which is not good because it will be at its peak when it crosses
:11:36. > :11:40.the UK. You can see this hook of cloud which is where the twisting is
:11:41. > :11:43.starting to happen, which is where the big mid-latitude cyclone is
:11:44. > :11:47.starting to develop and it will slam into the centre of the UK during the
:11:48. > :11:51.morning and move across the country through the morning and into the
:11:52. > :11:54.afternoon. Two rounds from this storm, we will see some snow across
:11:55. > :11:58.southern and central parts of Scotland first tonight and into the
:11:59. > :12:01.early hours of Thursday morning. Let's look at the snow, also an