:00:00. > :00:00.Martin McGuinness is stepping down from politics for good.
:00:00. > :00:00.On the programme this evening:
:00:00. > :00:07.Calls for a radical overhaul of the congestion charge nearly
:00:08. > :00:16.14 years after it was first introduced.
:00:17. > :00:21.It is shocking, it is getting worse and worse. I have done 12 miles and
:00:22. > :00:24.the last two and a half hours. A lose, lose for London -
:00:25. > :00:27.the mayor's assessment of the PM's Brexit plan as City banks look
:00:28. > :00:35.to relocate thousands of jobs. If businesses decide to leave London
:00:36. > :00:47.they will not go to Paris, Madrid or Frankfurt, they will go to Hong
:00:48. > :00:53.Kong, Singapore or New York. What the Surrey residents make of the
:00:54. > :00:59.referendum on a 15% council tax rise to paper social care. Also, it was
:01:00. > :01:01.her inspirational message to London schoolgirls and now the reflect on
:01:02. > :01:10.what Michelle Obama taught them. Welcome to BBC London News
:01:11. > :01:15.with me Riz Lateef. First tonight: A problem
:01:16. > :01:17.which costs the capital billions every year
:01:18. > :01:19.and it's getting worse - Now politicians at City Hall say
:01:20. > :01:26.the Congestion Charge, which was introduced nearly 14 years
:01:27. > :01:28.ago, doesn't go far enough to help tackle the issue,
:01:29. > :01:30.and are calling for Ideas include a move to road
:01:31. > :01:34.pricing, or paying per mile, and even a trial of a ban
:01:35. > :01:37.on personal deliveries to offices. Here's our Transport
:01:38. > :01:42.Correspondent Tom Edwards. Welcome to Charing Cross Road,
:01:43. > :01:44.the third-most congested in London, where traffic creeps along
:01:45. > :01:48.at walking pace, on average 3.6 mph. It feels like TFL are doing it
:01:49. > :01:57.on purpose to put drivers off, A lot of the cut-through roads
:01:58. > :02:05.are no longer there, they're cycle lanes only the way
:02:06. > :02:08.you want to go. I have done 12 miles in the last
:02:09. > :02:11.two and a half hours. A growing population, more vehicles,
:02:12. > :02:18.more minicabs and delivery vans and construction,
:02:19. > :02:20.and public roadworks for pedestrians Now a report calls for a reform
:02:21. > :02:27.of the congestion charge. We need to be charging vehicles more
:02:28. > :02:30.if they are travelling at peak times In the longer term we have got
:02:31. > :02:36.to look at road pricing in London to tackle the congestion hotspots
:02:37. > :02:39.to mean that if you do choose to use your car you will pay
:02:40. > :02:42.a bit more for that, rather than those who
:02:43. > :02:43.use public transport. But also we are looking at other
:02:44. > :02:46.things such as tackling deliveries, moving some of those to night-time,
:02:47. > :02:49.and also encouraging people not to have their delivery
:02:50. > :02:51.sent to their work. Road pricing, though,
:02:52. > :02:54.could be contentious. Singapore is one of the few places
:02:55. > :02:59.where you pay per mile. Our concern is road pricing could be
:03:00. > :03:10.used as a cash cow and could make We think it is important that any
:03:11. > :03:15.new system reflects the economic value of a journey so deliveries
:03:16. > :03:18.to London's museums and restaurants, that is a valuable contribution,
:03:19. > :03:21.perhaps more so than a private Maybe the system
:03:22. > :03:23.should reflect that. City Hall does concede
:03:24. > :03:25.the 14-year-old congestion It could go 24-hour -
:03:26. > :03:30.currently 30,000 private hire vehicles come into the zone
:03:31. > :03:35.on a Saturday night. Or drivers could pay
:03:36. > :03:39.different amounts at Although a ban on personal
:03:40. > :03:43.deliveries to offices We do need to be making
:03:44. > :03:47.the deliver industry much more It is not at the moment and is using
:03:48. > :03:53.way too much road space, something like 20% of the traffic
:03:54. > :03:57.on the roads in London at the moment We think there's a lot of really
:03:58. > :04:05.good models we can use to actually try and organise these deliveries
:04:06. > :04:09.in a much more efficient way. Today the mayor also issued
:04:10. > :04:11.a pollution warning as traffic fumes Congestion is one of the big
:04:12. > :04:17.challenges cities face. How he will tackle the jams will be
:04:18. > :04:25.revealed in the next few months. A "lose, lose" for London
:04:26. > :04:30.and the rest of the UK - that's the mayor's assessment
:04:31. > :04:32.of the Prime Minister's Brexit plan as Theresa May today addressed
:04:33. > :04:34.banking bosses in Switzerland. Sadiq Khan, who's also
:04:35. > :04:38.at the World Economic Forum, restated his position
:04:39. > :04:40.that the capital His comments follow yesterday's
:04:41. > :04:44.announcement that several banks are planning to relocate
:04:45. > :04:46.thousands of staff. Our Political Correspondent
:04:47. > :04:49.Karl Mercer reports. It's the place where the world comes
:04:50. > :04:53.every year to talk and do business. They do it under the watchful eyes
:04:54. > :04:56.of marksmen, and the more And in Davos today the British Prime
:04:57. > :05:00.Minister the London's Mayor both talking Brexit and the effect it
:05:01. > :05:05.could have on the UK and on London. The mayor taking his message
:05:06. > :05:13.to an international audience. You're going to get a hard Brexit,
:05:14. > :05:16.whether you like it or not. No, what is with important
:05:17. > :05:19.is sensible minds try and put So far, is there already signs
:05:20. > :05:25.companies are leaving, You say you want people to access
:05:26. > :05:30.the EU single market but how does London has been a city
:05:31. > :05:34.which has attracted trade, talent and ideas from more
:05:35. > :05:37.than 1000 years. That is the reason
:05:38. > :05:39.he is selling hard. In recent days two major banks,
:05:40. > :05:43.HSBC and UBS, have ordered cuts We have roughly 5000
:05:44. > :05:50.people in London. Real passporting business
:05:51. > :05:54.is probably down to about 1000 of those employees in London,
:05:55. > :05:57.and for that we need to look at what the current deal
:05:58. > :06:00.will be mapped out with. I am glad to hear from the European
:06:01. > :06:03.side they want a symmetrical So we are still waiting
:06:04. > :06:06.for what is happening. Today another of the banking world's
:06:07. > :06:09.big guns had some words of comfort for the city,
:06:10. > :06:11.though he too warned I do not believe the European
:06:12. > :06:17.financial centre will leave I think the UK will continue to be
:06:18. > :06:30.the financial lungs for Europe. We may have to move
:06:31. > :06:32.certain activities, change the legal structure we use
:06:33. > :06:37.to operate in Europe. The banks, financial services
:06:38. > :06:41.institutions, the tech companies, the pharmaceuticals,
:06:42. > :06:43.companies and businesses that create jobs, wealth and prosperity
:06:44. > :06:45.want to stay in London. We have got to make it
:06:46. > :06:50.easy for them to do so. The Prime Minister met senior
:06:51. > :06:55.bankers this afternoon where we are told she stressed
:06:56. > :07:10.the positive aspects I'm outside a theatre in Notting
:07:11. > :07:11.Hill where people are angry at white actors playing the role of Chinese
:07:12. > :07:16.characters. More now on today's announcement
:07:17. > :07:19.that the people of Surrey are to be asked if they're prepared
:07:20. > :07:21.to have their council tax The Conservative-controlled County
:07:22. > :07:27.Council is going to hold It says it needs the extra money
:07:28. > :07:32.because of a crisis in social care. Our Political Editor Tim
:07:33. > :07:47.Donovan has been looking He joins us now. What do you make of
:07:48. > :07:50.this? ?21 million of savings is what
:07:51. > :07:54.Surrey County Council needs to find next year and it thinks this issue
:07:55. > :07:59.is only going to get worse and that is why it has came up with this 15%
:08:00. > :08:05.increase in council tax proposal. That would be around ?230 more on
:08:06. > :08:11.the average council tax bill but it is needed. This afternoon I met
:08:12. > :08:16.Catherine, she is suffering multiple sclerosis and it's any care home and
:08:17. > :08:20.she has used up all her savings and Surrey County Council has just
:08:21. > :08:27.agreed to pay her care which costs around ?6,000 a month.
:08:28. > :08:34.I think the people of Surrey do need to dig into their pockets, much as
:08:35. > :08:40.it pains me to come with the begging bowl and I do not like to do so,
:08:41. > :08:44.what I'm doing this on half of all the disabled and vulnerable people
:08:45. > :08:48.in Surrey -- on behalf of them. Having been through what I have gone
:08:49. > :08:56.through with my daughter and look after her for several years until we
:08:57. > :09:01.could not look after her at all any more this is what will have to be
:09:02. > :09:08.paid for and the Government will have two puts a good case to the
:09:09. > :09:17.country that income thanks must go up. That is not a current proposal.
:09:18. > :09:22.Study is suggesting a 15% increase in council tax and there will now be
:09:23. > :09:29.a referendum. What is the view down here? -- Surrey is suggesting. It is
:09:30. > :09:33.awful. 15% is huge and is far too much. We are planting was that the
:09:34. > :09:38.bills and do lots of other things for the county but social care is
:09:39. > :09:43.very important and I think we should reconsider where our money is spent.
:09:44. > :09:49.-- we are planting daffodils. I think social care is a good money --
:09:50. > :09:54.good thing to put money into. But it is a lot of money sort that will
:09:55. > :10:00.affect people in a negative way. What does the leader of the council
:10:01. > :10:03.say? My colleague spoke to David Hodge a short time ago.
:10:04. > :10:10.How bad things got in social care you are asking people of Surrey to
:10:11. > :10:15.pay an extra 15% on council tax? We have reached the situation because
:10:16. > :10:21.we must protect the services for the vital people in Surrey who need
:10:22. > :10:25.them. We had our Government grant cut by 170 million since 2010.
:10:26. > :10:29.People watching me think you should be going cap in hand to the
:10:30. > :10:34.Government rather than the taxpayer. I spoke to the Government for five
:10:35. > :10:39.months and have taken our case to them. They looked at our case, or
:10:40. > :10:42.that our figures, we even had external auditors check those
:10:43. > :10:48.figures to make sure we were right and they agreed they were right. So
:10:49. > :10:52.a very difficult position? It is an impossible position and that cannot
:10:53. > :10:57.win either way. Are you concerned about the response from the people
:10:58. > :11:04.in Surrey? I believe they will be slightly upset, I believe they have
:11:05. > :11:07.a right to be but at the end of the day I can only deliver the services
:11:08. > :11:12.they needs and I am not prepared to slash them. What happens if the
:11:13. > :11:16.answer is no? If we get a no response we will do what the Surrey
:11:17. > :11:22.people ask us to do and that is cut the services. But then what happens?
:11:23. > :11:29.We will cut them. And people will lose out? Exactly. And people will
:11:30. > :11:36.be in danger? Exactly. It is unfair. And you are happy with that? No, not
:11:37. > :11:40.at all. I will spend the next four months worried and concerned about
:11:41. > :11:46.this and if the people of Surrey will trust us and put the confidence
:11:47. > :11:53.in us because we cannot do anything else about it, the Government will
:11:54. > :12:00.not provide us the money, I have asked, who is no money.
:12:01. > :12:05.The Government says it has already provided some relief, ?900 million
:12:06. > :12:08.extra across the country and in a statement it says, if the council
:12:09. > :12:13.set its proposed budget in the taxpayers of Surrey will have a
:12:14. > :12:18.final say in a referendum in May and we should trust the people.
:12:19. > :12:28.A lot of people will watch that result very closely indeed, I am
:12:29. > :12:31.sure. Tim, thank you very much. It has been some unexpected travel
:12:32. > :12:36.disruption as Westminster and Waterloo Bridges were forced to
:12:37. > :12:41.close. It is after reports of an unexploded World War II bomb in the
:12:42. > :12:48.River Thames. These voters also show parts of Westminster being
:12:49. > :12:51.evacuated. Roads in the area remain closed while specialist officers
:12:52. > :12:54.remain on the scene assessing the device.
:12:55. > :12:57.A protest is taking place outside a theatre in Notting Hill
:12:58. > :12:59.over a production set in China which doesn't feature
:13:00. > :13:05.The characters are all played by white actors.
:13:06. > :13:08.It comes just days after Sky TV pulled an episode of a new comedy
:13:09. > :13:11.show after complaints of a white actor playing the role
:13:12. > :13:27.In the depths -- In the Depths of Dead Love is taking to the stage
:13:28. > :13:30.tonight and the people behind the furious at the White actors are
:13:31. > :13:37.playing the roles of Chinese characters. It is taking place in
:13:38. > :13:40.Notting Hill and goes on stage and about an hour and a half. That is a
:13:41. > :13:45.very small police presence across the road but this is a peaceful
:13:46. > :13:52.protest which has gathered momentum on social media in particular. An
:13:53. > :13:59.actor from the Harry Potter films that we sailing China is a real
:14:00. > :14:05.place with real people and using what suits is unacceptable. She has
:14:06. > :14:10.personally supported the protest. Let's get some more details. You are
:14:11. > :14:14.a theatre director here, Andrew, and supporting the process. Actors have
:14:15. > :14:18.always played people of different ethnicities? That is true. There was
:14:19. > :14:25.a time when white people played a fellow but we do not do that any
:14:26. > :14:30.more -- plague or fellow. At the end of the day there was a time we did
:14:31. > :14:35.not allow people to go on stage because the work of a certain ethnic
:14:36. > :14:40.background. Here is an incredible opportunity to engage with ethnic
:14:41. > :14:44.minorities in a plate that is set in China with Chinese characters and
:14:45. > :14:48.instead they went with four Caucasian actors for whom there is
:14:49. > :14:52.plenty of work for. What do you want to see done? I would love to see the
:14:53. > :14:58.theatre industry which has always been the forerunner with regards to
:14:59. > :15:02.being progressive, to look at ways to champion people from minority
:15:03. > :15:06.groups in stories. As for this production, what should be done?
:15:07. > :15:11.This theatre does not have a clue and every state and they put out is
:15:12. > :15:16.offensive to the script. I am a Caucasian guy but we have moved so
:15:17. > :15:20.far for what of the past few years and it has dragged everyone back.
:15:21. > :15:24.Let me speak to someone who is not a Caucasian guy. You actor from the
:15:25. > :15:33.Royal Shakespeare Company. Why have you came here,? If you set a play in
:15:34. > :15:38.ancient China with characters with Chinese names, I think you should
:15:39. > :15:44.cast some Asian actors. Would you mind if it was an actor from
:15:45. > :15:51.Thailand? I would not because that is Japan and East Asian. I think the
:15:52. > :15:58.white middle-class hegemony in the arts should not be happening in
:15:59. > :16:04.2017. They have said, we clearly misjudged the offence someone would
:16:05. > :16:07.take, perhaps as a result of our failing to understand the cultural
:16:08. > :16:21.exclusion. But the play is going ahead so let's see what happens.
:16:22. > :16:24.Back to you. Still to come, we take a look at the latest short list of
:16:25. > :16:32.proposals for the fourth plinth. since a huge explosion,
:16:33. > :16:37.on a scale never seen before in the capital,
:16:38. > :16:39.destroyed a whole community It happened at a munitions
:16:40. > :16:44.factory in Silvertown Caroline Davies has been been
:16:45. > :16:47.going through the archives and listening to eyewitness accounts
:16:48. > :16:50.of some of those who were there. I was walking one night
:16:51. > :16:53.and all of a sudden I looked up and the sky,
:16:54. > :16:54.it It was the largest
:16:55. > :17:01.explosion in London Over 70 people were killed,
:17:02. > :17:07.900 homes were destroyed and You sort of held your breath
:17:08. > :17:12.for a minute and this terrible bang. 100 years ago today
:17:13. > :17:16.a munitions factory producing weapons for the First
:17:17. > :17:21.World War exploded. You had the Red Cross
:17:22. > :17:30.and Salvation Army come in, you have the Army searching
:17:31. > :17:33.through the rubble looking Smaller explosions and munitions
:17:34. > :17:39.factories were not unusual, and they killed people, but often
:17:40. > :17:41.they were not reported. It was though it
:17:42. > :17:50.could damage morale. But when 50 tonnes of TNT went up it
:17:51. > :17:53.could not be ignored. We felt it as far away
:17:54. > :17:56.as the arsenal, as far away as that, The factory's owners
:17:57. > :17:59.had told the Government repeatedly that this was not a safe
:18:00. > :18:02.place to produce the explosives. This is the memorial
:18:03. > :18:07.that was built to remember those who died that
:18:08. > :18:09.evening in the explosion, and you can see there
:18:10. > :18:10.are some of the names of
:18:11. > :18:13.the people who were working Of course, they were not
:18:14. > :18:21.the only ones who died. There were children
:18:22. > :18:23.in their beds, there were firemen who were trying to stop
:18:24. > :18:26.the blaze and workers who were They were all destroyed
:18:27. > :18:28.when But it was such a large explosion
:18:29. > :18:32.it was not just here in Apparently at the Savoy Hotel some
:18:33. > :18:39.guests reported windows shattered Afraid of damaging
:18:40. > :18:47.the war effort, the Government report on the incident
:18:48. > :18:52.wasn't released for over 30 years. Both then, as now, Silvertown
:18:53. > :18:55.reminds London that the price of war A blue cockerell, a ship
:18:56. > :19:05.in the bottle and now They're all artworks
:19:06. > :19:10.taking pride of place Even though the latest piece will be
:19:11. > :19:21.up there until next year - the shortlist of what could follow
:19:22. > :19:23.the giant thumb has been unveiled today,
:19:24. > :19:25.as our arts correspondent It's the 11th artwork to sit
:19:26. > :19:29.on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth. And the David Shively's seven-metre
:19:30. > :19:32.high sculpture, Really Good, will attempt to inspire optimism
:19:33. > :19:35.until replaced in 2018. We are looking for artworks that
:19:36. > :19:37.connect to the square, have a story to tell,
:19:38. > :19:41.that are beautifully executed and will get a conversation
:19:42. > :19:44.going with the public. So what will be given
:19:45. > :19:50.the thumbs up next? Today the five short listed
:19:51. > :19:52.proposals will work presented at the National Gallery,
:19:53. > :19:54.offering the public a chance to share their opinion
:19:55. > :19:56.on what should dominate the north-west corner of this
:19:57. > :19:58.historic London site. Choices include a truck loaded
:19:59. > :20:04.with oil cans and ladders, an empty robe, and a recreation
:20:05. > :20:07.of a protective deity that was destroyed by so-called
:20:08. > :20:11.Islamic State in 2015. It's the most international short
:20:12. > :20:14.list so far, with the sole Londoner being Hackney resident
:20:15. > :20:16.Heather Philipson, who presents a swirl of cream with a cherry,
:20:17. > :20:21.fly and drone on top. The cream is something,
:20:22. > :20:23.obviously cream is something that is a very unstable material
:20:24. > :20:26.and something always on the verge of collapse and so the sculpture
:20:27. > :20:31.holds within it this possibility of something that may be, kind of,
:20:32. > :20:33.imminent catastrophe, perhaps. All five proposals can be seen
:20:34. > :20:36.at the National Gallery for the next two months,
:20:37. > :20:38.where the public can Do you like the idea of commissions
:20:39. > :20:45.on the fourth plinth? I do like it because it is
:20:46. > :20:48.an opportunity to see something The Heather Philipson one,
:20:49. > :20:52.when it is constructed, I think it would work well
:20:53. > :20:58.within the context of the other I think it is kind
:20:59. > :21:04.of topical as well. We're looking for works
:21:05. > :21:07.that we think can be popular but we also have to consider
:21:08. > :21:12.all sorts of other criteria to do with their construction,
:21:13. > :21:16.their feasibility, also other things The two chosen winners will be
:21:17. > :21:20.announced in March and take pride of place on the plinth in 2018
:21:21. > :21:25.and 2020, respectively. As Michelle Obama prepares to bow
:21:26. > :21:28.out as America's first lady over the past eight years,
:21:29. > :21:32.schoolgirls thousands of miles away here in London have been
:21:33. > :21:35.reflecting on the impact she's had She gave an inspiring speech
:21:36. > :21:45.at The Mulberry School for girls in 2015, and then
:21:46. > :21:48.met the students again Here's some of them
:21:49. > :21:51.describing a lasting It's hard to describe
:21:52. > :22:11.in a few words. During her visit to the school
:22:12. > :22:14.I was honoured to host I was one of the two girls
:22:15. > :22:38.who actually toured We performed a dance pieces for
:22:39. > :22:43.poetry, we sang for her. She just seems so impressed by the school and
:22:44. > :22:52.lobbed some of the things we were doing. She gave a speech and just
:22:53. > :22:59.empowered so many others. -- so many of us. At the end she came up to hug
:23:00. > :23:03.the people in the first row and I got to hug her and she told me she
:23:04. > :23:11.was so proud of me and it felt so special.
:23:12. > :23:17.I think she wanted to come to this school to show how powerful girls
:23:18. > :23:25.can be. I felt like that was the greatest
:23:26. > :23:28.place I should be at that time. I am here because of you. It is a speech
:23:29. > :23:37.I will remember forever because the messages she spoke about legitimised
:23:38. > :23:40.the fear and misconceptions and discrimination we face in our
:23:41. > :23:47.community. When I look out at all of these young women I see myself. I
:23:48. > :23:52.felt her message was that no matter who you are and what barriers you
:23:53. > :23:57.face you can accomplish anything. She decided to invite 20 Mulberry
:23:58. > :24:03.School students back to the White House. I graduated from Mulberry
:24:04. > :24:08.School last year and I am in law school right now and knowing
:24:09. > :24:14.Michelle Obama also studied law was just maybe a bit of a core incidents
:24:15. > :24:18.but it inspired me. I realised even as a 15-year-old girl I can still do
:24:19. > :24:23.things but I have done a speech at the woman of the world Festival
:24:24. > :24:27.where there were hundreds of adults will see to what I had to see it
:24:28. > :24:33.felt incredible. She shaved my future. The -- she shaped the
:24:34. > :24:36.future. Let's get a check on the weather now
:24:37. > :24:51.shall we - and here's Wendy. We will see more scenes like this
:24:52. > :24:58.through the next few days. That's after the frost on the grass. --
:24:59. > :25:04.sparkling frost. There was still some ice on the wakes of this
:25:05. > :25:08.evening. In between we had some beautiful blue skies right across
:25:09. > :25:14.the capital and that is how it continues for the next few days.
:25:15. > :25:18.Crisp mornings and blue skies. Some cloud in the mix what you can see on
:25:19. > :25:22.the satellite picture but we are in a sunny spot at the moment. This
:25:23. > :25:27.weak weather front has been here for a while and will continue for the
:25:28. > :25:30.next few days but it is trapped underneath high pressure which will
:25:31. > :25:34.not do very much and at high pressure will be with us until next
:25:35. > :25:42.week and we have lots of settled whether a portfolio what's more
:25:43. > :25:44.sunshine. It means clear skies overnight and temperatures for
:25:45. > :25:52.falling right back and the frost forming. Once again, a hard frost
:25:53. > :26:07.overnight. Some places getting down to minus five Celsius. Surely for
:26:08. > :26:14.your commute to work. -- chilly. Temperatures will not get very high,
:26:15. > :26:19.up to 5-7 C. Sparkling blue skies again and at the weekend we see more
:26:20. > :26:22.sunshine breaking through and for Saturday there will be some cloud
:26:23. > :26:29.around but we should seek some blue skies and the same goes for Sunday.
:26:30. > :26:34.Next week, this high pressure still here so there may be more cloud on
:26:35. > :26:37.Monday and Tuesday but staying settled, staying fairly chilly,
:26:38. > :26:38.especially at night, and you will not need an umbrella for the next
:26:39. > :26:49.few days. Four people have been killed and
:26:50. > :26:57.dozens are still missing after an avalanche bodied gold tail used by
:26:58. > :26:58.skiers in Italy. -- an avalanche covered a hotel used by skiers.
:26:59. > :27:00.Northern Ireland's former First Minister, Martin McGuinness,
:27:01. > :27:04.says he's stepping down permanently from political life.
:27:05. > :27:10.You can find out more on our website and our Facebook page but from me
:27:11. > :27:11.and the team here thank you for watching and have a lovely evening.
:27:12. > :27:22.Goodbye.