27/02/2017 London News

A warning that stopping EU workers coming here

would cripple our ability to solve the housing crisis.

From my perspective, Eastern Europeans are absolutely

the lifeblood of the construction industry, especially in London.

We'll hear from the Housing Minister.

Two police officers who stopped at McDonald's before responding

?80,000 - that's how much this woman spent on a legal battle for her dog

Another triumph at the Oscars as London leads the way

Welcome to the programme, with me Riz Lateef.

First tonight: A warning that London construction companies could be

crippled by a hard Brexit as latest figures show around

one-in-four builders in the capital are from the EU.

The figures come from the Mayor's office which says maintaining

a skilled workforce is crucial to building the thousands

of affordable homes needed to solve our housing crisis.

Our political correspondent, Karl Mercer has more.

Valentine and Georgian are a long way from home,

From Romania, they've been here nearly four years,

part of a growing European workforce that's helping power the capital's

When people come here for the first time, they think London

is something amazing, but it's not like that.

When you come, you start to make something here, it's not easy.

You need a lot of power to make something here.

Because you need the money, for all this you come here.

Today, City Hall has released figures that show these

They say there are something like 350,000 construction

Of those, some 95,000 or 27% are from the European Union,

a further 3% are from other European countries,

14% from other coutnries around the world.

Eastern Europeans are the absolute life blood of the construction

Our experience is that there's a perfect storm coming,

we want to deliver more homes, we want to supply more homes,

but frankly without the construction workers and with imports

becoming more expensive, you're heading into a perfect storm.

The mayor has sent ambitious targets for housebuilding.

His team today warning that anything that puts workers off,

Without them, you would not be able to meet the target that you have set

yourselves of building at least 90,000 affordable homes by 2020?

We have very challenging targets to meet and we know it's

going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

We know it's going to be hard to get there and I think this really

underscores the fact that a hard Brexit would make

You won't be able to do it without them, will you?

We need to make sure we avoid a hard Brexit,

so that we have those highly valuable, EU nationals contributing

towards our efforts to increase building in London.

You're not going to answer yes or no, are you?

I think we need to avoid a hard Brexit.

MP's were also asking the same question of the housing minister

If there is a mass exodus, if you like,

I don't really want to speculate on that because I don't think that's

The Government is very very clear that our projected as soon as we get

the negotiation under way is to secure the status of petition

citizens in the EU and EU citizens here.

People like Valentine and Georgian, helping London's building industry

while it works out how to train more British workers.

Two Met police officers have admitted to charges of misconduct

after they stopped off at a Mcdonald's restaurant before

The set to keep their jobs after the women committed suicide.

Our home affairs correspondent, Nick Beake, has more on this.

Nick, what was the emergency they were responding to?

This was an April 2015, they were in a patrol car and accepted in 999

call and the information they were given was that a women, a young

woman, who was psychotic had sent a suicide text message to a friend,

she wasn't replying, wasn't opening the door, was said to be a

significant danger to herself. However, the two police officers

drove away from her house to a McDonald's in the bot key, they then

drove to a roundabout where the filled in some paperwork for a job

they dealt with earlier in the night. It wasn't until about 1240,

36 minutes later, they went to the house, they found the woman, a

22-year-old woman, dead. She had tragically hanged herself and that

was the events of that night. So what was said at

the disciplinary hearing today? The two officers admitted they made

poor decisions but said their actions amounted to misconduct

rather than gross misconduct. It was accepted by both parties even if

they had arrived much sooner she could not have been saved. They

would not have been able to help her. Interestingly, the panel

accepted their argument, they hadn't properly been trained to deal with

this sort of 999 response. They had said they weren't aware that they

had to respond as quickly as possible, they thought they had up

to 60 minutes to get to this house because it was a category two, it

wasn't the top priority call that was made. The charge of gross mix --

's conduct was struck out by the panel, it is likely they will keep

their jobs and we will find out tomorrow what sanction these two

officers will face. Thank you, Nick. It's fun, but you also get to tell

your feelings to everyone. How more and more primary

teachers in the capital are using mindfulness

in the classroom. BBC London has discovered that

a growing number of men from the capital are among

the thousands marrying a woman In some cases, the motive

is financial, whereby the husband is given a dowry

by the bride's family. The women are often then treated

an outcast by their own community. She's one of thousands of women

who entered an arranged marriage in her homeland, willingly,

with a British Indian. She hasn't seen him

since their wedding night. She spent all her savings to get

here in the hope of meeting him I felt that my whole

world has got disturbed, Ritu insists she didn't feel

pressured into the marriage, but the wedding took place just 48

hours after they had met. After returning to the UK,

Ritu says her husband assured her that he would arrange

for her to join him. But the marriage broke down

and it never happened. She now wants a divorce,

but obtaining one through the Indian legal system is very

complex and expensive. Not a day had come in my life

where you would really feel that For many of these wives,

abandonment is just the final incident in a relationship that's

characterised with abuse and deceit, Kulwant was brought to the UK

by her British national She says she was subjected

to domestic slavery In desperation, Kulwant

ran away with her son Her husband refuses

any contact with her. I've travelled from London to Punjab

in the north of India. It's the same journey

that every year hundreds of Indian British nationals make,

looking for a wife. The local authority estimates

there are well over 15,000 Many believe they were

married for money. Despite the dowry being outlawed

since 1961, families still offer tens of thousands of pounds

to the groom before the wedding. After the wedding,

when I arrived in London... The cultural stigma of divorce

in India can leave women But increasingly, many

are turning to marital courts, It will take years and years

to get the season. Moreover, these girls don't

have the payment to pay Back in London, Ritu finally

gets to meet her husband in private, but she tells us

he calls the police. It was really sad that he didn't

even recognise me, he doesn't Six months later, Ritu's husband

did agree to a divorce, but there are thousands more women

unable to get out of their marriages while their British husbands

continue their lives as they wish. And you can see that investigation

in full later tonight on Inside Out London at 7.30

here on BBC One. A man's been convicted of robbing

music mogul Simon Cowell of jewellery worth almost a million

pounds from his London home. 33-year-old Darren

February denied breaking into the Holland Park mansion

while Cowell and his family A lorry driver has been

acquitted of causing death by careless driving,

after his vehicle killed Moira Gemmill was cycling to work

at St James's Palace when she was run over

near Lambeth Bridge two years ago. Harrowing footage played to jurors

showed the moment the lorry crushed The driver was James

Kwatia from Catford. Pictures have emerged

of a Double Decker bus which set The rail replacement

service was returning to its depot in Walworth,

when it caught light The cause of the fire

is being investigated. Next: Should a company managing

a new development be able to ban residents from having pets

in their homes? Well, one woman from Limehouse

was so incensed after she was told she couldn't keep her dog,

Vinnie - that she spent the best part of ?80,000 fighting

her case in court. Nothing is too much

trouble for Vinnie, When Gabby Coon and her husband

bought their luxury flat in East London, they claim

they were told he could But a court heard today

that there was a clear no pets policy in their lease agreement,

meaning they'll need more money He is part of our family and ?80,000

is an incredible amount of money, but we never went to court

anticipating using this. In fact, we never expected

to find ourselves in court when we moved into our new home

with our little dog. Their flat in Limehouse is worth

more than a million pounds. Although the apartments are owned,

the free-holder has appointed a management committee made up

of other flat owners to run When it was built, had

from the beginning, a policy - you could call it policy -

where pets were not allowed, that's how it was advertised

at the first prospect of buyers and that's what attracted a certain

group of people who did want to live At the City of London Court,

the judge heard the majority of neighbours wanted

a dog-free zone. The judge said he could not support

a blanket no pets policy because there would always be

special circumstances. For example, if someone

was visually impaired. But he said that was not

the case here and, sadly, The five-year-old has been given

28 days to move out, unless the couple is given

the all clear to lodge an appeal. If all that fails, they say

they'll have to move rather You may remember around a month ago

we reported on how a south London primary school was allowing pupils

to wear slippers in class as it helped children

concentrate better. Thousands of teachers are now

qualified in the area and - and a growing number of them

are using the form of meditation to support and boost

the well-being of young children. Tallulah Berry reports

from north London. Breathe in and we lift our arms

up to our shoulders. This is Peach Class

at the Betty Layward Primary School The technique, known as mindfulness,

is becoming increasingly popular The whole point of mindfulness

is to calm me down after being all hectic and running around

at play time. You get a bit cross with people

when something goes wrong and then if you're in mindfulness,

it helps you calm down. Mindfulness experts say training

children in the practise from a young age could give them

the tools to spot any mental health issues that might occur

throughout their lives. Sometimes, we go round the circle

saying our feelings in colours. It makes me feel quite calm

and happier at the same time. The latest figures from

the Mindfulness Initiative show that over 5,000 teachers here in the UK

are now trained to teach mindfulness to children and that number's

growing all the time. Most of those teachers

are here in London and the schools fund it themselves.

So is it value for money? Providing the next generation

of children coming up into a workplace with social skills

which are so important for getting a good job,

having healthy relationships I think that's definitely

worth investing in. Research shows that more than half

of mental health problems start by the time someone

reaches the age of 14. In the average classroom,

there will be three children living So how can something

like meditation help? Obviously, it fits very much

into the preventative end and for a child who has perhaps more

serious issues or a diagnosable mental health condition,

they would need much We need to see a whole school

approach being a priority That's something the Government

has promised to do. As for mindfulness,

there is still a lot of research to be done,

but Peach Class are And say, "I will

always love myself." We'll hear from the Tower

of London's Chief Yoeman who's hanging up his Beefeater's costume

after 20 years. And the bid to save this victorian

chapel in Bethnal Green described Now, when it comes to

last night's Oscars, it's the talk of the town -

the huge error when the wrong film was announced in

the Best Picture Category. But, there was no mistake on who won

the Oscar best visual effects. In fact, it's the seventh year

in a row London-based company Man is forbidden! It is so lifelike

it would have David Attenborough hiding behind the sofa, The Jungle

Book was almost entirely made up of visual special effects, this mixture

of one tiny actor and a cast of computer-generated animals was a

recipe for Oscar success. Something like 50% of the shots were

computer-generated. Around 80% of the image at all times is digital.

It looks so real. Thanks! That is what we spent two years trying to

do, to master that magic. It took the efforts of 800 artists based

here in London, even for this team it was a big ask. We are used to not

noticing the visual affect any film and that's when you know you've done

your job well. In this case, it's the main point. It was a real

challenge. It is a constant battle to find the detail and just make

sure... Make sure it's deceiving the perception that this is not a real

animal. Special visual effects is a category London companies have

dominated. In 2012, NPC won its first Oscar for Life of Pi, that was

followed by Gravity, double -12 years running for interstellar and

last year's, now it has won again for The Jungle Book. This wasn't a

particularly great year for the Brits in Hollywood. We can be relied

on to fly the flag in that category, a brilliant win for the people who

did Jungle book, from the heart of Soho the country. This amazing

Indian jungle. It is so lifelike, next level of visual effects. It was

a relatively low-key night for Brits. White helmets, about a

volunteer rescue group in Syria won Best documentary Short and Singh won

best short. Who would bet against them winning again few years' time

with their next work, the lion king? It's been described as a "hidden

treasure" - in the east end. A little known Victorian chapel -

inside the roof of an old arts and community centre in Bethnal

Green. But as Ayshea Buksh reports -

it's under threat from rain water - It was originally founded by

volunteers from Oxford University back in late Victorian times. They

wanted to live among the poor of east London and set up youth clubs

for local children and give parents their support. Oxford house today is

an arts and community centre and home to 30 local social enterprises

and charities. The structure is in severe disrepair and regarded by

conservationists as at risk. There has been so much water leaking

through from the roof that the original timbers have been damaged

and this beautiful space is no longer able to be used. Originally a

place of worship, the chapel has hosted stage productions and art

installations. It is hoped restoration work will open it up

again to the public. The roof needs to be replaced, we need to do lots

of major repairs to the Windows, some of it is broken. It is going to

be a really challenging time will stop we might have to sell the

building, I hope we never have to do that. It is too important a place to

just be turned into housing. In order to get the roof urgently

fixed, a crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise ?25,000.

Crowdfunding is tremendously important for Oxford house because

what we are able to do is not just raise money but help people who give

money if you're part of Oxford house's story. We will have a

personal stake in this and be able to come to the reopening, be able to

use it if they donate and it will make sure that they feel part of it.

It is hoped that if the money is raised, the east end legacy of the

original founders will continue for generations to come.

He's been guarding the crown jewels and the tower of London

for almost two decades - and fought for queen and country

As Chief Yeoman, Warder Alan Kingshott prepares to hang

up his Beefeater uniform for good this week.

Piers Hopkirk about what he'll miss and how proud he is to have been

When it's your final time here at the Tower

and it's after 19 years, it's very, very emotional.

It's very surprising, to me, how my family are affected by it,

watching us pack the boxes for the very last time and so on.

I've still got a few more days left to go before I've

But it will be sad, I will be sad to leave.

My grandchildren were baptised here, my children were married here,

so it's got lots of fond memories for us.

As the Tower of London's Head Beefeater, these Tudor lodgings

above the Tower's main entrance have been home for just

But now Alan Kingshott is heading home to Sussex.

The best bits, for me, are living over the top of the gate

and these 2.8 million visitors come in and out and underneath my house.

The loudest thing I'm going to hear now when I go back

to my house is probably a seagull landing somewhere.

Oh, never mind. Is it warm enough for you?

As Chief Yoeman Warder at the Tower, Alan's role is one part

of an extradionary chain of tradition, unbroken

Do you have weather like this in Spain?

The Tower's nearly 940 years old and I've only

In comparison to that, it's just a blip in history.

From my perspective, being part of this iconic heritage site,

This Thursday, he'll don the uniform for the final time and admits

the relative anonymity of retirement might just take some

I shall just blend in with everybody else within the country.

I'll probably go and have a quick coffee with my wife at home and just

But while Alan may no longer have the uniform,

his name will remain at the Tower for centuries to come.

Time for a check on the weather - Wendy's here.

It wasn't the nicest start to the week. I've got some upside, the

weather watchers were out today once they saw those shower clouds in the

sky, trying to find themselves some gold because there was a spate of

beautiful pictures. There were some heavy showers around at that time.

Beautiful pictures, but not quite as nice if you were caught in one of

the showers, there is a good chance you will be cut in the rain this

week as it stays unsettled. It is chilly, the showers you can see have

in the places been kicking out a bit of hail, nothing too unusual, but

some of the showers have also been throwing out sleet and snow and it's

still a possibility as we go through the evening as they go towards our

part of the world from the south-west, blowing in by a

south-westerly wind. Temperatures will fall back because there is

clear sky were the showers are not following which will become confined

to the south-east and overnight. Temperatures close to freezing,

where you get the showers falling on top of those, some slipperiness

under food first thing tomorrow morning. Most of us will have a dry

bright start to the day tomorrow but it is breezy from the outset once

again. Don't go out without your umbrella because through the day we

will get a few more showers, the cute have a wintry element to them

as temperatures are resolutely in single figures. Beyond that into

Wednesday we will have a largely dry and bright estate, there will be

cloud gathering from the south, breezy once again and we will see

rain into the evening. Temperatures on the up by Wednesday, towards the

end of the week things are improving and Thursday will be the best day of

the week, a ridge of high pressure building in but another spell of

rain arrived on Friday. Low pressure, low pressure, there is

another one behind me. Generally very unsettled as we go through this

week and into the weekend. Keep your umbrella with you, it will be rather

breezy but at least temperatures will be back in double figures where

we like them. More than two and a half years

after it was set up, the independent inquiry into child

sexual abuse has started The sessions are focussing

on the abuse of British children who were sent abroad

between 1945 and 1974. Schools in England are

facing their biggest cuts That's according to the Institute

of Fiscal Studies. The firm that oversees the Oscars

has apologised for what's been seen as the biggest fiasco

in the Academy's history. La La Land was initially wrongly

named Best Picture - the real winner was

the film Moonlight. And figures from the Mayor's Office

show that one in four builders There's concern from the City Hall

that a hard Brexit could mean I'll be back later though

during the ten o'clock news From alL the team, thanks for

watching and have a lovely evening. To be in the Lords,

you have to be punctual... literally have to slam

the door in somebody's face. What right do they have

to tell ME about my fashion sense. Can you now control your

bad language? Yes, I will. Otherwise you'll be,

you know, drummed out. To win on something

as important as this