30/08/2017 London News

On BBC London News tonight: and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

The woman heading up an inquiry into Grenfell and building

regulations tells us it's inevitable she'll find systematic failings.

It's clear to most people that there must be some problem

We'll hear more in her first interview

How the mayor is offering ?1 million for us to plant

Plus what will the workplace of the future look like?

Could some of us lose our jobs to robots?

World-famous choreographer Wayne Sleep

Your husband's watching from the box, you haven't told him about it,

you are going to get a rollicking probably, but who cares? She just

went for gold. "It's inevitable that I'll find

failings in the system". That's what the chair

of an independent inquiry into building regulations prompted

by the Grenfell Tower fire Dame Judith Hackitt also said

she understands why residents in other tower blocks

are so worried. In her first interview

since being appointed she told us she would have an interim

report by Christmas. Here's our political

correspondent Karl Mercer. Before the 14th of June, few people

had even heard of Grenfell Tower. Ten weeks later, it stands testament

to a system that failed, to fire and building regulations

that didn't do their job and to inspection regimes that

didn't pick up the risk of fire. And in the weeks since,

tower blocks across the capital have At the Chalcots Estate in Camden,

hundreds had to leave their homes. At the Ledbury Estate

in Southwark, the gas was turned

off over safety fears. Today, the woman charged

with looking at what went wrong with I can understand is that people

living in those tower blocks right now are worried

and rightly so. And it's important that we get some

recommendations out quickly so that the right

rectifications can be made and things can be

progressed quickly. Her inquiry will focus on fire

and building regulations In the wake of Grenfell,

the government ordered tests on hundreds of pieces of cladding

from tower blocks. I think it would be obvious to most

people, having seen the data on the number of high-rise buildings

where the tests have proven the cladding to be inadequate, it's

clear to most people that there must be some problem

that is bigger than a one-off. Her findings will feed

into the wider public inquiry being led by former judge

Sir Martin Moore-Bick. It may have hard lessons

for many across the sector. I think it's inevitable that

we're went to find some I'm not prepared to

speculate at this stage. I think it's important that I look

at all of those things. The competence of the people,

how they work, whether people know what their

roles and responsibilities are, If this system is going to work

effectively, it's not just about what's written down,

it is about how it applies Dame Judith has promised an initial

report by the autumn, Could this be be London home of the

future? A place with mirrors that actually help organise your life.

Find out later. A judge says there were no

concerns about the welfare of a Christian girl said to have

been fostered by a Muslim family, when she was assessed

by an independent guardian. The girl, aged five,

was placed in the care Our reporter Adina Campbell

has been following the story and joins me now -

what's the latest? Well, as you say, we now know the

judge has made the decision and that is going to make sure the girl is

looked after by her maternal grandmother and this comes after

various national newspaper reports claiming the girl has been looked

after by Muslim foster carers and that that went against her Christian

heritage and that the girl was encouraged to speak Arabic. But

Tower Hamlets council has rejected all of those claims and says the

girl was looked after by an English-speaking family from a mixed

race or religion. Now, we have had the details of this care order. It

is the child was removed from her mother's care in March earlier this

year on an emergency basis. The mother has substance abuse issues

and we also know the maternal grandparents are also of a Muslim

background, but the mother says they offer Christian heritage so Tower

Hamlets council says that there have been inaccuracies in the newspaper

reporting of this case. The judge has today said that the grant will

be placed, as I say, in the care of her maternal grandmother and that is

in the best and safest interests of the child and that is not based on

any reports in the media. Thank you very much for the latest.

The menace of moped gangs is something we've reported on

It's thought most crimes they commit are spontaneous.

But now, one leading expert has warned that gangs are becoming more

organised and are using spotters to target and steal from Londoners.

Our home affairs correspondent Nick Beake reports.

It seems to be the crime of the summer, the sight

and sound of gangs on mopeds, stealing other bikes,

then robbing phones and wallets and, in some cases, even throwing acid.

Mopeds thieves stole more than 7000 mobiles in the past 12 months,

In some months, a suspect was charged

in only 1% of crimes involving mopeds.

Just last week, a BBC London team was filming an unrelated story

when a gang was spotted apparently stealing a bike.

They took it to a park where they got it started

This guy, like, come on, come on, come on, hurry up!

As they rushed out, they both kind of looked behind them

They went that way, they went that way.

and officers found it had indeed been stolen.

Dr Simon Harding has been studying moped gangs.

He says young criminals are now using

increased surveillance and are scouring London streets

Some of these boys are working with a pedestrian spotter.

This is somebody who will be on foot,

perhaps walking down a high street.

They will be identifying that people are using

They'll make a phone call to another member

of the gang and say, "Yeah, rich pickings along here, come now."

The mopeds involved has got no number plates,

which indicates to us that it is is stole the mopeds.

The net now has dedicated teams in mopeds crime hotspots,

but have come under fire for not pursuing suspects who

take off their helmets, although Scotland Yard deny

The police say bike manufacturers can do more to make their products

harder to steal and that Londoners can help themselves

But many criminals are getting away with it.

This woman in Streatham was dragged by her hair after two people

Three months on, no one's been arrested.

Noisy night-time work at Luton Airport

has been suspended after a wave of complaints from local residents,

with levels found to almost breach legal limits.

The overnight work on the airports new terminal will now be replaced

by daytime drilling which will stop everyday at 6pm.

It's expected to be completed by mid-September.

BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine says he regrets the fact that a woman

was sent to prison for screaming abuse at him in road rage incident.

The Radio 2 presenter was riding his bike in Kensington

and used a helmet-camera to film the threats made

She was jailed for nine months because she was already serving

Vine says he would have been happy with an apology.

Is ?420,000 a year too much to pay someone running

That's what the chief executive of the Harris Federation is paid.

Either way, there are now calls for a cap to be imposed

as our political editor Tim Donovan reports.

He has overall responsibility for 30,000 pupils in 41 schools across

the capital, schools which in most cases have been transformed.

But does this man, Sir Daniel Moynihan,

How does it compare with your other school?

The founder of the Harris chain of schools, Lord Harris,

says he's an exceptional leader and administrator.

Doing different things on computers and buying differently,

he saved 5 million, 3 million and 4 million in the last

three years, so he saved ?12 million of public money by buying

I speak to him four or five times a day and he's one of the best

Groups of three or more schools working in federation

produce better results more quickly...

This was Sir Daniel interviewed a few years ago.

He was once the headteacher in a Harris School -

but unions say his page and can't be justified given it public money.

This is taxpayers' money which is being paid for children

and young people's education, and that's where it should go.

I think leading a chain of academies is a big job, but

I don't think that pay should be just up to the governing body.

I think there should be guidelines and

there should be a cap on chief executive and on leadership pay.

Lord Harris poised to this school, the Battersea Academy, as an example

of why his chief executive is worth his salary.

This year, it's just got the best results in the borough of Wandsworth

and 70% of its sixth formers are going to university.

Management could be done in a cheaper way.

And to make it cheaper, you have to reduce

Even when he has so much responsibility for so many people?

Yeah, because you have lots of people helping him also.

It sounds a lot, but I don't know what he does

for his money, so it probably wouldn't be fair for me to comment.

You wouldn't want to rush to judgment?

Four more schools are due to open shortly,

no cut in his workload imminent, nor in his salary.

Fancy sprucing up your street with some trees or plants?

The mayor's offering a million pounds of extra funding

for London's green spaces, which anyone can apply for.

Well, this map gives us a general picture.

But as our environment correspondent Tom Edwards has been finding out,

the scheme really needs the boroughs on board to make it work.

Kew Gardens enjoying the drizzle this morning.

London is one of the greenest cities on the planet

and there are now plans to make it greener.

Today, the mayor launched a ?1 million fund

for community groups to buy plants and trees.

He wants London to be a national Park city, though

pre-election promises of 2 million trees by 2020 aren't now a target.

We wanted to embark on a major tree-planting programme

and we're well on the way to do that.

So to be clear, that 2 million target, you're not abiding by that?

in relation to a major tree-planting programme.

I'm going to keep that promise to plant more trees in London.

We will increase the tree canopy in London.

I've published recently my environment strategy

and the ambition there is to have an increase of 10%

London's green spaces support 40,000 species.

It has 3.8 million gardens and 47% is made up

This is a community garden in Greenwich.

Here, they're having battles with the local council

who want to sell it to developers.

This initiative is hopefully a step in the right direction,

but I feel that the green spaces are under a lot of threat

with so many encroaching housing developments,

not always sympathetic to the surrounding area.

I feel that they're a vital resource

Under the current mayor, 87,000 trees have

Under Boris Johnson, 490,000 were planted in eight.

And planning applications are now being turned down

Would you acknowledge that the balance between housing

and green spaces is a difficult one in his is a challenge?

I don't think it's a choice between housing,

I've been here speaking to some of the scientist here

at Kew Gardens, speaking to those who run Kew Gardens.

Actually, it creates jobs, it protects jobs,

it also encourages us to think about the century we live in.

Nonetheless, with pressure on space,

serious challenges lie ahead to further green the capital.

World renowned choreographer Wayne Sleep talks to us about

Imagine hearing the voice of your loved one in 15 years after they

passed away. That's what happened to Sarah here after randomly pressing a

button on this bench. Before that though,

all this week, we're looking at London

in the future. Today, how we might

be working by 2050. It's thought that up to a third

of the jobs we do now will no longer exist

in just 20 years. are set to dramatically

change the workplace. But how realistic is this

prediction and will we benefit or will many of us be left behind

as technology marches forward? Brother and Sister Daniel and Rachel

are trying their hands as dentists. Children are imagining the world of

work here in Westfield but will these jobs even exist when they grow

up? And while dentists will probably still exist in 30 years' time, the

lower skilled jobs may not. I want to be a train driver. I want to

drive really fast cars. According to research, most at risk from machines

are transport, car repairs and jobs in hotels and food. Across the

world, two thirds of children entering primary School will end up

working in jobs that don't yet exist. So what types of job will

they be? How will they be created? And what impact will that have a

London's workforce? Jobs that paid ?30,000 or less today are eight

times more likely to be automated and jobs that pay ?100,000 or more,

so that looks like a risk of a hollowing out of the economy. What

it really means is that we have to have business in London working

together with Government and educators to make sure we are giving

Londoners, you love mirrors and people who need to Rhys Gill, the

skills they need in the future. Imagine when Mr and Mrs 2000 sit

down to breakfast with automatic air. Some of us have long been

promised that robots will change our lives, but how realistic is that

vision? This is a duck, who was having a off day. We like to have

this technology here so that we can show it to clients rather than talk

to them about it because some of these concepts... All know, she's

died. This is actually a virtual collaboration space. Other

technology like virtual reality is allowing people to connect, so could

this make the offer is redundant? Not quite, says the founder of this

shared work space. What we are doing is creating an environment in which

small teams can really flourish. We have found here at Second Home that

teams grow ten times faster than the national average, which is great

because that is more jobs and more growth. People in predicting exactly

how the future will look, but we know for this generation, it will be

very different. Well, that was a look

at the workplace of the future - Gareth Furby has already

leapt through time So talk us through

what's so different? Well, perhaps it's not so impressive

in this room, but look at this. Any batting, a mirror which may really

come straight out of a science fiction movie. It will not only give

you the day's schedule, but it will tell you how best to brush your

teeth and is now take a look at this. Karen on all lights. Magic? Or

just the future? Lets Doctor Simon, who is a futurist. Hello, Simon. You

are about to make the kitchen and make you a Coffey, Orange you? Yes,

right from the sofa. From this app, I hit the spot and the copy machine.

Making a copy for us. We will find that in a second if that works. Then

we have a game here which doesn't look that interesting, but

apparently it is. This is an augmented reality game. The cards

are markers and trigger holograms of animals so children can learn. And

that has as intelligent and away. Very much so. All the items are

connected to a artificial intelligence system which has

machining learning built in with that of the more we interact with

it, the more headlines about us. It will learn a lot about you when you

live here. Yes, and it will be better able to assist you, the more

it knows. Londoners like this, I have is that may end up knowing more

about abandoning all about themselves? Here is mazy from

campaign magazine. You think there maybe downsize this? The big tech

companies already know what you search for and your location

history. In a world where everything is connected in the home, they will

also know a lot about your personal habits. How much you sleep, how much

time you spend on the sofa, how much you drink, and the problem comes

when it comes to how much you have said they can do with this data. If

they are allowed to sell it on, they could sell it to an insurance

company and you might find that that extra beer made your premiums go up.

Lots to talk about here, but lots people want to know, does it work?

Hero Simon, Simon, has it may be coffee you asked for? Yes, here it

is, ready to drink. Apparently it will even make food. Here we have an

indoor allotment. Let's call it that. Back to you.

Thank you, Gareth. I feel positively primitive!

Imagine for a moment, you're taking a rest on a bench,

when out of nowhere you suddenly hear the voice of your grandmother

That's exactly what happened to a woman from Chelmesford.

On a rainy day in Chelmsford, you might walk straight past it. Sarah

did, many times. She had no idea that this ordinary looking seat

would mean so much to her. It's one of Essex's talking benches. They

play archive recordings about what the area was like in the last

century. There are 18 of them and one day, she chose to sit on this

one. I pushed the button on the first thing that came out was a guy

saying, this is Muriel Rhee cocking about her childhood, so of course,

my ears picked up immediately because I knew that was when my Nan

lived and it's quite an unusual name, so it was... And then

obviously, her track came on and it was absolutely lovely. It was so

lovely to hear. Were used to play skipping in the road because that

was a road that was quite Private. There wasn't much traffic or many

cars in those days. Muriel died 15 years ago and her family had no idea

that she had taken part in this project back in the 90s. The boys

had metal hooks on the grass had the wooden ones. They were wonderful

grandparents and assorted suddenly hear her voice and to hear her

voice, immediately, I was like, there is no doubt that is my Nan.

Every year, we had a carnival of our own. If she knew that all these

years later and this bench is here with her voice on it, I think she

might outwardly be a bit shy and coy about it, but inwardly, most

definitely she would be really proud. Muriel would have been 100

next month, but her granddaughter says this discovery has been a gift

to the whole family. I feel it was really special, like I was meant to

sit here and listen to that. It was one of Diana's

best kept secrets - her love of dance and how she would,

away from the cameras, Her teacher was the world

famous ballet dancer 20 years after her death,

he's been remembering the Princess and the night she wowed the world

with her dancing. The Royal Academy of Dance

in Battersea Square, where it all started for one of

the most famous ballet stars It was back in his heyday

that he struck up a friendship with the then Princess of Wales,

a closeness he still feels I will find it very sad

to reminisce, but also I'll remember and the fun moments

that we had together and we had a great time,

you know. And she used to come round to

my flat, kick her heels off and walk around barefoot and just

completely zonk out, relax, and I felt that that was

so wonderful that she could feel Diana famously loved to dance

and wanted to perform to surprise your husband

at the Royal Opera house. It was Wayne she chose

to be her partner, despite their dramatic

height difference. Amazingly, what I didn't know,

she took to it like a duck to water. I mean, the performance

was as if she'd been performing I was worried that the nerves

would get to her on the night. 2600 people, complete blackout,

spotlight in your face Your husband's watching

from the box, you haven't told him about it,

you are going to get a rollicking probably,

but who cares? Next door to the Royal Academy

and a certain Prince George will be starting this school

in a few short weeks and guess what? with a Royal Academy

accredited teacher. His grandmother supported ballet

until the end of her life, including helping Wayne's

foundation for young artists. Wayne believes she would be

delighted George is to take lessons It's good discipline, it's good

for technique, it makes your mind Let's get a check on the

weather with Darren. What happened?

You make it sound... Like it was my fault. Well, what a difference a day

makes. Tomorrow might be better, but this was actually yesterday when we

had temperatures of 26 degrees in the centre of London. Move things on

24 hours and this was the picture today in Twickenham. In the centre

of town, we struggle to get 15 degrees at best, so a significant

change in the weather. That is because of the cloud and rain that

was quite slow moving. Not very heavy but it was a very poor day and

it felt pretty cold out there as well. We are beginning to see the

back of the strain and it will get a move on now and push its way out

before midnight. Clear skies following on from that and no wind

so it's going to be really quite chilly overnight. Temperatures could

be down as low as 5 degrees because temperatures didn't rise very much

at all today. It warmer day tomorrow because we start with Sun Xiang,

which will be nice, and sunny for a good part of the morning. By the

afternoon, the cloud will have bubbled up enough to give us some

showers. Hit and miss, but they could be heavy and potentially

thundery, but significantly higher temperatures than today. The

temperatures will drop once those showers arrived. The temperatures

fall away overnight and leave clear skies so I can quite cold especially

at what Hertfordshire, but again on Friday, starting bright and sunny.

Winds light again. Somehow bubbling up and perhaps a shower, more likely

to the north of London. The chance of catching a shower on Friday is

much less than catching a shower tomorrow. If we look further ahead

into the weekend, we have as high pressure building and across the UK,

hence those showers being fewer and further between. That's high

pressure will be around for a time, but weather fronts are in the

Atlantic and they will eventually arrive. If you have plans for

Friday, very few showers around. A good chance it will stay dry.

Saturday was defined a full sub 21 degrees is normal for this time of

year. Sunday will start sunny but at the crowd will increase. Probably

stay enjoyable but maybe some rain in the evening or maybe overnight.

President Trump has declared that talking is not the answer

when it comes to responding to North Korea's missile tests.

Yesterday, it fired a missile over Japan, calling it "the first step"

of fresh military operations in the Pacific.

Tropical Storm Harvey has again moved ashore,

this time over Louisiana, bringing heavy rain and threatening

More than 20 people have died and about 3000 homes

Prince William and Prince Harry have visited a memorial garden

for their mother at her old home at Kensington palace.

Tomorrow will mark the 20th anniversary of her death

I'll be back later though during the ten o'clock news.

Your views always welcome on our Facebook page.

From all of us on the team, thanks for watching

where four famous faces go head-to-head

in a series of one-of-a-kind quizzes.

BUZZER Oh, I know it! Oh!

With some answers that may surprise you.

BUZZER David Hasselhoffal.

There's only ever going to be room in his heart for one person.

You think about everything that's wrong, it's just Jane.