29/11/2017 London News

warmth in our direction. But it will

still feel pretty chilly. Thanks.

Coming up on BBC London News:

The families facing

eviction before Christmas -

charities calls on councils

to intervene earlier.

Go and do a home visit,

see what's going on.

Actually understand

what the families are going through.

Plus, tackling the wider

housebuilding crisis in the capital

- the Mayor outlines his new plan.

Also on the programme: The yoga

centre offering classes specifically

to children with special needs -

we ask how it makes them feel.

Happier!

Like, definitely, I feel very happy.

I feel more energetic.

And getting Elvis fans all shook up

as London plays host

to Presley memorabilia -

some never seen before in the UK.

A very warm welcome

to the programme.

We start tonight with

some of the thousands

of families in the capital

facing eviction, some

just before Christmas.

They say they feel "helpless

and confused by the system".

Charities are now calling

for councils to intervene earlier

to support families in social

housing struggling to

manage their money before

it reaches the point

of homelessness.

Chris Rogers reports.

Tomorrow morning, this family could

be homeless. They have been evicted.

They have nowhere to go. This is all

of your belongings.

Yes.

And you

haven't unpacked. There is little

point and packing when you know an

eviction notice is coming.

This is

my eviction letter.

Your temporary

accommodation will end on Thursday

the 30th of November. Michael and

Alison were evicted from their

social housing home in Islington.

They fell thousands of pounds behind

in red. The council offered them

this house 20 miles away in Purfleet

in Essex. It says that it is your

fault that you are homeless. They

say they are struggling to

understand the system, their rights

and obtained the paperwork needed to

get housing benefit. Alison has

mental health problems, and can

rarely leave the house. Michael is

struggling to get work, and focuses

on taking care of the children.

Where do you think you will end up

next?

We are not sure what's going

to happen. We are only now looking

to bring other services like

Shelter.

We asked Islington council

why the family were being held

responsible for their homelessness.

They told us it could have done more

if it had been contacted earlier in

the process. Jim Stewart is an

outreach worker with the charity

school home support. Michael and

Alison are one of ten struggling

families her family has tried to

help this year.

Homelessness,

overcrowding and eviction.

In all

cases, the families need somewhere

to live, whether they have been

evicted or they need to find more

appropriate accommodation.

And these

are all families with young

children. It's very confined in this

place anyway. They can only play in

the corridors.

This is the second

time Kim has had to help Stacey, a

single parent with four children.

This room with no toilet or kitchen

is all she can afford. In rent

arrears, she was evicted from her

council house in August. Now this

landlord wants her out because of

her son's behaviour. They are giving

you an eviction notice because your

son?

Touch a fire extinguisher. And

he has ADHD.

Michael is determined

to keep his children in school here,

so he brings them in and to save

money, wait all day to take them

home. Collecting mail from the home

he was evicted from this

heartbreaking for Michael.

It could

mean that you evict four children

out of these premises, and today in

the same premises, it is totally

empty.

By foot, by tube, by train,

by bus. It's a two-hour commute

twice a day to keep his children at

their school.

I have two young

children experiencing this difficult

journey daily.

High rents, welfare

reform and life choices all play

their part, but is eviction always

necessary?

There is a lack of

communication. If you had done a

home visit, if the housing

association or council had done a

home visit when things started

building up, if you have a debt, you

get people write new letters. The

debts are building up, do a home

visit, see what is going on.

Understand what the families are

going through.

On average, 100

families are evicted every day.

Tomorrow, we revisit the emergency

housing where the evicted and

homeless end up.

Take it hour by

hour.

Described by charities and

families as modern-day slums.

Social housing under pressure there,

and the bigger picture we know is

that a shortage of homes is one

of the biggest challenges

facing our city.

Today the Mayor outlined how

he plans to tackle it.

And it could mean bigger housing

developments being built

in suburban town centres.

Sadiq Khan says he'll "rip up"

existing planning rules

in order to meet his target to build

65,000 homes a year.

That's double the current rate

of housebuilding in the capital.

And he wants half of his target

to be "genuinely" affordable.

So what does it all mean in reality?

Here's our Political

Editor Tim Donovan.

The station at Twickenham, home

of English rugby, is finally being

redeveloped, but of the 115

homes to be built here,

precisely none will be affordable.

A concession granted so the scheme

could be finished in

time for the World Cup in 2015.

At the time, the planning committee

were pressured to accept a scheme

that was not affordable

because they wanted

to be completed in time

for the Rugby World Cup.

But we are not quite on schedule.

So very disappointing,

very disappointing.

It seems absurd to me that

you couldn't provide some level

of affordability on a site this big.

It just really is a question of,

are you prepared to build at a high

enough density?

Are councils like Richmond,

with among the lowest

building rates in the capital,

now in the mayor's sights?

You've got to make more

of opportunities like this

when they arise, believes the mayor.

Build higher, certainly

here in the suburbs,

create more density.

And because this

is a station, it is a

chance to change behaviour.

You can insist on fewer

cars by allowing

fewer car parking spaces.

Today, he chose Barking

Riverside, the biggest

regeneration project in Europe,

to outline his plans.

Experts have told him the capital

needs 43,000 affordable new

homes to be built each year.

He wants more small-scale developers

involved, and the current

restrictions on density -

how many homes that can be

squeezed onto sites - lifted.

But to his opponents,

it's a threat to the suburbs.

Outer London is going to be made

to look like inner London.

Now, people live in

the suburbs because

they like it, because it's greener,

because there's more space, and what

he's actually done is,

he's declared war on outer

London, and as a result

of all these policies,

it's going to be browner,

more overcrowded and

hard to get around.

The mayor has pledged

to strengthen protection

for the green belt.

That went down well in Ilford today.

What we did here, we got

loads and loads of

people, thousands

of people involved.

Chris led a campaign to fight off

plans to turn the 60 acres

of playing fields

into a housing estate.

As far as we are concerned,

it's now saved.

The council have taken

the plan off the shelf and

said, "That's no good.

We are saving Oakfield for sport

and for the community."

But the local council, Redbridge,

still wants to reclassify

and build on a tenth

of its green belt,

saying it's the only way

to

provide houses needed.

And one former

Transport Secretary now

advising the Government on

infrastructure says it's a case for

sacrificing some green belt.

I think we can have a win- win here.

What we can have is

denser developments

around stations, which are highly

accessible, whilst protecting

virtually all of the green belt.

The issue is where the

areas are immediately

around stations, where you can have

dense developments with excellent

transport connections,

whether they should be

open to development.

At the moment, they often

are developed, and they are called

exceptional developments

within the green belt.

And I think we should be open

to more of those in the future,

but making absolutely clear that

London's famous parks and valuable

open spaces will be

defended at all costs.

Every available means should be used

to build new homes, says the

mayor.

Clashes over location, type,

and scale seem certain to follow.

So can the mayor

achieve what he wants?

Tim Donovan spoke to him

earlier and asked him how

he could build more densely

whilst ensuring quality.

What I'm saying to developers,

what I'm saying to councils,

what I'm saying to housing

associations is, it is possible

with good design to meet

the needs of Londoners,

that means high density,

high quality homes.

How much is this focused on outer

London and the suburbs?

Do you think they have been building

enough in the last few years?

I think all across London

we need to see more homes,

good quality homes.

The reality is, many councils have

had one arm tied behind their back

because the Government has failed

to give them the powers

to borrow to build.

Many housing associations have

wanted to build more homes.

Problems around land allocation,

problems around investment

from the Government,

developers want certainty.

What about outer

London in particular?

Is that where there's been

the failure until now?

All councils will have targets.

All councils will know

what the expectations are on them.

Outer London as well as in London.

Outer London, the problem

is around infrastructure.

One of the reasons we are here

in Barking Riverside is to see

the difference infrastructure can

make, and if outer London boroughs

have the assistance they need,

I'm sure they can build good

quality, high density homes.

You know councils, including Labour

councils like Redbridge,

want to designate,

want to build on a lot

of green belt.

Do you support that?

No, I don't support

the designating of greenbelt land.

There's got to be

an exceptional reason.

If it was the case,

hypothetically speaking,

that it wasn't possible to meet

the needs of London,

then that would be an argument

that is worth exploring,

but that argument isn't there.

They say they can't meet

their local housing needs.

In other words, you will be standing

in the way of progress.

They have not seen the draft plan.

The draft plan sets out

the blueprint and the route map

for how we meet the needs

of Londoners without

building on green belt.

The Mayor also discussed fire safety

as part of his plan,

something that has sharply been

brought under the spotlight

after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Since then, BBC London has

highlighted several safety

issues with tower blocks

around the capital.

Well, now structural problems have

been found in another estate,

this time in Fulham.

Gareth Furby has this

exclusive report.

Two 1960s tower blocks

in Fulham, but are they safe?

Perhaps not.

In an empty flat, structural

engineers have now cut away concrete

to expose cracking where

the floors join the walls.

A fire safety expert says this

is an alarming discovery,

because such cracking,

if seen throughout the blocks,

may mean a fire could not be

contained inside a flat.

Instead, he says, it could rapidly

spread throughout the building.

What could happen here is,

because of the lack of

fire-stopping, the smoke and fire

can spread from flat to flat

vertically.

Following this structural

investigation and the discovery

of the cracking, fire safety wardens

have now started patrolling

the tower blocks 24 hours a day.

Their brief is to get

residents out as quickly

as possible if a fire starts.

And it is safe.

The guys are patrolling,

and no issues to report so far.

But some residents are concerned.

All of us have been told to stay

put when that's been

the incorrect information.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council

insists that with wardens in place,

the residents are safe.

But last night, they faced

some tough questions.

How many of the doors did

you check had self-closures?

And for this woman, it was repeating

a scene that the BBC

filmed back in 1984.

How does this message get back that

some of us want out?

Even then, she was worried

about the safety of these blocks.

Are you telling me these flats

are completely safe?

In July, after the Grenfell

disaster, she wrote

to the London Fire Brigade demanding

an urgent investigation

into the safety of the blocks.

Now fire wardens are

patrolling outside her flat.

It always takes a disaster before

anything's done anywhere,

doesn't it, whatever it may be,

whether it be a fire or whatever.

Do you think you'll be safe now?

Hopefully.

I believe we've done everything

we can to keep residents safe.

The worst thing we could do is cause

panic amongst our own residents

and put them out of a home if we can

make them safe with fire wardens

and extra precautions,

which is what we've been doing.

The council says next week,

a new alarm system will be fitted

in the blocks and the Fire Brigade

is going to check every

flat for fire safety.

The police watchdog is investigating

a complaint about the way a police

helicopter was used to respond

to the Grenfell fire.

It was made by a man who lost six

family members in the blaze.

Our Home Affairs Correspondent Nick

Beake joins me with more details.

Nearly six months on, how has this

come about?

Many people will

remember the constant noise of the

police helicopter hovering above

Grenfell Tower in the hours after

the fire took hold. Of course, it

provided a different perspective for

the emergency services looking down

at the horrendous scene unfolding.

We can now look at a still

photograph of the helicopter that

morning in June, when 81 people lost

their lives. But now we hear that

the police watchdog is investigating

the helicopter that morning. That is

because of the concerns of one

survivor, a man called Nabil

Choucair. He lost six embers of his

family in the fire. They were all on

the 22nd floor, and he has now heard

harrowing 999 calls that they made

to the authorities, begging for

help. He believes that the

helicopter's presence gave them the

impression that they might be

winched to safety. This was what he

told me earlier.

They thought it was an emergency

helicopter and they thought they

were going to be rescued. Unlike

many other families in the building

on the upper floors, they were given

the false impression that they were

going to be rescued and they never

did.

They made a request on the 999

calls?

More than several times, yes.

They requested help from the

helicopter specifically.

And what has the police watchdog

said?

The deputy chair has said that

although there is no indication that

any police officer had committed

misconduct or a criminal offence,

she thought it was appropriate that

this complaint is now investigated.

This is interesting, because there

is already a criminal investigation

and the role of the helicopter will

now be incorporated into this. So

the Met will read this, but the

police watchdog will be controlling

this from afar and directing what

happens here. We also know that they

will be looking to another concern

of Nabil Choucair that the

helicopters specifically created a

downdraught which may have fanned

the flames and made the situation

worse. Talking to him this afternoon

and his legal team, it is clear that

they don't want this to distract

from other issues they are concerned

about like the cladding and the

refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, but

they want the police to look at this

so that it can be fed into the

public inquiry which is looking at

the wider picture.

Still to come before 7:

At first, it was challenging, but

now I can do it. I'm proud of

myself.

How yoga is changing the lives

of children with disabilities.

And eldest is back in the building.

Albee taken on a tour of the new

exhibition at the O2 with a rather

special guide.

Two stewards in hospital

and six arrests.

"The worst disorder in more

than a decade" is how Sussex police

have described last night's trouble

at Crystal Palace's

away game in Brighton.

However police, and Brighton

football club, have been criticised

by many of the law-abiding Palace

fans who were refused

entry to the stadium.

We can join our sports reporter

Chris Slegg, who's got

the latest on this.

Chris. Well, Crystal Palace have

condemned what they called the

anti-social and criminal behaviour

by a small group of fans who tried

to force their way into Brighton

Stadium without tickets. It was

their first-ever Premier League

meeting and it may have ended 0-0

but it was eagerly awaited by so

many fans. 150 slashed 200 fans did

not get to see any of it. Many of

them did have tickets and were not

causing any problems but after that

small group did try to get in and

injured two stewards, they were

locked outside. Brighton decided

they all had to be locked outside.

The police kept them there for 45

minutes and then took them back to

the station were some claim they

were forced onto any train,

regardless of the destination. The

Sussex Chief investigator Simon

Nelson has said today, "I have been

involved in policing at all levels

and have been a match commander at

Albion for 12 years, but I have

never co me across such concerted

efforts to cause disorder and engage

in violent ground with pyrotechnics

we are aware a significant number of

people tried to enter the ground

with pyrotechnics, incidents

throughout the evening. One was

witnessed by the three youngsters in

knuckle-dusters drew fire exit doors

in the South stand, and there were

also other isolated incident

throughout the evening.

One was

witnessed by the three youngsters in

broke in and then the police came

and we heard glass run across the

road over traffic and stuff and then

just kicked off and started having

fights.

It was between a few people

and then other people broke in and

then the police came and we heard

glass and so among all of this,

there were fans with genuine tickets

concerned about how it was all yes,

and Crystal Palace say they will

calm after the incident. Some fans

have questions of why they were not

allowed in when they can prove they

were not doing anything wrong. Why

were they made to wait for 45

minutes if they weren't we can see

that there was relative, after the

incident. Some fans have questions

of why they were not allowed in when

they can prove they were not doing

anything wrong. Why were they made

to wait for 45 minutes if they

weren't allowed one Palestine is

also a London assembly and this is

what he had to say to me earlier

this afternoon chair of the police

and crime committee, and this is

what he had to say to me earlier

this afternoon.

Some young lads

tried to get in. They should be

nicked and we must feel for the

people who were injured, but then a

decision was made by Brighton

football club to shut all the rest

of the Palace stands out, 95% of

them I am sure had tickets. It was

young lads tried to get in.

They

should be nicked and we must feel

for the people who were injured, but

then a decision was made by Brighton

football club to shut all the rest

of the Palace stands out, 95% of

them I am sure had tickets. It was

this graceful. I should were found

on some of the that weapons were

found on some of the additional

security met measures will be put in

place when Brighton come in April.

OK, many

Now, you can find yoga

classes all over London -

and many who rave about how

it's improved their

health and fitness.

But for some children,

it's changing their lives.

A new centre in Islington

is offering yoga therapy classes

specifically tailored for children

with special needs.

And the one-on-one sessions

are making quite an impact

on some youngsters,

as Charlotte Franks reports.

Nine-year-old Daniel

has found the secret

to happiness, and it comes

in

the shape of yoga.

Well, it tests my flexibility

and it always tries to

put me to the limit.

He has special needs

and started practising it two

and a half years ago to help

with his confidence.

At school now, I want

to try everything.

Like, every sport and it's

help me be more active,

helped me get better at lots

of stuff, like lots of sports.

The centre in Islington

is the only place in the

UK to offer yoga therapy,

running one-on-one

sessions tailored to

the

needs of the individual.

It's not only supports

them physically, but

it also helps them

mentally and emotionally.

It's a specific practice

developed by an incredible

woman who herself had

a child with special

needs, and that's how

the

practice got found, a mum trying

to help a child to reach their full

potential.

So how does Daniel feel

after his session?

Happier.

Like, definitely I feel

very happy, I feel

more energetic.

At first it was challenging,

and now I can do it.

Like, I'm proud of myself.

It's believed youngsters

like Daniel are

testament to the success of this

type of therapy for those with

special needs.

As a result, it's hoped more classes

like it will be adopted

by centres across the country.

There is a beautiful

light inside my heart

that was given to me

when I was born, and

because of that light

I do

not fear anyone or anything.

From his trademark jumpsuits

to the many dry cleaning receipts

and repair bills, a new exhibition

of Elvis Presley's close

up and personal items

is about to open in London.

It's been put together

by his ex-wife Priscilla,

some 40 years since the singer died.

And according to the woman

who knew him best back then,

the king of rock n'roll almost made

it the capital himself,

as our reporter Caroline

Davies has been finding out.

at Selhurst Park in April. OK, many

thanks. MUSIC PLAYS: Jail House Rock

by Elvis Presley.

He left such a

lasting impression, when you watched

him he left such a lasting

impression, when you watched him the

King has returned to London.

The O2

never seen a new exhibition on Elvis

Presley, with 200 items never seen

before in wanted to come here.

He

always wanted to perform here. He

was literally thinking about

planning to come here a few months

before he. Even if Elvis never made

it to the capital. He always wanted

to come here. He always wanted to

perform here. He was literally

thinking about planning to come here

a few months before he guitars, to

materials, and of course the

guitars, poor materials, and of

course the quite wide. This is a

beautiful black leather belt, quite

wide days, bought it for him to wear

on his casual he then got it copied

for his suit because he of what I

bought him so much.

The jumpsuit is

a prototype of that, of what I

bought there is sheet music from one

famous you never told him what you

could I wondered how I could get it

across had it in a bag and he asked

me what it was and then he put it on

and he played it over and over again

and then he said, I have to do it so

that he would sing it, and I had it

in a bag and he asked me what it was

and then he put it on and he played

it over and over again and then he

said, I have to do so I want if you

the second exhibition in the O2 for

Elvis, so why 40 years after his

death is he still drawing the this

is the second exhibition in the O2

for Elvis, so why 40 years after his

death is he still drawing he had

such an impression on our culture,

that people don't want to let go.

And this will be in the building, in

spirit at least, until February next

they don't want to let go. And this

will be in the building, in spirit

at least, until February next

Time to see how the weather's

shaping up and Darren Bett

is the man to tell us.

is the man to tell us.

and his songs just don't seem to

have a northerly wind blowing which

will add to the chilly fuel. There

will be some sunshine around and

with a bit of luck we may actually

stay dry this time. We had those

cold winds blowing today, blowing in

the cloud. You can see the speckled

blue. 12 of those showers heading

down towards the London area earlier

on today, but I think overnight any

showers that we have towards Essex

and maybe Hertfordshire will fade

away. Skies were clear. The wind

will as we head into tomorrow, we

will still have a northerly wind

blowing which will add to the chilly

fuel. There will be some sunshine

around and with a bit of luck we may

actually stay dry this time. We had

those cold winds blowing today,

blowing in the cloud. We can see the

speckles of blue. 12 of those

showers heading down towards the

London area earlier on today, but I

think overnight any showers that we

have towards Essex and maybe

Hertfordshire will fade away. Skies

were clear. The wind will ease down

a little bit. And it will be colder

than it was last night. A and it

will be down to minus four Celsius.

You can see the shower is getting

quite close, but probably staying

dry, I suspect. There will be some

more cloud during the afternoon, but

still some spells of it will be a

cold get some showers overnight

Thursday night into Friday morning,

and there will be a mixture of rain,

hail, sleet and even possibly we are

more likely to get some showers

overnight Thursday night into Friday

morning, and there will be a mixture

of rain, hail, sleet and even

possibly. Those showers turning to

rain through the day and then easing

away through the afternoon, so more

sunshine in the afternoon.

Temperatures up at around 65 and

seven Celsius. The cold wind finally

tending to ease away. We will see

the cold air finally getting pushed

out out towards the near continent

and instead milder Atlantic air will

be heading our way. It does because

of the cloud, the temperatures will

not be so low, but there is the risk

of some icy patches into the morning

rush hour on Friday. Those showers

turning to rain through the day and

then easing away through the

afternoon, so my sunshine in the

afternoon. Temperatures up at around

6007 Celsius. The cold wind finally

tending to ease away. We will see

the cold air finally getting pushed

out out towards the near continent

and instead milder Atlantic air will

be heading our way. It we will see

temperatures of cloud around as

That's all from us for now.

You can keep across

the latest on our website,