16/01/2018 London News

snow. Thursday could be a challenge

if you have far to go. Stay

Coming up on BBC London News.

A multi-million pound

hospital development is hit

by the collapse of Carillion.

One union warns - there could be

more bad news to come.

We'll have more on the possible

impact the Carillion

collapse might have on the capital.

Also tonight.

Searching for ways to

tackle knife crime -

the met commissioner on why

she backs the increase

in stop and search.

Should religious groups be

prioritised for burials ??

And he's one of London's great

sporting success stories -

as Anthony Joshua looks to add

to his world title collection.

A very good evening

and welcome to the programme.

More information has

emerged on what impact

the collapse of construction giant

Carillion is having on the capital.

BBC London has learnt that

a multi-million pound development

at one of our busiest hospitals has

been hit as a result.

We've also discovered

that the Met police has

contracts with the company.

One union has told us -

there could be dire consequences

for the capital with the full impact

still not known.

Here's our political

correspondent, Karl Mercer.

St Helier is in need of repair,

these parts of the Sutton hospital

are well past their sell by date,

which is why bosses here decided

they needed to shell out £12 million

on repairs. It's the biggest

refurbishment the hospital has had

and will see windows and roof is

replaced. The outer wall

strengthened and prepared. Only

yesterday the work hit a snag, its

name, Carillion and major

subcontractor on this project and

one not quite living up to its

billboard promises. Yesterday work

here stopped, some workers were on

site today but their future too is

uncertain past the end of the week.

Hospital's chief executive was not

available for interview today that

old me last night that work on site

had stopped yesterday. Is now in

urgent talks with contractors to see

what happens over coming weeks. --

he is now. He issued a statement to

say that we are grateful for staff

still working on site despite the

uncertainty and said we are working

hard to find a solution that enables

the work to continue as planned,

because the improvement works at St

Helier are very badly needed. The St

Helier redevelopment, like most, is

done with the help of the private

sector under the sort of scheme

brought in by the Prime Minister who

first introduced the Private Finance

Initiative to Britain, and was born

in this hospital. Local MPs today

hope this scheme will still go ahead

on time and on budget.

You've got

the hospital at maximum capacity

because of the winter, every bed is

used, at the same time as trying to

replace windows, make sure that a

new roof and to actually make sure

that there is no water getting in.

It's not straightforward. But I do

have confidence that it will

continue and we desperately need it.

I know the Chief Executive is on the

case and making sure something gets

sorted out. It is a worry that we

don't want any sort of further

delay. We want to make sure we have

the costs right as well so that we

don't overrun because we only have a

limited budget.

It is not just the

public sector affected by

Carillion's collapse. This housing

development in central London left

quiet today, workers simply coming

back to pick up their tools and

unions warning the full effects are

yet to be felt in the capital.

It's

not just Carillion, its many

thousands of construction workers,

small companies, medium-size

companies who are literally

wondering what's going to happen at

the end of today, the end of

tomorrow and the end of next week.

The coming days will be difficult

for many connected with Carillion.

Workers and those who depend on its

services. Karl Mercer, BBC London

News.

Let's get more from

our political editor

Tim Donovan who joins me.

And it's emerged the Met

police is also affected?

Yes, two private finance initiatives

can really an art part of for the

Metropolitan Police, one of them

involving four south London police

stations where they provide things

like exhibits for court cases, they

provide some of the custody

services, processing people through

the system, they do reception, they

do maintenance, electrical work and

so on. Then there is an even bigger

contract which is managing and

operating the Metropolitan Police's

training resources Centre at

Gravesend. This is the kind of stuff

they do there. It's a crucial part

of the Met's provision, public

order, writing, it's got a shooting

range there, they've got a mock-up

assault house where they train

officers in siege situations and

it's also where they kept those two

old water cannon that we purchased

not that long ago. What's going to

happen to them? The Metropolitan

Police and Ben Maher's office for

policing and crime says they have

contingency plans, which suggests

the staff will stay there rostered

on for the immediate future, but in

the long term we're not quite sure.

This is what the commissioner said.

I wouldn't want people to think that

if there were any difficulty there

that that would cause the Met to

come to a halt. It absolutely

wouldn't. But these are important

contracts. The people who work in

Carillion are very concerned that

Domagoj Pavicic is and we understand

that but we have no break in service

and it is the intention of the

mayor, the deputy mayor and need to

ensure that continues into the

future.

As we have heard, the Unite

union thinks London will be hit

hardest. Do we know about that?

No,

but the Unite union's headman Len

McCluskey in a meeting with the

Business Secretary Greg Clark along

with the general secretary of the

Trades Union Congress Frances

O'Grady and they are trying to take

stock. In effect they want to know

that the guarantee on paying public

sector wages is going to go on for

some time. They also want to see

whether those contracts in the

private sector which we know much

less about, is there anyway that

wages can be guaranteed for a

period, jobs can be guaranteed,

they'd like to see a task force set

up, these unions, to establish that.

As we can see already, more than a

day into this, there is still very

little clarity about just how many

small firms, suppliers are involved,

and how many jobs could be on the

line.

Absolutely, uncertainty and

many questions. Thank you, Tim

Donovan, political editor. We heard

from the Metropolitan Police

Commissioner and Cressida Dick was

speaking at an anti-knife crime

event in Islington where she gave

backing to the increased use of stop

and search.

And says Londoners shouldn't be

worried about a rise in its use.

With more details -

here's our Home affairs

correspondent, Nick Beake.

She says fighting knife crime is her

top priority. Today the commissioner

was in the thick of it helping to

look for weapons in a North London

Park.

Do the people stash and quite

far in?

Blades are often hidden and

collected before an attack. Among

those joining in to try and curb a

recent spike in stabbings, George

Kinsella, a tireless campaigner ever

since his 16-year-old son Ben was

killed in 2008. Can you believe it's

ten years now since Ben was killed?

No, I can't. The crying shame of it

all is that it continues to happen

in London. The poor people already

this year that have lost their lives

to knife crime, the more people get

involved in this the more the police

get the help they need, we have got

to stop this in London before it

gets out of hand.

It's not just

about looking for weapons in hedges.

Last week the Mayor of London Sadiq

Khan said there would be a

significant increase in the use of

stop and search, and that worried

some Londoners who fear that young

black men could be unfairly

targeted. Cressida Dick told us that

an increase in stop and search for

2018 had been decided with the

Mayor's team. She tried to allay any

concerns.

We need to actually make

sure that people in our communities

understand why we are doing it,

where we are doing it and the

benefits we are getting from it. And

if anybody does have any concerns,

or indeed if they have a complaint,

then that stop and search will be

captured on body worn video and I'm

confident we can do more to dominate

without jeopardising community

relationships.

Many families

affected by knife crime back a rise

in stop and search after 20

teenagers were stabbed to death last

year. Hadi got a handle on this rise

in knife crime in London?

The police

and the Mayor and myself are doing

everything we can to make sure we

get on top of the rise in knife

crime -- have you got a handle on.

The knife sweeps, proper enforcement

and public should expect to see an

increase in stop and search and we

are getting on top of it.

In the end

this felt more like a photo

opportunity than an operational

success. But trying to defeat

London's knife crime scourge will

need many small victories. Nick

Beake, BBC London News, Islington.

Plenty more ahead this evening,

including colon why Chelsea football

club's new stadium is a step closer.

The development has been opposed by

a local family but their injunction

can now be set aside.

Jewish and Muslim families

in North London say their elderly

relatives are moving away

because they're worried

about what will happen

if they die living in the area.

They say the local coroner

won't honour their traditions

of burying people immediately.

She says that no death will be

prioritised over another -

based on religion.

Victoria Cook has more.

Helen Langberg lost two

relatives in the same year.

It's Jewish custom to bury

the deceased immediately.

But they were left waiting for days

for the coroner to release the body.

Everyday, every minute, every hour

was just more and more anxious and

fretting and worrying. If we knew

when it would be but we didn't.

And they aren't the only family

in North London affected.

Many elderly people want to move

away from the area because they are

frightened of dying, that their

loved ones, their children should

not suffer, that they can't be

buried at the right time because

it's very important for us. Jewish

and Muslim families say their

religious beliefs are not being

considered by the coroner.

I've had

many families, whether it's from

Jewish or Muslim backgrounds in

tears over the fact that they are

not able to bury their loved ones as

soon as possible.

So, for

nonreligious people they may say

everyone should be treated fairly in

order. What would you say to that?

This is not about jumping the queue

and I don't think I would ever want

to advocate or promote that,

everyone should be treated on an

equal basis, but equality also means

understanding people's religious

cultural needs. Britain is a very

diverse country.

There are no

specific laws about burial timings

but the Ministry of Justice has got

a set of guidelines, and they say

that a coroner should, where

possible, take into consideration

religious beliefs and traditions.

But a solicitor representing people

from the Jewish community says the

coroner is in breach of human rights

laws and he is now applying for a

judicial review.

Most people in

Britain really don't care, they are

not in a rush, burial takes place

usually a week or more after death

and some faiths, Muslims and Jews

need to bury immediately and it's

part of their faith to do so, and

therefore being able to do so

wouldn't be in any way harming those

who are something not in a rush.

The

coroner for in a North London would

not comment. But in a letter to the

community she says.

There are now calls

for the coroner to step down or be

moved away.

Victoria Cook, BBC London News.

A third rape trial involving

the Met police has

collapsed after fresh evidence

came to light.

It comes after Scotland Yard

announced a review into

all its active sexual abuse cases

following the collapse

of two trials in December.

Marc Ashdown is here

give us more details.

The defendant in this case, Sam

Sumyk Cayley, 28, originally from

Eritrea, was due to sand trial at

Snaresbrook Crown Court charged with

rape but yesterday the CPS offered

no evidence and it was halted. The

background to this was he met a

35-year-old woman at the Notting

Hill Carnival in 2016, evidently the

pair took the flat, taxi back to his

flat and had sex and she stayed the

night, the next day she went to the

police and said he raped her and

stop her from leaving the flat and

she only escaped when he fell

asleep. As part of the investigation

detectives took his mobile phone,

examined it, and according to his

lawyers prosecutors told them that

apart from a few text messages

between the pair there was nothing

is of relevance. It was handed back

to his defence team and they did

their own analysis and got experts

in and they found 12 images of he

and the woman cuddling in bed and

four of the images they were naked.

They sent the pictures back to

prosecutors who dropped the case.

As

we said this is the third rape case

to collapse raising more questions

for the Met.

In two days, within a

couple of days in December, Rick

races involving Liam Allan on the

left and Isaac Itiary collapsed. In

Liam Allan's case text messages

eventually came to light which

proved his accuser had enjoyed

having sex with him and Isaac

Itiary, he had been accused of

sexual activity with a child, he

spent four months in jail awaiting

trial and the text messages came to

light showing his alleged victim

routinely lied about his age so he

was freed and in both of these cases

the Met police was criticised for

not disclosing all of the evidence.

They immediately launched a review

into all rape and sexual assault

cases and in December this is what

they have to say.

That review's being conducted

jointly with the CPS,

so with the lawyers in each case

and our investigating officers

to make sure that those cases

are safe to go to trial.

Our priority is those 30-something

where trials are about to start.

I have no reason to believe

that there are any problems

with any of those cases.

So, highly embarrassing, but then

just a few weeks later another case

has collapsed. The Met says it is up

to investigating officers to assess

all of the evidence they have,

although in this case they said they

missed these images. This all

ignites a lot of debate again,

firstly into the workload of police,

are they overstretched, do they have

enough resources? These cases are

often complex, we understand the

Attorney General is looking into

that command does this discourage

victims from coming forward, and

thirdly defendants, do they have a

right, some say, like the victims,

to anonymity, at least until found

guilty of a crime and for many I

think the danger of this game is to

undermine the entire criminal

justice system.

For now, Marc

Ashdown, thank you.

Next, a story which is

dividing an east London

community quite literally.

On the one hand there are those

who welcome a housing development

which will create thousands

of new homes - but requires

a new road road bridge

to improve transport links.

On the other - the green

campaigners who say it'll

lead to more pollution.

Here's our environment

correspondent, Tom Edwards.

Fish Island in Hackney Wick, right

next to be an Inbee Park. But big

changes are planned, including

putting a road right through here --

next to the Olympic Park.

They will

replace this footbridge with a road

bridge which will make a new route

and extra routes through the Olympic

Park and through Fish Island towards

Tower Hamlets.

A footbridge is also

planned for further down the canal,

meaning demolishing this building

once a studio for artists and listed

as an asset of community value.

Well, the plans don't take account

of how the community has grown up

here in the time since the Olympics.

They don't take account of the

creative community, and also growing

residential community. They want

foot and cycle bridges and healthy

places and the creative hub is a

fantastic asset to the area as well.

Hackney Wick is changing rapidly.

Many homes are planned here. The new

roads and bridges were approved

before the Olympics. But critics say

this mayor should intervene.

We've

got Anmer with very clear strategy

is about healthy streets, about low

traffic neighbourhoods -- we've got

a mayor. He's smashing down an

existing walking and cycling bridge,

turning it into a road bridge, which

will basically make a rat run from

the Olympic Park through to the A12,

it doesn't add up.

No one from the

Mayor's office was available for

interview today but in a statement

they said these plans had been in

place for many years, and they also

said that the bridge would be needed

to ease congestion for the new road.

They also said that they are now

considering whether the bridge could

be made for just buses, cyclists and

pedestrians. Work could start this

month. Opponents say this Olympic

legacy will make their lives much,

much worse. Tom Edwards, BBC London

News.

Still to come tonight.

Anthony Joshua on his bid to become

the undisputed heavyweight

champion of the world.

Plus...

We finally got some sunshine today,

but it's been cold with it.

How long will this cold

spell last and what's

going to happen into the weekend?

Stay watching, I'll

have all the details.

A woman who is fighting

for compensation, after she claims

several operations went wrong,

says she'll give all

the money back to her local

hospital in east London.

Nicola Jane Cook is suing the NHS

for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Sarah Harris has the story.

After years of operations,

Nicola Jane Cook needs a mobility

scooter to get around,

even at home in Barking.

She says it was a gall bladder

operation that went wrong

that was the start of her troubles.

She's had surgery at several

different hospitals in and around

London including, she claims,

a lung procedure

that was unnecessary.

It's absolutely destroying.

I mean, it stops you from working.

It stops everything.

It stops your relationships

with your family.

You shut yourself away.

I never left the house

for four years.

I slept on a sofa for two-and-a-half

because I couldn't move.

It's absolutely disgraceful.

She claims she's been told

by her legal team she's owed

hundreds of thousands of pounds

in compensation from the NHS,

which she's determined to give

to the charity at her local

hospital, at Queen's in Romford,

which she says has done everything

to support her health.

The King George & Queen's Hospitals

Charity raises thousands of pounds

every year to supplement

what the NHS does.

It raises money for things

like toys for children,

who are having invasive surgery

and mobility scooters for patients

who've had a stroke.

NHS insiders say off-the-record this

doesn't help them as it will rack

up large legal bills,

but Nicola believes it will raise

standards and benefit patients

and doctors in her own area.

They're the ones that

are on the front-line.

You know, they are our national

treasure and we have

to look after them.

I want to give it back because it's

a legacy for my children and it's

a healthcare that they can rely on.

All Nicola really wants is to get

well and support medical staff

at her local hospital.

Sarah Harris, BBC London News.

Chelsea's £1 billion redevelopment

of Stamford Bridge has moved a step

closer after the club got

the backing of the local council.

Last night, Hammersmith and Fulham

voted to take responsibility

for land close to the site,

which means it means it can prevent

a legal bid from a homeowner

who wants to block Chelsea's plans.

Let's get more from Tolu Adeoye.

Yes. This redevelopmentogical see

capacity at the club here go from

41,000 to 60,000. There will be a

brand new walkway from Fulham

Broadway station to the Todd I

stadium. Not everyone is jumping for

joy. Before planning permission was

given lots of local residents voiced

their concerns. Many received

compensation, but one family stood

resolute, presenting a real

stumbling block for the club. That's

what has beenover come. Here's a

quick explainer.

Chelsea's new stadium was granted

planning permission by Hammersmith

and Fulham Council a year ago

and signed off by

the Mayor of London.

Sadiq Khan said the high quality

and spectacular design would add

to the capital's fantastic array

of sporting arenas,

but an injunction from a family

living near the stadium has

threatened to derail the work.

The Crosswaithes' have lived

in cottages behind the east stand

across the tracks from

Stamford Bridge for 50 years.

They argued their right

to light would be impaired

by the redevelopment of the state

stadium, took out an injunction

took out an injunction

and have refused compensation.

The deadlock led Chelsea to ask

the council to intervene

by using planning law to acquire

the relevant land.

Last night it agreed to do this.

It can then lease the land back

to Chelsea and the law means

the Crosswaithe's injunction

is invalid against the council.

Last night Hammersmith and Fulham

tweeted that the stadium

is looking a step closer.

The family can still seek a judicial

review. We have not heard from them

yet over what course of action they

plan to take next. Chelsea said it's

grateful to the council for its

decision and it will continue to

seek a resolution with the family.

If it does go through, Chelsea will

continue to play here up until 2020.

It will then move elsewhere, likely

to be Wembley and play there for

four years until the new stadium is

up and ready.

Thank you very much.

He is one of London's biggest

sporting success stories.

Born and brought up in Watford,

Anthony Joshua first made a name

for himself winning gold on home

turf at the 2012 Olympics.

He's gone from strength

to strength and now holds

two heavyweight titles.

And now he wants a third.

Today, he's been talking up his bid

to become the undisputed

champion of the world.

This report from Chris

Rogers contains flash

photography from the start.

Fights like this can make

a piece of sport history.

We are moving a step

closer to London's

Anthony Joshua holding

all heavyweight belts.

At 20 fights and 20 knockouts, he's

no longer just the pride of London,

he's the global boy wonder.

What I have learnt in those times

of adversity and going through storm

is that it will take more than any

human to stop me on this journey.

Kiwi Joseph Parker has won

all 24 of his fights.

His promotional team have spent

weeks trying to tie down battle

to hold on to his WBO belt.

I think this is my time.

I think it's my destiny to be here,

to be part of this major event

and I feel it's my time to put up

a great challenge, and I feel truly

I'm going to win.

The pressure is on and 28-year-old

Joshua admits he's feeling it.

He's putting belts on the line

and his most memorable

fight against Klitschko,

at Wembley,

just adds to the pressure

of expectations and fame.

I mix now my experience of what I've

learnt and try and use intelligence

and throw it in with the hard work,

and I think this fight should be

the start of being a complete boxer.

More relaxed, you know, speed rather

than clubbing shots.

Stepping up - bang, bang.

Heavyweight boxing hasn't had global

interest like this for almost two

decades and that is largely

due to Joshua.

The division needed him

and he needed boxing to end his bad

boy days growing up on a tough

estate in Watford.

I can't afford to lose.

It's the fear of it.

I can't afford to lose.

Too many people depending on me.

There is a lot of things I do

need to conquer though.

Nerves, addressing situations, being

confident in my ability, not cocky.

The two reigning heavyweight world

champions meet in Cardiff in March.

It's anticipated to be a sell-out,

even at up to £2,000 a ticket.

Chris Rodgers, BBC London News.

Talented but humble guy.

Time

for a look at the weather

and Louise Lear has joined us.

Lovely. This was last week. It has

been cold out there, I will take

this weather any day.

been cold out there, I will take

this weather any day.

Breezy but

plenty of sunshine. Across the

south-east we will not see too bad

weather over the next few days

particularly when you listen to the

national forecast and you hear about

the snow arriving in Scotland and

Northern Ireland today. Just take a

look at the south-east, not too bad

at all. That said, in the last

couple of hours there has been snow

to the south of London. We could

continue to see snow showers through

the night tonight Wen are not too

concerned about that. There will be

light, few and far between, across

the Chilterns, maybe through the

Downs. Tomorrow will start off

chilly, temperatures to the north of

London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire

and Essex falling below freezing.

Tomorrow morning will start windy,

cold, but lovely spells of sunshine.

Not a bad day in progress. If you

wrap up warm and in a little bit of

shelter it shouldn't be too bad. Top

temperatures peaking at five to

seven degrees. As we go out of

Wednesday night into Thursday

morning things get more interesting.

We have a deepening area of low

pressure. It could bring very heavy

rain for us and some gale force

gusts of wind during the early

hours. There will be a rash of

showers on Thursday. Sunny spells

and scattered thundershowers. Those

conditions should ease as we go

through the day and temperatures

will peak. All in all, as I say, for

us it's not looking too bad. Once we

get Thursday out of the way things

will quieten down. The weekend will

be cold, dry but, most importantly,

sunny. Louise, thank you very much.

The government has ordered

a fast track investigation

into what went wrong at one

of Britain's biggest

construction companies.

Carillion has gone into liquidation

after running up losses

and struggling with debt.

we all know London

is an expensive place to live -

but if you head to our Facebook Page

we'll tell you the

cheapest areas to rent.

From all of us on the team

have a lovely evening.