0:00:00 > 0:00:00Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.
0:00:00 > 0:00:12Here on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Good evening. for the news where you are.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14I'm Alex Bushill. for the news where you are.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It's almost a year since the Croydon tram crash.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Seven people were killed when a tram derailed and overturned.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Some of the families of those who died have told this
0:00:22 > 0:00:26programme they feel forgotten by transport bosses.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29The widow of one the victims has been speaking to our transport
0:00:29 > 0:00:35correspondent Tom Edwards ahead of a memorial service tomorrow.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37He left here at...5:40 to get on the 5:50 tram
0:00:38 > 0:00:47at the top of the road, which he'd done for three months.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53And at nine minutes past six, he was gone, wiped out.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54Marilyn lost her husband nearly a year ago.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56A builder, Philip Logan was 52.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58He left one morning and never came home.
0:00:58 > 0:01:05His ashes are in the corner of the room.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07His last words to me was, "Bye, love, what's for dinner tonight?"
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I said, "This is breakfast time, not dinner time, phone me later."
0:01:10 > 0:01:19And that was it, he was gone.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24In her own words, the last year has been hell.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Marilyn said she's had one interim payment of £15,000.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Have you had help, have you had assistance from TfL?
0:01:28 > 0:01:29No, not at all.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31An initial interim payment, which was...beginning of December,
0:01:31 > 0:01:32and nothing since then.
0:01:32 > 0:01:42I've not heard from them, no letters, no nothing.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Really?
0:01:44 > 0:01:46People will be surprised by that.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47I'm not!
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Not at all.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51So you feel like you've been forgotten about?
0:01:51 > 0:01:52Yeah, absolutely.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Her husband was one of the seven passengers who died when this tram
0:01:55 > 0:01:58overturned, speeding on a sharp corner nearly a year ago.
0:01:58 > 0:01:5951 people were injured.
0:01:59 > 0:02:09For Marilyn, Christmas is not going to be easy.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Not a sign of a Christmas present, and I've no money to get any.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I mean, my family is excellent, they don't expect, but it's
0:02:18 > 0:02:19something I want to do.
0:02:19 > 0:02:26But without money, I can't.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28And it must make you feel angry.
0:02:28 > 0:02:34Very angry - very, very.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Because I shouldn't have to struggle like this.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Who knows when the claim might go through?
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Don't know.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Is it going to be a year, two years?
0:02:43 > 0:02:51Have I got to live like this for a year or two years?
0:02:51 > 0:02:56For Marilyn, this last year has been a struggle.
0:02:56 > 0:03:03She says she's been lost in a system and forgotten.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06In response, Transport for London says it is very concerned and upset
0:03:06 > 0:03:09that Mrs Logan feels she has not received the support she needs.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12It says it was in contact with her and her solicitors offering
0:03:12 > 0:03:13financial assistance.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15This is what the Transport Commissioner told BBC
0:03:15 > 0:03:20London earlier today.
0:03:20 > 0:03:26Although we paid out over £1 million already to those affected and their
0:03:26 > 0:03:30dependents, if there's anyone who feels we haven't dealt with their
0:03:30 > 0:03:33issues in the way we should have done, please get directly in touch,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36we'll respond immediately with urgency to ensure those issues are
0:03:36 > 0:03:39tackled, we want to ensure we look after people properly, we think
0:03:39 > 0:03:44we've done so in all cases, but if we've missed somebody or it hasn't
0:03:44 > 0:03:48worked for any individuals, I promise we'll sort it out.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50And tomorrow that memorial service will take place
0:03:50 > 0:03:53in New Addington to remember the victims of the crash.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55A High Court judge has asked for the public's help to find
0:03:55 > 0:03:58a 3-year-old girl who's gone missing with her mother.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Mr Justice Hayden says he's very concerned
0:03:59 > 0:04:00for Elliana Shand's safety.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Her mother has schizophrenia and other mental health issues.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05The little girl was put into care by Barking and Dagenham council.
0:04:05 > 0:04:15It's believed she was visiting her grandmother when she disappeared.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17All this week we've been looking at the issue of personal debt
0:04:17 > 0:04:19here in the capital.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21And it's not just those on low incomes who are struggling,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23middle class households are also running up unsustainable debts.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It's an issue the government recognises, and today it announced
0:04:26 > 0:04:28a new inquiry into the state of household finances.
0:04:28 > 0:04:38Gareth Furby reports.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42He lives in a gated mews in North London.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43David Campbell runs his own IT consultancy.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46He should be living a comfortable life, but instead he's struggling
0:04:46 > 0:04:48to pay off a huge debt.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50The total amount of that is just under 30 3000.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51It was built upon credit cards.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Virgin money credit cards.
0:04:52 > 0:04:59MBNA, Halifax, Barclaycard.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It'll take at least 20 years to pay off.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05And he now owns little more than a computer and a push bike.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08The flat is rented, and he admits he is someone who could be
0:05:08 > 0:05:16seen as middle class.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Ihave, I guess, public school education.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20I went to King's College London, studied business management there.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Now I have pretty much nothing to my name other than debt.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The danger is you get used to having a lot of credit
0:05:26 > 0:05:29on a lot of different cards.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Iona Bain is middle class and she has chosen
0:05:32 > 0:05:36to never use a credit card.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39I have a debit card, and that way I know exactly how much
0:05:39 > 0:05:40I've got to spend each month.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42She also writes about money, and says a middle-class lifestyle
0:05:43 > 0:05:44can be expensive to carry off.
0:05:44 > 0:05:54That's £80.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And some people may turn to credit to keep up appearances.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02So many people have put on a very good show of having a good income
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and having a desirable lifestyle, but if you scratch beneath
0:06:04 > 0:06:06the surface, it's built on this foundation of debt.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Today, the Treasury committee is launching
0:06:08 > 0:06:10a new inquiry into the state of household finances.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13It estimated 15% of adults have some kind of issue with debt.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14And the middle classes are not exempt.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16We were doing this transferring the balances,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18interest-free, so you think, it's money for nothing.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20David Campbell has this advice for middle-class Londoners
0:06:20 > 0:06:23who are happy to build up and juggle debt, from credit card
0:06:23 > 0:06:26to credit card...
0:06:26 > 0:06:29If you're not going to keep on top of it very, very closely,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31then it's a very dangerous game.
0:06:31 > 0:06:40He's in a dark place at the moment, and it'll take many to recover.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And if you'd like to tell us about your experience of struggling
0:06:49 > 0:06:52to get by here in London then please do get in touch.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54The contact details are on your screen now.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56A leading charity says the number of homeless people
0:06:56 > 0:06:59in the capital is now equivalent to the population of Reading.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Shelter estimates more than 160 thousand Londoners are sleeping
0:07:01 > 0:07:04rough or staying on people's sofas.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The charity has blamed the crisis on years of under investment
0:07:07 > 0:07:08in affordable homes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:16With a look at the numbers, here's Chris Rogers.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19The housing charity, Shelter, warns two London families are made
0:07:19 > 0:07:20homeless every hour.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22It's a nationwide crisis, but the most startling figures
0:07:22 > 0:07:31are here in the capital.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Where a report out today reveals welfare reform,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36housing shortages and rising rents are forcing the young, the elderly,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and in some cases, entire families, into emergency accommodation,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41or even out onto the streets.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43London boroughs dominate the UK's top 50 hotspots
0:07:43 > 0:07:44for homelessness in the UK.
0:07:44 > 0:07:4613,607 in Newham, much larger borough compared
0:07:46 > 0:07:48with those who follow closely, including Haringey at 9717 homeless,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Westminster at 8054, and Enfield, at 10,057 people.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Shelter's Chief Executive, Polly Neate, says tens
0:07:52 > 0:07:58of thousands are stuck.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03Trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05There are two main causes, really.
0:08:05 > 0:08:11One is just the sheer lack of housing.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13So there just is not enough housing available.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15And, even more, there is not enough genuinely affordable.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18But we need to stop thinking affordable housing means affordable
0:08:18 > 0:08:20to buy, it's affordable for people on lower incomes to rent.
0:08:20 > 0:08:28So that the long-term cause of it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The other issue is that these are the consequences of welfare reform.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36In particular, the freeze on housing benefits.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Look at this, these are the faces behind the statistics.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40They are rough sleepers, those in temporary accommodation,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43as we revealed yesterday, many living in a slum like rooms
0:08:43 > 0:08:51because councils are overwhelmed.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Then there was the hidden homeless.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55London is not recognised in official figures sleeping on night buses,
0:08:55 > 0:09:01illegal squats, so-called sofa surfers, like Gillian.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02I've got three daughters with me now.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04And there is a huge impact on them.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06They become isolated from their own friends
0:09:06 > 0:09:08because they are then different from their friends, and, therefore,
0:09:08 > 0:09:18they just can't talk properly, they can't express everything.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21The mayor, Sadiq Khan, is injecting millions into projects
0:09:21 > 0:09:24to help rough sleepers, and London councils will get a cash
0:09:24 > 0:09:25boost from the government.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Sian Berry, chair of the London assembly's housing committee,
0:09:27 > 0:09:28says it's not enough.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We're not sure that councils have enough funding to do even that,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33to keep people in those temporary accommodation homes.
0:09:33 > 0:09:40So we need a new social rented homes going up all over the city.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43While a spokesman for the mayor admits the statistics are worrying,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46his office points out over the last year we seen a decade-long
0:09:46 > 0:09:50rise in rough sleeping effectively halted.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Chris Rogers reporting there.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55That's it from me so I'll wish you goodnight and hand you over
0:09:56 > 0:09:59to Darren Bett with a look at the weather.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06The rain cleared but took awhile for the clout to break up today. It's
0:10:06 > 0:10:10gone now and it is cold out there at the moment. But by morning be dull
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and a bit damp. We should see some slow improvements through the day.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Right now, with clear skies, we've got the temperature is not far away
0:10:18 > 0:10:22from freezing. Look to the north-west, there is clout, it'll be
0:10:22 > 0:10:24thick enough to give rain and drizzle which will lift the
0:10:24 > 0:10:28temperatures more towards the end of the night. The morning will be
0:10:28 > 0:10:32getting off to a dull and damp start, some patchy rain and drizzle,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36no great amount. That should move through. More slowly we will see
0:10:36 > 0:10:39cloud breaking up. It's in the afternoon we will start to see
0:10:39 > 0:10:44sunshine coming through. It's a very slow process and by then we are
0:10:44 > 0:10:48looking at temperatures of ten or 11 degrees. Friday should start quite
0:10:48 > 0:10:52cloudy but we'll see sunshine coming through. Over the weekend, it'll get
0:10:52 > 0:10:57windier, colder as well. Should be generally drive. There will be a lot
0:10:57 > 0:11:01of sunshine around. It'll be cold in the wind. If you want to know what
0:11:01 > 0:11:02is happening further afield the national picture