21/11/2017

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0:00:00 > 0:00:00That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me.

0:00:00 > 0:00:13And on BBC One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

0:00:13 > 0:00:15Good afternoon, I'm Asad Ahmad.

0:00:15 > 0:00:18Over £380 million is being spent by councils across London in order

0:00:18 > 0:00:23to make social housing safer.

0:00:23 > 0:00:25It follows the Grenfell Tower fire in June.

0:00:25 > 0:00:28And BBC London has also found that around half of London's local

0:00:28 > 0:00:30authorities have asked for financial help from government,

0:00:30 > 0:00:35but not yet received a penny.

0:00:35 > 0:00:37Our Political Correspondent Susanna Mendonsa is in

0:00:37 > 0:00:39Wandsworth to tell us more.

0:00:39 > 0:00:48Susanna.

0:00:48 > 0:00:53Councils are spending on a range of things, for example removing

0:00:53 > 0:00:57cladding, installing new fire doors and sprinklers. Over half the

0:00:57 > 0:01:02councils are talking about putting them in, one of those is Wandsworth

0:01:02 > 0:01:06where I join you from and the towers behind me are among 99 that will get

0:01:06 > 0:01:11sprinklers to the cost of the Council of around £30 million. They

0:01:11 > 0:01:16are covering the cost here but there is a row across London about whether

0:01:16 > 0:01:19it should be councils or the Government that pay for the cost of

0:01:19 > 0:01:26fire safety. I have been asking people in Wandsworth what they

0:01:26 > 0:01:29think.

0:01:29 > 0:01:31I think it's the Government who should, because people

0:01:31 > 0:01:33are paying their taxes and the council already

0:01:33 > 0:01:34is doing a lot.

0:01:34 > 0:01:37I think anybody who is able to pay for it should be paying for it

0:01:37 > 0:01:39because it's a dangerous situation that could happen anywhere

0:01:39 > 0:01:42in the country, particularly in London, and it needs to be sorted

0:01:42 > 0:01:44because people's lives are at stake.

0:01:44 > 0:01:48This is going to cost a lot of money, it is the budget tomorrow,

0:01:48 > 0:01:52are the council is hopeful they might get something out of it?They

0:01:52 > 0:01:56are hoping they might get something, if not cash it might be changes that

0:01:56 > 0:02:02mean they can borrow against their assets. I have been speaking to

0:02:02 > 0:02:06Tower Hamlets' elected mayor and he told me it is time for the

0:02:06 > 0:02:09Government to step up.

0:02:09 > 0:02:12We're spending £7.5 million this year on urgent actions to these

0:02:12 > 0:02:15blocks, and we're spending about another 30 over the next few

0:02:15 > 0:02:17years to get up-to-date with our basic fire safety.

0:02:17 > 0:02:19That doesn't include sprinklers, which we think will be about another

0:02:19 > 0:02:2120 million on top of that.

0:02:21 > 0:02:23That money doesn't grow on a tree.

0:02:23 > 0:02:25We would have to either put our rents up or borrow it

0:02:25 > 0:02:27from somewhere, and safety is not negotiable.

0:02:27 > 0:02:30We need to get a move on if the conclusion

0:02:30 > 0:02:32is that we need to have sprinklers, and yes, we would expect

0:02:32 > 0:02:33funding for that.

0:02:33 > 0:02:37The Government has said that building owners are responsible for

0:02:37 > 0:02:41the safety of their buildings so essentially it is the council's

0:02:41 > 0:02:46responsibility but they have said there is some leeway potentially for

0:02:46 > 0:02:51those that cannot afford essential works. All eyes will be on whether

0:02:51 > 0:02:56the Government gives them some cash tomorrow.Absolutely, and I know you

0:02:56 > 0:02:59will be keeping a close eye on it. Thank you.

0:02:59 > 0:03:03A woman has died in a fire in a block of flats in Hampstead.

0:03:03 > 0:03:05Around 60 firefighters tackled the blaze in the early

0:03:05 > 0:03:06hours of this morning.

0:03:06 > 0:03:0920 people managed to escape but the woman died at the scene.

0:03:09 > 0:03:10An investigation is under way.

0:03:10 > 0:03:11BBC London has found tube stations

0:03:11 > 0:03:13being left unattended, which is contrary to commitments

0:03:13 > 0:03:15made by transport bosses when they started to

0:03:15 > 0:03:18close ticket offices.

0:03:18 > 0:03:20In one instance, a station was left unattended,

0:03:21 > 0:03:24ten times in a month.

0:03:24 > 0:03:32Here's our Transport Correspondent, Tom Edwards.

0:03:32 > 0:03:37At Wimbledon Park tube station, lots of passengers and trains but not a

0:03:37 > 0:03:42staff member in sight. It's just coming up to midday at Wimbledon

0:03:42 > 0:03:48Park station and we cannot find any station staff on duty. The barriers

0:03:48 > 0:03:54are all open, there is no one here to help if you have got any kind of

0:03:54 > 0:04:00problem.I cannot get in. The cards and freedom pass does not work on

0:04:00 > 0:04:05the machinery.They are very thin on the ground but it is always dad when

0:04:05 > 0:04:10I am doing the commuting hours. These are incident reporting forms,

0:04:10 > 0:04:13they show the station was left unattended on ten occasions in

0:04:13 > 0:04:21October, for some cases for long periods. In May ten-year-old boy who

0:04:21 > 0:04:25was separated from his mother and got off the train and ended up on

0:04:25 > 0:04:30this platform but there was one here to help as the station was

0:04:30 > 0:04:35unattended. He was found later by a train driver who had to stop his

0:04:35 > 0:04:42train to search for the boy. One document says there is an endemic

0:04:42 > 0:04:46staff shortage. Using the Freedom of Information Act, we asked Transport

0:04:46 > 0:04:51for London how big the problem of unattended stations is. They said

0:04:51 > 0:04:57over a three-month period ten stations were left unattended, they

0:04:57 > 0:05:02included Hornchurch, north Harrow, Houston and Wimbledon Park, but

0:05:02 > 0:05:08insiders say the real problem is much much worse.All tube stations

0:05:08 > 0:05:15will be controlled and staffed while services are operating.It promised

0:05:15 > 0:05:22every station that was operational would have staff.The idea of London

0:05:22 > 0:05:26stations are being left without staff means passengers are being put

0:05:26 > 0:05:30at risk, the gates are being left open so they are losing some ticket

0:05:30 > 0:05:34revenue and it looks like the Tube service is short-staffed.London

0:05:34 > 0:05:40Underground said stations are only left unattended as a last resort. In

0:05:40 > 0:05:43October Wimbledon was left unattended on ten occasions, it's

0:05:43 > 0:05:51not rare is it?We operate every day of the year and we have nearly 5000

0:05:51 > 0:05:55staff so in the context of the system we operate it is a small

0:05:55 > 0:06:06amount but something we want to avoid.The unions say it is a and on

0:06:06 > 0:06:09safe legacy and London Underground needs to get a grip.

0:06:09 > 0:06:11Hannah Francis was just 18 years old when she died

0:06:11 > 0:06:14after being diagnosed with the rare type of bone cancer.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17Horses had been her passion and she founded a charity to help

0:06:17 > 0:06:18others share in that joy.

0:06:18 > 0:06:20Next month, the public can see her horses for themselves

0:06:20 > 0:06:23and they might be surprised at the size of them.

0:06:23 > 0:06:24Here's Chris Slegg.

0:06:24 > 0:06:26Little and large.

0:06:26 > 0:06:28Metropolitan Police horses Merlin and Kyoti, joined on patrol

0:06:28 > 0:06:32by Shetland ponies Teddy and Doris.

0:06:32 > 0:06:35Next month they will all be appearing at Olympia

0:06:35 > 0:06:37for the London International Horse Show.

0:06:37 > 0:06:40I haven't performed at Olympia before so this is my first time.

0:06:40 > 0:06:42As you can imagine, extremely pleased to be doing it

0:06:42 > 0:06:44but extremely nervous.

0:06:44 > 0:06:46You get that bond, you can't help but get that bond

0:06:46 > 0:06:48between rider and horse.

0:06:48 > 0:06:50The horse can take the feeling from you.

0:06:50 > 0:06:54It knows if you are nervous, it knows if you are brave.

0:06:54 > 0:06:57Teddy and Doris will be at Olympia as mascots

0:06:57 > 0:06:58for the Wilbury Foundation, a charity supporting vital

0:06:59 > 0:07:03research into osteosarcoma.

0:07:03 > 0:07:06It was founded by Hannah Francis, who died aged 18 after being

0:07:06 > 0:07:10diagnosed with the rare bone cancer.

0:07:10 > 0:07:15Hannah lived to ride.

0:07:15 > 0:07:16It would mean so much to her.

0:07:16 > 0:07:19I mean Doris meant the absolute world to her and helped her

0:07:19 > 0:07:23through a lot of really hard times, and Doris and Teddy love each other

0:07:23 > 0:07:25and she loved seeing them together so she would be smiling right

0:07:26 > 0:07:27now, for sure.

0:07:27 > 0:07:29And it seems the Met Police horses were rather taken

0:07:29 > 0:07:39by their new companions.

0:07:41 > 0:07:42As we were walking down

0:07:42 > 0:07:44I could definitely feel there was a bit of mothering

0:07:44 > 0:07:47and looking after the horse, but yeah, there was definitely

0:07:47 > 0:07:48a little bond.

0:07:48 > 0:07:51Visitors to Olympia will be able to see the Met Police activity ride

0:07:51 > 0:07:53and meet Teddy and Doris when the International Horse Show

0:07:53 > 0:07:54begins on December 12th.

0:07:54 > 0:07:57Now let's check on the weather with Kate.

0:08:00 > 0:08:05It has been another grey and Miles day so far. We haven't seen too much

0:08:05 > 0:08:11in the way of rain, maybe a spot this morning. Most places gloomy.

0:08:11 > 0:08:16This afternoon we will get some cloud and brighter spells and it

0:08:16 > 0:08:21will stay mild. These brighter spells, you could see the cloud

0:08:21 > 0:08:25break so some glimmers of sunshine this afternoon, but temperatures

0:08:25 > 0:08:30despite the cloud and strengthening winds still getting up to 13 Celsius

0:08:30 > 0:08:36so feeling very mild for November. It will be a mild night overnight,

0:08:36 > 0:08:41temperatures staying constant. The south-westerly wind continues, the

0:08:41 > 0:08:47minimum 12 Celsius so not changing from today's maximum. Another grey

0:08:47 > 0:08:51start tomorrow and the Met office has issued a weather warning for a

0:08:51 > 0:08:56strong wind so it will be windy for Wednesday. Some spots of rain

0:08:56 > 0:08:59potentially but mostly dry and in the afternoon we could see the cloud

0:08:59 > 0:09:04break up a little, so some sunny spells if you can remember what

0:09:04 > 0:09:09those are. The maximum temperature 15 Celsius so feeling quite warm.

0:09:09 > 0:09:22The change for Thursday, more in the way of sunshine. Feeling quite

0:09:22 > 0:09:24breezy and on Friday things turn wet, especially through the daytime,

0:09:24 > 0:09:26temperatures dropping as we head into the weekend.

0:09:26 > 0:09:27That's it.

0:09:27 > 0:09:29Riz will be here with our news at 6.30 this evening.

0:09:29 > 0:09:31I'll be back at the same time tomorrow.

0:09:31 > 0:09:33Have a good afternoon.