0:00:00 > 0:00:12high-speed rail line to the management of schools and
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Good afternoon, I'm Asad Ahmad. management of schools and
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Bailiffs employed to collect unpaid Council Tax, are being scrapped
0:00:18 > 0:00:22in one London borough, which says its taking a more
0:00:22 > 0:00:26"ethical approach" to unpaid bills.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29The idea of getting rid of bailiffs has led to warnings that debts
0:00:29 > 0:00:32to Hammersmith and Fulham Council will now just rise,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35but the authority believes its doing the right thing.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Mark Jordan has been speaking to a man who lost his home
0:00:38 > 0:00:41as a result of his debt - and finds out what the new system
0:00:41 > 0:00:48could mean for residents.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Mike Thompson was a book-seller or until a devastating illness meant he
0:00:52 > 0:00:56could barely work. His council tax debt would take his home and lead to
0:00:56 > 0:01:04recovery costs. 30 times the original arrears of £2900.They
0:01:04 > 0:01:10cancelled forced sale of the house. I got just over £6,000 as my share
0:01:10 > 0:01:15of the proceeds. The other £85,000 was swallowed in the debt itself and
0:01:15 > 0:01:19all of the costs that had accumulated along the way. The
0:01:19 > 0:01:23lawyers who do this business for local authorities prospered
0:01:23 > 0:01:26mightily, but the local authorities themselves in the great scheme of
0:01:26 > 0:01:30things lose out big time.At Hammersmith and Fulham Council they
0:01:30 > 0:01:37began to wonder if bankrupting seizure of homes and bailiffs is
0:01:37 > 0:01:41working. They claim bailiffs only recover 30% of council tax debt and
0:01:41 > 0:01:45getting rid of them from April.A fair family is trying to keep the
0:01:45 > 0:01:49bailiffs away and prioritises the bill for council tax, they may risk
0:01:49 > 0:01:53-- miss their rental payment. Then you are left with a homeless family
0:01:53 > 0:01:56being traumatised by presenting the public sector with a huge bill in
0:01:56 > 0:01:59terms of rehousing and the other impacts housing -- homelessness can
0:01:59 > 0:02:07have.But bailiffs say the move will backfire.It will, cried a price. I
0:02:07 > 0:02:16think that in -- it will come at a price. I think the councils will be
0:02:16 > 0:02:22asking in a couple of years, where is the money.--? Now medical debt
0:02:22 > 0:02:25collection in Hammersmith is about to discover whether the bailiff's
0:02:25 > 0:02:27knock may become part of debt collecting history.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29And you can see more on the story tonight
0:02:29 > 0:02:33on Inside Out London, on BBC 1 at 7.30.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Under new plans being considered by the government, home owners
0:02:36 > 0:02:38could be fined if their rubbish is fly-tipped by
0:02:39 > 0:02:43disposal companies.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49There were over a quarter of a million fly-tipping incidents
0:02:49 > 0:02:50across London last year.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52And so by giving councils the power to fine people,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54it's hoped homeowners will check their rubbish
0:02:54 > 0:02:55is being disposed of correctly.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Women and girls are being asked to share their experiences of sexual
0:02:58 > 0:03:02harassment in public places to MPs in Westminster,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05as an inquiry is launched into the problem.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The Women and Equalities Committee says it wants to understand why
0:03:08 > 0:03:11harassment happens, and establish what can be done
0:03:11 > 0:03:16to tackle the problem. Here's Simon Jones.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Allegations against the movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood
0:03:19 > 0:03:22figures, claims of sexual misconduct at Eestminster -
0:03:22 > 0:03:25they've brought the issue of harassment into the open.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26-- Westminster.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Now an influential committee of MPs wants to hear from
0:03:29 > 0:03:32women about their experiences of being groped, intimidated or
0:03:32 > 0:03:35assaulted, on the street, on public transport,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39in shops and in bars and clubs.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41The inquiry is being welcomed by many.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45I think is really important. It's definitely still occurring.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51And a lot of men, I think, are aware of it.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52-- aren't aware of it.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53I think it's actually very important.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I think, yeah, it needs to be heard.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Yeah, it's definitely the right thing to
0:03:57 > 0:03:59be done, but I think they should be focusing more
0:03:59 > 0:04:03on what is going on in the workplace and how they can improve
0:04:03 > 0:04:05that, remove the glass ceiling and make it more
0:04:05 > 0:04:06of an even playing field.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08A recent survey by YouGov suggests more than 85% of
0:04:08 > 0:04:11women aged between 18 and 24 had experienced unwanted sexual
0:04:11 > 0:04:16attention in public places. 45% had suffered unwanted touching.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And the number of reported sexual offences on trains has more than
0:04:19 > 0:04:23doubled in the past five years.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The committee recognises that harassment can happen to anyone.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29But it says it wants to shine the spotlight on
0:04:29 > 0:04:33something that is seen to be routine in women's lives.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35It says it wants to know why it is happening
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and what the government can do to try to stop it.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41The Home Office says it will continue to work until
0:04:41 > 0:04:42the problem is eliminated completely.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Simon Jones, BBC London News.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Detectives investigating an assault in Fulham,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51in which two men were sprayed with ammonia as they sat
0:04:51 > 0:04:54in their car by attackers on mopeds, have released this image
0:04:54 > 0:04:57of a man named Ameer Makame, whom they want to speak
0:04:57 > 0:05:03to in connection with what happened. The attack was on New Year's Eve.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06575 Wandsworth Road - a residential house
0:05:06 > 0:05:09until a few years ago, which is now a museum.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13That's because Khadambi Asalaish, a poet and civil servant who lived
0:05:13 > 0:05:18there, had an unusual way of spending his evenings.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20So when he died, and left his house to the National Trust,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22they thought we should be all allowed to see inside.
0:05:23 > 0:05:30Helen Mulroy has done just that.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36He came to London in the early '60s.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40He came from western Kenya but he'd been at school in Nairobi, and he'd
0:05:40 > 0:05:43done his degree in architecture.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47This started in the mid-'80s.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52He bought it and it was in a really -
0:05:52 > 0:05:54as he'd say himself - parlous state.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57He started doing some carving in order to just cover up the damp.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00This was his passion but also he was creating his own world.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Here, he maybe just took it to a slightly stronger level.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Unsurprisingly, the house has inspired others
0:06:08 > 0:06:11for the last two years.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Through the London Symphony Orchestra, it's had
0:06:12 > 0:06:15an artist in residence and Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian has
0:06:15 > 0:06:18just won a British Composer of the Year award for this piece
0:06:18 > 0:06:26of music, which she wrote in the house.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30They invited me to be here for two years -
0:06:30 > 0:06:34not living here, sadly, but responding to the house,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38its history, the acoustics, and all of the art that had been
0:06:38 > 0:06:43created, and his poetry as well.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I also sampled, like, recorded elements of the house,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50including these inkwells and some piano as well to create this lilting
0:06:50 > 0:06:54sort of gentle rhythm, which goes underneath the soprano voice.
0:06:54 > 0:07:02It was a lovely feeling to sort of make a musical home
0:07:02 > 0:07:04here because that's another thing that really inspires me
0:07:04 > 0:07:07about the place, someone who has come to this country and made
0:07:07 > 0:07:12a wonderful life and work and career here as well.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15And the National Trust hopes the house will continue to inspire.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19It's open for pre-booked tours from March through to October.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25Helen Mulroy, BBC London News.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28That is a must see on my list. Now the weather with Sarah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31That is a must see on my list. Now the weather with Sarah.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Good afternoon. It has not been a terribly impressive start to the
0:07:35 > 0:07:39working week with wet and windy weather sweeping across us. It made
0:07:39 > 0:07:43for some arty weather pictures but it has been gloomy. We continue with
0:07:43 > 0:07:46blustery showers macro for the rest of the afternoon. Some colder a
0:07:46 > 0:07:51fitting in. You will notice the difference through tomorrow. Here is
0:07:51 > 0:07:55the main stripe of cloud that brought the earlier rain. Only a few
0:07:55 > 0:08:01breaks in the cloud between the showers. There will be some drier
0:08:01 > 0:08:08interludes. It is not wall-to-wall rain today. The winds taking the
0:08:08 > 0:08:12edge of the temperature. Seven to 10 degrees. Starting to feel colder.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Further showers tonight. The temperatures dropping away close to
0:08:15 > 0:08:23freezing. It is a chilly start to Tuesday. We will do better for some
0:08:23 > 0:08:28time between the showers. It could turn wintry towards higher ground
0:08:28 > 0:08:34tomorrow evening as well. Five to seven Celsius is the best we are
0:08:34 > 0:08:37going to see. Continuing very windy in the middle part of the week. A
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Met Office weather warning for Wednesday night into Thursday. More
0:08:41 > 0:08:46details as we move through the week. In the coming days there will be
0:08:46 > 0:08:49some sunshine at times between the blustery showers.
0:08:49 > 0:08:49some sunshine at times between the blustery showers.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52A technical glitch is being blamed for a new announcement on London
0:08:52 > 0:08:55buses which tells passengers to hold on as the bus is about to move,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57which plays AFTER the bus moves.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03Here's the proof.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Please hold on, the bus is about to move.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Transport for London says the alert is designed to help reduce
0:09:10 > 0:09:12the number of passengers who injure themselves by trips and falls.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16But TfL accepts the timing isn't quite right.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19That's it. We're back at 6.30.
0:09:19 > 0:09:26Have a good afternoon.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Bye-bye.