13/02/2018 London News

Have a good afternoon.

Welcome to BBC London News.

I'm Sara Orchard.

BBC London can reveal

the Government's been making

millions of pounds by hiking

the cost of becoming

a British citizen.

The Home Office collected more

than £800 million in fees

over the past six years.

Ministers say the money

is re-invested in protecting

the UK's borders.

But charities claim many eligible

families can't afford the fees.

Here's our Home Affairs

Correspondent Nick Beake.

Samsung was born in Nigeria, and

came to London with his family when

he was five. He was entitled to

British citizenship, but never took

it. But when he turned 18, he

decided to apply, because as an

international student at a UK

university, he would have to pay

much more. He then found out

officially becoming British would

cost nearly £1000.

It was very

difficult for my mum, having to go

around looking at where she could

get the money from. One of the main

places we got help from was the

church.

BBC London has learned the

cost of processing applications such

as Samson's was only £260, a court

of what he was charged.

It is really

quite upsetting actually that they

are actually doing this, and for

other people who may not be able to

even get that money together, who

are entitled or who have the right

to British citizenship.

Some charities which help families

gain British citizenship condemned

the rising Home Office fees.

To know

that you have a right to register as

a British citizen, Parliament has

given you that right, and the

Secretary of State is trying to

profit and sell the benefit that was

giving by Parliament as far back as

1983, it is a complete scandal.

The

Home Office told us it has not been

making any profit from these rising

fees. It said any income generated

above the actual cost of processing

an application goes into the budget

which hopes protect the UK border,

and so actually reduces the burden

on the taxpayer.

Ministers also point out that for

the likes of Samson, taking British

citizenship is not compulsory. But

he wanted his immigration status

confirmed, although now fears others

may also struggled to pay for that

right.

Nick Beake, BBC London News.

The World War II bomb which caused

London City Airport to be closed

yesterday has been towed to the sea

off Essex to be detonated.

It was due to happen this morning,

but the weather is causing delays.

Tolu Adeoye reports.

Through the night, the Royal Navy

worked to move the unexploded 500

kilogram German World War II bomb

that grounded flights for an entire

day at London City Airport.

As City reopened this morning,

preparations were being made

to detonate the bomb which had been

towed to Shoeburyness

on the Essex coast.

About ten hours driving

it very slowly, very

carefully down the Thames.

They've just deflated the mine

lifting bag and put it back

on to the sea bed very gently.

They are now guarding it and keeping

a careful watch on it while we can

prepare the explosives to go down

and strap onto the bomb,

and then we will hopefully detonate

the bomb on the sea bed.

It's estimated there

are still thousands of unexploded

bombs in and around London.

Just this morning a suspected device

which turned out to be a shell

was found near the Dartford

Crossing.

Countless wartime relics have been

discovered over the decades.

Accepted wisdom on how

to dispose of them has

changed a lot in that time.

What happens if the

bomb does go off?

There will be a big noise

and quite a lot of damage.

Some experts were quite literally

working in the dark when a German

mine was discovered in the Thames

back in 1957.

What's it been like down there?

I'm sorry you are

shivering with cold.

Just jolly cold.

Have you been able to see

what you've been doing?

No, you can't see a thing.

Well, how have you

been working, then?

Just by touch.

Modern disposal methods

are more sophisticated,

and controlled explosions have

become more common.

The Navy says safety is the top

priority when assessing and dealing

with the discoveries.

So there is an element of risk,

but the guys are very well trained,

very well practised and competent,

so it should be fine.

The weather has meant delays

to today's plans detonation,

so we will have to wait a little

longer for the big bang.

Tolu Adeoye, BBC London News.

Transport for London has announced

it will be expanding

Night Overground services in North

London.

The service will be extended

to cover Canonbury and Highbury

and Islington stations

from the 23rd of February.

It means the Night Overground

will link with the Victoria Line

Night Tube for the first time.

The transport union Unite has

attacked Transport for London's

decision to allow a new independent

bus service to operate on four

routes in the capital.

Tickets for the Chariot service can

be booked via an app,

and TfL says it welcomes

the new innovation.

Others are worried about drivers'

wages, as Gareth Furby reports.

Deli Brian lives in Shooters Hill,

and says public transport

there isn't the best.

I get a bus service.

It runs regularly, but it is very

slow, and not too reliable.

But now she's found an alternative,

a new service that she books

onto using an app.

And it's telling me there

a Chariot 6-8 minutes away.

That's my ticket.

The pick-up point is also marked

on the app, and a few minutes later,

her journey to work begins.

Morning!

Morning.

It's an idea that started

in California, and has now come

to London, with four routes starting

to operate within

We were delighted that

Transport for London approved

the routes that we are taking,

because they recognise there

are areas where they are underserved

by public transport.

So we think that what we are putting

in naturally complements

public transport.

But a bus workers' union is worried

it could lead to this.

The fierce competition

for passengers that was seen

in London before 1933,

when public control was introduced.

This is effectively going back 100

years, when you could come out

with a bus and pick people up

if that's what you wanted.

We are going to have a series

of routes now where bus drivers

will be paid the London living wage,

which is considerably less

than the average bus driver now,

who would earn about £28,000.

I just stop at the bus stop here.

But Daniel has chosen to work

for the new company, and for 12

years, he was a London bus driver.

He says it does mean a pay

cut for him of around

£6,000, but it's worth it,

because the working

conditions are better.

Here you work Monday

to Friday, and you have

Saturday and Sunday off.

The London bus network carries over

6 million trips a day.

This is very much at

the margins of that.

And we are seeing whether this can

be a complement to potentially

strengthen that network.

And back with Deli, the new service

may be costing her a bit more,

but she is happy to pay.

It is £2.40 per journey,

which is about 90p more

than I currently pay on the bus,

which I find is excellent

value for money.

Probably saves me about 20 minutes

on my journey time in the morning.

She says she will never take

a bus from home again,

and in a few months we will know how

many other Londoners

are joining her.

And finally, it is Shrove Tuesday.

That means the annual

Parliamentary Pancake Race has been

held this morning in Westminster.

MPs, including Ealing

Central's Rupa Huq, took

on the Westminster Press Pack,

all in aid of the brain

injury charity Rehab.

This year, it was the press pack

who clinched victory.

Well done to them!

Now let's check on the weather,

with Kate Kinsella.

Good afternoon.

Well, we started the day

on a reasonably positive note.

We saw a bit of

sunshine first thing.

Beautiful sunrise pictures

from the Thames here.

But quite quickly the sky

turned a little grey,

and we've got some rain as we head

through the afternoon as well.

So, yes, it's still wet.

And, yes, it's still

rather breezy as well.

Now, there's plenty of dry weather

out there to end the day,

but we do get some locally heavy

bursts of rain accompanied by that

strengthening southerly wind.

It's been a cool seven Celsius.

Now, later this evening, this rain

and cloud will disappear east,

leaving clear skies.

And it's under these clear skies

that the temperature

is going to drop.

Another cold night,

between zero and -3,

with a risk after today's rain

of the little ice tomorrow

morning and a frost.

A bright start, though,

until the cloud once again

takes over from the west,

and with it we get some rather wet

and windy weather as we head

through Wednesday afternoon.

The temperature

a touch milder, 7-8dC.

Now, that rain and that

weather front will clear up

overnight Wednesday.

For Thursday, it is looking

like a much drier day,

with the return of some welcome

sunshine.

But we're also dragging in some

slightly milder air.

So, the temperature rises a little

as we head through Thursday.

We're looking at temperatures back

up into double figures right the way

through to the end of the week,

with the return of a

little bit of sunshine.

That's about it from me.

Riz Lateef will be here

with our 6:30pm evening programme.

But for now, from us

all on the lunchtime team,

have a very good afternoon.