06/09/2011 Look East - East


06/09/2011

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 06/09/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: Former MP

:00:05.:00:11.

facing 21 charges, including forgery and fiddling her expenses.

:00:11.:00:14.

This council chief has had to step down after a damning OFSTED report

:00:14.:00:18.

on children's services. Six years in jail for the truck

:00:18.:00:23.

driver who killed a woman on a busy dual carriageway.

:00:23.:00:33.
:00:33.:00:39.

And welcome to the wacky world of Good evening. First tonight, the

:00:39.:00:42.

former Labour MP charged with fiddling more than �60,000 in

:00:42.:00:46.

parliamentary expenses. Margaret Moran stepped down as the MP for

:00:46.:00:52.

Luton South in 2010. But these charges date back much further.

:00:52.:00:57.

�2,500 for a carpet in May 2006, for example. Allegedly forging an

:00:57.:01:02.

invoice for building work later that year. And �15,000 for plumbing

:01:02.:01:07.

the following August - 21 charges in all. Our Home Affairs

:01:07.:01:09.

Correspondent Sally Chidzoy is outside Margaret Moran's old

:01:09.:01:19.
:01:19.:01:20.

constituency office now. Good evening. I am outside Margaret

:01:20.:01:25.

Moran's called House which she advertised for sale and sold last

:01:25.:01:30.

year. It was inspected by detectives investigating her

:01:30.:01:36.

expenses claims after pictures of the kitchen appeared in estate

:01:36.:01:41.

agents' details. The Crown Prosecution Service said today the

:01:41.:01:47.

21 charges faced by Margaret Moran related to claims with a total

:01:47.:01:52.

value of �60,000. The last time Margaret Moran gave an interview

:01:52.:01:56.

was more than two years ago when her expenses were under scrutiny.

:01:56.:02:03.

She spoke to justify the claims she made. I do not want to -- my

:02:03.:02:07.

constituents to think there is something dodgy or Marky. There is

:02:07.:02:16.

not. She has been summoned to face 21 charges. Among her allegedly

:02:16.:02:23.

fraudulent expenses, �22,500 for dry rot, and thousands more for

:02:23.:02:32.

home improvements. I have always said that her expense claims were

:02:32.:02:38.

indefensible. Now it is for a court to decide if they were illegal. As

:02:38.:02:45.

I knew MP I think people have been generally generous to me. The claim

:02:45.:02:50.

for dry rot treatment relates to a former home in Southampton, more

:02:50.:02:57.

than 100 miles from her constituency. Her second home is

:02:57.:03:01.

supposed to have been in Southampton, and she expected the

:03:01.:03:11.

taxpayers to pay �20,000 for dry rot. I knew it was quite a serious

:03:11.:03:17.

but I am surprised it is that number. It sounds dreadful. Do you

:03:17.:03:24.

Hall then he's in respect now? hold MPs in respect. Not as much,

:03:24.:03:31.

NASA. Margaret Moran is one of the last politicians to be investigated

:03:32.:03:40.

over the expenses scandal. It has been a long-running

:03:40.:03:46.

investigation spanning over two years. Margaret Moran has been told

:03:46.:03:52.

to work here in court in London to face magistrates on 19th September.

:03:52.:03:54.

So that's the situation in Luton. What about Westminster. Here's our

:03:55.:04:02.

Political Correspondent, Andrew Sinclair. The reaction here today

:04:02.:04:09.

has been largely one of shock. From Margaret Moran's friends, shock

:04:09.:04:13.

that she has been charged after others time. One friend was quite

:04:13.:04:16.

distressed and thought these allegations had been trumped up by

:04:16.:04:21.

the media. Among the wider political community, the shock at

:04:21.:04:27.

just how many charges she is facing, and the extent of the alleged fraud.

:04:27.:04:32.

Noel other politician has been accused of fiddling so much. Top of

:04:32.:04:38.

the league table is Elliot Morley, �30,000 a bogus mortgage payments.

:04:38.:04:44.

If these allegations are true, this is double that amount. Very serious

:04:44.:04:52.

charges. And do we know what Margaret Moran makes of it all?

:04:52.:04:56.

do not. In the past she has stressed she does not think she has

:04:56.:05:00.

done anything wrong. She believes her claims were in accordance with

:05:00.:05:06.

the House of Commons rule book. She said the House of Commons had

:05:06.:05:11.

approved most of the claims. If she proves not guilty, that is likely

:05:11.:05:16.

to be the main plank of her defence. The director of Children's Services

:05:16.:05:18.

at Peterborough City Council has resigned following a damning report

:05:18.:05:21.

by OFSTED. John Richards left his post with immediate effect after

:05:21.:05:25.

the report ruled that children were being put at risk. OFSTED said Mr

:05:25.:05:27.

Richards's department was "inadequate" in seven out of nine

:05:27.:05:31.

categories. In a moment we'll hear from the councillor in charge, but

:05:31.:05:40.

first this report from Fatima Manji. They are meant to be protecting the

:05:40.:05:45.

most vulnerable in society. But now the Council is being accused of

:05:45.:05:49.

failing young people in Peterborough. An Ofsted inspection

:05:49.:05:55.

found 230 children were put at risk. The latest report finds things are

:05:55.:06:00.

far from improving. It says serious deficiencies are leaving children

:06:00.:06:04.

and young people at the risk of potential harm. It highlights one

:06:04.:06:09.

case where a young person was being physically abused by an adult, but

:06:09.:06:12.

this was over locked in an assessment. Several problem areas

:06:12.:06:22.
:06:22.:06:29.

Those working on the ground believe the City is struggling to cope.

:06:29.:06:35.

They say cuts in funding and making the problem worse. There will be a

:06:35.:06:39.

tipping point. I know a lot of these social workers are doing the

:06:39.:06:45.

best they can. But the demand is huge. It is not just a problem

:06:45.:06:49.

limited to Peterborough. Experts say many authorities are under

:06:49.:06:54.

immense pressure. Social workers feel under attack. It has been a

:06:54.:06:59.

problem to recruit social workers. They feel their professional esteem

:06:59.:07:04.

is not very high. He is a problem to keep them. Their job

:07:04.:07:09.

satisfaction has been eroded. coming months, Peterborough City

:07:09.:07:14.

Council will need to make serious changes. The fear is with an

:07:14.:07:18.

inadequate system, children at risk could be left unprotected. Earlier

:07:18.:07:21.

today I spoke to Sheila Scott, the cabinet member for Children's

:07:21.:07:25.

Services at Peterborough City Council. I put it to her that the

:07:25.:07:28.

council was failing some of the most vulnerable people in our

:07:28.:07:38.
:07:38.:07:38.

society. It most certainly is a very serious day for Peterborough.

:07:38.:07:42.

He is that they when I hope we will look back and say that was the day

:07:42.:07:48.

when we started to reconstruct children's services. Why is today

:07:48.:07:53.

that they, rather than when we spoke you in May 2010, when you had

:07:53.:07:58.

a similarly shocking Ofsted report? Eusebio responsibility was to work

:07:58.:08:03.

with the director to make sure it did not happen again. -- you said.

:08:03.:08:08.

What has happened in the last year? We knew we were making slow

:08:08.:08:13.

progress. What we did not realise was that from about six months ago,

:08:13.:08:19.

we started to slip backwards. This report reflects that. Why didn't

:08:19.:08:23.

you realise? You at the person with ultimate political responsibility

:08:23.:08:30.

for this? -- you are. The director has gone. Should and you pass on

:08:30.:08:35.

responsibility to somebody who does realise what is going on?

:08:35.:08:39.

reports given to me and other members of the board were overly

:08:39.:08:46.

optimistic. Not that we were misled but they were overly optimistic.

:08:46.:08:55.

The report says that I am part of the coalition and I am determined

:08:55.:09:00.

to see this through. We have taken decisive action immediately. We

:09:00.:09:06.

have had a new director starting today. Two social workers will

:09:06.:09:10.

review the cases of the past six months to make sure that no child

:09:10.:09:19.

has been left on safely in the city. Can you guarantee that the next

:09:19.:09:24.

time Ofsted come in a year, you will not be saying the same thing

:09:24.:09:30.

to us that you said last year and are saying today? That is a very

:09:30.:09:36.

legitimate question. I cannot guarantee it. I and the officers at

:09:36.:09:43.

the Council will do everything in our power to make sure that we are

:09:43.:09:48.

not saying this again in 18 months. Can you guarantee that every child

:09:48.:09:56.

in Peterborough will be kept safe? My answer must be the same. We will

:09:56.:10:05.

do everything in our power to make Still to come, how travellers at

:10:05.:10:10.

Dale Farm offered Basildon Council a deal to leave the site. And what

:10:10.:10:20.
:10:20.:10:22.

a great day for a spinnaker on a A truck driver has been sentenced

:10:22.:10:25.

to six years in jail after his lorry ploughed into slow moving

:10:25.:10:29.

traffic on a dual carriageway in Norfolk. Liz Bird from Leighton

:10:29.:10:32.

Buzzard was killed instantly. Today her family said that Simon

:10:32.:10:42.
:10:42.:10:43.

Bothamley had got the sentence he deserved.

:10:43.:10:46.

It was supposed to be the start of a weekend summer break for Liz Bird

:10:46.:10:52.

and her husband Michael. Instead it turned into a day of carnage and

:10:52.:10:56.

loss. This footage shows the aftermath of the collision in which

:10:56.:11:01.

five people were injured, two seriously, and in which Liz Bird

:11:01.:11:08.

died. In my 20 year career and the police. --, this is one of the

:11:08.:11:12.

worst collisions I have seen. It was complete and utter carnage,

:11:12.:11:16.

devastation everywhere, people everywhere, and carrot pieces

:11:16.:11:22.

everywhere. Liz Bird and her husband were caught in traffic

:11:22.:11:28.

which had slowed down on the outskirts of Norwich. On be known

:11:28.:11:34.

to her, Simon Bothamley from Cambridgeshire was speeding up 56

:11:34.:11:39.

mph in his 13 ton heavy goods lorry. He was apparently oblivious to the

:11:39.:11:43.

obstruction. Police had already established the had been texting

:11:43.:11:48.

and driving less than an hour before the collision. He had been

:11:48.:11:52.

convicted for parking on his mobile phone while driving the same truck

:11:52.:11:57.

two months previously. In mitigation, Simon Bothamley's

:11:57.:12:00.

defence lawyer described him as a broken man who suffered from

:12:00.:12:07.

flashbacks. Sentencing him, the judge said that he had deprived

:12:07.:12:10.

Michael bird lovers loving life and the sentence must reflect the

:12:10.:12:16.

serious nature of the offence. He sentenced him to six years in

:12:16.:12:20.

prison and gave him a five-year driving ban. He deserved what he

:12:20.:12:26.

got. I am pleased that justice is seen to be done. For me, it is the

:12:26.:12:32.

length of it this qualification that I am most satisfied about. --

:12:32.:12:38.

the disqualification. The family say the sentence may act as a

:12:39.:12:42.

deterrent to other would-be offenders. Last minute talks have

:12:42.:12:44.

been taking place about possible strike action by civilian staff who

:12:45.:12:47.

work on the Apache attack helicopters at Wattisham Airfield

:12:47.:12:50.

in Suffolk. The engineers work for Morson Wynnwith, and have voted to

:12:50.:12:54.

walk out in a dispute over pay. They claim they are paid thousands

:12:54.:12:59.

of pounds less than people who do a similar job elsewhere.

:12:59.:13:03.

A company which planned to employ up to 400 people on an old RAF base

:13:03.:13:08.

in Norfolk has pulled out. TAG Aviation decomission old airliners.

:13:08.:13:17.

The company said its financial situation had changed.

:13:17.:13:22.

TAG Aviation's plan to store and the construct large aircraft was

:13:22.:13:28.

withdrawn after it failed to secure the necessary funding. The Swiss

:13:28.:13:33.

firm is disappointed, especially since the plans for the former air

:13:33.:13:39.

base at Coltishall had offered the opportunity to create 400 jobs. All

:13:39.:13:43.

four airplane hangars would have been used to store about 50

:13:43.:13:47.

aircraft, which would then be stripped down for recycling. Today

:13:47.:13:52.

the local MP described the decision as a bad day for Norfolk, but hope

:13:52.:13:57.

other opportunities would be forthcoming. It is disappointing

:13:57.:14:02.

news. My heart goes out to one of those people who had their names on

:14:02.:14:09.

lists, hoping for a possible employment. It was really exciting.

:14:09.:14:17.

It seemed to fit the side incredibly well. -- site. I am

:14:17.:14:20.

trying to get information from the ministry of justice about their

:14:20.:14:27.

talks with another possible bidder. RAF Coltishall was closed in 2006.

:14:27.:14:37.
:14:37.:14:41.

Three years later, a category C Work has started to protect homes

:14:41.:14:48.

at risk of flooding in Ipswich. An embankment is to be built which

:14:48.:14:53.

backs on to Docs at the River Orwell. There's been a 25% rise in

:14:53.:14:56.

the number of televisions dumped at council tips in Suffolk. More than

:14:56.:15:01.

73,000 sets have been left at centres between January and July.

:15:01.:15:05.

The council says it's due to the digital switchover. The last

:15:05.:15:07.

analogue signal for Norfolk and parts of North Suffolk will be

:15:07.:15:17.
:15:17.:15:18.

switched off in November. Anybody who owns a boat will probably know

:15:18.:15:21.

all about the zebra mussel. It can cause a lot of damage. It's also a

:15:21.:15:24.

huge problem for Anglian Water. In fact, the company spends half a

:15:24.:15:27.

million pounds every year keeping the mussel out of their pipes. Now

:15:27.:15:33.

there could be an answer. Zebra mussels thrive in fresh water. They

:15:33.:15:39.

are a growing problem For boat owners. They grow on the bottom of

:15:39.:15:47.

the boat. If they are spawning, they will go through the events in

:15:47.:15:53.

the bottom of the boat and grow inside the leg of the engine.

:15:53.:15:57.

repair bill can run into hundreds of pounds. That is nothing compared

:15:57.:16:02.

to the cost incurred by Anglian Water. At their water treatment

:16:02.:16:10.

plants, mussels Klug up the pipes. They get sucked into the pipes.

:16:10.:16:15.

They coat the inside of the pipes, sometimes ending up many

:16:15.:16:19.

centimetres thick. That means we have to pump harder to get the

:16:19.:16:22.

water through the pipes in the first place. That costs a lot of

:16:23.:16:29.

money. One way to kill the muscles is with chlorine. But they can

:16:29.:16:34.

sense the poison in the water and clamp shut. We take an active

:16:34.:16:42.

ingredient, which is poisonous to the muscles, and coated in a tasty

:16:42.:16:47.

coating. They take the poison and die immediately. Annie think they

:16:47.:16:52.

do not eat, dissolves within hours of going into the water. --

:16:52.:16:58.

anything. It is environmentally safe and friendly. Zebra mussels

:16:58.:17:08.
:17:08.:17:10.

and not native to the UK. They're It's emerged that travellers facing

:17:10.:17:13.

eviction from Dale Farm in Essex offered to clear the site and move

:17:13.:17:18.

on, if the council bought the land for millions of pounds. The offer

:17:18.:17:23.

was made at secret talks with Basildon Council earlier this year.

:17:23.:17:27.

The council rejected the idea, describing it as "a step too far".

:17:27.:17:37.
:17:37.:17:39.

Richard Daniel is at Dale Farm now. The cost to clear Dale Farm could

:17:39.:17:45.

cost anything up to �18 million. Let's put that in context. That

:17:45.:17:52.

would equate to about �45,000 per traveller evicted. Today we found

:17:52.:17:56.

out that behind the scenes a few months ago, talks were held to try

:17:57.:18:02.

to reduce the cost of the evictions. Today at Dale Farm they were laying

:18:02.:18:06.

down barbed wire. Elsewhere, several caravans were removed from

:18:06.:18:13.

the site. Basildon Council held secret talks with the travellers in

:18:13.:18:18.

London five months ago. The Council said of travellers offered to leave

:18:18.:18:24.

quietly for �6 million. But today that figure was disputed by

:18:24.:18:28.

travellers at Dale Farm. Richard Sheridan, President of the Gypsy

:18:28.:18:33.

Council, said they would have been prepared to sell the site for �3

:18:33.:18:38.

million. He said they were trying to save the taxpayer millions.

:18:38.:18:43.

the end of the day gentle men, Basildon Council is spending �80

:18:44.:18:49.

million of taxpayers' money. It is a waste of money. -- 18 million. I

:18:49.:18:53.

was trying to sell them this site so the travellers could move out

:18:53.:18:59.

and buy another site. That is the adult approach. Basildon Council

:18:59.:19:07.

has a duty to provide 62 pitches in the Essex area. In Basildon today

:19:07.:19:11.

there was surprise that secret talks had taken place. The bottom

:19:11.:19:14.

line is the Council should not have let it get to that state in the

:19:14.:19:20.

first place. It is going to cost 18 million, 6 million sounds a good

:19:20.:19:25.

deal. But it is illegal. We're saying they can profit from this

:19:26.:19:31.

illegal thing. Wouldn't it have made financial sense to accept this

:19:31.:19:38.

offer? It could have if we had got into negotiations. But then what

:19:38.:19:42.

would happen in the future somebody else did exactly the same? I am

:19:42.:19:48.

worried about precedent. With 13 days to the addiction, the time for

:19:48.:19:55.

talking, it seems, is rapidly running out. -- eviction. Today the

:19:55.:19:59.

travellers told me they expect the bailiffs to start setting up a head

:19:59.:20:05.

of the eviction, next week. Basildon Council said to have

:20:05.:20:08.

allowed travellers to profit from breaking the law would have been a

:20:08.:20:12.

step too far. Now some of the families at Dale Farm also own

:20:12.:20:20.

plots at another traveller site at Cottenham in Cambridgeshire. In

:20:20.:20:23.

recent years nearly 20 illegal traveller sites have been cleared

:20:23.:20:28.

at Smithy Fen. The local Council has dealt with things in a

:20:28.:20:38.

different way. Clearing Cottenham's illegal site.

:20:38.:20:43.

For many travellers, the time of anger and fear. Among residents,

:20:43.:20:52.

relief. The result of a lengthy legal argument. We went through at

:20:52.:20:54.

fairly expensive and time-consuming eviction process a couple of years

:20:55.:20:59.

ago. Al macro determination was to make sure we would not have to do

:20:59.:21:06.

the same thing again. -- our. We have gone through securing

:21:06.:21:12.

injunctions in and around Smith the Fen. At that time there were about

:21:12.:21:18.

100 sites here. Under half for a legal. Hearing Cambridgeshire

:21:18.:21:22.

liking Essex, the district councils that use the Town and Country

:21:22.:21:32.
:21:32.:21:32.

Planning Act -- use. In Essex, they have gone for enforcement notices,

:21:32.:21:36.

which it a certain amount of time for planning breaches to be put

:21:36.:21:43.

right. -- which give. Leaders Salinger's can close - might slow

:21:43.:21:50.

the process down. In Cambridgeshire, they chose High Court injunctions.

:21:51.:21:55.

If not put right, offenders can be held in contempt of court and can

:21:55.:22:00.

face prison. Injunctions are expensive and can take time. Six

:22:00.:22:07.

plots here are owned by Dale Farm travellers. They have got no place

:22:07.:22:12.

to go. There are some vulnerable people, old people, very sick.

:22:12.:22:22.
:22:22.:22:27.

They're not giving them any tries. Something like this could be seen

:22:27.:22:30.

in Essex very soon. Next, the story of a teenager from Suffolk helping

:22:30.:22:34.

to design a very green machine with three wheels. It's called a whike,

:22:34.:22:37.

a cross between a bike and a windsurfer. And on a day like today,

:22:37.:22:47.
:22:47.:22:49.

it goes like the clappers! This is Ned Aufenast, sailor and

:22:50.:22:54.

engineering ways. It was during his A-level studies that a brain wave

:22:54.:22:59.

struck. I was cycling one day and I thought, the wind is hindering me.

:22:59.:23:07.

I have always wanted to be able to sail on the road. I thought, I

:23:07.:23:12.

could get someone with this. made a prototype from scrap that

:23:12.:23:19.

cost �50. He discovered a Dutch man also inventing as sailing bite.

:23:19.:23:23.

They are working together designing machines like this. It is amazing

:23:24.:23:29.

to be able to paddle along. You can start pedalling, all in the sale

:23:29.:23:36.

and roll along. It is brilliant. You have to try it. That sounded

:23:36.:23:40.

like an invitation. Now it was keen for me to wonder stand the basics

:23:40.:23:47.

and I was keen to impress. A quick run through the controls, breaks

:23:47.:23:53.

etc, and as the wind gathered speed, some final words of caution. When

:23:53.:23:59.

you feel anything getting out of control, just let that right.

:23:59.:24:05.

machine costs �3,000. It is legal on the road as long as it is not a

:24:05.:24:12.

mile away. It was an exhilarating ride. It would be borderline road

:24:13.:24:17.

use today. If you put the big sale up, you could really get going.

:24:17.:24:22.

That is a thrill ride. Dozens of the machines have been sold in

:24:22.:24:29.

Holland but it is the United States where net expects to be their key

:24:29.:24:33.

market place. He will soon be off to university to study engineering,

:24:33.:24:43.
:24:43.:24:51.

hoping that what began as a school We have had some very lively

:24:51.:24:56.

weather across the region with strong winds and heavy rain. We

:24:56.:25:01.

have had particular the strong winds around the coast. The peer

:25:01.:25:05.

was closed today because a barge was pushed into it causing

:25:05.:25:10.

structural damage. On the Essex coast we have 40 to 50 mph gusts of

:25:10.:25:18.

wind. It is down to this area of low pressure. That produced some

:25:18.:25:28.
:25:28.:25:29.

fairly patchy rain to start with. It had a sting in its tail. Most of

:25:29.:25:34.

the rain cleared by this morning. And look at this. Heavy rain

:25:34.:25:40.

falling into a long line. It was slow to clear. It is starting to

:25:40.:25:46.

clear now. It will stay fairly windy tonight. The winds easing a

:25:46.:25:51.

little bit. Still quite blustery. Most places dry. The odd isolated

:25:52.:26:01.
:26:02.:26:03.

shower. Lows are expected at ten Celsius, 50 Fahrenheit. The winds

:26:03.:26:06.

will be moderates too fresh in land. Fresh and strong along the Norfolk

:26:06.:26:11.

and Suffolk coast lines. Tomorrow will be a finer day. It will still

:26:11.:26:17.

be windy but the wind will not be quite as strong. Some Sunny spells

:26:17.:26:23.

but the sunshine turning hazy. Temperatures expected to get up to

:26:23.:26:30.

18 Celsius. The chance of an isolated shower not out of the

:26:30.:26:40.

question. The wins still fairly brisk. -- winds. Moderate to fresh

:26:40.:26:44.

in land. Through the afternoon still the chance of an isolated

:26:44.:26:51.

shower. Most places staying dry with sunny spells. This is the

:26:51.:26:56.

pressure Chard for Thursday. You'll notice the isobars slightly further

:26:56.:27:03.

apart. Affront draped across Los promises cloudy conditions and

:27:03.:27:09.

potentially some wet weather. -- a weather front draped across us. The

:27:09.:27:12.

other interesting thing for Friday is the temperature. It will start

:27:12.:27:18.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS