:00:14. > :00:19.Welcome to Look East on the day the Chancellor sought to give the
:00:19. > :00:24.region's economy a shot in the arm. Part of our most important trade
:00:24. > :00:28.route, the A14, could become a toll road. I know what her important
:00:28. > :00:31.road that is for the local economy and local people, and I am pleased
:00:31. > :00:36.that, thanks in part to the support of the local Member of Parliament,
:00:36. > :00:40.we have been able to give it the go-ahead. Live reaction to the
:00:40. > :00:44.Chancellor's statement. Plus, the region braces itself for tomorrow's
:00:44. > :00:50.public sector strike. We have a county by county report.
:00:50. > :00:56.In other news: read all about it as the press's role at the UK's newest
:00:56. > :00:59.printing press. Good evening. Experts are divided
:00:59. > :01:02.tonight over whether the Chancellor has done enough to kick-start the
:01:02. > :01:06.region's economy. George Osborne has given the green light to two
:01:06. > :01:09.big transport projects, including improvements to the A14. But,
:01:09. > :01:16.thousands of public sector workers must endure a further erosion of
:01:16. > :01:20.their income to help pay for it. The Chancellor's Autumn Statement
:01:20. > :01:23.will affect just about all of us. Here in the East, the region's
:01:23. > :01:26.busiest trunk route, the A14, is to be upgraded with almost immediate
:01:26. > :01:31.effect. Perhaps controversially, drivers could be charged a toll to
:01:31. > :01:33.use it. Further in the future, there is an ambitious plan to build
:01:33. > :01:38.a new high-speed rail link running through Cambridge, Milton Keynes
:01:38. > :01:41.and Oxford. To help pay for it, workers in the public sector are to
:01:41. > :01:46.have their pay capped at 1% - a decision which is certain to add
:01:46. > :01:49.fuel to tomorrow's big strike. In a moment, Mike Cartwright with a
:01:49. > :01:59.reaction to the A14 announcement, but let's start at Westminster with
:01:59. > :02:02.our political Correspondent Andrew Sinclair.
:02:02. > :02:07.The Autumn Statement never used to be a big deal, but in recent years
:02:07. > :02:11.it has become a kind of mini-budget, and this one is no exception. This
:02:11. > :02:17.actually makes quite grim reading, in fact. Talk of low growth, public
:02:17. > :02:22.sector pay cuts, and even public sector pay caps. They have also had
:02:22. > :02:27.to bring forward the retirement age to 67, 10 years earlier than they
:02:27. > :02:30.had planned. There is also quite a lot of positive stuff in this for
:02:30. > :02:33.our region - projects which have been awaiting funding for ages have
:02:33. > :02:37.been given the go-ahead, and a lot of that work will start within the
:02:37. > :02:42.year. It has been clear for the last week
:02:42. > :02:46.that the A14 would be today's big story. �20 million will be spent
:02:46. > :02:51.bringing about what the Chancellor called immediate improvements to
:02:51. > :02:57.the Cambridge or stretch. million will buy quite a lot. The
:02:57. > :03:00.detailed plans have not been joined up, but everyone knows does donjons
:03:00. > :03:04.a badly designed. There is a whole range of things that everyone will
:03:04. > :03:08.know about. Those can be fixed. There will also be a study into
:03:08. > :03:12.whether a toll road should be built in Cambridge. It will report on
:03:12. > :03:16.this by the spring. In Northamptonshire, �110 million to
:03:16. > :03:20.widen the kettling bypass, and a new link road for Corby. The work
:03:20. > :03:23.will also start in the new year. The local MP told the Chancellor it
:03:23. > :03:27.was a vote of confidence in the area. The Chancellor said it was
:03:27. > :03:33.long overdue. I know what important road that is for the local economy,
:03:33. > :03:36.for the local people, and I am pleased that, thanks in part to the
:03:36. > :03:40.support of the local Member of Parliament, we have been able to
:03:40. > :03:43.give it the go-ahead. In three years' time there will be �120
:03:43. > :03:48.million for improving the M25 through Hertfordshire, and work
:03:48. > :03:52.will start them on completing the rail line that an advert, the first
:03:52. > :03:55.stage in a proper East West Link. am thrilled that the Chancellor has
:03:55. > :03:59.seen the value of the project and accelerated its development, which
:03:59. > :04:03.I think will bring many thousands of new jobs to the region.
:04:03. > :04:08.Friis of fuel duty will be welcomed across the region. Airlines will be
:04:08. > :04:12.unhappy that air passenger duty is going up. Staying with airports, a
:04:12. > :04:15.pledge today to look at every option for increasing capacity in
:04:15. > :04:19.the Nat -- south-east. A second runway at Stansted could soon be
:04:19. > :04:24.back on the agenda. The Chancellor also announced more
:04:24. > :04:28.money for super-fast broadband, for improving mobile phone reception,
:04:28. > :04:32.for research and development. Some of that money might come away. Even
:04:32. > :04:35.in these straitened times, there is still quite a bit to cheer about.
:04:35. > :04:38.So, a year after plans to upgrade the A14 were shelved, tonight they
:04:38. > :04:48.are very much back on the drawing board. Let's get the details now
:04:48. > :04:54.from Mike Cartwright. Over there in the dark Ages a wet,
:04:54. > :04:58.busy, A14. Not exactly a driver's dream. People I spoke to Today said
:04:58. > :05:01.it is a road you can't rely on. There is no certainty of arriving
:05:01. > :05:07.on time. They welcome the improvements, but a toll road,
:05:07. > :05:13.people I spoke to, are not so sold on that idea.
:05:13. > :05:17.For many motorists, it is the bane of their lives. The A14 - last year,
:05:17. > :05:24.plans to improve it broke down. Today, the Chancellor gave them a
:05:24. > :05:29.jump-start. Just over �130 million will be spent improving junctions
:05:29. > :05:33.729 at Kettering, and �20 million to upgrade an interchange at
:05:33. > :05:38.Huntingdon. Somewhere along the route, a toll road. Something in
:05:38. > :05:41.this village that will come as -- has caused concern. For people who
:05:41. > :05:47.use it on a day-to-day basis, it seems unreasonable to charge them
:05:47. > :05:52.for using it all the time. A money is tight when you are a pensioner.
:05:52. > :05:57.So you will find another route? it is too expensive, yes. I think a
:05:57. > :06:01.toll road will increase traffic through the area. People will take
:06:01. > :06:05.alternative routes. The M6 toll road near Birmingham opened eight
:06:05. > :06:09.years ago, but business leaders their say it has not lived up to
:06:09. > :06:12.its promise. The businesses were optimistic when it was built that
:06:12. > :06:15.it would relieve a lot of congestion on the roads. It is a
:06:15. > :06:19.big piece of infrastructure that was built, so there was a lot of
:06:19. > :06:22.optimism surrounding it at the time. But there has been a significant
:06:22. > :06:26.level of disappointment that the balance has not been struck between
:06:27. > :06:31.price and time savings. Meanwhile, here over the years there had been
:06:31. > :06:34.several plans to improve this road. This time, businesses hope it will
:06:34. > :06:39.finally happened. I very much hope that this is not a new dawn of
:06:39. > :06:43.false hope because we have been here so many times be hot -- before,
:06:43. > :06:47.when we have going to have studies and looking at alternative ways to
:06:47. > :06:53.ease the congestion on the A14. So far, nothing has come to fruition.
:06:53. > :06:59.Today, we had the big announcement. In weeks to come, the detail. And
:06:59. > :07:04.the new road? At least 10 years ago -- away.
:07:04. > :07:09.Joining us now is Richard Tanner Clough from the CBI. Thank you for
:07:10. > :07:14.joining us. Can a toll road really work here? I think it can, if you
:07:14. > :07:18.look at what the A14 serves, it serves the ports in the east of the
:07:18. > :07:22.country, to the Midlands, which many of the distribution hubs of
:07:22. > :07:27.major companies are based, so I do think it could work. The idea is
:07:27. > :07:30.that private money will fund it. Where will it come from? UK-based
:07:30. > :07:34.companies have got about �900 billion on their balance sheets
:07:34. > :07:38.that they are looking to invest in steady forms of investment, and I
:07:38. > :07:42.think a toll road would dig those boxes. Do you have any idea of what
:07:42. > :07:46.form it would take? Realistically we are looking at another loan. The
:07:46. > :07:51.original scheme was going to cost �1.4 billion, and that is not going
:07:51. > :07:54.to happen. I suspect we will get an extra lane with some kind of
:07:54. > :08:00.numberplate recognition that will ritually charge drivers to use that
:08:00. > :08:05.lane. Is this money enough? there ever enough when it comes to
:08:05. > :08:08.roads? We could spend and cannot do demand of money, but I think �20
:08:08. > :08:12.million for the two Cambridge judges will have benefits quite
:08:12. > :08:15.quickly. There will be a lot of people on that road tonight
:08:15. > :08:19.watching developments with a lot of interest.
:08:19. > :08:23.Late in the programme we will speak live to two of our region's MPs,
:08:23. > :08:25.getting their reaction to the Autumn Statement.
:08:25. > :08:28.Moving on to the public sector strike which is planned for
:08:28. > :08:33.tomorrow. Is estimated that more than 1000 schools across the region
:08:33. > :08:37.will be closed. The action is also affecting a wide range of services
:08:37. > :08:47.including hospitals, local councils and public transport. Let's look at
:08:47. > :08:54.
:08:54. > :08:58.how tomorrow's strike will affect where you live.
:08:58. > :09:01.Starting in Essex, Richard Daniel is in Chelmsford. He won Essex
:09:01. > :09:07.tonight, there is little doubt that tomorrow's strike will hit schools
:09:07. > :09:11.hardest. Out of 550 state schools in the county, tonight only 25 have
:09:11. > :09:16.confirmed that they will be fully opened tomorrow. It is expected
:09:16. > :09:23.that hundreds could close, and many others will only be partially open
:09:23. > :09:26.to certain year groups. Like many schools in Essex,
:09:26. > :09:31.tomorrow this school will be shut, forcing parents to make alternative
:09:31. > :09:37.plans. My wife has had to take a day of work. It is not great.
:09:37. > :09:42.Negotiations are still ongoing. I don't understand. I am sympathetic
:09:42. > :09:46.at the moment, but if it goes on, then I might not be so sympathetic.
:09:46. > :09:50.The school had no choice but to close. He it is the people who
:09:50. > :09:56.suffer most at the end of the day is the children. That is very
:09:56. > :10:00.regrettable. I just hope that they can get together and resolve this
:10:00. > :10:04.dispute. One day off school will have some damage, but there will be
:10:04. > :10:08.irreparable damage by this government if they don't give
:10:08. > :10:11.teachers proper pensions. Elsewhere at Essex Police, control room staff,
:10:11. > :10:15.detention officers and Police Community Support Officers could
:10:15. > :10:21.work out for -- walkout. The force insists lives will not be put at
:10:21. > :10:25.risk. Where the gaps appear, where police staff take action, we will
:10:25. > :10:28.draft in to our logistics co- ordination Centre people to come
:10:28. > :10:32.into the control room who can operate the machinery and take
:10:32. > :10:35.those calls. Stansted Airport said it will be open as normal tomorrow.
:10:35. > :10:41.The UK Border Agency today would not be interviewed on how it plans
:10:41. > :10:45.to cope with the 17,000 arrivals expected, should its staff walkout.
:10:45. > :10:51.The fact is, until tomorrow, no one knows what the full impact of this
:10:51. > :10:55.strike will be. People have been very concerned
:10:55. > :10:59.that used may become further entrenched in this dispute. To keep
:10:59. > :11:04.up on what is going on, the full picture across Essex, tune in
:11:04. > :11:10.tomorrow morning to the breakfast show from 6am.
:11:10. > :11:15.Next up, Norfolk. A now seems that over 200 schools
:11:15. > :11:18.will be closed in this county tomorrow. It could be more. Check
:11:18. > :11:23.the County Council website for the very latest. As for hospitals, a
:11:23. > :11:26.mixed picture, but one group of workers is planning to support the
:11:26. > :11:30.action by working normally. Richard Davy is one of the
:11:30. > :11:34.maintenance team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.
:11:34. > :11:38.He and his colleagues are coming to the end of a month of moustache
:11:38. > :11:42.running to raise funds and boost awareness of men's conditions like
:11:42. > :11:47.prostates and could -- testicular cancer. Bob Barrett is another
:11:47. > :11:56.member of the team, they are members of the unite Union and have
:11:56. > :12:01.decided to work normally and donate their pay to charity. Because this
:12:01. > :12:08.is a hospital and it is people's lives at risk, we have to be here.
:12:08. > :12:13.It is very special to work in a hospital. We get good relationships
:12:13. > :12:20.with the patience. We don't want to put anything at risk, really. We
:12:20. > :12:24.can't shut anything down or stop work because this is an ongoing
:12:24. > :12:28.operation. We are lucky to have such dedicated staff and the
:12:28. > :12:32.hospital. All staff are concerned that patient services run as normal
:12:32. > :12:36.and we care about the level of care that we offer. That is why the
:12:36. > :12:40.staff want to come and, despite sharing some form of support for
:12:40. > :12:43.the strike. The hospital says there has no plans to cancel clinics or
:12:43. > :12:46.operations tomorrow. The Norfolk and Norwich hospital says it is
:12:46. > :12:51.doing everything possible to maintain services, although some
:12:51. > :12:55.appointments and non-emergency operations are being rearranged. At
:12:55. > :13:05.the other hospital, it says it is confident it can run at least a
:13:05. > :13:05.
:13:05. > :13:10.Bank Holiday Service. Patients will The union Unison says there will be
:13:10. > :13:16.picket lines outside ambulance stations, but they will respond to
:13:16. > :13:18.emergency calls. For the full picture tomorrow, tune into Chris
:13:18. > :13:26.Goreham on BBC Radio Norfolk from 6:30am.
:13:26. > :13:29.That just leaves Suffolk. Our reporter is in Ipswich for us to my.
:13:29. > :13:35.30,000 public sector workers will walk out in Suffolk alone. They
:13:35. > :13:40.halt the destruction will get their message across.
:13:40. > :13:45.-- the hope. We want the Government to see that what they are doing is
:13:45. > :13:49.wrong and how strongly people feel about this. Workers are taking
:13:49. > :13:54.strike action for they have been balloted. We are also organising a
:13:55. > :13:59.march and rally tomorrow. So Suffolk County Council says most
:13:59. > :14:06.of their services will not be affected, although education will
:14:06. > :14:13.be happy -- hardest hit. It is expected 150 schools will be caused
:14:13. > :14:17.or partially closed. The advice is to check the county council website.
:14:17. > :14:23.Management at hospitals say they cannot rule out disruption. These
:14:23. > :14:27.two women have worked for the NHS for a total of nearly 70 years.
:14:27. > :14:30.They appreciate the strike might cause disruption to patients, but
:14:31. > :14:35.they say they're standing up for their rights. We have not taken
:14:35. > :14:40.this decision lightly at all. The impact it will have on the a
:14:40. > :14:45.hospital, we know it will have an impact. And other areas that are
:14:45. > :14:48.coming out on strike as well, it will have an impact. If the
:14:48. > :14:53.Government don't sit up and take notice of us now, I don't think
:14:53. > :15:03.they ever are well. The Crown Court in Ipswich will
:15:03. > :15:03.
:15:03. > :15:09.just have two out of four courts sitting. The county council say
:15:09. > :15:15.they are aware of what will be happening across the county. You
:15:15. > :15:20.can get the latest picture on your local BBC radio station.
:15:20. > :15:25.We will have full coverage of the public sector strike in the
:15:25. > :15:28.programme tomorrow. Coverage begins on BBC local radio stations at
:15:28. > :15:33.breakfast time with updates throughout the day. If you're
:15:33. > :15:43.affected, either taking part in the strike or your plans have been
:15:43. > :15:46.
:15:46. > :15:50.disrupted, get in touch with us. Tomorrow's walkout by public sector
:15:50. > :15:55.workers will be the biggest one-day strike for a generation. Many of
:15:55. > :16:00.the strikers belonged to the union Unison. Sasha Pearce is the
:16:00. > :16:03.regional manager and joins us now. The Director General of the Chamber
:16:04. > :16:07.of Commerce said today that the strike was irresponsible and
:16:07. > :16:12.reckless and that trade unionists are living and a bubble -- living
:16:12. > :16:17.in a bobble. What did you say to that? He needs to look at the
:16:17. > :16:23.people who are taking part in the action. These are nurses, local
:16:23. > :16:27.council workers, classroom assistants. These are people who
:16:28. > :16:31.feel strongly about proposals to change their pensions. They are not
:16:31. > :16:36.political people. Our members have made it clear that the one to take
:16:36. > :16:43.this strike action. The Chamber of Commerce are saying that things are
:16:43. > :16:48.inevitable. Really, is striking the way to go about it, especially when
:16:48. > :16:53.you're talking about health workers? Firstly, the changes are
:16:53. > :16:57.not inevitable. They have to save money. The public service pension
:16:57. > :17:07.schemes went through a process three years ago where they were
:17:07. > :17:09.
:17:09. > :17:13.reviewed, future proved -- protected for the future and
:17:13. > :17:17.examined closely. The Government is not doing this just because it
:17:17. > :17:22.wants to hurt public sector workers. They feel that something has to
:17:22. > :17:28.give in the long term? That may be the case, but does it have to come
:17:28. > :17:31.from the people who provide the services that we rely upon in civil
:17:31. > :17:37.society? Could it not come from the bankers that appeared as in this
:17:37. > :17:43.mess? A lot of people are going out on strike, but actually the ballot
:17:43. > :17:47.turnout was relatively small. Only 25% of people voted. Is it really
:17:48. > :17:52.people striking because they want to or just because the union has
:17:52. > :17:55.said the issue and? Everyone has a free choice as to whether or not
:17:55. > :18:02.they go out on strike. The democratic decision is that we are
:18:02. > :18:07.calling on our members to strike. We are finding that quite at few
:18:07. > :18:11.more people than those who voted will be taking action. Do you think
:18:11. > :18:16.there could be more strikes? Dave Prentis has said possibly in the
:18:16. > :18:20.New Year? I don't think we can rule it out. Unless the Government
:18:20. > :18:23.listened to the public tomorrow and make a proper move. Thank you very
:18:23. > :18:26.much. Ever since the banking crisis
:18:26. > :18:30.started, small businesses have complained they can't get bank
:18:31. > :18:36.loans to help them grow. It is a real problem in the east, which has
:18:36. > :18:42.a higher number of smaller enterprises. Today, the Government
:18:42. > :18:44.announced a plan to free up lending called credit easing. As our
:18:44. > :18:50.Business Correspondent reports, small firms in the region are keen
:18:50. > :18:55.to give it a go. This manufacturing company in
:18:55. > :18:59.Norfolk is doing well despite all the problems with the economy. The
:18:59. > :19:03.honour ask for a �50,000 loan to buy a second-hand machine. Even
:19:03. > :19:08.though he has never missed a payment on banking facilities, he
:19:08. > :19:14.was turned down. In the end, he bought a cheaper machine with his
:19:15. > :19:17.own savings. I don't want to go to the banks. I would much rather deal
:19:17. > :19:22.with someone direct in the Government to help me. These
:19:22. > :19:28.machines are rolled and been replaced. They want manufacturing
:19:28. > :19:32.back, but the nitty-gritty is that we need money to come through now.
:19:32. > :19:38.We need to buy this new equipment. Many firms have had a rocky
:19:38. > :19:44.relationships with banks since the credit crunch struck. This concrete
:19:44. > :19:48.manufacturing firm had extra charges imposed on the business
:19:48. > :19:54.buy-backs several years ago. The bosses say that life was made more
:19:54. > :19:59.difficult. When the sun is out, banks are happy to lend you the
:19:59. > :20:06.umbrella. When it starts raining, they take your umbrella away. That
:20:06. > :20:11.is disappointing. We're trying to bring up -- to build-up long-term
:20:11. > :20:16.relationships with all of our suppliers. The banks say they are
:20:16. > :20:21.prepared to lend, but many firms are lacking in confidence.
:20:21. > :20:24.credit easing plans give confidence to business to come forward and see
:20:24. > :20:29.investment and seed to grow, that has to be something that is
:20:29. > :20:34.important and good for. Getting credit flowing to small business is
:20:34. > :20:40.critical. The bigger issue is whether companies will demand it
:20:40. > :20:45.quite as much as the Government hopes in such a sluggish economy.
:20:45. > :20:54.Saw, has our region does Welt -- done well out of today's statement
:20:54. > :21:01.or not? We're joined by the MP for Bury St Edmunds and the Labour MP
:21:01. > :21:05.for Luton South, Gavin Shuker. David, firstly, you said that we
:21:05. > :21:12.wanted an adrenalin shot in the arm to the economy. This will not do
:21:12. > :21:18.the business, surely? Well, I think, if you look at the infrastructure,
:21:18. > :21:24.George Osborne has find money which has not been spent in other parts
:21:24. > :21:29.of the Budget. He wants to get pension funds to invest in the
:21:29. > :21:33.roads and the trains for long-term investment. As well as broad band.
:21:33. > :21:37.Finding it difficult -- I am finding it to see why you don't
:21:37. > :21:41.think this is a shot in the arm that is welcome. I personally would
:21:41. > :21:45.have liked more tax reductions for small businesses, but you can't
:21:46. > :21:52.have everything. I think what was announced today was a sensible
:21:52. > :21:59.start. This will help economic growth. You talk about tax
:21:59. > :22:03.reductions. You mentioned the possibility of a cut in VAT. The
:22:03. > :22:09.Labour Party warned that as well. It seems like the right of the Tory
:22:09. > :22:14.party and Labour are coming together on that? No, I did not see
:22:14. > :22:21.a VAT cut. I said some people mention it but it would never
:22:21. > :22:25.happen. I said that there could be a cut in national insurance
:22:25. > :22:31.contributions from employers. With all the extra spending that we're
:22:31. > :22:41.going to see, such as the work on the A14 in our region and more on
:22:41. > :22:53.
:22:53. > :22:59.rail, we need -- I expect the money to be well spent. Gavin Shuker,
:22:59. > :23:04.David Rutley is right that there is some positive in the region for as.
:23:04. > :23:12.We always welcome extra spending for the region. The real problem is
:23:12. > :23:22.the extra spending today was additional on to borrowing. George
:23:22. > :23:22.
:23:22. > :23:27.Osborne has been pursuing a plan that frankly has not fit for
:23:27. > :23:31.purpose. We looking at a situation now where they will not hit the
:23:31. > :23:35.deficit reduction targets. No matter how little money comes into
:23:35. > :23:41.the region, it will be dwarfed by the massive extra borrowing that
:23:41. > :23:44.this Government is doing. We mentioned the VAT plan and the
:23:44. > :23:48.National Insurance holiday and we want young people back into work.
:23:48. > :23:56.This announcement today does nothing for jobs or growth. There
:23:56. > :24:00.needs to be savings and there is not enough money to go round. What
:24:00. > :24:04.would Labour do that would be any better? We need a credible plan for
:24:04. > :24:08.jobs and growth. This Government came forward 18 months ago with a
:24:08. > :24:16.plan. George Osborne said it was credible. The numbers today show
:24:16. > :24:24.that it is not. An extra �158 billion borrowed. Growth is down
:24:24. > :24:30.and unemployment is up. What is Labour's credible plan? We have a
:24:30. > :24:38.five-point plan for jobs and growth. Very basic things. Reducing the
:24:39. > :24:43.rate of VAT back to 17. 5%. Taxing bankers properly so young people
:24:43. > :24:48.can build homes and get work. It is not rocket science. George Osborne
:24:48. > :24:53.is in a position per he has backed into a political corner and won't
:24:53. > :25:00.admit that his masterplan is not working. We need a plan B Ford jobs
:25:00. > :25:04.and growth. Thank you, both. -- a and growth. Thank you, both. -- a
:25:04. > :25:11.plan for jobs and growth. There has been a cold front
:25:11. > :25:17.sweeping across the region today. You can see heavy bursts of rain on
:25:17. > :25:24.the rate -- on the radar tart. Also some strong dusty winds. That has
:25:24. > :25:30.brought much cooler era behind it. Temperatures potentially dropping
:25:30. > :25:35.by five degrees. It will feel chilly overnight. Clear skies to
:25:35. > :25:41.start the night with a little cloud rolling and towards the second half
:25:41. > :25:47.of the night. Some showers possible. We should be free of a ground frost
:25:48. > :25:56.by Don. It is a bright and sunny start to the day tomorrow. Plenty
:25:56. > :26:03.of sunshine through the morning. Fairly chilly, though. Still a
:26:03. > :26:06.moderate to fresh south-westerly wind. Through the afternoon, it
:26:06. > :26:10.stays dry before the spells of sunshine. Then you will see another
:26:10. > :26:15.band of rain waiting to present itself in the west of the region by
:26:15. > :26:19.the end of the day. Enter the next five days, this is how it looks.
:26:19. > :26:27.Unsettled on Thursday with outbreaks of rain. Still a brisk
:26:27. > :26:32.breeze. Much cooler on Friday with potentially a top temperature of
:26:32. > :26:39.potentially a top temperature of seven degrees. Looking unsettled
:26:39. > :26:41.for the weekend. A reminder of our main news: the
:26:41. > :26:47.Chancellor George Osborne has announced a range of packages to
:26:47. > :26:50.help kick-start the economy. They include plans to upgrade their a 14.
:26:50. > :26:54.And thousands of public sector workers across the region are
:26:54. > :26:57.expected to take part in a day of strike action tomorrow. Let's
:26:57. > :27:01.rejoin our Political Editor of West minster.
:27:01. > :27:05.The Chancellor had little money to play with today. The strategy was
:27:05. > :27:10.to use that little money to invest in businesses and projects which
:27:11. > :27:16.can create jobs and boost the economy. A lot is riding on the
:27:16. > :27:20.infrastructure projects in a region. The A14 is interesting.
:27:21. > :27:25.Conservatives would like it to be at all road. Lib Dems are asking if
:27:25. > :27:31.enough people will use its. What are people down there are
:27:31. > :27:34.saying about the strike tomorrow? Mood is hardening. Ministers were
:27:34. > :27:40.saying this would be a flash-in- the-pan up until last week. Now