:00:09. > :00:13.Welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight...
:00:13. > :00:19.Resorting to pedal power. How high inflation and squeezed incomes are
:00:19. > :00:23.hitting us in the east. It would be nice to have a bigger pay rise. But
:00:23. > :00:28.we just have to cut back on things that are not really essential.
:00:28. > :00:31.From bikes to beer. The squeeze is on in the run-up to Christmas. The
:00:31. > :00:35.government says it is the only way. That combination of low interest
:00:35. > :00:39.rates and taken the load out of tax and tax cuts for people on middle
:00:39. > :00:42.incomes is a way to help struggling families.
:00:42. > :00:46.The chief executive of the James Paget Hospital says she is to
:00:46. > :00:48.retire in the interests of patients and staff.
:00:48. > :00:58.And the inspiring story of the serviceman shot four times in
:00:58. > :01:05.
:01:06. > :01:11.Afghanistan, warned he could lose a First tonight, how the economic
:01:11. > :01:14.squeeze is affecting consumers in the East.
:01:14. > :01:19.A number of surveys out this week will highlight the squeeze on
:01:19. > :01:22.household incomes and the state of the economy. As you may have
:01:22. > :01:28.already heard, the headline rate of inflation came down last month to
:01:28. > :01:32.4.8%. But that will be cold comfort for most of us. Average earnings in
:01:32. > :01:36.this region actually went down over the last 12 months by 0.1%. Which
:01:36. > :01:39.means, for anybody in work, average living standards fell by nearly 5%.
:01:39. > :01:48.That is having a big impact on business. Richard Bond is is at
:01:48. > :01:51.Pulham Market in Norfolk. Welcome tune -- welcome to the
:01:51. > :01:56.Cherry Lane Garden Centre, where staff are busy stocking up,
:01:56. > :02:03.stacking shelves for doors to open tomorrow for another busy day of
:02:03. > :02:09.Christmas trading. This is part of the QD chain, which has grown
:02:09. > :02:15.rapidly over the last four years, going from 26 to 38 stores, in the
:02:15. > :02:21.East of England. It is one of the chain benefiting from be consumer
:02:21. > :02:24.squeeze. That has continued, down 5% year-on-year. I went to
:02:24. > :02:30.Lowestoft to see how one family business is coping.
:02:30. > :02:39.Richard Braybrook used to drive to work, but no more. We used to have
:02:39. > :02:43.two cars, but we thought it was getting very expensive. Insurance
:02:43. > :02:49.and petrol especially. It made sense to give away one of the cards
:02:49. > :02:53.and start cycling. He works in Lowestoft. So many staff has
:02:53. > :02:59.stopped driving to work, the company has had to build an extra
:02:59. > :03:03.shed for all the bicycles. The company makes horticultural
:03:03. > :03:09.equipment. The fact that living standards are being squeezed by
:03:09. > :03:13.high inflation has helped this business. We have seen an increase
:03:13. > :03:19.in grow your own projects and things for storing and harvesting
:03:19. > :03:24.products. Storage racks, that sort of thing. The growth your own
:03:24. > :03:30.market has been good. People think about saving money by growing their
:03:30. > :03:35.own products. The staff got a 2% pay rise this year. But with
:03:35. > :03:40.inflation at 5%, they are feeling the squeeze. It would be nice to
:03:40. > :03:46.have a bigger pay rise. But we have to cut back on things that are not
:03:46. > :03:51.really essential. I am trying to keep my field economy up, so I
:03:51. > :03:56.drive around much slower and be more economic will. Things like
:03:56. > :03:59.petrol make things harder. I try to cycle into work. The consumer
:03:59. > :04:05.squeeze has sunk its claws into some of the leading blue-chip
:04:06. > :04:11.companies. Shares in Thomas Cook have collapsed because people are
:04:11. > :04:16.not be keen as many holidays. Passengers at Stansted Airport are
:04:16. > :04:22.down 25% in four years. Because people are old -- because people
:04:22. > :04:28.drive less, this class company has made 200 staff redundant nationwide.
:04:28. > :04:35.Less driving means a few broken windows. The ways in which we are
:04:35. > :04:40.saving pennies are affecting the economy in lots of different ways.
:04:40. > :04:45.So consumers under pressure. Justin Farrington-Smith is the managing
:04:45. > :04:50.director of QD Stores. How hard-up are people? I think it is a very
:04:50. > :04:54.tough time. Interest rates have gone down, giving people more money
:04:54. > :05:00.over the last 12 months, then not having that benefit over the last
:05:00. > :05:05.12 months. People need to look for bargains. You say spending patterns
:05:05. > :05:10.depend on the time of the month inure stores? We see people
:05:10. > :05:18.spending more towards Speedy. That is those paid monthly. -- towards
:05:18. > :05:23.days on which they are paid. We in these tough times past, assuming
:05:23. > :05:28.both times will, do you think customers will desert you? I think,
:05:28. > :05:33.once we have captured a customer, we keep them for a long time.
:05:33. > :05:38.Having been around in this region for 25 years, the company is well
:05:38. > :05:42.known and we try to keep people. We have seen more people are visiting,
:05:42. > :05:48.but also seeing the average basket spend is decreasing. High is
:05:48. > :05:51.trading going? Christmas trading is OK. We have seen improvements on
:05:52. > :05:56.the run-up to Christmas. This has been a good week and I think we
:05:56. > :06:00.will have a better December than over the last 12 months. Do you
:06:00. > :06:04.think people have made sacrifices during the year and want a good
:06:04. > :06:08.Christmas? I think people definitely want a good family
:06:08. > :06:14.Christmas and we have to fight very defeat -- we have to fight very
:06:14. > :06:18.hard for trading in January. important week for trading news.
:06:18. > :06:24.Tomorrow unemployment and retail on first tonight. We shall bring you
:06:24. > :06:26.those details. Thank you.
:06:26. > :06:29.Another business that is feeling the effects of the current economic
:06:29. > :06:33.climate is a micro-brewery in Northamptonshire. The award-winning
:06:33. > :06:37.Christmas ale is made by Hoggley's. But this year, with the cost of
:06:37. > :06:44.production going up, they decided not to make it.
:06:44. > :06:50.This is Hoggley's, a brewery run by a family launched in 20 -- launched
:06:50. > :06:56.in 2006 with redundancy money. Their wounds to start his Yuletide.
:06:56. > :07:02.The malt is pale and quite a lot of crystal malt. -- their winter
:07:03. > :07:07.starts his Yuletide. The flavours have some crystal malt, with the
:07:07. > :07:16.taste of biscuits. It is like Christmas in a glass. Last
:07:16. > :07:22.Christmas, 1,200 bottles were sold. Can I interest you in any Christmas
:07:22. > :07:30.ales? But it seems to be too rich this year. Customers were telling
:07:30. > :07:38.us that the price for the Yuletide ale was too big. Customers thought
:07:38. > :07:42.it would be too much this time. As we have alternatives, it is cheaper,
:07:42. > :07:50.customers went for that. It is not just the cost of the raw
:07:50. > :07:55.ingredients, duty on their average bear is 45p per bottle. It is 64p
:07:55. > :08:00.on the Yuletide ale. That puts the retail price over �3. In times of
:08:00. > :08:05.pretension, people have to be glass half-full or glass half-empty, cure
:08:05. > :08:10.the glass is completely empty. But the decision not to brew may have
:08:10. > :08:15.cost them dear after the beer was included on an influential list of
:08:15. > :08:19.the top ten winter ales worldwide. We decided not to brew it
:08:20. > :08:24.economically, but we could have sold more of it had we gone ahead.
:08:24. > :08:28.It is a bitter blow. They are not quite staring at the bottom of the
:08:29. > :08:35.glass, but those extra sales would have made an extra Christmas
:08:35. > :08:39.present. Earlier this afternoon, the
:08:39. > :08:43.consumer affairs minister, Edward Davey, was in Bedford. He was there
:08:43. > :08:46.to talk about the report by retail expert Mary Portas. It calls for
:08:47. > :08:51.new measures to help traders in town centres. I began by asking him
:08:51. > :08:56.what hope he could offer people feeling the pinch.
:08:56. > :09:01.We are trying to help those are really struggling. We are taking
:09:01. > :09:05.some of the lowest paid out of income tax. That is for people on
:09:05. > :09:10.lower and middle incomes. We want pensions and benefits to call up
:09:10. > :09:16.with inflation, to protect people when on low income has. There are
:09:16. > :09:22.some good signs, but times are difficult. What about small
:09:22. > :09:28.businesses, making up 99% of the East's economy? Many of them see
:09:28. > :09:34.times are difficult. What hope can you give them? Small businesses are
:09:34. > :09:38.crucial to the growth strategy. We want to remove some regulations, so
:09:38. > :09:42.that business rate relief can continue to give assistance. We are
:09:42. > :09:47.trying to work with the banks, through things like credit easing,
:09:47. > :09:54.to make sure that small businesses can get the credit needed to invest
:09:54. > :10:02.in businesses and to go off. What about the high streets? -- and to
:10:02. > :10:08.grope. You even ask the bringers of made porters? How can you increase
:10:08. > :10:12.things if people do not have the money to spend? -- you even asked
:10:12. > :10:17.Mary Portas. Businesses need to collaborate and work with the local
:10:17. > :10:22.authorities to get more investment and take on the challenge of the
:10:22. > :10:28.Internet, the large supermarkets and out of town's shopping centres.
:10:28. > :10:34.Mary Portas has charted a way forward. These are difficult times
:10:34. > :10:39.in terms of people's finances, but as we try to take people on lower
:10:40. > :10:43.and middle incomes out of tax, keep pensions up with the cost of living,
:10:43. > :10:49.hopefully people will have the money to spend in the invigorated
:10:49. > :10:52.high streets. What is your final message for those people do you
:10:52. > :10:57.want to vote for you as they approach what is looking like it
:10:57. > :11:03.could be a pretty stark Christmas? The most important thing, of course,
:11:03. > :11:08.is to keep interest rates low. That combination of lower interest rates
:11:08. > :11:14.and a low paid out of tax can help struggling families. Edward Davey,
:11:14. > :11:18.thank you very much. So how is the squeeze affecting
:11:18. > :11:21.your Christmas? Are you cutting back? We would like to hear from
:11:22. > :11:24.you. You can call, e-mail or visit our Facebook page. We will be
:11:24. > :11:27.looking at some of your stories later this week.
:11:27. > :11:30.Still to come tonight... The students thinking twice about going
:11:30. > :11:34.to university. And Kevin Burch in Colchester. The conflict in
:11:34. > :11:38.Afghanistan has given many tragic stories, but tonight one of
:11:38. > :11:43.inspiration involving a servicemen shot four times who was warned he
:11:43. > :11:53.could lose a leg, but is now back playing football. More on that
:11:53. > :11:56.
:11:57. > :12:02.The Chief Executive of the James Paget Hospital is stepping down.
:12:02. > :12:05.The hospital has had two formal warnings over quality of care and
:12:05. > :12:10.management criticised from local GPs.
:12:10. > :12:14.When the Health Secretary visited the James Paget last month it was a
:12:14. > :12:19.hospital in crisis. Its management found wanting by the Care Quality
:12:19. > :12:25.Commission, the chairman falling on his sword. Peter Franzen became
:12:25. > :12:28.interim chairman, but the much- criticised Chief Executive stayed
:12:28. > :12:34.in her post. Some people think you are the problem and you should have
:12:34. > :12:38.resigned. I know that has been said, but we are a team and I am part of
:12:38. > :12:42.that. Everyone is focused on improving patient care, continuing
:12:42. > :12:46.the good work and we want to take that forward. It is about
:12:46. > :12:52.leadership, making sure that leadership at all levels, through
:12:52. > :12:56.the hospital, is able to give within the trust and for the public
:12:56. > :13:06.beyond an absolute assurance about the pursuit of policy. In a
:13:06. > :13:18.
:13:18. > :13:24.statement today, Wendy Slaney It says Wendy Slaney will remain in
:13:24. > :13:31.post until a successor is recruited. Insiders do not that she
:13:32. > :13:35.effectively junked before being pushed. -- insiders do not doubt.
:13:35. > :13:37.New research by the University of East Anglia claims up to 40% of
:13:37. > :13:41.elderly or stroke patients have their medication delivered
:13:41. > :13:43.incorrectly by nurses. They were given the wrong dose at the wrong
:13:43. > :13:48.time. The research was supervised by Professor David Wright. He is
:13:48. > :13:53.here now. A lot of people watching will be concerned for elderly
:13:53. > :13:56.relatives in hospital or for themselves. Should people be?
:13:56. > :14:02.not think they should be too concerned. Most of those areas
:14:02. > :14:06.where medicine is given, it is too late, several hours after the
:14:06. > :14:10.prescription is given. It is also where it is prepared by the nurse
:14:10. > :14:16.and we think it could have been done better. Most will not harmed
:14:16. > :14:21.the patients. How could it be done better? We looked at patients with
:14:21. > :14:25.difficulties swallowing. It is involving where people would have
:14:25. > :14:29.capsules. The nurses have to think about how to give that been the
:14:30. > :14:34.easiest way. Sometimes it is perfectly safe, other times not. We
:14:34. > :14:39.found instances where things could be done better. If you are given
:14:39. > :14:43.the wrong dose daily, things could go wrong. I do not think these
:14:43. > :14:48.where every day. It was one of errors, Ypres and nurses on
:14:48. > :14:52.different days. It would happen to a patient wants them happen
:14:52. > :14:59.different league to a different patient. Is this because we do not
:14:59. > :15:03.have enough money -- we do not have enough nurses? I think it is
:15:03. > :15:09.because of medicines are consequent -- a complicated. Some unease to
:15:09. > :15:15.help patients with making decisions. It is for the pharmacy to inform
:15:15. > :15:20.the nurses about different types of medicine. You cannot expect a nurse
:15:20. > :15:25.to have all the knowledge. We need to work as a team. That way we can
:15:25. > :15:32.decide what is best. This research was done a few years ago. Are
:15:32. > :15:36.things getting better? I think things are getting better. We have
:15:36. > :15:42.a -- an approach were pharmacies give better information. We know
:15:42. > :15:46.that was well received. At this is not to frighten people. You will be
:15:46. > :15:56.looked after well in hospital? Nurses will always try to do their
:15:56. > :15:57.
:15:57. > :16:03.A seaside theatre in Suffolk maybe forced to close after its audiences
:16:03. > :16:06.have fallen. It has been in business for over
:16:06. > :16:14.100 years but ticket sales are down. Balancing the books have become a
:16:14. > :16:23.struggle. There are four dressing rooms here. This theatre company is
:16:23. > :16:24.one of many groups that calls this theatre home. It stages two shows
:16:24. > :16:30.per year but fears that its short next April maybe it last. It seems
:16:30. > :16:40.to be very dire. There is a threat that this theatre will be closed in
:16:40. > :16:40.
:16:40. > :16:47.June. Local orchestras used it. Fundraisers and charities use it.
:16:48. > :16:54.There is nowhere else for us to go. The order of the theatre, their
:16:54. > :17:01.counsel, is spending �250,000 per year to keep the theatre afloat,
:17:01. > :17:06.but funding will end next year. has come down to a point where it
:17:06. > :17:12.is unsustainable. We are subsidising everybody who comes to
:17:12. > :17:18.the door to the sum of �7.50. management team has been left with
:17:18. > :17:22.no choice but to cancel shows and bookings after next June. I have
:17:22. > :17:27.got shows that I have got booked in for the rest of the year which I
:17:27. > :17:31.will now have to cancel. One hope is that a charitable trust might
:17:31. > :17:34.take over the running of the theatre. But with just six months'
:17:34. > :17:41.notice supporters who want to save the theatre will have their work
:17:41. > :17:44.cut out. At teenager from Essex accused of
:17:44. > :17:49.causing trouble during the eviction at the Dale Farm travellers' site
:17:49. > :17:54.has been charged with a public order offence. The charge relates
:17:54. > :18:00.to an incident on 19th October. The Seventeen-year-old has been
:18:00. > :18:07.released on bail. He will appear in court in Basildon in January.
:18:07. > :18:11.5 DVLA officers in our region look set to close. They are among 39 it
:18:11. > :18:17.regional offices that the Government wants to shut. It says
:18:17. > :18:22.that the proposal, which will now be consulted upon, will save money.
:18:22. > :18:28.Norwich has been chosen to pioneer local TV. It is one of 20 places
:18:28. > :18:37.where the government back wants to set up stations. Norwich was chosen
:18:37. > :18:44.from a shortlist of 65. Bids from commercial and not-for-profit
:18:44. > :18:54.organisations will be looked at. Southend United are at home at in
:18:54. > :19:05.
:19:05. > :19:08.Back on the ball - the hero of Helmand.
:19:08. > :19:12.The number of sixth-formers applying for a university place
:19:12. > :19:17.this year is expected to fall by more than 2000 because of fears
:19:17. > :19:22.about debt and unemployment. Next year most universities will
:19:22. > :19:26.raise their fees to �9,000 per year. Most A-level students have to tell
:19:26. > :19:28.the schools this week if they want to go to university. We have
:19:29. > :19:32.discovered that even some of the brightest teenagers are thinking
:19:32. > :19:36.twice before submitting application forms.
:19:36. > :19:42.It may be the last week of term, but for these pupils big decisions
:19:42. > :19:47.must be made. It is not a case of only where to apply, but even
:19:47. > :19:52.whether to apply. From next year most universities will cost �9,000
:19:52. > :20:00.per year in fees. That means these students could
:20:00. > :20:07.start work owing �54,000. financial strain is enormous. We
:20:07. > :20:17.know university is worth it, but we need to think about whether we need
:20:17. > :20:18.
:20:18. > :20:23.to go because of the strain. We are trying to think of all the options.
:20:23. > :20:29.Last year at this school 150 students it of 170 applied to go to
:20:29. > :20:33.university. This year so far only 90 students could have 195 have
:20:33. > :20:37.filled out application forms. This is one of the students who has
:20:37. > :20:46.not applied for a place. The increase has bitten off further
:20:46. > :20:53.study. He wants to go straight into the army. It made me think twice.
:20:53. > :20:58.It could be a long while before I would pay it back. In my case going
:20:58. > :21:05.to university was not the essential thing. This is one of the top-
:21:06. > :21:12.performing schools in the region. For the first time ever I have had
:21:12. > :21:18.parents wanting to talk to me. Suddenly we are talking about a
:21:18. > :21:25.massive debt. For universities the pressure to fill courses is
:21:25. > :21:29.mounting. A lack of funding at the University of East Anglia has
:21:29. > :21:37.caused the School of Music to close. Anglia Ruskin University has said
:21:37. > :21:41.it will no longer charge the top rate of fees.
:21:41. > :21:51.It could be important to students coming from an economic background
:21:51. > :21:51.
:21:51. > :21:54.- back coming from a more economic background. Hopefully some students
:21:54. > :22:02.who were interested in staying locally will look at this as a
:22:02. > :22:08.positive. The deadline for going to unit - luck -- the deadline for
:22:08. > :22:13.applying to university is January 15th. Last year 15,000 students in
:22:13. > :22:18.a region applied. This year it is believed the figure may be down by
:22:18. > :22:24.15 %. That is 2000 students who will be looking for a job at a time
:22:24. > :22:27.when youth unemployment is the highest in a generation.
:22:27. > :22:36.If you are affected by the rise in university fees we would love to
:22:36. > :22:40.hear your stories. Please contact No for an inspiring story. It is
:22:40. > :22:44.about Tony Fitzpatrick, a paratrooper who was shot four times
:22:44. > :22:48.last year while serving in Afghanistan. His injuries were so
:22:48. > :22:52.bad he almost lost his leg. Happily that did not happen, but
:22:52. > :22:56.Tony knows it was touch and go. Fast forward one year and things
:22:56. > :23:01.look much better. The leg is getting stronger and amazingly Tony
:23:01. > :23:04.is back doing what he loves to do - playing football. Our reporter went
:23:04. > :23:07.to beat him. Tony Fitzpatrick is under no
:23:07. > :23:11.illusions just how lucky he has to be walking, let alone playing
:23:11. > :23:19.football. When you see the damage the bull has left behind you can
:23:19. > :23:23.understand why. He was hit three times in the right leg and once in
:23:23. > :23:31.the left leg. It was literally in and out but it is near the main
:23:31. > :23:38.arteries. It missed the bone. I am a lucky man it really. It happened
:23:38. > :23:43.in Helmand Province last December. He underwent five operations.
:23:43. > :23:49.Amputation at one stage was a real possibility. I am one of the lucky
:23:49. > :23:52.ones. Some people are not as lucky as me. Some people would love to be
:23:52. > :24:02.able to walk let alone play football. I just have to keep my
:24:02. > :24:06.fingers crossed and take each day as it comes. 20 warms up for a key
:24:06. > :24:12.game in the our make-up. His team is playing against their viewers
:24:13. > :24:17.rivals. -- against their rivals.
:24:18. > :24:26.Neither side wants to lose. It is fast and ferocious. Tony
:24:26. > :24:33.Fitzpatrick is loving it. He sums up the spirit of all this. He came
:24:33. > :24:43.out of recovery and the first thing he said to us was that he would be
:24:43. > :24:49.
:24:49. > :24:59.back fit to play next year. He is football mad. Being able to do that
:24:59. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:05.now - I thank my lucky stars. man they call the tenacious
:25:05. > :25:06.midfield dynamo was back to doing what he does best.
:25:06. > :25:15.what he does best. What a terrific story.
:25:15. > :25:25.Here is the weather: We had some wild weather last night. It was all
:25:25. > :25:27.
:25:27. > :25:33.driven by this era of low pressure. There were gusts of 60 mph. It has
:25:33. > :25:42.not been quite so windy today. But there has been much cooler air
:25:42. > :25:52.coming in. Tonight will be frosty. It could be a icy patches on the
:25:52. > :25:52.
:25:52. > :25:57.road. There are some isolated wintry showers lingering. By the
:25:57. > :26:07.end of the night there will be a light south-westerly. Temperatures
:26:07. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:17.well below. We could get a frost just about anywhere. It will be a
:26:17. > :26:27.cold start tomorrow. There should be a fair bit of sunshine. One or
:26:27. > :26:38.
:26:38. > :26:42.two places and make get away with a dry day. It will be chilly. Food
:26:42. > :26:52.afternoon further spells of sunshine. Still the chance of
:26:52. > :26:56.isolated wintry showers. On Thursday there maybe at area of
:26:56. > :27:01.low-pressure. We are keeping an eye on it. That may bring rainfall
:27:01. > :27:07.overnight on Thursday. There is uncertainty as to how far
:27:07. > :27:11.northwards that will push. Once that moves away to the east it will
:27:11. > :27:16.introduce north-westerly winds which means cooler temperatures by
:27:16. > :27:25.the weekend. A potential for wintry showers over