:00:06. > :00:10.Back in recession - we look at three different sections of the
:00:11. > :00:15.economy and ask employers what it means for them. Hello and welcome
:00:15. > :00:20.to Look East. Also tonight, what's going on at Lotus? Now the local MP
:00:20. > :00:24.wades in. My concern is to make sure that if Lotus is sold that the
:00:24. > :00:34.owners, HICOM, only allow it to be sold to a buyer committed to
:00:34. > :00:35.
:00:35. > :00:38.keeping the business and its entirety in the UK and in Norfolk.
:00:38. > :00:43.A woman is fighting for her life after her car collided with an
:00:43. > :00:53.ambulance on a blue light call. And what a difference a few weeks make
:00:53. > :00:58.
:00:58. > :01:00.- we've been getting wet at Welney First, the economy is back in the
:01:00. > :01:09.spotlight tonight, after Britain's first double dip recession since
:01:09. > :01:12.the 1970s. It might not be as deep a drop as in 2008 and 2009. But
:01:12. > :01:16.once again, Britain's economic performance has got worse over two
:01:16. > :01:20.successive three-month periods. But what does that mean for us here in
:01:20. > :01:23.the East? More people work in the service industry in this region
:01:23. > :01:28.than anything else. It covers everything from shopping to local
:01:28. > :01:32.government. 82% of our workforce is in this sector. Let's break that
:01:32. > :01:34.down. 16.5% in retail, 11.6% in health and social work, just under
:01:34. > :01:41.9% in admin and support, with science and technical not far
:01:41. > :01:48.behind. These are the other most important sectors - manufacturing,
:01:48. > :01:52.construction and agriculture. And of course some parts of the economy
:01:52. > :01:56.can be booming, while others struggle. So tonight, we are
:01:56. > :02:06.looking at services and construction. But Richard Bond
:02:06. > :02:06.
:02:06. > :02:11.starts with manufacturing in Stevenage.
:02:11. > :02:16.Recession, what recession? It is what the workers here might as well
:02:16. > :02:21.be saying. Their factory in Stevenage is rushed off its feet.
:02:21. > :02:30.They make satellite. There are six satellites under construction here
:02:30. > :02:34.at the moment. We are inundated with work. We are busy building
:02:35. > :02:43.communication satellites and satellites for the European Space
:02:43. > :02:49.Agency. We are also in printing. the past year manufacturing
:02:49. > :02:59.employment in the east has increased from 235,000 to two
:02:59. > :03:01.
:03:01. > :03:06.London 42,000. -- tattoo on and In got services is one of thousands
:03:06. > :03:10.of small firms which make up the sector. It cleans out kitchen
:03:10. > :03:16.extractors in hotels and restaurants. In the last six months
:03:16. > :03:23.it has taken on at 10 new staff. The boss says the media should stop
:03:23. > :03:26.obsessing about whether we're in recession. It is very easy to be
:03:26. > :03:31.talked into a depression. It does not necessarily mean that everybody
:03:31. > :03:38.is walking around depressed and there is no business. Fit
:03:38. > :03:44.businesses will succeed whether or not there is a recession. Overall,
:03:44. > :03:49.services were pretty static last quarter. It was a slump in
:03:49. > :03:54.construction which pulled the economy into recession. The this
:03:55. > :04:01.housebuilder is trying to stay optimistic. The housing sector is
:04:01. > :04:06.OK. It is troubled by the lack of finance and the lack of mortgages.
:04:06. > :04:09.But I do believe we're working out where I do this. The economy in the
:04:09. > :04:14.region is doing better than most. But it is still very tough out
:04:14. > :04:17.there. As we heard, a big fall in construction work is being blamed
:04:17. > :04:23.for us going back into recession. UCATT is the union which represents
:04:23. > :04:30.construction workers. The regional secretary is Brian Rye. Is it as
:04:30. > :04:34.bad in this region as in other parts of the country? Other regions
:04:34. > :04:39.are worse. That does not mean to say this region is escaping it.
:04:39. > :04:44.What does it mean for people working in the industry? The latest
:04:44. > :04:52.figures show a 3% downturn on the back of four years of companies
:04:52. > :05:00.going into redundancy. Is it because banks are not lending money,
:05:00. > :05:03.or is it another reason? It is partly due to that. The prime
:05:03. > :05:08.movers are the Government and private developers. The Government
:05:08. > :05:11.seemed to be abandoning construction. The lack of
:05:11. > :05:15.construction in housing is adding to the lack of confidence the
:05:15. > :05:19.private sector needs from lenders and private developers.
:05:19. > :05:24.Predominantly, housing is a private sector area. Is it because people
:05:25. > :05:33.cannot get mortgages? That is partly true. The housing sector
:05:33. > :05:40.does need help. Social housing would go some way to help private
:05:40. > :05:47.constructors. Work on roads, will that ease the situation? It will
:05:47. > :05:51.help when it happens. That is part of the problem. All major projects,
:05:51. > :05:56.they do not in themselves creating of unemployment -- employment
:05:56. > :06:03.opportunities. Are you finding people still want to come into the
:06:03. > :06:09.industry? Young people do want to come into the industry. But there
:06:09. > :06:14.is no work. Companies are laying people off. A considerable number
:06:14. > :06:20.of companies find work delayed, deferred or cancelled. Then they
:06:20. > :06:24.are asked to take on an apprentice. The Government can make a positive
:06:24. > :06:29.contribution. The construction sector is a private sector. They
:06:29. > :06:32.are not looking for a bail out, they want investment.
:06:32. > :06:36.Fears are growing today that Lotus cars could be sold, putting 1200
:06:36. > :06:39.jobs at risk at its factory in Norfolk. The local MP says it wants
:06:39. > :06:42.the Government to make sure that "credible guarantees for the future
:06:42. > :06:50.of the business" are in place. Today the company said it couldn't
:06:50. > :06:56.comment. Mike Liggins can tell us more.
:06:56. > :07:06.His is a Lotus car. Not terribly easy to get out of. Which I but now
:07:06. > :07:07.
:07:07. > :07:11.demonstrate. A new one will cost you �37,000. They are still
:07:12. > :07:21.desirable cars. That is why the future of Lotus matters to people
:07:22. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:26.It is one of the most famous car names in the world. For more than
:07:26. > :07:33.40 years, Lotus cars have been designed and made in Norfolk. For
:07:33. > :07:39.how much longer? Last night Richard Bacon MP led a Commons debate about
:07:39. > :07:44.loaders, and he revealed an accountancy firm is thought to be
:07:44. > :07:47.involved. -- Lotus. KPMG has been appointed to find a buyer in China.
:07:47. > :07:54.That is very worrying because of the other things that have been
:07:54. > :08:02.going on. Started by the late Colin Chapman in the Fifties, an adult
:08:02. > :08:12.has made its name in grand prix racing. -- Lotus. The can macro
:08:12. > :08:13.
:08:13. > :08:18.factory is in Hethel. -- car. are no jobs about now. You have got
:08:19. > :08:23.1200 people working at Loders. They need a living. It is like an
:08:24. > :08:28.institution in a way. It would be ashamed to use it. An institution
:08:28. > :08:34.which these days is doing some pioneering work on fuel efficient
:08:34. > :08:43.cars. Does the honourable member agree that if Lotus were to leave
:08:43. > :08:47.Norfolk and leave the UK, they risk losing access to skills and
:08:47. > :08:54.expertise? This will damage their ability in the Loch Carnan
:08:54. > :09:00.technologies. Suppliers are watching developments closely. They
:09:00. > :09:07.are keen to avoid making at comment which may not help matters. We are
:09:07. > :09:12.keeping our fingers crossed that Lotus is here a long term.
:09:12. > :09:18.concern is to make sure that if Lotus is sold, and that is not
:09:18. > :09:26.clear, that the owners, Rikuzentakata, Olly allow it to be
:09:26. > :09:31.sold to a buyer committed to keeping the company in Norfolk.
:09:31. > :09:36.chance the Lotus cars chief executive is in China this week at
:09:36. > :09:43.the Beijing motor show. He has not commented today. According to the
:09:43. > :09:53.video, the cars are more Lotus than ever. How much longer they will be
:09:53. > :09:53.
:09:53. > :09:59.made in Norfolk is not clear. have had a statement from Lotus. It
:09:59. > :10:05.says, "Atomic mack disappointed that lot of the facts presented to
:10:05. > :10:10.the House of Commons were inaccurate. -- we are. We will sort
:10:10. > :10:13.this with Mr Bacon directly." son of Colin Chapman, the founder
:10:13. > :10:16.of Lotus, says the uncertainty is both concerning and frustrating.
:10:16. > :10:19.Clive Chapman says it's extremely important the business is based in
:10:19. > :10:29.Norfolk, and he is confident the new owners won't abandon the base
:10:29. > :10:30.
:10:30. > :10:35.at Hethel. Lotus cars owes its existence to Colin Chapman. He
:10:35. > :10:40.started the company in 1952. With a reputation for lightweight sports
:10:40. > :10:45.cars, production doubled in the Seventies. With racing driver Jim
:10:45. > :10:51.Clark at the wheel, Team Lotus was almost unbeatable. It really helped
:10:51. > :11:01.establish England as being the centre of Formula One. We always
:11:01. > :11:01.
:11:01. > :11:08.see Lotus's around the place. Japan, Australia etc. You think, that is
:11:08. > :11:13.made in Norfolk. The company was sold to General Motors in 1986, and
:11:13. > :11:18.recently sold again. There has been concern locally. It is frustrating
:11:18. > :11:23.because the company wants to get on with an exciting future. It is in
:11:23. > :11:28.hiatus at the moment. It needs some positive action. What do you think
:11:28. > :11:34.we knew this speculation that Lotus could be sold? The heritages so
:11:34. > :11:38.much tied up with Hethel, that if the company was moved, you would be
:11:38. > :11:46.shooting yourself and the fort to some extent. I am quietly confident
:11:46. > :11:53.Lotus will remain in Hethel. Clive Chapman now runs Classic Team Lotus.
:11:53. > :11:56.They still use the test track at Later in the programme, from
:11:56. > :11:59.drought to deluge - but will it make a difference?
:11:59. > :12:09.And why the big political names are all heading for Harlow - the first
:12:09. > :12:10.
:12:10. > :12:14.Eight people, including a family of five, have been left homeless after
:12:14. > :12:17.a fire in Southend. Firefighters were called to the building in
:12:17. > :12:21.Hastings Road just before one o'clock this morning. One man was
:12:21. > :12:24.taken to hospital. The house had been divided into flats.
:12:24. > :12:30.Two Essex slaughtermen caught on camera stubbing cigarettes out on
:12:30. > :12:33.pigs' faces and hitting them with a baton, have been jailed. Piotr
:12:33. > :12:38.Waisuta was sentenced to six weeks in prison, and Kelly Smith four
:12:38. > :12:42.weeks, for cruelty at Cheale Meats, near Brentwood. Their crimes were
:12:42. > :12:45.filmed by undercover investigators from Animal Aid.
:12:45. > :12:49.An elderly woman is critically ill in hospital after a road crash
:12:49. > :12:52.involving an ambulance and a car. The ambulance was on its way to an
:12:52. > :13:02.emergency when it collided with the pensioner's Jaguar on the A131 at
:13:02. > :13:02.
:13:03. > :13:07.Sudbury in Suffolk. The accident is being investigated by the police.
:13:07. > :13:12.Amateur footage of the air ambulance. On the road, an
:13:12. > :13:20.ambulance and the car have collided. The car driver needs urgent
:13:20. > :13:25.hospital treatment. The footage was captured by E Jane would roll.
:13:25. > :13:31.was very loud and very scary. I had no idea what happened. It was
:13:31. > :13:37.frightening to see an ambulance and an accident. You don't ever expect
:13:37. > :13:46.to see it. The ambulance service said that the ambulance was on
:13:46. > :13:50.route to a call. It collided with a car. The medics were described as
:13:50. > :13:54.shaken but unhurt. They had been on their way to Sudbury to pick up
:13:54. > :13:58.someone who had fallen ill and needed to be taken to the West
:13:58. > :14:03.Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds. Another ambulance was sent to that
:14:03. > :14:06.call. The ambulance service said it was not adversely affected. This
:14:06. > :14:12.picture of the aftermath of the crash was taken by another
:14:12. > :14:16.eyewitness. The road was closed for six hours. The ambulance had
:14:16. > :14:20.avoided this it Jaguar coming out of the drive, hit a lamp-post on
:14:21. > :14:25.the other side of the road and bounced back across the road.
:14:25. > :14:35.Jaguar driver was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital. She is in
:14:35. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:46.critical condition. An accident Four people have been arrested as
:14:46. > :14:51.part of an investigation into postal fraud. Parcels with
:14:51. > :14:55.fraudulent postmarks were seized. Two men from West left and a woman
:14:55. > :14:59.and a man from Canvey were arrested on suspicion of fraud.
:14:59. > :15:05.Have physiotherapy Centre in Cambridge chair is the first place
:15:05. > :15:09.in the UK to trial a bionics state which helps paralysed people to
:15:09. > :15:14.walk again. The technology, which comes from America, uses battery-
:15:14. > :15:19.powered motors to help people stand up and use their legs.
:15:19. > :15:24.This man is paralysed from at the waist down, he has been a Nuffield
:15:24. > :15:27.Chair for 19 years. You have to look up at everybody
:15:27. > :15:33.all the time, you feel small and law.
:15:33. > :15:38.This was the bike he used to race but an accident broke his back. Now,
:15:38. > :15:45.for the first time in nearly two decades, thanks to a bionics eight,
:15:45. > :15:49.he can talk. -- he can walk. The more you are in it, the more
:15:49. > :15:57.you want to be in it. I want to be in it all day every day now.
:15:57. > :16:02.The sit has motors and sensors at - - the suit. It is all controlled
:16:02. > :16:08.with the putt and -- with the pitch of a button. At the moment, Andy
:16:08. > :16:11.has a two hour drive to come here as it is the only place in the UK
:16:11. > :16:17.which has them. It is hoped that soon there will be more places
:16:17. > :16:23.which have them. He is using a remarkable piece of
:16:23. > :16:26.technology which costs �100,000. still get excited every time I walk
:16:26. > :16:32.someone in this it I still get excited doing it. The first time I
:16:32. > :16:35.saw it I was just overwhelmed by the technology. This is a fighter
:16:35. > :16:40.and sick tool which we will hope we be able to utilise. -- fantastic
:16:40. > :16:44.tool. At the moment, this can only be
:16:44. > :16:51.used in physiotherapy, but it is hoped that there will be a cheaper
:16:51. > :16:56.version which can be used by people at home and the next few years.
:16:56. > :17:00.The campaign for this year's local elections is entering its final
:17:00. > :17:03.week. Many parts of the region will not be voting next Thursday, but
:17:03. > :17:07.where there are elections there could be some interesting outcomes.
:17:07. > :17:11.Or over the next few nights we will be looking at some of the key
:17:11. > :17:15.battleground. A political Correspondent reports from higher
:17:15. > :17:21.law, which is held by the Conservatives with a majority of
:17:21. > :17:25.just one -- Harlow. This is Harlow's very popular
:17:25. > :17:31.petting zoo and it is facing an uncertain future. The local council
:17:31. > :17:36.can no longer afford to keep funding it. They are something like
:17:36. > :17:39.115,000 people that there is it every year. It is very much part of
:17:39. > :17:44.the local community. Why should the council go on
:17:44. > :17:48.funding this, it is not an essential service? It makes a huge
:17:48. > :17:52.difference to the community. There was public outcry. The
:17:52. > :18:02.council find more money to be pit opened fire now and hope that a
:18:02. > :18:02.
:18:02. > :18:06.local trust will take the issue over. -- take the zoo over. The
:18:06. > :18:11.council a pair that they had been able to cut costs in the town,
:18:11. > :18:19.preserve all services and cut council tax. We have proper
:18:19. > :18:24.organisation down to about 1,200 staff. All of those job losses and
:18:24. > :18:29.exhausting was necessary? Yes, it was costing the taxpayer money.
:18:29. > :18:33.Could there are rather keep the money in people's pockets.
:18:33. > :18:38.Labour is making cuts the big issue in this election. The 0.2 local job
:18:38. > :18:48.losses in the police and NHS and say it is only a matter of time
:18:48. > :18:49.
:18:49. > :18:53.before her other services are hit - - b 0.2.
:18:53. > :18:58.You may have a tax cut now, but you will suffer financially for the
:18:58. > :19:01.next he years. The Conservatives won control of
:19:01. > :19:05.the councillor four years ago, but since then they have been gradually
:19:05. > :19:10.losing seats. But the majority of just one, it is no surprise that
:19:10. > :19:13.both them and Labour had been sending in the big guns to campaign.
:19:13. > :19:18.The Liberal Democrats only have one seat on the council and are also
:19:18. > :19:22.worried about Conservative cuts. is the little things that matter.
:19:22. > :19:27.Over the last three budgets the Lib Dems have paid for with a Budget
:19:27. > :19:31.every time which means the least impact on local people and local
:19:31. > :19:38.services. If we are pledging to keep it we have found a way to do
:19:38. > :19:43.This will be an interesting test for the Conservatives's popularity.
:19:43. > :19:47.Is the approach to public spending -- cuts to public spending both
:19:47. > :19:52.locally and nationally working? I apart from the three main parties
:19:52. > :19:58.there is a candidate from the UKIP and an a depend it candidate
:19:58. > :20:02.standing. It has been three weeks since the
:20:02. > :20:08.hosepipe ban was introduced. Following the driest spell in
:20:08. > :20:13.living memory we have had rain, rain, rain ever since. A last time
:20:13. > :20:18.we had to make all the sweat was in 2,000 and there is no sign of a let
:20:18. > :20:24.up to the deluge. So where does that leave the drought?
:20:24. > :20:29.Parched - this was their wildlife and deserves to trust in the Fens
:20:29. > :20:33.just two months ago. Today it could not be more different. As you can
:20:33. > :20:39.see, we're walking through a nice wet ditch.
:20:39. > :20:45.Be it is so wet we cannot actually cross, it is too deep. These other
:20:45. > :20:51.conditions that they require. We are now on a completely different
:20:51. > :20:54.end of the spectrum. I do not want to be too fussy, but a bit of rain
:20:54. > :21:00.and ensure everybody will appreciate that.
:21:00. > :21:09.There is no sign to the will rain letting up. Manly in April we would
:21:09. > :21:17.expect 45-50 mm of rain. Many places RN Target -- many places RN
:21:17. > :21:23.Target to have much more than that. Despite all that rain this Britain
:21:23. > :21:28.temperature is still flowing at only 10 per that rate. This is
:21:28. > :21:32.coming on the back of more than 20 Mon-Sun very unusually low rainfall.
:21:32. > :21:37.A big part of the problem is that the water reserves under the ground
:21:37. > :21:41.I not been replenished, so even if we get a wet Samur then grind the
:21:41. > :21:49.Water Resources will stay at a historically low level --
:21:49. > :21:58.historically low levels. The picture is patchy. This
:21:58. > :22:01.reservoir is still only two-thirds full, yet this reservoir in
:22:01. > :22:06.Cambridgeshire is brimming. This makes the hosepipe ban a nonsense,
:22:06. > :22:10.does it not? It is helping us because it is suppressing demand.
:22:10. > :22:19.People do not really need to use a hosepipe, but underlying situation
:22:19. > :22:23.remains that delivers -- the rivers are very low. We will be back in a
:22:23. > :22:27.difficult situation again, so take the what a pilot is available but
:22:27. > :22:32.it will not be there for very long. So is the recent deluge welcome?
:22:32. > :22:39.Yes, but the message is, we are still very firmly in doubt even if
:22:39. > :22:44.looks deceive. Tomorrow I am helping to raise
:22:44. > :22:49.money for Park House, which is a hotel for her people with
:22:49. > :22:54.disabilities and their carers. I am hoping for a bright, sunny day.
:22:54. > :23:03.he seen the forecast? That is very he seen the forecast? That is very
:23:03. > :23:09.A number of places in the region have already seen double than
:23:10. > :23:13.average rainfall. The current rainfall is down to any area of low
:23:13. > :23:18.pressure which has brought us some very wet and windy weather for
:23:18. > :23:22.today. If we look at our radar Charter you will see that there is
:23:22. > :23:28.a heavy band of rain which rattled through fairly quickly. Behind it,
:23:28. > :23:33.we have had some heavy showers and the assorted merge together. This
:23:33. > :23:40.was the scene and I recall, expect further wet and windy weather for
:23:40. > :23:46.this evening. The show was will be quick to clear those not -- slow to
:23:46. > :23:55.clear. It will dry out through the night, places fire towards their
:23:55. > :24:02.end of the night. Six Celsius Isere expected low tonight. It still
:24:02. > :24:06.stays breezy and it will be moderate to freshen strength.
:24:06. > :24:10.Tomorrow, low-pressure is still very much with us. It will be slow
:24:10. > :24:13.to clear away and it means that we have a risk of some scattered
:24:14. > :24:18.showers through tomorrow. The advantage of tomorrow as that with
:24:18. > :24:23.showers there will be some spots which to stay dry. Some heavy
:24:23. > :24:29.showers around and they could turn thundery in places. Temperatures
:24:29. > :24:33.into double figures at - 13 Celsius. It is still pretty windy actually,
:24:33. > :24:40.south-westerly wind. It will be pretty strong in strength.
:24:40. > :24:45.Especially around the coast. The When's well he's, into the evening
:24:45. > :24:49.time the show was will fade. Much of the night will be dry. Low-
:24:50. > :24:53.pressure is still very much the name of the game. You will see the
:24:53. > :24:57.high pressure towards the north of Britain, but unfortunately for us
:24:58. > :25:07.here in the east it is this area of low-pressure which will come up
:25:08. > :25:10.