20/09/2013 Look East - East

Hello. Look East can reveal tonight that Labour would scrap the

so—called "bedroom tax" if the party wins the next election. In an

exclusive interview, Ed Miliband told us he thought the measure was

unfair and had led to tenants being evicted from their homes. It's the

right decision to make a fair tax change and maybe will get rid of

that policy and end the bedroom tax. Stay with us for pool details of

that promise, plus reaction from those affected and senior members of

the Government. Also tonight: The Suffolk security guard who went on

the run with more than £1 million finds out today that crime really

does not pay. The surgeon who pioneered heart and lung transplant

is going back to his roots at Papworth Hospital. And warmer

weather for the weekend, but it could be quite cloudy. Join me

Hello. Look East Kent revealed today that Leibowitz crap the so—called

bedroom tax if their party wins the next election —— that Labour would

scrap the bedroom tax. Let's just remind ourselves about the rules on

housing benefit. They were changed with effect from first April this

year. Tenants on housing benefit can no longer claim their full amount if

they have an unused spare bedroom. They were given a choice to either

downsize or face a benefit cut. There was strong opposition to what

became known as the "bedroom tax". In this region, Labour believe

50,000 households have been affected. Tonight, Mr Miliband tells

this programme that Labour will scrap it. We start with this report

from our political correspondent, Andrew Sinclair: Of all of the

recent welfare changes, this has probably been the most

controversial. The Government's intention was to cut the amount it

spends on welfare and free up homes for the thousands of families

waiting for larger properties. But housing campaigners say it is

causing misery for many. Our research shows that 50% of the

people affected by the tax have gone into arrears in the first three

months. These are people who have not gone into arrears before. This

is not the usual suspects. This has pushed them over the edge. Others

have questioned whether the policy is workable. A study by Cambridge

University concluded that it would take 24 years to be housed all those

affected. So tonight's moved by the Labour leader is eye—catching, and

on the eve of a difficult conference a chance to show that his party can

come up with real policies. What we're seeing that this tax is people

potentially being evicted from their homes, and it will not even save

what the Government said it was going to say, so I think it is

right decision to make their tax change, to say we're going to rid of

the bedroom tax. It will be funded by ending some of the tax rate is

currently available to financial institutions. George Osborne cut

taxes for hedge funds is at the same time as introducing the bedroom tax.

I think most people will think that is not the right priority. What this

give critics to your critics who say you are the party of welfare? No.

This is about unfair welfare that is hitting the disabled. It is not even

going to work. Labour says that 50,000 people in the East will be

affected by this change. 31,000 of them are disabled. Mr Miliband

except that there are other issues that affect far larger numbers and

also need addressing, but this, he says, must be a priority.

The changes to housing benefit prompted several reports on Look

East, with many tenants struggling to cope with the changes. Those with

disabilities felt especially aggrieved at being penalised for

having a spare room. Come through and I will show you

what my spirit is like at the moment. —— what my spear room is

like at the moment. There is boxes in there, stuff I have not

unpacked... This woman moved into this bungalow month ago. She says

the cuts in housing benefits forced her to downsize, leaving the

three—bedroom house she had lived in for 35 years. I cannot well. I have

arthritis and severe pain in my neck. I am on for that. —— I am on

medication for that. They introduced the bedroom tax and it was more

money will stop —— more money out of the pot. With most of her belongings

still in boxes, the spirit room costs her £13 per week. She is not

the only person to downsize. Previously on Look East, we spoke to

Susan, who fell into rent arrears. I feel angry as well and I feel so

alone. They are just making my situation even worse. Annie says

that she welcomes Labour's and then spent. Honestly, I would be well

chuffed for the people who are —— people have gone through what I have

gone through. But it will not help me. I would have to pay bedroom tax,

but what about the money I have paid? As they say they will

reimburse it. My dad had a saying. Nothing to be liberal West, nothing

to conserve, everything to labour force. My dad was a Labour man

through and through. I have nothing to conserve because I sold it. She

is reorganising her life and hope that any future changes. Other

people from being in her position. So, this announcement has been made

to coincide with the start of the Labour conference? Yes it is going

to be a difficult conference. They lead has crumbled. 52% of Labour

members are not happy with his leadership. So, getting the story

today is an attempt by him to seize the news agenda and get their

conference of two a positive start. A lot of Labour people have been

campaigning for the party to come out against this policy. But does

the announcement really matter? Labour says it does, because a

survey today said that 59% of people do not like the bedroom tax will

stop but ministers keep saying it is a popular policy that will save

billion pounds, and it will shorten waiting times. We spoke to Iain

Duncan Smith who has been looking at this all year, and he says that 70%

of people approve of this policy. So, good publicity for Labour, but

voters don't really care. Let's talk to Andrew Sinclair. Later in the

programme, what the Tories have to say with Andrew Lansley, the MP for

South Cambridgeshire and Leader of the House.

In other news tonight, a judge has said that police can confiscate the

pension pot of Eddie Maher. He was the Securicor guard from Suffolk who

went on the run twenty years ago with more than a million pounds.

Maher, who was nicknamed Fast Eddie, is now in prison.

This was what was cold and Asset Recovery During. In short, having

got their man, Suffolk police wanted to get the money. The security guard

vanished from outside this bank in Felixstowe in 1993. He was

eventually discovered in misery. He always maintained that his share of

the hall had been £40,000 —— discovered in America. Today, a

judge ordered that a pension from his time working as a firefighter,

now worth around £129,000, could be seized to help to compensate the

security firm and an insurance company. He only made two

contributions during the hearing, one at the start when he confirmed

he could hear everything, and secondly when the judge queried what

his release date would be. He told him it would be January 2015. The

judge gave him six months to sort it out given the complexities of

releasing pension money, and told him that if he did not pay, he would

serve another two years on top of his sentence. It is the only asset

he had remaining. It still shows that after all these years, we can

now be successful in the covering money. This man remembers the crime

like it was yesterday. He was the guard left behind as he ran away. He

stole the money. He committed a crime. I don't even think about it

now. It is over and done with. I am still alive. I am happy about that.

The police admit that at Sting stand, if Eddie comes to money or

signs a film deal, he could potentially be allowed to keep the

cash. They say it is something they are still looking into.

The interim Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Trust is

to continue in the job after the board failed to make a permanent

appointment. Andrew Morgan was brought in to turn the Trust around

and deal with poor response times. He's aiming to recruit between 300

and 360 new front line staff. The Trust's board interviewed five

candidates for the job, but decided not to appoint any of them.

Trains run by C2C are more punctual than any other operator in the

country, according to latest figures. Just over 98% of its

trains, which run between London and Southend, were on time over the past

month. It's emerged today that the police

are using a law from more than 100 years ago to ban off—licences and

pubs from selling drink to an alcoholic. It's the first time it's

been used for years. It comes after 57—year—old Paul Stephenson, who

lives in a hostel, pleaded guilty at the Magistrates' Court in Norwich

this week to being drunk and disorderly.

Paul Stephenson has been declared a habitual drunkard, but he says he

has been a driver three weeks and does not make this archaic

legislation will help him. If you look in the books, it also says in

the law that that doesn't count, so what will he do next the? He needs a

reality check. In the courts eyes, you were in the wrong at the time. I

was in the wrong and I got a fine and I am paying for it. But that

doesn't help. Paying a fine does not help magic problem. He was arrested

here last month. Police HQ was drunk and disorderly, throwing stones at

fishermen. He said he started thinking at 16 because he was shy

and lived on the streets. He now lives in a hostel, but at his worst

he was getting through three large bottles of cider day. I've lost my

job, I've lost my marriage, it is ruining me. It is killing me. This

is one of the many off—licences banned from selling alcohol to him.

If they do, they face losing their licence. He is banned from buying it

or obtaining it for three years. What we are hoping to achieve is to

target those persistent offenders. They are a small minority, and by

using this legislation we can prevent their anti—social behaviour.

With help, I can cure it. I have got to do it. I want to do it for myself

and I want to make my son proud of me. I couldn't see him when I was on

the streets. How can I say I live in a doorway? It's embarrassing. I want

him to be proud of me. He knows he will always be classed as an

alcoholic, but says he is off the drink and will rebuild his life.

Still to come tonight: A nail—biting finish to the cricket season. Plus,

a return to Papworth Hospital by the surgeon who pioneered heart and lung

transplant. —— transplants. Now here's one of those sobering

thoughts. Since 1939, more than 83,000 American service men and

women have failed to return home. Some were taken prisoner, some went

missing in action, but none of them ever came home. This week the US Air

Force in Suffolk has been remembering them.

Today, at RAF Mildenhall, members of the 100th Air Refueling Wing have

taken part in a special ceremony to mark the end of the week's

remembrance. Our defence reporter Alex Dunlop has just sent this.

Putting names to the numbers. Joseph... Officially missing in

action, or prisoners of war, from every action since World War II.

Over 24 hours, volunteers read all 80 3000, 345 names. It is living on

hold. The hope that they can still be alive and come home. Until they

have the final closure, I think it is part of our duty to go out and

keep the promise, that is the motto, of keeping, bringing them home. But

the vast majority of them will have died? Yes. It is more than likely

that the majority of them have passed. Nearby, and missing man

formation. The desert boots represent the two most recent

conflicts, Iraq and Afghanistan. As America starts to pull out of this

latest work, for five years one American soldier is still being held

captive by the Taliban. It was the war in Vietnam which spurred a huge

interest in the fate of American soldiers imprisoned while missing in

action. Some were found alive years after the war ended. 40 years on, so

determined by the US military to be repatriated those left on old

battlefields that they have a dedicated task force of around 400

personnel who make it their mission to find them. Last year they

recovered two bodies from the Cambodian jungle. As the commander

reads the last of the 83,000 names, today they also remember those

killed by a Navy reservist in Washington three days ago. For us it

is very important for us to remember who has gone before us. The flag is

at half mast behind you as a reminder that there is still a

current threat? Absolutely. There is a worldwide threat, and with recent

actions that have happened this week in the United States, our flags are

at half—mast. We must with the ready. Every Friday in the ceremony,

they lowered the stars and stripes. This one was a little different.

Today's salute, dedicated to those missing across seven decades of war.

Sport now, and the end of the cricket season is going to the wire

for Northants and Essex. The two teams have been locked in a battle

for promotion to the top flight. Today was the final day of their

penultimate county Championship games with Northants now looking

like red hot favourites to go up. Let's cross to the county ground in

Northampton now and our Sports Editor, Jonathan Park. Yes, it's

been a fairy tale season for Northants this season. They have

done very well in all competitions, including the Twenty20. Essex have

been there throughout, but Northants, as you say, are red—hot

favourites to win promotion. They will find out next week, but after

today's play, they are in the driving seat. It had been —— has

been a season where Northants shake off the pass. The silverware was

already on show today. It has been a magnificent season with a real team

effort. Silverware does not come around here very often. The

performances have been so great. There was a sense about

inevitability in their match today. The main game was always going to

end in a drawer, but all that Northants needed was the five bonus

points on offer for reaching the 400 mark, which was accomplished with

ease. We have done well today and got all of our bonus points, which

is what we set out to do. It looks like things have settled down at

Chelmsford and hopefully gone our way. At Chelmsford, the only team

who could pip Northants to promotion, Essex, desperately needed

a win to strengthen their hand. But there ain't with Glamorgan was also

heading for stalemate. We needed a few more performances and did not

get the season but all in all, we have had a decent season. I think it

is quite decent for this season. I know it is not Division 1, but it is

still a tough cricket world. We have done well in four—day cricket.

Probably going to finish third behind Northamptonshire and

Lancashire. Final stake in the 2020, and we finished fourth there, so we

have been the bridesmaid this year, but we have made progress. At half

past four, the captain shook hands in both games, with Northants a

giant step towards cricket's top flight. The knee just five points

from next week 's game at Worcestershire to guarantee it. ——

they need. It's in the bag? No... I'm an eternal pessimist, I am

afraid. They are not exactly hostile, and not exactly serious,

and enjoyed by everyone. Just like Northants's season. That certainly

was a humorous moment today. The next round of Championship matches

is next week, but before then here at the ground, the pop band Madness

are plain. It could certainly be a House Of Fun for those Northants

fans this season. Thank you very much.

Two years ago, Professor John Wallwork retired from Papworth

Hospital. In 30 years he carried out 6,000 operations to help put

Papworth on the world stage. But now he's coming back. Next February, the

Professor will become the hospital's new chairman and says he has big

plans for its future. Hello, guys! Back among the staff he calls his

second family, the hospital he calls his second home. Two years ago he

retired as a surgeon here. He has returned now as chairman. This is a

very special time for the hospital. We have spent a long, long time

trying to get this hospital to the right place and we are nearly there

and I want to see that through. I wanted to be a jewel in the crown of

the health service, not just here but abroad. I want to bring any

effort I can to the place. This was his last operation. Over 30 years,

he carried out 30 of them, a pioneer in transplant surgery. In 1981 he

founded the Papworth Heart And Lung Transplant Programme years later

performing the first heart and Lung transpired in Europe, and then the

world's first triple transplant. What are you planning for the

future? I want to keep Papworth Hospital on top. Surprisingly enough

putting an organisation up is easier than keeping it at the top. And in

order to do that for the patients and the education and research, we

have to provide the best that we can, and we can only do that with

our biomedical campus. This is where the biomedical campus will go. Work

on the new app worth should start in 2015. Heart and lung disease

together provide the biggest cause of death in our society. It would be

absurd to have this big biomedical campus not that hard and lung

disease in it. Papworth Hospital has prolonged the lives of thousands.

His job now, better treatment for the patient of tomorrow.

A reminder now of tonight's main news: The Labour leader Ed Miliband

has told Look East that he will scrap the so—called "bedroom tax" if

he becomes the next Prime Minister. Let's hear what the Conservatives

have to say about that. Andrew Lansley is the MP for South

Cambridgeshire and the Leader of the House of Commons. He's in Cambridge

now. have to say about that. Andrew

Lansley is the MP for The National Housing Federation, Their Chief

Executive Says That The Bedroom Tax Is Disastrous. How do you feel about

that? Are in was to reduce the cost of housing benefit, which Labour had

taken to £20 billion. And I'm afraid but we have heard today shows that

Labour have learned nothing. We had to take measures to deal with their

debt crisis. It wasn't fair what happened —— wasn't there to be

subsidising under occupied properties while people are waiting

for accommodation or are in overcrowded accommodation. We have

done it in a fairway. We have put £180 million into a discretionary

fund that helps to the costs of those who have proper reasons to

have support, but we are taking away housing benefit, we are saving in

this case really have £1 billion, by virtue of not subsidising under

occupied properties. That is what we have to do and the Labour Party does

not seem to have learned anything and they are saying that now they

want to go back. They have opposed every well cut we have put forward.

I am sorry to interrupt you, but all of these people that are affected

that we have heard about, one third of them and are having trouble with

their rent. These are people who have not been in that situation

before, so it is obviously having a very bad effect. We are very clear

about the fact that we need to save money by not subsidising under

occupied properties. It is not about imposing a charge or imposing tax.

It is about how much housing benefit people should be paid, and they

should be paid how much is appropriate to the need for housing.

Under the last Government, people who were in private rented

accommodation and had under occupied properties, spare ribs, did not get

housing benefit. What we have done in that sense is remove what was an

anomaly between people who were getting private housing benefit and

people who were getting housing benefit in social housing. As I

said, £190 million per year, it is not far short of a third of the

total saving, is available to local authorities in a discretionary

payment scheme in order to meet the cases that are genuinely in most

need. I am so sorry to interrupt you, but 34% of people who intend to

back the Tories at the next election think it is a bad idea. People

across the country now that we were think it is a bad idea. People

left circumstances.

Time for the weather, and it is going to get a little bit warmer?

Yes! High pressure across the British Isles. That might sound like

the perfect ingredients for a fine autumn weekend, but as this are

crosses, we see it picking up a lot of moisture. But while temperatures

rise, it will be cloudy at times. Today, we have had quite a lot of

fine autumn sunshine. It has turned a little bit cloudy and places, but

predominantly, we will seek leave spells overnight. It is expected to

turn a little bit cloudy later on with some fog. For most of us, we

should stay in double figures. We are expecting loads of around 11 or

12. Temperatures could just drop down there. If you are up early, it

might be a bright start in the east. We have this week weather front

heading in from the south—west, and that is going to meet increasing

amount of cold to the morning. So, this cloud may, in places, be thick

enough to produce some rain or drizzle, but for most of us, it is

predominantly dry. If you live in the western half, you have got a

better chance of seeing something a little bit more break into the

afternoon. Temperatures rarely get those brighter spells, they will be

quite comfortable, with a bit of a noticeable breeze and a light to

moderate south—westerly. The eastern half looks as though it will stay a

little bit more cloudy. Now, looking ahead, the high pressure starts to

move to the east, towards Holland, by the start of next week. That will

mean a subtle change in wind direction, more of an easterly flow.

This will bring in more dry air, so that brings us the better prospect

of sunshine at the start of next week. So, we start Sunday a bit

cloudy, perhaps with some mist around first thing. But it looks

more hopeful through the day on Sunday. We should hopefully start to

see the sunshine out and as such, we will see the temperatures climb, so

21 or 22 degrees quite possible. As we start next week with that dry air

coming in from the east, we are expecting increasing amount of

sunshine for Monday and Tuesday, so 22 might be a little, well, not

quite so optimistic as it could be, but into the middle of the week this

high—pressure stays firmly in place, bringing more spells of fine

conditions and mild nights.