:00:08. > :00:17.In Look East tonight: in Chelmsford, a little boy forced to sleep in a
:00:18. > :00:20.cupboard after social services urges more families to take in problem
:00:21. > :00:24.children. Poppy sales up, but membership of
:00:25. > :00:29.the Royal British Legion is crashing. What's the future for the
:00:30. > :00:32.ex`servicemen's charity? And Vodafone promises to raise its
:00:33. > :00:43.game after the regulator complains about its poor coverage of Suffolk
:00:44. > :00:58.and Norfolk. And I will have news of a chilly weather forecast.
:00:59. > :01:01.Hello. First tonight: a couple from Essex who've been asked to look
:01:02. > :01:05.after problem children, with no help from social services. It follows a
:01:06. > :01:08.similar case in Norfolk. The couple, who live in Chelmsford, contacted
:01:09. > :01:11.Look East after they were asked to look after two young children they
:01:12. > :01:14.know through family connections. But they already have two children of
:01:15. > :01:19.their own and they live in a house with just two bedrooms. One of the
:01:20. > :01:22.children is now having to sleep in a cupboard. So far, they say, social
:01:23. > :01:26.services have given them no support. Leanne and Dave have two children of
:01:27. > :01:30.their own. Six months ago they were told a relative's children would go
:01:31. > :01:33.into care if they did not look after them. Now they have four crammed
:01:34. > :01:41.into a two bed house. Being married with two children was
:01:42. > :01:45.normal and I was coping with that. But now I am having to cope with two
:01:46. > :01:47.children who have come from a different situation, who have been
:01:48. > :01:51.raised differently. They have different views about what they are
:01:52. > :02:01.supposed to do. It's very different to having four children of your own.
:02:02. > :02:04.The couple contacted Look East after Anthea McKee told us she felt she
:02:05. > :02:08.was being blackmailed by Suffolk social services. She was given the
:02:09. > :02:11.option of taking two children in or watching them go into care. Leanne
:02:12. > :02:15.and Dave say that social services have promised to offer support but
:02:16. > :02:17.have not given any. They were told they were breaching their tenancy
:02:18. > :02:24.agreement by converting a cupboard into a bedroom.
:02:25. > :02:30.This is the cupboard that we have had to sleep the little boy in.
:02:31. > :02:37.Why do you have to put him on year? For the safety of the other
:02:38. > :02:41.children. Because of his behaviour. A full`size bed would not fit in
:02:42. > :02:44.here so he is using a toddler bed to make it feel like a proper bedroom.
:02:45. > :02:50.The couple have struggled financially, even using a food bank.
:02:51. > :02:53.They say the only help they have had in six months was a ?20 voucher to
:02:54. > :02:56.buy school uniforms. It's really devastating to see the
:02:57. > :02:59.effect that this has had on everyone. My other daughter is now
:03:00. > :03:05.struggling at school whereas before she was top of the class. The
:03:06. > :03:11.children are struggling because of the whole situation and it is just
:03:12. > :03:16.so hard for everyone. The family say they need a bigger
:03:17. > :03:19.house. The council say they can now apply to move but for the moment
:03:20. > :03:26.they are stuck in a situation that six months ago they had no idea they
:03:27. > :03:29.would be in. We asked Essex social services for
:03:30. > :03:32.an interview but they declined, saying they were not responsible for
:03:33. > :03:36.placing the children with the couple in Chelmsford ` that was a decision
:03:37. > :03:43.made by a judge. But they did say they will be helping the family "in
:03:44. > :03:46.the next week or so". Look East can reveal tonight big falls in
:03:47. > :03:49.membership of the Royal British Legion. In Essex, Suffolk and
:03:50. > :03:53.Norfolk, the ex servicemen's charity has lost more ten thousand members
:03:54. > :04:01.in the last ten years. The Legion says this is mostly down to people
:04:02. > :04:11.dying. Let's get the story now from our chief reporter Kim Riley. I have
:04:12. > :04:17.come tonight to the Suffolk Regiment Museum. A very good place to reflect
:04:18. > :04:22.on past sacrifices. The regiment disappeared back in 1964. As that of
:04:23. > :04:27.the Royal British Legion is concerned, members are dropping but
:04:28. > :04:32.there is some good news. Let's start in the Suffolk town of Beccles.
:04:33. > :04:35.In the Suffolk market town of Beccles, the Royal British Legion
:04:36. > :04:38.charity shop is still going strong. While others around the country have
:04:39. > :04:40.closed, this is the last man standing thanks to the determination
:04:41. > :04:43.of local volunteers. The shop contributes about ?12,000 a year
:04:44. > :04:46.towards the ?30,000 collected locally for the Poppy Appeal. The
:04:47. > :04:49.national charity, concerned over health and safety and possible
:04:50. > :04:52.breaches of its Royal Charter, gave it a summer deadline to close but
:04:53. > :04:55.the volunteers fought back. I think it is important that we do
:04:56. > :05:00.get it right because otherwise it will bring the RBL into distribute
:05:01. > :05:03.and we cannot afford to do that. It is a fantastic organisation and does
:05:04. > :05:06.a lot of good work for ex`service personnel and obviously we are a
:05:07. > :05:10.small cog in the wheel. More than a dozen volunteers open
:05:11. > :05:18.the shop six days a week and the membership of the local branch seems
:05:19. > :05:23.to be holding up well. We're currently stable at about 333
:05:24. > :05:28.members. Year`on`year we have a cycle where we lose a few and we
:05:29. > :05:35.gain a few. For the last five or six years, around the 300 mark is our
:05:36. > :05:39.strength and it is good. But over the last ten years across
:05:40. > :05:42.the region, membership numbers have been falling: from 17,000 in Essex
:05:43. > :05:46.to less than 14,000 now. In Suffolk from 10,000 to around 6000, and in
:05:47. > :05:52.Norfolk from almost 8000 to under 5000.
:05:53. > :05:55.In Norwich, campaigners are fighting plans by the national charity to
:05:56. > :06:02.close the local branch's Jubilee Hall headquarters. Branch membership
:06:03. > :06:05.as plummeted amid much bitterness. A lot of people are very bitter
:06:06. > :06:09.about the British Legion and how they are being treated due to past
:06:10. > :06:13.events where they actually came in and shut the place and a lot of
:06:14. > :06:16.people said they will never walk into the hall again while the
:06:17. > :06:28.British Legion's name is above the door. But in Norwich city Centre
:06:29. > :06:39.this afternoon. Strong support for the Poppy Appeal. All these people
:06:40. > :06:46.gave so much she for this appeal. Everybody should be thankful for
:06:47. > :06:51.what they did for us. The Royal British Legion said a lot of its
:06:52. > :07:03.members have died but are not being replaced by similar young members.
:07:04. > :07:19.Let's now meet the Mayor of Barry Saint Edmunds.
:07:20. > :07:35.Hello. We will be visiting the Cathedral and marking our respects.
:07:36. > :07:39.I think this is interesting because you're standing in your finery and
:07:40. > :07:48.this is very emotive but you regard this as a military town. Yes, of
:07:49. > :07:54.course. We must have remembrance services like this and keep doing
:07:55. > :08:12.this. I think support is based wrong for this here. `` support is very
:08:13. > :08:18.strong. Thank you for joining us. The red poppy is still such a
:08:19. > :08:30.powerful emblem and the Royal additionally Jim has so much work
:08:31. > :08:33.still to do. The mobile phone company Vodafone has promised to
:08:34. > :08:36.improve its coverage in Norfolk and Suffolk following pressure from
:08:37. > :08:39.Ofcom. The regulator says the company has failed to meet its
:08:40. > :08:42.targets for signal coverage in some areas. Vodafone says things will
:08:43. > :08:45.improve by the end of this year. Most of us have 3G or
:08:46. > :08:48.third`generation mobile phones. Better signals and quicker access to
:08:49. > :08:55.the Internet when we are at home or out. But for some users that has not
:08:56. > :08:58.been the case. It keeps going in and out signals so I cannot send text
:08:59. > :09:06.messages as easily as I would like to. I have had terrible service at I
:09:07. > :09:14.have a contract so I feel unable to move. We have stopped advertising
:09:15. > :09:19.board a phone because of so many complaints. The Mac hundreds of
:09:20. > :09:33.customers have contacted the local MP about the poor Vodafone
:09:34. > :09:37.coverage. That is where of, have had to step in and they have said that
:09:38. > :09:50.Vodafone have failed to meet targets. They should be getting a
:09:51. > :09:53.signal for 90% of customers. These providers have persuaded people that
:09:54. > :09:59.they can give them a good service at a good rate and many people have
:10:00. > :10:02.given up their landlines in order to do this and it is not functioning.
:10:03. > :10:16.The headlines: across the region later Fuquay sees that receive good
:10:17. > :10:30.3G reception. They still need to roll out more 3G.
:10:31. > :10:35.Of con will review the case in January so that if Vodafone does not
:10:36. > :10:41.get it sorted by then they could receive a heavy fine and stop. This
:10:42. > :10:44.afternoon I spoke to William Burton from the Countryside Alliance, which
:10:45. > :10:47.is campaigning for better mobile phone coverage in rural areas. I
:10:48. > :10:55.started by asking how bad the situation is.
:10:56. > :11:03.Everybody now lives by a mobile phone or using Skype or other forms
:11:04. > :11:09.of social media. If you live in a rural area and you have got bad
:11:10. > :11:16.connectivity you are missing out on what people in open areas have. At
:11:17. > :11:24.the end of the day, we all pay the same for our mobile telephones. If
:11:25. > :11:31.we're getting a worse deal, then it needs sorting out. The countryside
:11:32. > :11:43.Alliance is running a campaign called "sick of no signal" . Would
:11:44. > :12:00.you like to see done Mr Mark we could have no receivers. `` murder
:12:01. > :12:03.receivers `` mail receivers. We want to present your case to the
:12:04. > :12:06.Government and asked them to do something about it as soon as
:12:07. > :12:11.possible. Mac some might say that this is one of the facts of life of
:12:12. > :12:22.living in the countryside. I do not accept that. We pay the same and why
:12:23. > :12:26.should the rural economy suffer? We have a lot to offer the national
:12:27. > :12:33.economy. Many businesses rely on mobile phones and the Internet now
:12:34. > :12:48.will stop I should they suffer? Thank you. Waiting lists at hospital
:12:49. > :12:58.for cancer patients will now be checked on a weekly basis.
:12:59. > :13:02.The number of Armed Forces personnel based in the region has fallen by
:13:03. > :13:04.almost 4000 over the last three years. The figures reflect the
:13:05. > :13:07.impact of the Government's attempt to slim down the armed forces.
:13:08. > :13:15.Colchester still remains the largest military base in the region.
:13:16. > :13:21.Still to come: A clear out of the loft in Suffolk which uncovered
:13:22. > :13:38.precious wartime memories. News is coming in tonight of a
:13:39. > :13:40.climb`down by one of our new police commissioners over his expenses. BBC
:13:41. > :13:43.Online News revealed this morning that the Norfolk Commissioner
:13:44. > :13:46.Stephen Bett had been claiming expenses for his journey to work.
:13:47. > :13:49.That drew a response from the Justice Minister, who said he wanted
:13:50. > :13:53.the matter settled quickly. Mr Bett said his expenses were above board,
:13:54. > :13:56.but admitted some people might think it was wrong. Today's revelations
:13:57. > :13:58.come a year after the commissioners were elected to run our police
:13:59. > :14:03.forces. Our political correspondent, Andrew Sinclair, reports. Stephen
:14:04. > :14:07.bet is the region's only independent Police and Crime Commissioner,
:14:08. > :14:12.something he has always been very proud of. He cares about the
:14:13. > :14:17.reputation of the force. This is why he has moved so fast to end this
:14:18. > :14:22.controversy. An investigation for the Sunday Politics programme
:14:23. > :14:24.reveals he claimed more than ?3000 in the last nine months for mileage
:14:25. > :14:30.between his home and his headquarters. No other Police
:14:31. > :14:40.Commissioner in the region claims for such mileage. He says he regards
:14:41. > :14:48.his main base at his home so he is therefore doing nothing wrong. I am
:14:49. > :14:56.very happy that what I do is my job wherever that is in the county.
:14:57. > :15:02.Critics have questioned whether this is OK. They pointed out that the
:15:03. > :15:14.Inland Revenue does not recognise, to work mileage. If they are not tax
:15:15. > :15:17.allowable I cannot see why they should be reimbursed by the Police
:15:18. > :15:22.Commissioner either. The justice minister said this controversy must
:15:23. > :15:28.be resolved quickly so as not to damage public confidence. At the
:15:29. > :15:31.same time, Mr Bennett says he will be paying back the money and no
:15:32. > :15:39.longer claiming mileage. All of this comes on the anniversary of PCC 's.
:15:40. > :15:45.Many people are still unsure about this role and the controversy on
:15:46. > :15:54.expenses will do nothing to improve confidence in the public.
:15:55. > :16:00.He said that I am very aware that headline such as these could easily
:16:01. > :16:05.tarnish the reputation of police in Norfolk and that is the last thing I
:16:06. > :16:16.would want. So, he is not happy about having to pay back this money.
:16:17. > :16:20.But he is putting the job first because it is a job he really likes
:16:21. > :16:28.and he thinks that he is making a difference and wants this to go away
:16:29. > :16:32.quickly. The subject of police commissioners
:16:33. > :16:35.is one of the topics being covered on this weekend's edition of Sunday
:16:36. > :16:42.Politics. It's on Sunday, on BBC One at the later time of 12:25. In the
:16:43. > :16:51.sport a lot of small teams are hoping for a bit of luck.
:16:52. > :17:03.It is a nail`biting time for Kenny 's fans.
:17:04. > :17:07.He's the man under the microscope. Chris Hughton's future is in sharp
:17:08. > :17:09.focus, with Norwich in the Premier League relegation zone. He made the
:17:10. > :17:13.point at yesterday's press conference that they've had a tricky
:17:14. > :17:16.run of games, making the rest of November crucial. This is what's in
:17:17. > :17:19.store: West Ham tomorrow, followed by Newcastle away, then Crystal
:17:20. > :17:21.Palace at home. But the manager's keeping calm.
:17:22. > :17:24.I speak with the Chief Executive and the Board on a regular basis and
:17:25. > :17:28.they're very supportive because we're all pushing in the right
:17:29. > :17:32.direction and what we musn't do is set the alarm bells ringing. The
:17:33. > :17:34.value of winning a couple of games can see a League position change
:17:35. > :17:37.quite dramatically and when that happens it's a completely different
:17:38. > :17:46.picture. So we're very much looking at the positives here.
:17:47. > :17:49.Fair point. Victory at Carrow Road could see Norwich move as high as
:17:50. > :17:58.15th, above tomorrow's opponents, West Ham, and Fulham and Stoke.
:17:59. > :18:00.Norwich are far from cut adrift. The players say they're right behind the
:18:01. > :18:04.manager. Every game we go out and want to do
:18:05. > :18:08.well and pick up wins. It's been unfortunate with the result last
:18:09. > :18:12.week and there's been a bit of backlash on the manager and on the
:18:13. > :18:16.players, but at the end of the day we are the players that go over the
:18:17. > :18:19.white line and it's down to us to put in a performance and do right by
:18:20. > :18:22.him. The region's non league clubs have
:18:23. > :18:26.the chance to make the headlines this weekend in the first round of
:18:27. > :18:29.the FA Cup. Eight sides are still in it. Northamptonshire's Daventry Town
:18:30. > :18:32.are one of the lowest ranked teams left. They're at Chesterfield `
:18:33. > :18:44.playing a league side for the first time.
:18:45. > :18:47.MUSIC PLAYS This is a timely reminder that
:18:48. > :18:50.football is not just about millionaires in the Premier League.
:18:51. > :19:02.All of these plays have done a day 's shift before coming here tonight.
:19:03. > :19:07.Daventry are a club on a roll. The going into uncharted territory in
:19:08. > :19:23.the FA Cup. It is the first time we have been with properly opposition.
:19:24. > :19:35.It is a first since 1886. Daventry are indebted to local businessmen
:19:36. > :19:46.who saved the club after a fire. Underdogs always do it in the FA
:19:47. > :19:57.Cup! Nothing can faze them. This is the skipper, who leaves tarmac by
:19:58. > :20:04.Dave. We have made money for the club so if we can win this week
:20:05. > :20:11.could earn some serious money. The chairman has invested a lot of money
:20:12. > :20:22.in the club. I don't think we will get to Wembley but I am looking
:20:23. > :20:36.forward to it. They are ready to stand up and be counted. It is not a
:20:37. > :20:40.time for the week. It is a time for strong characters because this will
:20:41. > :20:48.be tough. Anything can happen. The players have a lot of confidence. A
:20:49. > :20:53.cheque for ?18,000 is at stake for the winner. It is a chance to play a
:20:54. > :21:25.giant which makes this so special. The rest of our league sides are in
:21:26. > :21:28.Cup action except Ipswich Town, who've today signed former Reading
:21:29. > :21:31.midfielder Stephen Hunt until January. The move sees him re`united
:21:32. > :21:34.with his former Wolves boss Mick McCarthy. Hunt is available for
:21:35. > :21:36.tomorrow's trip to Blackpool in the Championship.
:21:37. > :21:39.Now a third of the England squad facing Argentina in the rugby
:21:40. > :21:42.tomorrow are from this region, the majority from Northampton Saints.
:21:43. > :21:45.Ben Foden's called up on the wing, Lee Dickson at scrum`half plus
:21:46. > :21:48.hooker Dylan Hartley. Lawes and Wood keep their places with fit`again
:21:49. > :21:51.Alex Corbisiero on the bench. Cambridge's Alex Goode and Tom
:21:52. > :21:54.Youngs from Norfolk make it eight players in all.
:21:55. > :21:57.They are a very good team, a very passionate and strong team. Yet seen
:21:58. > :22:01.in the Rugby Championship they have pushed through all those teams very
:22:02. > :22:05.close. So you can't look past any of these games, we know it's going to
:22:06. > :22:09.be a real tough game. That's it. Full previews to all this weekend's
:22:10. > :22:17.games on the BBC Sport website and much more too.
:22:18. > :22:21.When Steve Skinner from Suffolk had a sort out in his loft recently, he
:22:22. > :22:24.came across an old suitcase which belonged to his late father. When he
:22:25. > :22:28.opened it up, he was astonished to find it contained a treasure trove
:22:29. > :22:31.of old letters and poems. It also included his father's war`time
:22:32. > :22:35.diary. In a carefully written hand, he detailed the futility of the war
:22:36. > :22:38.and his hope that his own son would never have to fight. On the weekend
:22:39. > :22:41.when Britain pauses to remember, Kevin Burch reports on one man's
:22:42. > :22:51.innermost thoughts when the country was at war.
:22:52. > :22:59.One day he just walked into the house and said I have joined up.
:23:00. > :23:09.That was 1944. And of course, war broke out. He decided to do his bit.
:23:10. > :23:13.Steve Skinner remembers sales that his father told about North Africa
:23:14. > :23:16.in 1844 will stop but it was only when the suitcase was found that all
:23:17. > :23:25.those stories became very real. Moments of humour like the time his
:23:26. > :23:38.patrol sought cover overnight in a bar in. `` in a barn. 30 million
:23:39. > :23:43.Germans couldn't find him but one spider gave him a hard time in the
:23:44. > :23:50.garden! He jotted down his thoughts in this book. They are brilliant and
:23:51. > :24:01.beautiful, especially those dedicated to his wife. On that
:24:02. > :24:12.glorious Armistice Day we will be together and enjoy yourselves. It
:24:13. > :24:17.makes me sad, happy and proud. How deadly the sound of a reeking done.
:24:18. > :24:44.And B Spitfire two. I wonder if the millions of people
:24:45. > :24:56.who have died, do their families have memories like I do here? These
:24:57. > :25:02.are priceless. Let's get the weather now.
:25:03. > :25:14.Good evening. You may well get caught in the rain if you are
:25:15. > :25:19.heading out tonight. For the eastern parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex
:25:20. > :25:28.there is no rain to come this evening. It will look dry after
:25:29. > :25:40.midnight. Temperatures will drop fairly low. It will be quite a
:25:41. > :25:53.chilly night. We might see some grass frost. It should be bright and
:25:54. > :26:01.dried to start with two morrow. Some heavy pulses of rain will move into
:26:02. > :26:15.the afternoon. It will be cold tomorrow. A light to moderate
:26:16. > :26:24.south`westerly wind. It is looking dry overnight. A cold night for
:26:25. > :26:31.tomorrow night with widespread frost for the region. It will be a
:26:32. > :26:47.glorious autumn start to Remembrance Sunday. Beyond that, we will see
:26:48. > :26:57.more rain overnight, Sunday into Monday. A wet start to next week.
:26:58. > :27:17.Julie for the weekend but dry and sunny for Sunday. Temperatures may
:27:18. > :27:27.start to bounce back. The night might not be quite so chilly on
:27:28. > :27:35.Monday. More information on our website.
:27:36. > :27:45.I am going to Shanghai on Monday for a special programme. For now, have a
:27:46. > :27:53.good weekend. Goodbye.