:00:00. > :00:20.Hello, and welcome to the programme. The main news tonight: Leonard
:00:21. > :00:24.friends stage walk`out of the East's courts.
:00:25. > :00:28.They say they are not paid enough. It is now about 30,000 or ?40,000
:00:29. > :00:35.per year. It will become moralist Rockall for people with big
:00:36. > :00:40.mortgages and children to pay for day to day to continue.
:00:41. > :00:46.The Essex footballer worried that his career is over after being the
:00:47. > :00:50.victim of a Christmas Day assault. Slimmers from allover the county
:00:51. > :01:01.show off their new look. And meet the gauge dog `` guide dog
:01:02. > :01:05.eager to show off for his master. Hello. The region's law courts saw
:01:06. > :01:11.something they'd never seen before today ` a walk`out by lawyers over
:01:12. > :01:13.pay. Barristers and solicitors were protesting at cuts to the legal`aid
:01:14. > :01:15.budget. Well, this walk`out affected courts
:01:16. > :01:18.right across our region. Particularly hit were Norwich and
:01:19. > :01:21.Chelmsford, where cases had to be adjourned. But this afternoon the
:01:22. > :01:24.Ministry of Justice was playing down the impact of today's strike. They
:01:25. > :01:28.said the effect was "limited and manageable". In Essex, 95% of
:01:29. > :01:34.magistrates' courts eventually sat and nearly three quarters of Crown
:01:35. > :01:38.Courts. At Norwich Crown Court, three court rooms were supposed to
:01:39. > :01:53.be running this morning but only one went ahead. The other two did not
:01:54. > :01:59.sit until this afternoon. A criminal lawyer for 11 years, she
:02:00. > :02:02.prepares her next legal aid case at Chambers in Ipswich. You would
:02:03. > :02:10.hardly class has antiestablishment until today. In just four years her
:02:11. > :02:17.pay packet has heart. 34 years ago it was about 80,000, now it is about
:02:18. > :02:22.30,000. And you only do legal aid work? I only do legal aid work. It
:02:23. > :02:26.will become more of a struggle for people with big mortgages and four
:02:27. > :02:41.children `` with children to pay for, to continue. The plan to cut
:02:42. > :02:50.barristers's fees by 17`30% is on top of a 40% cut that barristers say
:02:51. > :02:55.has been in place since 1997. My take`home pay has been about ?10,000
:02:56. > :02:58.for the last two years. When people hear that you are a lawyer they
:02:59. > :03:03.think that you are very wealthy. A lot of my clients think that ended
:03:04. > :03:08.his just not the case. Lawyers say that fewer experienced barristers
:03:09. > :03:17.would take on legal aid cases, leaving it too inexperienced
:03:18. > :03:20.barristers. It wasn't until of two years ago that solicitors were
:03:21. > :03:28.allowed in court to do the job that barristers previously did. The same
:03:29. > :03:32.arguments were put ahead. All professions are taking a hit,
:03:33. > :03:39.teachers, police, health workers. Isn't it your turn? Isn't it our
:03:40. > :03:42.town? The funny thing is that we have had our turn. Before this
:03:43. > :03:51.current round the fees have slashed and flashed back to 1996 rate is
:03:52. > :03:56.now. After lunch the Warriors return to work, but they say that if the
:03:57. > :04:02.government does not bend then they will be back.
:04:03. > :04:06.Let's talk to Simon Spence QC, who can speak on behalf of East Anglia's
:04:07. > :04:11.barristers. Why should we be sympathetic to you? People think
:04:12. > :04:15.that lawyers are very well paid. People do think that and some
:04:16. > :04:19.lawyers are very well paid, but not those who are paid by the public.
:04:20. > :04:23.Our rates are set by the government, they have not gone up
:04:24. > :04:28.since 1997 and over that time, as well as factoring in inflation,
:04:29. > :04:32.there have been other ways in which fees have been reduced. For some
:04:33. > :04:37.hearings we do not get paid at all and for other ancillary parts of the
:04:38. > :04:41.job. You have to look at it in context against static fees for 15
:04:42. > :04:47.years. We are now saying, enough is enough. We do not want riches, we
:04:48. > :04:52.just want to be paid for the work that we do. The government says that
:04:53. > :04:56.cuts have to be made and this is where they have pinpointed that
:04:57. > :05:01.savings can be made. Of course that is one way that savings can be made,
:05:02. > :05:06.but the courts can also be made more efficient, as a profession we
:05:07. > :05:09.appointed those out to Ministry of Justice and they're not really
:05:10. > :05:12.listening. It seems to us that to put the brunt of the costs on
:05:13. > :05:19.cutting legal lead fees is not the right way forward. And of other
:05:20. > :05:29.professions that are funded by the public nobody else seems to be being
:05:30. > :05:34.asked to take a 17.5% cut as we are. It is not just the defence side of
:05:35. > :05:37.things, you have to bear in mind. The independent bar prosecutes and
:05:38. > :05:41.defend, that is a crucial part of our system. There is generally
:05:42. > :05:50.parity between prosecution and defence fees. So defend these are
:05:51. > :05:54.cut by 17.5% it is reasonable to expect that the prosecution will
:05:55. > :05:56.wish to follow suit. People coming to the borough over the next few
:05:57. > :06:05.years will not be the brightest and most able to conduct the most
:06:06. > :06:09.serious cases `` coming to the bar. The Ministry of Justice is not very
:06:10. > :06:14.sympathetic to your plight at the moment. What is your next step? The
:06:15. > :06:18.next step might be similar action if the government will not engage in
:06:19. > :06:23.conversation. All we're asking is to keep the rates of pay at current
:06:24. > :06:25.levels. The rates that the government have previously
:06:26. > :06:29.considered reasonable and we considered that they are still
:06:30. > :06:32.reasonable. We are asking for fees to remain as they are, for a
:06:33. > :06:39.dialogue with the government so that we can assist them to find the
:06:40. > :06:42.savings in other ways. A promising footballer from Essex
:06:43. > :06:45.says the injuries he suffered in a vicious street attack may have ended
:06:46. > :06:48.his career. 21`year`old Richie Robins was beaten up in Colchester
:06:49. > :06:53.town centre over Christmas. He was also hoping to become a model, but
:06:54. > :06:59.says that's in doubt too. Richie Robins takes more
:07:00. > :07:04.painkillers. He is back recovering from a two`hour operation on the
:07:05. > :07:08.bones in his face. They had to push my cheekbone back into place. They
:07:09. > :07:16.put a metal place across it to secure it. Also by doing that it
:07:17. > :07:20.enabled the bone in my eye socket that was broken to fall back into
:07:21. > :07:27.place. I am just waiting for it all to heal back together. I cannot eat
:07:28. > :07:31.proper food, I cannot chew for several weeks, I cannot do sport and
:07:32. > :07:37.physical activity for at least three months, that is a massive part of my
:07:38. > :07:42.life. Richie Robins feels that his career may have been ended when he
:07:43. > :07:46.was attacked here in Colchester in the early hours of December the
:07:47. > :07:54.27th. This would graph shows him before and after the attack. ``
:07:55. > :07:57.photographs. Police have arrested a man on suspicion of assault but they
:07:58. > :08:03.are looking for at least six other men. They want anyone with any
:08:04. > :08:06.information to come forward. He had been hoping to do some modelling but
:08:07. > :08:14.fears that he may have lost his chance. I have to wait until my face
:08:15. > :08:27.settles down. Confidence is a massive thing. And as he read get
:08:28. > :08:31.well cards, he urged anyone who was in Queen Street that night to
:08:32. > :08:38.contact police because it may help them to find his attackers.
:08:39. > :08:42.Troubled Colchester Hospital has announced more changes at the top.
:08:43. > :08:45.Kim Hodgson will be the new interim Chief Executive following the
:08:46. > :08:48.resignation of Dr Gordon Coutts last month. And Sue Barnett is stepping
:08:49. > :08:50.down as deputy chief executive. The Trust is currently under police
:08:51. > :08:53.investigation over the alleged manipulation of its cancer waiting
:08:54. > :08:56.times. Work on making two council homes in
:08:57. > :08:59.Ipswich into one to accommodate a large family will cost over twice
:09:00. > :09:02.the original estimate. The Fisk family made headlines back in
:09:03. > :09:05.October when some neighbours started a petition against the plan to
:09:06. > :09:08.expand their home. Ipswich Borough Council originally thought the cost
:09:09. > :09:11.would be ?6,000, but the final bill will be closer to ?15,000 because
:09:12. > :09:15.extra building work is now required. It will create a six`bedroom home in
:09:16. > :09:18.Maidenhall for the family of 12 and take eight weeks to finish.
:09:19. > :09:21.A charity which operates children's hospices in our region has today
:09:22. > :09:24.announced plans for a new facility on the outskirts of Norwich. East
:09:25. > :09:27.Anglia's Children's Hospices has launched an appeal for ?10 million
:09:28. > :09:35.to cover the costs. The new hospice would replace the existing one at
:09:36. > :09:45.Quidenham in Norfolk. The children's Hospice at quid and
:09:46. > :09:49.`` Quidenham has been a home for this girl for more than a decade.
:09:50. > :09:55.Today her mother was one of the first to see proposals for a new
:09:56. > :09:59.Hospice. The facilities are great but it is within the limitations of
:10:00. > :10:04.a very old building. To have something purpose`built, it
:10:05. > :10:07.absolutely blew me away. At this community Centre local people also
:10:08. > :10:12.got their first glimpse of the proposed development on their
:10:13. > :10:19.doorstep. It will be very good for the village, it is a nice thing to
:10:20. > :10:23.have. Very exciting. We have lived here for six years. We have come
:10:24. > :10:29.here for the peace and quiet and the site is so peaceful and quiet.
:10:30. > :10:32.Landowners have been wanting to build housing estates there. We feel
:10:33. > :10:39.that the hospice will be better than a housing estate, certainly.
:10:40. > :10:44.Quidenham has served us well for many years, but it was not a
:10:45. > :10:46.purpose`built hospice and with the complexities of the children that we
:10:47. > :10:54.are getting coming to us now, we really do need a purpose`built
:10:55. > :11:02.hospice. The Duchess of Cambridge, who opened their Tree House Hospice
:11:03. > :11:06.at Ipswich, has been kept informed. While I was looking at the plans
:11:07. > :11:13.there was a lady beside me seeing her with `` seeing how sad she
:11:14. > :11:21.thought that a children's hospice would be. The sad bit is then not
:11:22. > :11:26.having the facilities. The hospice will give them the very best of what
:11:27. > :11:31.they can get out of the day. Is the money flows in then young people
:11:32. > :11:43.like Lucy could be enjoying brand`new facilities within three
:11:44. > :11:49.years. Still to come: two swimming
:11:50. > :11:52.champions to inspire you for the New Year.
:11:53. > :11:58.And Miller Labrador aligns a new trick. `` Miller and the Labrador
:11:59. > :12:01.learns a new trick. It's that time of the year when
:12:02. > :12:04.households feel the squeeze on family finances. January is the most
:12:05. > :12:08.common month for rental payments to be missed and it's when a lot of
:12:09. > :12:09.people receive the bills for Christmas.
:12:10. > :12:12.The housing charity Shelter estimates that many thousands of
:12:13. > :12:15.people in the East region are worried about meeting this month's
:12:16. > :12:18.demand for rent or mortgage payments. But experts in household
:12:19. > :12:21.debt say that help is available and people shouldn't despair. Tonight's
:12:22. > :12:30.special report is from our business correspondent Richard Bond.
:12:31. > :12:40.Steve Lane is finding his way out of debt. A well`paid job and freely
:12:41. > :12:44.available credit led him to run up large debts. He had spent thousands
:12:45. > :12:50.on Christmas presents. He worked out that he owed ?43,000 after being
:12:51. > :12:59.made redundant. I had fairly large credit limits which had been maxed
:13:00. > :13:04.out. FDR ?2000 or ?3000 per credit limit and you have six or seven, it
:13:05. > :13:11.does not take a mathematician to work it out. Steve has a new job and
:13:12. > :13:15.is getting his debt under control. But according to shelter one in ten
:13:16. > :13:18.people in the east fear that they will not be a will to pay the rent
:13:19. > :13:24.or mortgage at the end of this month. The Ipswich building society
:13:25. > :13:35.says that a small number of customers feel to `` do not meet
:13:36. > :13:41.their payment in January. We offer the option of paying a little extra
:13:42. > :13:45.for the other months rather than paying everything in January.
:13:46. > :13:53.Private landlords say that January is the most likely month of the year
:13:54. > :13:59.for tenants to Messe rental payment. This year is not any worse than
:14:00. > :14:03.other years. If anything, things are stable and rent arrears over the
:14:04. > :14:11.last few years in this area have actually come down. Rents have not
:14:12. > :14:14.gone up as much as other cost is. Thanks to help from Christians
:14:15. > :14:24.Against Poverty Steve Lane and his family now hope to be debt free in
:14:25. > :14:28.two years. We work in cash, we shop to a list. It is the sort of things
:14:29. > :14:35.that are simple but we have learned them. Steve Lane and his wife now
:14:36. > :14:38.help other families in trouble, showing that there is a way through
:14:39. > :14:40.the financial mire. Steve Lane received support from
:14:41. > :14:45.Christians Against Poverty. You can ring them free on 0800 328 0006. You
:14:46. > :14:50.can also receive guidance from your local Citizens Advice Bureau. Go to
:14:51. > :14:54.their website. It's at citizensadvice.org.uk.
:14:55. > :14:57.And if you have got a story about debt that you'd like to share, do
:14:58. > :15:00.get in touch. You can phone or e`mail. Or get in touch through
:15:01. > :15:04.Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you.
:15:05. > :15:08.On to football, and we had six teams in FA Cup third`round action over
:15:09. > :15:11.the weekend and all six are in the draw for the fourth round. Some face
:15:12. > :15:14.replays, others managed to win first`time around. Stevenage claimed
:15:15. > :15:17.the biggest tie in the fourth round. Boro, who are currently bottom of
:15:18. > :15:34.League One, will host Premier League side Everton in three weeks' time.
:15:35. > :15:38.This is no ordinary Monday. Since 9am the phones at Stevenage have
:15:39. > :15:41.been ringing off the book, fans desperate to watch another Premier
:15:42. > :15:45.League side sent packing. It has been a whirlwind start for the new
:15:46. > :15:51.chief executive. Only three days into his new job. The financial
:15:52. > :15:55.injection that the FA Cup brings is essential for us. It is a great draw
:15:56. > :16:00.for us, it is a way that the football community can connect
:16:01. > :16:06.again. For some managers the FA Cup is not a priority. Four clubs
:16:07. > :16:12.further down the chain it is a lifeline. You were standing at our
:16:13. > :16:17.training ground and that is a product of the FA Cup. It is that
:16:18. > :16:24.important, we would not be your today if we had not got through a
:16:25. > :16:34.couple of years ago to league five. Stevenage have proven pedigree,
:16:35. > :16:40.beating Newcastle a few years ago. 26 places separate Stevenage from
:16:41. > :16:48.Doncaster, a mere 63 between Middlesbrough and Everton. In the FA
:16:49. > :16:53.Cup anything is possible. It is not a nice place to come, this ground
:16:54. > :16:56.can be quite a hostile place. Everton are probably not used to
:16:57. > :17:04.that. I do not see why we cannot upset them. The FA Cup puzzles got
:17:05. > :17:09.my pulse racing. We would like to think that we can do something
:17:10. > :17:14.special again. They have the mantra, the man talent in the
:17:15. > :17:19.manager for club upsets. The FA Cup is breathing a vital tonic for the
:17:20. > :17:23.troops. Next, the New Year diet. You can't
:17:24. > :17:26.put it off any moreand this evening we have got two women from Suffolk
:17:27. > :17:29.who can give you some inspiration. Nicky Pengelly is a health
:17:30. > :17:33.professional. She is 46 and she has lost almost eleven and a half stone.
:17:34. > :17:36.Student Sophie Whelpton has lost ten stones over the past couple of
:17:37. > :17:41.years. Both ladies followed the Rosemary Conley diet. Welcome to you
:17:42. > :17:45.both. Congratulations to you both, both
:17:46. > :17:48.looking fantastic. Let me start with you. You put on lots of weight over
:17:49. > :17:56.the years because of family troubles, but what actually made you
:17:57. > :17:59.decide to lose it all. I decided last year after my daughter`in`law
:18:00. > :18:07.was crowned last year as slimmer of the year. Having a granddaughter in
:18:08. > :18:16.2012, I needed to change my life. I thought that Rosemary Conley Food
:18:17. > :18:21.And Fitness was the way forward. What was the turning point for you?
:18:22. > :18:27.I went back to university as a mature student at the age of 27 and
:18:28. > :18:31.started to be really happy with the direction that my life was going on.
:18:32. > :18:38.I felt that the only thing holding me back was my weekend that `` my
:18:39. > :18:45.weight and that it was time to do something about it. And you are the
:18:46. > :18:51.winners. This is what Nicky was wearing. She
:18:52. > :18:57.could fit into one leg of these now. You could get lost in those now. How
:18:58. > :19:07.do you feel, now that you have lost all of the weight? I feel a lot
:19:08. > :19:18.happier in myself. I am happy with going shopping and I actually know
:19:19. > :19:28.no food `` I'm no food is not something that would just put weight
:19:29. > :19:32.on. It is psychological, you have to change a relationship with food.
:19:33. > :19:38.When you look at pictures now, does it feel that it was not you? We lead
:19:39. > :19:43.at some of the photographs this morning. I cannot believe it is
:19:44. > :19:49.still the same person. I have now got a chin. I think I have got a
:19:50. > :19:56.waste. I was a size 32, now I am actually in a size 10`12 in the
:19:57. > :20:00.shops. I now love shopping. Part of it is the joy of getting into lovely
:20:01. > :20:05.clothes again. What is it for you that is most special now? Just being
:20:06. > :20:08.able to feel confident and comfortable in situations and not
:20:09. > :20:13.feel that I am always the biggest in the room and that people look at me
:20:14. > :20:19.for the wrong reasons. We had some pictures of you as well. It must be
:20:20. > :20:25.odd, it does not look like the same person. It does not look like you at
:20:26. > :20:29.all. It is like looking at a different person, I feel like
:20:30. > :20:34.another person. Diesel confident about keeping the weight off now?
:20:35. > :20:41.People tend to you or your back and forth. But you did it slowly and at
:20:42. > :20:45.a good pace. Even if it is just a pound a week, it is still chipping
:20:46. > :20:50.away. Even if you just maintain, it is still chipping away. If you do
:20:51. > :20:55.have setbacks, just start back on. It does not mean that it has failed,
:20:56. > :21:00.you just carry on. I have had the good times and the bad times but
:21:01. > :21:05.have still carried on. With the support of my class, I have got
:21:06. > :21:08.where I am today. It is a gradual thing, you did it slowly and
:21:09. > :21:17.sensibly over a long period of time. Hopefully that means that you will
:21:18. > :21:22.not go back. Diets are something that temporary, I have changed my
:21:23. > :21:26.lifestyle. We are so pleased that you have come in the programme to
:21:27. > :21:31.show us what you'd success you have had. Thank you very much and good
:21:32. > :21:34.luck for the future. What are we to start the New Year. And an
:21:35. > :21:42.inspiration for lots of people watching, I am sure.
:21:43. > :21:43.We all know that guide dogs are smart.
:21:44. > :21:45.But Miller, the Labrador Retriever is taking things to a whole new
:21:46. > :21:49.level. Miller belongs to Chris Michaels
:21:50. > :21:52.from Suffolk. He is Chris's eyes and ears. And when it comes to crossing
:21:53. > :21:57.the road, his paws and nose are pretty useful too. Kevin Burch has
:21:58. > :22:02.the story: Chris Michaels is 68 and has been blind for over 40 years.
:22:03. > :22:08.He runs this nursery. He has had for guide dogs, Miller is the latest.
:22:09. > :22:14.Working together is like a marriage, a partnership. And this current
:22:15. > :22:18.canine companion is always keen to help. Use a good worker, very
:22:19. > :22:25.steady. He likes picking things up to give the people, which can be a
:22:26. > :22:32.bit annoying. One year he picked up a tomato plant and handed it to a
:22:33. > :22:35.customer. But it is when Chris heads into town that Miller really comes
:22:36. > :22:43.into his own. He was specially trained to find the posts at
:22:44. > :22:48.crossings. But he is keen to go even further and invariably hit the
:22:49. > :22:56.button with his paws or nose. It has become something of a party piece.
:22:57. > :23:01.How do you feel about the publicity over Miller and his talent? I did
:23:02. > :23:06.not really expected, I just thought it was a bit of a nine days's
:23:07. > :23:12.wonder. I never expected there to be all of this publicity. He is
:23:13. > :23:17.brilliant, I think. It makes getting around a hell of a lot easier.
:23:18. > :23:29.Here's something special, look into those eyes.
:23:30. > :23:32.So David's back tonight with a brand`new series of Inside Out. What
:23:33. > :23:36.have you got for us? We have been looking into audio
:23:37. > :23:38.loops and how people with hearing difficulties are being failed by
:23:39. > :23:41.businesses and public authorities. Audio loops are designed to provide
:23:42. > :23:45.better sound quality for people with hearing aids. On Inside Out we went
:23:46. > :23:48.to more than 60 shops and offices in Ipswich that claimed to provide
:23:49. > :23:56.them. In three quarters of cases they didn't work, or staff didn't
:23:57. > :24:00.know how to operate them. We do have one but I do not know
:24:01. > :24:13.where it is, I have never been shown where it is. It is discrimination.
:24:14. > :24:18.It does not mean that legally enacted discrimination is not taking
:24:19. > :24:21.place. Costa say that all staff in the shop have now been trained in
:24:22. > :24:25.how to use the hearing`loop system. Join me for that story and others,
:24:26. > :24:32.as we start the new series at 7.30pm here on BBC One. Greats `` a great
:24:33. > :24:41.story tonight about a woman's fight to have people remembered who died
:24:42. > :24:44.in the town after a publicity stunt for a circus went horribly wrong.
:24:45. > :24:49.She raised the money for people in the time and finally we see the
:24:50. > :24:52.memorial tonight on the river bank. We are thankful that we are not in
:24:53. > :24:59.the south`west. I think we're getting off lightly at the moment.
:25:00. > :25:05.We have had bright and blustery weather but showers as well. They
:25:06. > :25:15.have been on the heavy side. We have had some squally winds gusting
:25:16. > :25:19.between 48 and 50 mph. You can see more showers coming in. Again, some
:25:20. > :25:22.of those could be on the sharp side and have hail and thunder mixed in.
:25:23. > :25:30.There could be some torrential downpours. But with the cloud around
:25:31. > :25:42.temperature should not fall any lower than eight or nine Celsius. We
:25:43. > :25:45.stay frost free and the wind is a good moderate fresh south`westerly
:25:46. > :25:49.becoming particularly blustery during any sharp showers. We could
:25:50. > :25:57.get some further very strong gust is. This is the centre of what has
:25:58. > :26:01.brought us all of the windy weather and showery weather. We still have
:26:02. > :26:05.the south`westerly flow drowning in a few showers and the eyes of buyers
:26:06. > :26:13.are still fairly close together. `` Isa buyers. Moving eastwards, some
:26:14. > :26:17.of them on the sharp side, but again a few less than today. Some sunshine
:26:18. > :26:25.and bring this coming through at times. Temperatures at best some
:26:26. > :26:28.others into double figures. A good two or three degrees above average
:26:29. > :26:32.for this time of year. For much of the day we will hold onto this
:26:33. > :26:37.moderate `fresh south`westerly, although hopefully that will ease
:26:38. > :26:45.down a bit. We finished the day with a few showers around. During
:26:46. > :26:48.tomorrow night we could get some showers and in together to get a
:26:49. > :26:52.longer spell of rain. But they should be out of the way by
:26:53. > :26:57.Wednesday. We are then expecting some rain after dark on Wednesday,
:26:58. > :27:03.although a bit of a? Regarding how quick the rain will spread on.
:27:04. > :27:08.Perhaps some rain still lingering on Thursday morning. Friday is looking
:27:09. > :27:12.a chilly day with temperatures closer to normal, but finance guy
:27:13. > :27:21.with the next lot expected during Friday night. `` at fine and dry.
:27:22. > :27:54.That is all from us. Have a good evening.
:27:55. > :28:14.TOM: # And if there's anybody left in here
:28:15. > :28:17.# That doesn't want to be out there... #