:00:10. > :00:16.Hello, I'm Simon Newton. The construction industry in our
:00:17. > :00:19.region will get a huge boost in the next five years and create thousands
:00:20. > :00:22.of new jobs. That's the conclusion of a new report published today by
:00:23. > :00:26.industry experts. It also says this region will grow faster than many
:00:27. > :00:30.other parts of the country. Alex is here now with the story.
:00:31. > :00:34.The Construction Industry Training Board expects nearly 26 new
:00:35. > :00:39.construction jobs to be created in the East of England by 2018. They'll
:00:40. > :00:45.come from a predicted rise in new homes, industrial construction and
:00:46. > :00:50.infrastructure projects. The CITB says annual output in the region
:00:51. > :00:53.will rise by 3%. Well ahead of the national average.
:00:54. > :00:59.Last year, just 11,000 new homes were built in the region. It's
:01:00. > :01:02.reckoned twice that many will be needed each year to keep up with
:01:03. > :01:10.demand. Buyers queued up for new homes at this development at Brundle
:01:11. > :01:15.in Norfolk. All of the first release were snapped up that first weekend.
:01:16. > :01:18.We have not seen that since 2007. The development here of 150 units
:01:19. > :01:23.would normally have taken about three to four years. If the sales
:01:24. > :01:28.rate continues as it is, then we expect this site to be built in
:01:29. > :01:32.around about 12 months. This company is the biggest house`builder in the
:01:33. > :01:39.region, looking to increase its workforce by 50%, but says planning
:01:40. > :01:44.policy, centrally and locally, plays a huge part. This is the question,
:01:45. > :01:50.trying to push more housing to kick`start the economy, Doctor buy
:01:51. > :01:55.is helping, but district councils have to help permissions we cannot
:01:56. > :01:59.expand. `` Help to Buy is helping. House`building is just part of the
:02:00. > :02:02.picture. Investment in new infrastructure and commercial
:02:03. > :02:05.premises will also be important. House`building is a key sector,
:02:06. > :02:08.without doubt. That is fuelling some growth. But also, the industrial and
:02:09. > :02:11.infrastructure sectors will be key for recovery. Both nationally and
:02:12. > :02:14.particularly in the East, where we have major infrastructure projects
:02:15. > :02:17.such as the A11 and A14. Trainee plant mechanics learning their
:02:18. > :02:20.skills today at the National Construction College in Norfolk. But
:02:21. > :02:25.employers also need to persuade workers who have left the industry
:02:26. > :02:28.in the recession to return. Well, to use a motoring analogy, as
:02:29. > :02:32.one developer told me today, the housing sector may not be racing
:02:33. > :02:37.along in fifth gear as it was seven years ago. But it is in third gear
:02:38. > :02:42.and moving up. Thank you.
:02:43. > :02:46.Inspectors say the East of England Ambulance Service is still failing
:02:47. > :02:50.to get to 999 calls quickly enough. But in other areas, it does seem to
:02:51. > :02:53.be making progress. The Care Quality Commission made a surprise visit in
:02:54. > :02:56.December and found complaints and staff sickness are both down.
:02:57. > :02:59.The unannounced inspection last month found significant improvements
:03:00. > :03:01.in a number of areas. And after interviewing patients, there's
:03:02. > :03:06.praise for the care received from ambulance crews and call handlers.
:03:07. > :03:09.But the Trust is found wanting in two key areas.
:03:10. > :03:15.Ambulance response times to life`threatening 999 calls. And
:03:16. > :03:17.staffing. Ambulance trusts must aim to respond to at least 75% of
:03:18. > :03:21.emergency life`threatening calls within eight minutes. And where a
:03:22. > :03:24.solo paramedic is first on the scene, at least 95% of calls should
:03:25. > :03:29.see an ambulance arriving within 19 minutes. Latest figures show that,
:03:30. > :03:32.across the board, the Trust has met neither standard.
:03:33. > :03:37.The CQC report clearly identifies that the service is getting safer.
:03:38. > :03:41.But there are still areas where the response times are not where we
:03:42. > :03:45.would expect them to be. To meet that gap, we need to fill up our
:03:46. > :03:49.vacancies, which we're doing. We are pushing hard to do that now. And on
:03:50. > :03:52.top of that, we are likely to need more staff. And to have the same
:03:53. > :03:56.service across the entire East of England. The report says the Trust
:03:57. > :04:02.could need over 500 additional paramedics by the year 2016. And
:04:03. > :04:05.that's a tall order. It also quotes a review identifying substantial
:04:06. > :04:14.shortfalls between the resources of the Trust and what it actually needs
:04:15. > :04:17.to meet national standards. A biologist was killed after
:04:18. > :04:22.touching a damaged power cable while he was out running. James Kew died
:04:23. > :04:26.from severe burns in a field at Newport in Essex two years ago. UK
:04:27. > :04:30.Power Networks says it knew the cable was hanging down. But it was
:04:31. > :04:33.waiting for an engineer to arrive before switching the power off.
:04:34. > :04:36.A ten`year`old girl, who was severely brain damaged during her
:04:37. > :04:38.birth at Colchester Hospital, has been awarded ?4.5 million in
:04:39. > :04:40.compensation. An investigation found mistakes were made during the
:04:41. > :04:44.delivery of Samantha Singleton`Parkes. Her family has
:04:45. > :04:57.thanked staff on the children's ward for the tears she has received. ``
:04:58. > :04:59.the care. Southend Airport unveiled a ?10
:05:00. > :05:03.million extension today. The money's been used to creating more room for
:05:04. > :05:06.aircraft and a bigger departures area for passengers. In time,
:05:07. > :05:08.managers say it will mean 300 extra jobs as well.
:05:09. > :05:12.Tourists heading for the sun. Meanwhile, back on the ground, the
:05:13. > :05:15.finishing touches are made to a ?10 million extension to the terminal.
:05:16. > :05:20.This is a new departure lounge. It's deserted today. But soon, this empty
:05:21. > :05:24.space will be full of passengers. Because Southend Airport continues
:05:25. > :05:30.to grow. It used to be busy back in the 1960s. In 1967, it had 600,000
:05:31. > :05:38.passengers. But by 2011, that had fallen to just 42,000. But since
:05:39. > :05:44.being taken over by the Stobart Group, the numbers have risen again.
:05:45. > :05:50.In 2012, to 617,000. And last year, to 970,000.
:05:51. > :05:55.And a bigger terminal means more jobs. That's the combination of
:05:56. > :05:58.people working in the airport, helping the passengers through their
:05:59. > :06:04.journey. People in the retail shops. And also, airline staff. It's not
:06:05. > :06:08.without controversy, though. Some of the airport's neighbours say it is
:06:09. > :06:14.getting noisier and noisier. The airport won't be as quiet as this
:06:15. > :06:16.for very long. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess
:06:17. > :06:19.of Cornwall were in Westcliffe`on`Sea in Essex today to
:06:20. > :06:22.see some of Shakespeare's most famous works. They visited the
:06:23. > :06:25.Palace Theatre to see local children perform in the Shakespeare Schools
:06:26. > :06:31.Festival, a celebration to mark 450 years since the Bard's birth.
:06:32. > :06:40.Now for the weather. Low pressure continues to dominate
:06:41. > :06:47.tonight, I'd break the rain across Essex, which could push their way
:06:48. > :06:53.northwards. `` outbreaks of rain. Quite a brisk breeze, most of us
:06:54. > :06:59.three of frost. Tomorrow starts cloudy, rain spreading from the
:07:00. > :07:02.South, some heavy, it will tend to become lighter and patchy into the
:07:03. > :07:07.afternoon and the hope we could see brighter weather, but it will feel
:07:08. > :07:12.cold. Still with that easterly breeze, highs of six or seven at
:07:13. > :07:18.best and stop drier by the afternoon and evening. Friday does not look
:07:19. > :07:23.too bad, staying cloudy, perhaps brighter spells early on, a
:07:24. > :07:27.freshening southerly breeze indicating the next weather front
:07:28. > :07:37.which brings heavy rain by Friday, but out the way by Saturday.
:07:38. > :07:43.Hello. The next dose of wet and windy weather is due to arrive on
:07:44. > :07:48.Friday from the Atlantic. Today we have had an easterly wind bringing
:07:49. > :07:51.the chill as the threat of icy patches comes to the north where the
:07:52. > :07:56.cloud breaks. More cloud further south. Maybe some sleet and snow in
:07:57. > :08:00.parts of East Wales as we engage the cold air. Temperatures in the
:08:01. > :08:04.south-east are not changing much because the rain keeps going. It
:08:05. > :08:09.will be colder further north, though. Icy patches are possible.
:08:10. > :08:12.More wintry showers in the north-east. Quite a few flood
:08:13. > :08:20.warnings in Tayside. Write to the west of the Pennines. -- brighter.
:08:21. > :08:27.Figure clad -- thicker cloud further south. We see some dampness in parts
:08:28. > :08:35.of the West Country, possibly into East Wales. In the north-west of
:08:36. > :08:36.Wales is the