:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to Look East. rain.
:00:07. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: The
:00:10. > :00:12.Braintree care home scandal. How can we prevent abuse like this happening
:00:13. > :00:15.again? I tell you it feels like you're wading through treacle
:00:16. > :00:19.backwards sometimes as a minister but I am doing everything I can to
:00:20. > :00:24.get these rules in place to introduce a much tougher regime. A
:00:25. > :00:27.plan to merge the police control rooms for Norfolk and Suffolk is
:00:28. > :00:37.scrapped, and it's the police commissioner for Suffolk who pulled
:00:38. > :00:40.the plug. It is a risk that is too big and too great.
:00:41. > :00:42.Protests against plans for hundreds of new houses in Essex. Yet
:00:43. > :00:46.thousands are needed. So where should they go? A special report.
:00:47. > :01:02.And on the tail of the tailgate drivers. The police have got new
:01:03. > :01:05.powers, but are they being used? First tonight, more on the
:01:06. > :01:08.undercover footage filmed by the BBC showing how residents were treated
:01:09. > :01:12.at a care home in Essex. The Old Deanery had been investigated by the
:01:13. > :01:17.authorities two years ago, so how did it slip through the net?
:01:18. > :01:19.The first complaints date back to September 2012 when 11
:01:20. > :01:27.whistle`blowers contacted Essex County Council. Essex Police and the
:01:28. > :01:32.Care Quality Commission investigated and the council stopped sending
:01:33. > :01:35.people there. But three months later, the council was satisfied
:01:36. > :01:39.that improvements had been made. In November last year, a new management
:01:40. > :01:44.team took over and, a few weeks later, the CQC gave the home a clean
:01:45. > :01:52.bill of health. But at the same time, Panorama was secretly filming
:01:53. > :01:56.inside. Prompted by the shocking footage, the CQC returned this
:01:57. > :02:00.February. As a result of what they saw, eight staff have been suspended
:02:01. > :02:10.and one dismissed. Kevin Burch is outside The Old Deanery now.
:02:11. > :02:16.If you look at the brochure for this place, they talk about here being at
:02:17. > :02:20.the heart of what they do. There is about ten acres of countryside
:02:21. > :02:32.here. But what is the point of that if you feel the basics? If you
:02:33. > :02:35.betray people's trust? The clear message from behind these
:02:36. > :02:39.gates today, albeit not on camera: Don't condemn us for the actions of
:02:40. > :02:42.the few. There is no denying that what Panorama has uncovered is
:02:43. > :02:45.deeply worrying. Until we have every single care home working to the
:02:46. > :02:48.standard of a zero`tolerance of abuse, and that's what this is, we
:02:49. > :02:51.have to keep saying it is unacceptable. I spent two years with
:02:52. > :03:00.my sister looking for somewhere for Mum to go. I have let her go there
:03:01. > :03:16.and have that happen to her... A team at the home said:
:03:17. > :03:22.It launched an independent review as soon as it became aware of the
:03:23. > :03:25.Panorama findings. It is not yet complete, but eight
:03:26. > :03:31.staff were immediately suspended. One, who slapped a resident, was
:03:32. > :03:36.dismissed immediately. One of the residents gave his thoughts on the
:03:37. > :03:38.level of care. It's like any large establishment. There are good
:03:39. > :03:42.features and not`so`good features. There are some caring carers, some
:03:43. > :03:50.of them are thoughtful, but there are others who shouldn't work in a
:03:51. > :03:54.care home. The local MP Brooks Newmark has kept a close eye on the
:03:55. > :03:59.situation, keen to see how the new management team was fairing. He came
:04:00. > :04:02.here a few weeks ago and said he had a great day. But he had been unaware
:04:03. > :04:07.that the Panorama expose was about to break. Overall I was very
:04:08. > :04:13.impressed so it really shocks me to find there is still abuse going on.
:04:14. > :04:15.The home's owners have been guarded by the reaction, perhaps
:04:16. > :04:19.understandably so. They said they cannot rebut the allegations until
:04:20. > :04:32.they see the programme in full and know exactly what they are.
:04:33. > :04:43.There is no denying the sense of shock and sadness here tonight. It
:04:44. > :04:49.is in the hands of August Equity who say that the process is far from
:04:50. > :04:57.over and they are going to root out every bad Apple be fined. `` may
:04:58. > :05:01.find. Earlier the Care Quality Commission
:05:02. > :05:04.spoke to the BBC about the findings at the Old Deanery. And its chief
:05:05. > :05:07.inspector admitted the organisation needed to do more homework before it
:05:08. > :05:11.entered homes in the first place. One of the things that we need to be
:05:12. > :05:15.doing is working with our partners, with local authorities and others so
:05:16. > :05:18.we get as much information from other people before we go into the
:05:19. > :05:22.home so that we can focus our inspections and we can make sure
:05:23. > :05:25.that the judgements that we are making are consistent, rigorous and
:05:26. > :05:28.fair. But I am also really angry because there is a tremendous amount
:05:29. > :05:31.of good care that happens across the country and every time we see
:05:32. > :05:35.failures like this, that undermines the confidence that people can have
:05:36. > :05:39.about the care and support that they absolutely have the right to expect.
:05:40. > :05:49.Norman Lamb is the Minister for Care and Support. Earlier this afternoon
:05:50. > :05:52.I asked him. I'm disgusted by it. Anyone who has any loved ones who
:05:53. > :05:56.are in a potentially vulnerable position would feel exactly the
:05:57. > :05:59.same. I think there needs to be a police investigation in respect of
:06:00. > :06:02.what appears to have happened there and there needs to be effective
:06:03. > :06:14.action to stamp out this unacceptable and outrageous
:06:15. > :06:18.behaviour. Will the investigation be against the carer or the people who
:06:19. > :06:21.own the home? If a care worker has abused a resident then there has to
:06:22. > :06:32.be an investigation into that behaviour. But also what concerns me
:06:33. > :06:47.are the organisations who allow that behaviour to develop. There has to
:06:48. > :06:51.be action against them too. Are you concerned that it was given a clean
:06:52. > :06:55.bill of health by the CQC and then Panorama found this? Of course I'm
:06:56. > :06:58.concerned. The Care Quality Commission is on a journey. It was a
:06:59. > :07:05.dysfunctional organisation a couple of years ago. It has new leadership
:07:06. > :07:08.who recognise that the culture of the organisation has to change and
:07:09. > :07:17.that they need to be much more robust. But we are introducing, as a
:07:18. > :07:20.Government, a much more robust inspection regime so that inspectors
:07:21. > :07:38.will give the care home a rating so that everyone in the area knows what
:07:39. > :07:41.it is like. Time and again, the Government says it is going to take
:07:42. > :07:49.robust action, and time and again, something else comes along. We have
:07:50. > :07:56.had to go through a long process to get the new rules. The plan is to
:07:57. > :07:59.get them in place by October of this year. At the same time we are
:08:00. > :08:02.introducing inspection regimes for the care quality commission. It
:08:03. > :08:05.feels like wading through treacle backwards sometimes as a minister,
:08:06. > :08:14.but I am doing everything I can to get the new rules in place to
:08:15. > :08:20.introduce a tougher regime. We have seen families in tears and angry
:08:21. > :08:24.about this. Does it make you angry? I am disgusted by it and very angry
:08:25. > :08:27.about it. I have a 95`year`old mother myself. Thankfully she still
:08:28. > :08:31.lives independently in her own home, but for any of us with those in our
:08:32. > :08:34.own families who are vulnerable to this behaviour, it causes us real
:08:35. > :08:49.horror and it makes me absolutely determined that we do everything we
:08:50. > :08:52.can to stamp this out. If you've got experiences ` good or
:08:53. > :08:56.bad ` at the Old Deanery residential home in Braintree, do please get in
:08:57. > :09:03.touch. And Panorama is on BBC One tonight at 9:00pm.
:09:04. > :09:06.Plans to merge the Norfolk and Suffolk police control rooms were
:09:07. > :09:09.dramatically scrapped today `by the police commissioner for Suffolk. The
:09:10. > :09:14.plans would have meant one control room at the Norfolk HQ in Wymondham.
:09:15. > :09:18.Both forces need to save millions of pounds over the next four years.
:09:19. > :09:21.Clutching his papers close to his chest, Suffolk's Police and Crime
:09:22. > :09:27.Commissioner knew he had the power to make or break plans to merge the
:09:28. > :09:30.two police control rooms. The gym at Norfolk's police HQ was packed with
:09:31. > :09:33.staff, many of them who handle emergency calls from people in
:09:34. > :09:37.Norfolk and Suffolk. They were anxious to hear if a decision would
:09:38. > :09:40.be made today. We don't feel that enough research has been done on
:09:41. > :09:50.behalf of what's happening here before we actually go ahead with
:09:51. > :09:53.ripping people's lives apart. Not only jobs were feared at risk by
:09:54. > :09:56.making Norfolk's control room the hub for 999 calls, but public
:09:57. > :10:01.safety, with the loss of experienced staff with local knowledge. Both
:10:02. > :10:05.chief constables wanted the merger, so did Norfolk's PCC, Stephen Bett.
:10:06. > :10:09.I will stick to my case. It hasn't changed. But Mr Bett was forced to
:10:10. > :10:19.change. His plan was sudden and unexpected. Suffolk's PCC listened
:10:20. > :10:22.and then said no. So the plan to merge the two police control rooms
:10:23. > :10:27.of Suffolk and Norfolk is dead in the water, shot down in a few words
:10:28. > :10:31.by the Suffolk PCC Tim Passmore. He said it was the biggest decision of
:10:32. > :10:40.his life but the risk was too great and he was not prepared for it to go
:10:41. > :10:44.ahead. This is a risk that is too big and too great and I can't do it.
:10:45. > :10:47.I'm not doing it. Trust and confidence of the public is
:10:48. > :10:51.absolutely imperative in this, and I didn't think that was going to be
:10:52. > :10:55.delivered. He is entitled to his decision if he thinks that is what
:10:56. > :10:58.is best for Suffolk. I am not against him doing the best things
:10:59. > :11:01.for Suffolk. Tim Passmore has listened to the people and had to
:11:02. > :11:05.declare his hand and made it clear that the people of Suffolk do not
:11:06. > :11:09.want to lose the control room. I think it is good news for Norfolk,
:11:10. > :11:11.too. Today's decision leaves the two chief constables with another
:11:12. > :11:14.headache ` a ?2 million shortfall between them. Cuts must be made
:11:15. > :11:19.elsewhere, which means job losses will be inevitable.
:11:20. > :11:23.Ferry services between Harwich and Esbjerg in Denmark are to end as the
:11:24. > :11:27.company running the route says it can no longer make money from it.
:11:28. > :11:30.The route's been in operation since 1875 but it has seen passenger
:11:31. > :11:35.numbers drop, as well as a decline in freight. DFDS says its vessel
:11:36. > :11:39.will make the last journey on the 29th of September. 130 jobs are
:11:40. > :11:43.likely to be affected but it's hoped that most people will get new jobs
:11:44. > :11:47.on other routes. A man has been jailed for three
:11:48. > :11:50.years for making a hoax bomb threat on an aircraft which had to be
:11:51. > :11:54.diverted to Stansted. Alan Patey pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown
:11:55. > :11:58.Court. He was on board a Sri Lankan Airlines A330 Airbus when the
:11:59. > :12:02.incident happened last September. Five deprived areas in the region
:12:03. > :12:04.will soon be able to bid for extra funding from Europe and Central
:12:05. > :12:07.Government. They'll become 'Assisted Areas' where extra money will be
:12:08. > :12:15.available to benefit local schemes and businesses.
:12:16. > :12:19.The idea is simple: The grants to struggling areas and you create jobs
:12:20. > :12:31.and promote growth. Specific towns have been selected, such as these.
:12:32. > :12:40.Part of Ipswich have also been given such a status. It will start in July
:12:41. > :12:47.and last for six years. But here is the rub: There is no money set
:12:48. > :12:51.aside. It means that local businesses are at the top of the
:12:52. > :12:55.pecking order. They will also get preferential treatment and tax
:12:56. > :13:00.breaks. Coal money can be spent on a range of things from supporting
:13:01. > :13:07.businesses to help them grow and buy more machinery. It can also be used
:13:08. > :13:12.to support infrastructure. The head of this business has seen other
:13:13. > :13:16.firms go to the wall. Many more in Great Yarmouth need all the help
:13:17. > :13:23.they can get. So many have gone bust in this area. No apprenticeships.
:13:24. > :13:30.Anything is welcome. You might have to go to war staffed to see the
:13:31. > :13:48.devastation of the industry there `` Lowestoft. It is up to businesses to
:13:49. > :13:51.apply for aid. Still to come: Thousands of people are coming to
:13:52. > :13:59.the East every year, but where should they live? Plus, look at
:14:00. > :14:02.these pictures. The van is travelling at 50 mph behind the one
:14:03. > :14:09.in front. Police get tough with tailgaters.
:14:10. > :14:11.The population of the East is set to rise dramatically in the years
:14:12. > :14:15.ahead. Across the region, it's expected to go up by 22% in just two
:14:16. > :14:19.decades. But that regional figure is, of course, just an average. Some
:14:20. > :14:22.places, like the area covered by Uttlesford District Council, are
:14:23. > :14:25.under even greater pressure. Here it is. Saffron Walden in the North,
:14:26. > :14:30.Great Dunmow in the South, and the M11 right through the middle. The
:14:31. > :14:35.big employer: Stansted Airport. The population here is expected to grow
:14:36. > :14:41.by 31% in 20 years. That's an increase of 24,000 people. So where
:14:42. > :14:49.will they go? Kim Riley is in Saffron Walden now.
:14:50. > :14:54.I'm in the market square of the town that has been judged one of the best
:14:55. > :14:58.places to live in the whole country. It is hardly surprising that people
:14:59. > :15:02.want to move here. Today, local planners were planning new homes in
:15:03. > :15:06.the town. I have been trying to find out more about Saffron Walden. It
:15:07. > :15:11.originally got its name from the saffron trade. The big question now
:15:12. > :15:15.is can its ancient charms be reconciled with the demands of a
:15:16. > :15:25.growing population? Towering over the town, the Touch Of Saint Mary
:15:26. > :15:30.The Virgin. Desirable properties underneath. There aren't many towns
:15:31. > :15:38.with the two wrist information centre that has over 100,000 people
:15:39. > :15:42.per year passed through its door `` tourist information. We have so much
:15:43. > :15:51.to offer in terms of tourist attractions: Green, open areas, a
:15:52. > :16:03.concert arena, history... So much to bring people to the town. It is very
:16:04. > :16:08.special. At the offices of the local newspaper, they know there is
:16:09. > :16:14.nothing like planned housing development to agitate readers. John
:16:15. > :16:19.has been editor for 20 years. He says that more than 1300 families
:16:20. > :16:22.would be the ones to benefit. Coal I think people in the town who have
:16:23. > :16:28.young families are annoyed and have been on waiting lists for years,
:16:29. > :16:33.well hundreds are going to be brought in from outside. I really
:16:34. > :16:37.don't understand that. Surely if we have a waiting list, why aren't we
:16:38. > :16:43.dealing with it? It is not a sensible answer.
:16:44. > :16:47.Bridget originally came to love you more than 50 years ago and has
:16:48. > :16:53.fought to protect the town. She fears for its future. We would have
:16:54. > :16:58.been distressed to see it spoiled, and that could easily happen with
:16:59. > :17:07.the pressure of population, traffic, fumes, aircraft, the
:17:08. > :17:12.attraction of the area could be destroyed. I'm quite elderly so I
:17:13. > :17:19.shan't see it, but I wouldn't like it for the next generation. Bridget
:17:20. > :17:25.Eliot talking to VMware. She says it is up to young people to rise to the
:17:26. > :17:34.challenge of the fears she has for the town in future.
:17:35. > :17:40.So what was happening at the council office? There are specific plans
:17:41. > :17:46.were being put forward for housing developments. As ever, they proved
:17:47. > :17:52.controversial. Gareth George reports on the protesters and decisions.
:17:53. > :17:57.This protest was a polite one but there was no mistaking the strength
:17:58. > :18:03.of feeling. The worry was that more homes means more traffic and more
:18:04. > :18:05.pollution. It is just going to multiply the amount of cars that
:18:06. > :18:13.passed through. There is no mitigating that. Pollution kills so
:18:14. > :18:16.many people already. They are still proceeding with original plans
:18:17. > :18:23.despite the wishes of the vast majority of local residents. Inside,
:18:24. > :18:28.one of the most important meetings in Saffron Walden four years. The
:18:29. > :18:35.consideration is three separate applications for hundreds of homes.
:18:36. > :18:42.Developers wanted to build hundreds here, in these areas. Opposed in the
:18:43. > :18:47.meeting by Speaker after speaker, but not all were against the idea.
:18:48. > :18:55.They included representatives of local sports clubs because one has
:18:56. > :19:00.offered land for a sports ground efforts planning application goes
:19:01. > :19:04.through. But Shannon says her daughter's help is already affected
:19:05. > :19:10.by pollution. She believes morbid make it worse and put pressure on
:19:11. > :19:16.schools and health services. These new developments will bring in
:19:17. > :19:23.excess of 700 homes and in excess of 1100 vehicles. It will just be the
:19:24. > :19:27.straw that breaks the camel's back. Weak after hours of debate,
:19:28. > :19:42.permission for 230 homes was given, but the 300 one was denied. It seems
:19:43. > :19:51.that protesters have a partial victory.
:19:52. > :19:55.Tailgating. Hogging the middle lane, and showing a lack of respect for
:19:56. > :19:58.other drivers at junctions ` some of the things that can infuriate even
:19:59. > :20:02.the calmest of drivers. And, as of last year, the police can do
:20:03. > :20:07.something about it. They now have the power to hand out on`the`spot
:20:08. > :20:09.fines for careless driving. So is it working? Jenny Hill has been out
:20:10. > :20:19.with traffic police in Cambridgeshire.
:20:20. > :20:27.It's going to be a busy shift. We are out with Cambridgeshire police.
:20:28. > :20:43.The award it was simply too close to the one in front. `` lorry. Today
:20:44. > :20:49.the tailgaters are out in force. But last year, officers like John were
:20:50. > :20:53.given the power to issue on the spot fines or penalty points for
:20:54. > :20:57.inconsiderate driving. The new powers were designed to tackle the
:20:58. > :21:04.middle lane hog is and tailgaters on the road. One motoring organisation
:21:05. > :21:10.estimated that a sort of all drivers could be fined. I don't think there
:21:11. > :21:14.has been a campaign by the police to target drivers. That's why the
:21:15. > :21:27.figures have been so low. We need more cops out there and more
:21:28. > :21:39.education about the driving zone. The Government will assess it in one
:21:40. > :21:44.year. I hate it when people are in the middle lane. VCE women driving
:21:45. > :22:03.and they think they will push as they see. Backing Cambridgeshire,
:22:04. > :22:06.John spot another tailgater. The force does fine inconsiderate
:22:07. > :22:14.drivers, but issue warnings to many more. I would rather point out your
:22:15. > :22:19.error than stop you at the moment. Anything we can do to reduce
:22:20. > :22:24.collisions and make drivers aware of the responsibility is important.
:22:25. > :22:28.Police powers will assist others. The balance is that we don't want to
:22:29. > :22:37.just use powers, we want to educate. Well the lorry driver
:22:38. > :22:46.escaped with a leg injury, the consequences of careless driving can
:22:47. > :22:51.be so much worse. We are and consensus that we all
:22:52. > :22:58.hate tailgating! Let's get the weather.
:22:59. > :23:09.Thank you to those who sent in this picture of bluebells. The flowers
:23:10. > :23:18.are all out with the warm sunshine we have been having. We predicted 17
:23:19. > :23:31.Celsius today but many got up to 19 Celsius the north Norfolk coast,
:23:32. > :23:37.with most, stage cooler `` with mist, stayed cooler. Rain is on the
:23:38. > :23:40.way to model with this thicker cloud over the West Country. We might get
:23:41. > :23:51.an isolated showers this evening, although it looks like it will stay
:23:52. > :23:54.dry during the first batch. The rain is trying to make its presence felt
:23:55. > :24:00.at the end of the night. Temperatures won't drop down to
:24:01. > :24:07.eight Celsius. Here is the pressure pattern for tomorrow. Low`pressure
:24:08. > :24:12.moods across the entire country so it does mean rain for the entire
:24:13. > :24:17.country. For others in the East, it will be cloudy and rainy throughout
:24:18. > :24:22.the day. A lot of the rain will be like in the morning, so there will
:24:23. > :24:30.be dry interludes. It's going to be cooler, because we have more cloud,
:24:31. > :24:36.so don't expect to feel as warm as you did today. In the afternoon,
:24:37. > :24:39.showers develop. These look like they could be heavy, with some
:24:40. > :24:47.merging together is a longer spell of rain. Still some drier interludes
:24:48. > :24:53.in between. The bank holiday weekend will have high pressure. Good news
:24:54. > :24:57.in some ways, but bad news in that it is bringing cold air. It would be
:24:58. > :25:04.significantly colder but it will be cooler and fresher. Lots of dry and
:25:05. > :25:10.bright weather, but some chilly nights with temperatures low enough
:25:11. > :25:18.to bring the ground frost. Freddie will start cloudy, but will brighten
:25:19. > :25:22.up. Temperatures of 11 or 12 Celsius through the weekend, so cooler, but
:25:23. > :25:33.brighter, sunnier weather coming. A reminder that the BBC is offering
:25:34. > :25:36.apprenticeships in its local radio stations. Successful candidates will
:25:37. > :25:39.start a 15`month apprenticeship in September. If you are 18 or over by
:25:40. > :25:43.September, a non`graduate and you want to find out more, go to the BBC
:25:44. > :25:54.website at bbc.co.uk/las. The deadline for applications is May
:25:55. > :26:01.12th. That's all from Oz. Have a good evening!