14/05/2014 Look East - East


14/05/2014

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The great AstraZeneca row in Cambridge, and why it matters

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For West Suffolk we have 36 companies with a workforce of 3,000.

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So for a small place like Suffolk you can see it's very important.

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Hello and welcome to Look East, with Susie and me.

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The strongest hint yet that improvements are

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Summer is just around the corner, and tourism bosses here are

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Growers here take inspiration from the Western Front to mark

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The controversial attempted takeover of the drugs company AstraZeneca was

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back in the national spotlight today,

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with what happens in Cambridge at the heart of the argument.

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If the deal goes through, the repercussions could be felt

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The head of AstraZeneca told MPs that one of the reasons

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for rejecting a takeover bid from the American giant Pfizer is

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Cambridge is the focus of the company's long`term

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But there's a ripple effect that stretches far beyond the city.

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Some 13,000 jobs in the region depend on the biotec

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There are more than 700 separate companies, including many

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in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, as Richard Daniel reports.

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This place in Newmarket supplies specialist

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products for life scientists working in the laboratory.

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AstraZeneca is a big customer and so is Pfizer.

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When it shut a research and development centre two years

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There are many companies doing similar business in the area.

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It's essential for research to continue

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Unless you're a scientist who receives our products,

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you would be unaware of the volume being shipped in all the time.

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And that's increasingly important for a region

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which traditionally relied on things such as agriculture.

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For West Suffolk we have companies with a workforce of 3,000.

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We will all benefit from that type of business.

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So a lot hangs on the proposed takeover.

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It said today it was impressed by research work in Cambridge.

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It also admitted, under a merger, there would be job cuts.

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We will put the best of minds together.

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AstraZeneca is building a ?300 million research campaign and it

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said it was committed to the city. We are not going to spend all this

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money and then reduce the headcount. Back there, they are watching

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developments closely. So what can we learn

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from previous mega mergers? 13 years ago,

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the pharmaceutical companies Glaxo Wellcome and Smith Kline

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Beecham joined forces to become the But after just a few years,

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one major site was closed. This from our business

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correspondent Richard Bond. The east of England is home to what

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is arguably Europe's most important It boasts more than 250 companies,

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100 medical firms It's all within a bio`tech,

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golden triangle, between London, The jewel in the crown would be

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the new AstraZeneca research and development centre in Cambridge,

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due to open in 2016. But there's an equally

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important jewel in Stevenage. It has the job of developing

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the drugs pipeline of Britain's But behind it is a story

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which illustrates the perils of 13 years ago, Glaxo merged

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with SmithKline Beecham. Glaxo had a major research centre

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in Harlow but after a few years the largest part was closed,

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with the loss of 380 jobs. It shows how difficult it is,

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even with a national merger. It's difficult to make

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commitments in advance. If circumstances call for job cuts,

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it's often Has Harlow's science

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base recovered since? Nobody's replaced GSK,

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but as one of the enterprises, we're trying hard to entice

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companies to relocate here. We're hoping they'll

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eventually be replaced. Harlow still bears the scars

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of a drugs merger. This flagship building

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remains empty. As Pfizer's battle for AstraZeneca

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hots up, Cambridge will be hoping to The MP for Mid`Norfolk, George

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Freeman, is also the government's Earlier today he told me why he

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believes what happens with AstraZeneca is important to

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the whole region. Our region is becoming

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a global centre of 21st century That's great news for us all,

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not just Cambridge. Once we dual the A11 and get the

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Cambridge`Norwich railway going, link up to the Norwich Research

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Park, there is a huge opportunity It's devices, diagnostics,

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manufacturing... Drawing

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on our old manufacturing heritage. The issue here is that these

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companies in the pharmacy sector It's a commercial

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negotiation between them. I think the issue for us in

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government and parliament is whether Pfizer are going to be committing to

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this region, and research in the UK? If they are, I think we can be quite

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relaxed about who owns the company. AstraZeneca itself is already

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a global, multi`national business. The issue is their commitment to

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the UK. What they're buying, actually,

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is the skill of the people here. These worries that they may take

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jobs from Cambridge, Pfizer does have a track record

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in a number of the acquisitions of closing down and making a lot

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of savings. The Prime Minister is stressing

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that ministers want reassurance. That Pfizer are buying AstraZeneca

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for the right reasons. They're buying because

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of their commitment to this new model of 21st century medicine

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design ` embedding in the hospitals, AstraZeneca?s announcement last year

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electrified the global pharmaceutical sector

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and other companies are likely to Provided Pfizer are committed,

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I've been suggesting we ought to sit down with them and flesh out a five

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to ten year research agreement. Let's think

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about how we can help them. If they're investing

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for our patients, that's good. If they're proposing to close

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and move out, that's not. Our political correspondent

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Andrew Sinclair is What's at stake here

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for the region as a whole? This is more than just a story about

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Cambridge. The whole success of British economic policy is based on

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the success of the so`called knowledge economy. We will never be

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able to compete with the likes of China or India. But we are good at

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science and innovation. The last Labour government policy has been

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trying to do as much as possible to encourage innovation and this

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region. If some of the AstraZeneca work starts to go overseas and other

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companies might decide to do the same. That would be bad not just for

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the country but for the region. It was mentioned the up the possibility

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of a deal... How realistic is that? That has been a lot of talk. It has

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not got anywhere. This is in its early stages. We cannot give

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guarantees. No commercial farm with shareholders will want to mock

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itself into a long`term deal with the government. Thank you.

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Detectives in Great Yarmouth have until 8pm tonight to interview three

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teenagers who were arrested after a murder in Hemsby at the weekend.

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20`year`old Connor Barrett was stabbed to death at

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Today, the police said there had been an "encouraging"

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A college in Norfolk has been accused of running a "postcode

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lottery" to attract students from outside its catchment area.

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Paston Sixth Form College in North Walsham has been offering subsidies

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for bus travel worth hundreds of pounds to students who live further

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away, while students who live closer to the college miss out.

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17`year`old Yasmin, studying drama and theatre

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at college, is about to leave home in the village of Gimingham.

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The family can't afford the county's ?463 annual bus pass,

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so they choose to pay ?2.80 a day for the eight mile return journey.

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They're unhappy some students from places

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like Sheringham have been having all of their travel costs met.

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Local people should have the same as everybody else.

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If they're funding transport for some people, they should be

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We've got to pay that money where other people don't.

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We're the same people, going to the same college.

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It shouldn't matter where we're from, and it's really unfair

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for people in the younger years, having to stay on for college.

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18`year`old Chloe, also studying drama, lives nearby

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and has to travel by train to North Walsham because there are no buses.

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I pay ?4.40 for a return ticket every morning.

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If we're at college for 40 weeks a year, that's ?1,000 for the year.

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Norfolk County Council says it has no direct control over what

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The college says a small number of students received a complete

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subsidy for bus travel, and others with more difficult journeys

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It says it's anxious to help students willing to travel

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But the issue has been reviewed and a new policy will be introduced

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A five day weather forecast to make you smile.

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Plus a war`time floral tribute, inspired by the fields of Flanders.

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The government has dropped its strongest hint yet that it is

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taking steps towards upgrading one of the region's busiest roads.

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Campaigners welcomed comments at a Parliamentary debate,

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which could pave the way for dualling of the A47.

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The road runs from Great Yarmouth through Norfolk and Cambridgeshire

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to Peterborough and the Midlands, but less than half is dual

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Today, local MPs raised the state of the road in Parliament and said

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unless it is improved drivers and businesses will continue to

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If ministers had an open cheque`book, perhaps the entire

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stretch of the A47 would be drilled. Realistically, it is not going to

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happen. That said, the government did these local MPs and said that if

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you come back in the autumn I made sure you something that will make

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you smile. For Dennis, an upgrade to the A47

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can't come soon enough. It would save us a good 30,

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45 minutes just to get to the A1. His boss runs 23 lorries

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from his base near King's Lynn. A dual carriageway would improve

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fuel economy On single carriageway,

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our trucks stick to 40mph, It would improve times

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and efficiency. An all too familiar sight,

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the sheer weight And so today, local MPs queued up

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like cars to echo what local An upgrade to this

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over`crowded road. I suggest that he does make sure he

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gets it in place for the We will have completed stage two

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by the end of July and will be ready to make announcements by the end

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of the Autumn Statement. Campaigners say

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the improvements would, within 20 years, generate 10,000 new

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jobs and increase economic output From an economic perspective

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that really is quite expensive. The best we can hope

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for is a section between King's Lynn And perhaps reassure

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safety campaigners. In Norfolk alone last month,

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there was one death and five You do get instances, approaching

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the end of the dual carriageway, When it goes to single,

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there can be collisions. It's ended up with

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fatal consequences. The chancellor outlined in the

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Autumn Statement how much he would pay towards the day of the road. It

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will come just six months before a general election. The money is not

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on the table yet. A week tomorrow, people

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from all over Europe will be casting Those MEPs will represent half

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a billion people. In our region,

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the electorate will include thousands of migrant workers,

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living and paying their way here. vote in the regional poll,

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or cast their vote at home. Today, we spoke to members of

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the Polish community in Peterborough Joanna has been here

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for seven years. Britain has given her

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opportunities Poland never could. One reason why

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our Euro MPs will get her vote. I think I will vote for the British

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list. I've lived here for so many years

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and local matters are more important All EU citizens have the right to

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vote, either in the country they came from, or where they live now,

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making potentially rich pickings Figures show that

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across Peterborough more than 125,000 people can vote

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in the European elections. More than 10,000 have moved here

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from another European country. But half of those said that rather

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than vote in their own country, they At Peterborough's Polish

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ex`servicemen's club, a veteran who settled here after

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the Second World War says it's vital Isn't it better to achieve

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the goal of unity? Instead of on the end of a bomb,

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or by killing people? But as the election draws closer,

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some of the anti`European rhetoric I can't imagine someone would ask me

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to leave the country I can't imagine I could be sent back

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to Poland because I couldn't find myself

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in the country I used to live! A snapshot of the region's tourism

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industry has revealed the highest The latest quarterly report covering

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Suffolk and Norfolk shows that firms are reporting more visits to

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the region, compared to And bookings for the early summer

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are already well up on last year. And all of that means growing

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confidence in an industry, which pumps about ?7 billion into the

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economy of this region every year. If you're looking

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for reasons why this region is such a target for tourism,

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look no further than Lavenham in Suffolk ` recently ranked in the

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top 20 places in the UK to visit. This is Shilling Grange `

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where 'Twinkle, Twinkle, The owner has just started a new B

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here with his wife. All of our guests come here

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and spend money, If you keep the village alive,

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more people come back. It's a ball that's rolling all

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the time. 70 miles away on the coast,

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the holiday giant Warner Leisure Hotels has invested heavily

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in this complex for the over 50s. A large percentage come back for a

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second time so we know they like it. Last year we invested ?2.6

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million and we want to invest The feel good factor isn't

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restricted to just a few. The industry is seeing

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an improvement in positivity. An increase in customer numbers

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and spend. Tourism is worth over ?7

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billion to East Anglia. In cycling, the spectacle of

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the women's tour gave this region publicity and the BBC programme

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Spring Watch should do the same. There is momentum, but to sustain

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it, we need more investment Think of the First World War and one

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symbol springs to mind ` the poppy. A wild flower,

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it grew in Flanders amidst Now a nursery in Norfolk has used

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those same wild flowers to help the people of Guernsey mark

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the centenary of the war. They have sent hundreds

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of plants to the Channel Islands for a special display called

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the Flowers of Flanders. Linda is passionate

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about wild flowers. Her company grows two

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million every year. She was given a brief `

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go to Flanders, find the wild flowers of the trenches, grow them

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and then send them to Guernsey for We've got daisies

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which are flowering all over We also had others flowering

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everywhere, and the poppy. Linda's flowers have found a home

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in St Peter Port, The display was unveiled at the

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weekend by the island's governor, in memory of the 2,000 Guernseymen

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who fought on the Western Front. There are buttercups, daisies,

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thrift and many more. One of the plants we took,

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Heartsease, Its name suggests it was

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meant to heal a broken heart. They would have it in posies

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and grow it in the gardens. Lots of broken hearts

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during the wars! Numbers

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of wild flowers are declining. Linda wants her passion to

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be shared by everyone. You need the plants to have

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the insects and the birds. It's important that they do know,

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otherwise they'll grow up Linda's Guernsey displays aren't

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at their best just yet, A colourful reminder

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of the flowers of Flanders. This is a beautiful scene. Thank you

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for the photograph. It was a chilly start to the day. There was a swing

:23:54.:24:07.

in temperatures. 18 Celsius. It is going to continue to warm up during

:24:08.:24:16.

the week. At some point this week, five Freddy, it will look like some

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places will record highs of 23 Celsius. The cloud should milk away.

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Some chilly temperatures and poisons. Down to 67 Celsius. The

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temperatures are not expected to go quite as more as last night. It is

:24:40.:24:48.

looking like a warm and bright day. There will be a bit more close

:24:49.:24:52.

around, but enjoy the sunshine in the morning. The cloud will tend to

:24:53.:25:02.

build`up. When we get the sunshine in the morning it will make things

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warm up quickly. 17 or 18 degrees. In the afternoon at staying dry and

:25:12.:25:18.

warm. It will be a cloudy. Towards the end of the week there is high

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pressure. It might something is a little cloudy. But it should not

:25:26.:25:33.

spoil the weekend. Before then, someone temperatures. A bit of close

:25:34.:25:41.

building on the afternoon on Saturday. It should be later in the

:25:42.:25:47.

day. Increasing amounts of cloud for Sunday but 31. That sounds lovely.

:25:48.:25:53.

See you tomorrow. Europe. A community of nations

:25:54.:26:22.

which can do no wrong. A perfect brotherhood

:26:23.:26:27.

in which we all share. the benefits are obvious to

:26:28.:26:30.

being in... Hampering a British recovery

:26:31.:26:35.

and harping on about climate change. It's time to get out,

:26:36.:26:42.

it's time to get... It's almost 20 years

:26:43.:26:46.

since we won Eurovision,

:26:47.:26:50.

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