:00:00. > :00:00.and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.
:00:00. > :00:07.Too far, too fast - the businesses in our region facing
:00:08. > :00:24.Don't mind a small raise, but to rise it
:00:25. > :00:26.almost pay 50% in one fell swoop is really unfair.
:00:27. > :00:28.And will, you know, stop small businesses from
:00:29. > :00:31.Would banning fast food outlets near schools bring
:00:32. > :00:34.Milton Keynes wants to give it a try.
:00:35. > :00:37.The transport of the future that never got off the ground -
:00:38. > :00:40.the Hover Train tested in the Fens in the '60s.
:00:41. > :00:43.And I am here in Northampton, where a multi-million
:00:44. > :00:48.pound redevelopment of the museum has become.
:00:49. > :00:59.First tonight - prices will go up and
:01:00. > :01:04.investment will go down - the verdict of one small business
:01:05. > :01:09.in our region whose business rates are set to almost double.
:01:10. > :01:11.Jane Thorpe-Codman runs Holiday Lets and -
:01:12. > :01:14.along with many shops and traders - rising property prices mean she'll
:01:15. > :01:17.It's the first reassessment of business rates for seven years,
:01:18. > :01:20.but the speed and fairness of the change is already
:01:21. > :01:28.It's the start of another busy season for Jacqueline
:01:29. > :01:33.Deep in any Northamptonshire countryside, they are preparing
:01:34. > :01:43.Well, we have a family of three coming in.
:01:44. > :01:45.The tourism trade is the Tories the fickle.
:01:46. > :01:48.With her annual business rates set to rise by over ?7,000,
:01:49. > :01:54.And it is frustrating because I want to make sure that,
:01:55. > :01:57.when they open the door, they are impressed by what they see.
:01:58. > :02:03.I can't suddenly increase prices by, say, ?100 for a weekend,
:02:04. > :02:05.because it is going to stop people wanting to book.
:02:06. > :02:08.Any business which operates out of a property has to pay tax.
:02:09. > :02:11.The amount they pay depends on how much rent could be charged.
:02:12. > :02:17.And with eight cottages to let, Jane's bill will increase.
:02:18. > :02:24.Life is sweeter, however, in Bedford.
:02:25. > :02:27.The Arcadia sweet shop has been in the family for over one century.
:02:28. > :02:31.For the first time in years, her business rate is set to be slashed,
:02:32. > :02:39.It could help us keep on top of bills.
:02:40. > :02:41.Probably help us to source new supplies of stuff,
:02:42. > :02:44.which you find because you are not given long to pay for your stock,
:02:45. > :02:49.We can only buy ours about four weeks before Easter.
:02:50. > :02:51.Like many small businesses, the Arcadia has to keep
:02:52. > :02:57.It is a dilemma faced by countless traders.
:02:58. > :03:00.75% of our members say their business rates is one
:03:01. > :03:02.of the top three issues facing their business.
:03:03. > :03:05.The concern for them is the cost of doing business going up
:03:06. > :03:08.and the average micro business, that is fewer than ten employees,
:03:09. > :03:14.says that their average amount they will be playing in business
:03:15. > :03:20.With her tax bill set to double, Jane's plans to expand
:03:21. > :03:26.Dreams of bigger profits now on the back burner.
:03:27. > :03:28.Our political reporter Tom Barton is here.
:03:29. > :03:31.Tom, what's the picture like across the whole region?
:03:32. > :03:38.there are winners and losers from this change to business rates.
:03:39. > :03:41.And because the changes are based on property values,
:03:42. > :03:45.there are significant differences around our region.
:03:46. > :03:52.the average rates paid by businesses will fall.
:03:53. > :03:54.In South Cambridgeshire, it will stay the same.
:03:55. > :03:58.While businesses in East Cambridgeshire and Cambridge
:03:59. > :04:05.The biggest fall - an average of 13% -
:04:06. > :04:09.While Cambridge will see the biggest rise,
:04:10. > :04:13.businesses will see an average reduction of 7%
:04:14. > :04:19.But these figures don't tell the whole story.
:04:20. > :04:23.Because there is big variation street-by-street.
:04:24. > :04:25.So while some businesses will stop paying rates altogether,
:04:26. > :04:31.And those discrepancies have got ministers in trouble,
:04:32. > :04:32.with Welwyn Hatfield's Conservative MP Grant Shapps
:04:33. > :04:36.The truth is that, overall, across the country, it
:04:37. > :04:40.Quite a lot of that will come from our area.
:04:41. > :04:43.Yes, there are some places that will see reductions.
:04:44. > :04:46.There are some places that, unfortunately, will see rises.
:04:47. > :04:51.It would be much better to be upfront about that,
:04:52. > :04:53.rather than pretending to everyone that everyone's going to receive
:04:54. > :04:59.The political row over this is unlikely to go away.
:05:00. > :05:02.With Philip Hammond's first budget just weeks away,
:05:03. > :05:04.campaigners hope they can force a U-turn over these changes.
:05:05. > :05:07.There is, though, a danger for the Government there
:05:08. > :05:11.if they reverse the changes altogether.
:05:12. > :05:13.While businesses facing a raise will be happy,
:05:14. > :05:15.there would inevitably be an outcry from those,
:05:16. > :05:26.Health bosses in Hertfordshire say a decision to cut over ?8 million
:05:27. > :05:28.of additional funding for adult social care
:05:29. > :05:34.The County Council had been due to formally refer the
:05:35. > :05:36.Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group to the Health Secretary
:05:37. > :05:44.The CCG says it will now review the issue at a meeting next week.
:05:45. > :05:46.A Northamptonshire police officer has gone on trial accused of raping
:05:47. > :05:51.a 17-year-old girl he was supposed to be helping.
:05:52. > :05:55.28-year-old PC Declan Gabriel is also charged with two counts
:05:56. > :05:58.He denies all the charges against him.
:05:59. > :06:04.28-year-old PC Declan Gabriel arrives at Northampton Crown Court
:06:05. > :06:08.The Northamptonshire police officer was on a night shift in September
:06:09. > :06:14.2015 when the incidents allegedly took place.
:06:15. > :06:16.Today in court, the prosecution outlined their case
:06:17. > :06:23.They say it was around 4:30 in the morning, PC Gabriel
:06:24. > :06:25.was despatched to a house in Northampton, where a 17-year-old
:06:26. > :06:30.girl had been thrown out of her home after an argument with her mother.
:06:31. > :06:34.The jury was told that PC Gabriel drove her off in his police car -
:06:35. > :06:37.ostensibly to find somewhere for her to stay.
:06:38. > :06:39.During their two hours they were together,
:06:40. > :06:48.The prosecution says that this is where he committed
:06:49. > :06:51.Later, she was driven to the Counties Crematorium,
:06:52. > :06:56.It's claimed he performed another sexual assault.
:06:57. > :06:59.Then, it's alleged, he forced her to have sex with him.
:07:00. > :07:01.This afternoon, the girl has been giving evidence in court.
:07:02. > :07:05.The defence accused her of changing her story,
:07:06. > :07:08.but she denied lying and said that if she had
:07:09. > :07:10.resisted him more, it would have been worse for her.
:07:11. > :07:15.PC Gabriel denies all the charges and claims
:07:16. > :07:23.Martin Borley, BBC Look East, Northampton Crown Court.
:07:24. > :07:25.Next - would banning fast food outlets from opening up near schools
:07:26. > :07:32.Well, Milton Keynes council seems to think so.
:07:33. > :07:35.They have a new plan for the town and tackling obesity is a priority,
:07:36. > :07:41.as Nicola Haseler has been finding out.
:07:42. > :07:48.As these children start their life in primary school at the age of
:07:49. > :07:53.four, one in five of them is already overweight or obese. But by the time
:07:54. > :07:59.they leave and join secondary school, that figure has risen to one
:08:00. > :08:09.in three. What are your favourite school lunches? Pizza. Jacket
:08:10. > :08:18.potato. Fish fingers and chips. She's on my sandwich. Like I had
:08:19. > :08:22.today. Chips. And beans. Tonight, Milton Keynes Council will consider
:08:23. > :08:28.a plan to ban new fast-food outlets from opening up near to schools. The
:08:29. > :08:33.plan an exclusion zone of 400 metres around both primary and secondary
:08:34. > :08:37.schools. Fast-food outlets have their price. It has to be regulated.
:08:38. > :08:44.Children cannot go their day in and day. Once a week for that type of
:08:45. > :08:47.food is fine. Do have that everyday is not a healthy diet. Down there is
:08:48. > :08:52.the primary school where we have just been. At the end of this
:08:53. > :08:55.alleyway, the secondary school. Right behind a fast-food shop that
:08:56. > :09:00.is full of schoolchildren at the end of school day. It is places like
:09:01. > :09:05.these that will no longer be able to exist within 400 metres of any
:09:06. > :09:09.school. If these plans go ahead. I think they shouldn't have fast-food
:09:10. > :09:12.centres near to the school. It is not having a good effect on the
:09:13. > :09:16.children. I think that's fantastic. I don't think it should be easy to
:09:17. > :09:21.step out of your house and grab it. I am a big fast-food eater. It is
:09:22. > :09:32.silly, I guess. But with seven out of ten adults in the Tim Kaine is
:09:33. > :09:35.being overweight, the council says it has to make changes. Milton
:09:36. > :09:37.Keynes has a higher than average obesity level in adults. We want to
:09:38. > :09:40.make sure our children are growing up healthy. The cost of publicity
:09:41. > :09:43.and all of those illnesses associated with being overweight
:09:44. > :09:46.would be a challenge for the local authority. Have to put plans in
:09:47. > :09:51.place to make sure people have the option to make good choices in their
:09:52. > :09:53.lives. If the exclusion zone goes ahead, it won't affect fast-food
:09:54. > :09:55.outlets already in place. Well, MK's fast food
:09:56. > :09:58.restrictions have been welcomed Tam Fry from the organisation
:09:59. > :10:02.joined me to explain. A lot of boroughs in
:10:03. > :10:08.the East End of London started this trend
:10:09. > :10:12.about six years ago. The problem, however,
:10:13. > :10:14.is it is very difficult. Local councils find
:10:15. > :10:21.that very difficult. But ones like Milton Keynes
:10:22. > :10:24.who have made that decision should be encouraged
:10:25. > :10:26.to stick with it. Because in the end, it is a good
:10:27. > :10:28.decision they've made. Surely, there is some work
:10:29. > :10:31.for the schools to do Why are children leaving school
:10:32. > :10:34.grounds to go and get unhealthy food, when surely
:10:35. > :10:39.there are options in school? The options so far have
:10:40. > :10:41.been pretty laggedly. But there has been great impetus
:10:42. > :10:45.to produce, if you will, a good meal The schools are now
:10:46. > :10:50.obliged, in my opinion, to produce food which will encourage
:10:51. > :10:53.children not to opt out of school, but to stay in and have their lunch
:10:54. > :10:56.with their colleagues in Good food perhaps needs
:10:57. > :11:05.a little help You need to have a cook or a
:11:06. > :11:10.head chef who really does think about what it is he or she is
:11:11. > :11:13.putting into the food. After a period of time -
:11:14. > :11:16.and it does take a little time - if it is good and
:11:17. > :11:19.nutritious and fun to eat, children There must be a lot of work
:11:20. > :11:26.for parents as well. Children take quite
:11:27. > :11:28.a lot of cues from them. And eat a lot of meals
:11:29. > :11:31.at home, don't they? Of course, the home environment
:11:32. > :11:34.has to be sorted out. Also, there is evidence
:11:35. > :11:36.to show that the children are now taking the good
:11:37. > :11:38.messages home. Saying to parents, if you will,
:11:39. > :11:41.this is what we had at school. We don't want the junk
:11:42. > :11:43.you normally serve us. Will you serve us
:11:44. > :11:46.with good food at home? Again, you have the
:11:47. > :11:48.education of the parents being taught by their own children
:11:49. > :11:55.and getting the signals from them. The A6 - around, Rothwell -
:11:56. > :11:57.is now likely to stay closed until at least
:11:58. > :11:59.the end of April. The road was shut in January
:12:00. > :12:02.after problems were found at a bridge that takes
:12:03. > :12:04.it over the River Ise. Now, similar issues have been
:12:05. > :12:06.found on another bridge Now, here is more news, sport and
:12:07. > :12:29.weather from around the east. And "the train that
:12:30. > :12:32.floats in the sky". Rare pictures of a space-age railway
:12:33. > :12:44.with a test track in the Fens. It is nearly three months now
:12:45. > :12:47.since free range poultry flocks were shut indoors, to try to prevent
:12:48. > :12:49.the spread of bird flu. Next week, birds in some places
:12:50. > :12:52.will be allowed out, while others in so-called high risk
:12:53. > :12:58.areas will have to stay inside. Today, an expert in bird
:12:59. > :13:00.migration told Look East that the risk of bird flu could
:13:01. > :13:03.continue all through the summer. But first, our environment reporter
:13:04. > :13:20.Richard Daniel reports. It is an industry which has been in
:13:21. > :13:27.lockdown since December. Thousands of prods potentially at risk from
:13:28. > :13:35.the strain of bird flu kept indoors. If they had to stay indoors, many
:13:36. > :13:45.producers fear they will lose a lot of stock. It is not going away. Last
:13:46. > :13:55.week, confirmation of the first case in the region. Some vets believe
:13:56. > :14:06.that firearms closest to the water remain at the greatest risk. Why is
:14:07. > :14:14.that? It attracts many whale barbs. Politically, ducks. They believed
:14:15. > :14:22.docs are one of the most important characters -- carriers. From the end
:14:23. > :14:29.of the month, certain to certain conditions, barbs will be allowed
:14:30. > :14:32.out once again if they are in the wake area on this map. Those on the
:14:33. > :14:45.red areas will have to remain indoors. But many farmers are
:14:46. > :14:50.unconvinced. They see that no media is completely safe. -- area.
:14:51. > :14:53.Dr Andy Musgrove is from the British Trust for Ornithology.
:14:54. > :14:55.Late this afternoon, I asked him which wild birds
:14:56. > :15:10.Most of the whale barbs that have been found to have it in the United
:15:11. > :15:18.Kingdom have been water-based barbs, like ducks, geese and swans. But
:15:19. > :15:24.that is maybe because only larger birds are more likely to be
:15:25. > :15:32.detected. So it is not likely to be songbirds, the smaller ones? That is
:15:33. > :15:44.not thought likely. He did not give phone carrying disease. It is mostly
:15:45. > :15:48.thought to be more prevalent in water birds. These are large barbs
:15:49. > :16:01.which are congregating in large numbers. These other situations in
:16:02. > :16:09.which evaders can multiply. A lot of things going to change over the next
:16:10. > :16:18.few years? It is a disease which has been with us for many years. It is
:16:19. > :16:25.simply that the strain of it has changed, in the same way as the
:16:26. > :16:32.strain of the likes of influenza virus changes. It is not going to go
:16:33. > :16:37.be any time soon. People treat industry is really going to have to
:16:38. > :16:41.think about what this means. Thank you very much for joining us.
:16:42. > :16:43.A simple wooden frame that allows people with multiple
:16:44. > :16:49.It costs just a few hundred pounds, but some people say it has
:16:50. > :16:52.At the moment, the frame is not available on the NHS.
:16:53. > :16:55.So, a physiotherapist from Norfolk is setting up a national trial
:16:56. > :16:58.Our health reporter Nikki Fox visited one patient,
:16:59. > :17:22.A simple frame, but one which is read a real difference to Linda and
:17:23. > :17:28.Robert. She was diagnosed with MS six years into the marriage. That
:17:29. > :17:34.was 30 years ago. Last year, she could not walk, but the addition of
:17:35. > :17:42.this wooden frame has made all their change. I am able to feel my body
:17:43. > :17:50.again, not just been swamped in a cheer. You do not realise what you
:17:51. > :17:56.lose. It has made me feel a normal person again. The frames cost ?500
:17:57. > :18:01.and are used in the national rail service for patients with spinal
:18:02. > :18:10.problems. But for them to be made available to MS sufferers, they have
:18:11. > :18:17.to be proven to be effective. That is why a clinician is doing a
:18:18. > :18:24.project involving 70 sufferers of MS. We want to use interventions
:18:25. > :18:32.which have been effective. The only way we can do that is to conduct a
:18:33. > :18:43.random trial. The couple travelled a lot in the marriage. The weather was
:18:44. > :18:48.so bad. Last year, the council do cruise because Brenda could not
:18:49. > :18:53.manage it. But thanks to the frame improving muscle strength, the
:18:54. > :18:57.cruisers once again on the cards. It is amazing the difference between
:18:58. > :19:05.this time last year. She has a totally different person. Just a
:19:06. > :19:11.simple piece of equipment like that can do so much. The trial still
:19:12. > :19:20.needs more volunteers. If results show the difference is noticeable,
:19:21. > :19:24.they could be available for sufferers of MS on the national
:19:25. > :19:27.Health Service. When Northampton Borough Council
:19:28. > :19:29.decided to sell an Egyptian statue called Sekhemka,
:19:30. > :19:31.the story made headlines They may have made ?8 million,
:19:32. > :19:35.but they had broken the golden rule of museums - never sell
:19:36. > :19:37.off your prize exhibits. But the council
:19:38. > :19:38.ploughed on regardless and is reinvesting
:19:39. > :19:40.a lot of the money to build an extension
:19:41. > :19:42.to its museum and art gallery. While the work is carried out,
:19:43. > :19:45.the museum is being packed up, to keep everything safe.
:19:46. > :19:58.This from Louise Hubball. Packing away more than 12,000 shoes.
:19:59. > :20:09.These include Queen Victoria 's shoes from 1840. In more recent
:20:10. > :20:18.additions from the film Kinky Boots. The museum is about to go on a ?14
:20:19. > :20:21.million refurbishment programme. It will of the new extension. This
:20:22. > :20:28.piece will be larger and brighter and more of a journey through time.
:20:29. > :20:37.It is how the council raise the money to pay for it which was
:20:38. > :20:41.controversial. It sure -- sold off a 4000 -year-old Egyptian statue,
:20:42. > :20:47.attracting widespread condemnation. They lost the arts Council
:20:48. > :20:54.accreditation in process. How far has the reputation of the museum
:20:55. > :20:59.been damaged? It has been. We are trying to improve the relationship
:21:00. > :21:06.again. Obviously, that what we're doing, they Babel CBI reinvesting
:21:07. > :21:10.the money. It will be a real asset for the tone. Everyone is focused on
:21:11. > :21:18.getting the museum packed up so the extension work can begin. The Stone
:21:19. > :21:31.Age and Roman section is top of the list for being catalogued. I have
:21:32. > :21:37.got the number. Coming along with Adam is his support worker, I get to
:21:38. > :21:41.support his rule being involved with the objects and the history of
:21:42. > :21:47.Northampton. They are looking for more volunteers to help with the
:21:48. > :21:52.move. It is expected to reopen to the public in automotive X year. --
:21:53. > :21:55.autumn of next year. The Swinging Sixties
:21:56. > :21:57.were an age of change. The Hovertrain was dubbed "the train
:21:58. > :22:07.that floats in the sky" - a space-age passenger vehicle that
:22:08. > :22:10.would eventually take people It was tested in the Fens until
:22:11. > :22:19.the government withdrew funding. Now, archaeologists
:22:20. > :22:21.at Cambridge University have made a film about this
:22:22. > :22:37.very strange project. It is a little rough around the
:22:38. > :22:49.edges, but that is a certain majesty about the Hovertrain. It was hot
:22:50. > :22:59.news in the 1960s. It was tested on he may track on the Fens. Built in
:23:00. > :23:07.the swinging 60s. There was a great advances in technology. The idea was
:23:08. > :23:15.gay did land transport, which was going to be the future. The vision
:23:16. > :23:28.was that the Hovertrain would run alongside the normal railway. See
:23:29. > :23:32.separate routes had been calculated. 150 people were working on the
:23:33. > :23:40.project, some of them the best scientists in the country. The
:23:41. > :23:52.government through ?5.5 million at the project. But costs spiralled as
:23:53. > :23:58.the support structure was unable to keep up. The story captured the
:23:59. > :24:06.imagination of local archaeologist, Christopher. It was almost like
:24:07. > :24:13.nature fighting back. Something is probably could've been resolved with
:24:14. > :24:21.a more effort. But it all added to the suspense. Everyone was very
:24:22. > :24:29.excited. When they heard it was going to close, everyone involved
:24:30. > :24:35.and it was in tears. At the cost of ?6,000, it was brought to
:24:36. > :24:43.Peterborough. A team of volunteers are doing their best to care for the
:24:44. > :24:50.landmark carnage. I wonder we're everyone would set? You did not get
:24:51. > :25:05.a chance to go in it? Not at the tame. -- tame.
:25:06. > :25:16.Good evening. Despite the predictions of a lot of cloud, there
:25:17. > :25:30.was a bit of sunshine alone. Changes are under way. The cloud stand too
:25:31. > :25:36.patchy rain and drizzle for of us. Mainly dry for most of us this
:25:37. > :25:45.evening, however. It temperatures for this time of year, again, very
:25:46. > :25:54.mild. The wind building for tomorrow. This will bring a band of
:25:55. > :26:00.rain across the region. It could remain for much of the day. Quite
:26:01. > :26:09.windy, particularly in the morning. Some of that rain could be a Navy
:26:10. > :26:17.side. Some parts may be lucky enough to avoid it altogether. Despite all
:26:18. > :26:29.that, temperatures still comfortably in double figures. 12-13 C. As you
:26:30. > :26:33.may have here, Storm Doris is heading, really on Thursday. That
:26:34. > :26:44.means strong wind across much of the country. There will be a yellow
:26:45. > :26:50.warning across our region. It could be some serious disruption because
:26:51. > :26:56.of the wind. Northants, Norfolk and parts of North Cambs. Keep
:26:57. > :27:08.up-to-date in the next couple of days, there could be gusts of up to
:27:09. > :27:18.70-80 mph. So, very mixed bag for all this week. Expect some rain
:27:19. > :27:31.associated with a low pressure on Thursday. Things are becoming much
:27:32. > :27:36.more calm on Friday. A court date falling on Friday. Thing is
:27:37. > :27:45.beginning to turn slightly more mild come the weekend. Did you make it
:27:46. > :27:54.into the 60s? Just buy one week. Nawal El Saadawi,
:27:55. > :28:02.the world-renowned Egyptian author