22/03/2017 Look East (West)

Fairer funding for schools but many in our region

There is just not enough money in the pot for the basic

The government has not looked at what it actually costs to

Corby's urgent care centre which treats over

Battle on ice as MK Lightning fight to

And rain lingering this evening and overnight.

It's designed to make education funding fairer -

but the government's new system for allocating money

to schools has been criticised by headteachers in our region.

It's a complex formula - but it'll mean just over nine

-- 900 schools in our patch get more money, and just over five

Broadly speaking schools in Bedford would be the biggest winners -

but those in Luton will lose the most.

And, as Anna Todd reports, even the schools getting a bigger

slice of the budget say they'll be worse off.

Underline the part that you think needs improvement.

An English lesson, how to improve your work.

Something headteachers in Cambridgeshire and

13 other counties are asking the government to do.

They say the new national funding formula may give

historically underfunded schools some extra money but doesn't take

into account the non-negotiable and rising costs that all schools face.

Swavesey Village College has 1270 pupils on its books

and it has an annual budget of ?6 million.

Now, under the new funding formula, it's going to get

But with the non-negotiables, like inflation,

salary increases, national insurance, pensions

and the apprenticeship levy, they're going to lose

And that ?10,000 becomes small change.

The Government has not looked at what it actually costs to run

a school on, you know, at the basic level.

And if you're not in an area of deprivation or have high levels

of deprivation which will enhance the budget to absolutely rightly

allow you to meet those additional pressures, then the amount

that is being proposed is not enough to run a school.

In their joint letter to the government, headteachers

Criticising the government for spending in areas like

grammar school expansion and for assuming schools all

Most schools that I know are working to the bone

in terms of financial efficiency, many schools have made redundancies,

they're looking at their courses they're running,

they're looking at the opportunities they can

offer their children because at the end of the day,

they have to manage and balance their budgets.

In our region, many areas, including Bedford Borough and

Milton Keynes, would see a significant rise in their funding.

But Luton, which is historically well funded, would see all

The Prime Minister this afternoon was

trying to justify it to say that this will really be the most

But this isn't because you're hitting the

poorest families and the poorest areas of the towns and that's

what I think is the total unfairness of whole,

The extra ?10,000 for Swavesey Village College could pay

But with so many other costs in the next few years,

12 teachers could actually be made redundant.

Headteachers say to make this formula work, the education pot

Anna Todd, BBC Look East, Cambridgeshire.

We were hoping to put some of those points to one of our MPs,

but obviously Westminster remains in lockdown tonight due

We do have a statement from the Department for Education.

They say, "School funding is at its highest level on record.

We are consulting schools, governors, local authorities

and parents to make sure we get this formula right, so that every pound

of the investment we make in education has the

And from money for schools to money for health care,

it's been announced that Corby's Urgent Care Centre

is to close next week because, managers say,

But the group that pays for the services says

to run the service which treats over 76,000 patients a year,

It was championed as a beacon of care in an NHS that's struggling to

keep up with patient demand at nearby Kettering Hospital.

But is that beacon about to be extinguished?

Corby's Urgent Care Centre keeps patients out of A

by treating urgent but not critical conditions like fractures.

The number of patients we should be seeing and we're kind of geared

to see is about 140, 147 patients per day

but it has been increasing and that increase has been a steady rise

over a long period of time, with sort of peaks

It is not unusual for us to be seeing in excess

But now a row over funding threatens the service.

Doctors say they're running the centre at a loss,

receiving around ?44 per patient when the NHS

Lakeside, the company that staffs the centre, is adamant its doors

Not so, say local health care bosses.

All we're asking for is the legally accepted minimum tariff

We're not asking for anything else, we're asking for the minimum.

It's a bit like asking for the minimum wage.

I think people who use the service would say it's definitely

Today, patients gave their reaction to the news.

This is the best place they ever opened,

I suffer with a long-term illness anyway so it's handy for me

if I am ill to come down here rather than go to Kettering.

It does serve a good purpose to a lot of people in general,

With just days to resolve this situation, there is

confusion, not only for staff but the estimated 73,000 people

The mother of a baby who died at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital

has told an inquest into his death that had he been given competent

and timely care he would have survived.

Nathalie Aubry-Stacey heard ten month old Leo died

after suffering from a bowel condition which needed surgery.

He was due to be transferred to Great Ormond Street hospital

One of the doctors who treated him told the court his death

was unexpected, and they did all they could to save his life.

A hospital has apologised after it missed opportunities to correctly

diagnose a Wellingborough father who's now dying of bone cancer.

A scan carried out on 34-year-old David Kinnie two years ago,

But his tumour was mistaken for a blood clot.

Experts are now warning of the dangers of late diagnoses.

Throughout his life, Daddy has been ill.

It was only in October last year when it

was too late that doctors found the tumour.

I want to be here to watch my little boy grow up.

I don't want him to look at pictures and not know

For seven years, David has been under the care of the

He was given physiotherapy for a irregular

hip for a year and had two operations cancelled.

Having been together all that time, he and Vikki are planning a wedding.

I want the hospital to recognise that they

It's happening too much, they are missing, they're

For people with cancer and it's not fair.

Documents seen by the BBC indicate an MRI

in January 2015 found the

tumour but it was thought to be a blood clot.

Bone cancers are typically slower growing and

metastasise later on so obviously if we are looking at

possibly, you know, certainly we would hope that David's life

The hospital has apologised unreservedly for the

The trust medical director Professor Meghana Pandit said a full

investigation had looked into the opportunities to find the cancer

She wanted to talk to the family about this and the actions

taken to improve care for all patients.

Bone cancer is rare, only 600 cases a year,

but experts say too often it's diagnosed too late.

A survey showed nearly one in four visited their GP

One in three saw more than four health care

Late diagnosis is quite common for bone cancer patients.

We hear it from our patients and affected family members

quite frequently, unfortunately they could be misdiagnosed

This leads to them being treated incorrectly or prolongs the time

they have to wait for the correct treatment

David is determined to fight for as long as he can to stay

A charity from the region, which works to turn around the lives

of severely bullied children, has won a top national award.

Red Balloon, which has a centre in Cambridge,

was praised for its work helping bullied children recover

Started around a kitchen table 20 years ago, to date, the Red Balloon

charity has helped over 400 children bullied

so badly they are forced to leave school.

This is one of two centres in our region where 11 to

15-year-olds receive specialist teaching and therapy

to rebuild their self-confidence and get back into

Now those lending a helping hand have been

Founded by former Work and Pensions Secretary

the Centre for Social Justice have awarded Red Balloon its

Education, Employment And Skills Award.

It really gives us the credibility to continue.

We know what we're doing, we know we do well

and suddenly somebody has said well done.

And the impact of the centres is clear.

Prior to joining Red Balloon, over 80% of parents

described their child's mental health as very poor.

After enrolment in its recovery programme, that figure fell to 6%.

The idea is to get children ready to return to mainstream

education or take up apprenticeships.

It's about 50% academic work, maths, science,

English, that sort of thing and 50% well-being and therapy set in the

community, our children need to belong.

Locally the charity has seen high demand for its centres

because of the number of young people absent

Now, along with their award, Red Balloon

It's hoped this will allow them to help even more children

Luton-based Easyjet has become the first airline in the UK

to confirm how a cabin baggage ban on laptops and tablets

Passengers coming from Turkey and Egypt will have to put large

They'll also be subject to extra security checks

and are being advised to arrive early at the airport.

That is it from me. Let's join Stewart and Susie.

You are watching Look East with Susie and me.

We are an slightly later tonight because of the terrorism

Stay with us for Alex's regional weather

forecast, and Camilla comes face-to-face with King Charles.

There are fears the number of rough sleepers in Southend could increase.

It's because 20 emergency beds made available through the winter

20 emergency beds for the homeless in Southend, which are available

during the winter, will be withdrawn next week.

That is raising concerns that the situation could get worse.

The highs the resort, the day-trippers know

Homeless charities say they have seen an increase in demand

in the last few years, and at the last count,

back in November, there were just under 50 rough sleepers.

Freezing temperatures can put lives at risk

in Southend, in the winter, 20 extra

emergency beds are set up each night in local churches.

But from next week, those beds won't be available.

Are some of them worried about the fact that those beds are going?

It has been the last two weeks, some of them have been a bit jumpy

We have been trying to reassure them that they would get

Southend Council say the extra beds have been used by more than 140

How many of those do you think are going to end

I'd say about 25 of them will go back on the street.

And, as I say, the people in the winter night shelters deal

that they have failed when that happens because they are

trying to get them to be integrated into society.

But there are a group of them that really don't want to be part

It is their life choice, if you like.

Last summer, squatters occupied a former department

Some predict there will be more squats if homelessness rises.

The town's homeless charity is called Harp.

And it showed me a new centre it is building for women.

The centre has 20 beds, boosting the number Harp can provide to 170.

This is a new facility that will be opened in April this year.

It will be an extension to an existing 18 bedroom night shelter.

Without these guys, that would never have happened.

I can't thank them enough, to be perfectly honest.

Harp, the council and church volunteers say if the number

of rough sleepers here does rise, and they all accept there

is the danger it could, they say they will be doing

everything they can to get them back of the streets.

It's a big night in the ice hockey season, with two

Peterborough Phantoms are at home to Sheffield Steeldogs,

and Milton Keynes Lightning are at home to Swindon Wildcats.

Let's go to Milton Keynes now, and our sports

We are on the ice. It is very noisy. The players are going through their

warm up preparations for the game tonight. It is the start of their

play-off campaign. Things are on the up for the Milton Keynes Lightning.

They won the League Cup final for the first time in their history at

the weekend. When this place gets going, they really raised the roof,

there were 3000 fans here at the weekend and there is a another

late-night tonight. -- weeknight. It is a good time to be a fan

of Milton Keynes Lightning. With their hands on the cup,

it is onto the play-offs. And another chance to win some

precious silverware. It's very, very difficult

to win anything. In this league now,

because it is so competitive. They are giving 110%

on the ice and off the ice. The Lightning have been

on the ice for 15 years now. But never before have

they won the League Cup. That all changed on Sunday

when they beat local rivals It is the trophy we have

never won before. I just wanted to keep the nerves

in the penalty shoot out. It was a nice feeling to score such

an important goal for the club. Last night, supporters

of the Lightning not only A lot of people who see other sports

don't really do this type of thing. It's important for the fans to get

close to the players. It makes you feel more

part of the community. Inside Lightning's dressing room,

mostly British players. And when they are on the ice,

they can hit speeds of 30 mph. Ahead of them, Swindon, Basingstoke

and Hull in the playoffs. With finals weekend in Coventry,

the target next month. We have been following

for five seasons. You know, towards the top

of the table and winning We've got a lovely rink,

a great team, so, yeah, The Lightning have

already struck once. Now, they are charging

for their next piece of silverware. The speed of these players is

something. Let's have a chat to the head coach, Pete Russell. You have

had a great season, haven't you? You need to finish it off in the

play-offs. How easy will it be to win? It is tough. Six games in 12

nights. Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and repeat. We are playing pretty

good, so hopefully we can keep going. Peterborough are also in the

players. You might meet them in the finals? If both teams get there,

there is a good chance of that. We played them, beat them in the final.

I don't think they wed like to play us again. Good luck to the Sheffield

Steeldogs also. The Duchess of Cornwall got

a taste of the future today She came face-to-face

with King Charles. But this was a statue,

and of a King Charles who lived a long time ago -

Charles II. The monarch was known as Old Rowley

and was largely responsible for establishing racing

on the town's heath. The statue is a replica of one which

is at the Old Bailey in London. With a gentle stroke,

the Duchess meets a chameleon at Newmarket Academy's

annual welfare centre. Reading is important

because you wouldn't be able to achieve everyday activities such

as driving a car or going to work. Earlier, she had pupils taking part

in a literacy activity. Meeting the Duchess was really cool

because I've never met In the Forge, she learnt

about the school's close links There was no stage fright on show

as the Duchess was treated to a stage rehearsal

of the forthcoming production She was friendly, she was keen

to talk to the students, And to me, actually,

because I was a bit nervous as well. Then, in torrential rain,

it was onto the Rowley Mile. Where the Duchess unveiled

a statue of King Charles II. Commissioned to mark the home

of horse racing's 350th anniversary. Racing as we know it

wouldn't have started, he was the man who got the rules,

and of course the amazing thing is that the town plate

where we were celebrating 350 years of last year, he actually won

one of the first few It is amazing to think of a monarch

actually riding his own horse In the warm, out of the rain,

there was time to meet the great She asked if I had some nice

horses for the Queen. And as a parting gift,

we gave her a copy of the 350th commemorative edition

of Newmarket Monopoly. So she says she would very much

enjoyed playing that. It was an exciting day

for Newmarket, a town owes much but have become an increasingly

common sight in this country. They are popular for their meat

in countries like Peru. Here they are kept as pets,

or for their beautiful, soft wool. Did you know there

is a national show? where Alpacas from all over

the country compete for things And a small farm in

Cambridgeshire has high hopes Louise Hubball is at

the farm in Cambridgeshire. I am with these two handsome chaps,

very well behaved. They have both entered into the national show. The

white one here, Thorn set, has actually won some of the rosettes

behind me. High hopes for him. The family who breed the alpacas started

reading them because they want to keep the grass down but did not want

to have to mow it. With a heart-shaped noses,

tiny hooves, and bursting with personality, it is not hard

to see the appeal of alpacas. There is the Imperial Thornset,

and cheeky ten-month-old Gabriel. Both are in competition this

weekend, a gentle walk So this helps with,

when we go to the nationals, so that when they go in the ring,

hopefully, they will And they will walk

nicely for the judges. Nicky left a job in IT and started

breeding alpacas three years ago. She now has 11, and this

weekend's competition, the British Alpaca Society's

national show, we'll of the animals go to Shropshire

to vie for top spot. It is just the enjoyment

of going and showing them, and knowing that you have done

really well, and that the animals that you are reading are actually

coming up to what judges expect The main reason that we breed them

is because I am really quite I would like to say no,

but I'd think it probably He was crowned supreme champion

at another show back in October. More and more people

are choosing to keep alpacas. And the herd here is due

to expansion with two mothers to be grazing peacefully

in the spring sunshine. They are beautifully soft. Really

lovely animals. When the judges are doing their bit, they will be

looking at how the alpacas stands. How it walks. And this lovely soft

fleece, the condition of that, and also their teeth. And they will be

shown in paddock condition because it -- and this is meaning they will

be shown how they are and their hooves will not need to be baffled.

Here's the weather. Some bright weather this morning.

Some beautiful sunrise photographs. This one in Norfolk. Then it did go

downhill with clouds and habits of rain. Over all parts of the region.

This is Cambridge and this afternoon. The weather system

responsible visited across this part of the country. Bringing the cloud

and rain which at the moment is still lingering across Norfolk,

Suffolk and Essex. Mainly affecting the East, but pushing westward

through the evening and overnight. Much of the rain should have cleared

by the end of the night, looking necklace posted anything and was the

Magi picture across the region. Temperatures could get lower.

Underneath the clear skies. One or two spots going down lower. Most

places just above freezing. The weather system gets pushed out the

way by high pressure from the north. That will shape our weather for the

next few days. Despite the cloudy start of the day, we should should

see some brightness through the day and sunshine. Eight kina

north-easterly wind will make it feel chilly at times in that wind.

Particularly on the coast itself. Temperatures, highs of 11 Celsius

tomorrow. The wind feeling noticeable, but easing down as the

day goes on. A fine afternoon with some good spells and sunshine. As we

look ahead to the weekend, high pressure is going to dominate. It

will stay with us into next week, so we can expect fine, settled,

springlike weather for the weekend and beyond. Having said that, even

though the temperatures will be around 12 degrees by day with good

spells of sunshine, under clear skies it will mean chilly nights. In

the country so, it could get a bit cooler than that. A brisk breeze

tomorrow. But those winds easing as we go through the rest of the week

and into the weekend. The Prime Minister is hosting

a meeting of the Cobra Committee - the crisis response committee -

following a terrorist Four people - including a police

officer - have been killed. At least 20 more have been badly

injured after a car crashed into pedestrians on

Westminster Bridge. And the Assistant Chief Constable of

Essex, anti-profit, has sent his condolences. And there will be

increased police presence in Essex including armed officers until

further notice.