:00:09. > :00:10.In Look East tonight, over budget and now out of pocket.
:00:11. > :00:13.How Corby Cube left the council facing multi-million pound losses.
:00:14. > :00:15.And experts suggest radical solutions to the mental health
:00:16. > :00:18.And a cloudier forecast expected for tomorrow.
:00:19. > :00:36.A ?13 million overspend is bring written off
:00:37. > :00:39.by Corby Borough Council, who today admitted that they will not
:00:40. > :00:43.Building the Corby Cube cost the tax payer ?48 million pounds in total
:00:44. > :00:46.But opposition councillors say the council
:00:47. > :00:49."lost control of the project". Stuart Ratcliffe reports.
:00:50. > :00:52.The Cube is now as much a Corby icon as The Steel Man,
:00:53. > :00:57.After years of wrangling, the council has now decided
:00:58. > :01:03.it has no chance of clawing back the ?13 million overspend.
:01:04. > :01:05.The Labour administration managed the Cube project appallingly.
:01:06. > :01:07.The Cube board was led entirely by them.
:01:08. > :01:10.They lost control of the project and allowed costs to spiral.
:01:11. > :01:11.We will now not recover those overspend costs,
:01:12. > :01:14.which is an enormous loss to the taxpayers of Corby
:01:15. > :01:21.Nearly seven years after the Cube opened, parts of this building have
:01:22. > :01:25.The top floor was originally supposed to be a restaurant.
:01:26. > :01:27.Then, plans were revealed for it to be turned into
:01:28. > :01:32.offices, but no-one has moved in yet.
:01:33. > :01:34.Corby Borough Council did not want to speak to the media today.
:01:35. > :01:38.In a previous statement, they have said they believe
:01:39. > :01:40.there were failings with a number of parties connected
:01:41. > :01:45.But they have been advised that there is is insufficient
:01:46. > :01:48.evidence to show that the conduct of those parties was the sole
:01:49. > :01:52.Not surprisingly, news of the multi-million pound write-off
:01:53. > :01:59.They could have spent the money on more housing and helping
:02:00. > :02:04.They do not need a big shiny building like that, do they?
:02:05. > :02:07.I think there should be a full-scale enquiry into this, as to why.
:02:08. > :02:14.They just seem to use people's money in any way they want.
:02:15. > :02:15.In 2015, the council admitted miistakes,
:02:16. > :02:17.but said that lessons had been learned.
:02:18. > :02:21.They had this to say about large-scale building programmes.
:02:22. > :02:24.There are not too many major construction projects which come
:02:25. > :02:26.in on time and on budget all the time.
:02:27. > :02:34.But it is unfortunaste when it does happen.
:02:35. > :02:36.And there are plenty of examples to back up that claim.
:02:37. > :02:40.The Cambridgeshire guided bus was meant to cost ?116 million,
:02:41. > :02:48.and was over ?60 million over budget.
:02:49. > :02:50.The Luton-Dunstable guided bus was again late and over
:02:51. > :02:57.And Delapre Abbey in Northampton, orginally budgeted for ?6.3 million.
:02:58. > :03:03.Now, almost ?1.5 million extra has had to be found.
:03:04. > :03:04.And, finally, a solar farm near Peterborough.
:03:05. > :03:07.Over ?2 million was spent on preliminary work, but then,
:03:08. > :03:14.Back in Corby, most agree that the Cube is the centrepiece
:03:15. > :03:17.of the town's regeneration, but it raises the question of whether
:03:18. > :03:19.a small council, like Corby, could or should, undertake
:03:20. > :03:32.So, why do councils overspend like this?
:03:33. > :03:34.I asked an expert in local government, from the London School
:03:35. > :03:38.of Economics, Professor Tony Travers.
:03:39. > :03:41.Well, of course, big projects do not come around very often,
:03:42. > :03:43.so whereas councils will be relaying roads or
:03:44. > :03:48.putting up streetlights or mending schools, in some cases,
:03:49. > :03:51.quite regularly, they will not be doing that with major theatres
:03:52. > :03:53.and equivalent big projects very often and there is just always
:03:54. > :03:56.the risk that the skills they need to do that are less present
:03:57. > :04:08.Is it also that council offices, or councillors, are also
:04:09. > :04:10.not fully qualified to deal with the financial arrangements
:04:11. > :04:14.necessary for these large-scale projects?
:04:15. > :04:19.I think, in fairness to councils, they often get it right.
:04:20. > :04:22.But sometimes they get it wrong. We have seen examples of tramways
:04:23. > :04:27.that run over budget or big libraries and so on.
:04:28. > :04:30.But central government also gets them wrong at scale, as well,
:04:31. > :04:34.So, there is a wider public sector problem here,
:04:35. > :04:37.but occasionally, councils do get it wrong and not only
:04:38. > :04:44.Is there enough good-quality advice available to councils
:04:45. > :04:48.when they have taken on this kind of thing?
:04:49. > :04:51.The question of advice is a crucial one, because obviously councils do
:04:52. > :04:53.seek advice from various companies who are used to big construction
:04:54. > :05:01.The problem may be, of course, that all of the advisory industry,
:05:02. > :05:04.at some level, has a vested interest in big projects going ahead.
:05:05. > :05:08.So, getting really good advice and keeping the project motoring,
:05:09. > :05:10.when, in the end, the taxpayer can always step in,
:05:11. > :05:17.is more difficult than, say, you or me getting
:05:18. > :05:23.some work done on our house, for example.
:05:24. > :05:25.Is it sometimes deliberate, in the case of councils,
:05:26. > :05:29.setting a low price mark, to get approval from fellow
:05:30. > :05:32.councillors councils and to make it more palatable for the public,
:05:33. > :05:36.but you know know it is going to be over that and there will not be
:05:37. > :05:38.Certainly, in some big national projects,
:05:39. > :05:42.national government projects now, the UK Treasury insists
:05:43. > :05:47.on calculating a so-called "optimism bias" -
:05:48. > :05:51.that there is a risk in coming up with the figures for a project
:05:52. > :05:55.that there is an under-statement of cost.
:05:56. > :05:58.The public sector is trying to do something about that now,
:05:59. > :06:01.to make sure they do not run over budget.
:06:02. > :06:04.So, yes, there is a risk that, in an attempt to get
:06:05. > :06:06.a particular project started, that councils may understate
:06:07. > :06:10.Should local authorities with a lower council tax take
:06:11. > :06:13.lower their expectations and not take on these big projects?
:06:14. > :06:15.The difficulty is that councils, who have the
:06:16. > :06:23.for ensuring it is attractive to look at, has good facilities and has
:06:24. > :06:26.things that makes people want to go there, to invest in business and to
:06:27. > :06:31.live there, do have to undertake these projects from time to time.
:06:32. > :06:33.We would not have town centres, if this had not
:06:34. > :06:38.The difficulty is that they are infrequent,
:06:39. > :06:42.these big projects, and, therefore, often, the expertise is lacking,
:06:43. > :06:44.not only in the council, but even sometimes in some
:06:45. > :06:46.of the big companies that advise councils,
:06:47. > :06:48.because this particular project, in the one place, may be
:06:49. > :07:00.Northampton Town Football Club says a "big step" has been taken
:07:01. > :07:02.towards resuming work on the club's East Stand.
:07:03. > :07:05.The stand was to be redeveloped, using a multi-million pound loan
:07:06. > :07:07.from Northampton Borough Council, but little work was done
:07:08. > :07:09.and the project is being investigated by
:07:10. > :07:13.Tonight, the club said a legal deal has been reached over a parcel
:07:14. > :07:15.of land at Sixfields, between the company
:07:16. > :07:17.that owns it, which went into liquidation in 2015,
:07:18. > :07:26.and administrators and those owed money by this company.
:07:27. > :07:28.A human rights committee heard evidence today on how best
:07:29. > :07:30.to manage mental health problems within our prisons.
:07:31. > :07:32.Last year, a record number of people killed themselves
:07:33. > :07:34.in jails across England and Wales and Woodhill Prison
:07:35. > :07:37.in Milton Keynes had the highest suicide rate of them all,
:07:38. > :07:45.Diagnosed with schizophrenia and dead before the age of 30.
:07:46. > :07:47.Kevin Scarlett was on remand when he took
:07:48. > :07:50.his own life at Woodhill Prison - a victim of the services inability
:07:51. > :07:57.The jail was criticised for failing to assess him properly.
:07:58. > :08:02.was, at the time, echoed by his family.
:08:03. > :08:04.Nobody actually believes that he wanted to kill himself.
:08:05. > :08:07.The prison guards should have found him,
:08:08. > :08:09.should have treated him medically and, then,
:08:10. > :08:19.The Milton Keynes prison has the highest suicide rate
:08:20. > :08:22.Today, those statistics were pored over by
:08:23. > :08:24.a cross-party committee looking into why prisons are failing
:08:25. > :08:32.Anyone with mental health issues is going to become a lot more
:08:33. > :08:35.ill by being in prison, because of the nature of prison
:08:36. > :08:38.Even those people who enter prison without mental health
:08:39. > :08:41.issues, I think you're looking at the large amount of time kept
:08:42. > :08:48.You only need to talk to people about how that can
:08:49. > :08:50.One solution proposed is to introduce
:08:51. > :08:58.more heaslthcare workers into the prison system.
:08:59. > :09:09.In a visit to the region earlier, the Justice Secretary announced an
:09:10. > :09:13.extra ?100 million to employ more staff. But that does not go far
:09:14. > :09:23.enough, according to one of the witnesses today.
:09:24. > :09:25.People who have reoffended because of their mental
:09:26. > :09:28.health issues may have to be in a more secure environment.
:09:29. > :09:30.We might be better dedicating a prison for these individuals
:09:31. > :09:32.and have people trained to deal specifically with them,
:09:33. > :09:35.rather than have the situation now where they are part
:09:36. > :09:45.Campaigners want urgent action, but the government says that solving the
:09:46. > :09:46.mental health crisis within the prison service could take many
:09:47. > :09:51.years. Passenger numbers at Luton Airport
:09:52. > :09:53.grew by 19% last month, compared to the same period last
:09:54. > :09:56.year, marking nearly three years Over one million people used
:09:57. > :09:59.the airport in February. Plans have now been submitted
:10:00. > :10:02.for a new light rail link that will connect the airport terminal
:10:03. > :10:04.with the rail station, which the airport predicts
:10:05. > :10:06.will increase annual passenger We can catch up with the latest
:10:07. > :10:10.weather outlook now, Temperatures hit 18 Celsius in some
:10:11. > :10:17.parts of the region today. It will be cooler tomorrow,
:10:18. > :10:19.with more cloud. At the moment, we have clear
:10:20. > :10:21.sky and it is expected to turn quite misty
:10:22. > :10:24.as we go through the night. Some cloud coming through
:10:25. > :10:26.from the west later. These are the sort of values
:10:27. > :10:29.we can expect overnight. Around 6-7 Celsius, with a light,
:10:30. > :10:31.south-westerly wind. Tomorrow, things should get
:10:32. > :10:33.off to a bright start, We have got this weather front
:10:34. > :10:37.coming in from the north-west and that will turn things cloudier
:10:38. > :10:39.as the day progresses. It could also bring
:10:40. > :10:41.us some patchy rain. But early brightness
:10:42. > :10:43.and sunshine to start with. But more cloud piling
:10:44. > :10:45.in from the west and, Temperatures for tomorrow,
:10:46. > :10:50.around 10-11 Celsius for most of us and more of a noticeable breeze
:10:51. > :10:52.coming from the south-west. The national forecast is coming up,
:10:53. > :10:55.but here is the outlook. A cold night, Thursday
:10:56. > :10:56.night into Friday. A lot more cloud around
:10:57. > :10:59.during the day on Friday. Rain arriving later
:11:00. > :11:04.and an unsettled weekend. it stays dry I will be surprised.
:11:05. > :11:18.Here is Nick with the national headlines.
:11:19. > :11:24.For large parts of Wales and England there was blue sky and warmth.
:11:25. > :11:34.Warmest day of the year, a clumsy way of saying the UK had the highest
:11:35. > :11:39.temperature of the year so far. There have been big contrasts. Some
:11:40. > :11:41.of that misty, murky weather to the south-west is advancing across other
:11:42. > :11:45.parts of England and Wales through the night. Ahead of that, where we
:11:46. > :11:50.have clear spells, central and eastern England there could be fog
:11:51. > :11:52.patches developing, outbreaks of rain