11/05/2017 Look East

Hello and welcome to Look East. so it's goodbye from me -

In the programme tonight: The agony of the families of the missing.

Left in limbo, but never giving up hope.

I often say now, I am sorry, I thought you were my son, sorry for

staring. What the leaked Labour Manifesto

means for us here in the East. Accident investigators demand carbon

monoxide alarms are installed Out on the Broads today, many boat

owners are complacent about the so-called silent killer. And as the

Norfolk and Norwich Festival gets under way, I will be trying out the

VR playground. First tonight, the hidden anguish

of hundreds of people in the region who've had a loved one missing

for more than a year. While thousands of people

disappear across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk every year,

most are found. But Look East has discovered there

are 313 cases where the missing Some cases hit the headlines,

like the search for the airman Corrie McKeague, and Luke Durbin,

who vanished 11 years ago in Ipswich, but many

don't make the news. Musician Anthony Stammers was 27

when he left the family home Today, his parents Rob and Julie

told us they'll never give up It has had a horrendous effect on us

all. There are a few incidents where I have looked at people which must

have been waived. You sing, was it him? The problem is you wanted to be

him, you want these people to be him and you have got to rationalise it

and say, no, it wasn't. I often say to somebody, I thought you were my

son, sorry I was staring. It is very difficult. The impact you were

talking about, you cannot imagine how it impacts on your life. When he

left the house, he had every intention of going to his

grandfather's funeral. Let us know you are safe. He had suffered from

some depression but we felt he was getting through it. I often shout,

hallow, Anthony, I'm home. It is a habit just in the hope that he will

reply. Hello, mum. You never stop searching, you never give up hope

that you will see him someday. Even now we sit down regularly and plan

the next thing. We have been to North Wales, you go into a church,

you leave a poster. We rarely go out without a leaflet or two in case we

bump into people. Anthony, we love you so very much and miss you so

very much, and all your friends miss you. We just love you and want you

back in our lives and hopes you want us in yours. And just to make

contact and let us know you are safe and well.

Rob and Julie Stammers talking about their missing son Anthony.

If you want help or advice, you can go to missingpeople.org.uk

or call their confidential helpline on 116 000.

The big election story of the day has been the leaking

We'll have more on that in a moment, but first some breaking news.

Late this afternoon, we heard that the Green Party

will not be fielding a candidate in North Norfolk.

That's the seat currently held by the Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb,

who is considered vulnerable this time round.

Our political correspondent Andrew Sinclair is here.

This is potentially quite significant because Norman Lamb

holds the seat with quite a small majority, just 4000. You will see

why this is interesting. Ukip came third with 8000 votes and on Tuesday

it said it would not stand this time, instead telling its supporters

to vote Conservative. Tonight the Greens, those are the wrong figures

there, sorry, last time round, the Greens who polled 1400 votes said

that they have decided not to stand either so they can help Mr Lamb.

They said, we would rather Norman Lamb wins rather than a pro Brexit

conservative. So the Lib Dems, Labour and the Conservatives will

stand and the battle will be close. How common are these unofficial

pacts? They are not, but we have seen quite a few of them. Ukip have

told their supporters to back the Brexit MP. The Lib Dems have stood

down in Brighton to give the Greens a chance. Talking of nominations,

the deadline has passed for anyone who wants to stand in this election.

Labour, the Lib Dems and Tories are standing in nearly every seat in the

region. The Greens are standing in most seats with nothing yet from

Ukip. What about Labour's manifesto? We have heard about their plans for

scrapping tuition fees and nationalising industries, but there

are a few things which will play well in this region. The plans may

yet change but it seems Labour has big ideas for the region if it wins

the election. The draft manifesto accuses the Tories of taking formal

communities for granted with chronic underfunding in transport and public

services. Labour it says will borrow to fund infrastructure projects,

transport will be a priority. It from the sea is that superfast

broadband will be available everywhere within five years. There

will be uninterrupted phone coverage and devolution will be rolled out

across the region. The manifesto reaffirms Labour's commitment to

nuclear power. It will support new projects like Sizewell C and keep

the hunting ban and renationalise the trains. Other ideas which could

go down well, Labour says it will change the law to stop banks and the

Post Office from closing branches in areas where there is a local need.

The big criticism is there are no costings so it is hard to say how

Labour will pay for all this. Ukip launch their fisheries policy saying

fishermen along the east coast will have a friend in Ukip. Ukip once

asked to have control of all our territorial waters for fishing.

Their worry is the Tories will give away our fishing rights in the

forthcoming Brexit negotiations. Labour's house-building plans

were revealed as part They want to build more

than 100,000 council and housing Here in the East, the issue

of house-building is likely Some councils say it's

the biggest problem they face. Our business correspondent Richard

Bond reports from Colchester. Amy is a senior carer at a home

for the elderly in Colchester. She works all the hours she can

with one aim in mind - to buy a place of her own,

but it's not easy. I am paying over ?500

in rent on a flat. On top of that, I'm trying

to save up for a 10% deposit, ideally a ?12,000 deposit

on a ?120,000 flat. Yearly, house prices are going up,

so it is quite difficult to save up They are building plenty

of new homes in Colchester, although some people feel

they are not always Over the last decade,

the council says a thousand homes have been erected,

many on the town's outskirts. This developer is building 140

three, four and five Prices range from

?330,000 to ?440,000. We launched in March and since then

we have had a terrific response, a lot of local people looking

to trade up to bigger properties, and also we see a fair percentage

of our buyers do commute into London And people that are closer to London

at the moment are moving down the line to get value for money

and are still commuting to London. Colchester is a good place to gauge

the scale of the housing Not only has the town seen one

of the fastest rates of house-building over the last ten

years, it is also working on three so-called garden communities

with neighbouring councils and yet there are still 4,000 people

on the local housing waiting list. Wherever you look, house-building

never seems to catch up with demand. It's reckoned the region needs

30,000 new homes a year. The actual rate of building

in the East has fluctuated over the years, but at 21,000 last year

has remained below target. All the main parties want to up

the rate of house-building, but this expert says

they face big obstacles. The planning system is becoming

increasingly dysfunctional despite what the government claims

to have done to it and at the other end of the scale, small

house-builders are unable to get We cannot rely on a small number

of large house-builders to supply everything we need

because their capacity is not infinite, so I think there are many

obstacles that a new incoming administration will have to look

at afresh with new eyes and come Amy would love a politician to wave

a magic wand for her. Meanwhile, she keeps

working and saving. Do we know much yet about where

the main parties stand on housing? Labour want to thought lots of new

homes, a million over five years, half of them council housing is or

housing association properties. They want to limit rent increases and

they want to offer three-year tenancies as well. They haven't

spelt out their intentions but the Tories are expected to force

developers to use land and to limit overseas ownership of homes. The Lib

Dems are keen to place the homeless into independent homes rather than

emergency shelters. They want to set up a housing investment bank to fund

house-building. Ukip is keen on getting councils to bring empty

homes back into use and to give priority to British applicants for

housing and the Greens keen on social housing. They want to scrap

help to buy and bring in a Private renters charter.

Now we've been asking viewers for their questions and we've had

one from someone asking about Airey housing.

They were basically council houses built after the war and many are

suffering from structural problems. We may have pictures of some being

demolished. They are not accepted for mortgages unless repaired using

certain approved methods and their bill for this has to be paid for the

owner. They view us as she faces a bill of up to ?60,000 so she can

sell the property and she says this wasn't explained to her by the as

housing association she bought from. She says is there an MP who will

take this up for me? Any MP would look into it but as far as I have

been able to find out today, it is not a matter of party policy.

We're asking you to tell us the election issues that

As part of that, we're running a series of films on our Facebook

This evening, a visit to a Turkish barbers in Ipswich.

I would like to vote for people who stand for this country,

who make their people have an easier life.

The person who gives more help for people,

The aristocrats, they just want to protect rich people.

As a businessman I suppose anything that keeps the business rates low

or anything business-related would be quite useful.

I want Tony Blair because he was great.

From my very distant memory, I suppose Tony Blair

Take from the rich and give it to the poor.

So what are you thinking about the general election?

Are the parties talking about the things that

Remember, you can get in touch on Twitter using the #getsmyvote,

Still to come: Mike Liggins is on a swing with a difference.

This is the VR playground, it is a virtual world and I am speeding

through a cityscape. It is all part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

You can find out all about it later in the programme.

Accident investigators are calling for carbon monoxide alarms to be

made a legal requirement on boats on the Norfolk Broads.

They say a year after a couple and their dog

died on their own boat, not enough is being done

Katherine Nash is at Potter Heigham on the Broads now.

Potter Heim is a popular place for holiday-makers to take out boats

especially when the sun is a sunny as today. Boat hire companies take

the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning seriously giving those

incidents last year. I have been to one company that has fitted 120

boats with carbon monoxide alarms. Michael Whitaker, director

of Herbert Woods, showing me around Each one fitted with a carbon

monoxide alarm to warn We have got a smoke alarm,

which is the sort of thing you would expect at home anyway,

but we have also fitted By having the alarm

that the customer knows there is no risk and that they can be sure

that they have got a safe place Herbert Woods suited its fleet

with the alarms following the death of a couple and their dog

on board their boat Love for Lydia A report by the Marine Accident

Investigation Branch released today found that Alan Frost

and Tina Wilkins died of carbon monoxide poisoning

from the boat's engine. In a safety video, filmed on board

the boat, it says the couple This is an example of

a carbon monoxide alarm. It is relatively inexpensive

to buy considering that At the moment, it is not a legal

requirement to have one on board But the Marine Accident

and Investigations Branch A law would certainly help in this

respect, but ultimately it is the responsibility

of individual boat owners to ensure that for the safety

of their own boats and the people on them, and a carbon monoxide alarm

is an essential piece of equipment. But out on the Broads today not

all boat users had installed alarms. The reason I have not got one

fitted inside is just It is one of those jobs

on the list I haven't done. It is very irresponsible of me

because it is fatal. When they come on board we have

got carbon monoxide, we do see the vents and looking

at that gives us confidence that although we cannot test

the heater in its own right, Carbon monoxide poisoning

is known as a silent killer. Over the years, there have been

a number of campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers in the hope

lives can be saved. Marine accident investigation Branch

is keen to stress it is up to boat owners to fit those carbon monoxide

alarms. They take minutes to install and the message is clear, it could

save lives. The Norfolk and Norwich

festival starts tomorrow It's one of the region's most

important arts events and includes music, theatre,

literature and fine art. As well as the art, festivals

like this often claim to bring Mike Liggins has been

to find out if that's true. Today on the concourse

at Norwich Station, you sit on a swing while wearing

a virtual reality headset. And the buildings are

whizzing past me now. The organisers of the Norfolk

and Norwich Festival think it is and will have eight

playgrounds dotted around the city. It is hearing a great concert

for a great singer or a great pop song that makes your spine tingle,

all that is art. It brings us together,

makes us celebrate life. Will VR playgrounds help to bring

the community together? According to its inventors

from the Thrill Laboratory, If you are looking at the VR

playground, one person is performing It is this social interaction,

social cohesion and a shared If any town or city knows

about the power of art to transform it must be Hull where the people

appear to be loving its status We are seeing a good reach

into communities across the city and the general sense of confidence

and pride is up and really confident Back in Norwich the big show this

weekend is called Summer, It's a seven hour spectacular using

local people which is absolutely For that day, it brings

them together as a group It's very complex and rich and funny

and fragile and sad. One of the people

taking part is Sharon. In one part of the show,

the performers layout items Why did you want to

be involved in this? One because it sounded

like extreme fun. It is meeting new people

and a chance to do something out Which has to be an

understatement surely? But perhaps that is what all

good art should do - William Galinsky is

the Artistic Director of Norfolk He has led seven festivals

and this is his last. It is my last but I am programming

most of the 2018 Festival before I go. You have described yourself as

Willy Wonka. Do you think that legacy of bringing communities

together is the most important thing you have achieved? Community is the

beginning, where you start. You arrived here and the first thing I

wanted to discover was he with Norfolk and Norwich and what is the

community, the people who live here? What are our stories, what is our

shared history and really to make things in response to who we are,

where we live and our shared genes and bring people together. Given

that importance of art and culture, do you think it is reflected in the

funding you get? For certain it is. Norwich City Council and the Arts

Council have entrusted us to do a big job, an important job and for a

city of this size, and arts Festival really can create quite a head of

steam and bring a lot of attention as well. We had about Hull and the

effect city of culture is having on Hull. Is there something we aspire

to? I think Norwich should definitely put its hat in the ring.

It will be a great city of culture, there is a lot going for Norwich, a

lot of people are moving here and Norwich is in the ascendance. As far

as your highlights of the festival, are there things that stick in your

mind over the last seven years that you are proud of? Dinosaur petting

zoo was one of my great moments, 10,000 children saw it for free

before it went to Broadway. Robert Wilson's walking was something we

did in 2012 but there are also great things this year, Museum of the Moon

from tomorrow evening, the VR playground which we saw just there

and also a racehorse company are coming back with their show super

Sunday at the Theatre Royal. A quick circus from Finland.

Next, to a centenary of a world first.

It involves a bi-plane, a very brave man and some camels

and it was re-enacted today at the Stow Maries

A personal tour for the Duque of Gloucester or they be too. In 1917

it was... He was treated to a re-enactment. A century ago at a

British biplane came to the rescue of an score for McGregor. He had

been shot in the Angkor Wat fighting in the desert. The nearest hospital

was 45 minutes by air or three days by camel. The plane was called in by

the troops who recognise that this guy would probably die if he went on

a camel taking three days. They asked the pilot to ship him back to

the hospital and that is what they did. The first recorded aeromedical.

It must have been difficult to get the patient into the aeroplane. You

are surrounded by wires and goodness knows what. Little did they know it

but that pilot and his casualties had just made history. His Royal

Highness went on to open a museum to honour 37 Squadron. Its pilots

defended London from aerial attacks during the First World War. If it

were not for those men, the outcome could have been different because of

the nature of flying in those days, as many men were lost in accidents

as they were lost in combat. From the biplanes to the Hercules,

another warhorse. And stay it flew into salute this little-known

centenary. It was an amazingly warm day to day.

It certainly was, but quite a chilly start because these are the

overnight lows last might. Some places down to freezing but we

climbed to 19 in lots of regions today. A beautiful scene here on the

Norfolk coast and a lovely start in Northamptonshire. At the moment we

have this warm, humid air coming up from the south that will eventually

bring us some rain but for now we start the evening drive with some

showers trying to get in some southern parts of the region. Some

parts of the region will escape them but there will be the odd heavy one.

Much milder than last night with lows of eight or 9 degrees. This

weather system ships northwards through the day tomorrow. It will

still be slightly humid through the day. Some sunshine as well, but also

please showers are likely to persist into the afternoon and there could

be the God thundery downpour. Temperatures of 19, 20 degrees. Into

the weekend, this system coming in from the South West stars to bring

some fresh conditions. The risk of some showers for the weekend but it

does mean although temperatures will be in the high teens, we lose that

humid field that we will continue to feel tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday,

largely dry, turning cloudy later. The risk of some showers on Sunday

and a cooler start to next week, temperatures overnight nobler than 8

degrees. It is beginning to feel like summer is around the corner.

That is all from us. Have a very good evening. Goodbye.

Ukip created history and won us all Brexit.