:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to the Look East late news.
:00:00. > :00:00.In the programme tonight: Living with ME - how research in Norwich
:00:07. > :00:09.could offer a real breakthrough and make the city an international
:00:10. > :00:25.It is very exciting, it is a hope that they could be a treatment for
:00:26. > :00:27.this devastating disorder. Voted through - the merger which has
:00:28. > :00:43.tonight created the biggest district And another cold night on the way
:00:44. > :00:46.but temperatures are on the rise. Join me later for all the details.
:00:47. > :00:51.Norwich is set to become an international centre of research
:00:52. > :00:56.Scientists here have told Look East today they are making real
:00:57. > :00:58.breakthroughs in finding a treatment for the condition, which is also
:00:59. > :01:06.It's thought 250,000 people across the country
:01:07. > :01:10.And the latest research is being crowd-funded by ME
:01:11. > :01:12.sufferers like Rosalind Amor from Bury St Edmunds.
:01:13. > :01:30.Arriving at Rosalind's home, the first thing you notice is the sign
:01:31. > :01:35.on the door. That is because Rosalind cannot tolerate too much
:01:36. > :01:42.noise or too much light. Rosalind was diagnosed with ME at the age of
:01:43. > :01:48.eight. She is now 25. Conversations have to be conducted in a whisper.
:01:49. > :01:56.It's awful ball boys feeling tired. And we cant heavy. Rosalind's health
:01:57. > :02:01.improved when she was 15. She could walk, stand and using a wheelchair
:02:02. > :02:07.outdoors, but four years ago, Rosalind had a relapse and today she
:02:08. > :02:11.cannot get out of bed, is fed by Chew and uses hand gestures to
:02:12. > :02:25.communicate. You must get down about how you feel. I don't want to spend
:02:26. > :02:30.my entire life in bed. Despite everything, Rosalind remains
:02:31. > :02:34.positive. She writes a blog for the invest in research charity and helps
:02:35. > :02:40.to raise money for them. Now that she can use an iPad and connect to
:02:41. > :02:44.the rest of the world again, immediately she is back in touch,
:02:45. > :02:49.part of the team and the fact she can contribute to the blog and
:02:50. > :02:57.writing is what she loves to do. I want to be a journalist. I've wanted
:02:58. > :03:06.to be a journalist since I was 17. Do you think that might come one
:03:07. > :03:12.day? Rosalind loves the outdoors, but has not been in the garden for
:03:13. > :03:15.years. She is following the developments in research closely but
:03:16. > :03:18.is also realistic about what the future might hold.
:03:19. > :03:24.In Norway they found that a drug normally used to treat cancer has
:03:25. > :03:28.And those scientists have been in Norwich today to talk
:03:29. > :03:31.about a trial of that same drug here.
:03:32. > :03:34.They've been working closely with those at
:03:35. > :03:37.Professor Simon Carding told me why what's been discovered
:03:38. > :03:51.I think it is very exciting because for the first time we have
:03:52. > :03:57.identified a possible treatment for this horrible disorder and it really
:03:58. > :04:00.highlights that there is probably something really fundamentally wrong
:04:01. > :04:07.with the immune system in these patients, which if that is held to
:04:08. > :04:11.be true, gives insight into potential therapies and
:04:12. > :04:17.interventions. What we are talking about is a cancer drug. That's
:04:18. > :04:22.right. It was by accident this drug was identified. A doctor was
:04:23. > :04:30.treating patients with lymphoma, some of which had ME, and he found
:04:31. > :04:35.that the symptoms of ME improved and that led to trolls to consolidate
:04:36. > :04:40.that finding. How does all this fit into what I know you have been
:04:41. > :04:46.focusing on and that is looking at the gut is the origin of this
:04:47. > :04:51.disease. It may be very difficult to appreciate, but the antibody therapy
:04:52. > :04:58.is targeted at removing cells in the body that produce antibodies. The
:04:59. > :05:04.trigger for producing these bad antibodies originate in the gut, so
:05:05. > :05:08.by eliminating the source you can provide an effective therapy. We are
:05:09. > :05:15.trying to identify what is the trigger. We would not be doing what
:05:16. > :05:20.we are doing today if it were not for the money offered by patients
:05:21. > :05:29.their selves so it is then that has allowed us to get to this point.
:05:30. > :05:34.Where do you go from here? We are interested in developing trials and
:05:35. > :05:37.we are looking at trying to replicate these really outstanding
:05:38. > :05:43.results that the Norwegians have here in this region with patients
:05:44. > :05:49.from the Norfolk and Suffolk region, so it is really exciting times for
:05:50. > :05:54.ME research and we are building Norwich as a centre of excellence
:05:55. > :05:59.for research. I know the last thing you want to do is offer falls hope,
:06:00. > :06:06.but how optimistic should patients with ME the feeling right now?
:06:07. > :06:08.Patients have a right to be optimistic. I have to be cautious
:06:09. > :06:13.but I am also optimistic. Next tonight, we now officially
:06:14. > :06:15.have the largest district council Waveney and Suffolk
:06:16. > :06:20.coastal agreed to merge. The new authority will be called
:06:21. > :06:23.East Suffolk Council. Our political correspondent
:06:24. > :06:25.Andrew Sinclair was at tonight's meeting in Melton near Woodbridge
:06:26. > :06:43.and we can join him now. They passed it by 33 votes to four.
:06:44. > :06:48.We don't think any council has voluntarily voted before to merge
:06:49. > :06:52.with another. Both authorities have been sharing staff and services for
:06:53. > :06:58.the last ten years so merging completely was the natural next
:06:59. > :07:03.step. And in merging they will save 1.3 million every year. It has taken
:07:04. > :07:08.a ten year partnership to convince both councils to merge and tonight
:07:09. > :07:14.'s vote, the last in the process, was decisive. It means we will be
:07:15. > :07:18.better able to continue to deliver quality services in the future.
:07:19. > :07:23.Despite all the financial constraints local government has, we
:07:24. > :07:30.will be in a better place to deliver those services and that is what it
:07:31. > :07:33.is about. What does it mean for the residents? The councils say they
:07:34. > :07:38.would notice very little difference as both councils have been sharing
:07:39. > :07:42.services for many years. Just the name on the jackets will change.
:07:43. > :07:48.What would happen if you did not do this? We might have to look to cut
:07:49. > :07:54.services because of the finances that would not stack up, because as
:07:55. > :08:04.a wave Nice District Council we are struggling to set by Z is --
:08:05. > :08:09.budgets. I am of the opinion that the more local be better. Bad enough
:08:10. > :08:18.getting them to do something in this town let alone adding a few more. I
:08:19. > :08:23.think it is a good thing. The new council will stretch from Lowestoft
:08:24. > :08:28.to Felixstowe with two headquarters at Lowestoft and Melton. The council
:08:29. > :08:33.says there will be few job cuts but there will be up to 30 fewer
:08:34. > :08:37.councillors, something which worries opposition parties. If the
:08:38. > :08:41.councillors are reduced you will not have people who know what is going
:08:42. > :08:46.on in their communities so how can you represent people properly? This
:08:47. > :08:53.probably will not be the last merger. Other councils are thinking
:08:54. > :08:57.of following suit as the pressure of local government finance growth. The
:08:58. > :09:01.councils have voted and the plan goes to the Local Government
:09:02. > :09:05.Secretary for final approval. He will almost certainly say yes and
:09:06. > :09:11.when he does, or the final planning can take place and that the move
:09:12. > :09:13.Suffolk council will be up and running with elections in May 2000
:09:14. > :09:15.and 90. The Shadow Business Secretary
:09:16. > :09:17.and Norwich South MP has said he will not vote against triggering
:09:18. > :09:20.Article 50 next week. Clive Lewis represents
:09:21. > :09:22.a constituency which returned He's said today that
:09:23. > :09:26.he wants to take part but has not ruled out voting
:09:27. > :09:41.against the final deal That is what the Supreme Court
:09:42. > :09:47.decision is about, giving Parliament a say on that. I am going to do that
:09:48. > :09:51.in the interest of Norwich and when it comes to the final vote, I will
:09:52. > :09:54.make my decision based on what is in front of me.
:09:55. > :09:58.Coming up now, the weather with Alex, but from the rest
:09:59. > :10:07.Another very cold night across the region, some clear skies out there
:10:08. > :10:12.so temperatures below freezing. By the end of the night, cloud coming
:10:13. > :10:19.from the south so temperatures will recover but not before they get to
:10:20. > :10:24.lows of minus two Celsius. Milder air working its way towards us. It
:10:25. > :10:30.will still be a cold start to the day with a widespread frost and the
:10:31. > :10:35.chance of icy patches out there. As this feature moves northwards, we
:10:36. > :10:41.might get some light sleet or snow first thing. The middle part of the
:10:42. > :10:46.day looks dry and bright, still quite cold but with the evening,
:10:47. > :10:50.temperatures are expected to rise as we get more cloud and patchy rain
:10:51. > :10:55.coming in. The National weather is coming up but the outlook is it
:10:56. > :10:59.stays relatively mild for the weekend. Unsettled with some rain.
:11:00. > :11:01.Fairly windy, weekend. It's swings and
:11:02. > :11:07.roundabouts, higher temperatures but some rain as well.
:11:08. > :11:15.Good evening. It's been dry so far this January but as it draws to a
:11:16. > :11:19.close it looks like we will see some rain at last. It's been an
:11:20. > :11:24.interesting today a bitterly cold in Norfolk, way we kept the grey cloud
:11:25. > :11:29.all day and the grey cloud gave a dusting of snow in places. This is a
:11:30. > :11:33.lovely picture sent in from Sutton Coldfield. Rob Wales and much of
:11:34. > :11:38.Scotland it's been a beautiful day, lots of sunshine and temperatures,
:11:39. > :11:40.13 degrees compared with -2 under the cloud in East Anglia.