:00:07. > :00:10.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North.
:00:10. > :00:12.The headlines tonight. As tolls soar to �3, a Hull
:00:12. > :00:22.businessman says it's time for the Government to sell off the Humber
:00:22. > :00:26.Bridge. What better time to press on with the campaign to reduce it
:00:26. > :00:29.by a significant amount then immediately after a proposed
:00:29. > :00:31.increase? Fifteen people are airlifted to
:00:31. > :00:34.safety after a barge runs aground in the Humber. Cheaper than a new
:00:34. > :00:37.car - the house up for sale for less than 10 grand as regeneration
:00:37. > :00:43.funding is cut. Breaking records not the speed limit - hundreds of
:00:44. > :00:53.children march to school to encourage motorists to slow down.
:00:54. > :00:54.
:00:54. > :00:57.And the latest detailed weather The Government has come under
:00:57. > :01:02.renewed pressure to find a long term solution to the problem of
:01:02. > :01:04.rising tolls on the Humber Bridge. Just 24 hours after the transport
:01:04. > :01:13.minister gave the go ahead to higher tolls, a Hull-based
:01:13. > :01:16.businessman has made a renewed attempt to buy the bridge.
:01:16. > :01:26.Malcolm Scott believes his proposal to operate the bridge as a not-for-
:01:26. > :01:27.
:01:27. > :01:31.profit company will eventually result in much lower toll charges.
:01:31. > :01:36.Like many in this part of the world Malcolm Scott is coming to terms
:01:36. > :01:40.with the prospect of paying more to cross the Humber. But this is a man
:01:40. > :01:44.with the plan. What better time to press on with the campaign to
:01:44. > :01:49.reduce the price by a significant amount and immediately after a
:01:49. > :01:53.proposed increase? Back in February the whole based property boss
:01:53. > :01:57.revealed plans to buy the bridge and run it as a not-for-profit
:01:57. > :02:01.company. Proposals involve keeping that tells of their present level
:02:01. > :02:07.for a number of years but eventually reducing the cost to �1
:02:07. > :02:10.per crossing for cars. �1 is what it cost when the bridge first
:02:10. > :02:16.opened in 1981. Tills went up through the Eighties and almost
:02:16. > :02:21.doubled by the time that Tony Blair became Prime Minister. Another
:02:21. > :02:28.transport minister has given the go-ahead to a �3 crossing for cars,
:02:29. > :02:33.Britain's highest bridge toll. is not the Department for Transport,
:02:33. > :02:38.I initiated a public inquiry to make sure all sides had their
:02:38. > :02:48.voices heard. If the tolls were reduced to would be a lot more
:02:48. > :02:50.
:02:50. > :02:55.economic activity on both sides of the bridge. There is a lack of
:02:55. > :02:58.competition because of that. And that all impacts on the local
:02:58. > :03:03.economy. The Humber Bridge Board made up of local councillors from
:03:03. > :03:07.all parties, was given the power to raise the told by an Act of
:03:07. > :03:13.Parliament long before the bridge was built. I think the board has
:03:13. > :03:20.had difficulty because it was set up from and 1959 Act and therefore
:03:20. > :03:27.was fit for purpose for 1959. But we are now in 2011. I think that
:03:27. > :03:32.the bridge board are saddled with debt and responsibility and without
:03:32. > :03:37.that could be much more proactive. The debt stands at more than �380
:03:37. > :03:40.million. Malcolm Scott is now trying to raise money from local
:03:40. > :03:44.businesses to fund the social impact assessment on the bridge
:03:44. > :03:48.tolls. Meanwhile the board will decide next week exactly went a
:03:48. > :03:51.higher charges were coming. Iredale is in South Ferriby by the
:03:51. > :03:53.Humber this evening. Tim, the government says it's reviewing the
:03:53. > :04:03.economic impact of tolls on the area. When will we know the outcome
:04:03. > :04:08.of that? This is a review being up led by officials at the Treasury.
:04:08. > :04:13.That report should be on the desks of Ministers by November. I'm told
:04:13. > :04:18.by local MPs that the government is keen to settle the long-term future
:04:18. > :04:22.of the Humber Bridge once and for all. They do not want the kind of
:04:22. > :04:28.fury that comes with these above- inflation increases every so often.
:04:28. > :04:32.They want a long-term, sustainable future it will possibly reduce the
:04:32. > :04:35.tills although it probably will not happen for a long time. So the
:04:35. > :04:40.credit for puzzle perhaps that Malcolm Scott is putting on the
:04:40. > :04:45.table, a private consortium running a not-for-profit operation, would
:04:45. > :04:49.be seen favourably by ministers. You do not have to be any economic
:04:49. > :04:57.whiz-kid to realise that taking �6 a day from the pay packets of
:04:57. > :05:03.people to cross the bridge will be positive for the local economy.
:05:03. > :05:06.There has been a huge response. Just a couple are now. My mother
:05:06. > :05:09.currently has to travel every day from the south bank to Castle Hill
:05:09. > :05:11.hospital for treatment for cancer. It is a fifty mile round trip and,
:05:11. > :05:15.with the proposed bridge tolls and the price of fuel, it will cost
:05:15. > :05:18.approximately �320 a month. Even though I disagree with the
:05:18. > :05:21.toll increase, it is still cheaper than going round.
:05:21. > :05:23.With the economy as bad as it is the government should be doing all
:05:24. > :05:33.it can to encourage trade. Instead this discourages people from
:05:33. > :05:37.leaving their homes. There were hundreds of texts and e-
:05:37. > :05:47.mails. Graham Stuart is the Conservative MP for Beverley and
:05:47. > :05:47.
:05:48. > :05:52.Holderness. He joins me now. White is the government not taking
:05:52. > :05:57.on this challenge instead of letting a local businessman take it
:05:57. > :06:02.on? Is it the Big Society at play? I think it is and we should be
:06:02. > :06:07.grateful for Malcolm Scott for coming forward. I know MPs in all
:06:07. > :06:10.parties are working together to try to get a long-term solution. I met
:06:10. > :06:14.the Treasury minister responsible for this last night and spoke to
:06:14. > :06:19.the Chancellor of the Exchequer about it earlier today. We are all
:06:19. > :06:24.working as a team to make the case because we do need the bridge to be
:06:24. > :06:28.used. And make sure it does help the local economy. But time and
:06:28. > :06:33.again surveys and reports tell us that lowering the toll will boost
:06:33. > :06:38.the regional economy. Why does the government not grasp the nettle and
:06:38. > :06:41.tell the bridge board to reduce the tolls? The bridge bolt -- the
:06:41. > :06:45.bridge board has to service the debt, that is their primary
:06:45. > :06:50.responsibility. We're asking them to look at whether they can keep
:06:50. > :06:54.the tills down until we get this review in November. But ultimately
:06:54. > :06:59.they have to service the debt. What we need is a way to get that debt
:06:59. > :07:06.under control. And get the bridge used so that people working on both
:07:06. > :07:11.sides of the Humber can work together to build the economy. We
:07:11. > :07:18.just have to convince ministers who have inherited a hell of a
:07:18. > :07:25.situation. We have the companies like Siemens planning to come to
:07:25. > :07:31.hold but for a lorry to cross the bridge, it is �40 for a trip. This
:07:31. > :07:35.is a disincentive for companies to come to this area. Absolutely, and
:07:35. > :07:43.we would keep on making the case. That bridge was built with public
:07:43. > :07:47.money 30 years ago and today runs with 70% of its capacity unused.
:07:47. > :07:51.People on low incomes or unemployed could work so we're making that
:07:51. > :07:59.case. And we are making progress. But the general environment is
:07:59. > :08:06.tough. Have you spoken to the bridge board today to ask them to
:08:06. > :08:11.delay this until after the review? I know that colleagues are in
:08:11. > :08:15.regular contact with the board, as I am. If we had not yet formal
:08:16. > :08:25.contact with the board we will certainly do so. Would he do that
:08:26. > :08:28.
:08:28. > :08:31.tomorrow? Thanks to you, Peter, it will get done it!
:08:31. > :08:39.What should be done to keep the tolls down? Would selling it off
:08:39. > :08:44.work? If it were cheaper would you use it more? Contact us and we your
:08:44. > :08:47.response. In a moment: Despite many health
:08:47. > :08:54.campaigns, why people in Hull are still dying at a younger age than
:08:54. > :08:57.other parts of the country. It's a sailing trip which members
:08:57. > :09:04.of Barton's Chamber of Commerce say they'll never forget - a trip which
:09:04. > :09:09.ended last night with their dramatic rescue. The barge on which
:09:09. > :09:11.they were sailing ran aground in the Humber. When rescue boats
:09:11. > :09:13.couldn't reach them the RAF's Search and Rescue Helicopter was
:09:13. > :09:23.scrambled, ending with 15 people being winched to safety. Phil
:09:23. > :09:28.Connell reports. It was supposed to have been an
:09:28. > :09:32.enjoyable evening trip on the Humber but instead for 15 fee-
:09:32. > :09:37.paying passengers, it ended with this dramatic rescue. The barge on
:09:37. > :09:42.which they were sailing ran aground at Altrincham and with the Humber
:09:42. > :09:46.rescue boat not able to reach them, the search and rescue helicopter
:09:47. > :09:51.received the emergency call. were on standby in the evening.
:09:51. > :09:54.Today the captain said the barge was truly stuck and with 15
:09:54. > :09:59.passengers to winched to safety it proved to be their biggest
:09:59. > :10:05.operation in recent years. Normally we are called to a single climate
:10:05. > :10:10.who has fallen or has been cut off by the tide. But to have a barge
:10:10. > :10:15.with 17 people on board, is really quite unusual. Overnight two crew
:10:15. > :10:20.members slept on the barge and at high tide this morning, sailed back.
:10:20. > :10:24.They have been running barge trips from here for almost 40 years. The
:10:24. > :10:29.skipper described the rescue last night as an embarrassing incident.
:10:29. > :10:33.This stretch of the Humber is notoriously difficult to navigate.
:10:33. > :10:36.With eight barges running aground in the last year alone. For the
:10:36. > :10:42.company running the trip last night it is not the first time it has
:10:42. > :10:52.happened. I think it has happened four times, I think I'm right in
:10:52. > :10:53.
:10:53. > :10:58.saying. Once every 10 years! I suppose that is not too bad.
:10:58. > :11:05.trip had been organised by the Barton Chamber of Commerce. Those
:11:05. > :11:10.winched to safety included the new mayor arrests of North Lincolnshire.
:11:10. > :11:15.I survived and I'm here to tell the tale. Everyone looked after us well.
:11:15. > :11:19.A lot of members of the group thought it was fantastic and wanted
:11:19. > :11:23.to know what was planned for the next trip! Thankfully no-one was
:11:24. > :11:28.injured but for the Chamber of Commerce it is a trip they are not
:11:28. > :11:31.likely to forget. An inquiry into the deaths of two
:11:31. > :11:35.teenage girls who jumped off a bridge together has heard one of
:11:35. > :11:37.them wrote a suicide letter a year earlier. 14-year-old Georgia Rowe
:11:37. > :11:43.had moved from Hull to Glasgow just eight weeks before her death in
:11:43. > :11:47.October 2009. She jumped from the Erskine Bridge with 15 -year-old
:11:47. > :11:52.Naimh Lafferty, who wrote the note months earlier. Both girls had been
:11:52. > :11:58.attending a nearby secure unit. The number of people unemployed in
:11:59. > :12:01.our area has fallen by almost 15,000. Figures for the three
:12:01. > :12:06.months to April show that in Yorkshire and the Humber, 237,000
:12:06. > :12:14.people are out of work, down nine percent. In the East Midlands the
:12:14. > :12:19.total's 176,000, which is down by more than seven percent.
:12:19. > :12:23.Thousands of people are dying up to 10 years earlier than in other
:12:23. > :12:25.neighbouring authorities because they're both overweight and
:12:26. > :12:30.inactive for step today the health minister Simon friends has been
:12:30. > :12:40.visiting Hull to find out how local people are being encouraged to look
:12:40. > :12:45.after their Hearts by moving more This is what we should be doing,
:12:45. > :12:49.running for our lives. Instead, our lifestyles are damaging our hearts.
:12:49. > :12:54.Despite what we are seeing here, a Hull is the 13th least active place
:12:55. > :13:00.in the country, with throughout or five adults never doing any
:13:00. > :13:08.exercise at all. Five women are particularly lazy, with only one in
:13:08. > :13:12.eight every doing regular sport. But his beginner's jogging group is
:13:13. > :13:17.helping to win new converts to regular exercise. You come with the
:13:17. > :13:23.idea, I will not be able to do it, but it is amazing, after five or
:13:23. > :13:31.six weeks, how you have progressed. It is the fear factor, that is what
:13:31. > :13:35.you have to fight, rather than just sitting at home doing nothing.
:13:35. > :13:40.the Health Minister arrived in Hull today, local doctors were keen to
:13:40. > :13:47.show how innovations are helping to get health messages across. Four we
:13:47. > :13:51.have improved, we have identified more people with raised blood
:13:51. > :13:56.pressure, and we are able to treat them to reduce the risk of
:13:56. > :14:00.complications in later life. think it is innovative, if you have
:14:00. > :14:05.the distraction of a television programme that relates to her life,
:14:05. > :14:10.giving you a coherent and sensible message, the chances of that
:14:10. > :14:16.getting into the side he so that people go away and think, that is
:14:16. > :14:22.sensible, are better. Keith Cash after being given his own quick
:14:22. > :14:32.health check, he was shown this girls' rugby team. A wants to be
:14:32. > :14:36.
:14:36. > :14:43.busy. It keep you busy. It keeps you fit and healthy, and not obese.
:14:43. > :14:48.What these pupils -- while these people have adopted a healthier
:14:48. > :14:58.lifestyle were now, the hope is they will continue exercising as
:14:58. > :14:58.
:14:58. > :15:04.adults. Only then will they improve their chances of living longer.
:15:04. > :15:08.Still to come: A house worth less than a new car. It is yours for
:15:08. > :15:17.just over �7,000. And breaking records, not the speed
:15:18. > :15:22.limit. Children march to school to encourage motorists to slow down.
:15:22. > :15:32.The photograph is of a poppy field in Burton Fleming, taken by Paul
:15:32. > :15:33.
:15:33. > :15:39.in Burton Fleming, taken by Paul Jefferson. There is an eclipse
:15:39. > :15:48.tonight. Lots of people have been asking if we can see it. There will
:15:48. > :15:53.not be clear skies, but you might be able to catch a glimpse. We can
:15:53. > :16:03.watch it from the balcony! As long as you have got rid of your washing
:16:03. > :16:07.
:16:07. > :16:13.on the line! You are not funny, do you know that? The headline is an
:16:13. > :16:17.unsettled one, sunny intervals and scattered showers. Tomorrow, low-
:16:17. > :16:22.pressure is in charge. This feature will bring more are welcome rain
:16:22. > :16:26.for farmers across Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, late on Friday and
:16:26. > :16:32.into Friday night. Potentially some heavy rain to come. But in the
:16:32. > :16:42.short term, there is quite a lot of cloud around. It has been producing
:16:42. > :16:47.some heavy showers. There are thundery showers around in the next
:16:48. > :16:54.hour as well. And lots of rain up the Vale of York. I showery evening
:16:54. > :17:04.and night, though the showers will clear out of the way by dawn. Top
:17:04. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:09.temperatures of 11 degrees Celsius. It is an unsettled day tomorrow,
:17:09. > :17:14.Variable cloud, some sunshine around, but also a fair scattering
:17:14. > :17:22.of showers. Some of those showers could be heavy with the risk of
:17:22. > :17:28.thunder, but there will be brighter and sunnier spells between. Top
:17:28. > :17:32.temperatures 18 or 19 degrees Celsius. Friday, one or two showers
:17:32. > :17:41.in the morning. It will cloud over by the end of the day with heavy
:17:41. > :17:47.rain. I have a note from a primary school, a basketball can use his
:17:47. > :17:52.experience and skill to tell us whether at the school sports day on
:17:52. > :18:00.Friday should be cancelled or not. Not that I'm putting you on the
:18:00. > :18:04.spot or anything! I cannot do a yes or no answer. The heaviest of the
:18:04. > :18:10.rain and will be across our region by the end of Friday. Current
:18:10. > :18:20.timing suggests that they should be timing suggests that they should be
:18:20. > :18:21.
:18:21. > :18:24.A house in Hull is being auctioned tomorrow at a starting price of
:18:24. > :18:29.�7,500. It is believed to be one of the cheapest in the city for years.
:18:29. > :18:33.He follows the crash in this -- property market and a delay in
:18:33. > :18:37.funding for building new homes around the Victoria Villas. The
:18:37. > :18:40.council say the investment is now secure. But it has left residents
:18:40. > :18:48.feeling like they had been left in limbo.
:18:48. > :18:55.Going for as long. But there is a catch. -- going for as long. The
:18:55. > :18:58.condition is not the any reason that this is a cheap location. The
:18:58. > :19:02.whole area is waiting for regeneration, with residents
:19:02. > :19:07.concerned that the project is now on hold. On one side, the promise
:19:07. > :19:11.of new homes. On the other, people who need to be re home. The
:19:11. > :19:16.question is whether or not the money is there not only to be home
:19:16. > :19:22.them, but also to regenerate the area. We do not know what is
:19:23. > :19:27.happening, of whether we are coming or going. It will probably go ahead,
:19:27. > :19:34.I do not believe that the area will be redeveloped within the next five
:19:34. > :19:38.years. So what is the situation? In March, public money for re-housing
:19:38. > :19:44.and property purchase ran out. Fat and �80 billion government grant
:19:44. > :19:49.has been secured, enough to clear the area out for private investment.
:19:49. > :19:55.But it hinges on that totaling up more than �150 million between now
:19:55. > :19:59.and 2024. So the initial cash injection means Ron's move away his
:19:59. > :20:06.back on. He could be rehoused within weeks. For I am fed up of
:20:06. > :20:13.waiting. The man that owns it lives in Somerset, and he has agreed to
:20:13. > :20:16.sell it to the council. Sick council says it is now contacting
:20:16. > :20:21.residents to let them know when work will start in their area, but
:20:21. > :20:25.the bigger question remains. With a housing market down and the
:20:25. > :20:32.construction and St week, is the funding still there to complete his
:20:32. > :20:37.grand plan? Darren hail is the Deputy leader of
:20:37. > :20:43.the city council. The residence we saw in the film had no idea what is
:20:43. > :20:46.happening. Have you been doing your job properly? We have only been in
:20:46. > :20:51.power for three weeks. But since that time, I can confirm that the
:20:51. > :20:55.money is back in place. You will be aware that the government Gateway's
:20:55. > :20:59.funding was told. We managed to secure the �8 billion, which will
:20:59. > :21:07.secure the completion of the scheme. Residents will be informed in the
:21:07. > :21:11.next few weeks. I'll be reliant on public money as well? With our
:21:12. > :21:16.partner, we are, yes. Because a houses around the corner are
:21:16. > :21:21.selling so well, we know that there is interest from the private
:21:21. > :21:25.housing provider, and that if those houses are built, they will sell.
:21:25. > :21:30.So people should not have to live in conditions like that, I'm sure
:21:30. > :21:34.you would agree. And we are pleased that the regeneration of Hawthorn
:21:34. > :21:39.Avenue is back on. Some people had been waiting for years. What have
:21:39. > :21:47.they been saying to you? It was a 15 years in, there was a lot of
:21:47. > :21:53.planning. Now, those people have had those hopes dashed but they can
:21:53. > :21:58.have them restored. The scheme will now go ahead. The council is buying
:21:58. > :22:01.properties in Clyde Street, it will be bidding on that house tomorrow.
:22:01. > :22:08.We put an at in last year and it was not backed by the property
:22:08. > :22:15.developer. -- a bid. We will be bidding on that house because we
:22:15. > :22:18.want to buy those houses to improve the area. Thank you for your
:22:18. > :22:21.comments on the news that the government has scrapped plans to
:22:21. > :22:27.bring back weekly bin collections. It means thousands of people will
:22:27. > :22:37.still have their rubbish picked up once a fortnight. Here are some of
:22:37. > :23:05.
:23:05. > :23:09.Hull Truck is asking for theatregoers and local businesses
:23:09. > :23:14.to help them raise more money to make up for the cuts to their
:23:14. > :23:19.funding. Since moving to its new home two years ago, the theatre has
:23:19. > :23:29.suffered financially. Over the next three years, it will lose 500,000
:23:29. > :23:29.
:23:29. > :23:33.MAB -- hands off public money. -- �500,000 of public money. I will be
:23:33. > :23:36.talking to The Executive chief on the radio tomorrow.
:23:36. > :23:40.Hull City will be signing Paul McKenna from Nottingham Forest.
:23:41. > :23:44.They have let him go on a free transfer, and he has signed a two
:23:44. > :23:48.year deal with the Tigers. Thousands of schoolchildren have
:23:48. > :23:52.today been trying to set a world record for the biggest ever walk to
:23:52. > :23:57.school. The Walking Buses set off from schools across the country
:23:57. > :24:07.this morning. As well as trying to get into the record books, they had
:24:07. > :24:19.
:24:19. > :24:24.These children could be record- breakers, youngsters at Thorpe on
:24:24. > :24:29.the Hill and Long Riston had between Beverley and Hornsey. They
:24:29. > :24:32.are representing two of dozens of schools in our region, and more
:24:32. > :24:36.than 600 nationwide, trying to break the record for the longest
:24:36. > :24:43.Walking Bus in the world. It is weird being in a big group, just
:24:43. > :24:49.walking. It was good fun to walk around, we got some parents sides
:24:49. > :24:53.to see us as well, and some of the cars stop for us. Its stopping, or
:24:53. > :24:58.at least slowing down the cars was a big part of today's world record
:24:58. > :25:06.attempt. These children have a serious message for if motorists.
:25:06. > :25:12.Slow down. People could run someone over if they are going too fast.
:25:12. > :25:16.They could cope do quickly and not notice you. Some of our roads do
:25:16. > :25:20.not have passed, so children have to be a where to walk on the side
:25:20. > :25:24.of the road. More than 10,000 children Nationwide took part in
:25:24. > :25:27.the world record attempt this morning. To they will know if they
:25:27. > :25:34.have been part of the biggest Walking Bus every later in the year.
:25:34. > :25:41.But it has been a fun way to learn a serious lesson about staying safe
:25:41. > :25:45.on the roads. They once supported hundreds of
:25:45. > :25:50.thousands of jobs, and now BBC look more there is making a film that
:25:50. > :25:54.looks back at a Humber dogs. From the dangers of life on a trawler to
:25:54. > :26:00.the dock workers fight for better conditions, and the unique Tom
:26:00. > :26:03.Pudding coal barges -- coal barges of Goole, the film aims to capture
:26:03. > :26:13.the best of your memories. We have the best of your memories. We have
:26:13. > :26:17.three special screenings. In Hull, his in Grimsby and in Goole. For
:26:17. > :26:27.tickets to the events, which are free, if you can ring a reception
:26:27. > :26:34.
:26:34. > :26:39.The biggest day of industrial action for years. Civil servants
:26:39. > :26:44.joined teachers on a walk out on 30th June.
:26:44. > :26:52.The government becomes under new pressure to find as solution to the
:26:52. > :26:59.rising tolls on a Humber bridge. Top temperatures around 18 degrees
:26:59. > :27:09.Celsius tomorrow. More responses on the subject of
:27:09. > :27:10.
:27:10. > :27:16.the bridge. Andy says that a �6 round trip is too expensive.
:27:16. > :27:22.It is only �1.50 to cross the Thames.
:27:22. > :27:25.Lindo says it is cheaper than going round.
:27:25. > :27:33.Steve Best says the government will always agreed to raise the bridge