17/08/2011 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Good evening, and welcome to BBC Look North.

The headlines tonight: Thousands of jobs could be created

as the government gives cash to bring new business to the Humber.

I'm in the heart of the new enterprise zone. Ministers say it

will open the floodgates to prosperity. The full story in a

moment. Four years after fire destroyed

part of the Skegness seafront there are plans to bring the area back to

life. Why tourism is in decline at some

of our biggest attractions. There's a change certainly happening in

terms of the need of businesses to invest in their own future. There

is, without doubt, less public money available.

And the new golfing craze where your sprint is just as important as

your swing. It's been a fine day today with spells of sunshine, but

rain for some tomorrow. I'll tell you where and have the full

forecast later in the programme. Good evening.

5,000 new jobs - that's the number of people the Government claims

will benefit from a new enterprise zone spanning the Humber. The area

will specialise in green energy manufacturing, that's things such

as turbines for offshore wind farms. It will mean companies relocating

to parts of Hull and North Lincolnshire will be given cash

incentives. In a moment, the former Labour Cabinet Minister Alan

Johnson will tell me why he believes the enterprise zone is

vital for the area's economy. But first, this from our political

editor Tim Iredale. Could an experiment that began in the '80s

succeed in getting a new generation off the dole and into work? That's

the hope amongst business leaders and politicians who believe the

Humber's new enterprise zone will attract more germs like engineering

giant Siemens, which has already named Hull as its preferred

location for a new wind turbine- manufacturing plant. These are

high-quality jobs with good rates of pay and long term. It's not

short-term stuff, but we've got to get those people to sign on the

dotted line. We have a whole plan in place for when those wind

turbine manufacturers do sign on the dotted line, which the new

enterprise zone will help with. will offer tax breaks for those

locating to the Humber, simpler planning rules and the capacity for

super-fast bround band connection. This is now officially the largest

enterprise zone in the country. It covers a whole area of the

waterfront, plus the proposed site of a new marine energy park in

north Lincolnshire, which is being developed by Able UK. It was a good

quality bid put together by the Humber Enterprise Partnership anded

bys upon strength already there in offshore wind technology and the

related supply chain. This will enhance that. It's going to create

about another 4,500 new jobs by 2014. One person isn't convinced.

They didn't work too well under Thatcher. Sometimes companies move

around the corner to get the better rates. The Government has scrapped

the RDAs for regional developmentac agencies. There was a mixed

reaction from job seekers in Hull to the promise of new vacancies.

Fantastic. The recession and things like that - I think it will be a

good thing. I don't think it will work. The Government are full of

false qualifications. We have no qualifications. It will be people

out of town. It will be difficult with the foreign labour coming in.

The new enterprise job will be judged on two words, job creation.

That's the story. Tim Tim Iredale is at Alexandra Dock in

Hull which has been earmarked for these new benefits. Is there any

evidence that enterprise zones can deliver jobs on a large scale?

Well, if you saw the opening images in my report, you saw Margaret

Thatcher walking on a patch of waste ground back in the '80s. That

is now the London docklands, one of the most a90 areas in the country.

Of course, it's a different story here. But the plan is by 2015,

these huge new wind turbines will be manufactured at sites here in

Hull and across the river in north Lincolnshire. They'll be put on to

giant barges and shipped out along the Humber estuary into the North

Sea to serve the offshore wind industry. You know, the message

we're getting tonight, Peter is this new enterprise zone will in

fact become a deal breaker in that some companies will now come to

Hull and north Lincolnshire which wouldn't have come had we not had

the enterprise zone. Some people adding a note of caution, John

Prescott suggesting that the zones don't work. They simply move jobs

around between certain areas, but the Government says these new zones

will have clout. They will create jobs, and they will ultimately

prove a success. We shall see. Thank you very much indeed. Alan

Johnson is the MP for Hull West and Hessle. I asked him if the new

Enterprise Zone would succeed in bringing jobs to the area. Well, I

hope so. The point is if we hadn't succeeded in getting an Enterprise

Zone, I think that would have been the end of Siemens, quite frankly.

It is a bit more to do with Siemens, but it was very important to them

we establish this zone, not the least because they want to bring

their second and third-tier supply chain betweens close to them, and

with modern logistics they can set up anywhere in the world. It was

important to them. That's why they wrote a letter of support. That's

the kind of imperative at the moment that if we can get Siemens,

we have something tangible, then we build on that. If you were saying

if we weren't one of the 11 zones chosen, we possibly could have lost

the Siemens deal? I am clear about that yes. Lord Prescott isn't

convinced. He says they don't create new jobs. They just move

existing jobs around? Doesn't he have a point there? He's right. I

am a supporter of Regional Development Agencies abolished by

this Government but we have to live in the world we're this. It's this

Government in power. The Government is saying set up these Enterprise

Zones with very, very attractive propositions for countries to start

up in them, so we live in the world we're in. We're in opposition, not

in Government, so I'll have another argument on another day and so will

John because I agree with him about the sense of what the Government is

doing, but if there are Enterprise Zones there, I want Hull and the

Humber inside, not outside of it. Is there a danger we could be

putting too many eggs in one basket on the renewable energy front? I

mean, if it turned out not to be the success we think? I think

that's a fair point, and I think we have to look at all the other

things going on to try and create jobs, but Peter, this is the

biggest opportunity that the Humber has ever had. It is to Hull what

North Seal was to Aberdeen because we have these 12-hour steaming

miles as they call it from these three giant wind farms in the North

Sea, we have an opportunity to bring renewable energy - the

manufacturer of these huge turbines, all the supply chains that go with

it, north and south bank working together to exploit this. All I

know is if we don't exploit this with every ounce of energy, sweat

and determination we've got, then we'd be letting down the people we

represent. Mr Johnston, thank you very much indeed.

An interesting report. An interesting discussion. What do you

think? Do you think the Enterprise Zones will make a difference to tax

breaks? Will they bring the right type of

In a moment on tonight's programme: The end of analogue television in

East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as the area goes digital.

Four years ago tonight I was standing in front of this burning

building bringing you the programme from Skegness. The huge fire

destroyed bars, nightclubs and arcades along Grand Parade and left

a big gap in the town. Tonight, there are new plans to bring the

area back to life. East Lindsey District Council is looking at ways

to buy the land that remains undeveloped. It's hoped it would

help bring vital business back to the town, but the owner of the site

says he'll fight to keep his property for his own plans. Jake

Zuckerman has this report. Summer sun means Skegness is packed with

holiday-makers, but at the very heart of the resort, there is a

hole - hordings covering a gap that visitors say is an eyesore. In

August 2007, fire destroyed the bars and amusements that used to be

here. The site next door has already been developed, but this

prime location is still empty. Now, says East Lindsay District Council,

enough is enough. They're threatening to take the owner to

court to force him to sell the land. They're hoping it's time now for

some development and positive economic activity to happen on the

site that was ravaged by fire. We're saying four years is long

enough. If the development can't happen, we're happy with compulsory

purchase orders to move the site on. The owner says legal problems have

caused the delay and he'll fight to keep his land. That's completely

unfair. There's numerous sites around the town that could do with

developing. This kind of action isn't necessary. All they need to

do is come speak with me which they haven't done. I have asked them on

numerous occasions to do is, and they never have come to see me.

Both visitors and local people just want to see the problem solved

quickly. I think it's time they got it sorted. It has been like it a

long while. Something has to be done with it. It's an eyesore.

Let's get things moving and sell it to a developer. People here have

already waited four years the see something built on this derelict

site. Even if compulsory purchase goes ahead, the council estimates

it could take as much as 18 months to complete the legal process alone.

Some more news now in brief: Shoppers in Scunthorpe are being

asked to watch out for fake vodka after more than 20 bottles were

seized from an off-license in the town. Trading Standards found the

counterfeit bottles following a tip-off. They found the vodka

contained a chemical used in cleaning fluids, which can cause

abnormal side effects. It's quite good copying the fact that - the

general public who wouldn't know what the look for would be tricked

into believing they were genuine products. The printing is glossy.

Even the bottles are designed with Smirnoff on there.

A Grimsby man has appeared in court charged with inciting violent

disorder by posting comments on Facebook. 21-year-old Martin

Hartshorn is accused of sending posts encouraging disorder in

Grimsby during last week's riots. He's been granted conditional bail

and will appear at Crown Court in September.

TJ Hughes in Scunthorpe is to shut for good this Sunday with the loss

of thirty seven jobs. The department store is one of a

further 12 shops set to close nationwide. Administrators were

called in to deal with the cashed- strapped company in June. Today's

announcement follows the closure of stores in Hull and King's Lynn.

As new figures show admissions to many of England's top attractions

are up, it's emerged some of our tourist areas are falling behind.

Lincoln Cathedral is one of those which has seen visitor numbers fall.

They were down by 40,000 last year. Our correspondent Caroline Bilton

has more. Bempton clifs, the Waddington air

show, our seaside resorts, the list goes on. They all draw in thousands

of visitors to East Yorkshire every year, but according to Visit

England, not quite as many visitors last year as previous years. Those

that have seen the increase are those that are free, like Harts

Home Country Park. It saw an increase in visitors of 25%.

Tourist attractions that charge saw a 25% drop in numbers such as

Lincoln Cathedral. But that has been attributed to the cancellation

of the Christmas market. It left the cathedral thousands out of

pocket. We lost probably �75,000 over the Christmas market.

Obviously, it was the decision to make at the time, and we're reaping

the consequences for that now. Hull and East Yorkshire, it

generates �615 million a year for the economy. In Lincolnshire it

generates �1 billion a year, but last year the main tourism body for

this county went into administration, and that's left a

shortfall of � three-quarters of a million pounds that used to be

spent promoting this county that's now no longer there. But local

businesses in England have decided to fill the gap. They have set up

the Visit Lincoln partnership. It's costing them money, but now they

get to say where it's spent. cathedral, the shopping centres,

the hotels, the small associations have all come together to make sure

this is funded properly and benefits the city. It makes sense

for everybody. If you put it into your plan, it helps. The businesses

have to be part of the structure that decides in terms of what it's

going to be spent on and therefore are in control to a degree of the

results that will bode off the back of that. The responsibility of

promoting Lincolnshire now rests in the hands of local businesses. More

groups like the one in Lincoln are being established. It's hoped their

vested interests will help bring more tourists and their money to

Is enough being done to promote tourist attractions in

Lincolnshire? Get in touch in the usual way. And you far watching

this Wednesday. -- thank-you for watching this Wednesday. Still

ahead tonight: We'll have all the match action

after a disastrous evening for our football teams.

And the new golfing craze where your sprint is just as important as

your swing. Keep your photographs coming in.

Filey and the Brigg taken this morning by Emma Morrison, who lives

in Grimsby. Thank-you for theirs. And thank you for a messages you

send after the photograph of the Evening.

You should Sir -- You should show some of your pictures from when you

go plane spotting. Do you want to upset aircraft

enthusiasts across the area? Of course not.

It has been a beautiful day. Whatever you have been doing, plane

spotting or not, we have seen sunshine. Tomorrow will go downhill,

with rain pushing in from the south. We have the thicker cloud around

the Wash. That cloud towards the Wash could give some spots of light

rain, but it will become dry for the rest of the night, with mostly

clear skies. Temperatures will be down to eight or nine degrees.

Looking at the Sun-Times, it rises at 5:45am, setting at 8:24pm.

Tomorrow will be a cool start. We will sue the best of the sunshine

at first. Cloud will increase from late morning onwards. There will be

some heavy outbreaks. I think East Yorkshire will stay dry until

evening. Temperatures will be struggling thanks to the wind

direction. Around 15, 17. The rain will clear away overnight into

Friday. Friday sees the fine weather returning. Temperatures

will be higher at 21. I thought now we were all digital,

you might be nicer to me. Sir things do not change!

Sir things do not change! See you tomorrow.

Last night, we reported how more than �14 million is to be spent by

the Government on improving broadband in Lincolnshire. The

county has some of the worst broadband coverage in England.

According to many businesses, this makes it difficult to compete with

other parts of the UK. Switch away regions, switch out. We talk about

the times of analogue. There was not as much competition. The

programmes I worked on had incredible audiences.

By now, hopefully you've re-tuned. Otherwise it's not just the BBC

Channels you might be missing. ITV, Channel 4, Five and a host of new

Channels are out there. You may just need to digitally re-tune.

Though if you've watching this on cable or satellite, ignore me, sit

back, relax, and play spot "Peter the Rabbit". You should be able to

see everything that is now available. There are some moments

she would not want to mess! At the North Point Shopping Centre at

Bransholme in Hull, a few last enquries as screens went blank

overnight. But so far the transition seems smooth. We could

not get a few programmes, so we asked the woman and she showed us.

My daughter is working, so will not be able to do it. I will have a go

at it. So an end to the way in which we

receive TV, but hopefully not an end to classic programmes...which

one day will surely be classed as "vintage."

And if you still need more information, you can contact the

Digital UK enquiry line on 08456 50 We reported how more than �40

million will be spent on improving broadband in Lincolnshire. The

cancer has some of the West broadband coverage in England. It

makes it difficult to compete with other parts of the UK in business.

Thank-you for all of the messages. It seems many people have been

Thank-you very much for all of theirs.

It was a dreadful night for our football teams last night. Hull

City, Scunthorpe United, Lincoln City and Grimsby Town all lost.

Hull City's problems started just 17 minutes in at Elland Road.

Leeds' Tom Lees also scored the second in his own net, but he

recovered from his embarrassment by putting his side back in front just

before the break. A free kick from Robert Snodgrass, and this effort

from ex-Scunthorpe player Ramone Nunez made it four.

Scunthorpe United are still searching for a win after falling

behind to Oldham through this David Mellor goal. Chris Dagnell's

brought the Iron level in the second half, but The Iron were

denied a point by this unexpected Oldham winner eight minutes from

time. Here at Blundell Park, there must be tried to think of a plan B.

They have conceded seven goals already, and scored none. After

losing last night fighters era, Grimsby Town fans are pessimistic.

-- after losing last night five-0. Where do we go now? I am speechless.

They have got to opera third game. The it's stupid! Carry on their way

they are doing, they will go to Blue Square North next season.

are bottom of the Blue Square Bet Premier. Lincoln City after losing

at home to Kidderminster last night are eighth from bottom. Lucky it's

a long season of opportunity ahead. Cricket and Yorkshire have started

their game against Sussex at the Scarborough Cricket Festival today.

Sussex won the toss and decided to bat and have made good progress.

Ryan Sidebottom has been among the wickets, taking four for 32. And

after a full day's play, the latest score is Sussex have made 335 for

the loss of just five wickets. The UK's first ever Fast Golf

Tournament teed off in East Yorkshire today. It's a game

designed for those who find a normal round takes too long. Games

can take just over an hour, about four times quicker than usual.

Sarah Corker's been to find out more.

A relaxing day on the golf course, this isn't! Fast golf is a modern

twist on the traditional game that's taking off in Hornsea.

good. A why you finding it? Tiring. I want to go to bed! Way again to

win the competition! With no caddies or buggies allowed,

teams must run between each hole fighting it out on foot for the

number one spot. Golf takes ages. People wanted games that went

quickly. It is fun and it is fast. The rules and the etiquette may be

the same, but this is likely to be the fastest game of golf you have

ever seen. Although this version is new here, it was invented in

America in the 1970s. To win, you have to complete the course in the

quickest time possible. Teams from Hull's football and

rugby clubs slogged it out over the five-mile course in what's thought

to be the country's first fast golf tournament. It is not as

straightforward as it sounds. In the end, the winners finished in

just over an hour. There were a couple of old is in my team that

were struggling! How tiring is it? I did not find it too difficult

because I am an athlete! I usually like a game of golf. I usually do

it as relaxation. That said there was not relaxing!

So if you cant find the time to fit in a game of regular golf, fast

golf could be coming to a club near you.

Let's get a recap of the national and regional headlines. The Prime

Minister praises courts for handing out stiff sentences to rioters

despite concerns about the severity of jail terms. MP Alan Johnson

claims a multi-million-pound green energy deal would a been lost if an

energy is there was not created in the Humber.

Tomorrow's weather a fine start, but rain pushing northwards through

Stories -- a response on the story about the enterprise zone. Someone

says, until we get rid of the bridge toll, it will still be a big

burden for many companies. Mac says, is there are people manning that

the job will go to outsiders with qualifications, why do they not

start education classes before it comes? On the subject of tourism in

Lincolnshire, Andrew says, I think low prices at the cathedral would

ensure more visitors, and surely that is better than very few at a

high cost, implying it is too expensive at the cathedral at the