01/12/2011 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)


01/12/2011

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Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines:

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Power supplies under threat as attacks on substations triple in

:00:07.:00:17.

just a year. People are not only putting their lives at risk,

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dealing with very high-voltage when attacking the assets, but obviously

:00:21.:00:24.

endangering the lives of customers and employees.

:00:24.:00:27.

Claims that Lincolnshire's schools are being privatised by the back

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door. After snow ruined last year's

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Lincoln Christmas Market, traders hope for better business this year.

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I am live in Lincoln, where thousands are starting to arrive.

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And I ask the honourable gentleman, whose fault is this?

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How Grantham's most famous daughter is being immortalised by a

:00:49.:00:59.
:00:59.:01:03.

Hollywood legend. And the latest This week we've been investigating

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the many problems caused when thieves steal metal to sell for

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scrap. It costs millions of pounds and tonight we reveal figures which

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show a dramatic increase in the number of thefts from electricity

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substations. Western Electric, which covers Lincolnshire, say that

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over the last three years there's been a threefold increase in the

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number of incidents. So what needs to be done to prevent this crime?

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In a moment we'll be hearing from the man who speaks on behalf of the

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scrap metal industry, but first Copper may not be a precious metal

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but it is in high demand, with people willing to risk serious

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injuries and even death to steal it. Attacks on electricity substations

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like this are on the rise as thieves risk everything to get hold

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of metal. Throughout the sub- station you will see copper

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earthing. There is a small example. This is a vital safety component

:02:00.:02:04.

for the operating of the sub- station, but also the safety of

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engineers and members of the public. Thieves target this, and reckless

:02:09.:02:12.

scrap-metal dealers will buy it. Now the metal's being marked with

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smart water. It's a clear solution used to mark valuables which shows

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up under UV light. It can be used to tag metal to show where it's

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come from. It only needs something very small. It is easy to detect

:02:29.:02:33.

under ultraviolet light, if the police were to stop somebody.

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In the Midlands area the problem has increased dramatically in the

:02:36.:02:40.

last couple of years. In 2009 there were around 360 attacks on the

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electricity supply chain, with thieves targeting copper cables and

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overhead power lines. In 2010 that figure had risen to 960 and this

:02:46.:02:56.
:02:56.:02:58.

year so far there have already been more than 1,000.

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In part it's the rising price of the copper that attracts thieves,

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despite the dangers. When cables like these are stolen there is a

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knock-on impact on infrastructure. It also affects the telecoms

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industry and the industry networks. Reverend Matt Martinson left a life

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of crime to join the Church. He's backing an online petition calling

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for scrap dealers to stop cash payments but says people must be

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vigilant. Try to light up the dark areas of the Church, in the grounds

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and things, and be aware of your surroundings.

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Technology like this helps to mark stolen metal in the hope that it

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can't be sold on, but campaigners argue that a change in the law is

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needed to really get this problem under control.

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We have been keeping a tally of metal thefts in the area. Since

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Saturday, Lincolnshire Police have had 74 calls about theft and

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Humberside Police have had 20. Earlier, I spoke to Ian

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Hetherington who's from from the British Metal Recycling

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Asssociation. It not only damages the reputation of the metal

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recycling industry, but it is also damaging the infrastructure of it,

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in that we are obviously one of the largest victims of metal thefts.

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More than 1000 raids on electricity sub-stations this year, costing

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millions and putting lives in danger. And this is because your

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industry offers cash in hand to the thieves, and that is what everybody

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is saying. Well, firstly, we unreservedly condemn the theft of

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infrastructure. It damages communities, the opportunity for

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travellers to travel freely, and our members would never knowingly

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entertain the buying of stolen material. Why can't we stop cash-

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in-hand payments at scrapyards? Isn't it time your organisation did

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something about that? The issue is not cash in hand, or the means of

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payment. The issue is having a clear route of identification

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between the seller of the metal, the stolen material, in these terms,

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and the buyer. It does appear, though, that you police yourselves.

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Do you not need the government to do something, to push something on

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to you to get it sorted out? strongly dispute that. The scrap

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metal industry, the metal recycling industry is heavily regulated. We

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contend that much of that regulation is badly enforced and we

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must see the police and the Environment Agency and all the

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other regulating bodies, of which there are very many, actually begin

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to co-ordinate their activities and clampdown on the illegal operators

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who provide the outlet for this material. But those who run the

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scrapyards, when they are offered metal which is stolen from gardens,

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or whatever, they are not doing anything wrong? Absolutely, they

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are doing wrong. If they are knowingly receiving stolen material,

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there should be heavy penalties. We would support and we are urging the

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Government to tighten up the penalties. But if you were to ban

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cash-in-hand, it would stop. would not. It would have no impact

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at all. There are currently a large underbelly of illegal operators out

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there, working outside the existing framework of the law. If you banned

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cash tomorrow, all that would happen is that their business would

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enlarge and we would grow the underbelly. And at the disadvantage

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of those who are heavily regulated and who can form with the law in

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the current times. Thank you. The subject of metal thefts.

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We'd love to hear your views on this. What's the answer to this

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increasing problem of metal thefts? Is it as simple as stopping cash-

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In a moment, concern about how long disabled people in East Yorkshire

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are having to wait for benefit payments.

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More than half of Lincolnshire's schools will be academies by the

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start of the next school year. Academy status gives schools more

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direct control over budgets, staff and timetables, but opponents say

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it makes them less accountable. Tarah Welsh has been to one town

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where the issue has been so controversial that it's led to

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resignations. This site was taken over by

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Skegness Academy in 2010. Those running say it's turned a troubled

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school into a remarkable academy. Lincolnshire County Council has

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urged all of its schools to take up academy status. That would mean

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they're independent from the local authority and that's why some

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campaigners are against the move. It is literally hounding the

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ownership and management of running the schools over to unaccountable

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private businesses. I think parents are not aware, at the moment, that

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when a school goes to academy status, they lose that layer of

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local accountability. But the principal here says

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converting to academy means better behaviour, results and resources

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for pupils and the community. have got an Academy council that

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has local authority representatives on it. It has staff representatives

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on it that live in the local community. Because we are local

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people, we know what affects local kids.

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But when Mark Anderson and Colin Wright were governors at Skegness

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Junior School, when they discovered it would become an academy under

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the same trust as the secondary school, they resigned. Gut-

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wrenching, because I put so much effort into it. What could happen

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is communities not having a hold on community schools. The community

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has a big say. Look at this resource. This is a learning

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resource centre that will be open to the community after school hours.

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But here in Lincolnshire, 55% of secondary schools have already

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converted into academies. A much higher proportion than elsewhere in

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our region. In East Riding, there are five

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Academy's Art of 18 secondary schools. In Hull, there are three

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out of 14. In Lincolnshire, there are 32 academies, leaving just 20

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in local authority control and it is a transition the Government

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encourage. Lincolnshire schools have been doing very well for young

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people over the last few years that they can do even better and academy

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status gives them the freedom, flexibility and resources to raise

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standards for all children. And with such strong support from

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ministers, it's likely more of our schools will become autonomous.

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Young cancer patients from East Yorkshire had their first look at a

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new specialist cancer unit for teenagers today. The facility at

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Castle Hill Hospital in Hull will mean many young people will no

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longer have to travel to Leeds for treatment. It was built with money

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raised by the Teenage Cancer Trust. Police interviews have begun in the

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case of a former paratrooper whose body was found in a Hull mortuary

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more than ten years after his funeral. Christopher Alder died

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after being held in police custody in 1998. His family thought they'd

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buried him two years later, but a police investigation began after

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his body was discovered. South Yorkshire Police won't reveal who

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they've spoken to as part of their investigation.

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The funeral has taken place of Red Arrows pilot Sean Cunningham, who

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died in an accident last month at the display team's base in

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Lincolnshire. Flight Lieutenant Cunningham was ejected from his

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Hawk jet while on the ground at RAF Scampton. It was the Red Arrows'

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second fatality this year after the death of another pilot, Jon Egging,

:11:16.:11:26.
:11:26.:11:31.

in August. Today's funeral service was held at Coventry Cathedral.

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Still ahead: How a Hollywood legend is

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immortalising Grantham's most famous daughter. And it has only

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been open a few hours, but thousands are turning up for the

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:11:55.:11:56.

If you have a picture that you are proud of, ascended into us and we

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will show it at half-time on the programme one night. -- send it

:12:00.:12:10.
:12:10.:12:16.

There is an interesting story about that. That cloud had no name until

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18 months ago when the cloud appreciation Society named it.

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The headline for the next 24 hours will be thrust and perhaps one or

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two icy patches tonight, but then tomorrow will be chilly but dry

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with some sunshine. Not looking too bad. This weather system might

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bring patchy rain tomorrow night. It has not been too bad today. The

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BIC chilly but bright. Quite a lot of cloud its dreaming up from the

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south. That could threaten parts of Norfolk with some patchy rain in

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the next couple of hours. It will soon move away, pulling the medium

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level crack -- cloud that has been with us. That means the skies will

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Collier and there will be a fairly widespread frost, with temperatures

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down to roundabout freezing. So the sun will rise in the morning at 750

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:13:30.:13:35.

You may be scraping ice off your windscreen in the morning. It will

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be a lovely, crisps that. The sunshine will turn hazy. Bright at

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times, especially through the afternoon. It will stage right. The

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wind will freshen, so it will feel a little chilli. A further ahead,

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patchy rain on Friday night. Saturday is not looking back. More

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:14:15.:14:16.

unsettled on Sunday with patchy Follow me on Twitter.

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We can hear more about asparagus, or whatever it is called!

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Asperatus! Linda says, we can still see Paul,

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can he moved out of Europe?! People in our area who have their

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disability living allowance stopped can face long delays before their

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case is heard by an appeals tribunal. Some people have had to

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wait over a year. The Tribunal Service say the deal with half a

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million cases a year. They admit there is a backlog.

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One Afghanistan war veteran, and one person with Chron's disease. An

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incurable disease of the Basle. They are very different people with

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very different disabilities, but both have suffered, or are

:15:08.:15:14.

suffering, the same consequences of lengthy delays to hear their

:15:14.:15:18.

appeals for disability living allowance. About nine months later,

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I got my appeal. The earliest date my appeal can be head is June 1st

:15:27.:15:31.

next year. It took Arona over a year to receive his allowance after

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an appeal. Louise claimed in June, was refused will have to wait until

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June next year. A lot of people have been in my position. There are

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plenty more out there. You are having to make sacrifices in

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between. How many more people will go through it? The weight is a

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familiar story at the Citizens Advice Bureau. The air is like a

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thorn all. There is lots of benefits claiming. There are

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perhaps incorrect decisions being made. There are too few venues, too

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few trained tribunal members to hear cases quickly. In a statement,

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:16:36.:16:41.

the Department of Work and Pensions The government says it has been

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listening to concerns, and they are now reforming disability living

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allowance. I have already announced significant changes to the way we

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are approaching these reforms, particularly around the assessment

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criteria we are using. That is directly as a result of listening

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to disabled people and their organisations. In the meantime, the

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wheeze is having to live on significantly less money until her

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tribunal his head -- Louise. New Hull FC players had been

:17:16.:17:20.

talking about how they are settling into life in England. Wade McKinnon

:17:20.:17:27.

and Brett Seymour joined Aaron Heremaia in training today. They

:17:27.:17:30.

told Simon Clark that Hull had given them a great welcome.

:17:30.:17:40.

They come from mainland Down Under. Australians and a Kiwi. What are

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the main cultural differences when you leave the Antipodes behind for

:17:45.:17:51.

East Yorkshire? A theme is already emerging. Cold weather! Sunshine at

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home to the weather here! They have left fine weather and the splendid

:17:59.:18:04.

landmarks behind to pursue their futures in rugby in East Yorkshire.

:18:04.:18:08.

One of them will have more than most to remember Hull by. It will

:18:08.:18:15.

be exciting. We have got a baby due next year. It is another string to

:18:15.:18:23.

the Barra! It is all very exciting at the moment. These fans watching

:18:23.:18:27.

training today had their take on what the players need to settle.

:18:27.:18:32.

Mix with the people and you are laughing. Hull people are friendly,

:18:32.:18:37.

so they will take to them. If you snub them, they will not want to

:18:38.:18:46.

know you. Three years ago, Rachel Barton left elbow and to settle

:18:46.:18:53.

here. -- left Melbourne. The best way to settle his blend in, and try

:18:54.:18:58.

to see places they have hidden away. I think Hull is a great community

:18:58.:19:07.

with plenty to offer, but you have to go and find it. We have been

:19:07.:19:11.

driving on stopping and having lunch. We are enjoying it at the

:19:11.:19:16.

moment. All three of us have not seen snow, so we are hoping for

:19:16.:19:22.

some! Was never the weather, Hull FC fans trust they will settle into

:19:22.:19:27.

their rugby and help return the glory days to the club.

:19:27.:19:31.

It was cancelled last year, but this afternoon, Lincoln's Christmas

:19:31.:19:37.

Market opened, with local business is hoping to make up for last

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year's disappointment. Leanne is live at the market tonight. What

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can people expect? As you can imagine, there is hot

:19:53.:19:58.

food and wine available, home-made gifts, toys and jewellery. A third

:19:58.:20:01.

of the stalls you can see down there will be showcasing

:20:01.:20:06.

Lincolnshire products. We will have more on that tomorrow. Lots of it

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comes from across the UK and Europe. Lincoln has a very strong bond

:20:11.:20:16.

which its sister city, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Germany, where

:20:16.:20:20.

much of the wine that is sold here comes from. I have travelled to

:20:20.:20:29.

Germany to see it in production. With its beautiful countryside,

:20:30.:20:34.

historical buildings and Cathedral, it's easy to see why Neustadt an

:20:34.:20:39.

der Weinstrasse is twinned with Lincoln. The town also has a castle,

:20:39.:20:46.

but down below are 40 miles of thing out. That means plenty of

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wine. -- 40 miles of vineyards. P Anselman estate is one of the

:20:52.:20:56.

biggest producers in the region, producing 1.6 million bottles a

:20:56.:21:06.
:21:06.:21:08.

year. The wine we are bottoming today is a cabernet sauvignon. We

:21:08.:21:13.

export our wines to more than 20 countries worldwide. Especially to

:21:13.:21:21.

the UK. And, of course, Gluvine, or mulled wine as we call it, is a

:21:21.:21:29.

huge seller at this time of year. Gluvine is very popular, especially

:21:29.:21:35.

in November and December. After a cold, winter day it is very nice to

:21:35.:21:43.

get warm again, and it is very special if you were in a typical

:21:43.:21:48.

German Christmas Market to drink it out sight. For the last 29 years,

:21:48.:21:53.

wine from the region has made the 15 hour journey to its twin town.

:21:53.:22:01.

Around 2000 bottles are sold at a Lincoln Christmas Market every year.

:22:01.:22:05.

Thousands of litres made a wasted journey last year after the event

:22:05.:22:15.
:22:15.:22:16.

was cancelled because of the snow. We could not believe it. After some

:22:16.:22:26.
:22:26.:22:27.

time, week saw the snow. After two days, we returned to Germany.

:22:27.:22:30.

the weather in England being unusually warm for this time of

:22:30.:22:33.

year, their arrival went to plan, and there is plenty of stocks for

:22:33.:22:37.

this year's Lincoln Christmas market.

:22:37.:22:44.

As we saw there, the snow last year. Traders will hope to make up for

:22:44.:22:53.

that this Shea. The well indeed. -- this year. John is from the council.

:22:53.:22:57.

How much money does the market bring in? We estimate about �10

:22:58.:23:03.

million into the local economy. People come and spend money in the

:23:03.:23:08.

city. And hopefully they will come back in the future. I am told this

:23:08.:23:14.

is the biggest to date. What is new? We have more stalls, about 260.

:23:14.:23:20.

We have children's craft, Street feta. Lincoln is delivering what it

:23:20.:23:26.

always does. Atmosphere. A great start to Christmas. How many people

:23:26.:23:31.

are expecting to come to the market? It is difficult to say, but

:23:31.:23:37.

we think about 200,000. That is a lot of people. Why should people go

:23:37.:23:46.

if they want more information? can look at the dedicated website.

:23:46.:23:50.

Once they get here, there is park and ride at a Lincolnshire

:23:50.:23:56.

Showground. The tourist centre has lots of information. Thank you very

:23:56.:24:01.

much. Let's hope the weather stays as good as it is tonight. It is

:24:01.:24:06.

feeling very festive here, and we will have more from here tomorrow.

:24:06.:24:12.

The thank you very much. She is one of Lincolnshire's most

:24:12.:24:15.

famous daughters. Last night, Leicester Square in London was

:24:15.:24:19.

packed for the premiere of a film about her life. It is called the

:24:19.:24:22.

Iron Lady and is the story of Margaret Thatcher. She is being

:24:22.:24:32.
:24:32.:24:33.

played by Meryl Streep. What do they make of her life story in its

:24:33.:24:37.

Grantham? She was the first lady of politics,

:24:37.:24:43.

and earned the reputation not to be trifled with. All attempts to

:24:43.:24:49.

destroy democracy by terrorism... Margaret Thatcher was prime

:24:49.:24:56.

minister through political turmoil, and foreign conflict. Her career

:24:56.:25:03.

began here in Grantham. Her father was a shopkeeper. This is,

:25:03.:25:08.

admittedly, an elegant street in Grantham, but it was still some

:25:08.:25:11.

journey from here to Westminster. It was further still for the

:25:11.:25:15.

daughter of a greengrocer to make it all the way to Hollywood. Of

:25:15.:25:20.

course, it had to be a Tinseltown Ailey stare like Meryl Streep to

:25:20.:25:28.

pull off the part of the Iron Lady. -- Tinseltown a police death.

:25:28.:25:33.

wanted to in some way capture whatever it was that drew people to

:25:33.:25:41.

her. And whatever it was that made people have a special venom for her

:25:41.:25:45.

as a public figure. Do the people in Grantham know what it is all

:25:45.:25:52.

about? First woman to do something? Prime Minister. That's it. What she

:25:52.:26:01.

did was splendid. She did a lot for women. They put a statue or porter

:26:01.:26:06.

and someone not the head off. always did divide opinion. You can

:26:06.:26:12.

decide for yourself when the Iron Lady comes out next month.

:26:12.:26:17.

There we are. The first woman to do something! I love that.

:26:17.:26:22.

Let's have a recap of the headlines. The Governor of the Bank of England

:26:22.:26:26.

tells high-street banks to increase their reserves as concern grows

:26:26.:26:30.

about the eurozone. Attacks on electricity sub-stations

:26:30.:26:34.

triple as metal thieves threaten power supplies.

:26:34.:26:39.

A dry day tomorrow, although the clouds -- This Guy's will cloud

:26:39.:26:49.
:26:49.:26:49.

Big response on the subject of the metal thefts after our report and

:26:49.:26:53.

interviews this week. Peters says, what that Gentleman has said is

:26:54.:27:01.

rubbish. That is our guest. I lived in West Hull and local youths would

:27:01.:27:05.

stretch lead from occupied and derelict houses, knowing that local

:27:05.:27:08.

scrap dealers give them ready cash to feed their drug habits. George

:27:08.:27:12.

said, it and it takes one of these idiots to get electrocuted, it

:27:12.:27:17.

might make them think twice. Gill says, signed who is by newt and

:27:17.:27:25.

give the thieves know where to take it, that is the answer -- Sark --

:27:25.:27:34.

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