:00:08. > :00:11.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight:
:00:11. > :00:21.Backing from a Hull head teacher on government plans to stop parents
:00:21. > :00:25.benefits if their children repeatedly skip school. Anything
:00:25. > :00:31.that strengthens the ability of schools under local authority to
:00:31. > :00:33.ensure that students are in school, I think is a good starting place.
:00:33. > :00:39.Parents react to the investigation into a Lincolnshire academy's
:00:39. > :00:44.finances and it's boss's resignation. Quite shocked. I had
:00:44. > :00:45.heard some warnings what I would like them to be squashed or
:00:45. > :00:48.confirmed. One of the survivors of this
:00:48. > :00:51.balloon crash tells Look North he will take a flight again.
:00:51. > :00:59.Find out the lengths these Lincolnshire ladies are going to
:00:59. > :01:09.for the Diamond Jubilee. Sunday's some rain fall to come
:01:09. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:12.later tonight. Your week ahead The headteacher of a secondary
:01:12. > :01:19.school in Hull has given a cautious welcome to Government plans to dock
:01:19. > :01:22.parents child benefit if their children repeatedly skip school.
:01:22. > :01:25.Hull has one of the worst records in the country for offenders with
:01:25. > :01:28.more than 9% of all children being classed as persistent truants,
:01:28. > :01:35.those are children who miss more than 15% of their available
:01:35. > :01:38.schooldays. The national average is 6.1%. Our social affairs
:01:38. > :01:48.correspondent Vicky Johnson has been gauging reaction in the City
:01:48. > :01:49.
:01:49. > :01:52.to the latest Government plan to beat the problem of truancy. I am
:01:52. > :01:54.ringing to find out why your child is not in school.
:01:54. > :01:58.Every day around 35 pupils play truant from Endeavour High School
:01:58. > :02:00.in Hull. Even so, attendence rates here have improved by 4% over the
:02:00. > :02:03.past two years. And the interim head Stuart Edgell believes
:02:03. > :02:13.Government proposals to take an even tougher stance with parents
:02:13. > :02:13.
:02:13. > :02:18.could be a good idea. Anything which strengthens the ability of
:02:18. > :02:21.schools and the local -- local education authority and local
:02:21. > :02:24.authority to ensure that students are in school, I think is a good
:02:24. > :02:29.starting place. When children don't attend they
:02:29. > :02:34.don't achieve. That's the simple message from education officials.
:02:34. > :02:38.Even missing just 10% of schooling can mean the difference of two
:02:38. > :02:42.grades which could mean passing or failing at GCSE.
:02:42. > :02:45.No one has been available from the city council to discuss why when
:02:45. > :02:49.school absence is still a problem in Hull. The budget for education
:02:49. > :02:53.welfare officers has been cut by �500,000 over the past year or why
:02:53. > :02:56.the number of parents prosecuted has almost been halved.
:02:56. > :03:02.But most of these parents thought the Government was right to take
:03:02. > :03:06.child benefit from those who failed to get their children to school.
:03:06. > :03:11.is meant to be spent on your child. If you cannot be bothered taking
:03:11. > :03:14.your child to school, then you're not being a very good parent.
:03:14. > :03:17.get that money to look after your kids and if you're not looking
:03:17. > :03:22.after them by sending them to school there maybe you should not
:03:22. > :03:26.have that money. Clearly family -- families whose children do not come
:03:26. > :03:29.to school, a lot of them have problems and I do not see how
:03:30. > :03:32.cutting income can help. Some of the city's MPs agree that
:03:32. > :03:38.punishing vulnerable children and their families is certainly not the
:03:38. > :03:42.answer. Some people in my constituency are really, truly
:03:42. > :03:45.already on the breadline and cannot afford to lose any more money. I am
:03:45. > :03:48.sure they are desperate to get their kids to school and they
:03:49. > :03:52.encourage them but this is not the way to do that in my view and we
:03:52. > :03:55.should look at more support for them and early intervention, all of
:03:55. > :03:57.which have been cut by this government.
:03:57. > :04:00.While education advisers agree that parents should take more
:04:00. > :04:06.responsibility in helping to tackle truancy. Arguments still rage on as
:04:07. > :04:10.to whether the carrot or the stick approach works best.
:04:10. > :04:15.I'm joined by the MP for Beverley and Holderness who's also on the
:04:15. > :04:17.Chair of the Education Select Committee. We heard there from the
:04:17. > :04:27.Child Poverty Action Group saying that cutting benefits in an area
:04:27. > :04:36.like Hull, which is already socially deprived, is a mistake.
:04:36. > :04:40.Is this a mistake? No, the people you spoke to before want to give
:04:40. > :04:45.more support to their people who have kids in school. In an area
:04:45. > :04:48.like East Hull, the best message is to get children to school and make
:04:48. > :04:52.sure they are there every day and help them get the extra two grades
:04:52. > :04:55.that have been mentioned. If we do that we know the people who get the
:04:55. > :05:00.grades get the jobs and earn more throughout their life and have a
:05:00. > :05:05.better and richer life and we can break the cycle of deprivation
:05:05. > :05:09.which has gripped many people in East Hull for generations. The
:05:09. > :05:12.attitude that says we cannot punish people who acted responsibly is
:05:12. > :05:17.irresponsible and it is the attitude that has put us in the
:05:17. > :05:21.mess that we are in now. I would never overstate the importance of
:05:21. > :05:24.this report. Get the children to school and you will be amazed at
:05:24. > :05:30.what they're capable of and how well they can do at school.
:05:30. > :05:33.money that pays for education and welfare officers has been cut. If
:05:33. > :05:40.the government invested more in that rather than cutting benefits,
:05:40. > :05:42.surely there would not be as many truants? It is a combination of
:05:42. > :05:47.things. Hull City Council is responsible, it is a Labour-run
:05:47. > :05:51.council, and it has to make its own choices about how it spends its
:05:51. > :05:57.money. This report says let us go in early and look back children and
:05:57. > :06:01.primary school and measure what they're doing and into been early
:06:01. > :06:06.and get them used to turning up at school. If you get the grades and
:06:06. > :06:09.you go to school there was a future for you where you are. School is so
:06:09. > :06:14.important and if we can do that we can make sure our young people,
:06:14. > :06:17.wherever they come from, get a first start in life. We must send a
:06:18. > :06:22.message to parents to get their children to school or they will pay
:06:22. > :06:26.a price as well which sends a message to some of the chaotic
:06:26. > :06:35.disorganised parents out there and they know their kids do not have to
:06:35. > :06:38.end up the way they have. We'd love to hear your views on this story.
:06:38. > :06:48.Is it right to cut benefits if parents allow their children to
:06:48. > :06:58.
:06:58. > :07:00.At we will have some messages before we finish the programme.
:07:00. > :07:03.In a moment: Villagers in North East
:07:03. > :07:06.Lincolnshire say they're being forced to pay for a community hall,
:07:06. > :07:08.even though they voted against it. Parents at a Lincolnshire school
:07:08. > :07:11.say they're shocked after it was revealed it's been investigated
:07:11. > :07:14.over its financial management. The investigation started after a BBC
:07:14. > :07:17.report into the school last Autumn. Two weeks ago the chief executive
:07:17. > :07:24.of the Priory Academy's management group stepped down suddenly due to
:07:24. > :07:28.the inquiry. Jake Zuckerman reports. A salary of �200,000 made Richard
:07:28. > :07:30.Gilliland one of the country's best paid civil servants. But his sudden
:07:30. > :07:33.resignation as chief executive of the Priory Academy's management
:07:33. > :07:43.group, has come as a shock to parents, who today dropped their
:07:43. > :07:46.
:07:46. > :07:50.children at school for the first time since his announcement.
:07:50. > :07:54.Surprising. He had such a good reputation. People in public
:07:54. > :08:00.positions have to be very careful that they abide by the financial
:08:00. > :08:04.rules but I do not know whether or not he has. Quite shocked to be
:08:04. > :08:08.honest. It will be interesting to find out... I have heard some
:08:08. > :08:11.rumours but I would like to know why he has resigned.
:08:11. > :08:19.With 4,500 pupils at four sites in Lincoln and Grantham, the Priory
:08:19. > :08:21.Academy has a high profile. And during his time in charge Richard
:08:21. > :08:23.Gilliland oversaw a multi-million pound building programme, A
:08:23. > :08:26.programme that included state of the art sports facilities, a
:08:26. > :08:31.science block with its own planetarium, and a �1.9 million
:08:31. > :08:35.study centre in France. These lavish facilities have led to
:08:35. > :08:39.raised eyebrows in education circles. Last october the BBC
:08:39. > :08:42.reported on concerns about the academy's spending. That sparked a
:08:42. > :08:48.government investigation which in turn led to the resignation of Mr
:08:48. > :08:52.Gilliland. But tonight it's still not clear exactly what it was that
:08:52. > :08:55.that government investigation uncovered.
:08:55. > :09:03.Jake is outside the school this evening. What have the school had
:09:03. > :09:06.to say today? We have approached the school for
:09:06. > :09:11.their comment and they have told us they have nothing further but they
:09:11. > :09:14.can add at this time. They have prepared their own response to the
:09:14. > :09:18.government investigation which will be put to the school's trustees
:09:18. > :09:22.later this week. What is adding to the mysteries surrounding the
:09:22. > :09:26.resignation is that we know so little about the investigation that
:09:26. > :09:31.has prompted a. We do not know its scope or any details about its
:09:31. > :09:36.findings and that has led to calls from parents and teaching unions
:09:36. > :09:40.and politicians to politics -- to publish its findings and provide
:09:40. > :09:43.some much-needed transparency. Thank you very much.
:09:43. > :09:46.Two men have been charged with murder after a man was found dead
:09:46. > :09:49.in Lincoln City centre. The 44- year-old died from a single stab
:09:49. > :09:52.wound after being found on Portland Street in the city on Saturday. 38-
:09:52. > :09:54.year-old Mark Titley and Benjamin Freeston who's 32 have appeared in
:09:54. > :09:57.court this morning. A fleet of surveillance planes
:09:57. > :09:59.remains grounded after faults were discovered during an inspection at
:09:59. > :10:01.RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. Engineers have spent the weekend
:10:01. > :10:04.investigating the structural problem involving the Sentry
:10:04. > :10:12.aircraft. The seven planes will remain grounded while further
:10:12. > :10:15.checks are carried out. The planes were recently used over Libya.
:10:15. > :10:19.A replacement for a statue which was stolen from the banks of the
:10:19. > :10:22.Humber is to be erected at the start of next month. The Voyage
:10:22. > :10:27.Statue marked the seafaring links between Hull and Iceland, but was
:10:27. > :10:30.stolen by scrap metal thieves last summer.
:10:30. > :10:35.A man from Pocklington has described the moment his hot air
:10:35. > :10:38.balloon crash landed on power cables in East Yorkshire. 61-year-
:10:38. > :10:44.old John Newstead was left with a black eye after the balloon was
:10:44. > :10:47.dragged 200 yards by a gust of wind as it was trying to land. Sarah
:10:47. > :10:53.Corker reports. A keen photographer, John Newstead
:10:53. > :10:55.had booked his first hot air balloon trip as a special treat. He
:10:55. > :11:05.captured these images just moments before the balloon crash landed on
:11:05. > :11:06.
:11:06. > :11:10.power lines. There was an almighty bump and we went over the
:11:10. > :11:14.embankment which we did not realise until afterwards. We drifted for
:11:14. > :11:17.another hundred yards or so and then we stopped. We could hear a
:11:17. > :11:21.few crackles and bangs and then we were told we could come out. It was
:11:22. > :11:26.only then we noticed how close we were to the water and the fact the
:11:26. > :11:30.balloon had tangled in the wires. We could have been electrocuted or
:11:30. > :11:33.drowned if the balloon had gone another few feet.
:11:33. > :11:36.The balloon had been travelling for around 20 miles over the Yorkshire
:11:36. > :11:44.Wolds when it attempted to land in West Haddersley near Selby. But a
:11:44. > :11:47.strong gust of wind caught the baloon at the last moment. It hit
:11:47. > :11:51.the flood bank and went over the bank and that is when I lost sight
:11:51. > :11:57.of it. It obviously drifted into the lines and as you can see they
:11:57. > :12:01.have just been very lucky. The cables carry 66,000 volts. But
:12:01. > :12:03.as soon as the balloon hit the wire, the electicity supply was cut. All
:12:03. > :12:11.nine passengers escaped without serious injury. And for John, a
:12:11. > :12:15.black eye is the only sign left of the dramatic landing. When we
:12:15. > :12:20.curled up to brace ourselves for landing, I tucked my camera between
:12:20. > :12:24.my knees. The jolt as the balloon bounced along, the thing came free
:12:24. > :12:27.and smacked me in the face. The Balloon Adventure Company that
:12:27. > :12:30.runs the trips has launched a full investigation into exactly what
:12:30. > :12:34.happened. But it hasn't put John off trying it again. I would
:12:34. > :12:39.certainly do it again. I cannot wait to get up there. The same
:12:39. > :12:41.pilot, he treated us wonderfully and he did so well to avoid a
:12:41. > :12:50.catastrophe. But John probably won't be in a
:12:50. > :12:55.hurry to take a flight again on Friday 13th.
:12:55. > :12:56.Well done to John, he had a lucky escape on Friday the 13th!
:12:57. > :13:04.Still ahead tonight: Double defeat. Disappointment for
:13:04. > :13:14.both Hull rugby league clubs as they go out of the Challenge Cup.
:13:14. > :13:17.
:13:17. > :13:27.The radio stars who have now become If you are a picture you are proud
:13:27. > :13:49.
:13:49. > :13:55.of then send it in. To make this And now the weather. The head line
:13:55. > :14:02.for the next 24 hours - unsettled, but some useful rain for East
:14:02. > :14:09.Yorkshire and Lancashire. This area of low pressure will be with us
:14:09. > :14:16.until next time -- this time next week. The rest of April looks very
:14:16. > :14:21.unsettled with showers and spells of quite useful rain. The satellite
:14:21. > :14:27.picture shows the weather system coming in later. In the short term,
:14:27. > :14:33.not too bad, dry and reasonably bright. But the rain will sweep and
:14:33. > :14:41.from the West later. There could be a touch of ground frost in places.
:14:41. > :14:50.The sun will rise in the morning at 5:55am. There are you a high water
:14:50. > :14:54.times. It is a wet and windy commute first thing. The rain will
:14:54. > :14:59.be persistent but it is moving quickly out of the way and will be
:14:59. > :15:06.clear off the coast by 10 am. Some afternoon sunshine and some
:15:06. > :15:14.blustery showers. Top temperatures, the average around about 12 Celsius
:15:14. > :15:20.and that is where be will be tomorrow afternoon. So, low
:15:20. > :15:26.pressure in charge for the rest of the week. It means there will be a
:15:26. > :15:36.scattering of showers. Some showers will be heavy, thundery, possibly
:15:36. > :15:40.
:15:40. > :15:50.Least that did not warn us about the sun rising in the morning, but
:15:50. > :15:52.
:15:52. > :15:56.People living in a village near Grimsby are considering suing their
:15:56. > :16:00.parish council of plans to build a new community hall. Residents say
:16:00. > :16:06.that the village is being forced to borrow up to �3,000 even though
:16:06. > :16:10.most people against it. The people of Greatcoates have voted on the
:16:10. > :16:18.issue twice. They were asked if they wanted to borrow money to
:16:18. > :16:28.build a new village hall. There votes cast in favour of yes -
:16:28. > :16:30.
:16:30. > :16:37.377, boats in favour of no, 877 but despite the vote, councillors want
:16:37. > :16:45.They're acting undemocratically by not taking account of the
:16:45. > :16:50.referendums we have had. The plan is for a New Hall on this
:16:51. > :16:57.site. The repayments would be at it to villagers rates and put them up
:16:57. > :17:00.more than �20 per year. Greatcoates did have a community centre but it
:17:00. > :17:05.closed down over eight years ago and groups like there Women's
:17:05. > :17:09.Institute have had to go elsewhere. Is it fair that the burden of debt
:17:09. > :17:16.should be shouldered by everyone in the village even if they do not use
:17:16. > :17:21.If you asked people if they would like a village hall without paying
:17:21. > :17:30.the majority would say yes. But I'm afraid that in any climate if you
:17:30. > :17:37.want something you have to pay for But protesters are calling for the
:17:37. > :17:42.parish council to be dissolved and are even considering legal action.
:17:42. > :17:47.One a possible route is a judicial review in which the parish council
:17:47. > :17:53.are brought to court to state why, effectively, they have acted out of
:17:53. > :17:57.their authority. If indeed that either case.
:17:57. > :18:07.The parish council did not want to comment and protesters say they
:18:07. > :18:07.
:18:07. > :18:11.will not give up stopping the debt from hanging over the village.
:18:11. > :18:16.Responses to concerns about how church renovation could be hit by
:18:16. > :18:21.changes to VAT bills announced in the Budget. The Archdeacon of
:18:21. > :18:31.Lincoln is campaigning to stop the introduction of VAT on alterations
:18:31. > :18:58.
:18:58. > :19:04.to listed buildings. Jackie in Hull There will be no Wembley appearance
:19:04. > :19:13.for Hull's Rugby League clubs. Rovers came nearest to securing a
:19:13. > :19:20.place against Catalan but Hull FC won easily defeated by Huddersfield.
:19:20. > :19:25.-- where it easily defeated. Rovers' supporters who left at
:19:25. > :19:33.half-time it could have missed the greatest comeback of the season. In
:19:33. > :19:38.a mirror image of the first half they went on the front foot. This
:19:38. > :19:46.boat try was delivered and when another run the length of the field
:19:46. > :19:54.was completed the turnaround was almost over. But this kept was
:19:54. > :19:59.missed to level the scores. Hour kicking let us down. I am
:19:59. > :20:06.disappointed by that but we left ourselves too much to do after the
:20:06. > :20:12.first half. Hull FC have had injury problems
:20:12. > :20:16.but this looked like being a good day. But their joy was short-lived
:20:16. > :20:22.after these tries when Huddersfield swept past them to record an easy
:20:22. > :20:28.win in the second half. They have got a strong squad. We
:20:28. > :20:32.are depleted at the moment. The upside is the experience that the
:20:32. > :20:37.young blokes are getting now. It is terrific.
:20:37. > :20:44.The walking wounded must be patched up before their next game against
:20:44. > :20:49.Wigan. Nick Barmby has called on his side
:20:49. > :20:52.to be ruthless in the final three games of the season. Hull City will
:20:52. > :21:01.probably have to win them all to qualify for the play-offs following
:21:01. > :21:05.their 1 - 1 draw at Watford. I want a positive performance. We
:21:05. > :21:10.got that against what for that we could not put the ball in the back
:21:10. > :21:17.of them. When we do get chances tomorrow I want to put the ball on
:21:17. > :21:25.the back of the net. You can see all the goals from the
:21:25. > :21:30.Hull City and Scunthorpe United games on late kick-off this evening.
:21:30. > :21:35.For many, celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee might be a last-
:21:35. > :21:41.minute decision. But for people in Rippingale the sewing has been
:21:41. > :21:47.going on non-stop since last November. They want to cover the
:21:47. > :21:52.village in 12 miles of bunting. And grand state occasion often calls
:21:52. > :21:58.for a grand celebration. As the Diamond Jubilee creeps ever closer
:21:58. > :22:06.and so does the sense for the need to party. But before such pleasures,
:22:06. > :22:10.the preparation. In this village there is literally miles of it. All
:22:10. > :22:15.of this sewing, penning, stencilling, cutting, ironing, is
:22:15. > :22:23.to make enough bunting to decorate every sheet -- Street in the
:22:23. > :22:28.village. We have used anything we can get.
:22:28. > :22:32.It is quite relaxing. You can think of all sorts of things, like what
:22:32. > :22:40.you're going to cook for dinner tonight.
:22:40. > :22:46.So what is for dinner tonight? Roast lamb!
:22:46. > :22:50.Jean has been working hard since November took great and neat edge.
:22:50. > :22:57.Some of Our husbands around the village are looking for their
:22:57. > :23:04.favourite shops! So far about 15,000 ft has been
:23:04. > :23:12.sown but there is another 50,000 to go. In total they are aiming for
:23:12. > :23:19.about 12 miles. Do you so when you sleep?
:23:19. > :23:24.Sometimes, yes! At times however, even with the
:23:24. > :23:29.best intentions, things become a little bit undone. And a bit
:23:29. > :23:37.knotted. But generally the whole project has helped the community
:23:37. > :23:43.become closer and that. -- close- knit.
:23:43. > :23:53.It is good fun and a way to meet villagers you would normally see.
:23:53. > :23:55.
:23:55. > :24:00.I was just lucky to leave with my Sheridan Smith has won her second
:24:00. > :24:05.Olivier Award. After success in Legally Blonde she won an award for
:24:05. > :24:12.so her supporting role in the play, Flare Path. As she is working in
:24:12. > :24:16.Australia, director Trevor Nunn accepted a award on her behalf.
:24:16. > :24:22.I would give anything to be with you tonight but my parents are in
:24:22. > :24:31.the audience so please tell them that I love them.
:24:31. > :24:38.A fantastic story. You can hear Trevor Nunn's speech in full
:24:38. > :24:44.tomorrow if you can tune in. They are more used to entertain
:24:44. > :24:49.listeners on the radio but on millions -- on Friday millions of
:24:49. > :24:56.people watched as Beryl and Betty made their television debut on the
:24:56. > :25:04.BBC show, the One Show. If you watched on Friday you might have
:25:04. > :25:11.noticed too familiar voices. 86- year-old and 90-year-old Beryl and
:25:11. > :25:18.Betty. They were watched by millions. Backstage they felt
:25:18. > :25:21.overwhelmed. I cannot describe this. It is
:25:21. > :25:30.unbelievable. I would never have believed that we would be sat in
:25:30. > :25:38.there. When he asked me a question I made a bit of a mistake but I
:25:38. > :25:43.could not help it. I was so Their new found fame is all down to
:25:44. > :25:50.their radio show which has been nominated for a Sony award. It is
:25:50. > :26:00.not surprising with features such as chicken dinner.
:26:00. > :26:00.
:26:00. > :26:10.Chicken dinner. A Frank Skinner. The Grand National or chicken
:26:10. > :26:15.
:26:15. > :26:19.dinner? The programme also heavily features
:26:19. > :26:25.the music of Michael Bubley. They were treated to a special feature
:26:25. > :26:34.from the One Show. What is your favourite Michael
:26:34. > :26:44.Bubley sans? I like them all.
:26:44. > :26:46.
:26:46. > :26:52.Andy me even get to meet their idol The headlines: the man accused of
:26:52. > :26:56.killing 77 people in Norway goes on trial. Backing for a head teacher
:26:56. > :27:06.who is behind the government plans to find parents who allow their
:27:06. > :27:07.
:27:07. > :27:17.children to truant. And top temperatures, 12 Celsius.
:27:17. > :27:17.
:27:17. > :27:25.More responses on the subject of truancy. Daisy says, why should
:27:25. > :27:31.parents be punished? For all we know Our Kids are in school. And