:00:12. > :00:18.Intolerant and illiberal, the criticism of a students Union
:00:19. > :00:31.What the students union has done now is clamp down completely
:00:32. > :00:34.So they're very willing to stick up for students, it
:00:35. > :00:36.seems, as long as those students agree completely
:00:37. > :00:41.A cancer patient's dying wish - better bedside phones to cut
:00:42. > :00:54.And wasn't it a lovely day. Forecast later.
:00:55. > :01:00.The Students' Union at the University of Lincoln
:01:01. > :01:02.is being accused of censorship after suspending the social
:01:03. > :01:03.media account of a group of young Conservatives.
:01:04. > :01:14.The Union denies the accusation, but the Lincoln MP Karl McCartney
:01:15. > :01:16.has got involved, calling the student union
:01:17. > :01:19.We'll hear from him in a moment, but first here's our
:01:20. > :01:24.There's a long tradition of student protest in this country,
:01:25. > :01:26.but some claim that free speech is becoming increasingly
:01:27. > :01:32.The University of Lincoln's Conservative Society claims that
:01:33. > :01:35.when it highlighted a recent survey by an online magazine describing
:01:36. > :01:37.the Student Union as "very intolerant" it had its official
:01:38. > :01:40.social media account suspended - a response described by Lincoln's MP
:01:41. > :01:45.Karl McCartney as "intolerant, illiberal and totalitarian".
:01:46. > :01:50.The University of Lincoln's Student Union said it was investigating
:01:51. > :01:53.a "breach of code of conduct" but insisted that "freedom of Speech
:01:54. > :02:09.where students can express opinions and ideas freely within the law."
:02:10. > :02:17.We spoke to a student union officer who was stood down after reprimanded
:02:18. > :02:25.for one of his tweets. What we have been saying is that dissenting, not
:02:26. > :02:35.even his venting, criticising, just trying to have a debate. --
:02:36. > :02:40.dissenting. So how do students feel? I feel we are more understanding of
:02:41. > :02:48.peoples differences. I don't think many people are offended easily. You
:02:49. > :02:49.can discuss controversial subjects because people do get offended all
:02:50. > :02:53.the time. So the age-old debate about free
:02:54. > :02:56.speech is being played out in a very modern setting with our universities
:02:57. > :02:59.facing a delicate balancing act between the right to be heard
:03:00. > :03:04.and the right not to be offended. Karl McCartney is
:03:05. > :03:06.the MP for Lincoln. Earlier I asked him what he thought
:03:07. > :03:11.of the Student Union's censorship. I think they are mistaken
:03:12. > :03:13.and it is certainly And it's not really
:03:14. > :03:23.what you expect of a University that should be open
:03:24. > :03:25.and transparent and willing to And not be a bit
:03:26. > :03:33.snowflake about things. taking over, a bit like North Korea,
:03:34. > :03:37.calling them snowflakes. I think they have gone
:03:38. > :03:51.in for censorship in a major way. The irony of this is the fact
:03:52. > :03:54.that the Conservative society at the student union was one
:03:55. > :03:59.of the student union societies making
:04:00. > :04:01.point that they felt the student union was clamping down on freedom
:04:02. > :04:06.I know what the students union has done is
:04:07. > :04:09.completely clamp-down on freedom speech so they are very willing to
:04:10. > :04:12.stick up for students, it seems, as long as the students agree
:04:13. > :04:16.How would you feel if you were at the University
:04:17. > :04:21.and you were mainstream or a Conservative?
:04:22. > :04:26.I was at university once upon a time in the deep and distant
:04:27. > :04:29.past now and was lucky enough to be elected as my students'
:04:30. > :04:32.union president of the university I was at.
:04:33. > :04:34.I certainly wouldn't have tried to clamp down on the Labour
:04:35. > :04:36.society or the Labour club at the time.
:04:37. > :04:39.Because it is part of the discourse of being at university.
:04:40. > :04:43.And it is now this afternoon escalating and is getting national
:04:44. > :04:45.Is this embarrassing for the University?
:04:46. > :04:50.I think it is and the diversity perhaps trying to be a
:04:51. > :04:53.things and wash their hands and see the student
:04:54. > :04:56.union have got their own rules and regulations but I think the
:04:57. > :04:59.university has got to take a very dim view of the students union
:05:00. > :05:02.unilaterally trying to close down freedom of speech on campus with
:05:03. > :05:03.what is ultimately a political society.
:05:04. > :05:06.In a sentence, what would be your message to the students' union
:05:07. > :05:10.The students' union, I think, need to have a major rethink.
:05:11. > :05:11.I know they have already Elizabeth tweets
:05:12. > :05:13.I know they have already deleted the tweets
:05:14. > :05:16.that they find offensive or they disagreed with that however they
:05:17. > :05:19.found them they have gone into the account and deleted them
:05:20. > :05:21.themselves and as I said I think it is pretty
:05:22. > :05:25.It's a bit of a stain on Lincoln's outlook, if you like to
:05:26. > :05:32.We are actually a proud, historical city, and we're home and
:05:33. > :05:40.So it's pretty unedifying as far as I'm concerned as a local member
:05:41. > :05:48.There has been a lot of response on this story this evening.
:05:49. > :06:00.The private company that runs Lincolnshire County Council's
:06:01. > :06:02.finances has been given a ?1 million penalty,
:06:03. > :06:07.It's the second year in a row that payments to Serco have
:06:08. > :06:12.It's the second year in a row that payments to Serco have
:06:13. > :06:14.been held back, because of hundreds of mistakes in the payment
:06:15. > :06:16.of teachers, firefighters and council staff.
:06:17. > :06:19.Special machinery is being brought in to help reconnect hundreds
:06:20. > :06:23.of homes in Lincolnshire which are still without
:06:24. > :06:30.Supplies were lost in 16 villages in the Wolds on Sunday
:06:31. > :06:33.after a leak was found under a river.
:06:34. > :06:36.Anglian Water say it's unclear when water will be fully restored
:06:37. > :06:39.to around 200 properties as the work is proving difficult to complete.
:06:40. > :06:42.A man from Hull whose wife died of cancer aged 52 is raising money
:06:43. > :06:46.Beverley Garnett said she felt isolated while she was at
:06:47. > :06:48.Castle Hill hospital, because there were no patient phones
:06:49. > :06:53.Now her husband Terry is campaigning to get wi fi put in so patients
:06:54. > :06:55.are able to call friends and family when they need them.
:06:56. > :07:03.At the age of 16 Beverley Garnett met
:07:04. > :07:06.her future husband - married for nearly 30 years -
:07:07. > :07:09.and a mother to two children - her life was cut short by pancreatic
:07:10. > :07:13.Despite receiving what her family describe as fantastic care
:07:14. > :07:15.at Castle Hill's award winning cancer centre - Beverley's family
:07:16. > :07:18.says a lack of wifi, a beside phone or even mobile phone
:07:19. > :07:20.signal left her feeling isolated in her final months.
:07:21. > :07:22.There were a number of times during
:07:23. > :07:23.the course of the night where she
:07:24. > :07:27.She must have been in a very dark place knowing
:07:28. > :07:31.There would have been many times that she would have wanted
:07:32. > :07:34.to pick up the phone just to speak to me, just to talk.
:07:35. > :07:37.Not just about cancer, just to talk about everyday things to take
:07:38. > :07:47.to help Beverley's family with their campaign
:07:48. > :07:49.to have WiFi installed within the Queen's Medical Centre.
:07:50. > :07:51.The NHS trust which runs this hospital says it
:07:52. > :07:58.technology plays a huge part connecting families and patients.
:07:59. > :08:00.But it adds offering radiotherapy from within a complex
:08:01. > :08:09.building can cause problems with mobile connectivity.
:08:10. > :08:11.And it's a familiar story for other families -
:08:12. > :08:13.Dianne Rogers says her step-father, who died from cancer,
:08:14. > :08:22.found the inability to call his wife from hospital distressing.
:08:23. > :08:30.It is bad enough being in hospital and a bit for some people who are
:08:31. > :08:45.terminally ill it is that last week are our or month on this act and the
:08:46. > :08:48.need to speak to people. -- F. -- earth.
:08:49. > :08:50.Hospital bosses have agreed to meet with
:08:51. > :08:58.You can have the chemotherapy, radiotherapy but also part
:08:59. > :09:02.of the process of the healing is to be able to get in touch
:09:03. > :09:05.I had a discussion with Beverley and it was one
:09:06. > :09:08.of her dying wishes that I started a crusade.
:09:09. > :09:10.I'm very focused in making sure that we explore every avenue.
:09:11. > :09:13.A teenager from Hull has been nominated for an Olivier award -
:09:14. > :09:19.British theatre's equivalent to the Oscars.
:09:20. > :09:21.19-year-old Ben Hunter has been short listed for his role
:09:22. > :09:24.in Gary Barlow's musical, The Girls.
:09:25. > :09:26.North Lincolnshire's Sheridan Smith has also been nominated for an award
:09:27. > :09:35.as best actress in a musical for Funny Girl.
:09:36. > :09:55.at Charlton - but the Iron stay third in League One and Lincoln City
:09:56. > :09:57.beat Braintree 4-0 to stay top of the National
:09:58. > :10:01.It's the Imps last game before they face Arsenal in the FA Cup
:10:02. > :10:05.Let's get a look at the weather forecast -
:10:06. > :10:14.It wasn't such a bad day across East Yorkshire and
:10:15. > :10:18.Overnight, though, here comes that change.
:10:19. > :10:20.A weather front pushes in from the West introducing
:10:21. > :10:29.I think we could see some pretty heavy rain at times.
:10:30. > :10:33.Tomorrow morning, a bit of a north South
:10:34. > :10:37.Some of that cloud hanging on to southern parts were some
:10:38. > :10:46.Temperatures getting to 11 or 12 Celsius
:10:47. > :10:51.will feel pretty decent as well although maybe just a bit breezy at
:10:52. > :10:57.So we have this mild air which is coming up from the
:10:58. > :10:59.south-west and that actually sticks workers over the next few days.
:11:00. > :11:03.It doesn't mean is going to be wall-to-wall sunshine.
:11:04. > :11:08.rain on Saturday. The national picture now from Nick Miller.
:11:09. > :11:13.It looks like next week high pressure will become a player again
:11:14. > :11:14.in our weather, settling things down for some