:00:06. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to Friday's Look North. Tonight: Network Rail will
:00:09. > :00:14.face prosecution over the Grayrigg train crash.
:00:14. > :00:18.I don't believe any lessons have been learned. They failed to get
:00:18. > :00:22.the public inquiry that my union has been campaigning for.
:00:22. > :00:28.Is your local authority planning to put up council tax this year?
:00:28. > :00:33.Despite Government calls to freeze Why are we waiting? The fight for
:00:33. > :00:35.equal pay goes on and on for this woman and thousands of others.
:00:35. > :00:39.Is the game finally up for Darlington Football Club or could
:00:39. > :00:48.there be another last-minute reprieve?
:00:48. > :00:52.I was only being friendly, I didn't want no grief. And poetry in motion,
:00:52. > :00:56.the taxi-driver who speaks in verse to his passengers.
:00:56. > :01:00.With the club on the brink, two of Darlington's top players move on to
:01:00. > :01:03.pastures new. And it is the North east versus the
:01:03. > :01:13.capital in the Premier League, that can our sides stay unbeaten in
:01:13. > :01:20.
:01:20. > :01:24.No lessons have been learned from the Grayrigg train crash. That was
:01:24. > :01:27.the claim from the RMT union on the day that the Office of Rail
:01:27. > :01:31.Regulation announced it had started criminal proceedings against
:01:31. > :01:37.Network Rail over the crash. One woman died and more than 80 others
:01:37. > :01:42.were injured when a Virgin Trains Pendolino derailed at Grayrigg in
:01:42. > :01:47.February 2007. Network Rail today apologised again to the dead
:01:47. > :01:53.woman's family, but the RMT union continued to call for a public
:01:53. > :01:56.inquiry. Mark Macallan done his life for us now in Grayrigg. --
:01:56. > :02:00.Mark Macallan done. Just two months ago, the inquest
:02:00. > :02:03.into the death of Margaret Masson, the scale of the problems in terms
:02:03. > :02:07.of maintaining the West Coast Main Line were laid bare. It was
:02:07. > :02:10.acknowledged it was faulty points that caused the delay on it, but
:02:10. > :02:15.who should be held accountable? The Office of Rail Regulation announced
:02:15. > :02:19.it had started criminal proceedings against network will for a breach
:02:19. > :02:24.of health and safety legislation which it says led to the de Ville
:02:24. > :02:29.men. More reaction to that used in a moment. First, Mark Denten looks
:02:30. > :02:34.back to that terrible night. -- to the derailment.
:02:34. > :02:37.23rd February, 2007. It was clear there had been a serious rail crash
:02:37. > :02:42.near Grayrigg, but only at first light would we see quite how
:02:42. > :02:46.serious. The Virgin Pendolino service spread across the tracks, a
:02:46. > :02:52.passenger dead, another 88 injured. The boss of the rail company
:02:52. > :02:56.struggled to hold back his emotions. We are right out in the sticks. I
:02:56. > :03:03.cannot imagine what it was like for the passengers in the train behind
:03:03. > :03:06.us. The crash left the small community of Grayrigg in shock.
:03:06. > :03:13.They were prepared to open their houses, they thought they would be
:03:13. > :03:16.put in people up overnight. Everything that was necessary, they
:03:16. > :03:20.were prepared to do. The dead passenger was Margaret Masson, an
:03:20. > :03:25.84-year-old woman from Glasgow, but alongside the Great, the
:03:25. > :03:28.investigation - how did this happen? The Rail Accident
:03:28. > :03:33.Investigations Branch concluded a faulty set of points were to blame.
:03:33. > :03:38.An inquiry by Network Rail in 2008 find systematic failures in track
:03:38. > :03:42.patrolling and management. Three rail workers were arrested, but in
:03:42. > :03:48.February 2009, the CPS said there was insufficient evidence to
:03:48. > :03:52.prosecute. Then, last November, an inquest jury heard evidence from
:03:52. > :03:56.network rail engineers and others, and the coroner's conclusion,
:03:56. > :04:03.poorly maintained points were to blame. Five years on, the story of
:04:03. > :04:06.Grayrigg is not yet over. Mark, talk us through some of the
:04:06. > :04:11.reaction to the announcement that Network Rail is going to be
:04:11. > :04:14.prosecuted. First, there has been the reaction
:04:14. > :04:19.from Margaret Masson's family. They have argued all along that summer
:04:19. > :04:27.should be held accountable for what happened that night. -- that
:04:27. > :04:31.someone. It seems to me that the prosecution
:04:32. > :04:34.of Network Rail is an appropriate a natural consequence, given the
:04:34. > :04:43.evidence that came out at the inquest in Kendal towards the end
:04:43. > :04:46.of last year. The local MP is the Lib Dem MP, Tim Farron. He has
:04:46. > :04:51.always argued they should be a public inquiry and remains
:04:51. > :04:55.disappointed that one still has not been granted. But he says at court
:04:55. > :04:59.case is the correct decision and will provide some vital answers.
:04:59. > :05:05.is right I think for the family of Margaret Masson, who lost relied so
:05:05. > :05:10.tragically here. -- who lost her life. It is right that somebody is
:05:10. > :05:13.held to account. It is also right that the prosecution is of Network
:05:13. > :05:17.Rail and therefore the senior people responsible, and that the
:05:17. > :05:22.prosecutors are not going after the junior people, the engineers on the
:05:22. > :05:26.ground. Perhaps the strongest reaction has come from the rail
:05:26. > :05:30.union, the RMT. They have argued that ordinary maintenance engineers
:05:30. > :05:36.should not be held responsible for what happened, it should be Network
:05:36. > :05:39.Rail management which carries the can. I don't believe any lessons
:05:39. > :05:43.have been learned from Grayrigg, because they are calling for more
:05:43. > :05:49.cuts in jobs, we have failed to get a public inquiry that my union has
:05:49. > :05:55.been campaigning for handsome politicians as well for some time.
:05:55. > :06:01.-- and some politicians. A public inquiry would also deal with the
:06:01. > :06:04.causes of Potters Bar where there were striking similarities.
:06:04. > :06:11.Network Rail themselves have issued a statement today. I paraphrase it
:06:11. > :06:14.- it apologises to the family of Margaret Masson and says the
:06:14. > :06:18.company accepts a points failure caused the accident. Since the
:06:18. > :06:22.derailment, Network Rail has made substantial changes to its
:06:22. > :06:27.maintenance regime and there is no safer form of travel than rail, it
:06:28. > :06:37.says. Finally, the first hearing in this case will be at Lancaster
:06:38. > :06:39.
:06:39. > :06:43.Magistrates Court on 24th February. Council tax bills will once again
:06:43. > :06:46.be falling on hard doormats before long and while some local
:06:46. > :06:51.authorities will not increase the amount we have to pay, others could
:06:51. > :06:55.do the opposite. A survey by the BBC's Sunday Politics programme
:06:55. > :06:58.suggests several councils in the North are planning to rejected
:06:58. > :07:06.Government reward for freezing bills this year. The councils say
:07:06. > :07:11.if they don't, they could be faced with a funding black hole.
:07:11. > :07:17.Tackling the January bills. Nicola Latimer is pleased that council tax
:07:17. > :07:22.bills might not go up this April. Our bills are all going up. We have
:07:23. > :07:27.larger outgoings. Income not necessarily matching that. If the
:07:27. > :07:32.council tax, being one huge bill each month, can be frozen, that is
:07:32. > :07:36.great. And this is where some of her council tax is spent. Carlisle
:07:36. > :07:40.City Council's decision to freeze the council tax this year means
:07:41. > :07:44.they qualify for a Government grant. It is important in the economic
:07:44. > :07:48.climate that our residents are facing that we don't burden them
:07:48. > :07:51.unnecessarily with the council tax. Sunday Politics has discovered that
:07:51. > :07:56.10 councils are following Carlisle's example and freezing
:07:56. > :08:01.council tax, and 10 are undecided. But four will defy the Government
:08:01. > :08:04.by putting the council tax up. Middlesbrough, Darlington, Stockton
:08:04. > :08:08.and Redcar and Cleveland. The problems facing councils is the
:08:08. > :08:13.cash reward they get for freezing the tax only lasts a year, so come
:08:13. > :08:19.next year, they either have to raise council tax by even more, or
:08:19. > :08:27.make deeper cuts. To achieve this, we would have to reduce our
:08:27. > :08:31.services. It would really mean we had to close there is facilities.
:08:31. > :08:34.For Nicola, a council tax these would help. But for those running
:08:34. > :08:39.councils there is more of a gamble because there is no guarantee that
:08:39. > :08:43.Government grants will continue in future years.
:08:43. > :08:47.That is just one of the topics that is going to be discussed on a new
:08:47. > :08:52.programme, Sunday Politics. With me now is the show presenter, Richard
:08:52. > :08:55.Moss. What else can expect? As well as finding out how much council tax
:08:55. > :08:59.you are going to be, you might find out how much or how little will be
:08:59. > :09:04.paid in future. They are looking at the way public sector workers are
:09:04. > :09:07.paid. If you are can nurse, you are paid the same wherever You Are. The
:09:07. > :09:11.on the difference is that you get paid a bit more in London. The
:09:11. > :09:15.Government wants to look at that to see if that is the most cost-
:09:15. > :09:19.effective way of doing things. In the North East, pay rates are
:09:19. > :09:24.generally lower and other parts of the country in the private sector.
:09:24. > :09:28.The unions believe this is a way of cutting pay for a public sector
:09:28. > :09:31.workers. But the gunman says private sector workers are
:09:31. > :09:36.struggling to recruit people and expand because they cannot compete
:09:36. > :09:39.with the public sector wages. us more about the programme.
:09:39. > :09:43.want to get round the region a lot more, we will have more stories as
:09:43. > :09:48.well, we have a hall sixty-second round up of the political news in
:09:48. > :09:54.our region and we will be looking at the plight of Durham T's Ali
:09:54. > :10:02.airport. And also about the story of Northern Rock, Richard Branson
:10:02. > :10:07.saying he will -- talking about what he will do. And they will also
:10:07. > :10:11.have the unions on to talk about all those issues. So that is Sunday
:10:11. > :10:14.Politics this Sunday on BBC One at 12 midday.
:10:14. > :10:17.The head of the Sacristy Inquiry, looking into allegations of
:10:17. > :10:21.corruption and misconduct at Cleveland Police, has been speaking
:10:21. > :10:26.for the first time about the scale and nature of his investigation.
:10:26. > :10:30.Keith Bristow, Director General of the National Crime agency, says his
:10:30. > :10:34.inquiry was absolutely necessary and highly focused. It began last
:10:34. > :10:38.August with the arrest and suspension of Cleveland's chief
:10:38. > :10:41.constable, Sean Price. Peter Lugg is live at police headquarters in
:10:41. > :10:45.Middlesbrough. What have we heard today?
:10:45. > :10:49.This was a briefing called, according to Keith Bristow, to
:10:49. > :10:53.update the public on the progress of the inquiry. And also to correct
:10:53. > :10:57.a number of misleading statements which have been made by certain
:10:57. > :11:01.individuals to the media. Only the first part of this, we were allowed
:11:01. > :11:05.to film and during that he said he was leading a team of highly
:11:05. > :11:09.focused professionals who are working as hard as they can on the
:11:09. > :11:14.inquiry. He said that every penny spent was being fully accounted for,
:11:14. > :11:18.and that there has been no complaints about the conduct of his
:11:18. > :11:25.investigation. Then he came on to what he said was his main cause for
:11:25. > :11:29.concern. The issue that causes the greatest concern is any suggestion
:11:29. > :11:31.that the investigation is harming public confidence in Cleveland
:11:31. > :11:37.police at the offices, staff and volunteers who work to protect
:11:37. > :11:42.local communities. -- and the offices. We tread a careful line
:11:42. > :11:45.between providing factual investigation -- information, to be
:11:45. > :11:53.widely accountable for her actions one not wishing to add to any
:11:53. > :11:57.public speculation or comment. Afterwards, Mr Bristol went on to
:11:58. > :12:00.clarify what is inquiry was about. He said to involve contracts and
:12:00. > :12:05.the sale of assets involving Cleveland police. He confirmed that
:12:05. > :12:15.five people had been arrested and the activities of a further 54 of
:12:15. > :12:16.
:12:16. > :12:21.interest to the inquiry. He said 24 offices -- he had a problem the 24
:12:21. > :12:25.officers from three forces. Part of that money spent, Cleveland police
:12:25. > :12:29.are trying to climb back from the Government. A couple of weeks ago
:12:29. > :12:34.we wrote to the Minister, setting out the financial position of the
:12:34. > :12:37.authority. Asking for assistance. In a couple of weeks, the chairman
:12:37. > :12:41.of the Police Authority and the chief constable will be going down
:12:41. > :12:49.to London to lobby the Minister and put the case even more strongly. We
:12:49. > :12:53.have not yet heard back. When asked about the timescale for the inquiry,
:12:53. > :12:58.neither man was prepared to comment other than to say it would take as
:12:58. > :13:02.long as it takes. Women working for councils in the
:13:02. > :13:05.North East may finally get equal pay they have been fighting for for
:13:05. > :13:13.years. The councils have been told by Beckham that they could borrow
:13:13. > :13:16.the millions of pounds the oh. -- by the Government. One woman is
:13:16. > :13:26.still waiting for her equal pay money six years after an employment
:13:26. > :13:27.
:13:27. > :13:33.Historically they have been the lowest paid council workers, cooks
:13:33. > :13:37.and cleaners and a lollipop ladies. They are all women and all paid
:13:38. > :13:43.less than men on the same grade. Many councils have dragged their
:13:43. > :13:46.feet in settling for the pay claims. Sue Roberts was a cook in a
:13:46. > :13:50.Northumberland school and she has been waiting for her equal pay
:13:50. > :13:55.award for six years. It is so unfair that there are so many
:13:55. > :13:59.claims that are not being fulfilled and so many that have been. It is
:13:59. > :14:06.going on forever. Nobody is getting anything and no one is getting
:14:06. > :14:11.anywhere. Sue's husband has taken up her case but is frustrated by
:14:11. > :14:15.the seeming lack of urgency by her union and its solicitors, let alone
:14:15. > :14:19.the county council. Everyone is pointing the finger at everyone
:14:19. > :14:25.else and asking why are the payments have not been made. It is
:14:25. > :14:29.going round in circles. No one seems to have the will to bring it
:14:29. > :14:33.to an end, not the unions, not the solicitors and certainly not the
:14:33. > :14:39.county council. Northumberland County Council has refused to speak
:14:39. > :14:42.to us about the issue and so have their solicitors. However the
:14:42. > :14:46.county council issued a brief statement in which it said that the
:14:46. > :14:51.council and trade unions have agreed a way forward in settling
:14:51. > :14:58.these pay claims. The council expects to make more offers in the
:14:58. > :15:02.future. Sue Roberts is not holding her breath.
:15:02. > :15:05.Darlington Football Club has been granted a stay of execution tonight,
:15:05. > :15:11.but the weekend is likely to prove critical to their chances of
:15:11. > :15:16.survival. Talks have been going on all day. Peter Harris can bring us
:15:16. > :15:21.the latest. There is still a lot to do to save the club. It all depends
:15:21. > :15:26.what happens this weekend. They have survived the first hurdle
:15:26. > :15:30.which was to stop the administrator killing the club off tonight. Next,
:15:30. > :15:34.the rescue group have to draw up a business plan over the next three
:15:34. > :15:39.days. This is a tall order because the administrator wants more
:15:39. > :15:44.assurances that they have the cash. Thing need money to cover the cost
:15:44. > :15:48.of putting on a game and pay the insurance. That is important for
:15:48. > :15:55.the administrator because if he allows the club to continue and
:15:55. > :16:00.they go wrong, it would be the administration -- administrator who
:16:01. > :16:06.would be liable. The club now needs of the pledges to come good. There
:16:06. > :16:11.is talk of another investor waiting in the wings. We were talking to
:16:11. > :16:18.the Darlington MP who believes that there may be someone credible.
:16:18. > :16:23.There is the debt of around �2 million to the former chairman.
:16:23. > :16:26.Then there is the stadium, the arena, the club does not own it and
:16:26. > :16:33.the landlords have said that they will talk to the rescue group about
:16:33. > :16:37.allowing them to stay there at a peppercorn rent. The rescue group
:16:37. > :16:40.needs to firm up their plans and put things on the table to the
:16:40. > :16:50.administrator on Monday. Are there will be further talks then. Monday
:16:50. > :17:02.
:17:02. > :17:06.Katie is here with the sport now. There is a big challenge for our
:17:06. > :17:12.big teams. In the Premier League this weekend,
:17:12. > :17:17.Newcastle and Sunderland play at London teams. The Magpies entertain
:17:17. > :17:22.QPR who line up with Mark Hughes as their new manager.
:17:22. > :17:31.20th November 10, a happy day for long-suffering Sunderland away fans
:17:31. > :17:35.who saw their team win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. For
:17:35. > :17:40.Londoners have an ageing team and had a less than convincing start to
:17:40. > :17:44.the season, so are they no longer the team they once were? When it
:17:44. > :17:51.looks as if you have lost a couple more games than we might have
:17:51. > :17:55.thought, then suddenly there is a crisis. Like everything else you
:17:55. > :18:03.have top-class players who have been those type of players now for
:18:03. > :18:09.seven years, the minute people pass 32 people think they are going to
:18:09. > :18:19.stop. I would say that the Chelsea side still have points to prove
:18:19. > :18:19.
:18:19. > :18:22.this season. Newcastle United were impressive last time in the league,
:18:22. > :18:25.demolishing the champions, Manchester United. Now they are
:18:25. > :18:31.against Queen's Park Rangers who had something to prove to their new
:18:31. > :18:39.manager, Mark Hughes. That was a blue ribbon result in the season.
:18:39. > :18:43.But it does not make us season. -- of the season. The good work we
:18:43. > :18:51.have done at Manchester United could be lost if we lose to QPR.
:18:51. > :18:55.This is a big challenge because they have a new manager.
:18:55. > :18:59.Meanwhile, Alan Pardew would not comment on reports that Newcastle
:18:59. > :19:06.have had a bid turned down on Manchester United point mack Ravel
:19:06. > :19:16.Morrison. Middlesbrough are going into their
:19:16. > :19:22.game against Burnley into 4th spot. Middlesbrough 1 at of the fixture
:19:22. > :19:28.last time but are missing a their midfield. Tony Mowbray says they
:19:28. > :19:33.will have to be at their best to win against Burnley. They will be
:19:33. > :19:37.coming here with the better away record and home record from
:19:37. > :19:42.themselves so they fancy their chances. We need to make sure that
:19:42. > :19:46.we are focused and concentrated on the day. Hopefully we will get the
:19:47. > :19:50.three points and continue pushing Darlington's Jamie Chandler and
:19:50. > :19:55.Liam Hatch have signed for Gateshead for a nominal fee.
:19:55. > :20:00.Chandler is said to make his debut in their FA Trophy tie tomorrow.
:20:00. > :20:06.But meanwhile, Liam Hatch, who scored twice against his head last
:20:06. > :20:13.year, has a hamstring injury. Elsewhere, Hartlepool are hoping to
:20:13. > :20:21.be -- Pickup back-to-back wins at Exeter and Carlisle are hoping to
:20:21. > :20:25.extend their wins at MK Dons. Newcastle Falcons have a new --
:20:25. > :20:31.month-long break from their struggles and faced Petrarca on
:20:31. > :20:36.Sunday in the Challenge Cup. Paul Moriarty is in charge of the game.
:20:36. > :20:45.Alan Tait has been placed on gardening leave. I was obviously
:20:45. > :20:50.surprised. Allen has been talking for the last few weeks about the
:20:50. > :20:55.situation with regard what has been happening on the field. It is
:20:55. > :21:01.unfortunate for him that this outcome has happened. Some players
:21:01. > :21:06.will feel his loss more than others. That is natural in any walk of life.
:21:06. > :21:11.We will knuckle down and get on with it.
:21:11. > :21:19.Some youngsters from the region already on the hunt for medals in
:21:19. > :21:24.the Olympics. The winter Youth Olympics has started in Innsbruck.
:21:24. > :21:33.Mica McNeill From Councillor -- County Durham is in the bobsleigh
:21:33. > :21:37.team. I am really excited, it is one of those things that build up
:21:37. > :21:47.for so long and you think it is never going to come. It is really
:21:47. > :21:49.
:21:49. > :21:54.exciting. All of my family are going to come out and watch. It
:21:54. > :21:59.will be very nice. Finally, good luck to the Newcastle
:21:59. > :22:09.Eagles basketball team who are in Birmingham at the Cup final on
:22:09. > :22:10.
:22:10. > :22:14.Sunday. But you can see a full This guy can talk about football
:22:14. > :22:18.all day, has strong views on politics and will always give an
:22:18. > :22:25.opinion on the weather. But Middlesbrough taxi driver, Duggie
:22:25. > :22:29.Verrill, most likes to speak in verse. He is the cabby poet
:22:29. > :22:36.laureate of the Teesside. What is it is there that taxi-
:22:36. > :22:44.drivers? An opinion on just about everything. What you think on the
:22:44. > :22:51.weather, what is it going to do today? What you think about the
:22:52. > :22:59.coalition government? I think that everyone seems... Just a mile or so,
:22:59. > :23:05.I can stick it out, but then... write a bit of poetry. This one is
:23:05. > :23:10.about my 60th birthday. My 60th birthday on Saturday, going to have
:23:10. > :23:15.a night down town, just treated myself to a sprayed tan, I am a
:23:15. > :23:20.lovely golden brown. Watch out or you ladies, someone is going to get
:23:20. > :23:25.hurt. He told me that his name is Duggie Verrill, full-time taxi
:23:25. > :23:29.driver, part-time poet. His inspiration is Teesside and the
:23:29. > :23:37.people who ride in his cab. people on Teesside art sound, they
:23:37. > :23:41.are really nice. We get a bad press but the point is that the majority
:23:42. > :23:49.of PAC's -- taxi drivers are smashing lads and they are only out
:23:49. > :23:54.here to earn a living. I did not want to stop at Albert Park, but
:23:54. > :24:03.Duggie Verrill did. I was only being friendly, I did not want no
:24:03. > :24:13.grief. Hard-hitting stuff, but his book is selling well and raising
:24:13. > :24:14.
:24:14. > :24:18.serious money for charity. Just be careful which cab you jump in.
:24:18. > :24:28.have got another one about the mother-in-law! I think I would like
:24:28. > :24:30.
:24:30. > :24:36.to get out! It has about six verses. Douglas Adams said the Vogons Road
:24:36. > :24:46.the third worst poetry in the universe. On see -- Teesside they
:24:46. > :24:59.
:24:59. > :25:09.This weekend you will need to grab your winter clothes. The snowdrops
:25:09. > :25:11.
:25:11. > :25:15.are out already. Temperatures will drop this weekend. We are talking
:25:15. > :25:21.about sunny but chilly days. But by night it is looking at frosty with
:25:21. > :25:28.dense and freezing Apaches. If that is the scenario for this evening
:25:28. > :25:36.and overnight tonight. There is a widespread frost. Temperatures are
:25:36. > :25:42.in freefall at the moment. We will end up with zero and minus five. In
:25:42. > :25:48.a more rural parts you can take a few degrees off that. It will be
:25:48. > :25:52.very frosty to start your weekend on Saturday morning. The mist may
:25:52. > :25:57.take some time to clear, when it does there will be a fine and
:25:57. > :26:01.beautiful day of winter sunshine. It will last all of the way through.
:26:01. > :26:10.It will not help our temperatures which are capped at just three
:26:10. > :26:15.Celsius. At least we have a light breeze so there will not be too
:26:15. > :26:20.much wind chill. For Sunday, still under the high pressure system so
:26:20. > :26:24.things will be fairly static. Then maybe a bit more breeze from the
:26:24. > :26:34.South East and that will push more cloud on to the north-eastern side
:26:34. > :26:34.
:26:34. > :26:39.of the UK. Here is a very quick summary for you. Saturday is the
:26:39. > :26:44.brightest day but holding fare through to the new working week. It
:26:44. > :26:48.will be Monday evening before we start to see the rain coming in.
:26:48. > :26:57.The North East will have steady temperatures and the brightest day
:26:57. > :27:07.on Saturday. On Sunday there will be more mist and fog. Monday night
:27:07. > :27:17.
:27:17. > :27:22.is an interesting one, the BBC has Tonight's main headlines.
:27:22. > :27:26.The Prime Minister has hinted at a rethink of a plan to cut child