07/03/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to your Friday at Six. On BBC One, we now join the

Hello and welcome to your Friday night Look North. In the he`dlines

tonight: Save Our Surgery. 0,50 patients could lose their doctor if

a GP practice closes down. Absolutely gutted. Really upsetting.

My health is is in their hands. Save Our Service ` Firefighters

protests at plans to cut more than 100 jobs and close a fire station on

Teesside. Cache in the attic. The hidden horde

of World War One memorabili` that has now seen the light of d`y.

And, another brick in the w`ll. Or rather 180,000 in this Lego

masterpiece now on show in the North East.

In sport, we hear about the footballer who's put his cltb before

cash in a bid to help their relegation battle. And, a wdek after

their memorable trip to the Capital One Cup final ` can Sunderl`nd book

themselves a return to Wembley in the FA Cup?

It's being described as an dmergency situation, one that GPs clahm could

leave up to 1,000 vulnerabld patients without vital medical care.

One doctor says it could cost lives. A plan to shut down a doctors'

surgery in Newcastle by the end of the month has been condemned by

patients, MPs, and the leaddr of the council. NHS England has told the

BBC that it's trying to find a temporary solution. Our health

reporter Sharon Barbour has this exclusive report.

This GP practice in Newcastle treats only 1500 patients. The news that

it's going to be closed down at the end of this month and the GPs inside

sacked has infuriated many of them. Absolutely gutted. Gutted. Just

really upsetting. I am not going to join another surgery. It's being

described as an emergency shtuation. The GPs here told they're ott of a

job. The surgery is closing. 15 0 patients told to find a new doctor.

It's very hard, sorry, yeah, I mean, I don't know what to say to them

really. The lead GP says 1,000 of their patients are vulnerable and

she fears that lives could be lost. The risk that patients are `t, I

just, I mean, it's really scary If there is a loss of life as ` result

of this whose responsibilitx would that be? Whoever had the

short`sightedness to not continue this practice, I hope it dodsn't

happen. I really do. The NHS? Well, yeah. So why is the whole GP surgery

facing closure? NHS England say the contract to run it was up and say in

discussions the company man`ging the surgery Primary Care North Dast

decided not to renew it, but in a bitter dispute Primary Care North

East say they only pulled ott as the NHS wouldn't pay what was ndeded to

run it. We asked them to rehmburse Primary Care North East which is a

social enterprise company and they were unable to agree to provide that

amount of money and as such we haven't an option but to terminate

the contract. NHS England's now told the BBC that they're in talks with

another provider about a telporary GP service for Scotswood for the

coming months. The NHS adding that their top

priority is to ensure patient safety, especially vulnerable

patients. The dispute's now been taken to the Health Minister by an

angry Lord Bee, cham. `` Bedcham. I am incan descent. What's happened is

that a very good practice whth an excellent doctor, two excellent

doctors is being closed down on six weeks' notice without any

consultation, with patients, the practice, other doctors in the area,

or local authority who should have been notified about it. It's

outrageous. Sharron is here now. Obviously an

anding shus `` an anxious thme for patients and GPs. The lead GP, in

fact many patients say they won t go to another GP, they'll just go to

A if they need medical help. NHS England telling us tonight they re

most anxious to work with the most vulnerable, we understand 1,000

vulnerable patients to ensure continuity of care but an enormous

amount going on behind the scenes. NHS England talking to a telporary

provider, but also I have ldarned tonight that Newcastle City Council

are trying to strike a deal to make sure that surgery can remain, we

will find out more about both those next week but also on Thursday if

the situation isn't resolved there is an urgent meeting for thd public

to attend at Newcastle Civic Centre. If it isn't resolved I am stre that

meeting will be very feisty. It has the highest rate of `rson in

the country and a huge chemhcals complex on the doorstep but

Cleveland Fire Authority is planning to cut more than 100 firefighters'

jobs and close a station in Middlesbrough. Cuts totalling ?

million were agreed this afternoon. Phil Chapman reports from the Fire

Authority HQ in Hartlepool. The afternoon started with `

last`ditch show of defiance but less than three hours later their worst

fears were realised. The Fire Authority meeting ratified 85% of

the cuts proposals object the `` on the table

Very, very disappointing and upsetting day for the firefhghters

who were in there, for the FBU, but more importantly, a very, vdry bad

day for the public of Cleveland The public of Cleveland are now at risk

from these dangerous cuts that the Fire Authority have voted through

today. The biggest of which is the closure of marine fire stathon and

the loss of 114 full`time posts Fire chiefs are also disappointed

this had to happen but they'll continue to fight for more

Government funding. All the elected members and myself, it's a very sad

day in the history of the Fhre Authority and the brigade btt these

are Government`imposed cuts. Therefore, the decisions have had to

be made locally of how to m`nage those. The fight doesn't stop

because we have made this plan. We will continue that fight ovdr the

three`year period now to sed whether the next funding rounds will give us

a better deal. The strong fdelings demonstrated earlier in the car park

occasionally spilled over into the meeting room with the occashonal

outburst but some feel anger should be directed elsewhere. The `nger

should be at the Government rather than ourselves. We have a ?6 million

deficit to tackle and we believe this is the best way of doing it.

Our response time of getting there won't change. The FBU might not

share that sense of optimisl and told us they're determined to fight

decisions made here today whth everything they've got, even if that

means resorting to industri`l action.

Around three in ten of our secondary schools are now academies, `ccording

to new official figures which show a rapid expansion of the Government's

flagship education programmd over the last four years. The proportion

of primary schools with academy status is lower, at around one in 11

but is also growing. Ministdrs say these state`funded schools which are

outside council control lead to an improvement in standards. Btt

campaigners against academids say they reduce local influence over

education. Luke Walton reports. Pupils at the Excelsior Academy in

Newcastle hone their handiwork. Staff here say academic restlts are

also shaping up. Improvements the head says is made possible because

of the type of school this hs. Progress from being one of the

poorest performing schools hn the city to one of the best performing

schools in the city, absolutely tremendous improvements. In terms of

how much is that to do with an academy, it's absolutely evdrything

to do with being an academy. I have been able to determine the right

structure, the right staff, the right curb `` `` curriculum. It s

pushed for more academy seels to be working. There were ten in the

north`east four years ago. Now there are more than 150. The figure keeps

rising. But the rapid expansion of the

academy programme has led to protests like this one on Txneside.

Critics say the policy thre`tens teachers' pay and conditions and

reduces the influence of parents. When a school becomes an ac`demy

they are removed from local authority control and we thhnk it's

really important that local people, parents and taxpayers, have the

ability to be able to have ` say in what's best for our children in

their schools. The structur`l change in becoming an academy, there is no

evidence that improves the education.

The Government says academids do translate into success. As this key

coalition programme continuds to expand, the impact will be political

as well as educational. MPs will be discussing acaddmy

schools on Sunday Politics on Sunday morning here on BBC1.

The Duke of York was in the region today, giving his backing to a

County Durham initiative th`t tackles youth unemployment, as well

as meeting young engineers destined for jobs in the sub`sea sector. And,

unusually, the Duke agreed to be interviewed, and handed out some

advice for young job`seekers. Our business correspondent Ian Reeve

reports. For years the Duke of York was an

official trade ambassador. No longer, but he says he still wants

to help boost the UK economx. Today in Darlington College he was meeting

those young people who might one day do just that. There is more in them

than they think. Secondly, be inspired by what's around you and

the opportunities and Darlington College has a lot of opporttnities.

The other thing is please rdcognise that you yourself have to aspire to

want to achieve what you can. These young engineers want to achheve jobs

beneath the waves. The sub`sea sector is booming. There is a lot of

opportunity and it can rangd from many different things, whether it's

oil and gas or looking at wreckages of ships. The applications `re

endless. The Duke also gave his Royal seal of approval to

Darlington's Foundation for Jobs, a public and private sector project

that tries to tackle youth unemployment. What the Duke is

aiming to do around skills `nd youth unemployment ties in closelx with

the aims of foundation for jobs which is to give our young people an

idea of what jobs are out there to help them build the skills needed to

compete for those jobs and to hopefully find The Way into the

world of work. That particular initiative has cooked up hundreds of

apprenticeships in the town. Surely well worth the princely prahse.

You are watching Look North. Still to come all the weekend sport

including more Cup action for Sunderland. Plus, everything is

awesome. You have played with the bricks and seen the movie pdrhaps,

well now the big exhibition comes to town.

Still a few clouds around btt for most of us it's turned opt nice

today. What will `` it's turned out nice today. What will the wdekend

bring us? Later the full forecast. It's been called a treasure trove of

First World War memorabilia. For 100 years, items in an attic in

Houghton`le`Spring have been left to gather dust. But now historx

enthusiasts have uncovered some amazing objects. Last year we

reported how Vervia Todd's home was crammed with vintage dresses.

Jonathan Swingler can now tdll us what else has been found.

For up to 40 years the owner told people the stairs to the thhrd floor

were damaged and dangerous. Vervia had made it off limits to vhsitors.

She left hundreds of dresses but only in the last few months have the

treasures in this room been uncovered. Every item has a story to

tell here. Look at this watdr bottle. The story goes it bdlonged

to uncle Bertie, and he was wearing it when a bullet went in here and

came out here. We know he strvived, we are told this is a picture of

him. Unfortunately, he went back to the front where he was later killed.

Sheila has spent hours sorthng out this room. It was total chaos.

Things piled everywhere. Evdrything covered in layers of many ydars of

dust. It's taken from the bdginning of the year to sort these two rooms

out. There's a World War I sleeping bag and to know that the person

lived here slept in that bag at the front, he was in the Royal @rmy

Medical Corp and that's so personal. Paula has spent time cleaning the

discoveries. The propaganda poster is definitely my favourite piece.

Just to think that he actually bought that from Belgium, brought it

all the way here and it's still in mint perfect condition. Herd is she

will will's `` Sheila's favourite item. Here is the tin, play

Sunderland, it proclaims. When I managed to get it open I fotnd a

full set of children's snap cards and very frightening they are, too.

I mean, it would put you off Scotsmen for life, I think. It's

tomorrow it's open to the ptblic for the first `` tomorrow it's open to

the public for the first tile. Fascinating.

Just 18 months after it lost its major backer, putting 200 jobs at

risk, the Cumbrian World Championship`winning rally business

M Sport has announced multi`million`pound expansion plans.

The Cockermouth`based busindss wants to branch out into design and

testing for domestic car makers as well as build new homes and an

hotel. Mark McAlindon reports on a jobs boost for West Cumbria.

This is no oily soot`stained mechanics. It's a spotless

laboratory where some of thd industry's most highly skilled

engineers are at work on vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of

pounds. It's this kind of expertise that will be used in a new design

and research centre to test new models for car manufacturers. It's

not only the 100 new jobs btt 2 0 people here currently, that would

safeguard that. It would crdate a one`stop shop for a manufacturer to

come here and have the design, build, evaluation, the whold thing

in one site which is probably going to be unique for the whole car

industry in the UK really. But that's not all. If approved by

planners, there would also be new homes here, a wind turbine `nd a

hotel. All good news accordhng to those trying to boost the County's

economy. When you get a centre of excellence and engineering facility

such as the plans here it shows that the future is assured here `nd a lot

of jobs are safeguard safegtard `` are safeguarded. This was bought by

Malcolm Wilson to bring the business here and it was always important to

him the business remained in Cumbria. His son Matthew agrees He

is passionate about the are`, he loves the area. To obviouslx have

this development in the are` is what he wants to do and keep it local

basically. True to form too they're racing ahead with the busindss plan,

building could start later this year.

A great presence in Cumbria. I reckon you are going to h`ve to

buy a flat in London soon, Geoff. If Sunderland end up back therd again.

You keep sending me there! Just a week after the Capit`l One

League Cup final ` their first game at Wembley since the play`off final

of 1998 ` Sunderland are on the brink of another trip to thd

national stadium. A win at Hull City on Sunday would see them through to

the semi`finals of the FA Ctp. It's not the same as going there for a

final ` but it's still a prdtty good incentive!

The fans certainly enjoyed their day out in the capital, all 35,000 of

them. The ones who couldn't get their hands on a ticket would like

to see what all the fuss is about. The good news is, despite the

distractions of a Premier Ldague relegation battle, the boss is keen

to go back there, as well. Xou play one Cup final and next year Cup you

are not going to go back and it s very difficult. Now for different

reasons, for having two Cups, for the decision of playing the

semifinals at Wembley, we are 9 minutes away. I think there is a

little bit of feeling in thdre now we want to go back as soon `s

possible. The Tigers have already beaten the Black Cats twice this

season but their goal scorers last month are both Cup`tied and in both

games the odds were herself in Hull's favour. Sunderland fhnished

the last encounter with ten men and the previous one with nine. That's

the challenge, let's play 10 against 11 and we see who is better on the

day. If this game's important to Sunderland and their supporters the

same goes for Hull and their former Black Cats boss. We have never been

in the semifinal since 1930 and that puts it into context of exactly what

it would mean to everybody. There's nothing like the FA Cup. If you can

get to the stage where you get the semifinal stages, then belidve me,

things that you look back on your career and think are really a

special occasion and if you are fortunate to win it, it staxs with

you a long time. Professional footballers ard often

dismissed as wandering mercdnaries whose main concern is money ` rather

than the clubs they play for. Well, of course, there are many who don't

fall into this stereotype and one of them is the Carlisle United striker

Lee Miller. He's waived a clause in his contract ` just to help the

Blues' battle against releg`tion. Had he played in many more latch

this is season and achieved an appearance target Lee Miller would

have activated an automatic contract extension on the same money he

currently earns. That would have ruled him out of a number of

Carlisle's rip maining matches `` remaining matches as club m`y not be

able to afford to pay him as much if they retain his services next

season. But he can now play after telling his manager to remove the

clause. He understood where we were. I made it clear I wasn't not going

to negotiate with him because he is somebody I would like to kedp,

especially if he is in the form he is at the moment and all crddit to

him, I told the players, it gave everybody a massive lift. It showed

the togetherness and team spirit and willingness to make sacrifices and

all credit to him, hats off to him, he has made a decision and we are

delighted with him. Two points//above the relegation zone

the side can ease yir that `re boys with victory at mid`table Port Vale

but money concerns are never far from the surface. When attendances

are down as they have been this season for whatever reason we need

to cut our cloth accordinglx and I think the club have been brhlliant

doing that. Hopefully it paxs dividends at the end of the season

and we can get to the end of the season still in League One.

Hopefully keep the majority of the players we want to get hold of and

add to it next season with some quality.

Graham is a guest on Monday's Late Kick Off here.

Also tomorrow in the Championship Middlesbrough take on Mick

McCarthy's Ipswich at the Rhverside tomorrow ` looking for their first

goal in eight games. Good ltck to Craig Hignett, in his first game as

Boro's new assistant head coach In League Two, the club he's just

left ` Hartlepool United ` `re at Wycombe, while York City tr`vel to

Wimbledon. And in Scottish League Two, Berwick Rangers are at home to

Montrose. There'll be full coverage on your BBC local radio station

Well, like the FA Cup, we'rd at the quarter`final stage of the FA Vase.

Having knocked out the holddrs, Spennymoor Town, in the last round,

Newcastle Benfield are away in Leicestershire. They take on St

Andrews from the East Midlands Counties League. But the Northern

League is guaranteed yet another semi`finalist ` because the

undoubted tie of the round hs on Tyneside tomorrow, where Dunston UTS

take on West Auckland in a repeat of the final of two years ago ` which

Dunston won 2`0. In Rugby Union Newcastle Falcons play host to the

England under`20 team tonight. They take on their Welsh

counterparts at Kingston Park ` kick`off there is at 7.45pm.

And in Rugby League, Gateshdad Thunder open the new season in

Championship One at home to Oxford at the International Stadiul on

Sunday. In the same division, York are at Hunslet, while in thd

Championship, Workington's new head coach Paul Veivers take his side to

Barrow, while Whitehaven ard at Dewsbury.

It's said that every person on the planet owns an average 94 pheces of

Lego. Many of us played with it as children and the Danish building

blocks are still a hugely popular toy. Yes, the recent releasd of The

Lego Movie shows just how popular. I think mine are in a bag in the

attic! And hot on the heels of that, a new

exhibition devoted to the brightly coloured bricks is about to open on

Tyneside. It's a real blockbuster. An

exhibition made entirely out of Lego bricks, all built by up with man.

They're all architectural icons from the world, ranging from small little

ones like this, up to great big things like St Pancras.

You arer in You are never `` you are never too old for Lego. I still like

to take time to build ridictlous things, why not? The biggest model

system this, a mini St `` the biggest model is this, a mini St

Pancras Station. It took 500 hours to build. It's one of the bhg star

pieces here. As you can see, it s nearly four metres long, two metres

wide. There are lots of tinx little details the public can get their

eyes on, as well. This is one of my favourites. A mini Buckingh`m Palace

featuring the Royal Family waving after the marriage of Willi`m and

Kate. The key message here is that Lego is

for adults as much as children, a theme that echos The Movie, now a

box office smash across the world. Are you a big kid at heart? Yes

definitely, I get to play whth Lego every day for a living, what more

could you ask for? Wonderful. My kids are talented at

littering the carpet with the stuff! Yes, I remember it well. Now, great

news or just good news with the weather?

Yes, certainly on Saturday. Let s look at a sign of spring.

Daffodils there. There is more sunshine tomorrow. Brightest on

Saturday afternoon. Overnight it's dry and clear for a

time. Jupiter dazzling throtgh the evening. After midnight clotd will

build up and the breeze picks up. It's breezy by dawn with patchy rain

starting to work in to the west Temperatures, colder than l`st

night. Brisk winds from the south. First thing tomorrow it's gloomy and

grey. Showers for north Yorkshire and parts of Tyneside, Weirside and

the rest of the north`east, as well. For a time through the afternoon

things start to brighten and through Saturday that we will see bright

blue skies across the region. The highest temperatures so far this

year. Those temperatures up into the high`50s Fahrenheit. It's breezy,

but that won't spoil the dax, if you are sheltered from that wind it s

particularly pleasant. Even in the breeze feeling milder than ht has

done. It's fine and dry as we pause the scene there. Let's look now at

the big picture. High presstre just for the day tomorrow. Then ` weak

weather system works in frol the west on Sunday. That will bring

cloud and rain for Cumbria. High pressure starts to build through the

start of next week. I don't believe we have seen a high just like this

across the UK since about October of last year. Really settling things

down, some settled dry condhtions and sunshine to come through the

start of next week. Let's look first at the end of the weekend. Drizzly

and grey in Cumbria on Sund`y. But it stays mild and then as wd saw by

Monday things are starting to brighten. Similar in the north`east

but here much more chance of a dry day on Sunday, as well. Somd

sunshine particularly for north Yorkshire anteside. The weather look

`` and Teeside. The weather looking better for the start of next week.

That's amazing the first high pressure in months. A domin`nt one

across the UK. Great, yes. Good knigh.