26/08/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Yes campaigners claim one of our hospitals would have to consider

cancelling some cancer surgdry because of moves

to privatise the NHS in England a claim that's been dismissdd.

There is no question whatsodver of any cuts. We wish to expand our

services, we provide good qtality, good outcomes, and will continue to

do so. That includes the residence of Scotland.

Killed in a bike accident, his wife tells us how his organs

The cameras move into a Teesside neighbourhood

But there's sharp criticism from both politicians

And a warning rights of way on the North York Moors may close

as the National Park Authorhty faces sharp budget cuts and job losses.

In sport, find out why rugbx union's World Champions, New Zealand,

And Brendan Foster, Mr Great North Run himself, has come to thd studio

to make a very special annotncement. Don't miss it!

That's the response from North East Health Service m`nagers

to claims from Scottish inddpendence campaigners that some cancer

operations in Gateshead could be cancelled to save money.

The issue raised its head in last night's TV debate

between Alex Salmond and Alastair Darling.

NHS managers here say the claims are simply wrong.

But tonight health campaigndrs in the region say they fear

Our Political Correspondent Mark Denten reports.

Locked in argument, Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond, the voices of Yes

and Note in Scotland's second referendum debate. And in the middle

of it, something surprising, closer to home. Alex Salmond is endorsing a

claim that hospitals with bd privatised. Wayward Gateshe`d

hospital,? A surgeon supporting a yes vote claims surgery in Gateshead

is threatened. They are in danger of being told they cannot do gtllet

cancer because the fee they get paid does not cover how much it costs to

do. His hospital, a big hospital in Gateshead, are thinking unilaterally

about the clearing, we do not treat gullet cancer any more. Health

councillors say she is wrong. Queen Elizabeth in Gateshead is a very

good hospital, but it does not deal with that challenging disease. The

record is that we provide a range of specialist services here in

Newcastle upon Tyne, software deal cancer is a very challenging

condition. We provide a verx good service for the United Kingdom, we

are delighted to do so. There is no question of any cuts. A senhor

cancer specialist says therd is a threat from privatisation. We have

the potential funding gap of ?3 billion, and that is going to be

already seeing that in Engl`nd, that already seeing that in Engl`nd, that

is going to drive the privatisation process don't hear because `s

waiting lists go up people will get fed up of the waiting list `nd those

health care insurance. A spokesman health care insurance. A spokesman

for the NHS said its budget has increased and it was committed to

providing a free service. Mark is here now, what has been the

response from the Yes campahgn? The Yes campaign do not address the

services Gateshead hospital has doesn't have. What they do tell us

is they highlight the NHS protest march we have been reporting

recently on Look North going from Jarrow to London. Westminstdr, in

their view, is abandoning the founding principles of the health

service south of the border. As you would expect them to say, they say

that a Yes vote will protect Scotland from Westminster ctts.

Thank you very much. Now, Andy Charlton from

North Shields knew more than most His son Oscar has cystic fibrosis

and may well need Andy has signed the

organ donor register but a few weeks ago he

died in a road accident. Since his death, his organs

have helped save many lives. Two weeks ago, we were a falily of

five, my husband Andy, myself, Oscar Ouma O2 and have `year`old son, and

a renewed twins `` over new twins. On the night of August my htsband

went out on a motorbike ridd and was knocked off. He had had a m`jor

brain trauma and was pronounced brain`dead. Immediately when I

realised that there was no going back from what the doctors were

telling me, the first thing I asked about work, can we please gdt the

ball moving for organ donathon because it is close to our hearts?

It gave me something to focts on when you feel like you cannot do

anything, there is something you can do, and you realise there are so

many people out there desperate to have a chance of carrying on living,

that opportunity. When you can do that opportunity. When you can do

nothing else, it is something you can do. It was a very

decision for me, probably bdcause of decision for me, probably bdcause of

Oscar. I realised how important it was to have... Despite the fact we

both knew we were on the register, we realised lots of people who are

on the register do not actu`lly have their organs donated in this event

because the family do not know their wishes, and I'm sure becausd I knew

exactly what the situation was I could see quite confidently to his

mum and dad and sister, this is what Andy would have wanted. This made

the decision a lot easier for us instead of us, when you cannot think

straight, trying to make th`t decision. He was the fittest he had

ever been because he was a very keen cyclist. He died doing something he

loved. Hopefully that will lean that wherever his organs have gone they

will be doing a damn fine job. And Andy's organs helped save

the lives of five different people New figures show more men dhe

in Scarborough from alcohol related diseasds than

anywhere else in Yorkshire. Now the Home Office has declared

the seaside town a Local Alcohol Action Area,

one of just 20 in the country. It means new strategies

such as breathalysers, fingerprint technology and HD

scanners are being trialled Car production has restarted

at Nissan in Sunderland The company's car making ground to

a halt after problems emergdd Production restarted on

Line 1 this morning but Line 2 won't reopen

until next week. A small village on the west Cumbrian

coast is celebrating being named as one of the most

desirable places to live. According to the Royal Mail,

St Bees, just down the coast from Whitehaven, is ranked

as the third best in England. It came behind Tidworth in Wiltshire

and Yateley in Hampshire. Postcodes were ranked on

employment opportunities, quality of health

and education, and even crile rates. And research by the National

Railway Museum in York suggdsts the world's first trainspotter

was actually a Victorian wolan. Curators found a reference to a

trainspotter from as early `s 1 61. The person recording

locomotive numbers as they pass a station in

London isn't a man in an anorak It's the controversial serids

about life on welfare, which some fear

stigmatises the poor. And now Channel 4's Benefits Street

is heading to our region, Kingston Road on the Tilery estate

will host the programme, but today the news

was greeted with dismay by those who fear

the town's reputation will suffer. Peter, I gather it has been a lively

atmosphere today? You could say that. Eggs and a few

choice words were thrown, which is why we have moved. This is the

Stockton the council would rather people see, instead they will get

national television about one street, and if it's and potdntially

some very bad PR. Get that come off me!

A youth, accompanied by a Channel 4 film crew, hurling abuse.

This is to be the new Benefits Street,

the reality TV programme fe`turing the lives of those on welfare.

But the presence of the camdras wasn't welcomed today

by those who fear the town and claimants will be stigm`tised.

I would think probably it would make things worse, but people always

think of Stockton as a bad place but it is not, it is not that b`d. I

think it is disgusting the way it is on the television thinking dverybody

is like them, and everybody is not. I am 67, I take care of a grandson

who I do not have a penny for, and I work morning and night and he has

worked all his life. The production company say they

looked at various possible locations including others in the north`east

before settling on Kingston Road. They say one of the things that they

try to achieve is to give a voice to those who otherwise would not have

one. The first series of Benefits Street

was set in Birmingham Channel 4 says the Stockton series

will prompt debate about Stockton Council says

it's not wanted. There are a lot of people on that

estate and that road that are in work and do work, yet they `re going

to stigmatise people becausd some have to rely on benefits. The crew

was pelted with eggs today, filming in Stockton will take at le`st six

months. I welcome the camer`s will be when it is broadcast rem`ins to

be seen. Channel four says there are issues

around welfare and poverty that do need to be paired, but it whll be

next year before we find out whether the people taking part in the series

and indeed the town are portrayed in a way that they would like.

Thank you very much, Peter. So should the people of

Kingston Road in Stockton h`ve Give your thoughts

via our Facebook page. Now, there's plenty more to come

in Tuesday's Look North. Will our rights of way

soon be restricted Plus Brendan Foster joins

Jeff and me on the sofa to make a big announcement

on the celebrations to mark the Great North Run's

one millionth finisher. Sunshine for most tomorrow before

things turn changeable later in the week. Join me later for the full

weather forecast. One of the country's biggest

national parks is warning it may have to close rights of way

and shut down conservation projects The North York Moors Nation`l Park

has seen its budget cut by 40% and next month more savings

and redundancies will be announced. It says it's now being forcdd to

rely on teams of volunteers to keep vital services going,

as Phil Connell reports. We are going to be working on the

alternative routes today. They are the teams on which the the North

York Moors National Park has become increasingly reliant. Cuts `nd

redundancies have left the `uthority facing an unprecedented crisis.

Volunteers are now playing `n important role in keeping areas of

the park open. This footpath is just one example. If we were not here

doing this now, by the time spring came, you would virtually not be

able to see this path. We whll need more volunteers, more peopld.

Volunteers are incredibly ilportant. This man works for the National Park

and supervisors groups of volunteers. He admits it has now

become a sensitive area, especially when colleagues are losing their

jobs. My role of authority working with volunteers is normally

beneficial and I enjoy that greatly, but at the forefront of my lind is

that people are losing their jobs. Is it a form of cheap labour? I

don't think so, I think the volunteers understand the role they

are doing. But in national parks, volunteers are in big demand. There

are growing importance is lhnked to the government's austerity

measures, which the authority is being forced to implement. Hn the

last three years, the park budget has been cut by 40%, with annual

spending reduced to just ovdr ? million. In September, further cuts

and redundancies are also expected. What role will volunteers now play

here? And how reliant will the Park become on the hard work and good

will? The Park's chief execttive sees volunteers will not replace

qualified staff, but he says in more than 50 years of the Park's

existence, he has never known times like it. This is quite exceptional,

we're going back to when we had less money than when we were set up. It

is a huge change. How does that make is a huge change. How does that make

you feel? There are days whdn you feel completely despondent. We are

going to rely more on volunteers at the alternative is that things will

not happen. The authority s`ys it is doing its best to maintain `s many

services as possible, but s`y areas like public footpaths, consdrvation

projects, heritage sites and schemes to bring in more affordable housing

will all be affected. For the 7 million people who enjoy thd park

each year, it is a prospect that is causing concern. It is magnhficently

signposted, they have put a lot of work into it, but in the future that

will not be the case. It is a bit like the library system. Thd

government is saying we will keep libraries open and they will be run

by volunteers, but that is not enough because you need the

investment. A planning applhcation for ?1 billion mine has also

squeezed the Park's finances further. Delays have so far cost the

authority almost ?1 million, raising new questions tonight as to how we

safeguard this beautiful national asset.

Well, Jeff's joined me now and so has Brendan Foster

because one of the biggest dates on the region's sporting calendar

Before that, there's a huge event being staged on the River Txne

to celebrate the Run's one millionth finisher.

And Brendan's come here to reveal exclusively

Thursday September 4th, we're going to be there,

Look North will be live frol the Newcastle and Gateshead Quaxside.

We know about the likes of Lark Knopfler, but who else have you got?

We wanted to stage an event worthy of the Great North Run, and we got

the best people involved, the artistic director for the London

Paralympics, we said what could you do? He came up with ideas. Who can

we have to deliver this thing? We're thrilled to bits that And and deck,

the north`east's favourite entertainers. `` Ant and Dec. They

said they will be thrilled when Mark Knopfler comes to play. We're really

excited about Ant and Dec and Soave. And we have got Staying `` Sting

coming to perform from New Xork He is about to open in New York, so we

are about to launch his new concerts. That will be fant`stic. I

am turning into a bit of an impresario! It is not all about

musicians and fireworks, is it? No, a renowned writer has writtdn a

story of the north`east, and tells the story from the days of the

Lindisfarne Gospels to shipbuilding and engineers, the story of the

north`east and the people, `nd I think that itself will be a

fantastic piece of theatre because we have got the best talent

available to deliver it. We don t often have things in the north`east

but stand`up, this is the north`east, this is what it is

about, and I think this will stand up. It is a unique venue, the bridge

and the millennium bridge. Projections onto the stage, I think

it will be a marvellous occ`sion and it is there to tell the story of the

north`east and the creativity, inventiveness and energy of its

people. If we can do that and tell that story, we have even got London

theatre critics coming up to see how we do. Hopefully it is a grdat story

and to be the first event in the world to reach 1 million, the second

one is the New York Marathon. Did you ever think you would evdr get

near that? Of course not. 30,00 , 40,000, eventually reaching 1

million, and on that Sunday, an ordinary person, man or womdn, to

cross the line, will suddenly be whisked off to be the millionth

person. That is thrilling. Ht might be you! It might be Jeff! You beat

Jeff! Sorry, Jeff! We are still going on about it.

Great stuff, we look forward to September four. And also thd big

day. To the rest of the sport. It's one of the great

sporting comebacks. brought back to life

as a thriving rugby union club. And next autumn it'll play host to

the men's reigning World Ch`mpions, Mark Tulip's been

along to the Northern Echo @rena. It has had a chequered past, but

today's announcement that the Darlington Arena will provide the

All Blacks for a base for the 2 15 Rugby World Cup is a brightdr

future. They will also use facilities at the nearby

Middlesbrough training ground. The other teams to use facilitids in the

north`east include: What it means to New Zealand to be able to come to a

facility like this, but also the local club and community, is the

fact there is an opportunitx for engagement, the world's currently

number one team, to have th`t team here and the opportunity to raise

the profile of both the are`, a club and some engagement with thd

schools, young kids, they are out here playing rugby.

The key to the success has been getting other businesses on board

seven days a week. It is about getting people to the arena, through

the doors. We have had counties Premiership sevens, and now the

world champions. It is a fantastic facility. Adding a little stardust

were the World Cup winners, who have just been given professional

contract. Just a week ago wd had won a World Cup, and that is thd best

thing about sport, and sport within England, teams that are really up

there and thriving. The medha are interested, we are on TV. 2012

helped with that for athletds. And female athletes. We have cole back,

to our home club, and there is another World Cup year so hopefully

that will keep welding the hnterest. `` building the interest. Who would

have thought we would be talking about New Zealand using a training

base in Darlington in just over a one`year's time?

one of the World Cup match venues of course.

Onto football, and Newcastld are one of our two sides in Capital One Cup

action tonight, hoping to ilprove on their weekend performancds.

The Magpies are away at League One side Gillingham,

who have already conceded 10 goals this season.

That should be good news for the Magpies,

who haven't yet opened their account.

but followed that opening d`y for much of the game at Aston Villa,

Seem Di Jong almost won it for them, right near the end.

Commentary from Priestfield is on BBC Newcastle.

And on BBC Tees you can hear if Middlesbrough can pick themselves up

after Saturday's surprise 3`2 home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday.

A real defensive mess for that first goal,

and Boro were three`down inside the hour before two penaltids from

skipper Grant Leadbitter made the scoreline a touch more respdctable.

Head Coach Aitor Karanka has called for a positive reaction at the

Riverside this evening in the second round tie with Preston North End.

Hartlepool United striker Ltke James was back in training today,

having gone absent without leave last week after handing

In his absence, on Saturday, 21 year`old Charlie Wyke

made a goal`scoring return to the club.

He joined Pools last week on a month's loan

from Middlesbrough, and this equaliser at Wimblddon

was against the team he was farmed out to last ydar.

That was Hartlepool's first goal of the season, and this was

their second, a very nice one, too from veteran Marlon Hardwood,

and it gave Pools their first points of the League Two calpaign.

Thank goodness for that! Tile for the weather forecast, not stre what

it is doing at the moment. Summer is trying to cling on by its

fingernails. If you are out and about in that north`easterlx breeze,

it probably did not feel th`t summary. The bank holiday wdekend

gave us some summary images, you could not get much more of ` summary

image than that cricket match in front of this castle and thd

beautiful blue skies at the weekend. Thank you for that shot.

Tomorrow, most places will stay dry, but it will be a chillx start.

There could even be a touch of frost tomorrow morning. Most placds stay

dry and most of us will oncd again see some sunshine. This evening and

into the night, apart from the odd shower for North Yorkshire, it is

dry. Any cloud will be thin and patchy, bigger towns and cities will

start to dip into single figures. Typically going to about five,

degrees. A few spots could dip cold them that, cold enough to ghve us a

touch of frost as we head into tomorrow morning. And that hn the

first thing tomorrow, but dries through the morning. Through the

afternoon it should stay drx and bright for most. ) well broken,

decent dry spells, `` cloud well broken. Temperatures as shade upon

today, it will feel cool on the North Yorkshire coast in thd south

easterly breeze. A bit further west, a bit of shelter, 20 Celsius

tomorrow afternoon. After tomorrow's dry weather, this weather

front comes up from the south west tomorrow evening, bringing rain for

daytime. The rain moves northwards through the course of Thursday

before this low pressure st`rts to take charge of the weather `s we

head into Friday, the weathdr front around that low pressure will bring

widespread rain for the tail end of the week. After tomorrow's sunshine,

rain tomorrow night, early showers clear away from any places on

Thursday, some bright spells and temperatures up to 19, 20 Cdlsius.

Should not feel too bad at `ll on Thursday afternoon. Different story

on Friday, temperature the winds will be stronger. Some rain on the

heavy side. Unsettled weathdr through Friday and Saturday before

things settle down again through Sunday. We will keep you up`to`date

on the forecast on your loc`l BBC radio station. And also on the BBC

weather app. That's it from Look North this

evening. The late bulletin `round 10:25pm. Have a grey evening, good

night. `` have a great evenhng. Have somebody play bagpipe at the

airport to welcome you? Possible. Whichever car you like,

with Wi-Fi inside? Possible. Can I get you a pink elephant?

I'll try! See, the Indian philosophy

dictates that anybody who comes to your house

is not a guest, but he's God. You want to do the best you can

as a parent. And we're not in a position

to do that.