20/01/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Claims there aren't enough fire fighters

Carlisle had only five full-time firefighters on duty.

They're allegations the fire service refutes.

A warning about fracking from the owner

of one of the region's most prestigious tourist attractions.

Leading politicians are among many paying their respects,

at the funeral of former MP John Cummings.

The sound of the Last Night of the Proms arrives in Cumbria.

And can Newcastle lose 100,000 pounds?

We're joined by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall,

In sport, we look ahead to another weekend of struggle

for our Premier League clubs as the battle continues

And can Newcastle keep the fans smiling and follow up

their FA Cup win with victory over bottom club Rotherham

has been left without enough firefighters to keep people safe.

The fire brigades' union says, only recently,

just five full-time firefighters were on duty in the city,

potentially putting residents at risk.

But fire service managers say the union is being "alarmist".

Our correspondent, Mark Denten, is in Carlisle tonight.

It basically depends on you are talking to. Are you talking to the

fire service management income area or are you talking to the Fire

Brigade union? Let's take a look at what the FBU in Carlisle are saying.

They are particularly concerned about Christmas Day, at the back end

of last year. Christmas Day night specifically, when they saved there

were just four or five full-time firefighters and UD in the entire

city of Carlisle. They say that situation was unsafe for people in

the city, and they don't wince the -- don't mince their words on this,

they say the situation was really dire. That is the response from the

union? What other management saying? They

accepted those figures of just four or five full-time crews and UD on

Christmas Day. They say that back-up crews could be brought in and the

instances have fallen by 30% over the last ten years. Was it a dire

situation? He was the deputy chief fire officer.

That's absolutely ludicrous to suggest we're in a dire situation.

Over the Christmas period, we would have, on average,

Yes, the union are right to say that,

there was only one of the two fire engines available,

but what I can say is there is adequate

from the nearby retained fire stations, such as Longtown,

So what is the minimum number of firefighters needed for a city like

Carlisle? The simple answer is there isn't a

minimum figure. That is defined by local decisions in the fire service.

There is not a national figure. So a question for the deputy chief fire

officer from me. Is the line one firefighter

on an engine, say? But a lot of services

across the country are now looking at reduced crews to low-level

incidents, such as rubbish fires, and that is something

that we will look at income breath. I think I will go back to my earlier

point that, you know, we've got to remember that we got

38 fire stations across the county, Every fire engine

that is dispatched, does have back-up crews

at the same time. Cumbria Fire and rescue service so

they are recruiting. In fact, 12 new full-time firefighters. Their

training next month, and they will start work on a shift in June of

this year. It's already deeply controversial,

and divides opinion. And now the owner of one

of North Yorkshire's largest tourist attractions says he's worried

about the negative impact fracking Nicholas Howard -

from Castle Howard, near Malton - says it's taken a long time

to change perceptions He fears people could now think

twice about paying a visit. Places like Castle Howard are

the reason people come to Yorkshire. Last summer, record numbers

flocked to the region. But here there's a growing concern

that plans to frack for gas could have a detrimental

impact on the economy. And there is the whole

business of the air quality. And the perceived effect,

even if it's not as great as we expect it might be,

the perception of it will be great. While Rydale is known as one

of the most beautiful places in the country,

people are going to flock to it. But if it's known a place

where there are endless gas fields, At the moment, only one site

in the region has planning permission

to carry out the controversial

drilling technique. But it's thought shale gas

is located under much of Yorkshire. The industry insists existing

conventional gas sites and going forward disruption

will be temporary. There has certainly been a lot

of protest activity, a lot of noise

made around our industry. But I do think that gives us

a responsibility to show to people that we can produce this

in a sensitive way that doesn't have too much

of an impact on local people. And that's up to us

as an industry to demonstrate. At the moment,

much of the noise referred to This one is directly on the route

of this year's Tour de Yorkshire. But protesters say they wouldn't

be here if the industry wasn't. For the organisation responsible

for selling the region's image, Every day, regionally,

nationally and internationally But, you know, at

Welcome to Yorkshire, we are the brand guardians

for the Yorkshire brand, and we will work hard or even harder

to make sure that that brand grows Tourism has always been a massive

part of Yorkshire's economy, but since the Tour de France,

things have really picked up, and no-one wants to see

that progress backpedal. It had she has confirmed it is

bidding for the HST trains. The company's factory

in Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, is currently

assembling Intercity Express trains. The HS2 contract

is worth ?2.75 billion. And the Copeland by-election

in West Cumbria will take place The contest was announced

after the sitting MP, Jamie Reed - announced his resignation

earlier this month. And MPs from our region are calling

for a new Government strategy It follows claims

that funding cuts to improve their

qualifications and skills. They've written to ministers

after suggestions the number of over-25s returning to education

has been falling. But ministers say they've increased

support for apprenticeships, and introduced loans

to support older students. Our political correspondent,

Luke Walton, has more. They're back to class, even though

they left school years ago. Adult education has seen funding

and participation fall, but these two say they're

improving their future Now she's learning to weld to help

her become a sculptor of metalwork. Alan was made redundant

from his job as a steelworker. He hopes this access course

will lead to university and a chance

to study social work. Both see the experience

as life changing. It opens up a new world,

there's a new world If you are made redundant,

it's not the end of the world. The standards are very high,

so that sense of satisfaction, of achieving, getting your pass

and your exam pieces and your practical pieces

is a fantastic feeling. Here at Hartlepool College,

all ages take part in academic But government austerity

has had an impact. Fewer students,

there's fewer courses. About ten years ago, we were quite

vibrant four nights a week. We've cut that down out

of three nights a week. But, again, we've got a lot on offer

for the adults of Hartlepool, but it's getting more and more

difficult to do that with the funding regime

that's in place. In a letter to ministers,

Labour MPs warn the cuts to adult education are worsening

a shortage of skills But the Government's

supporters are more positive. We've also got the apprenticeship

levy, which will deliver around 3 billion a year by the end

of the Parliament, from large employers, to help fund

the apprenticeship system. So there is

a better financial envelope that should

support local education. Never too late to learn,

but in a fast-changing world, the challenge is to equip

all generations to change with it. More on this on Sunday Politics

from 11am this Sunday. The funeral's taken

place of John Cummings, He represented the County Durham

constituency for 13 years, Among the mourners today

were many current Labour MPs from the North East,

as Ian Reeve reports. The last journey

of the last of a kind. John Cummings was a fifth-generation

miner, down the pit at 15. as well as being Easington's

Labour MP for 23 years. There's nowhere else

in the British coalfield All the pits in the space

of five or six miles. John had a lot of problems

with the pit closure programme. But he also had a very clear

commitment, not just to the Labour Party and socialism,

but also to this community. He was also good fun,

and he had a wicked sense of humour which was something that brought

a human touch to politics But John certainly had that,

and cared about people. Mr Cummings was interred

in the churchyard Around him, scores of miners killed

underground through the years. A surely fitting final resting place

for this MP, for this miner. and you're watching

Friday's Look North. Dawn looks ahead to

the weekend's sport. Plus, "from Ibiza to

the Norfolk Broads". The one man play about

David Bowie's North Yorkshire roots. And it's looking mostly dry through

this weekend. Some sunshine to be had, but it will be feeling cold.

Join me later for the full forecast. Now, he's one of classical music's

most famous conductors, known for his performances

at the annual Proms concerts, Sir Andrew Davis conducts pieces

from three composers for the BBC Philharmonic

at the city's Sands Centre. He's been speaking

to Mark McAlindon. Sir Andrew Davis splits his time

between his home in Chicago and life on the road in Britain

and Australia, leading some Today, however, he's back

in the land of his birth This evening, his first visit

to the border city of Carlisle. This afternoon, he led rehearsals

ahead of tonight's performance. I think it's immensely important

that the smaller centres are exposed to great

live orchestral music. It's terribly important,

because you can listen to music on all sorts of media now but,

actually, there is no substitute for the experience of

a symphony orchestra live. I mean, this is a sports hall,

not one of the great halls, if you like, but you think you can

create the right atmosphere for those who are coming

to the concert tonight? I imagine the acoustic

is drier than some places, but I'm sure it will bring

lots of clarity. And I'm told the audience here

is very enthusiastic and receptive. Still on a musical theme -

you might, possibly, associate a couple of music legends

with North Yorkshire, but David Bowie probably

isn't one of them. Well, just over a year

after his death, a one-man play based on the icon

is about to tour our region. It's called From Ibiza

To The Norfolk Broads - a classic line from

the song Life On Mars. A bit closer to home, our reporter,

Phil Chapman, has been discovering Bowie's

many Yorkshire connections. Since David Bowie died,

his life and music have been But it's possibly just die-hard fans

who will be aware of and his 104-year-old auntie

recently passed away in York. And the man himself was deeply proud

of his Yorkshire roots. I've got to tell you,

my father was from Yorkshire. Yeah, well, somewhere between

Tadcaster, Doncaster and York. So he's from there and my mother's

family were from Lancashire. So when I hear someone

with your accent, By heck, I've supped

some stuff tonight. And Yorkshire fans everywhere

can always raise a pint in return Well, we all know about his

countless guises and personas over the decades, and a poignant

play about David Bowie features just one actor onstage,

playing nine different characters. And it's about to start touring

across North Yorkshire The main character in the story

is trying to find his dad Obviously, that's got

quite a strong connection who came from the North

Yorkshire region. David always wanted to come back

here and wanted to perform here, and it was always something

that he had a passion for. That's why it's

such a fantastic experience to be able to perform

in North Yorkshire. Alex is about to bring his one-man

play to York, Richmond, Sunderland and Hartlepool and,

after rave reviews in London, it starts in North Yorkshire at the

Helmsley Arts Centre on Saturday. Middlesbrough hope to edge a little

closer to Premier League safety when they host a revitalised

West Ham at the Riverside tomorrow. Second-bottom Sunderland,

following their midweek cup exit, face another tough away test,

this time at West Brom. either due to injury

or the Africa Cup of Nations - 11 players, at least half

of whom would command a place David Moyes has had a few

bitter pills to swallow The limited funds for January

transfers and an injury list contining several long-term

absentees to name just two. One player on the verge

of a comeback is striker Victor Anichebe, who's physical

presence is desperately needed. We really missed Victor,

because we're limited in how we can If we play really good football

and pass it through the lines and through the midfield

and into the forward players, then we're limited on how we can get

to the front line quickly. Moyes, who revealed that another

free agent, Joleon Lescott, has been training with the club,

admits he always knew the start of the year could prove to be

the toughest part of the season. January was going to be difficult

for us, with us losing three players We have already discussed the

injuries. So it was always going

to make it a tough month With the club already saying

they would be a limited budget to spend in January,

it meant that, for us, But we should be getting boys back

from the African Nations in the next couple of weeks,

and one or two more Hopefully that will help

push what we've got. Meanwhile, Aitor Karanka,

who this week added ex on-loan forward Patrick Bamford

to his squad, could be hoping another striker isn't available

to West Ham this weekend Andy Carroll is capable

of the spectacular but isn't the only threat to

the Boro back four. With players like them,

we'll have problems. But then we'll have to

figure it out ourselves, We're playing at home,

so we have to try and play our best and try to stop him,

stop them getting the ball to him. But behind him is Antonio,

there's a lot of players. It's top versus bottom

in the Championship when Newcastle take

on Rotherham tomorrow, unless Brighton regain

the number one spot tonight. And this Korean fan snapped

by a supporter at the FA Cup game on Wednesday has travelled

5,500 miles to watch it. League positions suggest it should

be plain sailing for the Magpies, but The Millers forced the leaders

to grind out a victory Christian Atsu scored Newcastle's

winner back in the Autumn but Rotherham didn't give them

an easy ride. Interim boss Paul Warne

says his side will go down as legends if they beat

Newcastle at St James' Park, much as Iceland did when they beat

England in the Euros. To be fair, it's something

that we have seen during the whole season, so we play against teams

that give almost everything you watch the games before

and after, and there's a big difference in terms

of their approach. But if you are in the top

five of the division, So I'm happy because that means

they consider us very strong. But, at the same time,

we also have to give a little Jonjo Shelvey's performance

in the Magpies midweek FA Cup win showed just how much he's been

missed during his five-game ban and the players

are delighted to have him back. He can do things that other players

in the team can't do. If we had 11 Jonjo Shelveys,

then the team wouldn't work. If we had 11 Isaac Haydens,

the team wouldn't work. So it's about getting the balance

right and, obviously, he brings that certain balance

to the team and it was good to see him play so well

on Wednesday night and hopefully Benitez is remaining tight-lipped

over speculation linking Andros Townsend with a return

to Newcastle but says there's no truth in the rumour that goalkeepers

Rob Elliot may be loaned out and Tim Krul may return

from a loan spell at Ajax. In League Two, Carlisle

are at Accrington Stanley tomorrow, looking to end a run of three

games without a win. And Hartlepool take on Stevenage

with new manager-to-be Dave Jones Sam Collins will be in charge,

before Jones officially steps back into management on Monday,

after a three-year break. Well, I haven't been

out of football. I've been in football in some

capacity, but I just haven't been in the dressing

room, as such. But everything else that surrounds

it, I thought it might be something I wanted to do,

but the lure of being in the dugout and hopefully doing what I do best

is what brought me back. In basketball, Newcastle Eagles

are back in league action tonight - after lifting the BBL Trophy last

week, for the third year running. They'll be parading

the trophy ahead of the game against Worcester Wolves

at Sport Central, and that's a match you can see,

live, on the BBC Sport website, Player coach Fab Flournoy will be

hoping his side can avoid a repeat of last year's defeat by Wolves that

followed the Eagles' Cup victory. Newcastle are still top of the

table, but rivals Leicester Riders are just two points behind them

with a game in hand. Now, he's already led

a war on food waste, and called for more

compassion in farming. Well, the celebrity chef

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is launching

a new social experiment, and it's being launched

in Newcastle. And I'm delighted to say Hugh

has come all the way from River Cottage to be with us,

here in the studio, to tell us more. What is it all about? Well, it is a

fantastic opportunity for a whole city to come together and tackle

something that we know is a serious problem in this country, and it's

the problem of people being overweight, the obesity crisis is

talked about all the time. But we're not making much progress. Within the

next ten years, Britain, if it carries on this trajectory, will be

the fattest country in Europe. So we need to take action, and there are

no easy answers. What I am hoping is that a great city like Newcastle,

coming together, the community spirit, the city that brought the

Great North Run to Britain, I think Newcastle can do something

remarkable. It is about people supporting each other and trying to

get past that taboo of talking about weight. Is it a very unhealthy city?

It is not exceptionally unhealthy, but it is in line with those

national trends. Nearly two thirds of us now are overweight, roughly

30% classed as obese. This is the point at which your weight becomes a

threat to your health. So if we do this coming Newcastle could become a

healthier city. I have a little money to put into the pot. You will

have two start tomorrow. I have some emotional material for the campaign.

If you sign up for the website here in Newcastle, you are taking part,

and we will be here, I will be coming back to Newcastle regularly

throughout the day, and we will see if this city, in the course of the

next year, can lose 100,000 to won in weight. How

much is that? It could be 10,000 people losing ten lbs in weight. If

we get there, we will be making an impact on the health of the city. We

will get statistics we can measure and improvements. It is a problem

for GPs all over Britain. We need to get it out in the open and get

people brave enough to get people to take action and support each other

while they are doing it. Is it that all sugar -- is it that all sugar,

which is worse? The short answer is probably sugar. It is about changing

habits, and that is where your friendship and support group comes

in. We will be in touch with some of the big employers in the city,

trying to get their employees involved. It is great to be out in

the city, meeting people. If any city in the UK can do it, it is

Newcastle. Great stuff. We will be following it with interest.

Someone else who keeps fit with the London Marathon, Jennifer has the

weather. We have had a lot of cloud this

week, but as we can see from this picture, the sunshine was starting

to break through. We will see some decent spells of sunshine this

weekend. It will be mostly dry, but it is going to be feeling cold.

Let's take a look at these things this evening and overnight. We have

had a bearing that a cloud which is moving northwards. Clear skies

overnight, leading to a widespread frost. They might be some patchy

mist and fog as well. Temperatures in town about freezing, but in rural

spots, -2 minus three degrees. A crisp start to Saturday morning.

Beautiful blue sunshine. But we will see the cloud pushing in through the

afternoon. For parts of North Yorkshire, by 3pm, we will start to

see some outbreaks of light rain or drizzle. As we come to North

Northumberland, it will still be quite bright, and Cumbria has

sparkling blue sunshine through the afternoon. Temperatures around four

or five Celsius. The cloud spreads to or parts overnight. They might be

some patches of drizzle, falling as snow over a higher grounds, and

temperatures down to freezing or just above. Another cold start to

Sunday morning. Mostly dry, with some cloud around, but that will

break through the afternoon. Again, the swells of sunshine. Cooler

again, for five the maximum. The high pressure that has been keeping

everything settled stays in place. It is not until the middle part of

the week that we start to see some more weather fronts pushing in from

the Atlantic, and things turned breezy. As we go through Monday and

Tuesday, we looking at things staying settled. The high pressure

is still in place. Monday is another crisp, cold day, with Bagheera

spells of sunshine. It looks lovely, dry and settled. Again, dry on

Tuesday but with more cloud. Temperatures are starting to creep

up. Just before we go, if you want to

join Hugh's campaign, he will be in Newcastle. Goodbye.

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