:00:11. > :00:14.A former director at Middlesbrough Council has claimed
:00:15. > :00:17.she was "bullied and threatened" after refusing to cover up failings
:00:18. > :00:20.in the way the authority sold off some its assets.
:00:21. > :00:25.Karen Whitmore was the Assistant Director of Organisation
:00:26. > :00:26.and Governance, but was made redundant last June.
:00:27. > :00:28.She claims she was targeted after raising concerns
:00:29. > :00:31.about the sale of Acklam Hall and other buildings
:00:32. > :00:37.She's now taken Middlesbrough Council to an employment tribunal.
:00:38. > :00:42.We've heard some extraordinary claims during the first
:00:43. > :00:47.Karen Whitmore said there was a laddish culture
:00:48. > :00:49.at Middlesbrough Council between 2014-2015.
:00:50. > :00:54.She said senior managers would refer to women as "fatty",
:00:55. > :01:01.She said on one occasion she heard at a meeting a union official,
:01:02. > :01:04.and the then-chief executive Mike Robinson, telling a joke,
:01:05. > :01:11.The solicitor for Middlesbrough Council said this was an unfounded
:01:12. > :01:15.slur and something that she hadn't actually witnessed herself.
:01:16. > :01:17.But Karen Whitmore said she was targeted because she refused
:01:18. > :01:21.to turn a blind eye to the sale of assets.
:01:22. > :01:25.She said when she was asked to investigate the sale
:01:26. > :01:29.of Acklam Hall in 2014 by external auditors, she was told officers had
:01:30. > :01:32.agreed a significant price reduction of ?1.2 million.
:01:33. > :01:37.When she raised concerns, she said she was told to hide
:01:38. > :01:40.the way the sale was handled because the then-mayor Ray Mallon
:01:41. > :01:46.She then raised concern about the sale of Middlesbrough's
:01:47. > :01:48.training and development centre to Ray Mallon's election
:01:49. > :01:54.She says an independent valuation of the centre was put
:01:55. > :02:01.Also she says a higher bid was ruled out in favour of the offer
:02:02. > :02:07.Karen Whitmore claims she was bullied by the current chief
:02:08. > :02:10.executive, Tony Parkinson, here on the left.
:02:11. > :02:12.And undermined by the former chief executive, who is next
:02:13. > :02:17.And she says her concerns and complaints were ignored
:02:18. > :02:19.by the Middlesbrough Mayor, David Budd.
:02:20. > :02:22.All men contest the claims, and the tribunal continues.
:02:23. > :02:28.A man's been charged with murdering a man in Whitley Bay last week.
:02:29. > :02:33.Matthew Davis, who was 39, was found dead at the Bermuda Guest House
:02:34. > :02:39.Tonight detectives charged local man Tony Dodds,
:02:40. > :02:49.He'll appear before North Tyneside magistrates tomorrow.
:02:50. > :02:51.A trial's heard how an elderly woman jumped from the second-floor window
:02:52. > :02:54.of her retirement flat just weeks after claims she'd told carers
:02:55. > :02:59.The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, which runs the home near York,
:03:00. > :03:03.has been charged with failing to protect the safety
:03:04. > :03:11.York Crown Court heard how the case has exposed
:03:12. > :03:26.This is a case that goes back to the 1st of November 2011 -
:03:27. > :03:28.the day Dora Strickland jumped from the second-floor
:03:29. > :03:30.window of Red Lodge, the retirement home in York
:03:31. > :03:31.where she lived with her husband, Jack.
:03:32. > :03:34.The couple had lived at Red Lodge for five months,
:03:35. > :03:36.after living in their previous family home for 54 years.
:03:37. > :03:39.In the fall from the window, though, she suffered multiple injuries
:03:40. > :03:44.In court this morning, we heard from Doctor Kevin Anderson,
:03:45. > :03:46.who had been called to the home to see Mrs Strickland
:03:47. > :03:49.after concerns had been raised about her mental well-being.
:03:50. > :03:53.He believed she wasn't suicidal, but did think she was vulnerable.
:03:54. > :03:56.In light of that, he put an action plan in place and told tough
:03:57. > :04:02.-- and told staff to keep a close eye on her.
:04:03. > :04:05.But Sandra Rudder, a general assistant at the home,
:04:06. > :04:08.was today asked if she had been given any information on how
:04:09. > :04:10.to treat Mrs Strickland or to look out for anything.
:04:11. > :04:12.To that she replied, "No, absolutely nothing."
:04:13. > :04:17.In court this afternoon, though, Gemma Casson,
:04:18. > :04:21.the home's general manager, said Red Lodge wasn't
:04:22. > :04:23.a nursing home, and there was an open door policy.
:04:24. > :04:26.She said since Mrs Strickland's suicide, new procedures have been
:04:27. > :04:29.put in place and windows were now fitted with restrictors to stop them
:04:30. > :04:35.The housing trust has denied failing to protect
:04:36. > :04:46.the safety of its residents, and the trial continues.
:04:47. > :04:49.A former hospital manager made redundant by an NHS trust has won
:04:50. > :04:52.the latest round of a legal fight over her pension pot.
:04:53. > :04:56.Sandi Haywood lost her job with Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust,
:04:57. > :04:59.which runs the RVI and Freeman Hospitals, in 2011.
:05:00. > :05:03.The Appeal Court ruled it had to pay out a higher pension of ?200,000
:05:04. > :05:08.because it failed to give her 12 weeks' notice before
:05:09. > :05:13.Outside court, Mrs Haywood's family criticised the Trust
:05:14. > :05:18.for running up large legal fees contesting the case.
:05:19. > :05:21.A spokesman for the Trust said it plans to take it
:05:22. > :05:26.The trustees of the former St Bees School in West Cumbria have
:05:27. > :05:28.announced that the school will re-open its doors to pupils
:05:29. > :05:35.Following its closure in 2015, the new Board of Trustees at St Bees
:05:36. > :05:37.have been working hard to find new investors to support the school.
:05:38. > :05:40.That's resulted in a partnership with a South East Asian education
:05:41. > :05:48.group, which will enable the school to re-open next year.
:05:49. > :05:51.Yesterday, we told you how head teachers in Darlington are asking
:05:52. > :05:54.parents to lobby the Government over funding in education.
:05:55. > :05:57.Now a headteacher has asked parents of two Tynedale
:05:58. > :06:01.schools to donate money, to help maintain standards.
:06:02. > :06:03.Graeme Atkinson, the executive head of Hexham Middle School
:06:04. > :06:06.and Queen Elizabeth High School, says the Government's new funding
:06:07. > :06:16.formula will mean bigger class sizes and a smaller curriculum.
:06:17. > :06:21.The pupils in this class at Queen Elizabeth High School
:06:22. > :06:25.That's because it's deemed a "good" school by Ofsted,
:06:26. > :06:28.with above average GCSE and A-level results.
:06:29. > :06:30.With the headteacher says that's in spite of constant underfunding,
:06:31. > :06:32.which will only get worse under the government's proposed
:06:33. > :06:37.And now he's taken the unprecedented step of writing to parents
:06:38. > :06:43.at the two schools he leads, asking them to make
:06:44. > :06:52.Having made significant cuts in recent times,
:06:53. > :06:54.we really feel that we are pretty much to the bone.
:06:55. > :06:56.Further cuts will mean greater class sizes, poor resources,
:06:57. > :06:59.and it raises a good question - at what point does it
:07:00. > :07:02.We are not necessarily too far away from that.
:07:03. > :07:05.In essence, that's why I've taken the decision as we have done.
:07:06. > :07:12.It's not something that we've done lightly.
:07:13. > :07:15.Ultimately, what does that mean for the children's education?
:07:16. > :07:19.In our position as a trust of two schools, our finances
:07:20. > :07:27.The future does not look bright with that in mind.
:07:28. > :07:30.In a statement, the Department for Education told us that funding
:07:31. > :07:34.for schools was at a record level, and the new funding formula would
:07:35. > :07:36.see schools in Northumberland gets an increase of around ?2 million.
:07:37. > :07:45.As a result of that, 80% of schools would benefit.
:07:46. > :07:54.But the headteacher of these two schools has told
:07:55. > :07:57.us that in real terms, it going to lose out by around three
:07:58. > :08:00.quarters of a million over the next three years.
:08:01. > :08:04.The parents we spoke to worry that making donations could lead
:08:05. > :08:09.For the teaching staff and the management to sit down
:08:10. > :08:14.and decide that they are going to actually effectively beg
:08:15. > :08:17.the families for funds means, they must be really at the end
:08:18. > :08:26.Its Department for Education cuts, and it's affecting our children.
:08:27. > :08:31.Is it acceptable that school funding is that such a lower level?
:08:32. > :08:35.You know, I don't think it is a step down by going to have bigger
:08:36. > :08:41.classes, less teachers and how are they going to fare?
:08:42. > :08:44.The Princess Royal has been in Cumbria today.
:08:45. > :08:46.At Kirkby Stephen Grammar School she unveiled a plaque celebrating
:08:47. > :08:51.450 years of the school's existence in the town.
:08:52. > :08:54.She also visited the headquarters of Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team,
:08:55. > :08:59.As part of her visit she also opened the new parish hall
:09:00. > :09:06.In football, a couple of National League results tonight.
:09:07. > :09:08.Play-off contenders Gateshead drew 1-1 at home to Guiseley.
:09:09. > :09:11.And a precious win for York, who came back from 3-1 down
:09:12. > :09:25.Time now to look at the weather with Paul Mooney.
:09:26. > :09:31.We really going to see any more of this lie that been predicted?
:09:32. > :09:35.I think some of us are either 90 night and into tomorrow morning. We
:09:36. > :09:39.warning from the Met office. A risk warning from the Met office. A risk
:09:40. > :09:44.of snow settling in places through tonight and tomorrow morning. We
:09:45. > :09:47.watch this band of rain coming up from the south. Temperatures
:09:48. > :09:54.dropping the way ahead. As the rain comes over, that's one it will start
:09:55. > :09:57.to turn to sleet and snow. Mostly in parts of Cumbria, County Durham,
:09:58. > :10:06.perhaps southern of Northumbria and North Yorkshire. That's where most
:10:07. > :10:12.of the suckling snow will fall. Forget any heavier, -- temperatures
:10:13. > :10:16.hovering just above freezing. The risk of some snow continues as we
:10:17. > :10:20.head into the morning. It moves northwards. It tends to turn to rain
:10:21. > :10:29.and Peter out for many places through the day. More rain missiles.
:10:30. > :10:36.-- mal rain in the south. A moderate to fresh wind will make it feel more
:10:37. > :10:40.if you out and about. A messy weather chart for tomorrow. That's a
:10:41. > :10:44.frontal system bringing the risk of sleet and snow. As it slips away,
:10:45. > :10:48.high pressure begins to build towards the end of the week. For the
:10:49. > :10:53.weekend itself that brings in goods settled weather. The rain, sleet and
:10:54. > :10:57.snow cleared away through tomorrow. Drier and brighter but still cool in
:10:58. > :11:01.the east, especially on Thursday. A bit warmer by date by the weekend. I
:11:02. > :11:03.will leave you with the summary for our region.
:11:04. > :11:16.Heavy rain, snow and ice are all in the forecast once again. It was
:11:17. > :11:20.quite a wintry scene today, especially in Scotland. Some very
:11:21. > :11:24.cold looking winter skies here, and we had some snow falling at times in
:11:25. > :11:27.West Lothian. For a while earlier today, there were quite a few
:11:28. > :11:32.showers running through central Scotland, all in that cold air.
:11:33. > :11:34.Right now, we have two areas of cloud, one