:00:27. > :00:29.Good evening. On Look North tonight: There's a new man at one
:00:30. > :00:32.of Britain's most underperforming medical trusts. But hundreds of
:00:32. > :00:35.thousands of you will have no promise of an accident and
:00:35. > :00:38.emergency unit months after it closed. We have an interview with
:00:38. > :00:41.the new chief executive of the Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust. One of
:00:41. > :00:44.the highest honours possible for a Yorkshire soldier who died trying
:00:44. > :00:47.to save his Conrad. And we think she's the oldest driving instructor
:00:47. > :00:51.around, Ian White takes a lesson with 82 - year-old Phyllis. --
:00:51. > :00:58.comrade. There will be more cloud around tomorrow. You detailed
:00:58. > :01:01.forecast coming up shortly. Thousands of injured and ill people
:01:01. > :01:04.in need of an accident and emergency unit in a part of
:01:04. > :01:11.Wakefield face a prolonged journey to hospital for at least a few
:01:11. > :01:14.months longer. The new boss of the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust today
:01:14. > :01:24.refused to put any time-scale on the re-opening of the acute unit at
:01:24. > :01:28.
:01:28. > :01:30.Pontefract after it shut six months ago. Chief Executive Stephen Eames,
:01:30. > :01:35.which looks after Pontefract, Dewsbury and Pinderfields Hospitals,
:01:35. > :01:38.says he hopes to have a plan by the end of April but it may not be the
:01:38. > :01:41.same service that was there before. Well it's certainly been a
:01:41. > :01:43.difficult few months at the trust. It was back in November the A&E
:01:43. > :01:46.department at Pontefract Hospital was closed to overnight patients
:01:46. > :01:49.amid doctor shortages. It made national headlines when army medics
:01:49. > :01:59.were considered as a way of keeping the service open. In the end that
:01:59. > :02:00.
:02:00. > :02:02.was ruled out but the trust had other problems. Dr Eva Michalak was
:02:02. > :02:10.awarded �0.5 million in a sex and race discrimination case after
:02:10. > :02:17.being hounded out of her job. There have been two bed resignations and
:02:17. > :02:27.all of this went the trust is in financial trouble. -- two beg
:02:27. > :02:31.
:02:31. > :02:39.resignations. It is in the worst financially performing trusts. --
:02:39. > :02:49.big. There are concerns about maternity services and it is
:02:49. > :02:51.
:02:51. > :02:56.obviously having problems staffing the accident and emergency unit.
:02:56. > :03:01.feel betrayed. If it goes to the heart of The Deep distrust that
:03:02. > :03:08.there is. Shiny new hospitals disguising some deep seated
:03:08. > :03:13.problems. Top of the list is the closure of Pontefract accident and
:03:13. > :03:19.emergency unit to overnight patients. This is because of a
:03:19. > :03:25.shortage of doctors. We got here at quarter past 10 tonight and it was
:03:25. > :03:30.shut. It was disgraceful. I was in pain all night. If it had been
:03:30. > :03:35.anything more serious and we had to get through to Wakefield it could
:03:35. > :03:40.have been horrendous. A troubled chief-executive brought in from the
:03:40. > :03:45.north-east. Putting your cards on the table, what people really want
:03:45. > :03:50.to know is when it will be open. cannot give an absolute date at
:03:50. > :03:57.this stage but what we will be able to say very clearly at the end of
:03:57. > :04:02.April is when that will be. Are we talking one year, two years, five
:04:02. > :04:09.years? I would expect there to be a very swift response. We are not
:04:09. > :04:17.talking about a year or more than that. And that would be an accident
:04:17. > :04:23.and emergency department as people understand it, somewhere they can
:04:23. > :04:29.go in an emergency? We are looking at the his options associated with
:04:29. > :04:35.the use of primary care physicians, specialist nurses and hospital
:04:35. > :04:38.consultants. Do you think that is what people on the streets
:04:38. > :04:43.understand accident and emergency to be? I think they understand it
:04:43. > :04:50.is important that a local hospital has an emergency care service and
:04:50. > :04:54.that is what we intend to provide. The trust has also blown its budget
:04:54. > :05:00.for this year with a projected overspend of nearly �20 million.
:05:00. > :05:06.That is not a small amount of money, is it? It is a serious mistake.
:05:06. > :05:12.is not a small amount of money. It is as significant overspend. It is
:05:12. > :05:17.the intention of the trust to make sure we deliver a balanced position
:05:17. > :05:22.in the coming year. The new chief executive is only three weeks into
:05:22. > :05:32.the job and he faces big challenges that he readily accepts cannot be
:05:32. > :05:40.
:05:40. > :05:44.fixed overnight. Our local MPs have been involved. Your constituents
:05:44. > :05:49.are no sooner to knowing if it will be open any time soon, that is
:05:49. > :05:54.still not good enough, is it? 14,000 people have now signed our
:05:54. > :05:59.petition to get the accident and emergency unit reopened. It should
:05:59. > :06:03.never have been closed overnight in the first place. It is very
:06:03. > :06:08.important that there is a new management in place but we want it
:06:08. > :06:14.reopened as soon as possible. Leaving party politics aside for
:06:14. > :06:18.the moment. People's lives in your constituency are on the line with
:06:18. > :06:22.no overnight emergency service in Pontefract, that is just not good
:06:22. > :06:26.enough? That's correct. There have been some very troubling cases
:06:26. > :06:32.where people have had to be taking some distances to different
:06:32. > :06:36.hospitals when actually they should have been treated at Pontefract. We
:06:36. > :06:42.have to have this service reopened as soon as possible. People feel
:06:42. > :06:46.very angry about this. We need a urgent action. I have said to the
:06:47. > :06:52.new chief executive very clearly that I want to see and everyone in
:06:52. > :06:58.my area want to see urgent action to get this reopened. People need
:06:58. > :07:02.these services. Your Government had 13 years in power when billions
:07:02. > :07:10.were pumped into the NHS. This is a brand new hospital but surely if
:07:10. > :07:14.you cannot find enough doctors and staff to keep it open that is a
:07:14. > :07:19.damning indictment on Labour? think it is right that we have a
:07:19. > :07:23.new chief-executive in place now. There does all sorts seem to be a
:07:23. > :07:27.national problem which has grown much worse very recently West not
:07:27. > :07:32.just Pontefract but another hospital in Staffordshire having to
:07:32. > :07:35.as the army for help getting basic services are open. That should
:07:35. > :07:40.never have happened. The Government should have stepped in earlier. It
:07:40. > :07:45.is being made harder for the local management because the NHS locally
:07:45. > :07:51.is having to spend �30 million on this reorganisation which is very
:07:51. > :07:57.damaging. That money should be spent getting services back into
:07:57. > :08:03.Pontefract and getting the accident and emergency unit reopened. Stay
:08:03. > :08:12.with us. It was a very proud day. The family of a Yorkshire soldier
:08:12. > :08:17.died trying to save a friend was honoured at the Palace. With just
:08:17. > :08:21.one week to go before polling day the campaign to elect the next MP
:08:21. > :08:26.for Bradford West stepped up a gear for today. The Prime Minister spent
:08:26. > :08:35.the morning supporting the Conservative candidate Jacqui
:08:35. > :08:40.Whiteley. He is the first of the party leaders to take part in the
:08:40. > :08:45.campaign. They are more people in work, employment in Bradford has
:08:45. > :08:50.grown over the last quarter. We are putting �17 million into the town
:08:50. > :08:54.centre. We are Updating the Bradford to Manchester Railway and
:08:54. > :09:04.yesterday we announced that Bradford will have super-fast
:09:04. > :09:07.broadband. The regional growth fund is investing right across this area.
:09:07. > :09:13.That is the Prime Minister in Bradford today. Jobs and the
:09:13. > :09:18.economy at the heart of the campaign to replace the former MP
:09:18. > :09:28.who retired because of ill health. The constituency had some of the
:09:28. > :09:28.
:09:28. > :09:36.highest unemployment in the region. We asked this candidate how he
:09:36. > :09:46.would tackle the problem. This man is a fighter. He has to be. At just
:09:46. > :09:47.
:09:47. > :09:51.18 the Bradford lad is out of work. He has still to get his first
:09:51. > :09:57.proper job after leaving school. thought that soon after leaving
:09:57. > :10:01.school people would be offering me jobs. I always thought that the
:10:01. > :10:07.higher you go in education be more doors it would open but in this day
:10:07. > :10:11.and age it is not true. He left school six months ago with decent
:10:11. > :10:15.GCSEs and A-levels and is now back at college on a part-time
:10:15. > :10:22.accountancy course to make himself more employable. He desperately
:10:22. > :10:26.wants a job. Can the candidates in the by-election offer him a job?
:10:27. > :10:31.will be giving allowances of 1,500 pounds to employers who would take
:10:31. > :10:36.on a young person in your age group to be an apprentice. They are also
:10:36. > :10:41.giving incentives of over �2,000 for employers to take on a young
:10:42. > :10:50.person again into a long-lasting jobs. Jimmy will guarantee every
:10:50. > :10:58.young person that is out of work long term a six month paid work
:10:58. > :11:02.placement in the private sector, before by bankers bonuses. We would
:11:02. > :11:06.get money to your future employer to help take you and give you some
:11:06. > :11:14.work. What we need to do as Lib Dems is really strengthen the
:11:14. > :11:19.economy, focus on getting some jobs into Bradford. There are now some
:11:19. > :11:23.1,700 and the 20 fours like this man out of work. It is up 40% in
:11:24. > :11:27.just one year. For the first time in his life last night we took him
:11:27. > :11:32.to a campaign debate at the University where he tackled the
:11:32. > :11:36.minor parties. We will have a lot of proactive schemes particularly
:11:36. > :11:41.for young people who want to start their own businesses, you will make
:11:41. > :11:46.it easy for them to get start-up to make that happen. We will say that
:11:46. > :11:54.the Government needs to spend more money, not less. Throwing people on
:11:54. > :11:58.the dole is costing more than it would be to put them in work.
:11:58. > :12:04.sending the �50 million per day to the European Union -- stop sending.
:12:04. > :12:09.Bring it back to Bradford and spend it here, that is what is important.
:12:09. > :12:17.The dead good responses however I do not think it will help. There is
:12:17. > :12:25.a huge amount of people unemployed. What They are going to do is just
:12:25. > :12:35.fell a small amount of that big gap. -- fell as small a mine. Now he is
:12:35. > :12:44.
:12:44. > :12:49.back to training, College and the job search. -- fill a small amount.
:12:49. > :12:56.We're expecting the other leaders to visit Bradford before polling
:12:56. > :13:02.day next Wednesday. For a full list of candidates you can look online.
:13:03. > :13:09.All six candidates will be debating the issues live on Sunday Politics
:13:09. > :13:14.this coming Sunday. That should be a good watch. Doncaster's mayor has
:13:14. > :13:22.rubbished suggestions that Doncaster Rovers' stadium could be
:13:22. > :13:32.knocked down. It is losing �300,000 per year and is council-owned. The
:13:32. > :13:38.Mayor says it will not be knocked Council taxpayers have been picking
:13:38. > :13:43.up the bill. The idea anyone is going to knock it down, some clown
:13:43. > :13:45.has been talking about that, you ought not to take notice.
:13:45. > :13:49.Lawyers for Sheffield Hallam student Richard O'Dwyer who faces
:13:49. > :13:52.extradition to the United States have lodged an appeal. He is
:13:52. > :13:55.accused of copyright infringement. The US Government claims that he
:13:55. > :14:00.created a website which hosted links to pirated films and TV
:14:00. > :14:04.programmes without permission. A teenager who smashed a stolen car
:14:04. > :14:06.into the living room of a family home in Bradford has been jailed
:14:06. > :14:09.for more than four years. 18-year- old James Abson caused severe
:14:09. > :14:13.damage when he ploughed into the home of Samantha Wells and Andrew
:14:13. > :14:23.Mann in Buttershaw last November. The couple were asleep at the time.
:14:23. > :14:27.
:14:27. > :14:30.The teenager was also banned from driving for five years.
:14:30. > :14:33.A derelict Edwardian power station that was recently renovated in the
:14:33. > :14:36.Yorkshire Dales is now producing enough electricity for 90 homes.
:14:36. > :14:38.Linton Falls had been abandoned as an historical footnote on the River
:14:38. > :14:46.Wharfe. But rising electricity prices and Government subsidies
:14:46. > :14:49.have made it a viable business once again.
:14:49. > :14:52.A Yorkshire soldier who died saving the life of an injured comrade in
:14:52. > :14:54.Afghanistan has been awarded the George Medal. The parents of
:14:54. > :14:58.Private Martin Bell received the posthumous award at Buckingham
:14:58. > :15:07.Palace. The young paratrooper disobeyed an order to help his
:15:07. > :15:13.stricken comrade in January last year, as Cathy Killick reports.
:15:13. > :15:17.A proud but poignant moment for the family. The George Medal was
:15:17. > :15:22.presented to the parents of Martin Bell in a private ceremony at
:15:22. > :15:27.Buckingham Palace by the Queen. They received it on a bath of they
:15:27. > :15:33.did son Martin. He died in January after he disobeyed a direct order
:15:33. > :15:38.and went to help a comrade. -- on behalf of their son. The tourniquet
:15:38. > :15:42.is he applied save the life of his comrade. For a second explosion
:15:42. > :15:48.claimed his life. The family are grateful for this public
:15:48. > :15:55.acknowledgement of his courage. was absolutely amazing. It was
:15:55. > :16:05.fantastic. We were also nervous. She put CDs. Obviously, we are
:16:05. > :16:09.receiving yet bombast of Martin. -- she puts you at ease. It was
:16:09. > :16:13.fantastic. The 24-year-old soldier had worked as a community support
:16:13. > :16:21.officer before joining the Army. Fellow paratroopers came to value
:16:21. > :16:30.him at the unveiling of a black. This man lost his leg in the blast
:16:30. > :16:34.but stood for the tribute. -- plaque. The George Medal is awarded
:16:34. > :16:39.for acts of great bravery. Soldiers are not supposed to disobey orders
:16:39. > :16:43.but the medal shows they -- there are exceptions to every rules. In
:16:43. > :16:53.the words of his commanding officer, sometimes you have to do a wrong
:16:53. > :16:54.
:16:54. > :16:58.thing to do a right thing. That memorial where he was a young
:16:58. > :17:06.community constable, people go and sign a book of remembrance, it was
:17:06. > :17:10.getting bigger and bigger. It is a fitting tribute. Still to come: A
:17:10. > :17:16.homeward-bound. The intrepid presenter is pedalo their way into
:17:16. > :17:22.West Yorkshire. The end is in sight. Later: I will be meeting fillers.
:17:22. > :17:32.She has been a driving instructor for 66 years. -- Phyllis. She will
:17:32. > :17:35.
:17:35. > :17:41.put me to the test. Be gentle with me! I will. Is being a good driver?
:17:41. > :17:44.Not particularly! I think she might be a tough instructor.
:17:44. > :17:46.New Zealand will begin the defence of their Rugby League World
:17:46. > :17:49.Championship in Leeds. Children from Froebelian School performed a
:17:49. > :17:52.traditional Maori haka at Headingley Stadium where a group
:17:52. > :17:55.game between the Kiwis and Papua New Guinea will take place next
:17:55. > :18:04.year. It will also host one of the quarter-finals which has been
:18:04. > :18:07.greeted as a boost for both the city and the club. The city is
:18:07. > :18:15.going to benefit financially through the number of people that
:18:15. > :18:20.will come a long. It will be a real festival of sport. It is the
:18:20. > :18:30.prestige of being able to host this and be back on the international
:18:30. > :18:34.
:18:34. > :18:39.agenda and the back as a host city. We are staging a major game. It is
:18:39. > :18:43.one of my Games, and doing the Maori haka!
:18:43. > :18:45.If you have been watching over the past few days, you will have seen
:18:45. > :18:54.the incredible efforts of Radio Leeds Adam Pope and Katherine
:18:54. > :18:58.Hannah. They have been pedaloing down the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
:18:58. > :19:01.on Grace the swan to raise money for Sport Relief. They are entering
:19:01. > :19:11.the home stretch and finish tomorrow in the centre of Leeds. It
:19:11. > :19:26.
:19:26. > :19:33.It is without doubt the hardest thing I have ever done. Physically
:19:33. > :19:40.and mentally. I had no idea. We put the training in but I had no idea
:19:40. > :19:44.how tough it was going to be. first two days, we went through
:19:44. > :19:54.Liverpool and it became brittle. The pain was incredible. Mentally,
:19:54. > :19:57.
:19:57. > :20:02.it hit me on day three. -- brutal. It is the repetition and the
:20:02. > :20:07.monotony. Today, it's great, loads of people are out to support us.
:20:07. > :20:11.But there have been a lot of long, lonely stretches where it felt it
:20:11. > :20:21.would never end. I have missed my family. My children came out today
:20:21. > :20:31.with my wife. It was so brilliant to see them. At the time, it held.
:20:31. > :20:35.Day three, it got to me. They'd put me on the phone. -- it helps.
:20:35. > :20:43.of times, I have thought, I cannot do this. Particularly when your
:20:43. > :20:48.family come along. You think, just take me away. But you do not want
:20:48. > :20:52.to let people down. I do not want to let Adam down. For that is why
:20:52. > :21:01.you have to keep going even though it has been incredibly difficult
:21:01. > :21:06.and very emotional at times. body is in bits. This is really
:21:06. > :21:09.hard and I want to give up but I cannot let down all those people
:21:10. > :21:19.who have given so generously to charity match. That is what makes
:21:20. > :21:21.
:21:21. > :21:31.me keep going. -- Sport Relief. They must be exhausted. It is a
:21:31. > :21:32.
:21:32. > :21:40.fantastic cause. The total says �23,000. But it is nearly 25,000
:21:40. > :21:45.now. It is an extraordinary amount. now. It is an extraordinary amount.
:21:45. > :21:48.Their target was �12,000. If you Their target was �12,000. If you
:21:48. > :21:51.would like to donate, you can text "swan" to 70011. Texts cost �1 plus
:21:51. > :21:54.your standard network message charge and the whole �1 goes to
:21:54. > :22:03.Sport Relief. Do not forget you can donate as much as you want by going
:22:03. > :22:11.to the website. I know hundreds of you have been
:22:11. > :22:16.going out on to the canal to see them. Tomorrow, they are coming to
:22:17. > :22:22.Granary Wharf. They looked a very emotional. We think the thing they
:22:22. > :22:31.would like most is for us to greet them. I think we may be doing that!
:22:31. > :22:34.You are welcome too. If you want to see how they have done at the end,
:22:34. > :22:43.come along. Can you remember who taught you to
:22:43. > :22:52.drive? I remember my test. Did you pass the first time? I did. I tried
:22:52. > :22:55.to get out the car with the C Bell still on! -- seat belt still on.
:22:55. > :22:58.There is one lady in Doncaster who has seen thousands of pupils pass
:22:58. > :23:02.through her hands. Phyllis Millbank is 82 and has been teaching people
:23:02. > :23:05.to drive for an amzing 66 years. And she has got no intention of
:23:05. > :23:14.stopping. She still helps people at her local church learn to drive.
:23:14. > :23:18.Ian White has been for a lesson. I cannot but help the amazed at
:23:18. > :23:24.these pictures. Particularly the old cars. When Phyllis Millbank
:23:24. > :23:28.started teaching people to drive, the roads were a different place.
:23:28. > :23:36.Her love affair with motoring began at the end of the Second World War.
:23:36. > :23:44.I started when I was 16 in my dad's garage. I got boxes of chocolates
:23:44. > :23:50.so that was fine. She was the first woman to teach for the British
:23:50. > :23:57.School of Motoring and is still vice-president of Doncaster's
:23:57. > :24:06.Institute of Advanced motorists. You should be able to put your
:24:06. > :24:10.people at ease while driving. If they do anything wrong, you just
:24:10. > :24:17.say, would you mind pulling into the side of the road and stop?
:24:17. > :24:22.is time to put my driving skills to the test. I hope you are ready.
:24:22. > :24:31.am. You are a brave woman. certainly am. Whenever you are
:24:31. > :24:37.ready. You have got to put your seatbelt on. Well done. You are
:24:37. > :24:46.doing very well. Hand on the steering wheel, please. Two hands
:24:46. > :24:55.at all times and less changing deers. You are going right at the
:24:55. > :25:03.roundabout. Two hands on the wheel, please. I haven't got enough Hans!
:25:03. > :25:09.-- hands! I would trust you with my life with your capabilities.
:25:09. > :25:19.did I do? I think you did remarkably well. 100%. You're
:25:19. > :25:19.
:25:19. > :25:24.joking? A very good. You have no bad habits. Only once did I see you
:25:24. > :25:34.take your hand off the steering wheel. It should be there now! That
:25:34. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:50.three told. -- that's me told. You still can't park, can you? Let
:25:50. > :25:56.
:25:56. > :26:04.me show you two pictures. The St Ives estate looking beautiful. Keep
:26:04. > :26:12.the pictures coming in. You can e- mail us. There is a bog, too. --
:26:12. > :26:21.There will be more cloud around tomorrow. But skies will Brighton.
:26:21. > :26:26.There should be nice spells of sunshine. High-pressure in charge.
:26:26. > :26:31.Predominantly dry weather continues. You can see there has not been a
:26:31. > :26:36.cloud in the sky. It has been hazy in places. Last night, we got to
:26:36. > :26:41.minus three. That was colder than we thought. There was a net in the
:26:41. > :26:51.air. Tonight, a widespread ground frost. -- in the up. Temperatures
:26:51. > :26:52.
:26:52. > :27:02.will be two degrees. There will be greyness by dawn. A light south-
:27:02. > :27:02.
:27:02. > :27:07.east wind. High water times... A lot of cloud around first thing.
:27:07. > :27:10.They could be thick enough for a bit of drizzle. Most of us will be
:27:10. > :27:17.dry. Slowly, through the day, particularly into the afternoon,
:27:17. > :27:23.the cloud will break up a we will see sunny spells across most areas.
:27:23. > :27:32.The breeze will be light. It has been a glorious day on the coast.