17/05/2012 Look North (Yorkshire)

Thank you very much and welcome to Thursday's Look North. Tonight:

Calls for an end to massive police pay-offs. North Yorkshire's former

Chief Constable gets a �250,000 compensation for his contract not

being renewed. Also: A decision imminent on one of the most

controversial developments in York for years.

Branching out, South Yorkshire to get Britain's first trams running

on train tracks linking Sheffield with Rotherham.

More patchy light rain and drizzle to come over the next 12 hours.

Your five-day forecast coming up later in the programme. Good

evening. Thank you for joining us. Tonight - A quarter of a million

pounds payout for North Yorkshire's former Chief Constable. The Home

Office says its looking at reviewing payments to those who've

been involved in misconduct hearings.

Grahame Maxwell, who left his job on Tuesday, was disciplined for

gross misconduct last year, after attempting to help a relative get a

job with the force. When his contract wasn't renewed he was

given the payout as compensation for not reaching his full pension

entitlement. But, as Heidi Tomlinson reports,

there've been calls today for a change in the law.

He is thought to be the first Chief Constable to have faced gross

misconduct charges in a generation. But Graeme Maxwell has walked away

with almost �250,000 in compensation. He was reprimanded

last year after helping a relative with a police job application.

Though he was allowed to stay, months later his contract wasn't

renewed. The �248,000 he has been awarded makes up for lost pension

due to early retirement. We could not break the law. The figures are

those that Mr Maxwell is entitled to under the law, under regulations.

Graeme Maxwell became head of the force in 2007. Just three years

later he was charged with gross misconduct after assisting a

relative in a police recruitment drive.

In May last year, a final written warning was issued.

Then, this week he retires from the police force at the age of 51.

Graeme Maxwell left the force two days ago. He is entitled to this

compensation, but taxpayers aren't happy that police rules permit such

a high payout under these circumstances. Why should he get

all that money? He gets a good wage anyway. Why should he get all that

money? Doesn't really make a lot of sense to ordinary people, does it?

It's disgusting really that they get a huge amount of money as a

bail-out package when at the root of this problem is misconduct.

Graeme Maxwell's compensation comes as forces are facing cuts of 20%.

At the Police Federation conference Theresa May said reforms are

essential, including changing the retirement rules. Commenting on the

The Police Authority could have extended Mr Maxwell's contract to

avoid the compensation. But the decision was taken to let him go.

Thank you very much. The issue was brought newspaper the House of

Commons today. In a few moments we are going to be talking to the MP

who raised it. Also tonight - planners in York have spent all day

deciding whether or not to give approval to one of the city's most

controversial developments in years. The plans for a big extension to

the out-of-town retail park at Monk's Cross have attracted

criticism - principally from city- centre traders who say it will take

away their business. But the idea isn't short of support

- especially among many sports fans. It promises a new community stadium

which will house the city's professional sports clubs. In a

moment we'll hear from our reporter but first here's a reminder about -

why for both sides - the stakes are so high.

Interest in this plan is so strong the Guildhall simply wasn't big

enough. A local hotel had to be booked and even then it was

standing room only. Developers want to build a new retail park with a

John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, restaurants, and a community

stadium. Opponents claim it will drive shoppers out of town, leading

to shop closures and job losses. It also threatens the survival of

another shopping development, one in the city centre, a long-planned

and much-cherished aspiration of the council. Supporters claim it

could boost the local economy and it would deliver the community

stadium. A new home for the city's professional clubs, including the

FA trophy-winning York City. Danny is there for us now. The

meeting has been going on all day. Decision yet? Yes, seconds ago I

can tell you that the community stadium, the retail development has

been given the go ahead. It's been approved by ten votes to four. This

is an issue that really has split the city. Behind me is the

Guildhall where meetings like this will normally take place. Today,

they've had to move to a local hotel. 200 people turned up to hear

the debate. 40 of them spoke in it. It split - it was split such that

the chamber of trade and commerce couldn't agree on what side to

support and and there were empassioned pleas from both sides.

A trust pointing out 1,000 of the city's listed buildings are

occupied by independent retailers. Then you had Sophie, one of the

directors of the football club in tears as she told the committee

that without this development they might have to get rid of 120 boys

in their youth development programme. Tonight she is a very

relieved and happy woman. Was it very tight in the end the decision?

It wasn't. But many of those involved in the decision-making

process were keen to point out that they agreed in many ways with both

sides of the debate, but they had to make a decision. Now that they

have made a decision that's not really the end of the matter, it's

still quite possible the Government, whose own planning guidelines and

regulations this flies in the face of, will call if in and there will

be a public inquiry. There's also murmurings that they could seek a

judicial review. It's not over yet. Thank you.

Later:. More than �50 million is to be

spent extending Sheffield's supertram to Rotherham as part of a

two-year experiment. Government money will fund the long-awaited

pilot scheme. It's hoped it will help boost the South Yorkshire

economy and improve journey times. It will use a system already in use

in other parts of Europe. They're already a common sight in

other parts of Europe, soon a new style of tram will be coming to

Sheffield. They'll be used to extend the current supertram system

from the city to Rotherham. The trams will travel on existing lines

and transfer to Railtracks to continue a journey as far as

Rotherham's retail park. It's a cheap way of extending supertram

but it's still costing �58 million. We know from economic studies that

Rotherham and Sheffield function as one single city in terms of the

economy and business and jobs, so this will allow people to much more

easily access work opportunities in Rotherham, the valley and Sheffield

city centre. Shoppers at the retail park who currently have to rely on

buses and cars, will now be able to travel by supertram all the way to

Sheffield city centre if they want to. Have you heard the tphaus the

Sheffield supertram... �58 million, you are joking me. �58 million?

Anything that gets us connected is good. Waste of money. Waste of time.

Waste of money and time. Why do you think that? There is a good bus

service, a good train service. Why the hell you want something else?

It's a good idea for people for transport because it's been good in

Sheffield so so probably be a positive thing. Will the

announcement make a difference for you and me? How will that new

journey compare to the current journey? BBC Sheffield wanted to

find out and sent reporter Dan on an experience. There are other

routes but we wanted to trace the exact journey from here. That took

a tram, a train and then a bus. It cost about �7.50 and took about an

hour and one minute, I think we timed it as. About a third of that

time was getting on and off different different bits of

transport. The new system will be easier, people will stay on the

tram. Experts reckon the new route will take 25 minutes. The pile hrt

will go live in -- pilot will go live in 2015 and if successful

could be rolled out to other UK cities.

David Hill is serving a minimum 14 years in jail for the murder of his

mother-in law, Castleford market trader Mollie Wright. But six years

on, Mollie's own daughters are campaigning to try to prove Hill's

innocence. They've never believed he was the killer. Our crime

correspondent John Cundy has the story. He's been taken from

everything that he holds dear as a result of someone else's actions.

family's campaign to try to get their own mother's killer proved

innocent six years after the murder. For 40 years Molly known to be

wealthy, had run a card store. In later years her son-in-law, David

Hill, joined the business. Six years ago Molly was murdered in her

own home. David Hill told police he found Molly's battered bowedy when

he called -- body when he called at the bungalow. But the programmes

cushion said Hill himself was the killer because he believed Molly

found out he had been stealing money from their business to

finance �20 of his trb - �20,000 of his own debts. Molly's family never

accepted this. To this day they think the 73-year-old had been the

victim of bogus officials who had conned their way into her bungalow

here, believing that she held substantial amounts of cash in the

home from her market stall. Her family have engaged a former

top detective to help them in the last-ditch campaign to try to prove

David Hill's innocence. evidence didn't quite fit. I know

the person that David was and is. He is a kind, caring person. He is

a gentle soul. He wouldn't hurt anybody like that physically.

just doesn't feel right to me. It's that gut feeling that I used to

rely upon when I was a detective. It's still there, and it's that,

it's a gut feeling that things aren't 100% correct here. It's had

a massive impact, he's been devastated to accuse such an awful

crime he didn't commit. All appeals have failed so far but his family

say they'll fight on. Let's go back to our top story, and

the Tory MP for Skipton and Ripon brought up the issue of police

compensation in the House of Commons today. It follows the

tphaus the north -- follows the tphaus the Police Authority is

bound by law to give a former chief executive almost �250,000

compensation for not being able to secure his full pension entitlement.

Julian Smith says the Government can't let it happen again. He's

just come into the studio having left the House of Commons. Mr Smith,

thank you very much for joining us, it's been a busy day for you, but

the former Chief Constable was within his rights to get that money,

wasn't he? In fact, that's exactly what the Police Authority said.

Well, the rules are bizarre, as you have stated. I have spoken to the

police Minister tonight, and will be meeting to discuss this matter

further and I think never again can we have a situation where a chief

police constable can be found guilty of gross misconduct and get

a whopping great sum of money like Graeme Maxwell has received.

brought it newspaper the Commons. Was there any reaction, what did

you actually say? I asked the Government to consider as part of

its overall police reforms this anomaly and I am sure they will. I

am meeting with the police Minister again to talk further about it. I

think it doesn't make sense to me, doesn't make sense to your viewers

that taxpayers' cash is spent on somebody that in any other walk of

life would have been kicked out of his job without any money at all.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has spoken to the police officers,

the police conference this week and said she believes that it's no

longer possible for police to be treated very differently from every

other public service, is this what you are saying then, in this case

and all cases with the police it's a special case? There are changes

that the Government's proposing for all the policing but there is a

particular characteristic of Chief Constables which I have led a

debate on, ACPO, we have seen in Yorkshire sloppy holding of the

chief of police to account by the Police Authority and we have to

improve this monitoring and leadership of our police forces. We

have great police officers across north Yorkshire. They've been

poorly served by the Police Authority and Mr Maxwell. Is it

just too late in this case? It's one for the future? I think,

unfortunately, it is. I have also understood tonight that the Police

Authority may not have given us the full figures, there may be more to

come. Thank you. 31 Yorkshire based Territorial Army

soldiers who've just returned from Afghanistan were presented with

medals by the Duke of York today. The men and women of the 4th

Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment were handed Operational Service

medals to mark the end of their 6- month tour of duty. Here's Spencer

Stokes. Glad to be back, as Territorial

Army members these soldiers have other careers which they stepped

away from to go fight in Afghanistan. The medals they

received from the Duke of York honour their service. And theirs

was a tour of duty not without grief, one soldier, Private Matthew

Thornton was killed on operations last November. So pride today with

sadness. It really did knock us back, but you had a job to do, so

you had to crack on and do it. Particularly relieved Lisa and her

husband, Captain Darren. He spoke to Look North before being deployed.

Going away brings you closer to your family and unless you are

going away and faced with these things you don't quite realise how

much you love your family. Eight months on, the mood is

lighter, but Darren hopes he doesn't have to return to

Afghanistan. I don't think there is another one in the future. You must

be relieved to hear that. Extremely relieved. We will see what happens.

For many of these men and women it's back to the day job. A job or

career they put on hold to fight for their country.

This weekend also marks a proud and poignant moment for another Army

family from Chesterfield. Jane and Trevor Ford will attend a ceremony

which will see their son Ben's name added to the Cenotaph in their home

village of Newbold. Ben was killed in Afghanistan in

2007 at the age of just 18. Less than a year later, his sister Emma

also joined the army, with the full support of her parents. Jane and

Trevor join us now. What will happen this weekend at

the send owe faff? -- Cenotaph? local Alderman has actually got all

the names of the Second World War soldiers as well put on to a brass

plaque and below that they've put a nice black granite with Ben's name

on. It's a lot of people who will be gaining some kind of solace from

this? Hopefully it's going to be anyone - well for anyone who lived

in Newbold person who was remembered, because we had the

World War I people on one side, now we have the Second World War and we

have Ben. It's going to be a remarkably moving thing for the

family, but try and put into words, I know it's difficult, how much it

means for Ben's name to be up there? Well, like I say it's

difficult to put into words, but the local support that we have had

and then it's been done through tenants and residents, it's been

funded by a group and Mick's worked hard to get this and everybody

knows - it couldn't be any better. It makes you feel that people still

care and that you are not alone, I suppose? Very much so. Well, it's

not just for Ben obviously, but for people in the Second World War who

have given a sacrifice and more recently Ben. Your daughter, Emma,

has joined up as well. A very proud moment for you as well. I suppose a

lot of people might ask the question how do you feel about

that? She wants to be a soldier, like her brother. There's no way of

stopping her. She's just determined. She's actually doing fantastic.

She's a Lance Corporal now. She is in Germany. This is the passing out

parade. Yeah, we got soaked that day. She loves it. She wouldn't do

anything else. Every time we get a report about her she's doing

marvellously well. She's in Germany but she is in the armoured division.

You never know where she may go. The thing is she wants to be a

trainer and she's passed a course to do phase one and phase two and

her boss boss actually said it may be advised to go out and do a

theatre of war, which if she has to go, well we have to respect that

decision. She wants to further her career in the Army. We can't stop

her going out there. It's a remarkable tribute that's coming up

this weekend. Emotionally, you know, I am sure you are prepared to cope

with it as well. If Emma is going, it's what she wants to do. She's a

soldier first,. I look at you and can't believe how remarkably brave

2002 are, but you know it's what Ben wanted and that it's what Emma

wants. It's like them saying to me dad, don't go out on bike this

weekend. We couldn't restrict them the same way. Ben would say to us,

go for it. That's how he was. I have gone for it, tkpwu for it. If

you don't keep being proud of me and keep strong I will come down

there and give you a good hiding. Now his name will be there forever.

It will, yeah. Thank you. Do stay with us. A change of

direction. Sheffield's Richard Hawley's latest album takes him to

his highest chart position yet. A new project to help people

suffering from Alzheimer's disease and memory loss has been launched

today at the National Media Museum in Bradford. A compilation of home

movies from the 1950s and 60s, featuring school days and holidays

have been put together by the Yorkshire Film Archive. It's hoped

the DVDs will help those suffering from memory loss to regain their

past. Cricket now. Let's turn to cricket now, and if you've caught

any of England's first Test against the West Indies today, you must

have been bursting with pride for Yorkshire as well. We said it

wouldn't be long! And our very own Jonny Bairstow has won his first

Test cap today, presented to him here before the start of play.

Double celebrations then at his old school, St Peters in York, where

the man who spotted Bairstow's budding talent is preparing to hang

up his boots. He is a natural. He has flair. He scored 100 after 100.

Mostly very quickly. David's been a fantastic coach. I know after 42

years of coaching the school team there this is a great, proud and

joy. He did really well with Johnnie, he was also your coach.

didn't do so well with me! It's been a good day in the field for

both our Yorkshire boys for England. West Indies finished on 243-8.

Not bad. It's all right for us. Now back home at Headingley,

without Jonny Bairstow, it's been Day Two for Yorkshire against

Their first innings at 427. Now, one of Sheffield's favourite

sons has been making music headlines once again. Richard

Hawley has released his latest studio album this month to critical

acclaim. He announced his autumn tour a couple of days ago, which

includes dates in Sheffield, and Leeds, and kicks-off in Holmfirth.

Shamir Masri's been to catch up # Your time is short #... This may

not be the sound many associate with Richard Hawley but it's proved

to be popular. His 7th studio album charted at number two the week it

was released. This is a 7th record and it's like

waiting for doodlebug to land. It's the opposite really, it's gone up a

level really. That's me and the guys in the band, we are just

astounded, you know. It's nothing we ever expected. The fact that

people bought it, I am most happy with. The album titled Standing at

the Sky's Edge is a play on words related to the area of Sheffield

Richard grew up near but the influences for the songs have been

both personal and political. It's more a metaphor I Tuesday for,

because we all stood on the edge politically and socially and it

doesn't take a genius to work that out. I guess, I suppose it's time

for to us decide which side of the line we stand. I will always stand

with the people, always. Well, it's where you should be. Decisions made

for the majority, not the my skwrort.

--. Minority. His home city remains something he is very passionate

about. I was out in the beautiful woodland that we have and the parks

of Sheffield, which I endogenous joy so -- enjoy so much. I made the

decision whatever it was I did it had to be in Sheffield, whoever I

# Down into the woods... A Sheffield day for any Hawley tour

is a must. It's got to be on the list. If it's not on the list, I

ain't doing the tour. It's Sheffield. Always. It's a city that

nourishes me and has given me so much. It would be a bad idea to

miss it out. Richard's autumn tour has been announced this week, which

includes three Yorkshire dates, and starts in Holmfirth.

Well, the weather, not good, is it? No. But you are going to cheer me

up with a little picture which will make me smile. And news perhaps

next week will warm up a little bit. Perhaps. And become drier, an an

improvement coming next week, so we will cling on to that, and nice

Splendid, don't you agree? course. Lots of sunshine around,

that was obviously taken yesterday because today has been dull, damp

and dreary. Tomorrow will be very similar in the morning, but chances

are the afternoon will improve. Hopefully cricket tomorrow

afternoon at Headingley after a damp start, there we are, it's a

messy looking chart, though. The weather front there over the south-

east, there it is, that will push up and ensure more light rain and

drizzle, especially on Saturday morning. Hopefully it will peter

out through the day. Something better coming through perhaps for

next week and warmer at long last. It did brighten up this afternoon.

We have had sunny intervals in places, that's lifted temperatures

to the dizzy heights of 12 degrees. Still below average for the time of

year. Overnight cloud thickens and there will be further light rain

and drizzle in places and frost- free.

It's a dreary start, overcast with occasional light rain and drizzle

in places. I think slowly through the morning and especially into the

afternoon it becomes generally dry and bright. Brighter spells for the

south and West Yorkshire, parts of north Yorkshire hang on to thickest

cloud but it's encouraging for Headingley for tomorrow afternoon.

Temperatures, a brisk north-east, 9C in Scarborough. The best of the

temperatures for South Yorkshire. Saturday looks damp and dreary,