:00:00. > :00:07.Good evening and welcome to Friday's Look North. Tonight: An influential
:00:08. > :00:12.committee of MPs calls for equality for Yorkshire. They say work on the
:00:13. > :00:16.high speed HS2 line should start in the north at the same time as in the
:00:17. > :00:21.south. This is national infrastructure, and people right
:00:22. > :00:24.along the line should benefit. We'll get reaction from one of the
:00:25. > :00:28.campaigners against the scheme. Also tonight: Will the final curtain
:00:29. > :00:34.come down on Scarborough's Futurist Theatre? A decision's made on
:00:35. > :00:38.whether or not to keep it open. I'm at Leeds Arena as it prepares
:00:39. > :00:43.for one of its biggest nights of the year. Britain's sporting stars are
:00:44. > :00:47.on their way here as the city hosts the BBC Sports Personality of the
:00:48. > :01:07.Year. And join me for the weather.
:01:08. > :01:12.Construction work to build a high speed rail link between London and
:01:13. > :01:15.Yorkshire could begin in just three years time. A group of MPs have
:01:16. > :01:20.suggested the building of the project ` known as HS2 ` should
:01:21. > :01:24.start in the north of England at the same time as it starts in the south.
:01:25. > :01:27.They say it's only right that places like Yorkshire benefit at the same
:01:28. > :01:30.time as London and Birmingham. That goes against the views of the Prime
:01:31. > :01:35.Minister, and some people here whose homes and businesses could be
:01:36. > :01:44.affected. Ian White is here with more. At a cost of at least ?43
:01:45. > :01:48.billion, HS2 is being described as essential for the north and south of
:01:49. > :01:53.the country. But at the moment, the south is set to benefit first.
:01:54. > :01:58.Construction is due to start in three years. The first phase from
:01:59. > :02:02.London to Birmingham would be complete by 2026. But it won't reach
:02:03. > :02:08.Sheffield, Leeds and York until 2033. Now a group of MPs say
:02:09. > :02:11.Yorkshire should not have to wait 20 years to benefit, and wants
:02:12. > :02:17.construction in the north and the south to start at the same time. The
:02:18. > :02:20.government have said there are practical and legal obstacles
:02:21. > :02:24.building north to south as well as south to north, but this is about
:02:25. > :02:30.having a new look. This is national infrastructure and people right
:02:31. > :02:33.along the line should benefit. But that idea was recently rejected by
:02:34. > :02:40.Prime Minister David Cameron during a Look North interview. The
:02:41. > :02:47.economics stack up best if, frankly, you do the hardest part first ` the
:02:48. > :02:51.Birmingham to London route. Then you put in place the start of the spine
:02:52. > :02:57.which is going to go to Manchester, Leeds and elsewhere. Some people
:02:58. > :03:00.living and working in places near where the line will be built say the
:03:01. > :03:09.thought construction could start in Yorkshire as early as 2017 is
:03:10. > :03:13.madness. The report is flawed in many areas. When they talk about
:03:14. > :03:17.starting from the north... That's just rhetoric. Legislation would
:03:18. > :03:20.have to be brought forward. If it really was such a good idea, how
:03:21. > :03:24.come it's taken three`and`a`half years for them to think about it?
:03:25. > :03:26.It's probably a sticking plaster to win Northern support, which
:03:27. > :03:34.transparently isn't there at the moment. The Select Committee Report
:03:35. > :03:40.will now be sent to the government for consideration.
:03:41. > :03:44.Its future has been in doubt for years and tonight it looks as if it
:03:45. > :03:48.is over. The Futurist Theatre in Scarborough is to close down in just
:03:49. > :03:52.three weeks' time. For many it sums up what the summer holidays used to
:03:53. > :03:56.be like. The Beatles performed there and I saw Cliff Richard, Ken Dodd
:03:57. > :04:00.and Morecambe and Wise there in my youth! The decision to shut it down
:04:01. > :04:03.and redevelop the site was taken this evening and is already causing
:04:04. > :04:33.strong controversy in the town. Cathy Killick is there. Protestors
:04:34. > :04:40.here. They're very upset. This is a much loved institution. Built in
:04:41. > :04:44.1921, there's no denying The Futurist is showing its age. So,
:04:45. > :04:48.what to do? Refurbishment at a cost of at least ?3 million... Carrying
:04:49. > :04:51.on as it is at a cost of ?180,000 a year... Or knocking it down and
:04:52. > :04:54.building something new? They're questions that raise strong feelings
:04:55. > :04:57.in Scarborough. Last month, campaigners trying to save it
:04:58. > :05:01.lobbied this man ` Tom Fox, the council leader. Late this afternoon,
:05:02. > :05:06.he decided the theatre has to close, and the site redeveloped.
:05:07. > :05:15.Uncharacteristically, he chose not to speak to Look North today. For
:05:16. > :05:18.local businesses, it's a blow. John Senior is the chairman of the South
:05:19. > :05:21.Bay Traders' Association. It's a financial multiplier for us. When
:05:22. > :05:25.there's a good show on, everybody benefits. The hotels. The pubs.
:05:26. > :05:29.Clubs. Restaurants. Everybody gets something, so it's vital to
:05:30. > :05:35.Scarborough's economy. Look North first reported on problems at The
:05:36. > :05:38.Futurist 17 years ago. The council stands accused by campaigners of
:05:39. > :05:43.killing it by degrees ` with underinvestment and a lack of
:05:44. > :05:59.vision. It has failed to provide a future for The Futurist. Joining me
:06:00. > :06:25.is a campaigner. What is your reaction? Anger. We signed an
:06:26. > :06:51.agreement. We had signatures. We are going to continue. Is it viable?
:06:52. > :07:01.Yes. Definitely. The council have made it not viable on its own. But
:07:02. > :07:28.give it to the people who have experience... It is... So not over
:07:29. > :07:49.yet? Far from it. Members of the founding family are watching. We
:07:50. > :07:55.thank them. Thank you. This isn't the end, despite what the council
:07:56. > :07:58.say... Later on Look North: Funding flood
:07:59. > :08:03.defences. Anger in Sheffield as small businesses are asked to
:08:04. > :08:06.contribute, but Meadowhall isn't. A Sheffield businessman says he's
:08:07. > :08:09.furious that he's being asked to pay thousands of pounds towards a flood
:08:10. > :08:12.defence scheme that Meadowhall Shopping Centre isn't having to
:08:13. > :08:15.contribute to. More than 250 companies in the city are being
:08:16. > :08:19.asked to vote on whether they'll help fund new defences in the Lower
:08:20. > :08:26.Don Valley after the area was devastated by flooding six years
:08:27. > :08:29.ago. Here's Mark Ansell. The city centres... The industrial heart of
:08:30. > :08:34.Sheffield... Meadowhall... The 2007 floods left more than 1,000 homes
:08:35. > :08:39.and businesses with severe damage. Even RAF Search and Rescue teams
:08:40. > :08:42.were called in. Now there's an ?8 million flood defence scheme to stop
:08:43. > :08:45.this happening again. But it's dependent on businesses voting in
:08:46. > :08:54.favour of contributing more than ?1 million. One of them is owned by Ken
:08:55. > :08:57.in Attercliffe. He manufactures pumps but he's against the plan
:08:58. > :09:03.because Meadowhall's been excluded from contributing. They're big.
:09:04. > :09:10.They're powerful. They've got more money. More clout. I'm a family run
:09:11. > :09:13.business. I don't have the time or the energy to go round in political
:09:14. > :09:25.circles to make the impact which Meadowhall can do. They dare not say
:09:26. > :09:28.to Meadowhall 'you have to pay'. A spokesperson for the project says
:09:29. > :09:33.that Meadowhall has constructed its own defences, which makes it less
:09:34. > :09:38.likely to flood. Ken has also invested ?20,000 doing the same
:09:39. > :09:42.thing. Immediately after the floods, within a matter of months, we built
:09:43. > :09:45.this wall to protect ourselves. Businesses will find out on Monday
:09:46. > :09:51.if the majority have voted in favour. Ken says if it does get the
:09:52. > :10:03.go ahead he'll refuse to pay and fight it in court.
:10:04. > :10:07.Two women have been arrested over the death of a baby boy in Halifax.
:10:08. > :10:10.Police officers were called to a house in Spring Gardens at around
:10:11. > :10:14.1am yesterday morning. A baby boy was found there, and was taken to
:10:15. > :10:17.hospital, but died later. The two women, who are 21 and 47, were
:10:18. > :10:24.arrested on suspicion of neglect. They've now been released on bail.
:10:25. > :10:28.Eight or nine cars. Maybe ten. They all came in. Ambulances as well.
:10:29. > :10:30.They all went to the house. They've cordoned it off and they've been
:10:31. > :10:41.there since yesterday. It's shocking. Really bad news.
:10:42. > :10:44.Firefighters are on strike again tonight in a long running dispute
:10:45. > :10:47.over pensions and the retirement age. It's the fifth time members of
:10:48. > :10:50.the Fire Brigades Union have walked out in recent weeks. The government
:10:51. > :10:53.has called the action unnecessary, but the union says firefighters are
:10:54. > :10:58.being punished under current proposals. The action will take
:10:59. > :11:03.place between 6pm and 10pm tonight, with another walk`out scheduled for
:11:04. > :11:06.the same time tomorrow. Bradford Royal Infirmary has become
:11:07. > :11:09.the first hospital in England to be officially recognised for its work
:11:10. > :11:12.to help patients with dementia. As part of the Right Care Initiative,
:11:13. > :11:15.more than 900 staff have received special training. The hospital has
:11:16. > :11:21.also installed special features and signage to help patients with the
:11:22. > :11:24.illness. The scheme will now be rolled out in St Luke's hospital.
:11:25. > :11:27.And could Yorkshire soon have its first all`weather race course? It's
:11:28. > :11:30.emerged that the course management at Catterick could be about to
:11:31. > :11:35.realise their long`standing ambition to install an artificial track. For
:11:36. > :11:38.a couple of years now, Catterick have been developing a plan which,
:11:39. > :11:41.we understand, would involve replacing the flat turf course with
:11:42. > :11:47.a floodlit, all`weather surface, and retain jumps racing at the same
:11:48. > :11:51.time. They were switched on to mark the
:11:52. > :11:54.season of goodwill ` but now traders in Thirsk fear their Christmas
:11:55. > :11:57.lights could be switched off. That's because they've been landed with a
:11:58. > :12:01.?10,000 bill. The traders can't afford to pay it and say a possible
:12:02. > :12:17.computer error could be to blame. Phil Connell has the story. The
:12:18. > :12:20.festive lights are on in Thirsk but Christmas spirits here have been
:12:21. > :12:23.dampened by an unexpected bill. It normally costs around ?800 to power
:12:24. > :12:26.the lights for the six week Christmas season. But for last
:12:27. > :12:29.year's display, npower has delivered a bill of more than ?10,000. It's
:12:30. > :12:32.thought computer error is to blame. But despite that, the town's lights
:12:33. > :12:36.have been threatened with disconnection unless it's paid. It's
:12:37. > :12:41.a dark cloud hanging over the place. We don't want that. Thirsk has an
:12:42. > :12:45.excellent community spirit. We just want npower to show us some
:12:46. > :12:49.Christmas spirit. The big switch on took place in Thirsk at the end of
:12:50. > :12:53.November. An event which every year is organised by the Thirsk and
:12:54. > :12:56.District Business Association. But despite its members making endless
:12:57. > :13:02.calls to try to sort the problem, they've now been served with two
:13:03. > :13:08.disconnection letters. We've sent them all the right measurements.
:13:09. > :13:12.Since March, the chairman's been trying to get an answer ` a reduced
:13:13. > :13:15.bill. We can't get one. They say it's a computer error. According to
:13:16. > :13:18.npower, the matter is still being investigated. They say they don't
:13:19. > :13:24.want to switch the Christmas lights off in Thirsk and are working hard
:13:25. > :13:30.to resolve it. In the town, patience is running thin. What on earth are
:13:31. > :13:34.they thinking about? It's a local community trying to have a good
:13:35. > :13:39.celebration of Christmas. I think it's a case of bah humbug. You can
:13:40. > :13:43.see all of the hard work that goes into it. For them to disconnect...
:13:44. > :13:47.They may find some businesses chained to lamp posts! So for now
:13:48. > :13:50.the lights are being enjoyed while they can. But with no resolution,
:13:51. > :14:07.there are fears the plug could be pulled at any time.
:14:08. > :14:10.It's just over 200 days until the grande depart for next year's Tour
:14:11. > :14:14.de France comes to Yorkshire. And organisers are asking for volunteers
:14:15. > :14:17.to help with the first two stages next July. The first stage will see
:14:18. > :14:20.the riders pedal a 190 kilometre route from Leeds, ending in
:14:21. > :14:23.Harrogate. The following day they'll ride 200 kilometres from York,
:14:24. > :14:30.ending in Sheffield. Shamir Masri can tell you more. The volunteers `
:14:31. > :14:34.or Gamesmakers ` were a huge success for London's 2012 Olympics. Next
:14:35. > :14:37.summer's organisers of the Tour de France are looking for an army of
:14:38. > :14:44.volunteers from Yorkshire to ensure the two days of racing here are a
:14:45. > :14:47.success. It's a huge event. One of the memorable things about the
:14:48. > :14:57.Olympics was the number of volunteers. We want to do that
:14:58. > :15:00.again. If you want to be the equivalent for the Tour de France
:15:01. > :15:05.when it starts in Yorkshire next July, go online and you could become
:15:06. > :15:08.one of the 10,000. One man who holds legend status in the world of
:15:09. > :15:18.cycling in these parts is Malcolm Elliot. He rode the Tour more than
:15:19. > :15:23.once himself. It's going to be phenomenal. The number of people
:15:24. > :15:30.descending on Yorkshire... And the television audience of billions...
:15:31. > :15:39.That's something that will take us by surprise. Thousands of volunteers
:15:40. > :15:43.are needed to ensure the race runs smoothly for riders, spectators,
:15:44. > :15:46.officials and even the media. The first stage sees the riders leave
:15:47. > :15:53.Leeds, go via Layburn and finish in Harrogate. Just as many volunteers
:15:54. > :15:59.will be needed the following day. The route is York to Keighley, then
:16:00. > :16:05.Huddersfield to Sheffield. I know the route intricately. The last 40
:16:06. > :16:09.miles are really demanding. For that to be day two of the three week Tour
:16:10. > :16:24.de France is really quite a brutal start to the race. Adults have until
:16:25. > :16:28.the end of December to sign up. Well, I've always wanted to get my
:16:29. > :16:31.hands on this. Sadly it's only on loan. Its new owner will be decided
:16:32. > :16:38.on Sunday, when the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year is chosen in
:16:39. > :16:42.Leeds. Just think about all those amazing sporting names who've had
:16:43. > :16:46.their hands on this. Yorkshire's had its share of winners. Lord Coe's
:16:47. > :16:49.from Sheffield ` he's had three awards, hasn't he? Last year of
:16:50. > :16:53.course it was Sir Bradley Wiggins ` what a star studded event that was,
:16:54. > :16:57.in the wake of the Olympics. So many champions to choose from. So who'll
:16:58. > :17:05.pull it off in Leeds? Well, Tanya's at the First Direct Arena for us.
:17:06. > :17:11.Tanya. Thanks. Well, you might recognise these stairs. This is
:17:12. > :17:15.where the lucky ones will make their grand entrance onto the stage. All
:17:16. > :17:18.eyes will be on them come Sunday. Around 11,000 will be watching here
:17:19. > :17:26.at the Arena, but millions more on television. I'm not allowed on them!
:17:27. > :17:30.What a night it's expected to be. As you can see there's still a bit of
:17:31. > :17:47.work to be done, but behind the scenes a major transformation's been
:17:48. > :17:55.taking place. They moved in here at 3am as BoyZone exited. Working ever
:17:56. > :18:02.since. It's no easy job turning such a vast auditorium into a spectacular
:18:03. > :18:07.stage set. By 10pm on Sunday night we'll know who's won the big prize `
:18:08. > :18:10.if it's to be a local winner it'll be the Hurricane from Halifax,
:18:11. > :18:13.Hannah Cockroft. She followed up her double at the Paralympics in London
:18:14. > :18:16.by defending her two titles at the World Championships this summer. But
:18:17. > :18:21.life has changed for her in recent months because she's now a student
:18:22. > :18:39.at Coventry University. So this is your room?
:18:40. > :18:45.So this is your room? Home sweet home? The closest it's going to get.
:18:46. > :18:49.It's a nice big one. I'm doing better than my friends. Hints of
:18:50. > :18:53.McFly. I expected a poster! I really want one but I can't find one! If
:18:54. > :18:59.anyone wants to send me one that'd be great! You're a proper student?
:19:00. > :19:04.These are the lectures? This is everything that's going on as well
:19:05. > :19:09.as lectures. So how are you fitting it in? Fitting in training? It's
:19:10. > :19:13.been hard work since I moved doing here ` having to do lectures all day
:19:14. > :19:17.and then coming home to train. I've got the rollers in the corner.
:19:18. > :19:21.Everything's fairly close by. I'm just not sleeping! I'm not being a
:19:22. > :19:26.fresher! What do your other flatmates make of you and your life?
:19:27. > :19:32.When I first moved in there was only one girl, Amy, who knew who I was. I
:19:33. > :19:36.was looking for everybody I was going to be living with on Facebook.
:19:37. > :19:40.I saw her and thought hang on a minute! I think I recognise her!
:19:41. > :19:46.It's not made much of a difference though. It was cool that they wanted
:19:47. > :19:51.to be my friend first because of who I am rather than what I am. There's
:19:52. > :19:54.no way I could do what she does. I struggle just having work and
:19:55. > :20:22.socialising. She's training and racing! No way I could cope with it.
:20:23. > :20:35.How much pressure was on you? Loads. Everybody expected me to do the same
:20:36. > :20:43.thing. I thought I can't lose because everybody expects me to win.
:20:44. > :20:47.The pressure was on. I enjoy that. What's it like being away from mum
:20:48. > :20:51.and dad, away from home? It's all right. I still talk to them most
:20:52. > :20:56.days on the phone. I need to know things like how to make a baked
:20:57. > :21:01.potato! She's a bit of a cottage pie person. Yorkshire cottage pie!
:21:02. > :21:10.Spaghetti bolognese is her favourite. My mum sent me down with
:21:11. > :21:14.loads of frozen meals. How much does she expect me to eat!? It's good to
:21:15. > :21:18.have it there I suppose! It's hard because I'm so used to going
:21:19. > :21:23.training, then coming home and my tea's on the table. Water bottle in
:21:24. > :21:34.my bed, too! Here, I've got so much to do! I really want my mum to help
:21:35. > :21:38.me! I've been home a few times and I appreciate it all a lot more. I
:21:39. > :21:44.can't wait to spend some proper time at home over Christmas. Hannah's one
:21:45. > :21:47.of ten who'll be vying for the top award. It's a short list of
:21:48. > :21:51.sportsmen and women from a broad spectrum. Good luck to them all. And
:21:52. > :21:55.it's down to you. You can vote by phone or online via the BBC website
:21:56. > :22:04.` but only once the programme is on air.
:22:05. > :22:08.Gabby Logan is one of the show's presenters this year. She's from
:22:09. > :22:14.Leeds, so it's been a perfect excuse to come north and visit family.
:22:15. > :22:17.We're not rehearsing today obviously because the set's still being built,
:22:18. > :22:21.but walking in you just get the sense of occasion. The atmosphere in
:22:22. > :22:25.here on Sunday night is going to be electric. Is it nice for you that
:22:26. > :22:28.your first one is here in your home city of Leeds? Couldn't have written
:22:29. > :22:32.the script better. It's perfect. I know, in the audience, there will be
:22:33. > :22:36.at least ten people who want me to do really well! We all want you to
:22:37. > :22:39.do well! It will be quite frightening though... It's totally
:22:40. > :22:42.different to anything to do! When you do things in front of an
:22:43. > :22:45.audience... I've done things where there are 500 or 1,000 people in...
:22:46. > :22:48.It makes it different. Normally there are just cameramen and other
:22:49. > :22:53.technical people. The odd producer. But not the audience! They're
:22:54. > :22:57.usually at home! All the people here on Sunday night are indicative of
:22:58. > :23:03.all the people at home. There's a real sense of immediacy. Have you
:23:04. > :23:07.had any say in the set? Have you asked for those stairs? Stairs you
:23:08. > :23:11.can definitely walk down? There will be a lot of practice! I'll be going
:23:12. > :23:16.up and down them! I should probably bring the exact shoes I'm wearing!
:23:17. > :23:20.It is of course the 60th anniversary. Any surprises in store?
:23:21. > :23:27.Some fantastic surprises. The production team work so hard, months
:23:28. > :23:31.in advance. People are always surprised how much preparation there
:23:32. > :23:39.is. And it can all change, even the day before. Sportsmen can get
:23:40. > :23:42.injured. You never know. We're just hoping everything we've got planned
:23:43. > :23:46.will come off on the night. Can you enjoy it? Or only once it's over? I
:23:47. > :23:50.really want to. I don't want to get to the end and think 'what happened
:23:51. > :23:54.there'! I want to savour the whole experience. All those memories we're
:23:55. > :24:04.going to tap into... It'll be a really great, nostalgic evening. The
:24:05. > :24:19.best of luck! Thank you! This place will be packed. It should be
:24:20. > :24:30.cracking. I understand some bouncers are headed your way for the trophy!
:24:31. > :25:12.Give it here! Now for the weather. Here are some
:25:13. > :25:22.of your photographs. Great as ever. Send them in. It will be a weekend
:25:23. > :25:31.of two halves. Tomorrow will be quite blustery. There will be gusty
:25:32. > :25:35.winds, politically for the hills. After a fine start to the day but
:25:36. > :25:43.gradually cloud over. High`pressure dominating. It is this weather
:25:44. > :25:49.system that will bring some heavy rain later on. We have had some wet
:25:50. > :25:55.weather through the day and you can see this. It has become very light
:25:56. > :26:01.and patchy. It will continue to Cleverley. It might be followed on
:26:02. > :26:09.by the odd shower overnight. Generally it is in moving story.
:26:10. > :26:14.Colder night than last eight. Temperatures down to three or four
:26:15. > :26:28.degrees. It is colder than the countryside. The sun will rise at
:26:29. > :26:32.about 8am. It is a bit of a nippy start the day but it will still be
:26:33. > :26:39.fine. Pleasant spells of sunshine. It will hazy. The claim will tend to
:26:40. > :26:43.thicken as the day goes on. Gusty for the hills and the coast in
:26:44. > :26:52.particular. By the end of the day, rain will have swept in. It will
:26:53. > :26:57.continue to migrate eastwards. Today we got up to 12 or 13 degrees. Very
:26:58. > :27:04.good for this time of year. 10 degrees to high for tomorrow. The
:27:05. > :27:07.rain will clear away into Sunday. Sunday over all looks like a good
:27:08. > :27:15.day. The will be later. Fine and dry. Sunday into Monday, more rain
:27:16. > :27:20.returns. It will be wet to start the working week. Rain will tend to move
:27:21. > :27:27.away gradually. Tuesday looks quite nice. A dry day with plenty of
:27:28. > :27:37.sunshine. It will be very wet and Wednesday by midweek. Thank you very
:27:38. > :27:43.much. Goodbye for now.