:00:00. > :00:14.Welcome to Look North. On the outlook is mixed. Thank you.
:00:15. > :00:18.Welcome to Look North. On the programme tonight: A huge jobs blow
:00:19. > :00:21.` one of Yorkshire's two remaining coal mines is to close. UK Coal says
:00:22. > :00:25.Kellingley Colliery in West Yorkshire will close with the loss
:00:26. > :00:27.of 700 jobs. Hundreds more will go at Thoresby in Nottinghamshire. The
:00:28. > :00:31.company's headquarters in Doncaster is also under threat. All this would
:00:32. > :00:34.leave just one coal mine in Yorkshire. We'll be live at
:00:35. > :00:36.Kellingley with the very latest on this developing story.
:00:37. > :00:39.Also tonight: Buying a house will remain a distant dream for young
:00:40. > :00:42.people in Yorkshire, according to a new report.
:00:43. > :00:47.A little piece of Madagascar comes to South Yorkshire ` we get up close
:00:48. > :00:52.with some very cute new arrivals. This was the scene in Shipley this
:00:53. > :00:54.morning, but is there a change in prospect? Join me for the weather
:00:55. > :01:11.forecast coming up shortly. Good evening. First tonight ` one of
:01:12. > :01:15.Yorkshire's two remaining deep coal mines is set to close with the loss
:01:16. > :01:18.of 700 jobs. UK Coal wants to shut Kellingley Colliery. 600 miners and
:01:19. > :01:22.100 contractors face unemployment. More jobs are also under threat at
:01:23. > :01:28.UK Coal's head office in Doncaster. It comes on the 30th anniversary of
:01:29. > :01:31.the year`long miners' strike. Back then there were 56 pits across our
:01:32. > :01:34.region, employing more than 85,000 miners. If Kellingley goes, it will
:01:35. > :01:44.leave Hatfield near Doncaster as Britain's last remaining deep mine.
:01:45. > :01:49.Our business correspondent is here now. This is a devastating blow. It
:01:50. > :01:54.is, and we have only found out in the last couple of hours that this
:01:55. > :01:59.would happen. UK Coal have said it has been an incredibly difficult
:02:00. > :02:02.year for them. They have been hit by cheap imports coming in from Russia,
:02:03. > :02:09.but also from the United States because of the boom in the shale gas
:02:10. > :02:15.industry. Effectively what they have said is that they are now in
:02:16. > :02:18.consultation with the unions. It is a 45 day consultation, and running
:02:19. > :02:22.alongside that they are trying to get money in to help keep the
:02:23. > :02:26.business afloat while they managed the closure. They have known for a
:02:27. > :02:31.long time this was coming, it has been a difficult year for them, and
:02:32. > :02:35.I went down the mine in the autumn and spoke to them then, and they
:02:36. > :02:41.were very concerned about the industry and the fact that nothing
:02:42. > :02:45.has been done to shore up the last of our coal mines. The future of
:02:46. > :02:55.cunningly has been hanging in the balance for the last 12 months. ``
:02:56. > :02:59.the future of Kellingley. When I visited the colliery in the autumn,
:03:00. > :03:03.bosses were pulling their punches. The cheap call from America was
:03:04. > :03:08.making it all but impossible to stay afloat. Today they announced the
:03:09. > :03:14.start of what they hope will be controlled shutdown, with the loss
:03:15. > :03:19.of over 1000 jobs. I think this is really troubling. We have fought
:03:20. > :03:23.many to keep Kellingley colliery open before and we have always
:03:24. > :03:27.succeeded but we need to stand together again at a time when we
:03:28. > :03:32.have jobs at risk, but also the whole of the deep mined coal
:03:33. > :03:39.industry. We need to maintain that diverse energy supply. It will leave
:03:40. > :03:48.only one deep mine in Yorkshire, quite come down from the 56 before
:03:49. > :03:55.the miners' strike all those years ago. Is there any hope at all? No,
:03:56. > :04:08.they have really been struggling, and when nearby areas by the coal,
:04:09. > :04:15.they buy it in dollars. They are dealing with an exchange rate, and
:04:16. > :04:19.the fact that a lot of our big power stations are changing to biomass
:04:20. > :04:24.because of environmental issues. Unless they get this influx of cash,
:04:25. > :04:29.which will help them manage the closure over this 18 months they are
:04:30. > :04:33.hoping for, selling off the bits, paying off creditors, looking after
:04:34. > :04:38.the people who work there, if they don't get that money, we could see a
:04:39. > :04:45.closure much quicker than the 18 months. Thank you for explaining
:04:46. > :04:54.that. We're hoping to speak to UK Coal later in the programme.
:04:55. > :04:57.Also tonight: The jury at the new Hillsborough inquest has been warned
:04:58. > :04:59.to ignore the findings of all previous investigations into the
:05:00. > :05:03.disaster, and to decide purely on the basis of the evidence they hear.
:05:04. > :05:06.96 Liverpool fans died from crush injuries at Sheffield Wednesday's
:05:07. > :05:09.ground 25 years ago. John Cundy has been following the inquest in
:05:10. > :05:11.Warrington. There have been a series of questions the coroner has drawn
:05:12. > :05:19.to the attention of the jury about what happened in those central pens
:05:20. > :05:27.of the Sheffield Wednesday football ground, and he said the jury would
:05:28. > :05:31.be faced with questions like these: Were the dangers of turnstiles known
:05:32. > :05:36.previously? Could more have been done about the crowding and if so by
:05:37. > :05:39.whom? Or do anything more have been done to keep to a minimum the
:05:40. > :05:49.crushing going on outside the ground, and if so, by whom? And he
:05:50. > :05:56.also asked if anything could have been done to avoid the dangerous
:05:57. > :06:03.situation developing in pens three and four, and if so, what? He left
:06:04. > :06:11.the jury with this thought ` this inquest must enquire fearlessly into
:06:12. > :06:17.the disaster which caused the deaths of the 96 people.
:06:18. > :06:24.What happens at the next age of this inquest? The next stage begins
:06:25. > :06:30.tomorrow. It is expected to take until the end of April. The impact
:06:31. > :06:35.statements next week will come from Trevor Hicks who lost his two
:06:36. > :06:39.daughters, Sarah and Vicky, in the disaster. Mr Hicks has become a
:06:40. > :06:45.prominent campaigner for the families, and he had this comment to
:06:46. > :06:52.make as he approached court this morning. We use the generic term 96,
:06:53. > :06:56.but it is 96 individuals that matter to their individual families. It is
:06:57. > :07:00.like a memorial service, will light a candle for each individual and
:07:01. > :07:07.obviously that is partly to remember that one person among the 96. Now
:07:08. > :07:10.the jury begin the next stage of their task which will take 12 months
:07:11. > :07:21.to complete this historic legal event.
:07:22. > :07:33.Later on Look North: Bradford's regeneration starts to take shape.
:07:34. > :07:41.Thousands of tonnes of steel arrives on site at the city's long`awaited
:07:42. > :07:44.Westfield shopping centre. It's more than a decade since the area was
:07:45. > :07:48.cleared and since then there's been very little activity. But, for the
:07:49. > :07:53.first time there are signs of development, as Spencer Stokes
:07:54. > :07:57.reports. Bradford's framework for the future. For more than ten years
:07:58. > :08:00.the city has pinned its regeneration hopes on this ?260 million scheme.
:08:01. > :08:03.Finally there are tangible signs of progress. It is three months now
:08:04. > :08:07.since the builders and their machines arrived on site, and since
:08:08. > :08:11.then, what was once a giant hole has now become a hive of hard hats and
:08:12. > :08:15.high vis jackets. When you look out, you can start to see the beginnings
:08:16. > :08:18.of what will be the Westfield shopping centre. It was February
:08:19. > :08:22.2004 that around a quarter of the city centre was cleared. A huge hole
:08:23. > :08:25.was excavated, but retailers failed to sign up, and Bradford was left in
:08:26. > :08:34.an embarrassing situation ` demolished flats, shops and offices
:08:35. > :08:38.making way for nothing. We have been chomping at the bit, to use a term,
:08:39. > :08:43.to get started so we have had plenty of time to plan this project. That
:08:44. > :08:48.time has allowed us to look at this in great detail so we can move
:08:49. > :08:52.quickly to a completion. The building work has already created an
:08:53. > :08:57.economic ripple effect. Thirsk`based steel firm Severfield Rowen now has
:08:58. > :09:01.a bulging order book. They are cutting 500 tonnes of steel a week
:09:02. > :09:05.for Westfield. In total, 6682 tonnes will come through this plant, and it
:09:06. > :09:17.will take five months to get the full framework in place. Initially
:09:18. > :09:21.we were talking to our clients about this back in 2007 and I'm very well
:09:22. > :09:24.aware the contract was started with a hole in the ground. Now that is
:09:25. > :09:28.being filled in, concreted, the steel is being manufactured and it
:09:29. > :09:31.gives a good boost for the Yorkshire economy as well as our business.
:09:32. > :09:34.High`street retailers like Topshop, Marks Spencer, and Sainsbury's
:09:35. > :09:38.have signed up to the Westfield scheme. More are being sought for
:09:39. > :09:42.the December 2015 opening. The council hopes the steelwork supports
:09:43. > :09:58.more than just a building, and shows that after ten long years, Bradford
:09:59. > :10:02.is on the up. The cost of getting on the housing
:10:03. > :10:05.ladder ` a new report says buying your own home is a distant dream for
:10:06. > :10:08.many of Yorkshire's younger generation. High house prices,
:10:09. > :10:11.rising rents and stagnant wages are blamed. Home Truths ` a report by
:10:12. > :10:16.the National Housing Federation ` says it's a crisis which is only set
:10:17. > :10:19.to get worse. It says fewer than half of the number of new homes
:10:20. > :10:26.needed in Yorkshire are currently being built. An annual income of
:10:27. > :10:28.nearly ?36,000 is needed for the average mortgage here but the
:10:29. > :10:37.average salary across Yorkshire and the Humber is less than 20,000.
:10:38. > :10:40.Meanwhile it's no better in the rental sector with private rents
:10:41. > :10:44.predicted to rise by 50%. Ian White has this exclusive report. This
:10:45. > :10:48.estate is the Dale Croft development. As you can see, there
:10:49. > :10:53.are some houses behind me still being constructed at the moment.
:10:54. > :10:57.Some others are finished on the place is looking rather smart. If
:10:58. > :11:10.you grew up in the ugly area and you wanted to stay in the area, you
:11:11. > :11:21.might struggle. `` in the Ilkley area. I have been meeting people
:11:22. > :11:29.today in a real predicament. When Thomas started work here, he hoped
:11:30. > :11:33.he would be able to buy a new home. Because of the situation with
:11:34. > :11:41.relation to house prices, I cannot see a time when this arrangement
:11:42. > :11:48.will never end. To get a mortgage, Thomas would need to be earning at
:11:49. > :11:52.least ?36,000 per year. He says it is very frustrating. When you want
:11:53. > :11:58.to settle down and build a future for yourself it is very difficult
:11:59. > :12:00.and I cannot see where the insecurity will end because of the
:12:01. > :12:08.disproportionate link between my wage and the cost of buying a house.
:12:09. > :12:13.The report identifies the top ten places where it is least affordable
:12:14. > :12:19.to buy a house. It says new affordable homes are desperately
:12:20. > :12:24.needed. This is a wealthy area where it is hard to get on the property
:12:25. > :12:30.ladder. For the last four or five years, we have built 400 affordable
:12:31. > :12:37.homes so we need to do more of that. There is an increasing demand for
:12:38. > :12:42.homes, and in Bradford it is 2500 per year that is required. Local MP
:12:43. > :12:46.Chris Hopkins says the Government is addressing the concerns young people
:12:47. > :12:50.have about rising rent and house prices. This Government has
:12:51. > :12:56.delivered more council housing in the years we have been in power than
:12:57. > :12:59.13 years of the last government. Whether it is about affordable
:13:00. > :13:05.housing, whether it is about supporting people who want to get
:13:06. > :13:10.into the housing market through the helped by campaign, the Government
:13:11. > :13:14.is committed to base. They want to do it so that people have a decent
:13:15. > :13:20.home, but also to support the local economy. The report also highlights
:13:21. > :13:24.the benefits of the local economy of having affordable homes built, and
:13:25. > :13:29.training opportunities school leavers. This is one of the houses
:13:30. > :13:33.that those apprentices have been working on. Let's step inside to see
:13:34. > :13:39.what is going on. This is one of the show homes. The National Housing
:13:40. > :13:43.Federation compiled that report, we have seen it before, it has been
:13:44. > :13:50.published, but one of the people behind it is Daniel, with me now.
:13:51. > :13:56.Many people will be surprised things are so bad in Yorkshire, and they
:13:57. > :14:03.are, aren't they? Yes, every year 8000 properties are being built, and
:14:04. > :14:07.we really need 16,000. The Government say they are doing things
:14:08. > :14:14.to help like the Help To Buy scheme so that has got to be good news. Yes
:14:15. > :14:19.but the average wage is 20,000 so it is a real mismatch so we need to
:14:20. > :14:29.help people to do more, also to tackle rising private rents. What
:14:30. > :14:34.hope is there for people like Thomas? We need more homes to rent
:14:35. > :14:39.and to buy, and more homes for across the income scale. The real
:14:40. > :14:43.thing we need to do is build more homes. There have been all sorts of
:14:44. > :14:48.protests when housing developments are first mooted and I know that
:14:49. > :14:56.here you have had a different approach. We have, we consulted with
:14:57. > :15:02.our neighbours and we talked them through the plans. We got them
:15:03. > :15:10.onside. One of the issues was mud on the road, it is a building site, so
:15:11. > :15:29.we offered to clean their carpets for them. That doesn't sound too
:15:30. > :15:32.bad! Back to you. UK Coal has made the announcement this afternoon that
:15:33. > :15:44.it is called such `` consulting on plans to close the mine. Our guests
:15:45. > :15:47.joined us now, why are you making this decision? We have had an
:15:48. > :15:56.extremely difficult time trading since we have the administration
:15:57. > :16:00.last year. We have had a very strong pound, and combine that with an
:16:01. > :16:06.extremely low international coal price, these things are good for
:16:07. > :16:12.energy bills because coal is still 40% of it and keeps bills down, but
:16:13. > :16:17.as the producer it puts huge pressure on us. What about the
:16:18. > :16:21.miners themselves? This will be devastating for them. This is their
:16:22. > :16:27.livelihoods and such an important part of the economy. It is a
:16:28. > :16:32.colossal loss and an extremely difficult time for everyone in the
:16:33. > :16:37.business, but particularly the most iconic work as we have in the region
:16:38. > :16:42.are based at Kellingley so it is not just Kellingley, it is our other
:16:43. > :16:48.deep mine in Nottinghamshire as well so it is a difficult time for
:16:49. > :16:53.everyone. Speaking to those miners, that is their lives so we are
:16:54. > :16:58.wondering now what they can do, especially to those who are little
:16:59. > :17:03.bit older. What help can you give them? We have opened a consultation
:17:04. > :17:08.now where everybody will be speaking to trade unions, just to make sure
:17:09. > :17:14.we get a full understanding, but what we are looking at here is a
:17:15. > :17:20.package that will enable us to close down Kellingley and Thoresby in a
:17:21. > :17:26.safe way, looking after employers as best we can, and also suppliers. Is
:17:27. > :17:34.there any realistic chance that it can be saved? It looks very dark
:17:35. > :17:39.days at the moment. There are possibilities but at the moment no,
:17:40. > :17:43.it is a very difficult time. What we are looking up with the funding is a
:17:44. > :17:48.safe, managed close down over the next 18 months. I have been talking
:17:49. > :17:56.to Alistair McGowan about his new role. We will be talking about why
:17:57. > :18:02.we are in one of the most beautiful theatres in the world for this week
:18:03. > :18:07.only. And a little piece of Madagascar comes to South Yorkshire
:18:08. > :18:14.` we get up close with some adorable new arrivals. Football now, and
:18:15. > :18:21.there was yet more disappointment last night for Leeds United. Massimo
:18:22. > :18:27.Cellino's takeover remains in doubt, and the gloom continued on the
:18:28. > :18:31.pitch. Meanwhile Sheffield United had a player sent off and then waved
:18:32. > :18:34.back on, as the referee changed his mind! Dave Edwards looks back at
:18:35. > :18:39.yesterday's action. The white flags were waved as Leeds United took to
:18:40. > :18:42.the field, no one is surrendering yet but things surely cannot get
:18:43. > :18:53.much worse than this. The players are still waiting for 50% of their
:18:54. > :18:56.march wages and maybe they had... Early in the second half Ross
:18:57. > :19:06.MacCormack gave the fans something to shout about. His effort was
:19:07. > :19:15.brilliantly tipped onto the bar. Plenty of fans down in London will
:19:16. > :19:20.be impressed with this strike and the player's first goal for the
:19:21. > :19:26.club. A penalty from MacCormack bought an opportunity to salvage a
:19:27. > :19:30.point, but now it is six defeats in seven for Leeds United. Into league
:19:31. > :19:36.one, and who says referees don't change their minds? This one did.
:19:37. > :19:42.Trotter threw for Brentford, this challenge, and the referee said
:19:43. > :19:45.penalty, red card. This was one of the most bizarre incidents you will
:19:46. > :19:51.see all season. A quick chat with the linesman, Freeman summoned back
:19:52. > :19:58.onto the field, no penalty, let's have a dropped ball instead. It
:19:59. > :20:07.finished 0`0. Elsewhere Bradford visited Coventry. Another goalless
:20:08. > :20:23.draw, the kind of mid`table fixture for `` fit for an almost empty
:20:24. > :20:29.stadium. Pygmalion may have been written
:20:30. > :20:38.almost 100 years ago, but the themes are still relevant. I popped down to
:20:39. > :20:43.see the actors a little earlier before the matinee and I asked
:20:44. > :20:51.Alistair about growing up as a Leeds United fan. Back in the 1970s. When
:20:52. > :20:58.I was young we went on holiday to Wales and I fell for this lady who
:20:59. > :21:04.was 70, she looked after us, she was lovely. She was from Leeds and from
:21:05. > :21:10.then I supported the team. You don't support them now, and a good job
:21:11. > :21:17.really in their current form. Yes, it's a sorry state of affairs. Are
:21:18. > :21:24.they not very good? The keep selling all of their best players. Pygmalion
:21:25. > :21:29.is one of the most famous plays of the 20th century and yet people
:21:30. > :21:36.still associate it with the musical my fair Lady, so how different is
:21:37. > :21:38.it? It is a much broader concept, the political arguments and
:21:39. > :21:43.communication or lack of communication is much more strongly
:21:44. > :21:49.pointed out on stage in the play from which my fair Lady came. We all
:21:50. > :21:54.have voice coaching because we had to speak in a more clipped accent in
:21:55. > :21:59.those days. It took time to that to sit comfortably but now it is second
:22:00. > :22:10.nature and I find myself using it in real life. It is a powerful way of
:22:11. > :22:13.speaking really, and you might think I sound posh, but not at all, in
:22:14. > :22:17.those days they would talk about going out, and where, with what they
:22:18. > :22:44.call an aspirin `` aspirant H. I remember the first review we ever
:22:45. > :22:49.got was in Timeout, and they asked why are they bothering to do David
:22:50. > :22:53.Beckham and Victoria Beckham, nobody cares how they speak and I always
:22:54. > :22:59.take great pride in having proved them wrong. Now you are an actor, do
:23:00. > :23:05.you think you will ever go back to the impressions? Yes, I try to
:23:06. > :23:11.balance the two. I did my stand`up tour, 60 days, and this year has
:23:12. > :23:17.been completely different. You studied in Leeds so you know quite a
:23:18. > :23:23.bit about it, don't you? I actually bought a poster of this theatre, it
:23:24. > :23:28.was the view of the boxes in the balcony and this beautiful ceiling,
:23:29. > :23:39.people have pictures of pop bands people have pictures of pop bands
:23:40. > :23:44.and I have this. We are going to save this area is where your career
:23:45. > :23:57.really started, is that right? Yes, I started dreaming in those stalls
:23:58. > :24:00.over there. Three baby lemurs have been born at The Tropical Butterfly
:24:01. > :24:03.House in North Anston in Sheffield. It's the first time they've bred the
:24:04. > :24:11.animals at the wildlife centre. All three babies are said to be doing
:24:12. > :24:18.well. From cute to not so cute. Not enjoying the weather, I bet. They
:24:19. > :24:24.have had it! Let me show you a few pictures which sums the day up. Some
:24:25. > :24:33.brightness in Sheffield with the daffodils, but a lot of missed, that
:24:34. > :24:37.was taking this morning `` taken this morning. This is unusual, some
:24:38. > :24:40.brightness, but it was yesterday evening. Keep the pictures coming
:24:41. > :24:55.in. Another uninspiring day tomorrow,
:24:56. > :24:59.there will be coastal and Gilfach, mostly cloudy, it may well brighten
:25:00. > :25:05.up for a time and apart from some showers in the west it looks
:25:06. > :25:10.generally dry. Here is tomorrow's chart with a southeasterly. Things
:25:11. > :25:14.should clear up my sleep, Friday afternoon in particular should be
:25:15. > :25:20.dry with some sunshine. That will lead us interchangeable weekend,
:25:21. > :25:24.always the risk of some rain in places. You can see the extent of
:25:25. > :25:28.the cloud on the satellite picture, currently thick enough to produce
:25:29. > :25:32.some patchy outbreaks of rain in places. There will be some mist and
:25:33. > :25:43.fog, pretty extensive, and there will be a risk of sea fog as well.
:25:44. > :25:52.The sun will rise in the morning at 6:35am, your next high water time in
:25:53. > :25:58.Scarborough at 7:15am. It is a grey, uninspiring start of the day
:25:59. > :26:02.with extensive hill fog, some sea fog as well, mistiness at lower
:26:03. > :26:06.levels. Patchy rain will clear up northwards, and apart from some
:26:07. > :26:11.showers in the west, it should stay dry. I suspect most of us will
:26:12. > :26:17.remain cloudy for much of the day, and another chilly day along the
:26:18. > :26:22.coast with high temperatures of just seven or eight degrees. Inland, up
:26:23. > :26:33.to 11 Celsius. Friday brightens up some sunshine. Lets get more news on
:26:34. > :26:40.the breaking story tonight. Yes, Tom has sent a report that sums up the
:26:41. > :26:45.mood at the colliery. These towers are looming out of the mist here,
:26:46. > :26:50.but the question is, for how much longer? This colliery has been to
:26:51. > :26:57.the brink many times but will this be the occasion when it closes?
:26:58. > :27:02.Kellingley colliery have said jobs will be lost at this site, and in
:27:03. > :27:07.Thoresby, and around 100 jobs at risk in the Doncaster office, and
:27:08. > :27:12.that is a large part of the UK coal operation, leaving only Hatfield pit
:27:13. > :27:17.operating as a deep mine in Yorkshire. In many ways it reminds
:27:18. > :27:22.me of Maltby which closed 18 months ago in that the pit is situated some
:27:23. > :27:26.way outside the village so it is no longer a case of everyone getting on
:27:27. > :27:31.their bicycles and coming to start their shift, but it means miners
:27:32. > :27:37.travel from much further afield so job losses will be felt right across
:27:38. > :27:42.the county. The mood tonight here is grim, but perhaps unsurprised. A lot
:27:43. > :27:48.more on that in our late bulletin tonight. From all of us, enjoy the
:27:49. > :27:51.rest