02/04/2014 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening. Welcome to the programme. First tonight, one of

Yorkshire's two remaining deep coal mines is set to close. Kellingley

Colliery is to shut with the loss of 700 jobs, another 600 jobs are to go

at Thoresby in Nottinghamshire, and up to 100 jobs are also under threat

at UK Coal's head office in Doncaster. Today's announcement

comes after a long period of financial uncertainty for UK Coal.

Danni Hewson has more. It is not the first time the future

of Kellingley Colliery has hung in the balance, but it seems likely it

will be the last. It has been on shaky ground since fire ripped

through another mine in February last year, sending the UK's biggest

coal producer into administration. When I visited in autumn, the bosses

were pulling no punches. The cheap coal from America and Russia was

making it all but impossible to stay afloat. Despite the vast reserves

still underground and the continual Alliant on coal for energy. ``

reliance. Today, they started controlled shutdown in Yorkshire and

at Thoresby in Nottinghamshire with the loss of 1500 jobs. We have a

consultation started today that takes us through 25 days were people

will speak with trade unions, with the company, with employee

representatives to get a full understanding. We're looking at a

package that enables us to close down Kellingley Colliery and

Thoresby in 18 months in a safe and managed way so that we look after

employees as best as we can and also the suppliers. A slow shutdown will

require a ?28 billion bailout. The unions are looking for further cash

to keep the unions open, but it would be a struggle. This is a

struggle. We have fought to keep it open, but we need to stand together

again at a time when there are jobs at risk, but also, the remaining

deep mined coal industry, there is a time when we need jobs and also we

need to maintain diverse energy supplies. Closure will leave only

one deep mine in Yorkshire, but now the employee owned Hatfields

colliery. Well Danni is here in the studio

now. Danni, what's going to happen next? Well, there is now going to be

a 45 day consultation and at the same time, they would be pushing for

the cash that they need. They need about ?20 million. Said the

government could bail them out for about ?10 million. If they do not

get the cash, then forgets the slow shutdown, we could see the closure

within weeks. At the same time, in the background, the unions are

lobbying for a bailout from Europe, with a name to keep these coalmines

afloat, up to 20 at least. But there is a dispute about if this qualifies

for this what is called state eight. Is there any hope at all for

agreement? The bottom line is, tonight, 40% of electricity comes

from coal`fired power stations. Coal production is not paying. Not only

does most of it's now come from Russia, America, even Colombia and

very cheaply, UK coal has two trading dollars. Even if they are

just selling it seven miles of the road. And there is a strong pound

sterling, and then there is the switch to biomass and other

environmentally friendly fuels, so there is a landscape where the coal

production in this country is looking very bleak. Of course at the

heart of today's announcement are the people losing their jobs at

Kellingley. Our reporter Kate Bradbrook is there for us now.

This pit here in telling a on the border of north and west Yorkshire

has been here for over 15 years. `` this pit here at Kellingley

Colliery. Tonight, the future is in doubt as the announcement that this

colliery and Thoresby in Nottinghamshire will close meaning

the loss of 700 jobs here and a further 600 jobs in Nottinghamshire

and the possibility of up to another 100 jobs going at the UK coal

officers in Doncaster. Of course, with coal miners now travelling

further afield to work, those potential job losses will have a

ripple effect. Earlier tonight, I spoke with the general secretary at

the National union of Mineworkers to gauges reaction. The reaction is

shocked, because although coal mining has been up and down, it

always had inherited risks with geology, coal prices fluctuating. It

has always been full of rumours. But it has been a shock to the men when

the rumours come through. Bad news tonight with the UK coal industry

and also from mining here in Yorkshire, coming 30 years after the

miners strike. The latest tonight is that they will fight on. They hope

to secure funding from the government which they hope will work

like it has in other countries across Europe and has saved

coalmines closure, so the messages, they will fight on. Thank you. More

news now... A new report says owning your own

home is becoming increasingly less likely for Yorkshire's young people.

Home Truths, a report by the National Housing Federation, says

fewer than half of the number of new homes needed in Yorkshire are

currently being built. An annual income of nearly ?36,000 is needed

for the average mortgage here. But the average salary across Yorkshire

is less than ?20,000. Bradford's long`awaited city centre

regeneration is beginning to take shape today with steel work for the

new Westfield shopping centre arriving on site. The steel is being

fabricated at a factory in Thirsk in North Yorkshire. More than 6,00

tonnes will be used to construct the mall. It's more than a decade since

the area was cleared ready for the ?260 million scheme and for the

first time there are signs of development.

The two groups wanting to take over Leeds United have tonight said

they're working together to launch a joint bid to take control. The

Together Leeds consortium say they've been approached by Italian

businessman Massimo Cellino, who's still awaiting a decision on his

appeal to the football authorities, who initially blocked his attempt.

Now, the weather. Misty and murky outside with some

rain pushing to the north. Greater moral, but hope on Friday that the

skies will eventually brighten up. Extensive hill fog and fog on the

coast. A drop night with patchy rain and lowest temperatures at around 67

Celsius. Similar day tomorrow, fog reluctance to clear from the hills,

patchy rain at first. A risk of 12 showers in the West and later in the

East. Top temperatures of 11 or 12 degrees. Much cooler on the coast.

Some hope for Friday. Cloudy. That is it from me, we will leave you

with the National is it from me, we will leave you

with the National forecast. more information on that, here is my

colleague. Good evening. Very hazy skies in

London today and many other towns and cities across the UK. On

Thursday there is the chance of some pretty high pollution in the

south-east and East Anglia but by the time we get towards the end of

the week, we will see clearer Atlantique air coming in and we

should get rid of the Saharan dust which has been making services

grubby in the last few days. You can see the pattern across the

Atlantic. We also have a weather front. The beginning of that change

is affecting many western areas of the UK. This particular cloud across

the North Sea, you can see there is a general drift here towards

Scotland and the North Sea coasts. It has been cold and cloudy and I

think that cloud will drift further southwards and westwards through the

course of the night. There will be a gloomy start to the