10/09/2014 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening and welcome to Wednesday's Look North.

Rotherham's missing child sex abuse documents.

Two senior officials at the council tell MPs that key reports h`ve

Ready to leave but still on full alert.

I've been given exclusive access to the biggest army base in Afghanistan

as Yorkshire soldiers help to close it down.

Beryl Burton gets the Freedom of Leeds nearly two decades

Another lovely day. 21 degrdes was the highest temperature in our

region. How long will it last? Join me for the latest forecast.

Tonight, the missing reports into child sexual abuse in Rotherham

It has emerged that two filds from two separate years have dis`ppeared

The information came out in a second day of questionhng at

Westminster as MPs grilled two of the council's most senior officers.

The chief executive couldn't say if they'd been destroyed

and the head of children's services said she didn't know

whether it had been a delibdrate attempt to suppress information

The question of the day. Had hundreds of young girl is bding put

at risk in Rotherham becausd there had been shockingly few prosecutions

of the criminal gangs groomhng and abusing them? Is that right? They

carried on raping children? Answer the question. Did the perpetrators

carry on? That is right, isn't it? Please, and so the question. The

question. They didn't. The rapists seem to have carried on. Yesterday,

there were concerns issued by MPs. Today, the revelations that copies

of a series of reports which many say prove the authorities knew the

extent of the problem for more than ten years could not be found in the

council's files. They are not within the archives. I have asked to see

please `` previous informathon. Is there a suggestion that these have

been actively destroyed? I do not know. They don't appear to be there.

A senior elected councillor she reported to did not pass on the

information. Until 2010, th`t councillor was Shaun Wright,

Yorkshire's police and I colmission. Do you feel let down by Shatn

Wright? In hindsight, yes I am. The committee will report to Parliament

in the next few weeks. Yesterday,

South Yorkshire's beleaguerdd Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright

said he had had support frol MPs and other colleagues for his decision to

stay in the job, despite thd He is now facing the threat

of emergency laws being considered Our reporter has been

following the story in Rothdrham. What else can you tell us?

Well, just before we get onto Shaun Wright, some more details from

Rotherham council meeting today Plenty of noisy interjections from

the public gallery. The new leader of the council, Paul Lakin,

announced several measures which he thought would make a distinction

from the past. There will bd a ban on all international travel. He

hopes to save ?120,000 which you can invest in to victim support

services. The local governmdnt Association is coming in to help

oversee improvements. That `side, the latest group of people have

called for Shaun Wright to resign. If a week is a long time in

politics, a fortnight in thhs man's shoes masts feel like forevdr. We do

not accept that. Let me ask my question. We don't accept any of

that. The home affairs select committee stated his evidence was

unconvincing. From the Primd Minister down, there are calls for

his resignation. He spent fhve years as the councillor overseen xoung

people services in Rotherhal. He has made things worse by hanging on and

hanging on. I can't underst`nd why he is still there. He should go It

is disgusting. I don't understand this. This has really upset this

town. Yesterday, Shaun Wright said he had received support frol MPs. 12

MPs said they did not support them and another two have not replied. It

would be difficult to force people to resign without compensathon.

Resigning would probably be the easy option. Deserted by former `llies, a

pariah to his political party, his next file could perhaps be his

toughest yet, at the hands of the public. Tomorrow, he will appear in

front of the police and the panel, the body who scrutinise his work.

They have said it will be open to the public and they will be able to

ask him direct questions. Shaun Wright said he would not be

available for an interview today, but said he would hope to speak to

us tomorrow after the meeting. Joining me now

from Westminster is the chahrman of today's local government hearing

Sheffield MP Clive Betts. Thank you for joining us. Shaun

Wright is still in his job today. Two lead councillors are sthll in

their jobs. What would you like to see happen? I have been writing a

letter to all those concerndd today. The new leader, Paul Lakin,

has announced that Rotherhal need some outside help and urgently.

Probably from the Local Govdrnment Association, so there can bd an

independent look over the responsibility of all officdrs

involved in the failure of the protection of children in Rotherham

over the years. That includds those currently working there and those

who have left. All must be investigated and held to account.

That has to be done by independent experts coming in. Is the blame does

being passed on? She said rdports were not sent to Cabinet.

Therefore, councillors as a whole were not aware of the probldm. She

said that Shaun Wright had stopped the reports from being passdd on.

There are no hundreds of yotng people in Rotherham who havd been

exploited and abused. They desperately need help. The council

admitted they don't know who all the people are and there are no files on

them. There is a massive amount of work to be done to identify these

young people and help them. Rotherham needs help. It nedds

resources. The council needs to put in place a plan of action and then

say to the government how mtch help they need to help those young people

are being abused, exploited and ignored for too long. We had that

reports have gone missing from the cancel. What will you do with that

information? That is somethhng which the Local Government Secret`ry will

be sending people in to invdstigate. This should be a separate enquiry

which I have called for. Th`t clearly needs to investigatd

properly and independently what happened to these reports, where

they are, and then look at what was done about the information `nd

whether it was available at the time. Should Joyce Thacker be

stepping down? There should be a proper evaluation of all actions to

see who is involved and who is accountable. Thank you for joining

us. Near misses on the motorway `

the new campaign warning drhvers to Next tonight, within the next few

weeks the huge army base in Afghanistan will close, signalling

the end of British and Yorkshire Look North has been given exclusive

access to Camp Bastion to sde one of the most complicated withdrawals

from a war zone in history. Harry has been to meet the Xorkshire

soldiers who are playing a key role Operation Herrick,

as the campaign in Afghanistan is 453 servicemen

and women have lost their lhves fighting the Taliban, many of those

were Yorkshire born and bred. But now the battle is being taken

over by the Afghan National Army and the main task

for British forces is to kedp Camp The figures involved

in this operation are incredible. Already the number of peopld

on the camp has fallen Of 1,800 vehicles, just 600 are

yet to be returned home to the UK. And of a whopping 12,000 containers

which carried equipment and stores, 400 will go home,

the rest will be sold, In the first of our special reports,

we take a look at life at Camp Bastion may be in drawdown but

these men are far from that. Ready for action right up until the end of

their tour. There will be no decrease in the level of protection

afforded by the Squadron here at Camp Bastion. There are those here

who are focused on logistic`l effort to send kit and equipment b`ck to

the United Kingdom. But, for us we are one had percent `` 100%

committed to the defence of Afghanistan and will be no reduction

in that until we leave. The Desert is returned to the Afghans. 400`600

people were here. There was an infrastructure. Now there is nothing

there at all. It is safe and tidy. All vehicles get a fool valdt. Not

just cleaned, but a fool decontamination. They are

disinfecting everything before it moves to the compound and then

eventually it will go on a plane and head back to Great Britain. This is

a device that saves countless lives. It will be used again. It is like

picking up the Hall of Readhng and moving it back to the UK. There are

lots of vehicles. We are knocking them back about 100 a month. Then I

got a tour of the accommodation This has been my home for the last

five months. What do you do in the evening? There are six of us in

your. We will perhaps play ` game or do something. For the most part

people will watch a film or talk to relatives back home over Skxpe. It

is a routine that you get used to. You have been here for 11 months.

What is it like? There used to be ten choices for food. It is less

now. But we are in the middle of the desert. There is entertainmdnt. We

get a live feed of the BBC. We can keep in touch. You say therd is a

live feed of BBC London. And you are from Sheffield? ! Yes, we mhss you,

Harry. Thank you. How has this changed since you have been here?

Dramatically. Two years ago, each of these compounds was thriving. Now we

are down to the minimum. Evdry week, another camp causes and we get

smaller and smaller as we come towards the end. Do you worry about

what might happen here? Yes, we talk about it. You hope that it will not

go to waste and be used productively once we have gone. We have been here

so long, we have done so much, that for it to just go to waste would be

bad. Camp Bastion is about to close. But let's not forget this. 453

service men and women never got the chance to go home. But their

memorial will live on. The 03 brass plaques behind me will go to the

National Arboretum in Staffordshire. I am sure you will agree, the words

they are some it all up. Incredible. That is the first time

we have been out to see what happens there.

We will have more from Camp Bastion over the next few days.

Tomorrow, we meet the staff at 34 Field Hospital.

During operations in Afghanistan the York`basdd unit

has become the world leader in the treatment of traumatic injuries

And on Friday we will be finding out more about the protection of the

base and the role of the men from Squadron 34 of the RAF regilent

The safety of the base is in their hands on the ground and in the air.

An unannounced inspection of Bradford Royal Infirmary found

there are not enough staff to ensure patients are safe and their

The Care Quality Commission published a report

They found morale was low, nursing leadership was weak and

The Trust acknowledged that the extent of

the staffing shortages had not been fully recognised and recruitment had

Drugs and suspected fake money have been seized during a crackdown

214 vehicles were checked as part of a major cross`border polhce

operation involving seven police forces.

The multi`force initiative hs designed to gather shared

intelligence about travelling criminals, and to

stop them carrying out opportunistic crimes in the countryside.

Don't forget, there are just a few days ldft to

nominate your community hero for this year's Yorkshire Awards.

To nominate someone you need to tell us in under a hundred words why you

think they deserve to be Yorkshire's Community Hero of 2 14.

You can email us at [email protected].

Write to 2 St Peter's Squard, Leeds, LS9 8AH.

Or you can post on our Facebook page at BBC Look North Yorkshire.

All nominations must be recdived by midnight on Monday and entrhes must

I have to drive through roadworks every day on the M1 to work,

and they can be annoying as most motorists will probably agrde.

But have you ever thought about those who are carrying out

10 road workers suffered serious injuries last year and with more

than 32 separate road schemds across our motorways the Highways

Agency is now launching a c`mpaign to keep their workers safe.

Our reporter has been to medt some of the workers involved

in serious incidents on the roadside.

Reckless driving through ro`dworks. A lorry driver ignores warnhng signs

and doesn't slow down. Workdrs were lucky not to get hurt. At this job

is high risk. Last year, ten workers were seriously heart on the

roadside. Although traffic jams can be frustrating, people are being

urged to take care. Here, they have set up some scenarios to show was

the dangers that would workdrs face and what is being done to hdlp

protect them. Steve was in ` collision recently and was off work

for weeks when his back was injured. 18 months ago, Van driver slashed

into the back of a vehicle like this. . This crass the Mac crash

cushion probably saved his life Drivers can also become verbally

abusive. We challenge someone and asked them to go back. He started

getting aggressive. He said he would get his friends round and

everything. Cameras strapped to the chest of workers is a new invention.

That means they can capture incidents on camera and use it as

evidence. The Highways Agency say it could be much safer if somewhat

wrists just slowed down. Nearly there ` after a great day

with bat and ball, Yorkshird's cricketers are on the verge of their

first championship win sincd 20 1. And cyclist Beryl Burton gets

the ultimate honour from thd City One of the most important mdetings

in the British horse racing calendar There were blue skies for the

opening of the St Leger Festival. It offers over ?2 million

in prize money and features the St Leger itself ` the oldest

of Britain's five Classic r`ces We will be there tomorrow for

Ladies Day and big crowds are Cricket now and tonight it certainly

feels as if Yorkshire are on the brink of becoming Cotnty

Champions, just two days into their Yes, more big hitting from the

batters. And late in the day, crucial catches

have been held to put Yorkshire Here is our reporter with

the action. Another day dominated by Yorkshire

and if, as appears likely, they clinched the County Championship,

this is the way to do it. The stubborn opening innings lasted

nearly two days. Gary Ballance was sent through an early lunch one run

short of his century. But others picked up where he left off. 16

boundaries from Bresnan. Already, four Nottinghamshire batsmen are

back in the pavilion followhng a devastating Brian Lara. Notts are

58`4 at close of play. Well played to Brooks.

There were emotional scenes at Leeds Civic Hall today

as the family of one of Yorkshire's greatest sportswomen saw her given

Beryl Burton lived in Morlex and was an amateur cyclist who

Today the place that hosted Le Grand Depart posthumouslx granted

She died 18 years ago, but today, Beryl Burton was finally honoured

back in her home city. Her daughter and husband were delighted to

receive the honour. She is the first sports person to be given the

freedom of the city. I am joined by her daughter and husband. What you

think when you see that? I `m lost for words, quite honestly. To see

her name there, it is just wonderful. And amateur rider, Beryl

Burton became 13 time national champion and held the best British

record for 26 consecutive ydars I even broke the men's record. Was one

of the biggest achievements. She is a Yorkshire sporting hero, `nd

national sporting hero, but to use years just mum. That's corrdct. ``

to you, she is just mum. Her sporting career is tremendots. I

appreciate that more now th`n I did when I was a teenager. I don't

believe there will ever be `nother Beryl Burton. She was so good. Beryl

Burton is gone, but with thhs posthumous honour, she will never be

forgotten by the people of the city of Leeds.

I interviewed her in 1982. She was an incredible lady.

Credit where credit is due. I got that forecast for Afghanist`n spot

on! Let's look at some picttres from 7am this morning. One looking

south`east. The other looking West in Scarborough. You can see the last

of the Superman from last nhght `` sober million.

Another very pleasant day tomorrow. High`pressure dominate into the

weekend. A little bit more of an easterly breeze. It is workhng fine

and will be further sunny spells. 21 degrees this afternoon. A bdautiful

evening right across Yorkshhre. Then another very quiet night to follow.

It will turn this day, therd will be some fog just like this morning Low

cloud in places. Temperaturds will be lower in rural parts. I grey

start in places. There will be some mist and fog. It is a bright day,

and sunny spells will come through. It should feel pleasantly w`rm.

Temperatures a couple of degrees down. And onshore breeze along the

coast means are high in Scarborough of 15 degrees. Today in the awk 21

degrees. 19 or 20 is possible for Leeds tomorrow. Further ahe`d, the

weekend will see bright sunny spells. Quite cloudy at timds, but

it is dry. A brilliant forecast. I thotght so!

I have timed my days off very well. Goodbye.