14/02/2017 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening. so it's goodbye from me,

You're watching Tuesday's Look North.

A BBC investigation reveals the shocking state of some council

houses and how Yorkshire's local authorities are paying

We put this wallpaper up about six months ago and it's completely

mouldy and the wall underneath is completely wet.

We'll hear how claims management companies are targeting tenants

Anger over plans to build a multi-million pound incinerator

in the Aire Valley prompt a public meeting.

And the first timetabled steam train service in England

for nearly 50 years takes to the tracks in North Yorkshire.

Well, at long last, milder air is on the way over the next 24 hours

First tonight, a BBC Yorkshire investigation has revealed that

thousands of council house tenants are living in squalor and in homes

One of our authorities has paid out millions of pounds in compensation

claims for disrepair and one tenant went to court seven times

Over the last five years, councils across England paid

out more than ?35 million in compensation and legal

fees to tenants living in damp or unfit homes.

In Yorkshire the highest pay-out total

was by Leeds Council who handed out ?4.5m,

where they failed to adequately maintain or undertake repairs.

Tonight, the council has defended itself saying its invested millions

in its properties but the age and character

of the homes makes it difficult to avoid damp.

Anna Crossley has this exclusive report.

So, as you can see here, we put this wallpaper up about six months ago

and it's completely mouldy and the wall underneath

And even our shoes are mouldy as well.

Katerina is a student and part-time cleaner.

She pays in Leeds City Council around ?270 a month to

live in a flat which is riddled with mould.

It's now so bad she believes it's making her ill.

Although Katerina hasn't taken the council to court,

She says he and his brother sound like this all the time,

She claims it's because their rented house is still damp.

Two years ago, Ann successfully sued Leeds City Council because the

property was so poorly maintained, but she says the problems remain

so she is taking legal action once again.

Holes in the walls upstairs in both the bathroom and the toilet.

It's just running through the centre of the entire house and at the front

Social housing in Leeds has such a bad reputation

that claims management companies are now targeting the city,

encouraging tenants to take the council to court.

These firms identify properties which are in a poor state

of repair and then for a finder's fee, pass on the tenant's details to

Quite a lot of staining and deterioration in the plaster.

Bobby Kennedy runs a claims management company

and says Ann almost certainly has another case against the council.

We'll just show you the level it goes up to.

The compensation paid to the tenants to replace the things

that have been damaged due to the disrepair in the properties.

The council themselves have an obligation to repair

and when they agree to do the repairs, if they

decide then not to do it and the tenant contacts us again,

then we will get involved again to help the tenant.

Solicitor Nina Patel often takes on Bobby's clients and she

rejects the idea that legal firms are simply cashing in,

arguing that landlords need to be held accountable.

They are very quick to charge rent and evict the clients if

the tenants aren't maintaining the payments, so equally, why can't

these tenants go and get legal advice if their repairs

I don't think it's just about money and profit,

it's more about improving the conditions.

They're paying rent and they shouldn't be living

At a time when council services are being cut

in line with dwindling budgets, many will question why millions

of pounds are being spent on compensation and legal fees

instead of fixing the problems in the first place.

Anna, many people will be shocked that people are living in these

What happened to the tenants since the film?

Well, since filming, Katerina told us that

someone from Leeds City Council has been round to her flat and washed

the mould off the walls, but she is concerned

Unfortunately, Ann's situation remains unresolved, but

she says she now has the backing of her local MP, Rachel Reeves.

And have we heard anything from Leeds Council on this?

Well, unfortunately, no one from the council

but they did give us a statement instead.

They said, we take repair obligations very seriously.

In the last financial year, we have carried out

around 200,000 repairs, over 95% of which were completed

The statement also goes on to say, we would always encourage

tenants to approach us first before pursuing legal action as many of our

tenants may not be aware that firms who claim on their behalf will

typically recover twice as much for themselves in legal costs

A teenager has appeared in court in Leeds today charged

with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in the city.

Irfan Wahid died after he was attacked

Phil Bodmer was in court and has more.

A 16-year-old who can't be named because of his age appearred here

at Leeds Youth Court early this morning.

He is charged with murder and possession of a bladed article,

He appeared in the dock wearing a grey sweatshirt

He was flanked by two security guards.

He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Police were called to an address on Harehills Lane in Leeds

16-year-old Irfan Wahid was taken to hospital for treatment

A postmortem examination conducted on Sunday

confirmed the cause of death as a single stab wood to the chest.

Flowers were laid at the scene as police enquiries into what happened

District Judge Adrian Lower remanded the youth

into custody, pending an appearance at

Leeds Crown Court on Thursday the 16th of February.

Meanwhile, a 34-year-old man has appeared before

Leeds Magistrates charged with the murder of a man also

Bartlomiej Dedek was remanded in custody and will appear

Three other men and a woman have been released without charge.

A Leeds lawyer and former Ukip parliamentary candidate has

won his appeal against allegations he "pestered" women at a work party.

Barrister Stephen Howd was charged with misconduct

after the social event at Zenith Chambers in Leeds

He was later fined ?1800 by a disciplinary tribunal.

But a High Court judge ruled today that his "inappropriate" behaviour

Birds of prey will be used to scare away gulls

in Scarborough and Whitby, after councillors approved

Herring gull nests and eggs will also be removed

A company called NBC Environment will carry out the work,

with their contract starting from next month.

The council says the measures are needed because of nuisance

complaints and so-called "gull muggings."

Charlotte's meeting those helping some of Yorkshire's lonely hearts.

Happy Valentine's Day from Wakefield.

We're having a cup of tea, enjoying some cake,

making friends in a scheme designed to combat loneliness

Homeowners near Keighley say their lives have been put

on hold as they wait to hear whether a giant incinerator

will be built next to their properties.

They're worried the ?135 million plant

at Thwaites will cause pollution, noise and ruin the landscape

and have organised a public meeting this evening to highlight the issue.

But councillors say the site will create jobs

Nestled in the Aire Valley, Charlotte says one of the reasons

she chose to live here was because of the view,

but soon that few could include a waste incinerator

Lots of people round here have children

We don't know ultimately what's coming out of that facility

and whether it will actually have a really negative impact on our

It's thought the move will create hundreds of jobs and building work

has already started to clear the area.

But Charlotte isn't the only unhappy local.

More than 5000 people have joined a Facebook group

supporting her campaign including neighbour, Roland.

It's a beautiful landscape with rolling hillsides and farmland

but also its unknown publisher and that's

going to be emitted from the incinerator.

Most incinerators in the UK are household waste.

This is designated for commercial waste and

We just don't know what the health impact is going to be.

It was last week that permission was granted to build that

But since then, there's been good news for campaigners.

Bradford City Council say that plan has now been

Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for local

Government, is looking at the proposals and it will be up

Bradford Council says the plant is unlikely to

The pollution concerns fall under the

Environment Agency's permitting process.

But Charlotte and her neighbours still have a lot of questions.

They are holding a meeting tonight, and there hope to get some answers

and save the landscape that they love.

And we'll bring you the latest from the meeting on our

Imagine if you could find a bank that didn't charge you any interest

on your mortgage or loans and promised not to invest in

That's the policy of a new bank that's

The Al Rayan says it offers financial products and services

that comply with its customers' Islamic beliefs.

Our reporter Gaggan Sabherwal has been finding out more about this

Talha Laher is a manager at Chicanos in Bradford and has always

looking at opportunities to expand his business.

But in the past, he has struggled to do that as it meant

he would have had to compromise on his Islamic beliefs.

This is what we've been looking for for a very long time.

And as soon as it came into Bradford, it was like,

As well as not charging interest, Islamic banks

also follow an ethical style of banking which prohibits it from

investing in alcohol, gambling, tobacco and pronography.

With customers that apply for home purchase plans,

we buy that property in partnership with those customers, and they,

on a monthly basis, will pay us an acquisition payment

and at the same time we have a rental agreement with

them whereby people pay a fair rent to us.

For customers that save and invest money with us, then we will

invest in those monies in certain areas such as property or

commodities, normally metal, and through that transaction, make a

fair profit and we share that profit with our customers.

This children's nursery has also benefited from the bank.

It's allowed us to be able to expand our business, borrow finance

if we need to and obviously get the help and support from them

But just how safe is Islamic banking?

Because it's asset-backed, not asset-based,

They follow the same rules and regulations

In fact more, because they also have to comply

Al Rayan has plans to open more branches across the country and

We tend to think of some of them as dusty old places filled

with stuffed animals and ancient artefacts but the latest exhibition

to open in Wakefield is anything but!

It is in fact a celebration of one of Yorkshire's

biggest music exports, Wakefield band the Cribs.

Shamir Masri's been for a look round.

Now in their 15th year, the Cribs are celebrating their ongoing

success with an exhibition of artefacts in Wakefield one which

houses council officers, the town's library but also the museum. The

three brothers have kept Wakefield close to their hearts and this

exhibition features some rare and delicate artefacts. Now, for this

exhibition, they've really push the boat out. They even have a life-size

waxwork of Ross, the drummer, in this window box. The other guys have

been away, so I've basically just been pestering my mum and dad. A lot

of the old stuff, but it gets from the first gigs be ever did, been

tearing through the cupboards and finding interesting bits and bits

and pieces and stuff. We always see our instruments as tools. Like a

blacksmith would see his tools or whatever. The stuff that has been

away in storage and stuff, it has been nice to let it see the light of

day and share it with people too. The exhibition is designed to inform

and inspire. If you haven't got a guitar, you can strum a friend. I

like the idea that I've seen a lot of people bringing their kids, just

passing through, it would be great if some kids solvers, and went away

and formed a band. That would be a fitting legacy. They are proud of

their ribs and it's fantastic that all of the world people know

Wakefield through the cat microbes. I think it's fantastic. If you want

to see the band in the flesh, they are on tour in May, including a show

at Leeds arena. I think the thing we will inspire most is people with

library cards showing up at the next show may be! It might appeal to the

older demographic or something. Maybe that is what will come of

this. We will soon see. The exhibition is free for all and runs

until July. I've just been told their biggest hit is called Hey

Seamstress. A new exhibit has been installed at

the Yorkshire Sculpture Park today. It's called Caldara

and was created by the leading His biggest ever UK exhibition opens

on the 4th of March, when visitors can view the seven

tonne sculpture and others across the park for one

of their biggest shows of the year. Caldera is an amazing piece

that you can see here I think we've been on this for four

and a half hours to get it to this stage and it's going to be

another hour or two before we get it in,

but I hadn't realised that

it's actually two figures almost kissing and I didn't

realise you could actually get They Have Been Worked There For

Ages. It Takes Such A Long Time To Install All These Little Bits.

Really time consuming. Sports now. Sheffield's Kell Brook is returning

to welterweight to defend his world title against American

Errol Spence Jr. Kell hasn't fought since being

beaten by middleweight, Terms have been agreed

with Spence for a fight in May, which could take place

at Bramall Lane. Now how far would you go

to raise money for charity? Well, Sheffield Wednesday fan

Ian Toothill has been given just months to live because of cancer

and he's going to climb Everest! He's thought to be the only cancer

sufferer attempting to reach the top, and has even pledged

to plant a Sheffield United flag at the summit after a friend,

who's a Blades fan, Ian collected the flag

at Bramall Lane today and hopes to raise a quarter of a million

pounds for MacMillan Cancer Support. I got a text from a friend saying,

how do you do need? I sent a text with the

donation site and I said, if you put ?1000, I will

put a Sheffield United And I'm a Sheffield Wednesday

fan and I said it as a complete joke and maybe two minutes

later, I got a screenshot of ?1000 into the account and just a simple

one line phrase saying, I'll wait to see the Blades

flag on top of Everest. And the next 20 texts are just me

swearing, basically! Good luck, Ian! We really do wish

him all the very best. All true football fans will support him as

well. It can't have escaped your attention

that it's Valentine's Day. I can picture the scene in your

house August morning as you came down and there was a dozen roses

waiting for you before you made breakfast?

You might have to just imagine that! Too early babies are a passion

killer. But all that talk of roses

and romance can be quite depressing if you happen to be

on your own or feeling isolated. In fact, over half of 75-year-olds

are living alone. So with that in mind,

Age UK organised a Valentine's tea party at the Ridings Shopping Centre

in Wakefield today. We sent Charlotte Leeming along

for a cuppa and a slice of cake. On Valentine's Day, it's all about

hearts and flowers and the pressure to be romantic. But this time of

year also brings loneliness into sharp focus and figures from age UK

savers more than 2 million older people come out dissenters like this

simply so they've got a reason to be free house and someone to talk to.

what better way to make new friends than over a cup of tea and a slice

of cake? Their Wakefield branch of Age UK today put on a free afternoon

tea at the riding centre to encourage people to socialise.

Cousins Pat and Pauline are in their 80s. They both lost their husbands

but to make sure they don't feel isolated, they always make sure they

are busy. I go to an arthritic club once a month and we go off on trips

and see people. Yeah. Keep busy. Look after my daughter's., walk it.

You always have someone to talk to? Myself if nobody else! And I answer

myself! Your cousin Pauline is here as well. Lane, what do you think

about this scheme? Just to make sure that other people are not isolated?

I think they should get up and get out a little bit. People that can

like Pat and I, once a month, chat and Coffey and then go home because

we are both on a roll now. It is not always that easy as lacking

confidence can be a real issue as you get older and lose loved ones.

Pharaonic adds more's husband died three years ago. Since then, trips

to the shop have been her only social outings. You make friends,

but when you get older, you lose your friends. They die off and then

you are left on your own. There are no friends left and you just don't

know what to do until this happens. It's been absolutely perfect. It's

been lovely. It's Valentines, shall we have a dance? Come on. Cupcakes,

company and caring. No lonely hearts with these shoppers this Valentine's

Day. Just new friends and fun. I'm sure she made a few people's

Valentines today. What could be more romantic

for Valentine's Day than a ride on an historic steam train on one

of the most scenic railways Today, passengers on the Settle

and Carlisle railway were treated to a ride in the style of a bygone

era as part of the timetabled service and all for the price

of a regular ticket. Tom Ingall was on board

for a brief encounter Backwards to the future. A clamour

on Appleby railway platform this morning, not just for this team, you

understand, but for the occasion. How much called you have two shovel

today? We have seven tonnes and we will probably use more most of it. I

hope you've had your breakfast! A full English! A flash of water and

off towards Skipton along the remote testament to the human determination

that is the Cecil and Carlisle railway. Sunday, August the 11th

1968 Starc it was right here almost half a century ago that Britain

waved goodbye to timetabled scene. Yes, there have been many steam

hauled excursion since then, but you would normally pay a premium price

and have to book in advance. Today, selected scheduled diesel trains

have actually been replaced by steam and what makes this steamy surprise

sweeter is you still pay the normal fare. The engine chuffing out a new

chapter in railway history today is Tornado. It wasn't even built when

steam first came along but then, neither were some of the customers.

It's very good. Why is it so good? Because when I go on steam trains, I

travelled the world and I see new places. The morning Sunrise has been

shown across the valleys. It's been absolutely beautiful. We have been

enjoying every minute of it. Who is your travelling companion? This is

my grandson Joseph. What you make of it so far, joseph? I think it's very

exciting. And I've enjoyed it as much as everybody should. But Peter

Taylor was here back in 68. Like me, on a train, he loves ticking off the

miles on a map. What were those last days of steam like? Izod combination

of exciting and very sad. You thought you would never see it

again. Are you surprised that you we are riding on a timetabled steam

train today? Yes, but very pleased. I have come up from Maidstone just

to travel on these trains. Now, this is my idea of a romantic Valentine's

Day. Riding the rails across the roof of the Pennines, watching the

steamy mix with the clouds that are clinging to snowclad mountain tops.

It is poetic. You should stick that in a greetings card. Something

rather ancient and romantic about it, isn't there? Balls that is no

way to talk about your better half! Nice day out, isn't it? You look in

fused, Sir! That's just my natural expression. I bet that expression

changed when he saw this. There is no greater monument to the iron

road. There is no better way to see it. This is no dream. There is no

need to wake up. Steam usurped diesel and it was magic.

What a wonderful piece that was, thank you very much.

I would have loved to have gone on that. Thank you for the Roses, they

were unnecessary but beautiful. Then I will take them back, I've

kept the receipt! Let's look at some pictures that

came in in the last few hours. You can't see the viaduct there, but

what a stunning date has been up there. I was filming this morning

and it was absolutely beautiful. Snow over the tops. The second

picture is Whitby rookie beautiful as well. Keep them coming in.

The main thrust of the forecast is for mild air to come up from the

South West in the next 24 hours. Let's have a look at the graphics if

they are working? Cloudy and milder. The mild air will be with us not

just the second half of this week but early next week with

temperatures in eastern areas reaching 16 degrees perhaps. Good

news. A touch of spring early next week. West and is becoming

established and in the next few days. We are looking at this weather

fronts that will bring cloud up from the South West over the next few

hours so after a fine start, it will cloud over and we will see just a

little patch of light rain and drizzle. Amounts will be pretty

small. Frost free with some listeners over the hills and we will

see temperatures are four or five Celsius. That is 45 in Fahrenheit. A

quick look at high water times and sunrise. I think tomorrow morning is

cloudy, damp and places. Mr mist over the hills. Skies will brighten

just a little bit in the morning but then in the afternoon, thick cloud

once again bringing patchy bricks of rain. North-eastwards across most

areas or adapt enter the day. Let's look at top temperatures. Double

figures just about everywhere across Yorkshire. 10 Celsius, 50

Fahrenheit. There might be the old 11 in places, 52 Fahrenheit. Breezy

with some showers possible. We keep that team into next week and then

potentially exceptionally mild into the early part of next week and that

is the forecast. Thank you very much. That is it from

us. Aromatic cuppa soup for one for me tonight! Enjoy that. There