05/07/2011

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:00:04. > :00:08.Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Gordon Burns. And

:00:08. > :00:15.Ranvir Singh. Our top story: Dream bathrooms remain a dream as a

:00:15. > :00:18.northwest interiors company struggles and its workers go unpaid.

:00:18. > :00:22.And we'll be hearing from one customer who has paid hundreds of

:00:22. > :00:27.pounds for wardrobes still not built. Also:

:00:27. > :00:30.A helping hand no more. As the public cuts are made, we look at

:00:30. > :00:34.the people who will feel their effects most.

:00:34. > :00:44.And that's my suit. We look into the story of a drycleaners and the

:00:44. > :01:00.

:01:00. > :01:03.thousands of pounds of clothes no- Staff who worked for one of the

:01:03. > :01:06.biggest names in interior design say they've been left in the dark

:01:06. > :01:10.about what's happening to their jobs. Trafford-based HomeForm

:01:10. > :01:13.announced last month that it was going into administration. Workers

:01:13. > :01:16.say they haven't been paid for six weeks, but as yet haven't been

:01:16. > :01:18.officially declared redundant. Customers, meantime, don't know

:01:18. > :01:25.what's happening to orders for kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms

:01:25. > :01:35.placed with the group's companies Moben, Dolphin and Sharps. Dave

:01:35. > :01:38.

:01:38. > :01:44.Guest is with one of those customers now. This is the bedroom

:01:44. > :01:50.that should have a Sharps fitted bedroom in it. It was a �3,000

:01:50. > :01:55.order and this couple paid �800 deposit. No bedroom has

:01:55. > :02:00.materialised. Shops are part of the group will announce they are going

:02:00. > :02:05.into administration. It is not only customers who are worried, so, too,

:02:05. > :02:14.are members of staff. Christine Davies is looking for a new job.

:02:14. > :02:20.She worked in telesales for eight years. We were told, basically, get

:02:20. > :02:26.your coats and Leeds. He will not be paid. We were expecting our

:02:26. > :02:35.wages. There was no warning. Nobody is part of the Home Form Group. It

:02:35. > :02:38.also owns Kitchens Direct, Dolphin bathrooms and Sharps Bedrooms. This

:02:38. > :02:42.she the Act was part of the group was maximum marketing campaign.

:02:42. > :02:50.Details of that campaign but only in favour to staff days before the

:02:50. > :02:55.bombshell that the group was going into administration. The Sutton and,

:02:55. > :03:00.Christine Davis joint colleagues venting their frustration. -- this

:03:00. > :03:04.afternoon. We have got mortgages, or babies, things to pay out and we

:03:04. > :03:09.have not had a penny. At this moment in time, the administrators

:03:09. > :03:15.have not been officially appointed. And so they are, there is no

:03:15. > :03:21.chances people will get the pay they are owed. Or indeed, getting

:03:21. > :03:25.any redundancy payment. At the moment, they are in limbo.

:03:25. > :03:27.process of appointing an administrator can take up to 12

:03:27. > :03:31.days. During that time, the administrators will be looking

:03:31. > :03:36.through the books and looking at which parts of the company can be

:03:36. > :03:40.saved. Customers expecting kitchens and bathrooms will be equally

:03:40. > :03:45.frustrated as they wait for news. Among the casualties, this

:03:45. > :03:50.Manchester based agency. Homeform had signed a �12 million contract

:03:50. > :03:58.with the agency in April. The loss of that has caused the agency to

:03:59. > :04:05.cease trading, losing 11 jobs. The one possible hope in this is that

:04:05. > :04:10.shops say they may be able to save this. Whether that is a comfort to

:04:10. > :04:14.this man, I do not know. I am very worried. At the beginning of June,

:04:14. > :04:21.they told me they had lots of orders that they could complete my

:04:21. > :04:26.Since then, they have told me they cannot. By have requested my money

:04:26. > :04:30.back four times and written to them, that it seems unlikely that I will

:04:30. > :04:34.get my deposit back. My wife and I are and well. I do not know what

:04:34. > :04:38.I'm going to do without getting the money back to get another fitted

:04:38. > :04:43.wardrobe. There was no clear that there was any problem with the

:04:43. > :04:45.company? Absolutely not. That will reveal any had five slots left at

:04:45. > :04:50.the beginning of June and there would suit me and even though I

:04:50. > :04:56.wanted sliding wardrobe doors. Thank you very much. That fitted

:04:56. > :04:59.bedroom is very important to this couple because, as you can tell,

:04:59. > :05:03.the Gentleman has sight problems and wanted his move the fitted

:05:03. > :05:11.bedroom to get around more easily. It seems that will not happen for

:05:11. > :05:13.Jobs at a Crewe rail plant have come under threat after managers

:05:13. > :05:17.decided to review their UK operations. Train-maker Bombardier

:05:17. > :05:24.cut 1,400 jobs at its Derby plant today after they lost out on a �1.4

:05:24. > :05:26.billion contract to build carriages for the new Thameslink line. The

:05:26. > :05:29.Crewe works, which employs 300 people, is unaffected by the

:05:29. > :05:38.announcement, but the company says a wider review could mean potential

:05:38. > :05:41.job losses in Crewe. Some better job news now. We've

:05:41. > :05:44.heard a lot in recent years about call centre jobs here being lost

:05:44. > :05:49.because companies find it cheaper to set up operations in India. Well,

:05:49. > :05:52.now one company is reversing the trend. New Call Telecom is closing

:05:52. > :06:02.its call centre in Mumbai and setting up near Burnley in

:06:02. > :06:04.

:06:04. > :06:08.Lancashire because it makes For years, call-centre jobs have

:06:08. > :06:14.flooded from the North West to India, attracted by cheap labour

:06:14. > :06:18.and low property costs. But this company is moving the other way.

:06:18. > :06:24.have seen real-estate prices increasing, we have seen inflation

:06:24. > :06:29.rising quite heavily over there. Average salaries are increasing.

:06:29. > :06:33.is relocating its customer-service centre to just outside Burnley. The

:06:33. > :06:36.operation and Mumbai will close. One property unemployment costs

:06:36. > :06:40.will be roughly the same, the company hopes to save money on

:06:40. > :06:44.management fees, and accommodation and travel costs. It will hopes to

:06:44. > :06:51.save money because on average, it says that British workers answer

:06:51. > :06:57.customer calls quicker than their Indian counterparts. We were

:06:57. > :07:01.surprised when it came up with the numbers. There was no hesitation.

:07:01. > :07:05.On the streets of Burnley, mixed reviews on the town's ability to

:07:05. > :07:14.compete with foreign-based call centres. Over there, you're paying

:07:14. > :07:21.them about �1 a day. Over here, the minimum wage is �5 something.

:07:21. > :07:25.say there are jobs, but people are having to work for less.

:07:25. > :07:29.company's operation will initially employ 20 people. But with its

:07:29. > :07:33.moves sparked others? There are half-a-dozen companies that have

:07:33. > :07:37.moved back and there must be about another half a dozen who are

:07:37. > :07:42.renewing the situation. Politically, it makes more sense to come back to

:07:42. > :07:49.home, if you will. I think it will be good to support local jobs and

:07:49. > :07:52.local people. The call centre will be up and running by August.

:07:52. > :07:55.St Helens Council and the Five Boroughs mental health trust have

:07:55. > :07:58.been heavily criticised after a man was found by family in a flat full

:07:58. > :08:00.of cockroaches and flies. A joint investigation by the Health Service

:08:00. > :08:03.Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman revealed a failure to

:08:03. > :08:08.monitor the man, who had schizophrenia, and respond to signs

:08:08. > :08:18.he was at risk. He later died of bone cancer. The council and the

:08:18. > :08:22.trust have accepted the findings of the investigation. The North West

:08:22. > :08:27.MEP says he and his family felt intimidated by a demonstration

:08:27. > :08:37.outside his home. The EDL has held a number of protests in Lancashire

:08:37. > :08:38.

:08:38. > :08:41.recently. On Saturday, 35 people gathered outside Saj Karim's house.

:08:41. > :08:45.The Stroke Association has had its funding heart by the NHS in

:08:45. > :08:49.Manchester. They say that as many as 200 people in the city will be

:08:49. > :08:53.left without the support and help the charity provides when someone

:08:53. > :08:57.is recovering from a stroke. The NHS service had to look

:08:57. > :09:01.carefully at the money they are investing in services, but are

:09:01. > :09:11.improving them in other ways. It is a picture reflected around the

:09:11. > :09:18.region. Our Health has this. It is very first -- frustrating the

:09:18. > :09:21.fact that I have no... For Kevin, every day is frustrating. He has

:09:21. > :09:25.lost the movement down the right side of his body. Helen is a

:09:25. > :09:29.regular visitor. The charity she works for provides practical and

:09:29. > :09:34.emotional support. Where would you be without the support of the

:09:34. > :09:40.Stroke Association? I think there would be very depressed. One of the

:09:40. > :09:47.biggest problems with any stroke survivor is that there is a

:09:47. > :09:52.tendency to become isolated. Under this week, there were two people

:09:52. > :09:57.doing Helen's jobs in Manchester. They worked 14 hours and saw 30

:09:57. > :10:02.people a week. One has now judge -- 1 has now lost her job and Helen's

:10:02. > :10:08.hours have been cut. A lot of them will be abandoned. Emissions will

:10:08. > :10:12.be all over the place. Depression we have a massive effect. That can

:10:12. > :10:17.have a bigger knock-on effect for the GPs. With big savings to find,

:10:17. > :10:25.NHS Manchester faces the same dilemma as every other half a

:10:25. > :10:30.authority in the North West. Finances come into it, that, we are

:10:30. > :10:34.working together closely with health and social care to meet the

:10:34. > :10:37.needs of these patients and their carers. That includes drawing up a

:10:37. > :10:44.new patient handbook with advice and information. The stroke patient

:10:44. > :10:48.I spoke to said that is no substitute. None whatsoever. You

:10:48. > :10:55.cannot get help from a booklet. It will not give you advice. It is

:10:55. > :10:58.just there. Most stroke survivors cannot get their head around a book.

:10:58. > :11:07.For Kevin, the visits will continue for now but the charity knows it

:11:07. > :11:11.can no longer help everyone. It is very worrying for people like

:11:11. > :11:18.Kevin. The Stroke Association is not the only charity facing cuts.

:11:18. > :11:25.Not all charities get NHS funding. The picture emerging is a rather

:11:25. > :11:30.bleak one. Mind had its funding from the NHS and the council cut by

:11:30. > :11:35.80% and have to get half their staff go. The Lesbian and Gay

:11:35. > :11:40.foundation has closed many of their offices. St Catherine's Hospice

:11:40. > :11:47.near Preston told us their local NHS trust is proposing to cut

:11:47. > :11:56.around 60 fact -- �65,000 of their funding. Those are just a couple of

:11:56. > :11:58.examples, but no doubt, plenty more A range of music events,

:11:58. > :12:01.exhibitions and legal ceremonies have marked Tynwald Day on the Isle

:12:01. > :12:04.of Man today. The national celebration centres around Tynwald

:12:04. > :12:07.Hill, where the government gathered this morning to read out all recent

:12:07. > :12:16.law changes and offer the public a chance to put forward their own

:12:16. > :12:20.grievances. It would take a lot more than blanket rain and strong

:12:20. > :12:25.winds to keep the crowds away from Tynwald Hill today. They were there

:12:25. > :12:31.to be part of a ceremony which stretches back to the Viking

:12:31. > :12:37.ancestors. Tynwald Hill behind me has been prepared of the last few

:12:37. > :12:44.days for today. It is believed more than 1,000 years ago the first

:12:44. > :12:52.leaders gathered here. Tynwald Hill is at the centre of things

:12:53. > :13:00.political and culturally here on the island. As part of Today's

:13:00. > :13:10.proceedings, the public are invited to put things forward as a petition

:13:10. > :13:17.

:13:17. > :13:24.of deviance. Design features for a one item cannot be rectified. They

:13:24. > :13:29.go through. It is now up to the end he each case it to look into the

:13:29. > :13:34.issues once they have been presented. Today was also the end

:13:34. > :13:40.of an Era or for the President. He is stepping down after 11 years at

:13:40. > :13:50.the helm. It took me a long time. But it was time to move on. I have

:13:50. > :13:50.

:13:50. > :13:53.made my decision and that is eight. 30 years ago this evening the

:13:53. > :13:58.Toxteth district of Liverpool was facing a second night of fierce

:13:58. > :14:01.rioting. The violence of 1981 and the response to it continues to

:14:01. > :14:06.shape the character of the area. Unemployment and racism were at the

:14:06. > :14:12.root of community anger. In a moment, Phina Orcuche presents a

:14:12. > :14:18.personal view of the aftermath of the riots. First, Andy Gill looks

:14:18. > :14:21.at what has changed in Liverpool over the past three decades. 30

:14:21. > :14:25.years on and Toxteth is still extremely deprived. That's

:14:25. > :14:30.Liverpool Council's own description. Unemployment in the Liverpool 8

:14:30. > :14:40.ward is more than 37%. Well above the Liverpool average of 22% and

:14:40. > :14:46.

:14:46. > :14:50.the national average of 12.5%. think it is a disgrace. It shames

:14:50. > :14:53.the country. At the same time, we have to acknowledge the progress

:14:53. > :14:56.that has been made. There have been improvements. A new Tesco has

:14:56. > :14:59.created hundreds of new jobs. The biggest private investment here

:14:59. > :15:03.since 1981. The then Government's response to the riots was led by

:15:03. > :15:07.Michael, now Lord, Heseltine. Here on a recent visit to the restored

:15:07. > :15:16.Garden Festival Site. He sees much to celebrate in how Liverpool's

:15:16. > :15:23.doing now. That is what is different now. The place is alive

:15:23. > :15:27.with people bursting with ideas. What I would say about the last 30

:15:27. > :15:31.years is Lockwood you have done the then there and look forward with

:15:31. > :15:34.confidence. But official figures show how far Toxteth itself still

:15:34. > :15:37.lags behind. Two thirds of children live in poverty. In Liverpool as a

:15:37. > :15:44.whole, it's just over one third. The national average is a fifth.

:15:44. > :15:48.One councillor says there's a feeling nothing much has changed.

:15:48. > :15:54.The community has been isolated. When you look at the conditions,

:15:54. > :16:00.that will have a negative effect on anybody. People have not been able

:16:00. > :16:10.to access jobs. There is still a lot of work to be done to change

:16:10. > :16:12.

:16:12. > :16:22.the culture. Crime is falling in Toxteth as it is in the rest of

:16:22. > :16:30.

:16:30. > :16:33.Liverpool, but less. In the second of her special

:16:33. > :16:43.reports, Phina Oruche looks at what the future holds for the young

:16:43. > :16:47.

:16:47. > :16:51.As our community was being torn apart, people had their own records

:16:51. > :16:59.of events. The photographs are now part of an exhibition. It is the

:16:59. > :17:07.first time these young people have seen the images. Even though I have

:17:07. > :17:14.heard of it, why had not seen pictures. We want a better

:17:14. > :17:22.community which is positive. It is vital that it happened. If the

:17:22. > :17:32.mentality was still the same as back then, I do not think I would

:17:32. > :17:35.

:17:35. > :17:38.not have got as much as I have got done. This woman has been

:17:38. > :17:44.collecting the photographs and she is hoping the young people of

:17:44. > :17:50.Toxteth will be able to shape their destiny. It is important for young

:17:50. > :18:00.people today to be involved in how their community develops. They need

:18:00. > :18:02.

:18:02. > :18:06.to develop responsibility for This community party was organised

:18:06. > :18:16.by young people. They are involved in cleaning up and improving their

:18:16. > :18:17.

:18:17. > :18:21.own neighbourhood. I could only say what they have done this year. They

:18:21. > :18:28.are are converting brand new offices for local people to rent.

:18:28. > :18:35.These were all brought in by young people. It makes me feel good. We

:18:35. > :18:43.try to keep the area clean. We have changed and pushed forward. We want

:18:43. > :18:50.to break the stereotype. When I started filming, I was not sure

:18:50. > :18:57.what I would find. I did not know where all the people I used to know

:18:57. > :19:02.well. I have seen young people from this project and a community of

:19:02. > :19:12.volunteers show me that the heart of Liverpool 8 is still vibrant and

:19:12. > :19:14.

:19:14. > :19:24.In tomorrow night's programme, Mossside born Coronation Street

:19:24. > :19:25.

:19:25. > :19:28.Actor Chris Blissom reports 30 Picture the scene, the big day is

:19:28. > :19:32.looming. You take your favourite dress or suit to the dry cleaners,

:19:32. > :19:38.so it will look like new. You return to pick it up and it's

:19:38. > :19:42.closed. The shop is locked. Nobody knows what's going on. It looks

:19:42. > :19:47.like you may never get your best outfit back again. Now you know

:19:47. > :19:50.what it's like to be a customer of The Laundry Shop in Manchester.

:19:50. > :19:54.Jokes about being taken to the cleaners and being all washed up

:19:54. > :20:04.are starting to wear a bit thin. One day the Laundry Shop was taking

:20:04. > :20:04.

:20:04. > :20:11.in suits and dresses, the next it wasn't giving them back. It is

:20:11. > :20:16.definitely closed. Inside, you can see a couple of hundreds of suits

:20:16. > :20:24.and dresses up ready to go. On the floor among female you have urgent

:20:24. > :20:27.messages from people desperate to get their clothes back. They say I

:20:27. > :20:34.need to pick up my clothing. The shop on Oxford Street closed after

:20:34. > :20:44.running into money problems. Scott Dawson can't get at the suit he

:20:44. > :20:50.wore as best man. It was a gift from him and his wife as a thank

:20:50. > :20:56.you. There are a few suits and dresses in there. It could be in

:20:56. > :20:59.Scott's not alone. Desperate customers have set up a Facebook

:20:59. > :21:09.site to coordinate their attempts to retrieve their belongings

:21:09. > :21:14.

:21:14. > :21:22.including, in one case, �2,000 It is shocking. I can see them.

:21:22. > :21:25.They are there. I do not think anybody knows what is happening.

:21:25. > :21:35.Six weeks on and at last the bailiffs tell us they're hopeful

:21:35. > :21:40.

:21:40. > :21:50.customers will get their clothes Less than two months ago he was

:21:50. > :22:03.

:22:03. > :22:11.lifting the FA Cup for Manchester It is a great opportunity to start

:22:11. > :22:21.off. Being in the conference is not with his club wants to be. But we

:22:21. > :22:40.

:22:40. > :22:48.were to bring the club but back to It has been a dismal day. Top

:22:48. > :22:53.temperature yesterday was 26 Celsius. Today, at the same time, a

:22:53. > :23:02.dismal 16 Celsius. Feeling much cooler. A good 10 degrees cooler

:23:02. > :23:08.than what we had yesterday. That has happened in the space of 24

:23:08. > :23:14.hours. We have also had the cloud and rain. It was a wet start across

:23:14. > :23:20.the Isle of Man. That has moved its way westwards. Most of it has now

:23:20. > :23:28.moved away. It is a drier end to the day but the rain will pivot and

:23:28. > :23:31.come back for seconds a cost parts of Cumbria and Lincolnshire as well.

:23:31. > :23:37.You will see another band of shower and train moving in later on

:23:37. > :23:44.tonight. Not much to differentiate with the temperatures down to about

:23:44. > :23:54.11 degrees. He could be woken up by a rumble of thunder. Showers will

:23:54. > :23:54.

:23:54. > :24:00.be heavy. Those may become fewer and further between later on in the

:24:00. > :24:10.day that feeling quite dismal. Not much changing for the rest of the

:24:10. > :24:17.

:24:17. > :24:21.Ship containers have been piled up on the quayside in Salford. But

:24:21. > :24:25.they are no ordinary containers. As part of the Manchester

:24:25. > :24:35.International Festival they have been turned into music boxes. They

:24:35. > :24:37.

:24:37. > :24:41.are designed to appeal to the There have been building it full

:24:41. > :24:50.weeks. In musical city, ship containers have never looked so

:24:51. > :24:56.The music boxes are designed for the under-sevens. Tickets are free

:24:56. > :25:02.but you have to book and choose to boxes to visit, depending on the

:25:02. > :25:05.age of your child. You have completely different kinds of

:25:05. > :25:12.artists, creating a unique environment for children to play

:25:13. > :25:19.and participate. Does the grown-up concept translates to the people it

:25:19. > :25:29.is aimed at? Meet our panel. The children are aged between six

:25:29. > :25:38.

:25:38. > :25:48.months and four. First off to the What is it like? Nice. It is

:25:48. > :25:55.

:25:55. > :26:05.squishy. Then it is off to the drum With feathers and bubbles. And the

:26:05. > :26:09.

:26:09. > :26:17.verdict? Did you like the drums? Yes. They were amazing. Really good.

:26:17. > :26:26.Did you think it was good? Yes. It was great. It was really different.

:26:26. > :26:36.You did like it. What did you like? The music boxes will be at Salford

:26:36. > :26:45.

:26:45. > :26:55.Did you get a sense does children You can follow the festival on a

:26:55. > :27:03.

:27:03. > :27:13.liner. -- online. You'll be telling us about clouts tomorrow.

:27:13. > :27:15.

:27:15. > :27:22.Have you ever heard of noctilucent clouds, well you have now. I will