:00:06. > :00:10.Good evening. Welcome to North West tonight with Ranvir Singh and it
:00:10. > :00:14.Roger Johnson. Thousands of people out of work in
:00:14. > :00:16.the north-west as used unemployment more than doubles. Some employers
:00:16. > :00:21.tell us they are disappointed with those they take on.
:00:21. > :00:26.A lot of the lads we take on, just for them to get out of bed, they
:00:26. > :00:30.won't get out of bed or go to college.
:00:30. > :00:34.Also in the programme, trapped in her own home, the 84-year-old stuck
:00:34. > :00:38.in her flat for three months because the lift is broken.
:00:38. > :00:45.Everything is such a big effort to do it. I have to keep stopping and
:00:45. > :00:50.sitting down in between. The lights are up, but they are not
:00:50. > :00:55.on, how are row over health and safety has taken the sparkle out of
:00:55. > :00:58.Christmas for one Cheshire family. I'm still fighting - Amir Khan
:00:58. > :01:02.tells us he is appealing against his world title defeat and hopes
:01:02. > :01:06.his belts will be handed back. Did you believe the result could be
:01:06. > :01:15.overturned deep down? I think it can be, definitely can
:01:15. > :01:24.We catch up with our pantomime crew as they prepare for open and night.
:01:24. > :01:28.Thousands of young people in the north-west are out of work, and
:01:29. > :01:33.that figure is getting bigger. In fact, in the last year of the
:01:33. > :01:37.number of people who have been unemployed for more than six months
:01:37. > :01:41.has a more -- more than doubled. You might expect figures to go up
:01:41. > :01:45.in a recession, but some employers say the downturn is not the only
:01:45. > :01:50.thing to blame, saying young people like not only the skills but the
:01:50. > :01:57.desire to work. This week we are looking at the big economic figures
:01:57. > :02:01.with our Economics Correspondent. Tonight those figures are grim
:02:01. > :02:05.indeed. 301,000 people are required indeed. 301,000 people are required
:02:05. > :02:08.in the north-west, 19,000 up on the previous quarter. There has been a
:02:08. > :02:13.dramatic rise in the number of young people on benefits for more
:02:13. > :02:17.than six months, that has more than doubled to 15,500. We spent some
:02:17. > :02:19.doubled to 15,500. We spent some time with them as they fought for a
:02:19. > :02:23.much sought after apprenticeship in Merseyside.
:02:23. > :02:27.There is a lot riding on these interviews.
:02:27. > :02:31.This is a handful of 600 young people who were here today to court
:02:31. > :02:35.for interviews for hundreds of apprenticeships inside.
:02:35. > :02:39.That is the shortlist. It is a measure of how competitive it is
:02:39. > :02:43.out there now, how tough it is for young people.
:02:43. > :02:46.These employers will pay around �200 per week part-funded by Europe
:02:46. > :02:50.to help people like Michael back into work.
:02:50. > :02:55.How did it go? It was all right.
:02:55. > :03:00.How many jobs have you gone for? 500 at least.
:03:00. > :03:03.But to chat to these employers and if there is a college -- common
:03:03. > :03:07.concern. Lee and Colin lost both their jobs in the last recession
:03:07. > :03:15.but they believe many young people like the skill and the drive to get
:03:15. > :03:19.out of the Stone de -- downturn. We have taken on many people in the
:03:19. > :03:22.last nine years and there has only been one who has taken it on and
:03:22. > :03:26.made a career out of it. The what has gone wrong?
:03:26. > :03:33.A lot of the lads we have taken on in the past, they won't get out of
:03:33. > :03:38.bed on attend college. Many here said they were loath to
:03:38. > :03:42.take on young apprentices, preferring to take over the over
:03:42. > :03:46.twenties. The don't know basic maths.
:03:46. > :03:51.The is that complicated stuff? Well, it is what I did when I was
:03:51. > :03:55.In some cases we have people who give us certificates with lots of
:03:55. > :04:00.qualifications, yet they can't answer simple questions.
:04:00. > :04:04.But Michael here is proof there are a good candidate and there.
:04:04. > :04:07.Top-notch. They just need the chance. How hard
:04:07. > :04:12.has it been getting to this point today?
:04:12. > :04:15.It has been so hard but it will make the world of difference to my
:04:15. > :04:21.life. A congratulations, Michael.
:04:21. > :04:25.It is tough out there, Jayne. It is. There were some cracking candidate
:04:25. > :04:30.there today, but of the employers I spoke to all had candidates on
:04:30. > :04:33.their interview list he did not turn up today. On the lunchtime
:04:33. > :04:36.turn up today. On the lunchtime news bulletin we had an e-mail from
:04:36. > :04:46.James Black who owns a computer company in Altrincham, and he
:04:46. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:56.We want to hear you from this and we will go through some of the e-
:04:56. > :05:00.mails at the end of the programme. Please do get in touch. Do young
:05:00. > :05:06.people like skills and drive or is it a case in this competitive
:05:06. > :05:11.market employers are being really picky?
:05:11. > :05:14.Next tonight, 84-year-old Florence Bailey says she has become a
:05:14. > :05:21.prisoner in her own home. For almost three months she has not
:05:21. > :05:25.been able to go out. She can't. The left at a block of flats has
:05:25. > :05:31.been broken since September. The management company says it is not
:05:31. > :05:36.worth fixing. Another day indoors for Florence
:05:36. > :05:42.Bailey. 84-year-old has not been out since September 21st. That is
:05:42. > :05:45.the date the left at her block of flats in Stockport broken down.
:05:45. > :05:50.Florence says she can't manage the stairs.
:05:50. > :05:54.I get out of breath with everything I do. Everything is such a big
:05:54. > :06:02.effort to do, I have to keep stopping and sitting down in
:06:02. > :06:08.between. Even if I could get down, I have to have my shopping trolley
:06:08. > :06:13.for when I am walking outside. Neighbour, Ian Braddock, used to
:06:13. > :06:18.get her shopping for her, but since he broke his leg he to say is
:06:18. > :06:21.getting out is a major problem. I only go downstairs when I have to
:06:22. > :06:26.visit hospital. It is a problem getting up the stairs, popping with
:06:26. > :06:29.crutches. The block is managed by Manchester-
:06:29. > :06:31.based Northern Estates who say repairing the lift would be too
:06:31. > :06:36.expensive. In a statement, Northern Estates
:06:36. > :06:40.told us they had been working hard to try to resolve the issues of the
:06:40. > :06:44.left, but engineers had advised them repairing it would not be
:06:44. > :06:50.economically viable. It was deemed unsafe and could not be insured.
:06:50. > :06:54.That was why it was decommissioned. Seoul, does Florence have any legal
:06:54. > :06:59.Seoul, does Florence have any legal right to insist the lift is fixed?
:06:59. > :07:04.Under the Property Act, property managers must -- under the quality
:07:04. > :07:09.at property owners must make reasonable efforts to assure public
:07:09. > :07:14.because it -- ensure public area the like are accessible.
:07:14. > :07:18.A service charge that Florence pays goes towards maintenance of the
:07:18. > :07:24.left so she could apply to a leasehold tribunal. But Florence
:07:24. > :07:28.leasehold tribunal. But Florence says she just wants the lift fixed.
:07:28. > :07:32.An inquest into the death of two- year-old Joshua Jones from Runcorn
:07:32. > :07:38.has heard how hospital staff raised serious concerns 11 days before he
:07:38. > :07:46.died. He died from a blow to the head at his home in 2007. His
:07:46. > :07:48.mother's partner was later jailed for his manslaughter. Today,
:07:48. > :07:53.several members of Warrington hospital said he had previously
:07:53. > :07:58.come in with what appeared to be known accident will injuries.
:07:58. > :08:02.A man has admitted trying to blackmail Coleen Rooney for �5,000
:08:02. > :08:06.over stolen personal photos. Stephen Markham changed his plea to
:08:06. > :08:11.guilty on the third day of his trial at Manchester Crown Court.
:08:11. > :08:14.Malcolm initially denied handling stolen goods and blackmail,
:08:14. > :08:20.claiming he only acted as a middleman for his boss. The trial
:08:20. > :08:24.has been adjourned until tomorrow. The Dutch airline KLM is axing its
:08:24. > :08:27.route from Liverpool to Manchester next year. It is blaming the
:08:27. > :08:31.economic downturn. It has been flying the route for more than two
:08:31. > :08:35.years, providing international connections from the trouble.
:08:35. > :08:39.Passengers at KLM's Liverpool check-in this afternoon, China and
:08:39. > :08:43.South Africa among the end destinations.
:08:43. > :08:47.The travellers don't want the Liverpool-Amsterdam service cut.
:08:47. > :08:54.Not good news. I have to fly to Manchester and have a longer trip
:08:54. > :08:59.by train or taxi. We want to go back to China from
:08:59. > :09:03.Amsterdam. K ALM says it is acting the care of
:09:03. > :09:07.-- Liverpool flights because the economic downturn means it has to
:09:08. > :09:11.take tough decisions. The report says passenger numbers are bid.
:09:11. > :09:15.We're disappointed. We have worked with them to try and boost their
:09:15. > :09:21.sales. Unfortunately, with the economic situation, it was not
:09:21. > :09:26.enough to pull it over the line. EasyJet still fly at Liverpool-
:09:26. > :09:30.Amsterdam, but that is not the same as having an airline like KLM,
:09:30. > :09:37.where passengers can get forward connections across the globe. KLM
:09:37. > :09:40.is keeping a flight from Manchester and Newcastle, but lovable says it
:09:40. > :09:45.will not be easy to outrider other air line with global connections.
:09:45. > :09:48.I understand the airline has said we will be looking for another
:09:48. > :09:58.connection from another hub, but there are not that many to choose
:09:58. > :10:01.When last summer's riots spread across the North West, many claim
:10:01. > :10:06.they were organised by social networking sites. There were calls
:10:06. > :10:11.to shut down sites like Facebook and Twitter the next thing there
:10:11. > :10:14.was large-scale disorder. But, a Manchester Professor who studied
:10:14. > :10:18.tweets from the time of the disturbances says that few was
:10:18. > :10:22.completely wrong and put it was a force for good.
:10:22. > :10:26.The rights to cold and Salford, Liverpool, Manchester, spreading
:10:26. > :10:29.across cities. But where the spreading because of things like
:10:29. > :10:34.Facebook and Twitter? Everyone watching these horrific
:10:34. > :10:39.actions will be struck by how they were organised by social media.
:10:40. > :10:43.Three-floor of information can be used for good or ill.
:10:43. > :10:47.Jordan Blackshaw and Perry Sutcliffe and were both jailed for
:10:47. > :10:52.four years for creating Facebook sites are urging rioting in
:10:53. > :10:57.Cheshire. But a study of tweets found there were more positive
:10:57. > :11:01.messages than bad. We found that Woodrow was found it
:11:01. > :11:04.-- used extensively to mobilise support and organise the post right
:11:04. > :11:11.clean-up. We feel the weight of evidence is that Twitter was used
:11:11. > :11:19.as a force for public good. There were twigs like, 9am, Salford
:11:19. > :11:29.There were twigs like, 9am, Salford clean-up, Salford Present, clean up
:11:29. > :11:29.
:11:29. > :11:33.We had 15,000 followers within 12 hours. Social media on that scale
:11:33. > :11:37.alone is fantastic, it helped people get mobilised and organised.
:11:37. > :11:41.It can be useful source of information and can help people
:11:41. > :11:45.make informed decisions about what to do.
:11:45. > :11:50.Valuable to to police. Another eight people were arrested over the
:11:50. > :11:53.riots in Greater Manchester. Many arrests overall were made because
:11:53. > :11:58.of information shared by social networking sites.
:11:58. > :12:04.Love them or loathe them, this time of year most neighbourhoods have
:12:04. > :12:12.one or two houses with Christmas lights and displays. For the past
:12:12. > :12:15.two years, the Newcombes' warm had been one such home. Now they have
:12:15. > :12:24.been told by their housing association to take down or come
:12:24. > :12:29.This is the Newcombes' home in all its festive glory. It is a labour
:12:29. > :12:33.of love. It has taken about five weeks to do that. My husband has
:12:33. > :12:37.done it on days off and when he has been on early shift. A lot of
:12:37. > :12:45.people come down, drive down to see the house. Lots of people enjoy it.
:12:45. > :12:50.Amongst them, their son Conor. For now though, 3-year-old Conor
:12:50. > :12:53.will have to enjoy what he can see of this display in daylight.
:12:53. > :12:56.Sanctuary Housing who own this house say they had a complaint the
:12:56. > :12:59.lights were unsafe. They sent an electrician round who confirmed
:12:59. > :13:02.this. If the Newcombes want to turn them on, they'll have to install
:13:02. > :13:08.several outdoor power points and get watertight boxes for the other
:13:08. > :13:10.plugs, something they say will cost them hundreds of pounds.
:13:10. > :13:14.The Newcombes say they would never endanger their or anyone else's
:13:15. > :13:21.safety. The lights are only on for two hours a day when they are in
:13:21. > :13:24.the house. They feel they've been singled out. There is not one
:13:24. > :13:27.person in the country who follows those regulations. It is just us,
:13:27. > :13:30.being picked on, being made to switch them off. They do not check
:13:30. > :13:36.the safety of every resident. They are just doing ours because of the
:13:36. > :13:40.complaint. And the Newcombes are not the only
:13:40. > :13:46.ones who want the lights to stay. My little girl likes watching them
:13:46. > :13:49.from her bedroom. It is a shame. Sanctuary Housing told us: We have
:13:49. > :13:52.no intention of spoiling anyone's Christmas, but the wellbeing of our
:13:52. > :13:55.residents remains our priority and because of the safety issue, we had
:13:55. > :14:05.to take appropriate action. So the lights will stay up for the festive
:14:05. > :14:08.season. They just won't be able to sparkle.
:14:08. > :14:14.It is a shame. I will have to check my lights at
:14:14. > :14:17.home! Sport now, and Tony, a fabulous
:14:17. > :14:21.night for Fleetwood, but a bad day for Preston manager Phil Brown? Yes,
:14:21. > :14:23.in a minute we'll be talking to the Cod Army about their FA Cup giant-
:14:23. > :14:26.killing, but first big news from Preston North End today.
:14:26. > :14:29.They've sacked their manager Phil Brown and his assistant Brian
:14:29. > :14:32.Horton with immediate effect. Brown had only been at the club since
:14:32. > :14:36.January, and they're only five points off the play-off places.
:14:36. > :14:40.So why have they got rid of him? Has it anything to do with the new
:14:40. > :14:43.chairman, Peter Ridsdale, who was appointed just eight days ago? Well,
:14:43. > :14:47.we don't know if Mr Ridsdale was the prime mover behind Phil Brown's
:14:47. > :14:50.dismissal, but he will have been involved in the decision. He says
:14:50. > :14:54.Brown was brought in to keep PNE in the Championship, but they were
:14:54. > :14:57.relegated. He says the club was hoping to quickly return to the
:14:57. > :15:00.Championship, but they've only won one of their last 11 league games.
:15:00. > :15:03.In response to that, Phil Brown tonight issued a statement saying:
:15:03. > :15:06."More time was needed to achieve our objectives and it is with
:15:06. > :15:11.regret I have been given less than one year in charge of Preston North
:15:11. > :15:14.End." Well, they're called the Cod Army
:15:14. > :15:17.and, tonight, the fishing port of Fleetwood is looking forward to a
:15:17. > :15:20.big catch - a Third Round FA cup tie against local rivals Blackpool.
:15:20. > :15:24.Fans of the non-league side celebrated all night after a 2-0
:15:24. > :15:27.giant-killing at League One Yeovil. Our reporter Richard Askam is at
:15:27. > :15:35.Fleetwood's ground tonight. Richard, you've been speaking to fans and
:15:35. > :15:40.players today, how big a deal is this for everyone at the club?
:15:40. > :15:43.It is a big deal. This is a club that has come a very long way in
:15:44. > :15:48.recent years and they believe they will soon be back in the Football
:15:48. > :15:58.League. Until recently, they did not think they would see a tie
:15:58. > :16:02.
:16:02. > :16:07.against Blackpool. I have a programme of from their last tie.
:16:07. > :16:13.Here is a flavour of what has been happening here today.
:16:13. > :16:19.For the Cod Army, it was a once-in- a-lifetime feeling. It is some baby
:16:19. > :16:25.have wanted for so many years. Today, there was just one topic of
:16:25. > :16:33.conversation. We do not what Manchester or Liverpool, we prefer
:16:33. > :16:43.to play back pool. We are expecting an official announcement tomorrow
:16:43. > :16:48.
:16:48. > :16:56.or Friday. I heard today about a man who had come to buy a ticket,
:16:56. > :17:06.25 minutes before we were due to open. It was made possible by Jamie
:17:06. > :17:16.McGuire and Jamie Vardy. overwhelmed. I think everybody up
:17:16. > :17:19.
:17:19. > :17:24.north was supporting a fleet would. -- Fleetwood. It is a dream tie.
:17:24. > :17:29.Terrific as you can imagine. It is such a big deal for us. At the
:17:29. > :17:35.prospect of the tie came out and we all be new that we had to do our
:17:35. > :17:42.best to deliver. It will be a massive game of football. Just
:17:42. > :17:52.imagine the celebrations if they win at the next one. The man who
:17:52. > :17:53.
:17:53. > :17:57.once this is with me now. What does this mean to you? It is
:17:57. > :18:06.unbelievable. This tie is better than the Manchester United or
:18:06. > :18:14.Manchester City tie. It is a bigger one for me. But we are on the up
:18:14. > :18:19.and up now. It is a big deal to everybody, including the chief
:18:19. > :18:29.Executive. Tell us about the celebrations. It was absolutely
:18:29. > :18:29.
:18:29. > :18:34.unbelievable. I was watching our supporters. They were fantastic.
:18:34. > :18:43.Everyone had a good drink and it was a memorable night. There are
:18:43. > :18:48.lots of links between the clubs? Yes, people I have not heard from a
:18:48. > :18:52.for many years a tried to get tickets. We get lots of Blackpool
:18:52. > :19:02.fans who come here when they are not playing. My grandfather played
:19:02. > :19:02.
:19:02. > :19:06.for both clubs. The passion around the town and beyond is fantastic.
:19:06. > :19:16.Thank you very much. If you are wondering about tickets, they are
:19:16. > :19:22.not out yet. The clubs will lead you know later in the week.
:19:22. > :19:25.I'm good to call at the Battle of the Beach Boys.
:19:26. > :19:29.And it was also a great night for Oldham. Chris Taylor scored the
:19:29. > :19:30.only goal against ten-man Southend to send Latics into the FA Cup
:19:30. > :19:34.third round where they'll meet Liverpool at Anfield.
:19:34. > :19:37.Amir Khan may have come home from Washington DC without his WBA and
:19:37. > :19:40.IBF world title belts, but he's still not ruled out winning his
:19:40. > :19:43.weekend fight with Lamont Peterson. When I caught up with him today at
:19:43. > :19:47.his Bolton gym, he revealed he has appealed against the performance of
:19:47. > :19:52.the referee who deducted two points during the bout. And he hopes the
:19:52. > :20:01.result of that appeal could turn the points defeat on its head.
:20:01. > :20:05.Back in Bolton a beaten man. But bowed? Not on your life. It was the
:20:05. > :20:11.fight of the year. It was just one of those things. I do not get the
:20:11. > :20:21.decision, but I am still looking. I want to prove that I'm a better
:20:21. > :20:21.
:20:22. > :20:25.fighter. Amir lost controversially on Saturday night when he fought a
:20:25. > :20:30.DC based fighter, with a DC based ref in front of a DC crowd. And
:20:30. > :20:39.today, the fight went on. Was the referee are incompetent or
:20:40. > :20:48.mistaken? I think he is from Washington, so he will favour the
:20:48. > :20:55.home not a fighter. -- the home of fighter. Did you believe the result
:20:55. > :21:02.could be overturned? Yes, I think it can be. We should find out in
:21:02. > :21:08.the next 10 days. This is a public Amir Khan, but when you were on the
:21:08. > :21:15.plane home, in your private moments, have you had a moment when you get
:21:15. > :21:24.upset? Yes, you get upset. We do not want it to lose your world
:21:24. > :21:34.titles. I think my world titles were snatched from me. He should
:21:34. > :21:37.get another shot. Still better.
:21:37. > :21:40.Now, no more panto gags from us tonight. Well, the odd one might
:21:40. > :21:43.slip out. If you were watching last night, you'll know this week we're
:21:43. > :21:45.following the fortunes of a community group from Manchester as
:21:45. > :21:48.they stage one of their biggest performances yet. The Wythenshawe
:21:49. > :21:52.panto group has been preparing for 11 months to stage a performance of
:21:52. > :21:58.Beauty and the Beast. Elaine Dunkley has been finding out
:21:58. > :22:02.how they're getting on. The bright lights of the stage are
:22:02. > :22:06.not too far away. Lines need to be learnt and there is concern that
:22:06. > :22:15.some members are not taking the Agadoo seriously.
:22:15. > :22:21.And there are a few cast members up to mischief. One of the girls put
:22:21. > :22:25.jelly in her slippers. All sorts of tricks go on. Check your costumes.
:22:25. > :22:28.Check your shoes. Do not trust everybody.
:22:28. > :22:33.The cast may be working hard to bring this fairytale to life, but
:22:33. > :22:35.sometimes the harsh realities of life get in the way. Linette is
:22:35. > :22:44.playing lead character Bella. Last week, her mother passed away
:22:44. > :22:52.suddenly. A few days after, I was thinking, how will I do it? But I
:22:52. > :22:56.think I will do it for her. If not for myself, do it for her.
:22:56. > :22:59.After a long night rehearsing, the team are in for an even longer
:22:59. > :23:05.night at the Forum. It's all hands on deck to get things ready. It is
:23:05. > :23:14.exhausting. We have got all the clothes provide ready to go up. We
:23:14. > :23:20.have to measure each one individually. -- cloths.
:23:20. > :23:29.All the props are made by John and size really does matter! Editors
:23:29. > :23:34.only little, it is rubbish. You have to make them bigger. If you
:23:34. > :23:38.see something, you can fetch them home to use. Costume changes will
:23:38. > :23:41.need to be slick. It takes Brian 20 minutes to get into his turkey
:23:41. > :23:51.costume and he's been preparing for months for his plucky role. I have
:23:51. > :23:54.
:23:54. > :23:59.had all the jobs. -- a jokes. You can to chicken out now, I have had
:23:59. > :24:05.all the jokes. Fowl gags aside, the cast are really beginning to feel
:24:05. > :24:11.the heat. I was a roasting. And all the lights were on. Join us
:24:12. > :24:21.tomorrow as the cast get emotional before the performance. It is like
:24:22. > :24:34.
:24:34. > :24:41.Good evening. The first snows of the winter have hit the Isle of Man.
:24:41. > :24:51.And many of us could see some snow as we head through the next 24
:24:51. > :25:01.hours. This weather front is moving slightly further south. It is very
:25:01. > :25:02.
:25:02. > :25:08.close to us. Parts of Lancashire could be hit by that area of snow.
:25:09. > :25:12.The details are not firmed up yet. We will have more details during
:25:12. > :25:20.breakfast tomorrow. The vexed problem is ice as we head through
:25:20. > :25:30.tonight. The range showers mean that the ground Istabraq because
:25:30. > :25:30.
:25:30. > :25:40.the air is called -- because the ground is damp and the ear is
:25:40. > :25:41.
:25:41. > :25:47.called, it means icy patches. Some cloud cover will head in over night,
:25:47. > :25:51.but it will be slippery first thing tomorrow morning. Tomorrow, you
:25:51. > :25:59.will find a lot of cloud. The best of any weather will be first thing
:25:59. > :26:06.tomorrow morning. Mr forming in the early hours. It will feel wintry as
:26:06. > :26:10.well. Then the afternoon, cloud is increasing all the time. Showers
:26:10. > :26:18.heading in that during the afternoon. Not a great deal of
:26:18. > :26:22.sunshine on offer at all. The winds have been pretty brisk today.
:26:22. > :26:27.Tomorrow night, this weather will start to move towards us. It looks
:26:27. > :26:35.like there could be snow. And it could be at low levels as well.
:26:35. > :26:45.More details during the breakfast bulletins tomorrow was stop we have
:26:45. > :26:55.had lows of e-mails a form you. Rachel has applied for hundreds of
:26:55. > :26:57.
:26:57. > :27:01.jobs but has been told she would not have enough experience.
:27:01. > :27:09.Kerry says Mike 19-year-old has applied for over 50 jobs and has
:27:09. > :27:15.only had it two replies. My other Sion has 11 GCSE East. Nobody has
:27:15. > :27:24.replied do is applications. I spend four hours a day applying
:27:24. > :27:28.for jobs. I have put out the 38 C Ds a week