13/11/2013 North West Tonight

That's all from the BBC News at Six so it's goodbye from

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Roger Johnson.

And Annabel Tiffin. Our top story: New jobs are being created, but not

enough to affect the stubbornly high unemployment figures in the

North West. We'll hear from the Employment

Minister Esther McVey. Also tonight: Watching and worrying.

Filipino exiles in Cumbria wait for news of loved ones affected by

Typhoon Haiyan. They found her dead body it in the

street. My brother just found her when looking for it and now they

will bring it back today. Honoured at last ` a gravestone for

the policeman killed in the line of duty 120 years ago.

And in a class of her own ` the former teacher who's become of one

the North's most successful artists. Beccy Meehan is sizing`up Britain's

largest artificial Christmas tree. I'm outside the biggest artificial

Christmas tree in the UK. It is 90 ft tall. I will take a look inside

very soon. Thank you. David Cameron today celebrated what

he described as really positive news on jobs. Sadly, the North

West's unemployment figures stubbornly refused to agree with

him. Today, for the third quarter in

succession, the number of jobless in the North West rose, while all

the time the national figure has been falling. Our economics

correspondent, Jayne Barrett, has been finding out more.

Unemployment down at nationally but a different picture in the north`

west. Nationally the rate is 7. % but he get 8.65%. This rise is tiny.

It is incremental but it is the second consecutive increase in the

second quarter and it is part of the reason why. The number of

economically inactive in the north` west is 25% and the figure is

rising. We are talking small numbers, but they are going in the

wrong direction. Of course it is welcome when unemployment falls but

we still have a long way to go. Some feel they have further to go

then others. They say unemployment is down and the economy is going up

but it is not everywhere. Nicky is one nerve many looking for

employability training. She has been looking for work for a year.

It is hard with the competition for every job. Nationally, more people

might be in work but for more people, in fact record numbers of

people, that work means part`time work. It is 16 1/2 which is classed

as full`time but sometimes they cancel my shift. They Class that as

full`time? Yeah s, I was doing cash in hand. All pretty informal but is

the golden I get a full`time job? Yes. A third of men now work part`

time. One mile away this company makes electronic components. They

would like to expand but they cannot. All the units around here

are taken for stop was that the same two years ago? Three years ago

they were offering as units in this estate to purchase at a cut`down

price. The that is a sign things are picking up. Definitely. There

are signs of improvement but not enough to make a dent in the

figures ` at least not in the north`west, not yet.

Earlier, I spoke to Esther McVey, the Employment Minister and a North

West MP, of course. I asked her about these figures. Why was the

North West struggling to see the improvements seen elsewhere? There

has been a fall from 2005. A slight increase now. But the slight

increase matters to people who are out of work and do not see that

austerity is working in the north` west. Hang on a second. It is over

a million people across the country who are getting into work who have

never been in work before. In the north`west, we are rebalancing that.

The problem, says the CBI in the north`west, is about private sector

at jobs which are being created but there are too many public sector

jobs being lost. Take the looked at a survey today of HR directors.

They say resignations are on the rise and that signify is greater

employee confidence in the job market as they move on to other

jobs. We shall have to sea of the next set of figures shows any

positivity. Thousands of Filipinos here in the

North West are still waiting to discover whether their family back

home are alive or dead. They might be thousands of miles

away from the chaotic aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, but they're sharing

the shock and despair. Our chief reporter, Dave Guest, has been to

visit one Filipino community in Cumbria.

For five long days, Nini Litster has rarely strayed far from her TV

screen, desperately devouring every scrap of news coming out of her

devastated homeland. She's lived at Dalton`in`Furness for 20 years, but

her mother, brothers and other family members are in the

Philipinnes. She'd heard nothing from any of them after the typhoon

struck. Terrified. Really terrified, worried, unbelievable, crying non`

stop, cannot sleep. Her story is all too familiar at this Filipino

grocery store in Barrow. It's become a meeting place for some of

South Cumbria's 400 Filipino ex` pats. Marilyn's just received news

she'd dreaded. Her teenaged niece is among the dead. They found her

dead body in the street. Mike just `` my brother just founded when

they were looking for it and now they will bring it back today. They

say it is in times of tragedy that communities pull together and this

community of Filipinos is no exception. A lot of your community

are in need at the moment. A lot but we will do our best. Back in

Dalton this afternoon, Nini received the news she'd prayed for.

Her brother, Edgar, had managed to get a message to an aunt to send it

on via Facebook. She said, your brother is alive. All of them. I

couldn't believe it. I kept reading it and reading it does to be sure

that I didn't miss any word at all. This was the first word you had had

that they were all well? Yes, since Friday. So the family is alive but

their battle for survival continues. Police investigating the deaths of

55`year`old Stephen Dehoney and his 86`year`old mother at Wythenshawe

in Greater Manchester say they believe it was a case of murder and

then suicide. A neighbour contacted police after finding Stephen hanged

at the home on Saltdene Road. The body of his mother Olwen, who was

also known as Ethel, was found by police.

I would say this is a tragedy beyond words. It is the saddest of

circumstances. At this moment in time we do not believe there is

anything beyond that. Just a very sad human story.

The Blackburn MP and former home secretary Jack Straw has described

his government's decision to open Britain's borders to Eastern

European migrants as a "spectacular mistake". Writing in the Lancashire

Telegraph, Mr Straw said the Government vastly underestimated

the numbers of migrants. But the MP said immigrants from that period

were less likely to claim benefits than UK natives.

The area around Morecambe Bay is getting almost ?2 million in

heritage funding. The money is intended to benefit communities

natural habitats and historic sites. It's also hoped it'll improve the

local economy and pay towards the creation of a new cycle route.

5,000 people have already visited the large collection of Viking

treasure less than a Mark `` a month after it went on display. It

is worth more than ?100,000 and can be seen at Lancaster's Museum until

December. The first witnesses have given

evidence of the two men who threatened to blow up a plane.

Mohammed Safdar and Tayyab Subhani were passengers on a flight from

Lahore to Manchester. The jury heard how the flight was diverted

to Stansted after the men got into an argument with a flight attendant.

The flight from Lahore was just 10 minutes from Manchester when it was

diverted to Stansted Airport in Essex, escorted there by a RAF

typhoon jet fighters. Mohammed Safdar and Tayyab Subhani are

accused of making false threat to blow the plane up, in charge they

deny. These pictures of the men being arrested by Essex police were

taken by fellow passengers and today the jury heard evidence from

a passenger who described how Mohammed Safdar got into an

argument with one flight steward. Later, when Emile was serve,

Mohammed Safdar became angry again with the same Stewart `` when a

meal was served. She heard him say to the steward, I will kill you

She was asked by the QC leading the prosecution, it did you hear the

word bomb? She replied know. Defence lawyers for the two men

have suggested if any threats were made they were not serious and that

what took place on the aeroplane was nothing more than a stupid

argument and the trial continues. Hospitals in the north`west are

sending teams to Portugal and Spain to solve their staffing crisis. It

has carried out a survey of the Reece `` regions hospital trust and

found that over 1,600 posts went unfilled.

At an inquest this week, it was heard how a woman died at Tameside

General after being left unchecked on awards for 12 hours.

Staff at Tameside Hospital failed to spot a serious change in Barbara

White's condition in the hours before her death. She'd gone

unchecked for 12 hours as one member of staff looked after 20

patients. I am not disputing the girls didn't tried their best but

there is not enough around. This week, a coroner said she'd be

writing to Tameside Hospital expressing her concern about the

level of care Mrs White received. The hospital trust says staffing

levels have improved dramatically since her death. The Royal College

of Nursing has carried out a survey that found 1600 nursing posts in

the north west are unfilled. But the government is training

thousands of training `` of nurses a year and is says there are more

nurses now At Southport and Formby General, managers say nursing

levels are about right, but acknowledge recruitment problems.

When I qualified, it was always about working in a hospital but now

they work in nurses `` nursing homes and GP practices. There is so

much on offer now. We are spreading things more thinly.

One way of making up the numbers is to recruit from abroad. Elsa Silva

is from Portugal. How do you cope with the language? We have English

at school and on television. There must be technical terms that are

unusual? Most medical terms have the same origin so it is easy to

understand but we have to study The Royal College of Nursing says

the NHS must make nursing levels a priority, echoing concerns raised

by the investigation into failings at Mid Staffordshire Hospital.

A short time ago, Steve Flanagan, the north west regional director of

the Royal College of Nursing came into the studio and told me he

didn't think recruiting abroad was a long`term solution. The Centre

for Work Force intelligence in the NHS predicts that they could be a

shortage of 47,000 nurses in the NHS across England by 2016. We are

not going to plug that gap by going abroad to deplete from `` to

recruit from depleted pulls abroad as well. It may be a short`term

solution but it will never solve the problem. A There is not enough

experienced nurses around? Indeed. I was with the director of nursing

this afternoon he tells me she wants to recruit nurses but is

finding it difficult. Those who she can recruit tend to be newly`

qualified staff. It is the experienced cohort of staff we are

having difficulty recruiting. The other part of the problem is that

many employers are holding posts vacant in order to save money. So

many of the posts receipt of the 1,600 that are vacant are

deliberately vacant? Many are, I believe, yes. The government has

set the NHS a target of saving money by 2015 and the biggest way

they can do that quickly is to hold posts they can so they do not have

to pay people or to cut posts and in fact they have done both. What

effect does this have won care? When nursing shortages occur, it

has a catastrophic effect on nursing care. When the ratio of

registered nurses to patients exceeds 128 there is a serious risk

of harm to patients `` one: Eight. How many instances do you think

There are where the ratio? We are trying to establish that. I have

asked directors what they ratio is and dire waiting for that to come

back because I believe it is important for the NHS to be

transparent about this and we will watch that situation very carefully.

When Pc James Gordon suffered Hendo `` head injuries the doctor gave

him a glass of whisky and sent him home but he never would Cup.

That was 120 years ago and all that time he has been buried in an

unmarked grave. Now, a ceremony has taken place to honour him. Officers

from Merseyside formed a guard of honour to remember a "forgotten

hero". PC James Gordon was buried in St Helens Cemetery 120 years ago,

but until now his grave had been unmarked. On 12th November 1893

Constable Gordon and a colleague disturbed three men who'd broken

into a boiler works in St Helens and were trying to steal hens. As

he tried to arrest them, he was hit with an iron bar. Sent home to bed

with a head injury, he never returned to duty. Today's ceremony

was all thanks to a former officer who discovered his unmarked grave

while volunteering at the cemetery. It was one phone call and this is

what happened. A police collection was given to PC Gordon's widow at

the time, but it's thought she used it to feed their five children and

couldn't afford to buy a headstone. Now that's been paid for by The

Police Roll of Honour Trust. It was unveiled by the widow of film

director Michael Winner. Together they'd set up a charity to remember

those who'd died in the course of their duty. It's important to know

they have died to help us. I think that is really, really... It should

be honoured. It's hoped that the memorial will

serve as a permanent reminder of his service to the community.

It is children in need this week and we have been looking at how the

money due so generously donate get spent. In Trafford, the charity is

spending the money on an artist working with children. Forced

marriage is without the consent of the bride or groom at all. We

should point out, none of the gulls in this film are affected by forced

marriage. My mother arranged my marriage to

build a link with her family. When he came back I thought, I can't

marry this person. I gave in. I didn't want people to say I had let

my mum down. I gave in. We talked about the cameo idea as a family in

Pakistan. It took me 10 years. It lasted three weeks but it took 0

years to get a divorce. We have three basic ideas for the puppets.

They make the sex, the puppets and the whole show. `` they make the

set. They are fully involved with it. It is something that worries me

a lot. It happens to my friends and my community. Even when you go

abroad, you can ring people here and tell them they you are getting

into a forced marriage and get help. I had no idea it happened. I

thought it was something that happened in Pakistan. Coming to

this group has made me more aware of it. We are blessed really with

this group that when we have the creative artists coming in, lots of

issues and taboo subjects are openly discussed.

Fantastic. Just one of the many charities to get funding from

Children In Need. It may inspire you and if it has, here is the

website address: There are lots of ideas for fund`

raising. We will be broadcasting on Friday night.

Someone who has already got out there to raise some money is our

very own Graham. In he is swimming his way around the county in as

many different ways as he can ` pools or boating lakes in aid of

Children In Need. He needs a hot drink! We will find out how he gets

on by tuning into his breakfast show tomorrow morning.

He'll be sinning in the bath tonight.

Helen Clapcott may not be in a new recognise instantly but how work is

in huge demand. The retired teacher turned painter

has specialised in pictures of the industrial north following in the

footsteps of her idol, LS Lowry I want it higher up. Helen Clapcott

in her studio in July preparing for an exhibition taking place now.

Stockport is her laugh. It is summer carnival, the subject of

this work. She often does 100 sketches before she paints. It is

climbing up the road with the floats and the made Queen's and the

males in the background with the buses coming through. I am pleased

with the final result. Their reputation is growing rapidly. She

has exhibited in London and some of her paintings are fetching more

than ?10,000. This his retirement. It is what I love doing. It is a

way of life now and I get excited every time I make my it pains.

Terry Mulligan is the ultimate beneficiary. It started about 5

he's ago. There is a real charm about it. Joan Bakewell who is from

Stockport is also a big fan and describes her work as bringing and

almost lyrical beauty to the smoking beat `` Jimmy's and ruins.

Even though things are disappearing, something new and fresh will

replace the man that comes out in her work. Helen says's Stockport

changing face will feature in her future work. Car parks, motorways,

retail parks and commuter`belt, but it is still just as inspiring. Her

work is on display until the end of the month.

They are lovely. Cynics might say there is plenty of playing in

Cheshire, but nothing quite as Berkeley as Britain's tallest

artificial Christmas tree. At 100 ft tall it has 100,000

lights and is covered in 20,000 baubles. Let us cross to the

Cheshire Oaks shopping centre. Yes, we are here with the UK's

largest artificial tree which is about to be lit up.

Oh! Beautiful, but... Can you hear us?

We can hear you. There centre manager is here. How

long did this T `` take? It it days to build. It is seven Decca ``

double`decker buses tall. We are really excited about launching this

tomorrow. It will be wonderful. Presumably you hope it will attract

Christmas shoppers. How is the Christmas shopping season going

Trade is bullying `` buoyant. We are expecting a great night

tomorrow night. We have a huge star on the top so it will be

spectacular. Very festive here. Back to the studio.

Now, at the weather. Good evening. We started off today

with good spells of sunshine and it has been mostly drive. It will all

change tonight. Let me show you the temperatures as we head towards the

weekend. We may see double figure temperatures on Saturday but there

will be plenty of cloud around. Wherever you are tonight expect

rain and very strong wind. It is courtesy of a frontal system which

moves in across the Irish Sea bringing in the rain. Turning into

heavy showers overnight but we will see strong wind and possibly gales

over the Isle of Man and around the coast. Possibly even on high ground.

With strong wind and plenty of rain and cloud it will be milder than

last night. Tomorrow, the afternoon looks to be the better part of the

day. Starting quite cloudy and damp with a few showers. They will feed

in through the Cheshire gap. Good spells of sunshine expected but a

cold day because of the strong north`westerly wind and again, the

chance of gales in the afternoon. When you factor in the north

westerly winds, it will feel more like five or six Celsius so wrap up.

Clear skies tomorrow night so temperatures possibly falling

fairly close to freezing. Shall we have a look at the

Christmas tree? It is very impressive. You cannot

get the scale there but there is a building next to it.

Thanks for watching and have a good night.

Good night.