:00:00. > :00:07.and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.
:00:08. > :00:10.Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin.
:00:11. > :00:15.Providers warn they can't continue as budgets are cut
:00:16. > :00:24.I think anybody who looks at the current situation should be worried,
:00:25. > :00:26.and if they are not worried the do not understand that.
:00:27. > :00:28.Experts say social care here could soon face
:00:29. > :00:32.A drug-driving case is dropped as a testing laboratory
:00:33. > :00:38.in Manchester is investigated by the police.
:00:39. > :00:44.I will have the latest on the big game for Manchester City, and a big
:00:45. > :00:46.managerial departure in Lancashire. Chess grandmaster Nigel Short
:00:47. > :00:50.returns to his old school - to face 24 opponents
:00:51. > :01:03.at the same time! Tonight we reveal the extent
:01:04. > :01:06.of the region's social care crisis. Some providers say they're
:01:07. > :01:08.considering walking away - because councils aren't
:01:09. > :01:11.paying them enough. The councils say more
:01:12. > :01:14.cuts are inevitable. And all this impacts on some
:01:15. > :01:19.of society's most vulnerable people. We'll have a series of special
:01:20. > :01:22.reports on this issue this week. This year the problems with social
:01:23. > :01:28.care have become big news, Well, for a start more
:01:29. > :01:35.of the population is over 65. By 2014 that had gone
:01:36. > :01:46.up to nearly 18%. Social care is paid for by councils
:01:47. > :01:49.- and they've had seven years now of austerity cuts,
:01:50. > :01:51.which many say leaves them unable We spoke to the councils
:01:52. > :01:55.in the northwest and they told us the funding gap -
:01:56. > :01:57.between what's needed and what they've got -
:01:58. > :02:02.is ?158 million. And in four years time,
:02:03. > :02:05.that's going to be half a billion. Now, unlike NHS Trusts,
:02:06. > :02:07.councils can't go into debt. They have to balance
:02:08. > :02:11.the books by squeezing, Our Health and Social Affairs
:02:12. > :02:16.Correspondent Gill Dummigan starts this week's series
:02:17. > :02:22.of reports in Liverpool. This is Granby Hub -
:02:23. > :02:24.set up by Liverpool City Council for people who've left hospital
:02:25. > :02:42.but aren't quite ready to go home. I was trying to sit on a stool, and
:02:43. > :02:45.still fell over and I fell and broke my.
:02:46. > :02:48.While Edna gets the care she needs here the council adapts her home
:02:49. > :02:54.Been here has made me stronger. It is marvellous.
:02:55. > :02:56.To leave here, many people need a care package -
:02:57. > :02:58.help with everyday tasks like cooking and washing.
:02:59. > :03:11.The care packages have sort of dried up. Unfortunately, the bigger the
:03:12. > :03:13.care package, the harder it is to source.
:03:14. > :03:15.Liverpool City Council already buys 11,000 home care
:03:16. > :03:19.This is one of them - Kellie and Michelle who visit Kath
:03:20. > :03:32.We really look forward to them coming in and chatting. It brightens
:03:33. > :03:39.the Diop and they come in. It gives you satisfaction when you go into a
:03:40. > :03:40.house and you sit together -- allow them to sit together and eat
:03:41. > :03:43.together. The starting pay for a care
:03:44. > :03:45.worker with this firm That's more than many
:03:46. > :04:00.care agencies, but less Neither of you get paid on travel
:04:01. > :04:13.time? And you are 0-hours contracts. Does that make it difficult? Yes, of
:04:14. > :04:16.course it does. We do deserve more. Especially for the work we do.
:04:17. > :04:18.Kellie and Michelle's firm is a charity which run community
:04:19. > :04:20.projects throughout Merseyside, like this choir for carers.
:04:21. > :04:22.They re also essentially on a zero-hours contract
:04:23. > :04:23.with the council - ?13.15 per hour.
:04:24. > :04:30.And they say after wages, pensions, running costs
:04:31. > :04:35.and the like, that leaves them just about breaking even.
:04:36. > :04:44.It is actually an anti-social care model in a sense. We're here to
:04:45. > :04:46.build resilience and raise aspiration among vulnerable people.
:04:47. > :04:49.In the past few years a number of care firms
:04:50. > :04:51.have given up contracts in Liverpool and elsewhere.
:04:52. > :04:53.They say they simply can't run a business
:04:54. > :05:00.When the figures do not add up, people walk away. We are more
:05:01. > :05:05.resilient than that, we hang around longer, obviously we have our limits
:05:06. > :05:06.but I feel complete empathy with the council, who are in a very bad
:05:07. > :05:10.So let's look at the Council's position.
:05:11. > :05:12.Since 2010 austerity cuts have taken ?330 million
:05:13. > :05:15.from the Council's annual income, that 58% of its controllable budget.
:05:16. > :05:18.As a result, it's now spending ?90 million less on adult social
:05:19. > :05:24.But in that same period the demand for adult social care
:05:25. > :05:40.There is an ever diminishing resource out there which means that
:05:41. > :05:43.those who are not strictly reaching criteria are not getting support. It
:05:44. > :05:50.is not something we want to do, but we are being forced to do it. Are
:05:51. > :05:52.you worried? I think anyone that looks at the current situation
:05:53. > :05:55.should be worried, and if they are not worried, they do not understand.
:05:56. > :05:58.The Government is allowing a 3% raise in council tax
:05:59. > :06:01.And money from a national Better Care Fund -
:06:02. > :06:04.but the council says it barely touches the sides.
:06:05. > :06:10.Late last year the mayor of Liverpool announced that the
:06:11. > :06:16.financial situation was no longer tenable. He proposed a referendum to
:06:17. > :06:19.put an extra 10% on council tax, with all the extra money raised
:06:20. > :06:27.going to social care. But the public did not want to do that, so now they
:06:28. > :06:29.are back at square one. Councils up and down the country are telling the
:06:30. > :06:33.government this condition cannot continue because ultimately we are
:06:34. > :06:34.facing a breakdown of the system if we carry on putting is much pressure
:06:35. > :06:37.on us. Earlier this month the Director
:06:38. > :06:39.of Adult Social services resigned, saying he thought the whole thing
:06:40. > :06:50.could collapse within two years. The council is determined that will
:06:51. > :07:00.not happen, but the solution is yet to be found. This issue affects so
:07:01. > :07:02.many people, and ultimately all of us.
:07:03. > :07:04.You've been telling us what you think about the issue
:07:05. > :07:34.Lots more comments on the Facebook page.
:07:35. > :07:36.Tomorrow we'll be in Lancashire looking at
:07:37. > :07:39.We'll also be hearing from the Government
:07:40. > :07:42.A drug driving suspect has had the case against him dropped -
:07:43. > :07:45.after an investigation was launched into problems at a testing
:07:46. > :07:48.Police are looking at hundreds of cases where blood samples
:07:49. > :07:57.were tested by the company Randox - and two employees from their site
:07:58. > :08:00.Out social affairs correspondent Clare Fallon has been
:08:01. > :08:03.looking at this for us - there are some potentially serious
:08:04. > :08:21.Excuse a horrible cliche, but this has been used bid -- will be a can
:08:22. > :08:48.of worms. The lab in Manchester has been used
:08:49. > :08:56.by many police forces to test blood samples of people suspected of drug
:08:57. > :09:00.driving. Promotional videos on their website sugar cane the work they do.
:09:01. > :09:03.With this particular case a man from Chester had been arrested. As a
:09:04. > :09:06.result he was charged and was due to go on trial but after problems of
:09:07. > :09:19.the liability of testing team to wait he was told by the CPS the case
:09:20. > :09:23.has been dropped. It is reprehensible that people who commit
:09:24. > :09:29.this offence can have the evidence reviewed, and if it is in a mess, if
:09:30. > :09:36.there are issues with that,... But if is not reliable, they are liable
:09:37. > :09:41.to be acquitted. It is a difficult situation from both sides. It is an
:09:42. > :09:47.absolute mess. My client has been through well over a year of criminal
:09:48. > :09:53.proceedings with an end result being that the case was dropped. What is
:09:54. > :09:58.the next step? The police investigation is ongoing. The Crown
:09:59. > :10:02.Prosecution Service service said in a statement that they are working
:10:03. > :10:04.with the Home Office, police forensics science regulator to
:10:05. > :10:10.assess the impact of the testing failure. We will hear a lot more
:10:11. > :10:15.about this over the coming weeks. Thank you.
:10:16. > :10:17.The BBC understands a former Guantanamo Bay
:10:18. > :10:19.detainee from Manchester - has been killed fighting for
:10:20. > :10:22.The group announced Abu-Zakariya al-Britani -
:10:23. > :10:25.originally known as Ronald Fiddler - detonated a car bomb in a suicide
:10:26. > :10:29.attack at an Iraqi army base near Mosul two days ago.
:10:30. > :10:34.Ukip leader Paul Nuttall says he spent three hours yesterday,
:10:35. > :10:36.giving a witness statement to Operation Resolve -
:10:37. > :10:39.the criminal investigation into the Hillsborough disaster.
:10:40. > :10:41.It comes after Mr Nuttall faced a fierce backlash -
:10:42. > :10:44.when it emerged that claims he lost close personal friends
:10:45. > :10:53.Working families in the Isle of Man have been told they'll be better off
:10:54. > :10:56.as a result of the Manx budget - which has been delivered in Tynwald.
:10:57. > :10:58.Income tax allowances will rise by ?2,500.
:10:59. > :11:00.It's also been announced a so-called Sugar Tax on soft
:11:01. > :11:04.But the Government needs to save ?25 million a year and is asking
:11:05. > :11:19.We will be inviting all government employees to contribute. We will
:11:20. > :11:23.also be requesting input from members and importantly we will be
:11:24. > :11:26.asking the general public to contribute, which actually is really
:11:27. > :11:29.great because they are tasking us with managing how we spend our money
:11:30. > :11:30.in a Julie Morton from Cheshire was 47
:11:31. > :11:35.when she suddenly began But it soon progressed
:11:36. > :11:38.to memory loss which forced Doctors diagnosed her with Lupus -
:11:39. > :11:42.her own immune system Julie is now taking part
:11:43. > :11:47.in a pioneering research project in Manchester which has received
:11:48. > :12:02.?28 million from the NHS It affects my skin, muscles and
:12:03. > :12:09.joints. I have severe circulation problems and liver involvement.
:12:10. > :12:11.These are just some the things that sum up Julie Morton's
:12:12. > :12:14.experience with Lupus - a condition that sees her own immune
:12:15. > :12:18.Some of its major symptoms are joint and muscle pain, extreme tiredness,
:12:19. > :12:26.Despite suffering from many of the above issues -
:12:27. > :12:27.Julie has managed to find an employer who
:12:28. > :12:37.Before diagnosis she worked in a more pressured role. I found I could
:12:38. > :12:40.not concentrate, and I could not cope with the hours, the work, I
:12:41. > :12:46.could not take on the responsibility. And it is not just
:12:47. > :12:52.her work life that was affected. I have a good supportive friends, I
:12:53. > :12:54.have lost friends that think you're unreliable, think you're making
:12:55. > :12:56.excuses, and you cannot do activities they are doing so you do
:12:57. > :13:00.not get invited. From April this year
:13:01. > :13:01.the National Institute for Health Research has granted
:13:02. > :13:04.?28.5 million for a new Biomedical Research Centre for Manchester
:13:05. > :13:17.and lupus is one of the major I hear that many women from African
:13:18. > :13:23.backgrounds are more likely to get lupus. Is that true? Yes, that is
:13:24. > :13:27.true and a lot of studies have demonstrated that over the years.
:13:28. > :13:33.Did a study in the north-west a few years ago, when we looked at lupus
:13:34. > :13:38.in the kidney, and we found that evil from African background were 20
:13:39. > :13:45.more times likely to get it in their kidney than people from a white
:13:46. > :13:48.British background. There is no cure for lupus, but this research will
:13:49. > :14:01.help doctors understand the illness better, and help patients like Julie
:14:02. > :14:05.to lead more fool leads. -- lead more fool leads.
:14:06. > :14:09.The missing link that could increase rail passenger numbers
:14:10. > :14:13.across the north to more than 50 million a year.
:14:14. > :14:23.And here is a grandmaster taking on 24 junior champions at the same
:14:24. > :14:31.kind. Find out who wins later. -- at the same time.
:14:32. > :14:35.The north of England is on its way to becoming a real alternative
:14:36. > :14:37.to the South East when it comes to business and investment.
:14:38. > :14:39.That was the message today at the Northern Powerhouse
:14:40. > :14:43.More than 2,000 delegates were there, but there was a warning
:14:44. > :14:45.that government must invest now to maintain momentum.
:14:46. > :14:47.Our political editor Nina Warhurst was there.
:14:48. > :14:50.She joins us live. Are we starting to see some substance of a Northern
:14:51. > :14:54.Powerhouse? Yes, there has always been that question, what on earth is
:14:55. > :14:59.the Northern Powerhouse? It is the idea that if towns and cities across
:15:00. > :15:05.the North work closely together, they unleash enormous economic
:15:06. > :15:08.potential and could take on the south-east. If anyone thought it was
:15:09. > :15:10.a gimmick that would leave when the Chancellor George Osborne left
:15:11. > :15:15.Downing Street, they were wrong. What happened here today was
:15:16. > :15:19.impressive. 2000 delegates. I spoke to some from China, across Europe,
:15:20. > :15:23.who are buying into the concept. Let me give you an example. Manchester
:15:24. > :15:28.Airport is opening brand-new routes to America, the Middle East, Africa,
:15:29. > :15:33.Asia, and they say it is because internationally this notion of the
:15:34. > :15:38.North as one economic hub is really taken hold. People do not just look
:15:39. > :15:44.at it as landing at Manchester Airport, they are looking at what
:15:45. > :15:52.else there is within two hours of the airport, whether it is leisure
:15:53. > :15:57.or museums within that to our patch. There was criticism last week of the
:15:58. > :16:04.make up of the panels to speak at this. Over the issue of women. Has
:16:05. > :16:08.that been an issue today? Just over one in ten of the speakers at the
:16:09. > :16:12.conference are down as women, and there were some protesters who
:16:13. > :16:16.turned up to say that simply is not good enough, but the conference
:16:17. > :16:26.started with an apology that said next year there would be at least
:16:27. > :16:28.one women in each panel. One women here was the leader of Lancashire
:16:29. > :16:33.County Council. I asked her what the impact had been there, and she said
:16:34. > :16:35.the political power of the Northern Powerhouse means Lancashire have
:16:36. > :16:48.started looking to work closely with Yorkshire. We can build something
:16:49. > :16:56.one day, recognising that it will benefit the North and Lancashire as
:16:57. > :17:01.a whole. This is exciting stuff, make no mistake. But there are still
:17:02. > :17:06.some questions that remain unanswered, for example high-speed
:17:07. > :17:09.three rail link which would link the north-west to the north-east, we do
:17:10. > :17:12.not know where the budget has gone for that, but progress has been
:17:13. > :17:14.made. A bit like the disparity when it comes to gender, they're still
:17:15. > :17:17.has a long way to go. Well, a crucial part
:17:18. > :17:19.of the Northern Powerhouse idea is investment in
:17:20. > :17:20.the region's transport The Northern Hub is a multi-billion
:17:21. > :17:24.pound project to increase capacity and reduce journey times
:17:25. > :17:26.on our railways. Today the completion
:17:27. > :17:27.of a small but hugely important part of the network
:17:28. > :17:30.was bridged in Manchester. It'll connect the city's two
:17:31. > :17:47.major railways stations The UK's biggest crane. It carefully
:17:48. > :17:51.hoists the country's newest railway bridge into place.
:17:52. > :17:52.The centrepiece of the Ordsall Chord, linking-up
:17:53. > :17:53.Manchester's Piccadilly and Victoria Stations
:17:54. > :18:00.It is going to be a game changer in the way that we use the railway.
:18:01. > :18:02.A relatively short span providing a very long reach.
:18:03. > :18:13.That new section of railway will alleviate capacity problems around
:18:14. > :18:17.Piccadilly. If the large trains stop at platform...
:18:18. > :18:19.This 600 tonne bridge, built in Bolton, platform...
:18:20. > :18:27.increase annual passenger journeys across the north to 52 million.
:18:28. > :18:45.from building this is not just about completing a missing link, it is
:18:46. > :18:50.making a bit of history as well. That is the 1830 bridge built by
:18:51. > :18:58.George Stephenson, the first railway bridge in the world. The new bridge
:18:59. > :19:01.is unique in its own right. It flows down then comes back again as a
:19:02. > :19:07.horizontal structure. It is the first asymmetrical one that has been
:19:08. > :19:14.done. It tapers, changes its shape as it moves along, and this was all
:19:15. > :19:16.very important in the way we join the structures together.
:19:17. > :19:17.Transpennine Express and Northern Rail Trains
:19:18. > :19:27.Whose train will be the one that crosses first? That is a good
:19:28. > :19:30.question and I will let it be argued by people who are more important
:19:31. > :19:31.than me, and they will decide. All I care about is getting passengers
:19:32. > :19:38.across time. -- across the town. And we'll know who's won
:19:39. > :19:40.that race in December Sport now, and the Champions League
:19:41. > :19:49.is back tonight with Manchester City facing Monaco in their last 16 tie
:19:50. > :19:52.at the Etihad Stadium. But first, Stuart, news
:19:53. > :20:04.of a managerial departure. Yes, that is correct. Owen Coyle has
:20:05. > :20:09.parted company with Blackburn Rovers after just eight months in charge.
:20:10. > :20:17.The club announced it this afternoon. The 23rd this season, and
:20:18. > :20:20.his last game in charge was the 2-1 defeat on Sunday to Manchester
:20:21. > :20:26.United, we're it had actually played pretty well. The club are now
:20:27. > :20:31.searching for a seventh manager since 2010. Alan Shearer has tweeted
:20:32. > :20:37.tonight that the owners need to show the club some respect. These are the
:20:38. > :20:44.views of another former striker at Rovers, Kevin Gallacher. The News as
:20:45. > :20:46.a surprise after the way the team seemed to perform against Manchester
:20:47. > :20:51.United, but in the last few weeks, months, a lot of the fans have been
:20:52. > :20:58.calling for his head, and want something different. But it is
:20:59. > :21:00.always crazy because you never get -- he never got a chance in the
:21:01. > :21:15.transfer market, and neither will the next manager. Pep Guardiola to
:21:16. > :21:20.the pressures on intimate. They are still without the key defender
:21:21. > :21:24.Vincent Kompany. Monico either higher scorers in any of the major
:21:25. > :21:29.European leagues. The key striker did very little at Manchester
:21:30. > :21:32.United, but has done plenty in France this season. As for Pep
:21:33. > :21:36.Guardiola, all eyes will be on him to see if he can achieve what he has
:21:37. > :21:46.recently in the Champions League. He is always made at least the
:21:47. > :21:58.semifinals in this competition is. The media are analysing us,... It is
:21:59. > :22:04.a beautiful experience to live. The people who look at us, criticise us,
:22:05. > :22:13.evaluate us, to see whether we're going the right direction. One other
:22:14. > :22:21.line of sports News, Lancaster have re-signed
:22:22. > :22:24.the Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan for this year's 20-over competition.
:22:25. > :22:27.Junaid has already had two spells with the Red Rose in 2011 and 2014.
:22:28. > :22:30.On both occasions Lancashire made the final of the T20 Blast.
:22:31. > :22:36.Accrington Stanley's Dame tonight has been postponed. -- Accrington
:22:37. > :22:43.Stanley's match has been postponed. You can get full coverage of the
:22:44. > :22:45.match here that the Etihad Stadium online.
:22:46. > :22:47.Chess is a game of strategy and concentration.
:22:48. > :22:49.Taking on one opponent can be challenging enough.
:22:50. > :22:52.But imagine taking on more than 20 - all at the same time.
:22:53. > :22:56.Well, that's what chess Grand Master Nigel Short did
:22:57. > :23:13.He returned to his old school to challenge the best
:23:14. > :23:15.of the new crop of chess players to a game.
:23:16. > :23:18.And they certainly gave him a run for his money,
:23:19. > :23:30.The school has always been a big part of history. Nigel Short, one of
:23:31. > :23:33.the most successful chess players Britain has ever produced was
:23:34. > :23:39.educated here at Bolton School. And the pupils learned the word -- he
:23:40. > :23:43.was returning, they decided to get in some practice. Into strategical,
:23:44. > :23:51.there is no luck involved. If you when it is because of skill. And you
:23:52. > :23:56.have just won. Are used to be good when I was younger, I had more time,
:23:57. > :24:02.I used to play a lot. That is one of the things I really enjoy about
:24:03. > :24:09.chess, you get out what you put in. At first it is difficult, but if you
:24:10. > :24:25.keep on practising... That is checkmate. Do you beat your brother
:24:26. > :24:32.a lot? Line no, just once. But he has just beaten me. Nigel Short was
:24:33. > :24:36.competing from the age of seven, making chess history. He was the
:24:37. > :24:39.youngest ever to compete in a British Championship. By the age of
:24:40. > :24:46.19 he was the youngest ever grandmaster. Today he was back at
:24:47. > :24:54.his old school to take on more than 20 of the best current players
:24:55. > :24:58.simultaneously. It is not very difficult, it is just tiling, you
:24:59. > :25:04.require full concentration and you are on your feet for however long it
:25:05. > :25:08.takes. I played him once before when I was younger and it did not go very
:25:09. > :25:11.well, I lost very quickly. I am not going in there to try to wind
:25:12. > :25:16.because I know I will probably not because he is one of the best in the
:25:17. > :25:24.world. One of the best he may be, but the young we're certainly gave
:25:25. > :25:28.Nigel a run for his money. He did actually beat them all, but it took
:25:29. > :25:38.two and a half hours. Line we have a storm coming our way cold Doris.
:25:39. > :25:51.Here is Doris, Denise has been in touch --.
:25:52. > :25:57.The Spring Flowers are coming out but there may not be too many of
:25:58. > :26:01.them as we go through thirsty because here it comes. Weather front
:26:02. > :26:09.after weather front develops into an area of low pressure which will be
:26:10. > :26:19.storm Doris. There are strong winds, 60, 70, 80 miles an hour. It is an
:26:20. > :26:23.amber warning from the Met Office. There could be some disruption, also
:26:24. > :26:30.in the mix there could be snow. This is all for Thursday, and adds. Here
:26:31. > :26:40.is the potential for snow on higher ground. The rain has continued to
:26:41. > :26:47.push everywhere. It will continue on and off throughout the night.
:26:48. > :26:49.Bullseye the weather fronts just following each other across the
:26:50. > :26:52.Irish Sea. In terms of temperatures, they will be good through the night.
:26:53. > :26:55.It will be six to 8 degrees, but there is a lot of wet weather
:26:56. > :27:01.around. For the more southern parts of the region, that is how we start
:27:02. > :27:04.the day. You may see some brighter skies in the Isle of Man. For the
:27:05. > :27:08.more southern parts of the region it is all about how the rain clears.
:27:09. > :27:14.Most places will see some sunshine coming through, but with the change
:27:15. > :27:23.in their mass, it will be colder, and then Doris by Thursday. Just a
:27:24. > :27:27.mention, The two surviving members
:27:28. > :27:33.of the Beatles have recorded music together
:27:34. > :27:34.for the first time Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
:27:35. > :27:37.released pictures of themselves McCartney will be making a guest
:27:38. > :27:41.appearance on Starr's latest record. Nawal El Saadawi,
:27:42. > :28:00.the world-renowned Egyptian author A fearless feminist
:28:01. > :28:06.facing a world in turmoil. Imagine...
:28:07. > :28:10.She Spoke The Unspeakable.