:00:12. > :00:16.The families of two young cousins, who were killed after they were hit
:00:17. > :00:18.by a car in Oldham, have been paying tributes to them.
:00:19. > :00:22.Helena Kotlarova and Zeneta Krokova were crossing the road, hand
:00:23. > :00:25.in hand, on New Year's Eve, when the accident happened.
:00:26. > :00:29.Police have been given more time to question four men arrested
:00:30. > :00:31.on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
:00:32. > :00:37.The parents of Zeneta Krokova are joined by the father
:00:38. > :00:42.of Helena Kotlarova at a makeshift roadside shrine dedicated
:00:43. > :00:47.It is just hard to believe that she is
:00:48. > :00:53.She liked dancing, listening to songs,
:00:54. > :00:58.She likes spending time with the family.
:00:59. > :01:03.crossing a road hand-in-hand when they were hit by a car.
:01:04. > :01:07.It happened here, on Ashton Road in Oldham
:01:08. > :01:12.around 7:15pm on Saturday, New Year's Eve.
:01:13. > :01:16.The tragedy has left many in this community deeply saddened.
:01:17. > :01:21.The two girls used to come into the shop?
:01:22. > :01:23.The girls came in every day, two times, three times.
:01:24. > :01:30.Today the flowers and messages of sympathy kept coming.
:01:31. > :01:33.Only 11 and 12 years old, that could be my kids, you know.
:01:34. > :01:38.Two young ladies lost their lives for no reason at all.
:01:39. > :01:41.So now the family must plan two funerals.
:01:42. > :01:46.But this afternoon came news they would get some help with that.
:01:47. > :01:49.A family member works at this car parts firm in Oldham.
:01:50. > :01:53.Today the boss said he would foot the cost of the funeral.
:01:54. > :01:56.We just want to offer them support, which ever way is
:01:57. > :02:01.possible, without us imposing on their personal grieving.
:02:02. > :02:04.Police say this Peugeot vehicle was involved in the
:02:05. > :02:07.They are urging anyone who saw it immediately
:02:08. > :02:11.prior to or after the collision to get in touch.
:02:12. > :02:14.They are also keen to trace the driver of this white
:02:15. > :02:20.The police are keen to stress the van was not
:02:21. > :02:23.involved in the collision, but it was in this area at the time,
:02:24. > :02:25.and they believe the driver may have
:02:26. > :02:28.important information that could help with their enquiries.
:02:29. > :02:31.Meantime detectives have been given extra
:02:32. > :02:35.time to continue questioning four men on suspicion of causing death by
:02:36. > :02:47.A soldier who died in Iraq yesterday has been named
:02:48. > :02:51.The 22-year-old, from the 2nd Battalion The Duke
:02:52. > :02:54.of Lancaster's Regiment, had recently become a father.
:02:55. > :02:57.He's been described by his If commanding officer as utterly
:02:58. > :03:02.He died from gunshot wounds after an accidental
:03:03. > :03:07.The death of suspected drugs smuggler, Steven Corkill,
:03:08. > :03:10.on the Isle of Man, has prompted a series of recommendations
:03:11. > :03:15.The 27-year-old died under police guard at Nobles hospital in 2015.
:03:16. > :03:18.An inquest heard he'd ingested a lethal amount of cocaine
:03:19. > :03:24.Coroner John Needham said officers on guard duty must monitor
:03:25. > :03:36.A dividend from its part ownership of Manchester Airport means
:03:37. > :03:39.Manchester City Council's latest cuts won't be as severe as feared.
:03:40. > :03:41.It had said ?40 million would need to be saved over
:03:42. > :03:47.But Council Tax will go up by 5% to help
:03:48. > :03:52.The Government has announced today that thousands of affordable homes
:03:53. > :03:55.for first-time buyers across the north-west
:03:56. > :03:59.Sites in Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire have been
:04:00. > :04:03.named among 14 new garden villages in England.
:04:04. > :04:10.Our environment correspondant Judy Hobson has more.
:04:11. > :04:13.It's all aimed at easing the housing shortage.
:04:14. > :04:15.Six areas across the north-west - including Blackpool,
:04:16. > :04:19.Greater Manchester and Liverpool - will receive money from
:04:20. > :04:22.a Starter Homes Land Fund of more than ?1 billion.
:04:23. > :04:25.This cash has been allocated specifically for new developments
:04:26. > :04:32.The homes will be available to first time buyers aged between 23 and 40,
:04:33. > :04:35.and they'll get a discount of at least 20% below market value.
:04:36. > :04:38.One expert says it might not be the answer
:04:39. > :04:46.The Starter Homes initiative is somewhat controversial.
:04:47. > :04:49.There is a real question as to whether it will actually
:04:50. > :04:53.aid affordability - it is a one-time discount.
:04:54. > :04:56.And it may be that it gets distracted into arguments about the
:04:57. > :05:01.suitability of starter homes rather than the delivery of the houses.
:05:02. > :05:03.In a separate announcement, the Government has allocated money
:05:04. > :05:07.for three so-called garden villages - in Lancaster,
:05:08. > :05:09.at Handforth in Cheshire, and in Knowsley.
:05:10. > :05:14.Naomi Cornwell has been to one of the proposed sites.
:05:15. > :05:17.These fields to the south of Lancaster will one day be replaced
:05:18. > :05:21.Essentially, this area is alongside Lancaster
:05:22. > :05:26.University, it sits between the A6 and Lancaster Canal.
:05:27. > :05:29.We're talking about initially 3500 houses, probably
:05:30. > :05:35.extending to 5000 in total, over quite a long time period.
:05:36. > :05:37.It will take several years to complete the village and the
:05:38. > :05:41.public will be consulted before it goes to a planning committee, but
:05:42. > :05:45.they hope to start building the first houses here in 2019.
:05:46. > :05:47.The one thing most people object to is the
:05:48. > :05:50.feeling that we do urban extensions without getting the infrastructure
:05:51. > :05:56.By that, I mean schools, highways, and doing a garden village in this
:05:57. > :06:00.way enables us to plan it all from the start.
:06:01. > :06:04.It will mean big changes for the few people already living here.
:06:05. > :06:09.It just seems to be heading towards turning the place
:06:10. > :06:13.I'm not that impressed, no, I'm not too impressed.
:06:14. > :06:16.Houses have got to be built and it's always going to be
:06:17. > :06:20.Unfortunately, in this case it's in my backyard,
:06:21. > :06:24.which, initially, I wasn't happy about it at all, to be honest.
:06:25. > :06:26.But now, when I've read the plans, and
:06:27. > :06:29.how it's going to be developed, and the sound of a garden village
:06:30. > :06:33.This local estate agents says more homes
:06:34. > :06:37.are needed, but only if they are affordable.
:06:38. > :06:42.If they're providing homes for first-time buyers and some
:06:43. > :06:46.affordable housing, especially on the south side of Lancaster, then
:06:47. > :06:51.Many of the villages, like the one planned here,
:06:52. > :06:54.had been on the drawing board for a while, but the
:06:55. > :06:57.Government's backing means new funds to speed up the design stage
:06:58. > :07:08.Rebecca Ferguson, the Liverpool singer who became an international
:07:09. > :07:10.star after appearing on TV's X-Factor, says she's
:07:11. > :07:13.been invited to sing at President Trump's inauguration.
:07:14. > :07:17.But the popstar says she'll accept on one condition -
:07:18. > :07:20.that she's allowed to sing a pre-civil rights protest song
:07:21. > :07:32.Singing for a new President is one of the highest honours.
:07:33. > :07:35.Jennifer Hudson did it for Obama, Kennedy had
:07:36. > :07:46.If Rebecca Ferguson follows suit it will cap a remarkable seven years
:07:47. > :07:51.Rebecca Ferguson was born and brought up here in Liverpool,
:07:52. > :07:54.but it was the X-Factor that changed her life.
:07:55. > :07:57.She didn't win it, of course - in 2010 she was the runner-up.
:07:58. > :08:03.But it led to a recording contract both here and in the United States.
:08:04. > :08:06.But will she accept the invitation to sing for Donald Trump?
:08:07. > :08:10.When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.
:08:11. > :08:14.They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime.
:08:15. > :08:17.Trump's campaign was so controversial that it's rumoured
:08:18. > :08:21.many performers including Elton John turned him down.
:08:22. > :08:36.Rebecca Ferguson says she'll accept on one condition -
:08:37. > :08:41.This is Strange Fruit, made famous by Billie Holiday -
:08:42. > :08:45.a song about racism and lynchings in America's south.
:08:46. > :08:51.Back home in Liverpool, many believe Rebecca Ferguson should think twice
:08:52. > :08:59.So you think she should avoid him? I do, yeah.
:09:00. > :09:01.I dislike everything that Trump stands for.
:09:02. > :09:07.Really, I don't care - she can do what she wants, she's a singer.
:09:08. > :09:13.Rebecca Ferguson joined last year's celebration in Manchester for
:09:14. > :09:17.But will she help celebrate America's
:09:18. > :09:47.in a while and today site will be cold. And there will be a band of
:09:48. > :09:53.rain coming along with that cold air. There is a lot of cloud cover
:09:54. > :10:00.around, any breaks are very limited. Cover is thick enough a few spots of
:10:01. > :10:05.rain. There is a week weather front moving in. Temperatures will be not
:10:06. > :10:12.too bad for most towns and cities. You should see five and six but also
:10:13. > :10:17.as the clear weather descends it may fall as low as two. Tomorrow night,
:10:18. > :10:22.many pieces will be minus two degrees. In the morning, and
:10:23. > :10:26.southern parts of the region will be clarity but the clear air will
:10:27. > :10:29.descend everywhere. By late morning we will all be in the sunshine and
:10:30. > :10:34.that is how the weather will look all through the day tomorrow. A very
:10:35. > :10:37.different data today. Lots of sunshine. The breeze is relatively
:10:38. > :10:40.light but look at the blues as we head towards four and five o'clock.
:10:41. > :10:45.The temperatures will really start to plummet. Daytime temperatures
:10:46. > :10:50.will be around seven or 8 degrees if you are lucky but that is around the
:10:51. > :10:53.middle of the day. Through the afternoon they will plummet and this
:10:54. > :11:00.is tomorrow night. This will be quite a big story because everywhere
:11:01. > :11:02.zero. Subzero many places. I'll leave you with a look at the next
:11:03. > :11:06.couple of days. The milder later in the week. That is it
:11:07. > :11:14.from me but coming up next is the national picture. Good evening. But
:11:15. > :11:15.frost or not of frost, that is the weather question for