09/01/2017 South East Today

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.

Tonight's top stories: Fresh talks are agreed in the rail crisis

after BBC South East's special debate with Southern

How many more people's lives must be affected, how many more have to

leave their jobs? We will be speaking to Tim lout into night

about tours with the Department for Transport.

The end of an era - Folkestone's Leas lift,

one of the oldest of its kind, is set to close because

Also in tonight's programme: The Sussex doctors who say they'll

save half a million pounds by not prescribing paracetemol.

And evening with an immigrant - we meet the man behind a unique show

charting his experiences travelling from Boko Haram

After their latest victory, we'll have the action,

and reaction, ahead of the FA Cup fourth round draw.

Two of the sides in the ongoing rail crisis have opened up lines

of communication following BBC South East's debate

There were fractious and confrontational scenes

during the recording of the debate last night, as regular commuters

spoke about the poor service they've been experiencing.

The dispute over changes to the role of guards has led to Britain's worst

Three further days of strike action on Southern trains are planned this

But the union involved in that strike - Aslef -

says they have not been invited to any talks.

Our political editor Helen Catt reports.

Passengers returning home at night note that this evening at the last

time they will be able to catch a train for at least 48 hours, as

Southerner drivers prepare to walk out again. Their union says an offer

to join any new talks has not been extended to them. I have not been

invited, I'm not sure what the conditions for those talks. We fired

correspondence about talks based on preconditions and we have said that

we will not be shackled by any preconditions. At BBC South is

debate to be screened tonight, Southern and the conductor 's union,

the RMT, repeatedly clashed over the key issue in the disputes, whether

or not it is safe to run trains without guards. We are not removing

a second person from the train. There will be a second safety

trained person on a more trains... Guaranteed on every train? Let him

speak, for goodness sake! There will be a second safety trained person on

a more trains than there were at the start of this dispute. He cannot

guarantee it. Tell the public you will guarantee a safety critical

person on every train. Look into the camera and say it. We will roster a

second safety trained person on as many trains as had them before this

debate. After the recording finished, they went into discussion

than it was recognised that there is a need for talks to take place.

Tonight, the RMT told as lines of communication remained open. We are

definitely looking for a solution. We think there is a solution that is

viable and that rather options to discuss. We hope that Southern,

together with us when we meet with the same attitude, they can do

attitude to getting a resolution to the dispute that everybody wants,

especially passengers. At the frustration was clear. How many more

people have to leave their jobs or lose their jobs and have their

family life significantly disrupted as a result of your services? May I

add, these are not down to just strikes, they were bad before the

strikes started. And tomorrow, they face more disruption as the driver's

union, Aslef, start a three-day strike. They also have three further

dates planned this month. In Westminster tonight, more talks

between South East MPs and the Transport Secretary. He is under no

illusion that the performance of Southern has been not good of the

last 18 months and he has said he will tackle that. Once this is

resolved, we need to tackle performance issues of Southern. But

for angry, frustrated passengers facing another week of reduced

services, talk without action is unlikely to be enough.

I'm joined now by Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham.

You've been one of a group of MPs meeting the Transport

There is hope, but frankly, I was in that question time yesterday which

is about is to be broadcast. They all -- the anger of the audience was

palpable. But there is not a law that storm is to be resolved. You

heard in that clip that Mike Lynch was going on about it was in safety

critical and kept interrupting everybody, every one of these new

people will be safety trained. Apparently the safety critical

element means whether you are trained to go to... It is nonsense,

and it could have been settled ages ago. It could be settled quickly.

The unions just need to show a willingness to settle it in the

interests of the passengers. The Government has made a lot of

concessions and have done this through GTR and Southern. They have

said let's get this settled and address the safety issues. Is seeing

the real sticking point is about the guarantee that there will be a

second person on board every train. The so-called Scot rail solution.

Given that this strike has already cost more than ?300 million to the

economy, wouldn't it be better for the Government to say yes, we will

agree to that, we will have a second person on every train? The option

is, when those people do not turn up, those trains do not run. What we

need is a railway service that is reliable, turns up on

time and delivers passengers to the police they need to go to at the

time they want. The company have the option obligatory without a second

person, that they will take it and it will be the thin end of the

wedge? Only in exceptional circumstances. And very few times do

they actually run without that second person and what would happen,

typically, for example, if a train is delay, the incoming card is not

at Victoria in time, the chain leads Victoria, picks up the Garda Clapham

Junction or East Croydon and then they are on the train. The

alternative is that train does not run at all. This has been shown to

be safe. The independent office of the rail safety regulator said it is

safe and it operates in over 40% of trains in the UK every day of the

week, over 30% of GTO strains. There is no reason that this cannot

happen. Perhaps on Thameslink trains from London to Brighton, it should

happen. This can be solved if unions inject a bit of common sense and

urgency into this. Thank you. Meanwhile, commuters travelling

in to London today have faced disruption getting around

the capital because of The industrial action over job

cuts came to an end just over half an hour ago,

but for people heading back to Kent and Sussex it's been yet another

day of misery. Our reporter Ian Palmer

is at London Bridge now. Ian, passengers you've spoken

to are feeling thoroughly fed up. Not the start to the new year

they would have wanted? In's never been harder to be South

East commuter, frankly, and even though Transport for London has put

on 150 extra buses today, still seen faces pressed up against both

Windows and pinch points. The strike ended about half an hour ago, but as

one ends, another begins, because the drivers strike, their three-day

strike on Southern services begins at midnight and even on non-strike

days, there will be disruption, because of a continuing overtime

ban. Thank you. Apologies for the sound quality there.

You can join the debate on our Facebook page and on Twitter

using the hashtag SouthernStrike and our Local Live pages

You can see the full debate programme, Southern Rail Crisis,

this evening at 7.30pm here on BBC One.

Coming up: happy 70th birthday to Crawley. But how well has the

Newtown lived up to expectations of what it was founded?

One of the oldest water-powered lifts in the country

looks set to close due to a lack of money to address

The current operators of the Leas Lift in Folkestone,

which was built in 1885, say they have been left with no

alternative than to go out of business, a move

It's carried 35 million passengers in its 131 year history, linking the

sequence of the promenade. Now the Leas Lift, which uses the weight of

water to move, looks set to be stopped by modern Health Safety

rules. A very sad day. I've been here for 15 years. We've worked

hard, but unfortunately, the old girl is running the best she has

been for years. But I drove for the last time last week probably, and

she was running beautifully. The Health and Safety Executive said the

braking system is not safe enough. It is nothing to do with Health

Safety gone mad, but for protection of the public and stopping members

of the public getting killed. If this lift failed, the consequences

could be quite disastrous. While at the operator says changes would cost

?80,000 and it does not have the money, nor enough time to find it

and so will terminate its license agreements with a heavy heart. Is

like falling in love, is total commitment. You have to work hard at

it and it takes over your life to a degree. You can not be half-hearted

about it. Even the drivers can be half-hearted about the way they

drive it. They have the concentrate and strive it properly every single

time. -- drive it. It opened in 1885 and closed in 2009 after the council

found it was too expensive to run. Ditto but in 2010, run by a

non-profit-making company. I'm sure we can find a way to get is

operational again. We need to sort it out and that is what we will do.

But it looks like a rough ride ahead.

Simon what have the owners had to say?

It is owned by the Radnor estate and they tell me they are actively

seeking a long-term solution to secure the future of the lift. The

local MP has invited them and also the Council and the current

operators to a meeting. But the big challenges that even if they find

the ?80,000 for the new braking system, at times, this attraction

has struggled to make ends meet and relies heavily on the goodwill of

volunteers, so cash will continue to be an issue. They've already

mothballed one of the pompous ear, a sign of things to come. Thank you.

Network Rail has been fined ?800,000 after a track worker was hit

by a train travelling at 80 miles per hour, suffering

The man was leading a team of 12 responding to cracks

on the track with lookouts to protect the group.

An investigation by the office for rail and road found that work

which could have been carried out at night when the line was empty,

was scheduled while fast frequent trains were running.

Health bosses in Brighton say they are going to stop funding

painkillers on prescription for some patients to save half

The Brighton and Hove Clinical commissioning group say they want

people to think before they book a GP appointment and argue that

by not paying for paracetamol and ibuprofen, they could

It can cost as little as 19p to buy a pack of paracetamol

But on the NHS, an equivalent pack costs ?1.48.

Processing the prescription, costs around ?28.

And of course, there's also the gust of the GP appointment

which works out at around ?36 - a total of ?65.

Our health correspondent Mark Norman reports.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen cost four times as much if they are prescribed

by a GP than if you bought them in the chemist.

So, this cost me 39p a a few minutes ago, but health bosses

in Brighton say this costs ?45 for a similar

drug to be prescribed after

They want to try and save that money and spend it

So, it is really about GPs having conversations with patients

and saying are you in a position to pay for your paracetamol or

ibuprofen for short-term illnesses such as headaches and things like

Not for long term conditions, like arthritis.

But this isn't only about saving money, it's also

about us, the patients, thinking before we book a appointment with

Maybe save us some time and save the NHS some money.

Obviously, it's very difficult sometimes to get a same

day appointments with your GP if you are feeling unwell.

And I think understanding some of the costs

associated with a GP appointments, what those costs are to be NHS I

think will be quite surprising for many people.

And when people at this surgery read the leaflet handed out

to patients, they seemed understanding.

It's not expensive when you get it from a pharmacy.

I don't think most people can't afford

it, as I don't think that is unreasonable.

I buy it myself, it's cheaper in the pound shop.

I think it's a good idea, because although

it doesn't sound like much, some people may struggle for that.

It's worth noticing that bosses who might

have started this campaign with painkillers, but they intend to roll

it out with a series of other medications that may no longer

Commuters are braced for the Southern Rail network

to grind to a halt tomorrow as train drivers with the union Aslef take

Meanwhile, the RMT union and Southern agreed

to fresh talks after BBC South East's

Also in tonight's programme: We chat with poet and playwright

Innua Ellams ahead of his latest performance in Sussex.

And we have a mild couple of days coming up, but wintry showers by

Thursday. I will have the details later in the programme.

the Government made the formal decision that 6,000 acres of Sussex

farmland should be given over to the creation of a new town

based around the ancient village of Crawley.

Today, more than 100,000 people live there.

Now, as the Government looks to create a new generation of garden

cities, what lessons have been learned from the

And has it lived up to the high hopes pinned on is in the 1940s?

Piers Hopkirk has tonight's special report.

On the Kent and Sussex border stands the little town of Crawley. Its

population is around 7000 at his quaint old high Street is among the

most picturesque in Britain. It is 70 years since Crawley was chosen as

one of eight new towns. The joint expansion and rural development is

overcrowding in post-war London. I have much pleasure in opening this

railed and in naming it. Designed to provide homes for the families and

business, Crawley was a place that would arrive on the map virtually

fully formed. The new town was designed by this man and today, his

son a to see his father's vision. How proud was your father of what he

had created here? He was very proud. If you produce a town with parks and

trees and shrubs and nice things to look out, it is going to be a nice

place to live, and my father was always very keen that the towns that

he created should be user-friendly and he would like to live in itself.

His town has been matched and fuelled by the expansion of the

airport that sits above it, report today suggested Gatwick could

support 13,000 new jobs by 2025. The future of Crawley and Gatwick is

absolutely inextricably linked. Around a third of the city's... One

of the new towns bred is to try to lots of different people and we have

a great local economy. It is an attractive place to live. It has had

lots of investment into the town centre recently and the surrounding

area, and it has got better. Seven a new garden towns are on the way, but

it was Crawley that was at the forefront of what was a social

revolution. Piers, were these new towns

like Crawley considered a success? There has been a lot of aesthetic

criticism of new towns such as Crawley and buildings like the town

hall, they are not necessarily to the taste of everybody. But if you

judge them by population expansion, then Crawley can only be seen as a

roaring success. This was a new town designed for 50,000 people on the

current population is 100 and 6000. Thank you.

Innua Ellams is an award-winning poet and who's making his name

in this country after leaving Nigeria at the age of 12.

It sounds like a story in itself and it is.

experiences swapping life in the Islamic fundamentalist

Boko Haram territory for England and Ireland in a solo show called

He also describes himself as a playwright, performer,

graphic artist and designer and he promises the evening with be

filled with the ridiculous and fantastical as well as the poignant.

Robin Gibson has been to meet him ahead if his latest performance

Given that the smallest prompt, he would be just beyond the reach of

the lamp light, watching a ring of men, right with beer and laughter...

No scripts necessary for Innua Ellams, his poems are within him and

you only have to ask to hear them flood out. A mouse attempting to

feast with Kings... He has lived here for 20 years. He has made a

life and reputation he has a poet and playwright. The word

immigration, the word migration and the word migrant has overwhelmingly

negative connotations. Such that it feels like an insult. I want to

strip boy and deconstructs and below that word to smithereens. -- blur

that word. The this is his way of doing it. Bring it is poetry, life

story and personality to audiences around the country in a solo show.

Is seems that the political space in which the show as it has become more

and more relevant over the last few months. So I am excited to bring it

to brighten and then take it across the country. And when we lose what

inhibitions are left, after shredding me with their fingers...

The show, Evening With An Immigrant, arrives in Brighton for a two night

stand at the end of the month. We have nephews growing up who wants to

be like us, who wants to be like men.

Eastbourne's Johanna Konta is through to the second

Brighton and Hove Albion comfortably made it through to tonight's draw

for the Fourth Round of the FA Cup with a to NIL victory over

Despite wholesale changes to the team on Saturday,

it's now 18 games since their last defeat, as Neil Bell reports.

It's not just traditionalists that love the FA Cup.

The Albions' younger fans have been excited, too.

Though with 11 changes being made for the game, there was plenty of

opportunity for some Brighton's fringe players to make a name for

They may be missing many of their stars,

but it was two of last season's outstanding performers who

combined to put Albion in front after just nine minutes.

The precise shot was even more impressive after more

Brighton had several opportunities to increase their lead.

Sidwell's header among the best of them

and restricted the visitors to little more than the occasional half

The second half produced more of the same.

Brighton dominating, but until they scored a second,

And that came after 72 minutes and it was the Albion's

Israeli internationals who combined again, this time setting up to put

In truth, it should have been at war.

An excellent breakaway saw them squander the game's chance, not

that that bothered Chris Huyton too much.

We had to work very hard for it, we got the real big lift at

getting the goal early and I think that gave us the lift and perhaps

deflated them a little bit, so early in the game.

But I thought they had a good spell in that second half,

but fortunately for us, I felt we finished strong.

Although promotion is clearly their priority, the

Albion will be pleased to have made the fourth

round of the club for the

seventh time in the last eight seasons.

And the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup is live

on BBC to immediately after our programme at 7pm.

The all important ball number for Brighton and Hove Albion fans

Maybe by Thursday we could even be seeing snow showers. This week is

one of two halves. Over the next couple of days -- days, quite mild

and rainy. It will be quite breezy. The winds coming from a westerly

direction turn into a North westerly as we head through Wednesday. As we

end the week, for others, mostly dry and bright on Thursday, but always

the risk of the odd wintry showers, particularly on higher ground and

lower ground as well. Feeling bitterly cold by the end of the

week. A lovely, dry start to today. But we've been seeing this band of

rain tracking eastwards. Heavy bursts within it. It clears and

behind it, clearer skies and quite a mild night. Temperatures between a

3-5 . It will be bright and mild as we start Tuesday. Lots of sunshine

in the morning. Eventually, those westerly breezes will see further

outbreaks of rain blowing it, but in the daylight, mostly, we stay dry.

Lots of sunshine first thing. By the afternoon, cloud cover. Westerly

breezes, 10-15 mph. Potential double-figure temperatures. The

mostly, 8-9 . Into Wednesday, outbreaks of rain for a time. By

clears and the mostly dry start on Wednesday and a mild night.

Temperatures in rural spot strop into 4-5. On the coast, 6-7.

Wednesday, dry and mild. The winds swing to a northerly direction and

as we start Thursday, it feels different. By Thursday afternoon

temperatures will be 6-7 , but feeling more like 1-2 and bitterly

cold by the end of the week. We are going to return to the

situation on the Southern Rail network now. There is a strike to

starts tomorrow, earlier this evening though, we heard from the MP

for East Worthing and Shoreham who told us a solution to the dispute

must be found quickly. It is a nonsense, this strike. They could

have been settled ages ago and could be settled quickly. The unions need

to show a willingness to settle it in the interests of the passengers.

The Government has made a lot of concessions and have said, for

goodness sake, let us get this settled and address the safety

issues. We have a report last week saying it is safe so this needn't be

going on. Our political editor

Helen Catt joins us now. Still no breakthrough and strikes

tomorrow? Yes, it seems like an intractable situation. He said there

that the two side are not that far apart, but they haven't been for

parts for many months now and the problem is getting them that extra

last push that comes up with something acceptable to both sides.

He was implying the unions need to give in, but he needs to be an

acceptable compromise for both sides to bring an end to the strike. Very

frustrating. And the debate will be broadcast tonight at 7:30pm on BBC

One. You can join the debate on Twitter

all our Facebook page e-mail us. -- or e-mail us. We will have more in

the situation at 10:30pm tonight. And also an update at APM. -- at

8:00pm. Good night. we've run at almost

completely 100% capacity. We've got lots of patients

now competing. There's no beds. I do the right thing

all the time in this job, but it's not always

the right thing for one person. I do the right thing

for the hospital.