16/01/2017 South East Today

Gove and Labour's Brexit Secretary Kier Starmer as well. Join me now on

BBC Two. That's Newsnight Today's main headlines

in the South East: A six figure compensation deal

for family of Frances Cappucini We'll be live in Tunbridge

Wells with the details. A nearly 5% rise in council tax

and ?17 million in cuts in East Sussex

County Council's budget. And after a cloudy treacherously

starts to the working week, cold crisp weather is back again

tomorrow. The family of Frances Cappuccini

have already reached a six figure agreement for compensation

following her death at a Kent hospital,

this programme has learned. She died in Tunbridge Wells Hospital

after giving birth to her second son Today a coroner ruled that "failures

and inadequate diagnosis Tom Cappuccini has now spent four

and a half years looking after Today, a coroner

ruled his wife, their mother, died because of the failures,

inadequate diagnosis, and treatment she received

as Tunbridge Wells hospital. Now, tonight, this programme

can reveal a compensation pay-out has been agreed between

the hospital trust and Francis I would expect it to exceed a sum

of ?100,000, and may be one significantly beyond that,

but that is speculation, but it would be a significant

sum because of the age of the person that's been lost,

here, and the young age of the Over the past two weeks,

this complicated inquest has unearthed the scale of what went

on at Tunbridge Wells hospital when Francis Cappuccini

arrived in October 2012. The court heard about confusion

over the identity of An expert told the inquest how

he still doesn't know who that Later, the coroner was told

how doctors involved in Frances Cappuccini's

emergency care had to wait up to ten minutes for the vital

drugs needed to treat her. And today, the coroner ruled

Mrs Cappuccini's Caesarean section, after a 12 hour labour,

wasn't carried out a piece of placenta

being left in her uterus. By the time it was removed,

she had lost four pints of During the hearing it was suggeste

y the family's lawyer these errors may have not been made

if Francis Cappuccini's wish for an immediate Caesarean

section were followed. Much of the criticism heard

in court focused on one particular doctor, anaesthetist

Dr Aziz, and claims that he took Frances Cappuccini's

breathing tube out too soon. How he required consultant

supervision, and how Dr Aziz had made a mistake

with worrying parallels seven months earlier, and how that error had been

removed from NHS reports. Charges against Dr Aziz

were dropped, and now in Pakistan. Charges against Dr Aziz were

dropped, and he's now in Pakistan. Another doctor involved in

France's Cappuccini's care, Dr WeiWei Myatt is now

said to be in Burma. Neither of them appeared

at his inquest. Failures of Tunbridge Wells

and Maidstone NHS Trust, and those employed by the trust,

cost Frankie her life. At least today, after over four

years, the truth is acknowledged. Well, this evening, I've spoken

to a representative of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

and he told me about changes which have

already been put in place, there. They include changes to record

keeping, staff training, and the way Our reporter Ian Palmer is at

the Tunbridge Wells hospital now. Ian, besides the pay-out, the trust

has apologised to Mr Cappucini. That's right. Maidstone and

Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has apologised sincerely to the Taiwan

Micra family time and amongst the changes it has made, mentioned in

the report, is the escalation of serious incidents procedure. This

four and a half year legal battle has come to an end, as we know, but

life without Frances Cappuccini with as a wife and mother is just

beginning. East Sussex County Council

is planning to raise council tax by almost 5% and make millions

of poundsworth of cuts Council tax is to go up by 4.99% -

That's the maximum allowed without It means an average

homeowner will pay an extra It means an average homeowner

will pay an extra ?62 a year. But the council says in order

to avoid going into the red, they'll need to cut ?17 million

pounds over the next I haven't gone for this yet,

it is a recommendation from officers to the Cabinet which will be

discussed on the 24th of this month, but,

of course, we have two options. We can either go for

a higher increase in council tax or make further cuts

to adult social care. The largest changes will be

to adult social care - in a complex arrangement,

the overall budget will drop by ?8.5 million -

but, most of that - ?7 million - will come from working more

closely with the NHS. However, one and a half million

will be cut from services, Children's services will also

see significant cuts - of ?3.5 million leading

to shorter hours for Children's Centres and no

direct funding of the Duke I think it will be a real big

shame to lose the D of E scheme in Esat Sussex because it's

such a large award, it's recognised It gets people to do things both

educational, social, physical. They get out into the

countryside, do volunteering different languages,

different activities, and I think that because there's

so little else to do, because these services has been

closed, it will be a big loss to Our reporter Chrissie

Reidy joins me. Is this better or worse

than expected? Originally, cuts were estimated at

some 24 million, so I guess it is better, as you heard their residents

will have to pay higher council tax. Now 4.99% is due to the government

giving dispensation to raise it by that much, so the money can be

clearly spent on adult social care, so in the social volley-macro

short-term I think it is better but there are of course deeper cuts to

come next year. A soldier will not face prosecution

over the death of a fellow soldier from Sussex in Afghanistan

four years ago. An inquest into the death

of 22-year-old Lance Corporal James Brynin from Shoreham was halted last

year amid concerns that his death may have been a homicide,

rather than so called friendly fire. "insufficient evidence of a

homicide offence". It resumed today after the coroner

decided there was "insufficient evidence of a

homicide offence". A man has been remanded in custody

after a controlled explosion was carried out in of six yesterday.

was carried out at a block of flats in Hassocks on Saturday.

David Smith, who's fifty and unemployed, is charged

with making an explosive substance and possessing an explosive

Dame Vera Lynn is the wartime singer who's best known songs include

The White Cliffs of Dover and We'll Meet Again.

Now, as she approaches her 100th birthday, her family are planning

a star studded tribute concert in her honour.

Dame Vera has lived in Ditchling for many years -

and as Juliet Parkin reports, the concert in March will tell

She was known as the Forces' Sweetheart,

given the title after her tireless dedication during the Second World

War to entertaining the troops, and boosting morale,

Now, her family want to mark her 100th birthday with a special

performance dedicated to her life story.

She was always herself, she never pretended to be anything

The comedian and singer Alexander Armstrong is among

the acts invited to perform one of Vera Lynn's famous songs.

So, too, are classical artist Blake and Hayley Westenra,

and famous actors have been booked to narrate her story.

Those who served in World War II remember how she came

to even the most hostile of places to perform.

Dame Vera Lynn was awarded the Burma Star

in the 1980s for her time there.

She has appeared at numerous veterans' events in East Sussex.

On the first occasion I saw her there I was

clearing dishes away, I said...

And I said, "Well, I'll go and wash them."

And she rolled her sleeves up and washed the dishes

# Don't know where, don't know when...

Even at the age of 92, Dame Vera went to the

She says her life has been an incredible

The national forecast Will be here in a moment,

but first let's get the picture in the Southeast

with Rachel Mackley. Rachel.

And the weather this week is much calmer than last week. An area of

high pressure over the next couple of those, lots of sunshine as a

bitterly cold, but more clouds around the end of the week. Staying

dry. Going to tonight clearer skies being once again temperatures for

the wild, a frosty start to do the day for Tuesday. Those of minors or

-3 in more rubles slots. Lots of sunshine really from the word go, a

crisp, cold winters day, and by the afternoon temperatures reached highs

of around two or three degrees. Dental easterly breezes, but a

bitterly cold day. Clear skies meet ambitious fall away from Tuesday,

and over Wednesday it is a cold night, temperatures plummeting. Lows

of -3 or minus four degrees, so bitterly cold as you start with a on

Wednesday. Lots of sunshine around by the afternoon, temperatures doing

well to get much above two or three degrees, and with a gentle easterly

breeze perhaps feeling cooler even than the numbers suggest. They then

into Thursday, lots more cloud cover around, temperatures once again

three or 4 degrees. He is the perhaps a little milder. If you like

the mild weather, you'll have to head elsewhere in the country. Find

out more in the national weather forecast. Our weather is going

against normal expectations this week. In Highland Scotland some snow

to be seen on the hills. Temperatures as high as 12 Celsius

today. Over the next few days the coldest air is in the far south-east

of England where there is sunshine to be had. Four or five Celsius in

Kent. Differences remain over the next few days and here is why. I

pressure in control of the weather. Some clear a continental air, but

coming into Scotland from the Atlantic plenty of clouds around.

Outbreaks of rain through Scotland and Northern Ireland overnight,

patchy drizzle into parts