19/04/2017 South Today - Oxford

In tonight's programme, will anyone contest his seat?

John Bercow's decision to seek a third term as Speaker, and what it

Also, the Ukip councillor who broke the law by parking in a disabled

bay, using a blue badge that didn't belong to him.

Production of the Mini is halted in Oxford as workers strike

And, later on, taking heart through art -

the extraordinary story of the girl who's beaten the odds

One is planning to go - the other is planning to stay.

The longest serving MP in our region, Labour's Andrew Smith,

He's represented Oxford East for 30 years.

More on his decision in a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in Buckingham, John Bercow, says he'll be seeking

a third term as Speaker of the Commons.

It means fewer options for voters in his constituency.

Traditionally the main parties don't contest the Speaker's seat -

John Bercow has been MP for Buckingham for nearly two decades.

But most of us know he better as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Tried to calm down and behaves like an adult. If you can't, if it's

beyond you, leave the chamber, get out, we'll manage without you!

Since Bercow took office as Speaker in 2009 the main political parties

have not stood against him in his constituency.

If he's going to be an MP for a town he's got to be able to get in touch

with his constituents. We've got to be able to get in touch with him. It

can be a bit annoying if you've got different views to the speaker but

it's just the way it goes, someone's got to have him. It's annoying you

don't have a vote that counts because you can't vote the other

parties. confirmed that he will be standing

for a third term as speaker. What choice do people here in

Buckingham have at the ballot box? Labour and Conservative parties have

already said they won't be fielding any opposition candidates. Ukip and

the Greens have previously fielded candidates here in Buckingham and

now billable Democrats say they will be putting up opposition in

Buckingham too. 78,000 electors in one particular constituency, in this

case Buckingham, are effectively denied a proper choice in general

elections. This is a particularly important election, possibly the

most important in a generation. There's less than a month

for parties to choose a candidate to stand,

the deadline for Our political editor Peter Henley

has spent the day at Westminster. Earlier I asked him what MPs

make of John Bercow John Bercow splits

opinions around here. It's not easy being the referee,

especially one who makes it so clear A lot of people felt he overstepped

the mark saying President Trump However, he's been a force

for change, and I think on all sides there are people who say that saying

he's not going to resign, withdrawing the resignation idea,

because he's not really serving the full term, is not

such a bad thing. Voting for a snap election today,

one Conservative MP called it This is their jobs

on the line, isn't it? And three years earlier

than they would have expected. Then they've got to serve

another two years. Oxford East's Labour MP

Andrew Smith today said he was going to be standing down,

he won't fight the next election. He wrote to his constituents

thanking them for 30 years of support, and pointing out that

in 2022, he would be 71. So the city starts, tonight,

looking for a new candidate. Will that make Oxford more of

a target for the Liberal Democrats? Certainly in Oxfordshire,

a lot more people voted Liberal Democrat campaigners

know their way to Whitney from the by-election,

and Oxford West and Abingdon next So, certainly I think we'll see

a lot of Lib Dem attention. But it's not just about Brexit,

this snap election. Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister's

Questions today was talking about issues that resonate

in the local elections already. On school funding, a lot of parents

told what new schools their children The high cost of housing,

he was talking about And so this campaign already looks

like it's getting started, with Theresa May saying she's

going to be getting out and visiting people on the doorsteps,

and even on a limited manifesto with no TV appearances by her,

her opponents are going to be posing A teenage boy and a 21-year-old

man have been jailed for their part in a hate crime

against a transgender The 40-year-old victim was walking

home in the Southcourt area of Aylesbury in July last year

when he was attacked and robbed. 17-year-old Owen Wise

from New Street was jailed for six years whilst Michael Thorpe

from Beech Green was sentenced A Ukip councillor from

Buckinghamshire has been fined for parking in a disabled bay,

using a blue badge that Chris Adams is a member of both

Buckinghamshire County Council He was caught using his friend's

parking pass in Portsmouth last September, even though a multistorey

car park was nearby. Christopher Adams stood

for Ukip in Aylesbury But it was here, in Portsmouth, last

September, where the 50-year-old Ukip councillor was confronted

by a parking warden for wrongly Portsmouth Magistrates' Court heard

he'd travelled for a three day Ukip conference in Bournemouth,

with his friend who But later that week -

without his friend - he attended a wedding

and used the permit to park. In his county council constituency -

there's been mixed A person in authority should really

be above and beyond that. They should show a good example to the

rest of the public. If anybody does it, it's wrong. He's just a human

being, isn't he. He's meant to be a role model demonstrating what you'd

expect everyone to demonstrate. It's wrong, it's stupid.

The court heard he'd wrongfully used the permit -

despite being close to a multi storey car park.

When questioned by the warden, who confiscated the badge,

he admitted to being "a naughty boy".

Being a naughty boy makes light of it. He shouldn't have done it. There

is no excuse for doing that, certainly not under the

circumstances in which he did it. The Ukip councillor later

pleaded guilty in court He's been fined more than ?350

and ordered to pay around In a statement Buckinghamshire

County Council said it takes abuse of the blue badge system seriously,

and investigates all instances reported to them. The statement

later says it can refuse to renew a badge if it has been misused. Police

are hunting a man who fell to return to prison in Buckinghamshire on

Sunday. He was released from Spring Hill prison on a temporary licence.

He is serving a sentence for robbery, attempted robbery and

burglary. He was last seen in North London.

Pangbourne fire station in Berkshire is to close.

But but the fire authority says retained station at Wargrave

near Henley will be kept open for at least another year -

if savings can be found elsewhere, and the number of firefighters

A 24-hour strike has halted production of the Mini

The dispute is over BMW's plans to close the final

The firm says it's disappointed at the action -

but that customers orders should not be affected.

Andy Howard reports has spent the day at

This factory in Swindon didn't make anything today,

because most of the staff walked out, for the first time

Let's say his annual wage is ?30,000 - he would've been expecting ?20,000

But that pension plan has suddenly been scrapped.

Now, he says he'd get more like ?14,000 a year or even less

If Trevor lives to 80, he could be about ?120,000 worse

I feel very disappointed, I feel like the company has let me down.

I've worked there for 36 years and now they are trying to rob me of my

retirement. Today the picket line

was full of similar stories. I would stand to lose in excess of

?120,000 from my pension pot. That's money myself and my family would

lose. I want to retire with dignity and respect and BMW should honour

that. Even the union's assistant general

secretary visited, to add his voice. Our people are being treated

differently in the UK than Germany, Austria and elsewhere. The company

need to sit down with us and negotiate a proper deal that will

satisfy everybody, unfortunately we are a long way from that at the

moment. BMW's statement said this type

of pension is "unsustainable and unaffordable in the long term",

and they are changing it now to "protect existing and future

pensions...and ensure long term competitiveness

of the UK operation". Whether you think they're

masterpieces or not, there was no progress

on the production line here today. Train services between Milton Keynes

and London Euston are facing severe The London station was closed

following a fire in lineside Services operated by

London Midland, Southern, Virgin and London Overground have

all been affected. Disruption is expected to continue

until around 8 o'clock tonight. Last month we told you about an one

eyed dog who had been at an RSPCA Tyson, a five-year-old

rotweiller cross, was one of the longest residents

at Blackberry Farm near Aylesbury. He had to have an eye removed

after being scratched by a cat. Today, after 330 days,

he's finally gone to a new home. A family saw our story -

and felt like Tyson would make We hope Tyson is enjoying his new

family. Now more of today's

stories with Sally Taylor. Stay with us as we meet

the extraordinary teenager who has overcome her difficulties

to become a renowned artist. It's been dubbed

"Britain's Palm Beach". A small, very exclusive

peninsula of homes and hotels Well, now a ?250 million

project has been proposed which could radically change

the face of Sandbanks. Our reporter, Jo Kent,

can join us live tonight. It is this view behind me that has

made Sandbanks one of the world's most expensive property hotspots.

The man who runs three hotels here says they are not doing Sandbanks

justice. The buildings are too old and they need to be rebuilt. The

dual in John Butterworth's crown is the Sandbanks hotel, it fronts will

harbour and backs onto the towns of blue flag beach. He says it is not

fit for purpose and he was to replace it with a larger, luxury

5-star offering. I'd like to think, and this might

sound a bit emotional, that I can step back and leave

the local people and the town that I love with something

they would be proud of. I'd like to think we have been able

to provide the town with this international,

award-winning hotel. Is this a controversial move?

Well, it says, because that redevelopment of the Sandbanks hotel

would come at the expense of this hotel, the Haven, stood here since

the 1920s, quite the local landmark was not they say the only way they

can finance the new Sandbanks hotel is by demolishing this one. They

want to replace it with around 200 flats, a rooftop restaurant and a

building that would be ten stories high. Some of the local people we

spoke to words to happy about it. -- were not too happy about it.

It's out of scale to the existing buildings on the site.

They should keep it to the existing buildings,

it's a Site of Special Scientific Interest opposite, I believe.

It's a nice hotel as it is, why spoil things?

We've been coming down here for 20 years.

The nature of the place is just changing,

but I don't think we can stop it really.

But that's a big development, isn't it?

These plans have been submitted by Richard Carr. It is just an outline

application at the moment are really a first step to see if permission

might be granted for a scheme of this kind. If it does get a

favourable response, more detailed plans are likely to follow.

Thank you. Work's begun to build

the first new council homes A long-disused piece of land

in Caversham is being cleared to make way for seven

pre-fabricated blocks, each containing

four two-bedroom flats. The timber-clad modular

units will be delivered to the site in June,

and should be ready by the autumn. The intention is that the temporary

homes will go to families on the council's growing

waiting-list - many currently in bed

and breakfast accommodation. We've seen a huge increase

in homeless families We've got people in our own

temporary accommodation shelters, but now we've got over 100 people

in bed-and-breakfast accommodation, What this will give them

is their own front doors. 28 families who will be able

to bring their children to school, they will have a much

better accommodation And we will move swiftly on to sport

now. Kris Temple is on the sofa now. In a moment, we will talk about

short mat bowls. I will be honest, I thought that was someone's name!

Tony Husband has been finding out what it is. First, some injury news.

AFC Bournemouth have confirmed that midfielder Jack Wilshere

has been ruled out for the rest of the season,

ending his loan spell with the Cherries.

Wilshere suffered a hairline fracture to his lower leg

in making a challenge on Harry Kane in Saturday's defeat at Tottenham.

Wilshere is to return to his parent club, Arsenal,

His loan deal with the Cherries was due to expire

Portsmouth captain Michael Doyle has paid tribute to his manager,

Paul Cook, who he says has had to cope with the immense pressure

Cook's men completed the job of rising to League One

and, as one of his long-serving players,

Doyle knows exactly what the manager has gone through.

His main aim was just to get this club promoted.

He's had so much pressure, and he puts so much pressure

And obviously the players, we've had seven or eight players

come in here two years ago with the gaffer.

You probably lose a game and you come up a bit short,

he's the one that has to face the questions for the week.

So I'm just sort of relieved for people like himself.

And there's also been an injury blow for Sussex Cricket too,

concerning overseas fast bowler Vernon Philander.

The county confirmed today that the South Africa star

is facing up to a month on the sidelines.

Philander suffered a groin injury against Kent last week,

and has returned to South Africa for treatment.

He's aiming to return for the four remaining Championship matches

Now we started our sports segment talking about Jack,

and now we finish it talking about a different kind of jack.

The sport of short mat bowls is seeing a big increase

in the number of young players taking it up.

where they rolled out the green carpet for Tony Husband.

but the playing surface is just six foot wide,

so there's not much short in the sport of short mat bowls.

There's a jack, and you're basically trying to get as close

as possible to the jack, each team is.

which prevents excessive firing down the line.

We start from about age ten, and we go up to 90 plus.

and I kind of went along for a bit and followed him.

My mum started playing and encouraged me to join.

So, yeah, I got pretty addicted straight away.

It's an easy game to learn, but difficult to master.

I practice quite a lot, probably about twice a week,

Short mat bowls is growing in popularity,

but recruitment is the key with this and so many sports.

I didn't think this was particularly cool when I started but I mean,

yeah, when you go to nationals and play with other younger people,

there are a lot of good young people out there.

I think that it's starting to change with the nationals.

it takes quite a lot of thinking and skill to do.

You do a lot of social things outside of bowls as well.

That to issue a bit more about short mat bowls.

What was the white bit in the middle?

Shot this maybe not the me. It is a leveller. It stops you from firing

it down the middle. It is not as far to deliver the word, is it?

She was abandoned as a baby, has cerebral palsy

But Tjili Grant Wetherill has overcome huge challenges

thanks to the love and support of her adoptive parents

And Tjili, who's now 15, is getting recognition

for her extraordinary talent as an artist.

Weighing barely more than two pounds, she was abandoned

as a premature baby outside a Cambodian hospital in 2001.

A few weeks later, James and Vik Grant Wetherall,

who were overseas and looking for a child to adopt,

She was sitting in a dark corner of the orphanage

with no-one really paying any attention to her.

We moved aside the net and she grabbed our finger.

And something in both of us just completely melted.

Tests showed Tjili was profoundly deaf and had cerebral palsy.

The specialists at the time said she might not sit or stand or walk,

maybe even sort of normal life things -

feed yourself, go to the loo and that sort of thing.

But when you love someone, you just get on with it.

Years of physiotherapy, love and determination have seen

Now living back in the New Forest, she enjoys an active life.

Tjili can't speak - communication is through gestures,

limited sign language and basic reading and writing.

But there is nothing basic about Tjili's ability

Self-taught, she creates works of art which are winning plaudits.

In order to hold the paper down, she has to use one arm,

and it is every single piece of her body she's using.

She has the ability to be very, very gentle, somehow,

Two of Tjili's pieces were recently selected from 2,000 entries

by the World Watercolour Society for a major exhibition.

The judges had no idea of her challenges.

The art is something I think she takes such great pride in now,

and she actually sees what she is doing isn't just child's play,

it's real pieces of art, works of art which she's producing

Sales of her pictures support her development.

Tjili's work side-by-side with the likes of Tracey Emin.

We're all very capable of saying, "No, I can't,"

when somebody asks you or you're going to try something new.

Whatever it might be, she will give it a go,

and I think that is something for everyone to learn.

She is so inspiring, isn't she? She's a fantastically talented

artist. Really beautiful pictures. We shall all the best for the

future. We will move the weather. A lovely day, but a nip in the air.

We have a north to north-westerly wind, and a lot of sunshine this

month. Three quarters of the monthly allowance already. I love the word

allowance! We have run out of sunshine! There is a little bit of

rain to talk about as well. Let's take a look at your weather

watcher pictures, you have been out in the sunny spells. This was first

thing this morning in Hampshire. A lovely start to the day. Also blue

skies overhead for those out and about.

But we have the clear skies, there is the chance we could have a frost,

like last night, and temperatures under the clearing skies will fall

to around two Celsius in the countryside. These are in the towns

and cities. It will be a mainly dry start to the day tomorrow, a bright

start in many places. Through the morning, some sunshine. The crowd

will -- cloud will increase from the North. Some drizzle at times, but

not too much rain, and temperatures reaching 11 or 12 Celsius with the

light winds. Light cloud is expected tomorrow night, and milder

conditions. Outbreaks of rain are possible, with patchy drizzle here

and there. Dry weather as well, and temperatures falling away to around

nine or 10 Celsius. A mainly dry day on Friday, a fair amount of cloud to

start the day. Things will then start to write not. It is going into

Saturday, this weather travel ring in colder air through Saturday

evening. Through Friday, a lot of dry weather about with the odd spot

of rain. Clouding over during the course of the morning, but

brightening up through the afternoon. For the first three weeks

of April, it has been very dry, these are the stats from the Met

Office will stop really quite dry conditions. Not much rain to talk of

wool stop into the start of next week, we are expecting some

rainfall. More significant than recent rainfall, where we have had

patchy drizzle. Clear skies tomorrow morning, but clouding over through

the afternoon. A Darren Attwood cloud on both Saturday and Sunday.

Starting the new week, some rainfall, more significant rainfall

for the gardeners and farmers. Much-needed when we have had a dry

month. Tomorrow's programme, oysters, the

Solent and Ben Fogle, all in the same programme. That is tomorrow.

Good night.