:00:03. > :00:06.Hello, I'm Laura Trant. This is South Today. The region's top
:00:06. > :00:10.stories tonight: Downsizing in the downturn.
:00:10. > :00:12.How older people are facing up to the squeeze on their incomes.
:00:12. > :00:18.Surrey puts controversial privatisation plans on hold, as its
:00:18. > :00:21.Chief Constable says she wants policing left to the police.
:00:21. > :00:27.She loves the customers, but her business isn't getting the help it
:00:28. > :00:33.needs. Why one trader's pulled out of Salisbury.
:00:33. > :00:38.Didn't want people to think we didn't care, and we ran a wave. I
:00:38. > :00:42.wanted people to know that it was a really hard decision for me to make.
:00:42. > :00:47.And, the 83 year old who's become the oldest man in the country to
:00:47. > :00:52.donate a kidney. It is one of the most interesting
:00:52. > :01:02.and enjoyable experiences of my life, I thoroughly enjoyed the
:01:02. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :01:09.The state of the UK's economy is taking its toll on older people in
:01:09. > :01:12.the south. The charity Age UK says it's getting thousands of calls
:01:12. > :01:15.annually from people struggling with their finances, and it's
:01:15. > :01:24.rising year on year. In West Sussex, inquiries to Age UK have increased
:01:24. > :01:28.by 50% in the last 12 months. In Dorset, they've seen a 45% rise.
:01:28. > :01:31.Berkshire has seen enquiries about money problems up by 40%. As our
:01:31. > :01:41.business correspondent Alastair Fee reports, one of the ways to free up
:01:41. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :01:48.money during retirement is by downsizing.
:01:48. > :01:51.That is my sister. And my cousins. That is me. This couple have been
:01:52. > :01:56.living in the same house in Reading for 40 years. They raised their
:01:56. > :02:04.children here, but are moving on. The worry is, are you going to have
:02:04. > :02:09.enough money to pay the bills? The longer you stay in a house, you
:02:09. > :02:16.have got to keep on doing jobs. Talk of rising prices is never far
:02:16. > :02:23.away at this day centre. What pensioners have does not go very
:02:23. > :02:27.far. You get your pension and, by the time you have bought your
:02:27. > :02:33.butter and milk and whatnot, there is nothing left. Your gas bill, it
:02:33. > :02:38.never goes down. The cost of living never goes down, it always rises.
:02:39. > :02:42.Older people are under more financial pressure than ever.
:02:42. > :02:48.Downsizing can be an option, but inquiries range from debt, to
:02:48. > :02:51.rising bills on fixed income. are a higher rising proportion of
:02:51. > :03:01.people concerned about money and debt. Fixed income against rising
:03:01. > :03:06.
:03:06. > :03:12.cost is a pinch point. This company is about helping order people move.
:03:12. > :03:16.It is big business in America and is catching on here. A lot of
:03:16. > :03:19.people find they are not able to afford their house any more and are
:03:19. > :03:29.looking to move into something smaller, where they can contain
:03:29. > :03:33.their costs. This couple are hoping to move sooner and, with the money
:03:33. > :03:37.left over, they are hoping to buy a caravan they can rent on the coast.
:03:37. > :03:41.And the extra money will help them meet the rising cost of living.
:03:41. > :03:44.What sort of numbers are we talking about? If we take Dorset, where
:03:44. > :03:47.there number of pensioners is greatest. Calls have risen to Age
:03:47. > :03:50.UK up by 400, to nearly 1,300 enquiries about finances.
:03:50. > :03:54.In West Sussex, the number of elderly people asking for help is
:03:54. > :04:00.up by more than 200. It's a similar picture across the
:04:00. > :04:05.south. What are the pressures?
:04:05. > :04:08.Age UK say they're getting a range of calls about finances. Debt is
:04:08. > :04:11.big a problem. Benefits, the rising cost of living. Food prices, fuel
:04:11. > :04:14.and energy bills are hitting elderly people hard. Low interest
:04:14. > :04:23.rates mean investments aren't giving older people much if
:04:23. > :04:30.anything back. As we've seen, one option is to downsize. Selling a
:04:30. > :04:34.home and buying something cheaper can free up cash. Surrey Police is
:04:34. > :04:36.putting its controversial plan for private firms to take on some
:04:36. > :04:39.police work on hold. The force's new Chief Constable,
:04:39. > :04:42.Lynne Owens, will delay the project until after the Olympics, and
:04:42. > :04:45.consult with the public before taking the next step. It comes
:04:45. > :04:54.after the plan was heavily criticised by Police Federations.
:04:54. > :04:58.Our home affairs correspondent Alex Forsyth reports.
:04:58. > :05:02.And at this week's Police Federation conference, the planned
:05:02. > :05:09.by Surrey to use private firms for some police roles was in the
:05:09. > :05:14.spotlight. It is about drinking through how we can best progress
:05:14. > :05:18.this and get the best possible deal. Surrey and West Midlands Police
:05:18. > :05:22.have been criticised for jointly asking private contractors to pitch
:05:22. > :05:26.for work, including detaining suspects and running major
:05:26. > :05:30.incidences. There were claims it would mean privatisation of the
:05:30. > :05:35.police but the force says it is not the case. If we did not include
:05:35. > :05:39.some of those elements in the document, we would potentially be
:05:39. > :05:49.stripped what they could offer. We want those elements of the service
:05:49. > :05:52.
:05:52. > :05:55.we deliver to be done not necessarily buy them. The force
:05:55. > :05:59.says competing reports will be included. Surrey is not dropping
:05:59. > :06:04.his plan but will consult with the public before taking the next step,
:06:04. > :06:10.a decision welcomed at conference. Nobody really understands what this
:06:10. > :06:18.is about which is why it has been important. We need a consultation
:06:18. > :06:21.process with the public and say, what do we want? Members of the
:06:21. > :06:27.Surrey Police of our tea seemed pleased to have the chance to slow
:06:28. > :06:33.this process down. Where we have got is to give more time for more
:06:33. > :06:38.explanation. We need to get this right. If not, off the good will p
:06:38. > :06:42.outweighed by damage. A new time frame has yet to be worked out.
:06:42. > :06:45.Here in the south, we have our fair share of big shopping centres. But,
:06:45. > :06:47.as we enter another recession, it's small shop keepers who claim they
:06:47. > :06:51.are under pressure like never before. In Salisbury, independent
:06:51. > :07:00.shops are calling on Wiltshire Council to do more, to help them
:07:00. > :07:07.thrive. Ben Moore is there for us tonight, Ben.
:07:07. > :07:11.If you look around the city centre, there aren't too many empty plots.
:07:11. > :07:19.In fact, at the end of last year, one survey said Salisbury has less
:07:19. > :07:22.than 10% of its shops standing empty. The UK average was 15%. But,
:07:22. > :07:25.less than mile form here, shop owners say it's a different story.
:07:25. > :07:28.They say Fisherton Street, the historical place for unique, one-
:07:28. > :07:38.off shops, is in crisis, as independent traders are packing up.
:07:38. > :07:40.
:07:40. > :07:46.And they're blaming the council. Goodbye and thank you, Salisbury,
:07:46. > :07:50.thank you for your business rates and parking charges. No love letter
:07:50. > :07:57.to the powers that be in Salisbury. Look around your city, empty shops,
:07:57. > :08:00.the city is dying. An independent boutique, it closed last Saturday.
:08:00. > :08:05.The net instead investing everything 30 miles away in
:08:05. > :08:13.Lymington. There are no customers, Salisbury is very quiet, the
:08:13. > :08:18.business rates are also too high. What they charge us for commercial
:08:18. > :08:22.waste is too high, so many things. A Lucinda says free parking, lower
:08:22. > :08:28.rates and the tourist trade make Limington a better bet. In
:08:28. > :08:33.Salisbury, the cheapest parking is �7 a day. There are several vacant
:08:33. > :08:39.shop fronts on Fisherton Street. A fate independent traders fear.
:08:39. > :08:43.sell second-hand clothes, we have to pay business rates and rent, we
:08:43. > :08:48.are hardly scraping a living at the moment. It is a tight squeeze for
:08:48. > :08:56.us. Our life savings are in the business. If we do not recoup those
:08:56. > :09:00.funds we will packeted. This shop Front poster has attracted
:09:00. > :09:05.attention on the internet. She says it is welcome because she fears,
:09:05. > :09:10.unless customers come back, others will follow her out of town.
:09:10. > :09:14.heart is in Salisbury. I don't want people to think we didn't care, we
:09:14. > :09:19.were running away. I wanted people to know it was a really hard
:09:19. > :09:24.decision to make, I have had to let someone go and have worked with for
:09:24. > :09:32.10 years. I have to put Joining me now is Fleur de Rhe Philipe. We
:09:32. > :09:36.heard there that the council isn't doing enough. We are doing
:09:36. > :09:43.everything we can to help. We have agreed car-parking charges will not
:09:43. > :09:52.go up for three years. We're working with them to help
:09:52. > :09:59.businesses. Salisbury isn't doing that badly. If you look at figures,
:09:59. > :10:05.they went up in 2011 with visitors into the centre. What are you doing
:10:05. > :10:10.to help traders? Apart from holding charges for three years, we are
:10:10. > :10:12.appointing consultants to set up a business improvement District. The
:10:13. > :10:17.traders will put a little money in to improve their trading
:10:17. > :10:27.environment. We have every reason to believe it will help Salisbury a
:10:27. > :10:29.lot. A disused social club in Chichester has been destroyed by an
:10:29. > :10:33.arson attack. It's the second night running that
:10:33. > :10:36.crews have had to deal with a fire at the derelict property. It
:10:36. > :10:46.started just after 9.30pm last night. Around 20 fire fighters had
:10:46. > :10:53.
:10:54. > :10:57.to dismantle the roof of the building, in Palmersfield Avenue.
:10:57. > :11:00.More needs to be done to provide affordable homes across the south,
:11:00. > :11:04.according to a new study by three leading housing bodies. There's
:11:04. > :11:08.been an 11% fall in the number of new houses being built, since the
:11:08. > :11:11.end of last year. At the same time, demand is rising, helping push up
:11:11. > :11:13.private sector rents in a vicious circle that's pricing a generation
:11:13. > :11:17.out of the market. Today's report suggests a complex
:11:17. > :11:20.combination of factors, which add up to one big problem. We're simply
:11:20. > :11:24.not building enough new homes to meet growing demand. Here in Dorset,
:11:24. > :11:27.the average house is now 12 times the average salary. Across the
:11:27. > :11:30.south east, the difference is even greater. Couple that with a
:11:30. > :11:34.continuing trend for lenders to demand big deposits. Michael has a
:11:34. > :11:37.good job, with a high street bank. He'd like to buy his own flat in
:11:37. > :11:41.Southampton. If I could get a mortgage, then I could pay the
:11:41. > :11:45.money back, I could make repayments. I'm earning enough to do that. But
:11:45. > :11:47.it's the initial deposit that I can't get. For a house like that,
:11:48. > :11:51.we're talking �40,000 deposit. But until anything changes, I'm not
:11:51. > :11:53.going to be on the property ladder for a long time. The National
:11:53. > :11:56.Housing Federation campaigns for affordable housing. Together with
:11:56. > :11:59.the charity Shelter and the Chartered Institute of Housing,
:11:59. > :12:02.it's concluded that the government is falling short of its own
:12:02. > :12:06.commitments to increase supply. We're not building enough, by any
:12:06. > :12:09.means. But actually, what we need to do is almost a suite of options,
:12:09. > :12:11.because not everybody's the same. We need social rented, we need
:12:11. > :12:14.affordable rented. We need different types of accommodation,
:12:15. > :12:18.including market rented. Yes, some people can buy on the open market.
:12:18. > :12:20.But the vast majority of people can't. MPs, meanwhile, have to
:12:20. > :12:24.balance housing need against often vocal campaigns to prevent
:12:24. > :12:28.development. It's not an arms race. It's not a numbers game: "How many
:12:28. > :12:31.can we pack into the south?" And neither is it about what the
:12:31. > :12:34.government will give us. It's about the right houses, in the right
:12:34. > :12:37.places. And it's about local leadership to deliver those. But,
:12:37. > :12:47.with the return to recession, the need for affordable homes, and the
:12:47. > :12:50.
:12:50. > :12:55.jobs that come with building them, Be for volunteers at Swanage it was
:12:55. > :12:59.a dream come true. A signal box at Corfe Castle station was officially
:12:59. > :13:03.opened to allow for regular connections from the heritage line
:13:03. > :13:10.to the main line. It has been made to resemble the original from the
:13:10. > :13:15.19th century. Corfe Castle is a tiny station on the heritage
:13:15. > :13:22.railway towards Swanage. It was a line closed 40 years ago by British
:13:22. > :13:27.Rail. This signal box is brand new. But instead of computers, it has
:13:27. > :13:32.got leaders and bells. It is effectively Victorian. We have got
:13:32. > :13:40.a lot of spare space for this facility for trains to come through
:13:40. > :13:45.at Wareham. That is what matters. Network Rail is spending �33
:13:45. > :13:49.million upgrading be signalling. When it finishes next year, the
:13:49. > :13:54.volunteers will link directly to the modern signalling centre, 70
:13:55. > :13:59.miles away in Basingstoke. If we want to send a train to Wareham, we
:14:00. > :14:05.have to communicate with the signal centre and asked for permission and
:14:05. > :14:10.when that is agreed, they make the signal to divert the train. That is
:14:10. > :14:18.important for the transport minister. He has come to open the
:14:18. > :14:25.signal box. We know that it makes tremendous contributions to tourism
:14:25. > :14:29.and the economy, in places like Swanage. The plan is for regular
:14:29. > :14:35.services connecting the South West trains and Wareham. But that cannot
:14:35. > :14:41.happen yet. This is where the service ends. Been linked to the
:14:41. > :14:51.main line to Wareham up here needs further work. But today is the key
:14:51. > :14:52.
:14:52. > :14:58.For many people with an interest in playing and listening to music, the
:14:58. > :15:03.late and great John Peel was an inspiration. As a Radio 1 DJ from
:15:03. > :15:10.1967 until he died in 2004, he was responsible for playing an eclectic
:15:10. > :15:14.range of music from bands including The Fall, Roxy Music and The Smiths.
:15:14. > :15:21.25 thousand of his vinyl LPs, his entire record connection --
:15:21. > :15:25.collection is being put online. But for one banned from Southampton, it
:15:25. > :15:31.came as a surprise when they discovered two of their albums from
:15:31. > :15:37.20 years ago were part of the collection. Dan O'Farrell and
:15:37. > :15:41.Richard Barrett are from the group, Accrington Stanley. We were at
:15:41. > :15:47.school together in 1986. We were writing songs and playing and we
:15:47. > :15:53.were influenced by bands like the Smiths. We got it together to make
:15:53. > :16:03.some records. We sent one to John Peel and he kept it all this time.
:16:03. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:13.And we have actually got a clip from you in 1987. # you just put me
:16:13. > :16:21.down. Did you really have to kick me when I was down? What was it
:16:21. > :16:27.like, seeing that? It looks like I did not eat back in those days.
:16:27. > :16:34.it is always about the hair! John Peel must have been such a figure
:16:34. > :16:38.for both of you because of his love of music. We all looked up to John
:16:38. > :16:44.Peel, my generation. He was like a benevolent uncle. He played an
:16:44. > :16:48.amazing mix of music. It was such a thrill to know he kept at record.
:16:48. > :16:54.How did that end up on his programme? You did not know about
:16:54. > :17:01.it at the time, did you? We played at a club a couple of nights later
:17:02. > :17:08.and we got a big thumbs up and we found out that way. We did not find
:17:08. > :17:11.out until about a couple of weeks ago. We have now got some more
:17:11. > :17:21.music for you to listen to and we had actually got a comment from
:17:21. > :17:24.
:17:24. > :17:28.Well despite being called Accrington Stanley, they come
:17:28. > :17:34.originally from Southampton and that was an LP from Accrington
:17:34. > :17:42.Stanley. His collection is going online, including your two albums.
:17:42. > :17:49.What does that feel like? It is a very warm and fuzzy feeling to look
:17:49. > :17:56.back on that. Especially after all this time. It is a strange
:17:56. > :18:02.allegation. And now you are a teacher? You are in publishing? But
:18:02. > :18:05.you are very much going strong. we are mixing a single at the
:18:05. > :18:11.moment and we hope an album will follow in the summer and we have
:18:11. > :18:18.kept going all this time. And will it stay like that? I should hope so
:18:18. > :18:26.it. We will not stop. And if you are interested in delving into his
:18:26. > :18:31.record collection, we have got more online. And 83-year-old man has
:18:32. > :18:35.become Britain's oldest living kidney donor. He decided to donate
:18:35. > :18:40.after being told his kidneys were in such good condition, they looked
:18:40. > :18:50.like they belonged to a man 40 years younger. Nicholas Grace said
:18:50. > :18:52.
:18:52. > :18:57.it was nice to feel that in old age Revving up for another busy day.
:18:57. > :19:04.Just weeks after donating one of his kidneys to a complete stranger,
:19:04. > :19:09.Nicholas Grace is back to full fitness. He has been giving to
:19:09. > :19:13.charity all his life and at 83, he did even more. The evidence is
:19:13. > :19:20.hanging up in his downstairs toilet. One of his kidneys is inside
:19:20. > :19:26.somebody else. He went through months of tests and major surgery.
:19:26. > :19:35.Did you ever have a time when you thought, this is a big operation
:19:35. > :19:40.and I do not need this at 83? really. I got more enthusiastic. It
:19:40. > :19:45.was very interesting. It was one of the most interesting and dare I say
:19:45. > :19:50.it, most enjoyable experiences. Enjoyable? I enjoyed it so
:19:50. > :19:54.thoroughly. The doctors said his age was not a problem because his
:19:54. > :20:00.kidneys were as healthy as a man half his age and he is this enough
:20:01. > :20:06.to live with one. At 83, yes, we did think he probably was too old
:20:06. > :20:11.but he said he was fit. He has led an extremely active life and we
:20:11. > :20:19.took that on face value and started doing the tests and they came back
:20:19. > :20:24.that yes, he was fit. James was one of 6,000 people waiting for a
:20:24. > :20:31.transplant and he would be happy to get one from a man in his eighties.
:20:31. > :20:37.At any age, you can donate. You are feeling all right? Not a single
:20:37. > :20:44.twinge of pain from the operation onwards. I have not had to touch
:20:44. > :20:54.any painkillers. I think you are Superman! I did not know! Superman
:20:54. > :20:57.
:20:57. > :21:03.I think he really is. That is amazing, at the age of 83. I have
:21:03. > :21:07.got Superman on a boat. Ben Ainslie is down in Falmouth with the
:21:07. > :21:13.championships and in tough conditions. Very bouncy waters. But
:21:13. > :21:16.he is doing very well and he is on course for the 6th world title. He
:21:16. > :21:21.will be sending a powerful message to any of his rivals at the
:21:21. > :21:25.Olympics. The three-time gold- medallist lead from the front and
:21:25. > :21:30.with three more victories in Falmouth, these conditions were
:21:30. > :21:34.extreme but his prowess is such that he just needs to complete the
:21:34. > :21:40.final to win the title again. We will hear from him in Falmouth
:21:40. > :21:45.tomorrow. The Bisham Abbey based women's hockey squad will be
:21:45. > :21:50.announced tomorrow and is expected to be dominated by players from
:21:50. > :21:55.Reading, the club ranked 4th in the table. They have beaten the world
:21:55. > :22:01.champions twice. Alex Danson was injured during be final but it is
:22:01. > :22:07.hope she will be available for selection. I do not want to let any
:22:07. > :22:12.fantastic people down. They have trained for this for years. I might
:22:12. > :22:16.have to turn around and spoil the dreams. It is not easy but it is
:22:16. > :22:24.part of my job and I have just got to do it professionally and with
:22:24. > :22:28.care. And as well as I can. Only some of the athletes had been named
:22:28. > :22:34.so far and it will be an interesting period. Goal-line
:22:34. > :22:38.technology was used for the past time in a football match last night.
:22:38. > :22:42.The Hampshire Senior Cup Final took place between Eastleigh and AFC
:22:43. > :22:49.Totton in Southampton and it was chosen for the first run out of the
:22:49. > :22:53.Hawkeye system. More than 2000 spectators descended on St Mary's.
:22:53. > :22:56.More than you would expect for the More than you would expect for the
:22:56. > :23:01.Senior Cup final but they were sharing in a bit of history. The
:23:01. > :23:06.cameras were in serious operation for the first time, trained on the
:23:06. > :23:10.goal line. They can send a signal to the referee's watch in a second
:23:10. > :23:16.to tell him if the ball has crossed the line. But not last night
:23:16. > :23:22.the line. But not last night because this was just a test.
:23:22. > :23:25.was the second live test since the start of June last year. It will be
:23:26. > :23:30.presented to a meeting in a couple of months and it everything is
:23:30. > :23:35.working well, it will be licensed working well, it will be licensed
:23:35. > :23:40.and rolled out for any competitions. But the nearest these teams came to
:23:40. > :23:45.providing an incident came when Mitchell Nelson forced the second
:23:45. > :23:50.goal for Eastleigh. But the assistant was able to call back
:23:50. > :23:54.anyway. It will be a couple of months until the governing body
:23:54. > :24:04.decides if this test will be adopted. But this match has already
:24:04. > :24:06.
:24:06. > :24:11.got a place in history and probably Do not forget, Eastleigh on top!
:24:11. > :24:13.Sussex are perhaps just ahead of Hampshire against Worcestershire in
:24:14. > :24:19.Hampshire against Worcestershire in the cricket. The home team were
:24:19. > :24:25.bowled out... Hampshire are in a strong position against Yorkshire
:24:25. > :24:35.after a wonderful innings of 196 from Australian Test player, Simon
:24:35. > :24:39.Katich. And Surrey... They are struggling against Somerset, after
:24:39. > :24:49.they made at 512-9 in their first innings. That will continue,
:24:49. > :24:51.
:24:51. > :24:55.Can you tell us something positive? We have got a weather system above
:24:55. > :25:02.us and it is not as good as originally thought and we will get
:25:02. > :25:07.a bit of rain. More rain. It is a bit of rain. More rain. It is
:25:07. > :25:17.still needed. The drought is still there. Thank you for these pictures
:25:17. > :25:27.near Preston Candover. And at Allington Nursery. And we finish at
:25:27. > :25:28.
:25:28. > :25:33.And we keep the cloud tonight. Rain moving north and it will be mainly
:25:33. > :25:39.dry four most. Some clear spells and perhaps a bit of sunshine in
:25:39. > :25:45.Dorset. Improving in the morning. Wind will keep temperatures in
:25:45. > :25:51.double figures. Temperatures at 10 degrees. It will be dry tomorrow
:25:51. > :25:56.but a band of rain, patchy and light will move north. Most areas
:25:56. > :26:02.will be affected by lunchtime. Temperatures up to 13 and 14 but
:26:02. > :26:07.feeling colder where we have rain. This will stay with us tomorrow
:26:07. > :26:12.night. Gradually moving north and clearing many areas by dawn on
:26:12. > :26:18.Saturday. A damp start for some on Saturday and temperatures down to
:26:18. > :26:27.11 degrees. Relatively mild. On Saturday, it is actually fairly
:26:27. > :26:31.good. A lot of cloud and some sunny spells initially. Some uncertainty
:26:31. > :26:37.about this rain in the English Channel. It might be wet on
:26:37. > :26:43.Saturday and Sunday is not the best day of the weekend. Low pressure on
:26:43. > :26:49.the Continent and rain and heavy showers and possibly thunder. Dry
:26:50. > :26:54.on Monday and sunshine and a variable cloud. This is the summary
:26:54. > :27:00.for the rest of the week. Rain tomorrow after a dry and bright
:27:00. > :27:05.start. Rain from the English Channel. Saturday will start dry
:27:05. > :27:11.but we might get rain by the end of the day. Some bright and sunny
:27:11. > :27:18.spells and wet and windy on Sunday. But by Tuesday, temperatures will
:27:18. > :27:24.start to rise above the average for the season. Between 15 and 17 but
:27:24. > :27:30.the season. Between 15 and 17 but perhaps 20 in some spots. We do of