:00:00. > :00:00.dual fuel customers will go up by more than 9%. That is all from the
:00:00. > :00:17.BBC Hello I'm Sally Taylor. Welcome to
:00:18. > :00:20.South Today. In tonight's programme: What is the future for Poole
:00:21. > :00:27.Hospital and its patients as a merger with Bournemouth is rejected?
:00:28. > :00:31.Some of the benefits we would have realised simply will not happen.
:00:32. > :00:33.Striking teachers close down hundreds of schools leaving
:00:34. > :00:35.thousands of children missing lessons.
:00:36. > :00:43.A life saving operation for the toddler who had his skull reshaped
:00:44. > :00:45.and rebuilt. It is unbelievable. You would not know he had been through
:00:46. > :00:49.that. And taking the rough with the smooth
:00:50. > :01:01.` we drive the course with one of the favourites in the British Rally
:01:02. > :01:04.Championships. There's a big question mark over the
:01:05. > :01:08.future of Poole Hospital tonight, after plans for a merger with
:01:09. > :01:11.Bournemouth were thrown out. The two hospitals had hoped to join forces `
:01:12. > :01:16.but the Competition Commission rejected it. Now Poole ` which had
:01:17. > :01:21.financial problems ` has admitted it faces significant challenges ahead
:01:22. > :01:24.but said it won't close. Proposals were first revealed in
:01:25. > :01:29.November 2011, when the two trusts announced their plans to merge.
:01:30. > :01:35.Then, in February last year, a public consultation was launched.
:01:36. > :01:37.But in January, the matter was referred to the Competition
:01:38. > :01:41.Commission amid concerns about allowing the two trusts to combine.
:01:42. > :01:43.Today, the Commission delivered its verdict claiming there was not
:01:44. > :01:49.enough evidence that the proposals would benefit patients. For Poole it
:01:50. > :01:54.means finding a way to save ?30 million over the next three years.
:01:55. > :01:58.Our health correspondent, David Fenton, is live in Bournemouth, this
:01:59. > :02:05.evening. David, this is not the news the hospitals wanted.
:02:06. > :02:10.This was a categorical no to everything the hospitals wanted to
:02:11. > :02:13.do with this merger. Some of the plans the Competition Commission
:02:14. > :02:17.didn't believe ` like the promise to build a new maternity hospital. Some
:02:18. > :02:25.they thought could harm patients, like downgrading one of the A to
:02:26. > :02:35.a minor injuries unit. It was a complete rejection. But not for some
:02:36. > :02:48.of the patients I spoke to in Poole today. I am glad because Bourne
:02:49. > :02:53.mouth is a long way. Poole hospital was very distinctive from ordinary
:02:54. > :03:19.hospital. But for patient care joining would be better.
:03:20. > :03:22.This began because Poole hospital was in serious financial trouble and
:03:23. > :03:26.needed help. Bournemouth had plenty of money and so it seemed to make
:03:27. > :03:30.sense for them to join forces. Now that we're back to square one there
:03:31. > :03:34.are some serious concerns about how and whether Poole is going to
:03:35. > :03:42.operate into the future. Poole hospital is loved by its users that
:03:43. > :03:51.it has a financial problem. This has got to be addressed. An hour ago I
:03:52. > :03:55.spoke to the Chief Executive at Poole hospital. He said there is no
:03:56. > :04:05.way the hospital is going to close that he admitted we have significant
:04:06. > :04:09.challenges into the future. This must be a real kick in the
:04:10. > :04:17.teeth for you. To use work. ?5 million and you're back to square
:04:18. > :04:22.one. It is disappointing. The merger was about improving the quality of
:04:23. > :04:26.care. It is disappointing news. It will also mean that some of the
:04:27. > :04:30.investment in services such as the construction of a new maternity
:04:31. > :04:35.units now will not happen is this decision going to make life better
:04:36. > :04:37.or worse for patients. What it will mean is that it will
:04:38. > :04:45.take longer to make some of the changes that we want to make. Those
:04:46. > :04:49.changes will be more complex. Patients are in part going to lose
:04:50. > :04:53.out as a result of this decision. We have got to find the right we know
:04:54. > :05:02.of Link form to enhance and Velcro services in the context of working
:05:03. > :05:05.as separate organisations. Do patients care how much cover dish
:05:06. > :05:12.and there is between hospitals? They do not. Patients view the services
:05:13. > :05:17.as complementary. They do not understand this issue of
:05:18. > :05:21.competition. Thank you very much. Hundreds of schools across the South
:05:22. > :05:24.were closed today as part of the national teachers' strike. In some
:05:25. > :05:27.areas over 50 per cent of schools were fully or partially shut.
:05:28. > :05:30.Members of the two biggest teaching unions took action in protest at
:05:31. > :05:40.their treatment by the government. Our Political Editor Peter Henley
:05:41. > :05:46.reports. Teachers are angry. Fed up, they say
:05:47. > :05:57.but the Education Secretary Michael Gove. Never in 35 years of teaching
:05:58. > :06:04.have I witnessed such a wholesale assault on our profession. For
:06:05. > :06:12.children and patients bat`macro children and the evidence it has
:06:13. > :06:15.been a difficult day. It is brilliant that they have opened the
:06:16. > :06:25.doors today. If every nurse does not go into day you would have the NHS
:06:26. > :06:29.in turmoil. But with classes empty many children were left to their own
:06:30. > :06:34.devices. Responsible teachers regretted that but say it is changes
:06:35. > :06:37.to the and retirement age that have pushed them over the edge. Teachers
:06:38. > :06:43.are being asked to work longer for less money. We all know times are
:06:44. > :06:47.tough but in times of austerity you reduce luxuries. You do not cut back
:06:48. > :06:55.on essentials. Schools are an essential. Politicians argue it is
:06:56. > :06:58.the unions that are out of touch. Heads are working hard to keep
:06:59. > :07:04.schools open and so they should. This is difficult. The unions should
:07:05. > :07:08.have organised meetings after school, invited parents and, perhaps
:07:09. > :07:15.asking parents if they sympathise. They should have listened to in
:07:16. > :07:18.these. With further action plans before Christmas this is becoming a
:07:19. > :07:22.test of strength with children, in the middle.
:07:23. > :07:26.What difference will today's strike have made? Michael Gove was abroad `
:07:27. > :07:32.but he's made it clear he sees the teaching unions as an obstacle that
:07:33. > :07:35.needs to be pushed aside. And politicians from all sides are
:07:36. > :07:39.judging that parents will have been so inconvenienced teachers will be
:07:40. > :07:42.put off this, I'm not so sure ` people who trust their children's
:07:43. > :07:48.safety and upbringing feel they wouldn't have walked out without
:07:49. > :07:51.good reason. But not all schools were on strike, and is it really
:07:52. > :07:57.clear what the government could offer teachers to stop another
:07:58. > :08:07.strike? A new Education Secretary. It is not
:08:08. > :08:13.likely to happen. Someone who is insisting that teachers have two
:08:14. > :08:19.work until 67. He is trying to introduce performance related pay.
:08:20. > :08:23.How will I head introduce that? One thing Michael Gove has achieved is
:08:24. > :08:28.he has united all the teaching unions. That has not happened quite
:08:29. > :08:32.this way before. They are not going to go away.
:08:33. > :08:35.A man's been arrested after a crash on the M4 in Wiltshire early this
:08:36. > :08:38.morning that left three people seriously injured. The accident `
:08:39. > :08:42.involving a lorry and a car transporter ` happened between
:08:43. > :08:45.junction 15 for Swindon and 14 for Hungerford. That stretch of the
:08:46. > :08:49.motorway was shut for most of the morning, causing long rush hour
:08:50. > :08:53.delays. It has now fully reopened. The number of complaints about the
:08:54. > :08:57.region's train operators has fallen. Figures from the Rail Regulator show
:08:58. > :08:59.the biggest drop in complaints came at First Great Western, despite the
:09:00. > :09:04.disruption caused by rebuilding Reading station. Complaints about
:09:05. > :09:08.CrossCountry also reduced sharply, while South West trains and Southern
:09:09. > :09:14.were largely unchanged. Almost half of all complaints were about
:09:15. > :09:18.punctuality and reliability. A Gosport mother whose son had to
:09:19. > :09:21.undergo a five hour operation to treat a rare brain condition is
:09:22. > :09:24.urging other parents to be aware of the symptoms. Two`year`old, Ethan
:09:25. > :09:30.Mair, was diagnosed with craniosynostosis after a Dr pointed
:09:31. > :09:34.out his odd`shaped head. The condition causes the skull to fuse
:09:35. > :09:38.and without surgery can lead to learning difficulties and sight
:09:39. > :09:50.problems. Laura Trant's been to visit the family, a year on.
:09:51. > :09:55.A happy healthy toddler and aware of the enormity of the operation he
:09:56. > :09:59.underwent a year ago. When he was born his skull was already fused
:10:00. > :10:09.together. This meant his brain could not grow properly. Tell`tale signs
:10:10. > :10:22.were the shape of his head. It was a Dr that picked it up. We were lucky
:10:23. > :10:26.that it got picked up. I would have noticed that when he was a bit
:10:27. > :10:32.older. It was not until he was three months that we conceded difference.
:10:33. > :10:39.So many people go and diagnosed. He underwent major surgery to make and
:10:40. > :10:44.rebuild his skull. Surgeons cut zigzags across his head to make room
:10:45. > :10:57.for his brain to grow normally. He had 69 stitches. Now the only side
:10:58. > :11:05.is a neat scar Headon and his here. `` and neat scar under his here.
:11:06. > :11:12.It could have put the child at risk of fits and seizures.
:11:13. > :11:23.Craniosynostosis is a rare condition. The operation was five
:11:24. > :11:27.hours long. During that time he lost all of his blood. They had to
:11:28. > :11:32.essentially break up his skull and put it back together again to make
:11:33. > :11:36.it normal. The good news is he will not need an operation like that
:11:37. > :11:41.again. It is unbelievable. It is fantastic. He is such a lovely
:11:42. > :11:48.little boy. To look at him you would not know.
:11:49. > :11:52.A woman who's been running the Red Squirrel Trust on the Isle of Wight
:11:53. > :11:54.for the past 20 years received her MBE at Buckingham palace today.
:11:55. > :12:01.Helen Butler has worked towards helping the squirrels to prosper on
:12:02. > :12:05.the island. She set up the Wight Squirrel project to keep a record of
:12:06. > :12:08.population numbers ` which have recently been in decline.
:12:09. > :12:16.Still to come in this evening's South Today ` Alexis Green tests her
:12:17. > :12:25.skills in a rally car. Join me later in the programme. I am
:12:26. > :12:28.off to the test area. Dorset Police has become the latest
:12:29. > :12:31.force in the South to start recruiting new officers. A
:12:32. > :12:36.recruitment drive's due to begin soon to take up to 16 new recruits
:12:37. > :12:40.by 2015 at a starting salary of ?19,000. But as forces still face
:12:41. > :12:44.significant financial pressures, questions are being asked about how
:12:45. > :12:54.they can afford it. Here's Simon Clemison.
:12:55. > :12:57.In 2009 Dorset froze and so did police recruitment. The force is
:12:58. > :13:04.still facing harsh economic conditions that after four years
:13:05. > :13:09.there is some following up plans been announced to take on some new
:13:10. > :13:13.constables. This far wanted to join the police
:13:14. > :13:25.one year ago but could not. But he is worried about changing rates of
:13:26. > :13:30.pay. You do not know if it would go down or up. The partial melting of
:13:31. > :13:33.the recruitment freeze is significant because Dorset still has
:13:34. > :13:41.to make it early and pounds of cuts to its budget. It is all ready shed
:13:42. > :13:46.?14 million which has led to the loss of 500 jobs. It is good to
:13:47. > :13:50.bring fresh people in and give people opportunity to join the
:13:51. > :13:53.police. But we need to recognise this is a relatively small
:13:54. > :14:01.recruitment against a substantial reduction in the number of officers.
:14:02. > :14:05.The argue with those the workforce simply ages. A lot of people are
:14:06. > :14:09.leaving the service at the moment. They have to start looking at
:14:10. > :14:15.bringing new blood in some time. Now is as good a time as any. There are
:14:16. > :14:21.still budget reductions to come. The least forces do not know their
:14:22. > :14:28.funding beyond 2016 so this could be seen as a risk.
:14:29. > :14:31.New transatlantic routes from Gatwick Airport are being launched
:14:32. > :14:36.with a price tag of less than ?150 each way. Norwegian will fly to New
:14:37. > :14:39.York, Los Angeles and Florida using a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner
:14:40. > :14:42.aircraft, recalling the style of low budget pioneer Sir Freddie Laker,
:14:43. > :14:49.who launched his sky train from Gatwick in the 1970s. Norwegian will
:14:50. > :14:53.also start five new European services.
:14:54. > :14:56.Plans for a multi`million pound bridge across the river Thames in
:14:57. > :15:00.Reading, have been given the green light. The crossing for cyclists and
:15:01. > :15:04.pedestrians, will link Christchurch Meadows with the redeveloped railway
:15:05. > :15:07.station. Today councillors approved the project ` although it has
:15:08. > :15:15.attracted criticism from cycling campaigners who don't think the
:15:16. > :15:18.bridge will cope with demand. Five years after she sailed away
:15:19. > :15:24.from Southampton, the first images have emerged of what a refurbished
:15:25. > :15:27.QE2 will look like. On Tuesday we reported that a contract had been
:15:28. > :15:32.signed with a shipyard in China to convert the former liner into a five
:15:33. > :15:44.star hotel. Our Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton reports.
:15:45. > :15:51.On her maiden voyage in May 1969 the QE2 was the pride of British
:15:52. > :15:58.shipbuilding. All the bidders are keen to hold
:15:59. > :16:05.onto their heritage. They will be reliving the heyday.
:16:06. > :16:13.This bed is from British based designers. `` bid we want to
:16:14. > :16:23.maintain the overall interior architecture. But fans of the QE2
:16:24. > :16:32.may not like this idea. Visitors can ride an elevator to the top of the
:16:33. > :16:39.final. Here are some of the other ideas for Bishop. The owners of the
:16:40. > :16:45.ship hoped the work will be competed at the Chinese shipyard. Asked macro
:16:46. > :16:49.ideas for the vessel. Paul, we've been here before. Half a
:16:50. > :16:52.dozen plans for QE2 have been announced. None of them have
:16:53. > :16:59.actually happened. These plans seem much more advanced. But the liner
:17:00. > :17:03.was due to leave Dubai tomorrow, and that is definitely not happening.
:17:04. > :17:07.The bid to berth the QE2 opposite the O2 Arena in London has fallen
:17:08. > :17:11.silent. The current plan is to take the refurbished ship on a three
:17:12. > :17:17.month tour of Far Eastern ports. But there are still many unanswered
:17:18. > :17:20.questions: We don't know where Southampton's best known ship will
:17:21. > :17:27.end up, we don't know who will operate it, or when, or who is
:17:28. > :17:29.actually going to pay for it. But today we do know more than we did
:17:30. > :17:41.before. All this week we've been looking at
:17:42. > :17:45.China and what effect its growing economy is having here in the South.
:17:46. > :17:47.In the Thames Valley contracts are being signed and businesses are
:17:48. > :17:51.moving in. Berkshire's Silicon Valley is slowly becoming recognised
:17:52. > :18:01.in China as a place to do business as our Business Correspondent,
:18:02. > :18:11.Alastair Fee, discovered. The swapping of business cards
:18:12. > :18:23.happens the world over. The Thames Valley area is becoming allocation
:18:24. > :18:35.for Chinese business. I believe there is a lot more can be done.
:18:36. > :18:45.Bracknell is actively wooing the Chinese. One year on and these talks
:18:46. > :18:52.are continuing. We are close to Heathrow. We have some of the best
:18:53. > :18:54.road links in the country. When you are talking about inward investment
:18:55. > :18:59.it is not just about as this premises, but where are the
:19:00. > :19:06.workforce going to live, where are the executive is going to live? It
:19:07. > :19:12.has been a good year for the Thames Valley. A Chinese telecoms giants
:19:13. > :19:20.moved its headquarters to Reading. They have pledged to invest millions
:19:21. > :19:24.and create hundreds of jobs. This is no difference to doing business with
:19:25. > :19:36.France and Germany. We will take awhile to to know each other well.
:19:37. > :19:39.When you do trust is built. But unless we get permission from the
:19:40. > :19:46.business we cannot say who is doing what. High`tech business is a Thames
:19:47. > :19:52.Valley speciality. Bracknell is ahead of the game and in time these
:19:53. > :19:55.meetings could be worth a lot of money.
:19:56. > :19:58.Tomorrow on South Today Alastair will be visiting the Poole based
:19:59. > :20:02.luxury yacht builder sun`seeker who have recently completed a deal to
:20:03. > :20:05.sell a stake of its business to a Chinese property group. And you can
:20:06. > :20:19.see all of our reports looking at China's links with the South on our
:20:20. > :20:34.Facebook page. Here is the sport. This is from
:20:35. > :20:37.Southhampton NBM Viewdata. `` in Bermuda.
:20:38. > :20:41.Justin Rose was beaten into second place at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
:20:42. > :20:44.event in Bermuda. Rose qualified thanks to winning this year's US
:20:45. > :20:47.Open and competed against the two other major winners. The third, Phil
:20:48. > :20:49.Mickelson, didn't compete and his place was taken by Padraig
:20:50. > :20:53.Harrington. The former Hampshire based player led by two going into
:20:54. > :20:58.the final round but was beaten by Adam Scott who shot a 64 to clinch
:20:59. > :21:02.the title in Southampton. A soldier from Hampshire who lost
:21:03. > :21:05.his legs on duty in Afghanistan is hoping to go to the Paralympic
:21:06. > :21:08.Winter Games in Russia next year in the sport of sledge hockey. The
:21:09. > :21:12.team, funded entirely by sponsors, are heading to Turin this weekend to
:21:13. > :21:16.take part in a six nation event which acts as a final qualifier for
:21:17. > :21:25.a place at the Games in Sochi. Andover's Tyler Christopher says
:21:26. > :21:37.hopes are high for the GB team. Everyone else is at a certain
:21:38. > :21:45.level. I enjoy it because it is fast and furious. It is a team game. I
:21:46. > :21:48.enjoy playing team games. This weekend, for the first time
:21:49. > :21:51.ever, the annual Rallye sun`seeker doubles up as the final stage of the
:21:52. > :21:54.British Rally Championships. The event starts tomorrow in Poole and
:21:55. > :22:01.finishes at Somerley House near Ringwood. Winners will be crowned on
:22:02. > :22:05.Poole Quay on Saturday afternoon. Alexis had a taste of the action and
:22:06. > :22:16.took a ride round the circuit with one of the favourites.
:22:17. > :22:23.Hands up who is a back`seat driver? Today I am a passenger with a driver
:22:24. > :22:29.reading class five of the Rally Championships. He is from Finland
:22:30. > :22:41.and he is not scared of a bit of speed. Rallying is a sport where
:22:42. > :22:49.every split second counts. Learning how to do this takes years. You need
:22:50. > :22:58.to concentrate many days before a rally. You need to keep your head
:22:59. > :23:07.cooled down. Today we are on a test area. On Saturday it is the final
:23:08. > :23:13.showdown. Ten stages across the Dorset and Hampshire border. It is
:23:14. > :23:19.always difficult to concentrate on the right things. Each stage
:23:20. > :23:26.Bailey's induration. The shortest is two and a half minutes, the longest
:23:27. > :23:34.active ten minutes. It is going to be a big battle. As for the car,
:23:35. > :23:41.?110,000 by you are high spec and an engine that produces 210 horsepower.
:23:42. > :23:47.Around these forest tracks the car 's average speed is 60 mph. This is
:23:48. > :23:54.their final round of this year 's British championship.
:23:55. > :24:00.He hopes to be crowned British champion on Saturday evening. I have
:24:01. > :24:11.been reading for months in the series. We need to be on the podium
:24:12. > :24:25.when the rally ends. We need to fork is to win that rally. `` focus to
:24:26. > :24:33.win that rally. We have had a good relationship with
:24:34. > :24:39.that over the years. We had the two Rogers.
:24:40. > :24:46.It kick`started the season in February. But this year it is the
:24:47. > :24:52.final round. There are a couple of places going at the world Rally
:24:53. > :25:00.championship. Big incentive this weekend.
:25:01. > :25:07.Did you have breakfast before you went?
:25:08. > :25:12.Yes, but I did regret it. Moving on to the weather.
:25:13. > :25:16.. Raymond Slack took this photo of pigeons chilling out on the banks of
:25:17. > :25:19.the river Wey in Guildford. Pete Collins took this photo of a Red
:25:20. > :25:26.Kite under blue skies in Reading. And reflections in rock pools on
:25:27. > :25:30.Littlehampton Beach by Roger Kirk. One or two showers today. The main
:25:31. > :25:34.thing tonight is missed and fog patches could be dense and
:25:35. > :25:48.widespread in a few places. One or two showers. Temperatures tonight
:25:49. > :25:54.will be down to 14 Celsius. The mist and fog may cause travel disruption
:25:55. > :25:57.tomorrow morning. Stay tuned to your local BBC radio station for the
:25:58. > :26:03.latest on the travel situation. Tomorrow morning the mist and fog
:26:04. > :26:07.will lift into low cloud. There will be one or two showers. There will be
:26:08. > :26:13.longer periods of light to moderate rain. During the afternoon there
:26:14. > :26:19.will be some bright spells. Highs of 16 Celsius. A brisk South easterly
:26:20. > :26:23.wind. Tomorrow evening the rain makes a return. It will be heavy in
:26:24. > :26:31.a few places drifting up from the South. Very mild temperatures
:26:32. > :26:38.tomorrow night. I'll start to the weekend. That sets the theme for the
:26:39. > :26:45.weekend. But was the miles. Low pressure in charge of our weather.
:26:46. > :26:51.Showers to follow in amongst some bright spells on Saturday. More
:26:52. > :26:57.sunshine on Sunday. There will be some rain about tomorrow. A dry
:26:58. > :27:00.period during late afternoon. The rain makes a return tomorrow
:27:01. > :27:10.evening. Saturday, sunny spells, the odd shower. More sunshine on Sunday.
:27:11. > :27:15.Showers will be on the heavy side. They will be blasted a showers with
:27:16. > :27:20.the south`westerly wind. Next week we hold onto the and settled
:27:21. > :27:28.conditions. `` and settled conditions.
:27:29. > :27:37.That is all for now. Tomorrow night we will look ahead to
:27:38. > :27:40.a big Premier League games. Be with us tomorrow if you can.
:27:41. > :27:47.Goodbye.