02/01/2014 South Today

Campaigners say prices are rising three times faster than wages. That

is all from BBC News hello. Welcome to South Today. In

the programme. And so it goes on, rescued from flooding, and

households still without power as we face another night of gales and

heavy rain. Jo Kent is live in Fullerton.

This Hampshire village has been with only intermittent power for ten day,

I will be hearing how they are coping and the Prime Minister tells

this programme the response of the energy companies is falling short.

That is not acceptable. The power companies need to work round the

clock get people switched back on there is tough regulation here,

people are meant to be back on within 48`hours. Teenagers as

prosecutors, defenders and jurors, the American teen courts that are to

be tested in Hampshire. And Sarah Farmer has the latest on

the bad weather to come. This Atlantic low is heading our way

with two weather warnings in the coming day, we could see more

disruption and flooding. Join me later for your full

Continued power supply problems for homes, flooding of roads and rail

routes have all combined to get the first days of 2014 off to difficult

start for many. Homes in ham hire, Dorset and Surrey all saw power

supplies disrupted over the last 24 hours, and electricity engineers are

preparing to further problems. High winds and rain are forecast,

creating the risks of falling trees and damage to power lines again. The

Prime Minister said the energy companies's response to loss of

supply over the festive period was unacceptable. Jo Kent is in

Fullerton for us tonight what is the situation there tonight? Well,

Sally, like many place, Fullerton suffered a power cut on the 23rd

December, but unlike most of those other place, still hasn't been

reconnected to the main supply. Instead, this generator has been

installed. Round 20 homes totally reliant on it at the moment for

their power. But already, it has failed twice, leading to further

long power out ages. Let us talk to one couple here, a bit of an

eventful Christmas Very much so. Our family came from Christmas as

planned on Christmas Eve, although we had no power, we kept hoping it

was going to be OK. By Fiv.00 on Christmas Day, I thought we would go

to the village hall and heat up our cottage pie, by Boxing Day, the

turkey and everyone was smelling horrible and all our food was going

off. Because there was nowhere to keep things cool or nowhere to wash

or having have any warm water. David, problems since then? Trying

to get information we found trying to get information we would get

incorrect or misleading information. This is the third generator put in

place here, two at least have ran autoof fuel. Despite the `` out of

fuel. Despite the fact when we got through to someone who could tell us

about generator, when we said are you sure they will be refuelled they

said yes, we were told they forgot to order a replacement and then it

ran out again. This is bad management There is an 11 hour wait

between. If they can't refill a generator they shouldn't be running

a public utility. They accepted there was a problem. They wouldn't

confirm they have not been refuelled. They have said they are

working to get everyone reconnected is a priority. It isn't the only

play affected. Hundreds of others woke up to fresh power cuts this

morning. The Braxton household woke up with

no electrician, one of round 200 homes cut off. Causing problems for

Michelle's 93`year`old mother She will feel it later on. I think if it

gets colder. It might be best for her to go out and if we come back

later on, hopefully the heat will be back on then. We are going to a

sport club so she can stay there and have warmth. Power has been

restored, the fault happened Afoa ter caused a cable to blow. The

nearby river has several flood warnings in place, residents on the

river are being evacuated this evening. In Hampshire these fields

along the A 31 flooded overnight. The road was shut near Alton for a

period this morning. A sodden start to the New Year, after a wet

Christmas. Luckily we were away for Christmas. So we didn't no ethe

power was off. Buses will replace trains between Petersfield and

Hazelmere until Monday after landslips on the line. In farm ham

this driver was forced to miss her first meeting of twoufr after

getting stuck on the way to work. `` twoufr. Floodgates are being shut.

The first tide this morning here in Lymington saw the water settle ten

centimetres up this gate. The forecasts are right for tomorrow it

could come higher, round half way up. Environment Agency crews will be

out across the south throughout tomorrow.

We expect to have flood alerts in place along the coast, for tomorrow

lunchtime's tide. In addition to that we expect flood warnings in

places like here in Lymington, Cowes on the Isle of Wight, Langston

harbour, shore ham, Littlehampton, the types of places we expect those,

the very high levels and property flooding. Households are being asked

to check for flood warnings and plan ahead if they are likely to be

affected. So the south bracing itself tonight

for more wild and stormy condition, after all the disruption over

Christmas, many people like those here were hoping for more settled

condition, a chance to get back to normal, but instead 2014 bringing

renewed risks of damage, flooding and power cuts.

Now as the economy be gings to improve the Help to Buy mortgage

scheme is aimed at helping buyers and stimulating the property market.

So far over 6,000 people have applied for a mortgage through the

initiative. It lets people buy homes with a deposit as small as 5% of the

total cost. The 95% loan is guaranteed by the taxpayer. Labour

says more houses now need to be built to meet demand. The Prime

Minister, who has been in Southampton today says the scheme is

stopping people frozen out of the housing market. Our political editor

reports. A New Year and a new home in

Southampton for Sharon, and a very unexpected new visitor, the Prime

Minister. Sharon's two`year`old Maisie likes the new flat. She gets

a garden to play in for the first time, it has cost ?135,000, and a 5%

deposit was loaned by the taxpayer. Part of Help to Buy, a scheme to get

the housing market moving. I wouldn't have been able to afford

childcare, and be able to afford to save at the same time. So it really

helped me be able to get on the ladder. The Prime Minister went on

to visit this scheme where more than half the people who have bought new

flats have used various forms of the Help to Buy scheme. On the site of

the old ship card, 1600 homes, shops and a surgery are being built. The

Government says that an investment of tax payers' money is needed, not

just to give confidence to house buyers by builders too, to persuade

them to invest outside of London. While small and medium sized

developers are struggling to get going again, firms like this one are

pressing ahead. Help to Buy has clearly freed up a lot of people to

enter the housing market, who previously couldn't, we did share

the stats on this site, that of those 17 people that have bought on

the Help to Buy since April here, they were all first`time buyers. We

are not helping people to buy flats and homes they can't afford, we are

helping people who don't have wealthy parents, who can't get a big

deposit and helping them realise their dreams. Ate good thing for

them and the economy because house billing is growing again. It may not

be consolation for those worried about sprawling development but

there will be many more people looking in the windows of estate

agents this year than last. It but does Help to Buy work for all

buyers or will it fuel another boom which will bust? How is it being

seen by estate agents? Nicky Mitchell has more.

Monika Golec have been trying and failing to buy a house in Reading

for months. Despite offering the asking price on this one. There

aren't enough homes for sale and December pass buyers are pushing

prices up. It is frustrating. Whenever we put an offer in someone

outbids us, people are prepared to pay over the asking price. This

estate agent sold 46 homes here on the avenue site more quickly than

expected. When the Government introduced the initial phase of its

Help to Buy scheme sales on this development rocketed, almost a third

of the people who bought houses or apartments here did so with the Help

to Buy loan. But the latest Help to Buy scheme is

not a loan it is a mortgage guarantee, many estate agents are

sceptical it will have the same impact on sales. Still, some feel

the Government should stopped meling and leave the market to sort itself

out. Even talks about boom and bust, if the market continues to increase

with the help of the Government scheme fuelling thing, what happens

when they take it ga aren't you left with an overinflated market that

people can't afford to buy? Monika is not keen tb small print of the

latest Help to Buy so she and her partner are going it alone.en till

then they are living in her mum's basement.

And we will hear more from the Prime Minister in just a second. So stay

with us. Also coming up tonight. The weather, what will it be like? Sarah

will be here and Tony Husband has the sport.

Earlier etoday the Prime Minister was in Southampton to meet some of

those who have taken up the Government Help to Buy scheme, to

get on the property ladder. He joined me here in the studio and we

began by talking about the power cuts over Christmas and the New

Year. He gave his reaction to the length of time it has taken to get

power restored in some areas. Much too long. That is not

acceptable. The power companies need to work round`the`clock to get

people sich switched back on. There is tough regulation, people are

meant to be back on within 48`hours, most people are, but you know, with

a young family and having had power cuts myself, a few hours is is a

major inconvenience. Tim Yeo, says the compensation as well is

derisory, what do you think about that? First of all we need to work

on the energy companies to get them to switch people back on now, that

is the short`term emergency work, then we should take time and ask is

the regulation tough enough, is the compensation good enough? Happy do

that work, what people want to hear is they will get switched back on

and we will go on investing in these flood defences to try and stop homes

being flooded in the first place. Let us talk about homes. That is why

you were here, talking about the Help to Buy scheme. Helping people

to get OK on the that rung of the ladder to home ownership. Why is the

ceiling then at ?600,000? Those people aren't first`time buyers? It

is right to have a scheme that is available for all people and for all

regions of the country. Sometimes governments design schemes and they

are too small and fiddly and don't work, this scheme is working and it

is being used by people who are first time buyer, who can afford a

mortgage and a mortgage payment, but they can't get together a ten or 20%

deposit for their house or flat because they haven't got a rich mum

or dad. They should be able to buy one I am helping them do that. Are

you concerned the bubble could burst? I don't think that will

happen, because we have expressly given the Bank of England the role

of advising us and intervening if they see any bubbles emerge in any

markets, but in terms of housing house prices are 16% below what they

were in 2007. We don't have enough housing stock, we have issues down

here with many planning... We need to build more, but the idea you can

totally separate helping buyers with helping builder, and those are two

totally different issues a myth. The builders won't build unless the

buyers can buy, we are correcting the market failures so construction

sup. More people are buying homes. You talk about stability and

security, but if interest rates go up and the difficulties with making

the may wants, that makes the whole thing very fragile for people. Of

course, that is why it is very important we get the deficit down,

and we run our economy sustainably and sensibly, to keep interest rates

low. Interest rates are a matter for the Bank of England, but if we are

dealing with debts and deficits it makes it easier for them to keep it

low. If you talk ant the security and stability you mentioned

yourself, you know, some of the problems we have had down here, just

before Christmas, we had 1900 job losses in three company, Portsmouth

very badly hit. As people look at their wage packets or not coming in,

the cost of living is going higher and higher, you say we are on the

road to recovery with tough times ahead. They are not feeling or

seeing that. We are recovering from a dreadful and deep recession, there

have been disappointing announcements over particular

factory, if we look at the overall economy of the south`east, there are

167,000 more people in work today, than there were three years ago,

there are 35,000 fewer people claiming unemployment benefit. The

economy is grow, new businesses are starting, more people are getting

job, do I want more people to work, or do I want them to be paid more,

do I want them to paid lore taxes? Yes. They take time. They are facing

high energy bills. Rail fares today, to get to and from work, they have

gone up again. We are helping all the ways we can. We have helped

freemsz council tax, we have cut petrol duty to help on that journey

to, who, we are making sure that rail fares are going up by less

today than almost in all... We have cut energy prices by ?50 through the

schemes we announced some weeks ago. Let us talk NHS. It is struggling

here, A to cope. I have statistics come out. Portsmouth was the second

worst in the country for waiting time, Southampton is is the fourth.

The problem seems to be the care packages at the other end to get

people through hospital out into the community, it is not working. Why is

it not working? We need to join up better health and social care. There

is no doubt about that. We should be clear about one thing, there are

every day, you know, 2000 more people going through A within four

hours than three years ago. Because we haven't got GP... What we need to

do is make sure that GPs are doing more to help people, I think

diverting people away from A when it is not necessary, but as you say

we have got to get out of A into the homes with proper care package,

so the solution to A problems is both making sure the hospitals are

well run but making sure we invest in GPs surge I haves and making sure

we deal with social care. We did make a decision as a government,

yes, we have had to make cuts in policing and other programmes, but

the NHS we haven't cut but we need reroom to as well. But doctors are

saying having this money is not the solution, long`term... I agree with

that There needs to be this joined up thinking, which is not there and

never has been there. It is in parts of the country but we need it in

every part of the country. In the best performing parts of the

country, social and healthcare are working closely together. Peoplen't

blocked in hospital because they are take ininto their homes or care

homes, that is what we will put in place. Prime Minister thank you for

coming in. Do you have a New Year's resolution? In my resolution, that

is to stick to the five point plan for our country, that is what I want

to deliver. I don't think I have time for any other resolutions.

The Prime Minister there. It is a radical idea to reduce the number of

crimes committed by young people. Hampshire Police is to pilot an

American`style teen court system where youngsters take on the roles

of prosecutors, defence and jurors. . In Portsmouth the problem is

particularly bad. Half of off young offenders go on to commit another

crime. That is up 15% since 2005. Our Home Affairs correspondent has

this exclusive report. Anti`social behaviour can plague

local communities, with offences that may be deemed leave, causing

great distress. And for some young people, what starts as a laugh with

their mates can lead to a life of offending, it is something Casey

Taylor knows well. First started getting in trouble at 15, thought it

would be funny with my mates, going out drinking on the street. Petty

stuff, graffiti, but I started getting like, worse and worse. Casey

ended up in trouble with the police and in prison on remand but she has

turned things round. She is a member of Hampshire Youth Commission, a

group of young people who talk to others about youth crime and

reoffending. I feel like I can relate to them more, because where I

have been in that situation, I feel like I get a sense of chive. Out of

it, thinking I am proud to do this. Hampshire's Police and Crime

Commissioner set up the Youth Commission. It is one of only two

such schemes in the country Young people offend, they commit a crime,

but they can reform, they can change their lives and we need to welcome

them back. And not just assume that because somebody has a criminal

record, a criminal past, that they will continue to conduct their lives

in that way. A 17`year`old driver was found to have been involved in

minor prosecute damage collision. In America young people can be directly

involved in the criminal justice system through teen courts, this

footage was filmed by a Hampshire Police officer who went to America

to see the system work. It shows young people acting as prosecutors,

defenders, and jurors for real offence, committed by their young

peers. Teen court is an awesome platform for both the jurors and the

defendant, because the jurors are able to see people their age, their

peers that have been mistakes and they are able to em thies, as far as

the defendant it is a great opportunity for them to have a

punishment set out by their peers, I think that punishment will have a

greater impact. PC Mark Walsh plans to introduce a similar scheme to the

UK with young people taking leading roles in community courts for low

level offences. When I did research in our communities in Portsmouth,

100% of the 362 young people said they commit an offence as a result

of peer pressure, what they did with that information in the States if it

gets them into trouble, can it get them out of trouble? Youth courts is

one response to that all question of peer pressure. The community court

system will be trialled in Hampshire in a three year pilot starting in

April. It is the fist time such a scheme has been attempted in the UK

and will be closely watched to see what impact it has on youth crime

and reoffending. `` first. And tomorrow, we will take a closer

look at how teen courts will work and meet some of the young people

who are keen to get involved. On to sport now. Happy New Year to you. It

is our first full South Today since before Christmas. It flies by. How

is sport? It is still there. It is still going. And we have had a

business where period. All the football. We are going into the New

Year with lots of questions, hopefully answers, one of those in

the next month could be the transfer window, Southampton have shrugged

off interest from West Ham so far, amid speculation they want to take

Rickie Lambert to Upton Park. He was a substitute yesterday as they lost

to Chelsea. Torres, a well placed shot from Willian, and an Eden

Hazard goal mean it is only one win in the last fine nor Southampton as

they head into the FA Cup We have been facing some of the top sides,

that is difficult. I think overall we have the more from the games but

results haven't come our way, and we again need to keep on looking

forward and keep focussing on the next game. Reading hope to be busy

during the transfer window but amid uncertainty about the club's future.

Billy Sharp has returned to Southampton after his loan talks

expired. The Royals ended their losing streak over the festive

period by snatching a late point against Nottingham forest.

Portsmouth have signed Daniel Alfei, a right back from Swansea on an

initial month's loan. Pompey started the New Year with a defeat at

Southend, action coming up in a moment. Fist how Bournemouth got a

point over in Brighton. Bournemouth had a slice of New

Year's luck, the referee ruled this challenge from Calderon to be a

foul. He gave the Cherries a penalty much to the dismace of the crowd.

1700 Bournemouth voices cheered this goal.

`` dismay. Talks to keep him are on going and Albion left it late to

score a point. Steven ward reacted fist. They are 16th in the table

after a draw. Portsmouth fans must be hoping for better Fortunes in

2014. They took the lead at Southend yesterday, Bradley's first goal for

the club. Leonard grabbed centre stage with goals in each half. Both

from long distance. Barker expects to be a busy man reshaping a shadowy

is four points off the relegation places. There was a 0`0 draw for MK

Dons. Basingstoke Bison start 2014 top of

the ice hockey Premier League. They won 4`3 after coming back from 2`0

down. That followed a win against Sheffield. They will host Manchester

Phoenix this weekend, hoping to keep their title hopes alive. Michael

Clarke could `` Michael Carberry could leez his place in the squad

tonight. Australian skipper Michael Clarke who tends to enjoy picking

England's team for him says he expects Matt Prior will return. We

will wait and see. That is a forlorn look. That is a long walk that one.

It has been in sunshine. Which is more than we can say, Sarah, it has

been unbelievably grim. It has. Yes, we have had our December statistics

for the amount of rainfall, it has been twice what we have seen. From

the moment we woke up it never ever stopped, did it. It was awful. And

we have had storm after storm it feel like, we have a few more to

come. The unsettled theme continues but it eases off next week a bit.

Some respite. Today, the driest day of the year so far.

A lovely day too. Some lovely that was this morning. Lastly, a pot

of gold for someone living in Bury. And there is more to rain to come in

the coming day, we do have two weather warnings, tonight no warning

but still some rain on the way, arriving in the next couple of hours

or so, tracking in from the west. It will push through a rather speedily

and it clears by about two or Chloe 3.00 in the morning. The showers

could well be on the heavy side, maybe with thunder and lightning for

first thing tomorrow, so temperatures overnight six or seven

degrees. Then as we start the day tomorrow, showers will pulse through

but heavy downpourers, scatter showers through the day with bright

and sunny interval, but it's the wind that will be a priority for us,

we have very strong gusty winds along the coast, we have got a

warning in place. We could see gusts of 60`70mph, and with very high

tides that could cause disruption and flooding as well. So we take a

look to the temperature, ten or 11 degree, relatively mile but we will

see a breeze so strong gusty winds rounds, severe gales in some spots.

For the weekend, we start with this area of wet weather, a waving front

nudging in from France, bringing wet conditions first thing Saturday. An

improving picture, it looks to dry up a touch. But come Sunday, another

weather warning for us for very wet and very windy condition, so perhaps

a dry start but this deep area of low pressure sitting in the Atlantic

is driving this wet weather, heading our way through the day Sunday,

bringing very strong gusty winds, again we could see gales or severe

gales and some great totals for the wet weather as well. Here we go with

the summary. Some blustery showers, a warning for strong winds tomorrow,

damp to start Saturday and then another warning for wet and windy

conditions to come on Sunday. So where ever you are, do be warned

there could be localised flooding. The number on the screen now. Thank

you very much. So heed those weather warnings, particularly if you live

along the coast, that is about it from us tonight. Tomorrow night's

programme we will meet the Manselling hiss house complete with

a football dug out in the basement. And it is not him! Thanks for

watching. Bye.