08/01/2014 South Today

goodbye from me. On BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where

To what degree is it fair ` 1% for them but a 19% pay rise for the

university boss. And making a splash ` but is it for the right reasons?

One of our MPs is to take part in a TV talent show.

The water continued to rise during the day, in Purley.

It's all hands to the pumps in Purley. The Fire Service were called

in to rescue an elderly couple, after floodwaters rose so fast it's

trapped them in their home. I'm not coming back into the house. Is that

the last time you left your house? I hope so! The only way to get around

is by boat. Some have been marooned since the New Year. The school run

was finally possible for one family. This is our first day trying to get

them out, because we haven't had a boat before today. They didn't want

to leave! Other journeys have proved as difficult. Two bridges that

across the Thames have closed. Journeys of half a mile were taking

over an hour. Some services on the trains were closed due to water on

the line. In Purley, nearly 250 homes are considered at risk. We

went out with a flood warnings. `` flood wardens. The Environment

Agency have said they were due to start work on an embankment by the

tens of this month, but can't because the whole area is flooded.

All it can do is pumped out. But residents have told us that work on

those defences should have started in September. As some properties

flood for the first time, tempers run high. It's unbelievable! They

think this is a joke! I've been to a lady, where the water is about an

inch from her door. She's distressed, distraught. I'm just

helping my neighbour. Waters are expected to rise another six inches

tonight. They have worse to come. People who were forced to leave

their homes because of flood waters, at Iford on the Bournemouth

Christchurch border, have been allowed to return. Flood warnings

for the lower Stour have been lifted, though river levels will

continue to be monitored. Bournemouth Council says it will

work with residents who are unable to return home because of water

damage to their properties. An inquest has been opened into the

death of a man from Guildford, who was swept out to sea on New Year's

Eve. Harry Swordy, who was 27, was with a large group of revellers, and

paddling in rough water, in the Purley hours, when he was washed

away at Loe Bar near Porth Levven. Now, friends have launched an online

campaign to get the storm named after Harry as a tribute to him. A

woman, from Sussex, has been sentenced to three years in prison

for being part of a gang who trafficked vulnerable women into the

country for sex. Victoria Brown from Brighton was found guilty at Hove

Crown Court yesterday, along with four men from Eastern Europe. The

gang had installed fifty Hungarian women in their teens and twenties,

in brothels and hotels in Bournemouth, Southampton, Sussex and

Kent. The Portsmouth North MP, Penny Mordaunt, has defended her decision

to become a contestant on the ITV celebrity talent show Splash. Her

labour opponent has criticised the move as truly astonishing, at a time

when some of her constituents' jobs are under threat at the city's

shipbuilding yard. I spoke to her earlier and she began by explaining

why she'd chosen to appear on the programme. Unions representing

lecturers and support staff at Bournemouth University say they're

insulted by the pay mac Is this the best way to raise

money for charity, given the perception you are giving? People

who are losing their jobs are not going to like this. MPs have to deal

with a lot of issues. I was clear that if I was going to do this, it

would be in my own time. I haven't taken time off from my work. I'm not

profiting from it. MPs have to do a variety of things, some of which are

light`hearted. But is this the sort of perception you should have as an

MP? Look at the criticism the Nadine Dorries got for going on I'm a

Celebrity. My fee is going directly to the Lido, and we're doing a lot

of fundraising around that. I don't think I would get another

opportunity to give that level of exposed areas to the charity. ``

exposed areas You've got 1000 people losing their jobs at the BAE

shipyard. I'm determined that shipbuilding will stay in this city.

It's not affecting the work that I'm doing for the shipyard. It's my

political opponents that are trying to cause this trouble ` if the shoe

was on the other foot, I would be sponsoring them. An investigation

has been launched into an offensive Facebook page, set up after the

death of an Isle of Wight teenager. The page was created after

14`year`old Kiri`Jade Hodgkinson from Sandown died in a collision

last week. Police say the page, which has since been taken down,

caused unbearable upset for her family and friends The Vice

Chancellor, Professor John Vinney, received a 19% increase last year ``

taking his total annual package to almost a ?250,000. A care home near

Crawley, where residents were deemed to be at risk, is still failing to

meet acceptable levels of care after four inspections. Francis Court in

Copthorne was visited four times ` it opened in place of Orchid View,

where five residents died as a result of the care they received.

The most recent inspection showed signs of change, but the Care

Quality Commission say more still needs to be done.Teaching staff were

offered a 1% rise which they're currently fighting through

industrial action. James Ingham is here with more. Have you ever seen

an electric car on the motorway? You probably haven't, because most have

a range of less than 100 miles between battery charges. A year ago,

only three motorway services in the UK had electric car charging points,

but soon every service station in the South will have one. It's

claimed they can re`charge a car in the time it takes to stop for a

coffee and a bun. Our Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton reports.

New motorway charging points are being fitted at three or four per

week. This one is in Berkshire. This car has a range of less than 80

miles, so he stopped to recharge four times on the way up, and four

times on the way back. That depends on the weather, the two rain, how

fast you drive. With charges that are within 50 miles apart, it's an

easy journey to drive from Charger two charger. A month ago, he could

not have made that journey. The project to fit charging points is

funded by Nissan. Charging is free, and takes less than half an hour

will stop we identified the lack of charge as the main barrier to using

electric cars. We came up with the idea of the electric highway, which

is a network. By the end of the year, we will have installed many

charging points. Nearly all were hybrids, combining a conventional

engine with battery power. Of those, only one in ten runs on plug`in

batteries alone. We are talking about two and a half thousand cars

out of two and a quarter million sold will stop that number to

commercially viable, the industry thinks that charging points for

longer journeys need to be in place, so drivers can be away from

home for more than one battery charge.

Unions representing lecturers and support staff at Bournemouth

University say they're insulted by the pay rise given to their boss.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor John Vinney, received a 19% increase last

year `` taking his total annual package to almost a ?250,000.

Teaching staff were offered a 1% rise which they're currently

fighting through industrial action. James Ingham is here with more.

Thanks Sally. Details of this latest pay rise come at a difficult time

for universities, with campuses in the midst of a pay dispute `

teaching staff campaigning for better salaries. Professor Vinney's

19% rise takes his total package to ?244,000. It's an increase that's

higher than the average given to captains of industry in the UK's top

100 companies, where salaries went up by an average 14%. Bournemouth's

boss is not the only one to benefit from large rises. Southampton

University's leader Don Nutbeam was awarded almost six percent ` taking

his total annual earnings to almost ?33.000. And at Winchester

University, Joy Carter got a 12 per cent rise ` she now earns 222,000.

Meanwhile university staff, who've had six years of pay restraint, are

limited to a 1% rise. Most students I met on campus, whose ?9,000 annual

fees contribute to staff salaries, thought the pot should be more

evenly shared. I think it's unfair on the

lecturers, seeing as they are doing the hard work. It depends on job

roles. If he's doing more for the University, he deserves it. It does

sound like a lot. Bournemouth, like many other Universities, benchmarks

senior salaries within the UK and abroad, and against similarly sized

public and private organisations. So how do they compare? Professor

Vinney has a billion pound budget and fourteen hundred staff. The

Chief Executive of Hampshire County Council, one of the largest in the

country, has a similar budget, but seven times more staff. He earns

slightly less. Surrey Police has a ?200 million budget, and four and a

half thousand employees. The Chief Constable gets just under ?140,000.

Bournemouth University has told us its most senior managers have taken

on extra responsibilities, and they don't set their own salaries.

Remuneration for its senior staff is Unions will resume their industrial

action in the next few weeks, with more strikes at campuses across the

country ` as this increasingly bitter battle continues.

No`one from Bournemouth University was available to come onto the

programme to explain the pay awards ` and the group which represents

most universities, Universities UK, didn't have anyone free either. A

short time ago, I spoke to Simon Renton, the president of the

University and College Union. I asked him how angry his members were

about this and other pay rises. I would like to say that they were

disappointed by this unequal, uneven handed treatment, but I think they

are now so accustomed to it, that they remain angry but I think they

are not surprised. Is it not about attracting the best talent in these

jobs? For example, the vice Chancellor of Southampton is from

Australia. I have no doubt that if you wish to attract the best talent

then decent salaries must be paid. That's precisely the argument that

we made, in favour of our members who are university professionals,

who are the best, the most dedicated talent you can find. The

universities are made up principally of their staff. They are much more

important than the vice chancellors are ` they come and go. Is that

fair? We're not talking about educational institutions, so much as

businesses they are running. Trying to attract from overseas, sometimes

with premises overseas. This is a very different job, it's a business.

I do see that point, but the reason it is a major export industry, one

of the few remaining healthy exports that the UK still has, is based on

its reputation for quality. It's the quality of the teaching and of the

support staff, which makes it attractive to students from

overseas. You've had many years of pay restraint ` do you anticipate

that you will be striking again this year? Do you honestly think it will

make a difference? Since 2009, we have lost 13%. We have had two days

of strike action, together with other trade unions. Industrial

action will certainly continue into this year, both in terms of strike

action and action short of a strike, perhaps, including disruption of

marking. A new centre has opened in Berkshire with the aim of dealing

with what's been called the dementia time bomb. Reading's already one of

a group of communities gearing up to deal with the growing number of

people living with the condition. Now, the Town's university and local

NHS have teamed up to carry out cutting edge research into dementia

as Joe Campbell reports. Few universities can boast

facilities like this. By working with the NHS, academics will gain

access to patients with a personal interest in tackling dementia.

Already, a list of areas worth exploring is taking shape. We know

that diet and health are linked to the incidence of dementia, and the

progression of dementia. That's one of the areas we will be doing a lot

of work in. It's not just a set of new offices that's generating

enthusiasm for the centre. To be able to help patients and advance

clinical science is fantastic. The fact that we are collaborating with

the University of Reading is a logical next step for where we need

to be going. We've all seen the messages from charities, that with a

little more funding, together, we can beat cancer or tackle heart

disease. But dementia has always been something of a Cinderella. Now,

it seems as though they're playing catch up. That's welcome news for

Ruth, whose husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago.

When you're living with someone who you've known for a long time, and

you see changes in them that you know could cause problems, you want

to get help as soon as possible. No one can predict when a breakthrough

may come, but the work starts tomorrow when patients arrive for

the first clinic. After four days, exhibitors and say

that big deals are being signed at the London boat show. Princess and

caught up with southerly yachts. Last March, the West Sussex Yard

stopped trading with the owner went bust. The brand has continued after

the business was restructured. Today, a show of confidence. It's

been an interesting period. Sales across the industry are moving

forward. A positive outlook. A very good on the water show, generally. A

different dynamic of customer. With more than 100 businesses from across

the leisure marine industry, exhibitors from the South were a

dominant force. Getting a sense of the deal is taking place isn't easy,

but one boat builders sold three yachts on the first day. There is a

tangible sense of optimism in this sector. We believe we are seeing a

recovery in the UK boating market. Last year, there was good reports of

sales across all sectors. That has been sustained over the last few

months. We are very confident that 2014 will be good for the boating

industry. This company makes waterproof dear. They have been in

business for eight years and are growing steadily. There is

definitely growth this year. We are certainly seeing an uplift in

confidence. This industry is more resilient than most. Their exports

are increasing, but the domestic markets still needs to pick up. To

do that, attendance at shows like this is essential.

He may have retired from Olympic sailing, but Sir Ben Ainslie has a

very busy diary for 2014. He was at the London Boat Show, today,

announcing his racing ambitions for the next year. This is what Sir Ben

has lined up for 2014 ` the Extreme Sailing series. It's a glamorous

global circuit, where the multihulls reach up to 30 knots. It's not

called extreme for nothing. It's a very different type of racing, with

very short courses. It's very close to the shore, so great for

spectators. The racing is very close quarters ` quite often, the boats

are wiping out and getting close to each other. We do a lot of races, so

I guess it's a high impact type of racing. He's immediately pitted

himself against another south`coast rival ` Lee McMillan from

Southampton has been the winning skipper twice, and is the current

series champion. We've got a strong line`up of British sailors in the

Extreme Sailing, this year. That's fantastic, particularly as Ben is

trying to put together an America's Cup team. Hopefully, if we can make

a strong presence in the Extremes, it really shows what we're capable

of, and gives us a good grounding for future cup campaigns. Last

summer, Ben dedicated his record`breaking win at the Round the

Island race to fellow Olympic sailor Ben Simpson, who died in a training

accident in San Francisco Bay in May. Known to everyone as Bart,

Simpson's sister Amanda, and some of his friends, came up with the idea

of Bart's Bash. It's a mass participation event, and has been

billed as the largest dinghy sailing event in the world. They were the

ones who really camp up with the idea to have a global race of clubs

all over the world, having a race at the same time on 21st September, to

get as many people out there sailing in memory of Bart as we can. It's a

fantastic idea. It's very fitting of his memory. The one thing then

wouldn't be drawn on today was any more detail of his America's Cup

campaign. We'll have to wait until the spring before any further

announcements. Our next story is about a rubbish

art exhibition. That's not a comment, because Lou McCurdy and

Chloe Hanks make displays using pieces of plastic dumped or washed

up on the Sussex sea shore. It's to raise awareness of the need to

re`use and re`cycle. When Lou's sister`in`law came to see their

latest work, she was amazed to see it included a shoe she'd lost on the

beach years before. Ian Palmer has the story.

For three weeks, Lou McCurdy on the beach between Shoreham and Birling

Gap. Little did she know, that one day, she'd pick up the shoe her

sister`in`law lost four years earlier. It had only moved up the

beach, about four or five beaches up, so 300 to 400 yards up from

where she had it on, swimming that day. I suppose it's quite a funny

story. Elaine McCurdy lives in Oxford, but on a visit to the London

Road gallery in Brighton, she was astonished to find her long lost

shoe was part of the exhibition. I was really surprised. I was walking

along the shelves with my niece, and I said, I wonder if Louise will ever

find my shoe? And, literally, at that minute `she was next to me and

can verify it ` looked down, and there was my shoe. I picked it up

and shrieked down the exhibition: Louise, you've found my shoe! Elaine

kept the remaining shoe, on the off chance her sister`in`law would find

it. However, tired of waiting, she threw it away. She bought them in

Greece, and she went back to the shop, and they don't do this

particular kind of shoe any more. So, she was a bit upset. I said I'd

sell it on eBay! The exhibition of rubbish is trying to raise awareness

about what we consume, and what we throw away, and the everlastng

nature of plastic. Plastic memories ` lost and found.

Onto today's weather, and Spike Holifield took this

another band of rain on its way tonight. The high pressure starts to

build. The rest the week should be slightly weaker. But rain band will

clear through the Purley errors of the morning, particularly for areas

south of Berkshire. Temperatures dropping to a mild seven to eight

Celsius. The winners will start to increase through the course of the

Purley hours of the morning. Tomorrow, it will be quite

blustery. It should be an improving picture throughout the day, some

sunny spells will develop. Drier end to the day with a high of nine

Celsius. Tomorrow, there is still a risk of a shower. Temperatures

falling away rapidly. The risk of ice and Patsy frost, as well.

Reticulin Purley in the countryside. To or three Celsius, perhaps,

perhaps down to the freezing. `` down to freezing. I dry start on

Friday. It should stay may be driving through daylight hours. We

are expecting this whether France to greet them, maybe light to moderate

rain. That will arrive after dark on Friday, lasting through the Purley

hours of Saturday morning. On Saturday, it should be a damp and

cloudy start, with sunny spells for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, we

can expect a few showers. Any showers throughout the day could be

quite blustery, with strong south`westerly winds. Radiation the

drive, with the odd scattered shower. The winds are lighter than

tomorrow. `` Friday should be drying. The chilly start on Sunday,

and the possibility of further rain overnight into Monday