:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to South Today, I'm Jo Kent.
:00:07. > :00:11.Fighting on the home front - service families say they're not
:00:12. > :00:14.being listened to when it comes to complaints about
:00:15. > :00:18.A plea for better funded policing - as a force says it's done
:00:19. > :00:24.Three-year-old Marla's delight with her prosthetic
:00:25. > :00:41.The armed services covenant says accommodation provided to military
:00:42. > :00:43.families should be "of good quality, affordable, and suitably located."
:00:44. > :00:45.Yet tonight, we can reveal that service personnel
:00:46. > :00:48.and their families across the South, are living in damp
:00:49. > :00:57.The firm in charge of maintaining the homes,
:00:58. > :01:00.Carillion Amey, received more than 1300
:01:01. > :01:07.That's an increase of nearly 50% on the same month the previous year.
:01:08. > :01:09.The MoD has retained more than ?4 million of payments
:01:10. > :01:12.to Carillion Amey due to performance failings.
:01:13. > :01:16.Six months ago, the firm was threatened with losing
:01:17. > :01:26.its multi-million pound contract unless things improved.
:01:27. > :01:29.The Public Accounts Committee says they have - but that's not
:01:30. > :01:30.the experience of residents, as Lewis Coombes reports.
:01:31. > :01:32.It's the battle that's closer to home.
:01:33. > :01:34.Military families fighting for an acceptable standard
:01:35. > :01:43.These are just some of the pictures sent to BBC South.
:01:44. > :01:46.Kim is married to an RAF pilot based in Hampshire.
:01:47. > :01:48.After 13 years, he's decided to leave his job,
:01:49. > :01:50.partly due to the state of military housing.
:01:51. > :01:52.A small leak from their boiler resulted in their lounge ceiling
:01:53. > :01:55.being replaced as it took nine months to fix what was initially
:01:56. > :01:59.Kim was heavily pregnant and recently diagnosed with cancer.
:02:00. > :02:02.I just don't know what happens between the people being called
:02:03. > :02:06.The process doesn't seem to work, the administration or the computer
:02:07. > :02:11.It did affect my health cos I was just so stressed about it
:02:12. > :02:22.and I was so focused about it and I felt so helpless.
:02:23. > :02:24.Carillion Amey maintains 47,000 homes in a five year contract
:02:25. > :02:30.BBC South has been inundated with families on e-mail talking
:02:31. > :02:33.about their experiences, but unwilling to do so on camera
:02:34. > :02:35.over fears of the consequences it could have on their jobs.
:02:36. > :02:39.It includes a soldier of 22 years who's weighing up whether to leave
:02:40. > :02:41.the military because he's embarrassed about the standard
:02:42. > :02:44.of accommodation he's providing his family.
:02:45. > :02:47.MoD figures show the average rent fo an unfurnished three bedroom service
:02:48. > :02:51.It's subsidised to help keep forces mobile, but families feel more
:02:52. > :03:00.It doesn't seem like we're important enough to care about making
:03:01. > :03:04.We expect our homes to be up to standard and then it
:03:05. > :03:08.Carillion Amey has apologised to Kim and insists it is "working hard
:03:09. > :03:10.for service personnel and their families and
:03:11. > :03:12.focusing on how they can improve things further.
:03:13. > :03:15.In a statement the MOD said, "it will absolutely not hesitate to take
:03:16. > :03:25.Well, Caroline Dineage is the MP for Gosport who's taken up the issue
:03:26. > :03:31.I spoke to her earlier tonight and asked what conditions she'd come
:03:32. > :03:33.across in military homes she'd visited.
:03:34. > :03:37.Everything from pet infestations to damp, to
:03:38. > :03:40.We also had massive problems with just the way
:03:41. > :03:43.in which the complaints were dealt with, getting through to the right
:03:44. > :03:51.When the complaints were dealt with, people
:03:52. > :03:54.taking time off work to be there when workmen came out and the
:03:55. > :03:56.workmen never turning up, consistently, day after day.
:03:57. > :04:04.You know, a lot of different things like that.
:04:05. > :04:06.And what effect does it have on those families?
:04:07. > :04:07.Well, it can have a devastating effect.
:04:08. > :04:10.What you have to remember is these families are
:04:11. > :04:13.also, at the same time as going about their daily lives
:04:14. > :04:15.as normal residents, they're are also having to deal
:04:16. > :04:20.with the additional pressures of a partner
:04:21. > :04:22.of husband, wife, away, maybe at sea, for months on end.
:04:23. > :04:25.Often bringing up small children alone and often away
:04:26. > :04:27.from their own family networks and support networks.
:04:28. > :04:30.So, what could be a small domestic problem with a
:04:31. > :04:38.house, a small complaint, can feel like a really big issue.
:04:39. > :04:40.You say you've seen some improvement, but we're
:04:41. > :04:42.hearing things are still bad for some families.
:04:43. > :04:44.Ha the governments being tough enough on Carillion Amey?
:04:45. > :04:50.I think we have seen, spoken to a lot of the Government
:04:51. > :04:51.ministers about this because we were in position
:04:52. > :04:54.previously, like a lot of MPs, where we had to make every
:04:55. > :04:57.complaint by the ministry, which was incredibly long and overly
:04:58. > :05:06.So, we have spoken to them at length about this and
:05:07. > :05:08.they have made very clear to Carillion Amey that,
:05:09. > :05:10.if that improves, then they'll take away their contract.
:05:11. > :05:19.Give us more money or police services could suffer.
:05:20. > :05:21.That's the message from those in charge
:05:22. > :05:23.of running Hampshire Police today as they lobby
:05:24. > :05:26.The force needs to save ?23 million by 2021.
:05:27. > :05:28.For which they've identified ?10 million worth of savings.
:05:29. > :05:41.The Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner
:05:42. > :05:44.claim they've already made all the savings they can and they're
:05:45. > :05:46.a victim of the national police funding formula.
:05:47. > :05:50.Our Home Affairs Correspondent, Emma Vardy, reports.
:05:51. > :05:56.The thin blue line is being stretched ever more thinly.
:05:57. > :05:58.In Hampshire, the force has lost hundreds of officer posts in
:05:59. > :06:00.recent years and it seemed a specialist
:06:01. > :06:03.than 30 police stations are said to have been
:06:04. > :06:09.I am concerned because, if I wasn't concerned,
:06:10. > :06:17.What we do know is it's a great police force and we have
:06:18. > :06:19.We are a really efficient constabulary.
:06:20. > :06:26.Today is about securing our financial future.
:06:27. > :06:29.Hampshire says it is around 25% underfunded compared with other
:06:30. > :06:30.forces, getting less money for policing.
:06:31. > :06:33.But the Government is changing the way it calculates how
:06:34. > :06:41.That's why Hampshire is making its case now.
:06:42. > :06:43.In a number of places around Hampshire, police have moved out of
:06:44. > :06:46.the traditional police stations and into shared buildings with the
:06:47. > :06:52.council and Fire Service, like here in Southampton Civic Centre.
:06:53. > :06:59.But the force says it got out all the savings that can and they
:07:00. > :07:02.The current national funding formula which is
:07:03. > :07:04.two thirds of my money is not fit for purpose.
:07:05. > :07:07.There is a process at the moment are updated and I'm
:07:08. > :07:10.giving the evidence to the Minister to nature we get the funding
:07:11. > :07:22.nationally and they are funding locally.
:07:23. > :07:24.The Home Office said today it believes there
:07:25. > :07:26.is no question the police still have the resources
:07:27. > :07:28.to do their important work, but will be considering
:07:29. > :07:31.Hampshire's case and that of other forces in the coming months.
:07:32. > :07:35.The Conservatives have taken control of Isle of Wight Council tonight.
:07:36. > :07:37.It follows the resignation of the Independent leader
:07:38. > :07:39.Jonathan Bacon and Steve Stubbings stepped down
:07:40. > :07:41.in protest at the impact of Government cuts -
:07:42. > :07:44.and claimed that politics and ego were being put before the concerns
:07:45. > :07:47.This evening, Tory councillor Dave Stewart was voted
:07:48. > :07:49.in as the new leader, ahead of another
:07:50. > :07:54.A girl from Newbury who was born without a left hand has had one
:07:55. > :07:57.Three year-old Marla Trigwell's new hand was made
:07:58. > :08:00.by members of a community club who work on technical projects.
:08:01. > :08:02.They used a free online design using materials costing
:08:03. > :08:14.It's a boost to her confidence and it's a psychological boost for her.
:08:15. > :08:16.So, when she meets people, instead of that,
:08:17. > :08:23.You've got the fingers, the palm, the lower arm, the upper arm,
:08:24. > :08:25.the connecting pieces, put them together and you can get
:08:26. > :08:29.I'm quite proud that this has turned out better than I'd expected
:08:30. > :08:43.and it's really changing the lives of young Marla and her family.
:08:44. > :08:45.The Gosport sailor Alex Thompson has tonight admitted victory
:08:46. > :08:48.in the Vendee Globe round the world race is probably beyond his reach -
:08:49. > :08:51.saying it's very likely now that current leader Armel Le Cleac'h
:08:52. > :08:54.This evening supporters gathered in the pub in Gosport
:08:55. > :09:00.where Thompson's brother is the landlord.
:09:01. > :09:02.Friends and family have met at the pub every Wednesday
:09:03. > :09:05.since the race started to hear a phone call from Thompson
:09:06. > :09:10.This evening, his distance from Le Cleac'h slipped back to 57
:09:11. > :09:12.nautical miles but he said he was not giving up
:09:13. > :09:18.He's expected to reach the finish in South West France tomorrow.
:09:19. > :09:20.Football - and Southampton are through to the next stage
:09:21. > :09:23.of the FA Cup after beating Norwich City in their third
:09:24. > :09:30.But they left it very late - the match was goalless and looked
:09:31. > :09:33.to be heading for extra time - when a goalmouth scramble ended
:09:34. > :09:36.in Shane Long getting the ball in the net.
:09:37. > :09:38.Saints go on to host Arsenal in the fourth round,
:09:39. > :09:42.That's all from the South Today news team this evening.
:09:43. > :09:44.We're back tomorrow with bulletins in BBC Breakfast and there's more
:09:45. > :09:52.Here with our regional weather forecast is Alexis Green.
:09:53. > :09:56.It will be a very cold and frosty night to come
:09:57. > :09:58.with perhaps some freezing fog patches in places.
:09:59. > :10:01.Last night, we saw a low of -6 Celsius.
:10:02. > :10:04.Tonight, in the countryside, perhaps a low of -5 Celsius.
:10:05. > :10:06.These are temperatures in our towns and cities.
:10:07. > :10:08.So, with light winds, the mist and fog may linger
:10:09. > :10:11.A frosty morning, a cold start to the day.
:10:12. > :10:13.Lightening up, from the amount of sunshine.
:10:14. > :10:15.Slightly more cloud the further north you are.
:10:16. > :10:17.Also the further east you are with cloud drifting in.
:10:18. > :10:19.Temperatures are reaching a high of 5-7 C.
:10:20. > :10:21.It will feel quite chilly in shady places.
:10:22. > :10:23.Through the course of Thursday to Friday,
:10:24. > :10:24.we are expecting high pressure to remain.
:10:25. > :10:28.That's not to say you won't see some bright spells,
:10:29. > :10:29.but where the cloud is
:10:30. > :10:31.thicker, we could see the odd spot of light rain.
:10:32. > :10:34.This cloud lingering over the north of the country
:10:35. > :10:36.will slip its way southwards, slowly during Friday, producing the odd
:10:37. > :10:40.The brighter spells and best of the sunshine on Friday
:10:41. > :10:42.along the south coast and for the Isle of Wight.
:10:43. > :10:46.As we head throughto the rest of the week, a frosty start to
:10:47. > :10:48.the day tomorrow with a high of six Celsius with light winds.
:10:49. > :10:51.Some bright spells and eventually a frosty start on Friday.
:10:52. > :11:06.next few days, no great changes over the next few days, more sunshine on
:11:07. > :11:18.the way. Despite high-pressure sitting across
:11:19. > :11:20.the country so only slow changes in the weather, we have had