:00:14. > :00:18.The seaside inferno. A derelict hotel in Torquay is destroyed by
:00:18. > :00:21.fire. The Conway Court Hotel has denied
:00:21. > :00:28.being demolished following fears it would collapse.
:00:28. > :00:32.Also: On track for a price hike. Mixed reaction from passengers has
:00:32. > :00:35.rail fares are set to rise by an average of 6% you cannot afford
:00:35. > :00:39.fuel to get somewhere. Now you at cannot afford to get the train
:00:39. > :00:45.either. If and why funding for this charity
:00:45. > :00:48.will get dozens of people of the streets. If you can help people
:00:48. > :00:55.quickly and get them into accommodation, they can get back on
:00:55. > :00:58.their feet much quicker. A derelict hotel ravaged by fire in
:00:58. > :01:03.Torquay last night is being demolished to stop it falling down
:01:03. > :01:13.a cliff into the road below. Part of the seafront has been closed
:01:13. > :01:15.
:01:15. > :01:20.after extensive damage was caused to the Conway Court Hotel.
:01:20. > :01:25.Tonight in Torquay, along the front it is quiet. Normally, just before
:01:25. > :01:31.Christmas, there would be cars and people are travelling along here.
:01:31. > :01:36.The road has been closed. Be police have done this for safety. The fear
:01:36. > :01:41.is that because of the fire last night, the building's remains could
:01:41. > :01:46.collapse onto the road. This is how the events have unfolded.
:01:46. > :01:51.It later this guy at one of Torquay's most prominent positions.
:01:51. > :01:56.Hundreds of people came to watch. 80 via officers were fighting at
:01:56. > :02:01.its peak. It was a difficult situation. What we are doing at the
:02:01. > :02:06.moment is trying to halt the fire in place to protect the hotel and
:02:06. > :02:11.the apartments next door. One side of the building was a drop
:02:11. > :02:15.straight down to the seafront. The fire service now have the blaze
:02:15. > :02:20.under control. Considering the size of the buyer, it was lucky that no-
:02:20. > :02:26.one was hurt. People were evacuated from nearby properties in case it
:02:26. > :02:31.was Fred. This morning, crews were dampening down. Neighbours still
:02:31. > :02:36.could not return. There was banging and crashing. I assumed it was the
:02:36. > :02:45.TV. Next thing, the police were knocking on our door telling us to
:02:45. > :02:49.get out because there was a fire. The whole thing was blowing smoke
:02:49. > :02:53.and flames. Investigators were examining the
:02:53. > :02:58.scene to investigate why it started. It could be a rough sleeper at
:02:58. > :03:03.making a fire to get warm. It was a derelict property. It could be that
:03:03. > :03:05.somebody has deliberately set fire to the premises. Or it could be
:03:05. > :03:09.accidental. For there is a fear that the
:03:09. > :03:12.remains of the building could collapse onto the road. Contractors
:03:12. > :03:18.moved in this afternoon to knocking down and make sure it is safe so
:03:18. > :03:22.the road can be reopened. The demolition workers have moved into
:03:22. > :03:27.night. This evening it is more about a preparatory work. Tomorrow,
:03:27. > :03:31.the big machinery moves in. While this is going on, the road remains
:03:31. > :03:35.closed. They have opened up the promenade say that pedestrians can
:03:35. > :03:40.get through. Those going to the theatre this evening can get to see
:03:40. > :03:44.their show. This is causing problems for Torquay. It is
:03:44. > :03:49.difficult to get from one side of the town to the other. You have to
:03:49. > :03:54.weave through some narrow lanes up and down hills to do so. Torbay
:03:54. > :03:58.council say they are doing all they can to keep traffic moving.
:03:58. > :04:01.Hopefully this road will be open soon.
:04:01. > :04:08.We will have an update on that situation later on tonight.
:04:08. > :04:11.Meanwhile, 40 firefighters are tackling a blaze at another hotel.
:04:11. > :04:15.This is in North Devon at the Southcliffe Hotel in Ilfracombe.
:04:15. > :04:20.The cause is unknown. It is thought half of the building has been
:04:20. > :04:25.damaged by the fire. Some rail fares in South West are
:04:25. > :04:29.going up by more than 8% in January. The Government decided to offer the
:04:29. > :04:34.new operator of the Great Western Frenchay as a 15 year contract. A
:04:34. > :04:40.current deal with First Group ends in 2013 with more than one year to
:04:40. > :04:48.go. Passengers and politicians are demanding faster trains, less
:04:48. > :04:53.overcrowding and better connections. Local MPs raised the issue of rail
:04:53. > :04:57.travel in a debate in the Commons this morning. It comes as the Great
:04:58. > :05:02.Western franchises up for renewal in 2013. It is an opportunity to
:05:02. > :05:07.improve rail services in the South West. The West Country does not
:05:07. > :05:12.stop at Bristol. Although Bristol is important, a lot of the West
:05:12. > :05:17.Country is west of Bristol. Some of the glitter may be tarnished but
:05:17. > :05:25.that -- by news that fares are to rise by an average of 6%. Some
:05:25. > :05:35.increases will be higher. A ticket from Plymouth to London rises from
:05:35. > :05:50.
:05:50. > :05:58.Commuters and season-ticket holders will be hit hardest. Passengers
:05:58. > :06:02.today told me they accepted the increased. Gas and electricity have
:06:02. > :06:06.gone up 20%, so compared to that it is not that much. Everything is
:06:06. > :06:09.going up. Considering all my wages have gone down, it is bad enough
:06:09. > :06:13.because you cannot afford fuel. They are now making it more
:06:14. > :06:19.difficult to get the train. train operating companies claim
:06:20. > :06:28.that price hikes are essential for the investment in infrastructure.
:06:28. > :06:32.Rail campaigners are unconvinced. We fear that another year of
:06:32. > :06:37.inflation and fare rises are will take us further away from the value
:06:37. > :06:43.for money rail network that we all need to meet the economic
:06:43. > :06:49.challenges we face. New fares come into effect on the 2nd January. A
:06:49. > :06:54.consultation will begin in the New Year on the franchise renewal.
:06:54. > :06:58.Tomorrow we will put your concerns about train services to First Great
:06:58. > :07:02.Western. As you heard, lots of MPs are calling for improvements to our
:07:02. > :07:12.trains. Will the Government invest in the Great Western franchise to
:07:12. > :07:12.
:07:12. > :07:18.make this happen? In terms of seeing significance it
:07:18. > :07:22.improvements to rail services, it is the only game in town. Business
:07:22. > :07:25.is in the South West can only look on with envy at the plans to roll
:07:25. > :07:30.out High Speed Rail links from London to Birmingham and eventually
:07:30. > :07:32.to north-west and Scotland. Huge improvements are being made to the
:07:32. > :07:37.Great Western line, but those infrastructure projects are
:07:37. > :07:47.happening at the East End of that, Paddington, Reading, Swindon and
:07:47. > :07:50.Bristol. Everything rests on the way the Government frames this
:07:50. > :07:55.franchise and awards it. It is nearly the end of the
:07:55. > :07:59.coalition's first full year in government. What has the region
:07:59. > :08:04.gained from having all of its MPs in the two governing parties?
:08:04. > :08:08.The obvious thing that stands side is the �50 reduction in water bills.
:08:08. > :08:12.There were a lot of MPs lobbying behind the scenes and in Parliament
:08:12. > :08:20.for that. The Chancellor mentioned it personally and Number Ten got
:08:20. > :08:26.involved to push that through. It was the most radical solution. One
:08:26. > :08:30.year ago, none of our MPs expected that to happen in that way. Leyburn
:08:30. > :08:34.reminders that this is based on a suggestion which came at a major
:08:34. > :08:39.review which they are implemented. They work it out of office before
:08:39. > :08:41.they could make any final decision on it. Nonetheless, it was the
:08:41. > :08:46.coalition which make that final decision.
:08:46. > :08:51.What about challenges for the year ahead?
:08:51. > :08:58.The really big challenge, as for the rest of the country, is the
:08:58. > :09:02.economy. The Government has launched a lot of initiatives to
:09:02. > :09:06.boost private enterprise. There will be further cuts in the public
:09:06. > :09:09.sector. It is looking at closing the gap between public and private
:09:10. > :09:19.sector pay. That could be significant in the South West. We
:09:20. > :09:23.
:09:23. > :09:28.have a large pay gap between the two sectors. The Government are
:09:28. > :09:32.also decided to go ahead with a pilot bicycles. Some people are
:09:32. > :09:37.supporting that and some people are appalled. There will probably be a
:09:37. > :09:47.legal challenge and protests in the New Year. Farmers will have to wait
:09:47. > :09:47.
:09:48. > :09:54.for a widespread rolling out of that Carl. -- Cole.
:09:54. > :09:59.The row over the new proposed constituency boundaries will roll-
:09:59. > :10:06.on into the new year. Will we end up seeing the situation where an
:10:06. > :10:15.account in shares an MP with people in Plymouth?
:10:15. > :10:19.Thank you. Tomorrow, the boss of First Great Western will be with us
:10:19. > :10:23.to answer your questions about train services. A charity which
:10:23. > :10:28.helps the homeless in Exeter has been awarded �250,000 to help
:10:28. > :10:37.people sleeping rough to get off the streets. St Petrock's is one of
:10:37. > :10:44.90 organisations in England to be awarded the Government funding.
:10:44. > :10:49.Being homeless is demanding. For many, it is not a choice. Friends
:10:49. > :10:55.of mine cannot release let me stay at their houses all the time. By
:10:55. > :10:59.about stately welcome. -- my welcome. He has been homeless for
:10:59. > :11:04.10 years. Visiting St Petrock's has become a daily ritual after being
:11:04. > :11:09.kicked out of his hostel in January. He says that accommodation in the
:11:09. > :11:14.City is sparse. It is hard to find accommodation. When you do find
:11:14. > :11:20.accommodation, they do not accept home as benefit. There's a long
:11:20. > :11:26.waiting list to get into local hostels. Lucan regularly sleeps
:11:26. > :11:32.rough. Is this way state last night? Yes. This is where I stay
:11:32. > :11:40.most nights. White you stay here? To get away from the hustle and
:11:40. > :11:46.bustle of town and all the drunks. You are safer down here. It is very
:11:47. > :11:53.cold. It is warmer than most places. Warmer, perhaps, but not a long-
:11:53. > :11:58.term solution. The aim of this new funding is to get help to homeless
:11:59. > :12:02.people fast. The aim of the project is to prevent people from spending
:12:02. > :12:10.a second night on the streets. It is about getting to people quicker,
:12:10. > :12:14.getting out to more people. Targeted outreach, getting people
:12:15. > :12:19.to access services so we can make full assessment of needs and get
:12:19. > :12:23.people into accommodation quickly. While his new venture of selling
:12:23. > :12:27.the Big Issue is going well, it is not enough to draw him off the
:12:27. > :12:32.streets. He is one of 45 homeless people who depend on St Patrick's
:12:32. > :12:39.for shelter and food. He will continue to sleep rough until more
:12:39. > :12:42.provisions are available. Once In Royal David's City is the
:12:42. > :12:46.carol from the Military Wives Choir at the end of the programme tonight.
:12:46. > :12:51.Before that, selling off part of the Quantock Hills and the campaign
:12:51. > :12:57.to keep it in public ownership. And we will reveal our Disabled
:12:57. > :13:01.Sportsperson of the Year. Dave Gibbins went to Manchester to
:13:01. > :13:05.present the award. More than 500 foster carers will be
:13:05. > :13:09.needed in the South West next year. The Fostering Network says that
:13:09. > :13:14.without extra families, children could end of living a long way from
:13:14. > :13:18.their home, their siblings or school. Local councils are stepping
:13:18. > :13:24.up their recruitment campaigns. Somerset has 250 carers at the
:13:24. > :13:29.moment. It plans to find in other 50 next year. Plymouth City Council,
:13:29. > :13:36.with 145 carers, wants to recruit what -- 25 a year for the next
:13:36. > :13:46.three years. Devon has to find another 30 years -- canoe -- carers
:13:46. > :13:50.
:13:51. > :13:55.in 2012. Our reporter has been to Putting away the Tories is
:13:55. > :14:01.something that this lady is used to. She has been a foster carer for 16
:14:01. > :14:06.years. If you have a little child to comes into your house who is
:14:06. > :14:10.frightened, has never been able to play or been booked after or fed
:14:10. > :14:16.properly, and we see them blossom within a short time, it is very
:14:16. > :14:22.rewarding. But there is a desperate shortage of people like this. The
:14:22. > :14:26.south-west needs 550 foster carers next year. We have a lot more
:14:26. > :14:31.children coming into care at the moment, some of that as a result of
:14:31. > :14:39.a happened with the baby Peter incident. And also a large number
:14:39. > :14:44.of foster carers who are retiring or choosing not to carry on. And
:14:44. > :14:48.that number is not being replaced by new people coming forward.
:14:48. > :14:52.Devon there are 400 children in foster care and to cater for that
:14:52. > :14:57.number at the authority needs to find their denude foster families
:14:57. > :15:04.every year. Everyone is suitable to be a foster carer, they could be
:15:04. > :15:10.single, married, employed or unemployed. We also accept same-sex
:15:10. > :15:13.couples, absolutely anyone. They just need a willingness to help.
:15:13. > :15:18.Foster carers receive allowances for looking after children. In view
:15:18. > :15:25.of will this woman has given a home to more than 50 and for her it has
:15:25. > :15:31.never been about money. It you can give a child those few months of
:15:31. > :15:34.consistency, love and care, then you have given them a good start in
:15:34. > :15:37.life. Now you may remember that earlier
:15:37. > :15:40.this year the government had to abandon its plan to sell off a
:15:40. > :15:42.number of our forests because so many people objected. Well, now the
:15:42. > :15:45.BBC's learnt that Somerset County Council is planing to sell some
:15:45. > :15:53.woods and moorland it owns - many of which are in Areas of
:15:53. > :15:58.Outstanding Natural Beauty. Spotlight's Hamish Marshall reports.
:15:58. > :16:08.The Quan top hills are loved by walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.
:16:08. > :16:12.But Somerset County Council has put almost to a 1000 acres up for sale.
:16:12. > :16:17.It is a mixture of woodland and open moorland. Footpaths would stay
:16:17. > :16:20.open to the public that members of a local charity are angry. They're
:16:21. > :16:29.worried that the land would not be managed properly if it was in
:16:29. > :16:36.private hands. Some things are just for the good of the public and the
:16:36. > :16:39.land here is. This area is currently leased by the Forestry
:16:39. > :16:44.Commission which says it is interested in buying it. But we
:16:44. > :16:52.have seen council reviews of more than 30 parcels of land. A number
:16:52. > :16:56.of those could be sold to private owners. We own a lot of things that
:16:57. > :17:02.I suppose in this day and age, we would it not really want to own. We
:17:02. > :17:05.still have massive debt, so to get any income from the sale of these
:17:05. > :17:09.assets would help towards building a new schools. People have until
:17:09. > :17:15.this Friday to comment on the first bits of land up for sale.
:17:15. > :17:18.Campaigners are promising a fight to keep Somerset's hills public.
:17:18. > :17:21.The Government is to take over Cornwall's Wave Hub project at the
:17:22. > :17:24.start of the New Year. Until now the offshore marine energy scheme
:17:24. > :17:27.has been run by the South West regional development agency which
:17:28. > :17:33.is being wound up. The hub was set up last year to allow developers to
:17:33. > :17:35.test new wave energy technology. So far it's not been used.
:17:35. > :17:37.The UK Borders Agency says it'll continue a crackdown on illegal
:17:37. > :17:45.immigrants in the South West after nearly 200 people were found
:17:45. > :17:48.working here illegally in the first nine months of the year. It says
:17:48. > :17:51.it's been tracking them down at a rate of more than five a week in
:17:51. > :17:56.Devon and Cornwall. The agency says all the illegal workers have now
:17:56. > :18:00.been removed from the country. More than 4,000 jobs have gone at
:18:00. > :18:06.councils across Devon as a result of cost cutting. In March 2009,
:18:06. > :18:10.18,500 people worked for the county's local authorities. That's
:18:10. > :18:13.now dropped to just 14,000, which is a fall of almost 20 percent.
:18:13. > :18:20.Many of the jobs have now been taken over by private sector
:18:20. > :18:23.companies. These are not easy times for
:18:23. > :18:25.businesses and since the downturn began in 2008, we've been following
:18:25. > :18:28.the fortunes of three south west firms to see how they've coped with
:18:28. > :18:33.the difficult trading conditions. The businesses included a bed and
:18:33. > :18:35.breakfast, a garage conversion firm, and a restaurant. We've been back
:18:36. > :18:38.to see how they're getting on - starting with Derek Braithwaite's
:18:38. > :18:45.B&B in Looe. Our business correspondent Neil Gallacher
:18:45. > :18:50.reports. Another Christmas, another late
:18:50. > :18:55.Keri to end to his dear. This bed and breakfast has been busy with
:18:55. > :18:59.three years of constant growth. But there is a catch. What we are
:18:59. > :19:03.facing is that although we're getting more repeat visitors, we
:19:03. > :19:09.are getting more people to stay with us, we're finding that the
:19:09. > :19:14.profit margins are shrinking as the bills go up. Mainly utility bills,
:19:14. > :19:18.that is the real killer. One of the first things Derek learnt is how
:19:18. > :19:22.hands on it is to run your own business. Literally knocking down
:19:22. > :19:29.walls to create new rooms. In January last year his confidence
:19:30. > :19:36.was growing as the nation seemed to discover that stay at home holiday.
:19:36. > :19:41.Would she have to do in this business is keep Updating. The
:19:41. > :19:45.advantage for people like us is that people stop going abroad. It
:19:45. > :19:52.was too expensive, too much hassle, too many security checks. It was
:19:52. > :19:56.easier to get on the train and make the journey down here. This year
:19:56. > :20:01.Derek is converting an office to a small bedroom which has brought in
:20:01. > :20:05.more staying guests. But not that much more profit. Our problem is we
:20:06. > :20:12.cannot pass it on to the customer. We live in a massively competitive
:20:12. > :20:17.business. I have to look at what competitors in the west of Cornwall
:20:17. > :20:21.are charging. We have to keep upping our game and that is where
:20:21. > :20:27.the margins keep shrinking. still building the business, but in
:20:27. > :20:29.his own words, possibly running to stand still.
:20:29. > :20:34.And tomorrow we'll be with Robert Wood, seeing how his garage
:20:34. > :20:40.conversion business is performing during the economic downturn.
:20:40. > :20:42.Time now for the next BBC South West Sports Award for 2011. Tonight,
:20:42. > :20:45.it's the disabled sportsperson of the year and Dave Gibbins has been
:20:45. > :20:53.to Manchester to present the trophy to a Cornish paralympic swimmer who
:20:53. > :20:58.just keeps on winning. We're here at the Manchester
:20:58. > :21:03.aquatic Centre, home of the Great Britain Paralympic swimming team.
:21:03. > :21:11.The venue for the Commonwealth Games as well. It has been a record
:21:12. > :21:19.breaking year for Jonathan Fox from Cornwall. He has won gold at the
:21:19. > :21:23.European parallel big championships in Berlin, twice. -- Paralympic.
:21:23. > :21:31.For the second year running you have the BBC south-west disabled
:21:31. > :21:37.sports person of the year award for 2011. Well done. Thank you very
:21:37. > :21:41.much. Thanks to everyone at home. It is a long way from her will all
:21:41. > :21:47.the way to Manchester but I would like to thank all my family and
:21:47. > :21:52.friends who have stuck up for me. And hopefully you will see me in
:21:52. > :21:57.the 20 told Paralympic Games. there pressure and you too will --
:21:57. > :22:07.to win a gold medal? And would not say pressure, but I am hungry for
:22:07. > :22:10.it. Hull is the training going? It's really, really hard. I have
:22:10. > :22:18.been to a competition this weekend and from now until February it will
:22:18. > :22:26.be the hardest training for 2012. Have a lovely Christmas, or the
:22:26. > :22:32.best in 2012. And congratulations on winning the award.
:22:32. > :22:36.Coming up in a moment, the latest Carroll for Christmas from the
:22:36. > :22:42.military wives choir. But first a military wives choir. But first a
:22:42. > :22:52.look at the weather. Just a token snowflake is aware
:22:52. > :22:53.
:22:53. > :22:57.been to seek! The mild air is already sweeping in. The mild theme
:22:57. > :23:02.continues right through the Christmas period. The reason for
:23:03. > :23:12.that is that big gap in the cloud down here. That is an area of high
:23:13. > :23:14.
:23:14. > :23:21.pressure which is slow moving. So we will see some pretty good
:23:21. > :23:31.temperatures. One weather system moves out of the way tonight and
:23:31. > :23:35.
:23:35. > :23:39.then it much of the day tomorrow is bright and dry but rather cloudy.
:23:39. > :23:47.The wet weather will be turning up on Friday. Looking at that in more
:23:47. > :23:53.detail, those brighter colours coming through. So the range this
:23:53. > :24:01.CD is light and patchy but then tonight becoming quite heavy
:24:01. > :24:09.especially after midnight for the time. That introduces much more
:24:09. > :24:14.mild air but quite humoured. Overnight temperatures no lower
:24:14. > :24:19.than perhaps seven or eight degrees. So tomorrow morning we have a
:24:19. > :24:28.drizzly start. Quite a bit of a hill fog as well. Into the
:24:28. > :24:38.afternoon, at some breaks developing in the cloud. That will
:24:38. > :24:38.
:24:38. > :24:43.allow him sunshine to come through in the afternoon. Quite a few
:24:43. > :24:53.degrees above what we would normally expect to see it this time
:24:53. > :25:04.
:25:04. > :25:11.of year. A dry day in the Isles of Scilly. Last week we had some
:25:11. > :25:21.really big waves. Many people did not even go in the water. This week
:25:21. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:45.it is quieter. Still a little choppy, however. So taking a look
:25:45. > :25:52.at the forecast all the way through to Christmas Eve. It is a dry story
:25:52. > :25:56.apart from Friday. On Thursday we have cloud for much of the day.
:25:56. > :26:01.Friday We have a cold front coming in which will introduce some rain
:26:02. > :26:09.around the middle of the day. And behind that, showers and clearer
:26:09. > :26:14.skies. Christmas Eve at the moment looks dry, cloudy and temperatures
:26:14. > :26:20.of nine or 10 degrees. If you are travelling out of the region, go to
:26:20. > :26:23.be a sea's new weather site to find be a sea's new weather site to find
:26:23. > :26:25.information for your region. That's it from us tonight, we'll
:26:25. > :26:29.leave you with the Military Wives choir. Their latest carol for
:26:29. > :26:38.Spotlight is Once in Royal David's City. Good night.
:26:38. > :26:48.# Once in royal David's city, Stood a lowly cattle shed.
:26:48. > :26:51.
:26:51. > :27:01.# Where a mother laid her Baby, In a manger for His bed.
:27:01. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:14.# Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ, her little Child.
:27:14. > :27:16.
:27:16. > :27:26.# He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all.
:27:26. > :27:27.