:00:10. > :00:19.Bucking the high street trend - the local businesses showing strength
:00:19. > :00:25.as the economy weakens. At the moment it is look reasonable, but
:00:25. > :00:29.all businesses have to move forward. Good evening. So are we on the road
:00:29. > :00:32.to recovery or half way to a double dip recession? Full analysis in a
:00:32. > :00:35.moment. Also on Spotlight tonight: The plans to charge free bus pass
:00:35. > :00:42.holders in Cornwall. Would you pay 50p a journey to keep rural
:00:42. > :00:46.services running? Honestly I would rather pay full fare and have a bus
:00:46. > :00:50.than lose a bus. And people power in North Devon, a company says it
:00:50. > :00:53.will review its plans for a massive wind farm to deal with concerns.
:00:53. > :00:55.News that the UK economy shrank in the last quarter has been greeted
:00:55. > :00:58.defiantly by business people across the region tonight. The reduction
:00:58. > :01:02.of 0.2% could mean we're half-way to a double-dip recession, or it
:01:02. > :01:05.could just be a pause on the road to the recovery. We'll talk to a
:01:05. > :01:08.local economist about that in a moment, but one way or the other,
:01:08. > :01:18.for many working people, today was definitely about business as usual,
:01:18. > :01:19.
:01:19. > :01:24.as our correspondent Neil Gallacher found out. You don't have to look
:01:24. > :01:29.hard to spot sign of economic stress, places where demand refuses
:01:29. > :01:34.to keep up with supply. But if the economy has gone into reverse, so
:01:34. > :01:43.far the down turn is slight. For most businesses, today is little
:01:43. > :01:48.different from three or six months ago. This fewton manufacturer moved
:01:48. > :01:52.from Cambridge and are they now regretting their investment?
:01:52. > :01:56.Apparently not. It has been good this year. It is difficult to see
:01:56. > :02:01.thousand year pans out. There is a slight confidence to how this year
:02:01. > :02:10.will pan out. At the moment it is reasonable. But all businesses have
:02:10. > :02:18.to move forward. At a neighbouring business, lunch arrives, sandwiches
:02:18. > :02:25.from this man's restaurant. Have you noticed an economy that is
:02:25. > :02:30.shrinking? It is much the same. I like to think the Green Door is
:02:30. > :02:34.growing. We have had a cracking January so far. So all good.
:02:34. > :02:40.guessy small business owner worry about their business, are you more
:02:40. > :02:44.worried than a year ago. I try not to worry. I have done too much of
:02:44. > :02:49.that, I think positive and get more things done. Service industries are
:02:49. > :02:53.still a huge chunk of the economy, even if Tesco have reported a fall
:02:53. > :03:01.in sales. In Plymouth we found another man known to Spotlight
:03:01. > :03:05.viewers. We first met Ashley Len he was freshly redundant from a local
:03:05. > :03:10.factory. He had grown up knowing nothing of recession. We followed
:03:10. > :03:17.his struggle to find work. At one stage he thought his future was in
:03:17. > :03:24.the navy. Life has turned out to be very different. I enjoy working for
:03:24. > :03:29.Tesco and like I said, money comingy month, it is better than 60
:03:29. > :03:34.quid on the dole. Across Devon and Cornwall unemployment's growing
:03:34. > :03:40.more strongly than in the UK as a whole. But today one of Cornwall's
:03:40. > :03:45.biggest employers, Sam worth brothers said sales were holding up.
:03:45. > :03:51.Another employer is fits Gerald lighting. It was nearly killed off
:03:51. > :03:56.in 2008. But the new verse of factory has a good year and now
:03:56. > :04:01.employ nearly 100 and pefbgt further growth. These are
:04:01. > :04:07.challenging times, but in 2012 that is no longer the novelty it used to
:04:07. > :04:12.be. Well joining me now is economist Peter Gripaios. We posed
:04:12. > :04:18.the question are we half way to a double dip she rigs or in a pause
:04:18. > :04:22.on the way to recovery. Which is it? I don't think we know. The
:04:22. > :04:27.general expectation is we will flat line for some months and possibly
:04:27. > :04:30.another year. The problem is all governments are trying to find the
:04:30. > :04:33.same solution by cutting expenditure. But then we're in a
:04:33. > :04:38.race to the bottom, because nobody can sell to anybody else. The
:04:38. > :04:44.expectation is not that there will be a major upturn soon. We heard
:04:44. > :04:48.the national figures that theically is shrinking, we do we fit into
:04:48. > :04:51.that? This part of the country is doing well. The recession is
:04:51. > :04:57.affecting us, but there is no evidence that we're doing worse
:04:57. > :05:02.than anywhere else. And certainly I think given that Plymouth's lost
:05:02. > :05:09.800 military jobs sh has held up well. We heard from some businesses
:05:09. > :05:15.in the report, an upbeat picture. Does -- does it depend what sector
:05:15. > :05:20.you're in? It it depend on which sector and your particular niche in
:05:20. > :05:25.that. You will find that ones who have moved up market with the
:05:25. > :05:30.quality end are doing well. Others are struggling. You said at the
:05:30. > :05:37.moment you think short-term flat lining continuing, when do row
:05:37. > :05:41.expect any upturn? Tinge general expectation is we will have -- I
:05:42. > :05:45.think the general pepbgtation is we will have another six months or a
:05:45. > :05:50.year. Kftd will be low. But recessions do end and this will be
:05:50. > :05:55.be like the others. -- confidence is low. There is another problem
:05:56. > :06:02.and that is the standing of Britain in the world and the western world
:06:02. > :06:06.compared to India and China. That will take longer to solve.
:06:06. > :06:10.Political Editor, Martyn Oates, is in Downing Street and joins us now.
:06:10. > :06:15.Very inconvenient news for the Government? Yes David Cameron said
:06:15. > :06:22.the disappointing figures were not surprising and of course his
:06:22. > :06:26.neighbour at No 11 a few weeks ago had taken a deep breath and
:06:26. > :06:31.acknowledged the economy in a worst state than he predicted. That means
:06:31. > :06:37.even if we don't end up in a recession, there will be more pain
:06:37. > :06:41.and job losses. The Prime Minister today again pointed the finger at
:06:41. > :06:46.the crisis in the eurozone, higher fuel and food price and the deficit
:06:46. > :06:50.which the coalition inherited from Labour. But the Government said
:06:50. > :06:54.sticking to its programme is the best way to turn the economy around,
:06:54. > :06:58.even if that process ends up being longer than we had been promised.
:06:58. > :07:03.What has the reaction been from Labour?: since the coalition
:07:04. > :07:10.unveiled its policy, Labour has said that its cutting too much and
:07:10. > :07:16.too quickly and said that risked tipping the country into a double
:07:16. > :07:21.dip recession and it has continued say that today. And it jump on
:07:21. > :07:27.comments by the head of International Monetary Fund who
:07:27. > :07:30.said Britain may have to slow its cuts. Thank you. Later in the
:07:30. > :07:34.programme we'll be hearing from businesses in the Devon town of
:07:34. > :07:38.Bampton in a first of a new series about the economy. People in
:07:38. > :07:41.Cornwall who get a free bus pass may in the future be asked to pay
:07:41. > :07:44.50 pence a journey. Cornwall Council says it would be one way of
:07:44. > :07:47.raising enough money to keep vulnerable rural bus routes going.
:07:47. > :07:56.They want the Government to allow Cornwall to test the idea as a
:07:56. > :08:00.pilot scheme. Eleanor Parkinson reports. Not many things in this
:08:00. > :08:05.life are guaranteed, but there is up with thing you can be sure of.
:08:05. > :08:09.When you collect your pension you also get one of these - a free bus
:08:09. > :08:12.pass. Cornwall council says although pensioners are entitled to
:08:12. > :08:18.free bus travel, the Government has cut the funding that pays for
:08:18. > :08:24.concessionary fares and they say this puts 95 vulnerable rural
:08:24. > :08:28.routes at risk. The council said if everyone with a free pass paid 50
:08:28. > :08:32.pence they could keep the routes going. They came from the people of
:08:32. > :08:37.Cornwall. People said, we'd rather make a contribution than lose the
:08:37. > :08:42.service. We are taking those ideas and we will approach and lobby
:08:42. > :08:45.government and hopefully with the support of our MPs, we can bring
:08:45. > :08:50.about change in the legislation. you think the Government will let
:08:50. > :08:55.you do this? I think you know we're in a different territory, we're in
:08:55. > :09:00.a financial crisis and it makes business sense. They haven't got
:09:00. > :09:05.money to throw away. Nor have we. These pensioners all use their free
:09:05. > :09:11.bus passes each day and those we spoke to told us they would be
:09:11. > :09:16.happy to pay a small fare. I would rather pay than end up with no bus
:09:16. > :09:21.service, or a less frequent bus service. I would rather pay full
:09:21. > :09:29.fare and have a bus than lose a bus. If the services were reduced, would
:09:29. > :09:33.that affect you? Yes. I no longer drive. So I need the buses to be
:09:33. > :09:38.able to come in and out of town. Does it help with the neighbours? A
:09:38. > :09:42.lot of people from the area will get the bus into Plymouth for the
:09:42. > :09:49.day, they may pay 50 pence, but going back Plymouth have to pay the
:09:49. > :09:56.cost. So if they keep that at a a free fare will cost Plymouth and
:09:56. > :10:01.what will their attitude be to Cornwall. Cornwall council said
:10:01. > :10:06.they will keep vulnerable routes safe for two years, but after that
:10:06. > :10:14.they can't make any guarantees. They say the scheme could solve
:10:15. > :10:22.many problems. Thank you for all of your e-mails on this topic. Jan
:10:22. > :10:25.said: What would people rather have a small fee or reduced services?
:10:25. > :10:32.Mary said, I would say pay the charge and use it less often,
:10:32. > :10:37.rather than risk losing it. Catherine, I think it is a great
:10:37. > :10:45.idea and it will stop the abuse of the cards, where people ride around
:10:45. > :10:50.on the bus all day. And Alfred said, I think a better idea would be to
:10:50. > :11:00.scrap the bus pass and have a county pass that was free for
:11:00. > :11:03.
:11:03. > :11:06.residents. Thank you for all your comments. The company wanting to
:11:06. > :11:09.set up a massive wind farm off the coast of North Devon says it is
:11:09. > :11:11.reviewing its plans after consulting with local people. RWE
:11:11. > :11:13.Npower Renewables says there'll be a second round of public
:11:13. > :11:18.consultation in the summer. Our Environment Correspondent, Adrian
:11:18. > :11:24.Campbell, has the latest. The gov Government is committed to wind
:11:24. > :11:31.farms and big xaepbts are needed to deliver this. -- xaepbts. Npower
:11:31. > :11:36.plan a giant wind farm. There has been an initial public consultation
:11:36. > :11:40.by the developers. The results of the consultation showed most people
:11:40. > :11:45.were concerned about the visual impact of the turbines as seen from
:11:45. > :11:53.the land. But they were concerned about the potential impact on birds,
:11:53. > :11:58.and marine mammals and the effects on local tourism. We're that visual
:11:58. > :12:06.impact a -- is a concern and we're reviewing our plans to see whether
:12:06. > :12:10.we can make any changes to reduce the impact of the project. Many
:12:10. > :12:14.environmentalists see benefits in offshore wind farms, but they have
:12:14. > :12:17.concerns. We're into the idea of renewable energy and wind farms,
:12:17. > :12:21.but they have to be put in the right place. At the moment we
:12:21. > :12:26.cannot say whether this is in the right place, because we don't have
:12:26. > :12:30.the data or the evidence to say this is the right place or not the
:12:30. > :12:36.right place. Some question the effectiveness of wind energy, but
:12:36. > :12:41.the company says we must develop alternatives. I'm concerned about
:12:41. > :12:49.being reliant on sources of fos Silverstone fuel and Russian gas
:12:49. > :12:52.and from -- fos il fuel and Russian gas and the idea of making use of
:12:53. > :12:58.our resources make sense. Whatever the results of consultation,
:12:58. > :13:08.developing a wind farm here won't be easy. Deep waters will challenge
:13:08. > :13:11.
:13:11. > :13:17.Coming up: A few from the High Street as we follow the fortunes of
:13:17. > :13:27.one Devon town. The deployment of staff -- south-west troops in
:13:27. > :13:29.
:13:29. > :13:33.Afghanistan seen from a different It is not just today's statistics
:13:33. > :13:41.about growth that give us an idea about how the economy is doing.
:13:41. > :13:45.Through the year, we will track the fortunes of one street in Devon.
:13:45. > :13:51.Spotlight's Andrew Ormesby has been to Bampton in the first of a hint
:13:51. > :13:56.series of reports. Steeped in history, the small rural
:13:56. > :14:01.town of Banton lies on the edge of the moors. Surrounded by large
:14:01. > :14:09.shopping centres on every side, old Bampton really should be vulnerable.
:14:09. > :14:13.In reality, it thrives. This is bustling Bampton with honesty boxes
:14:13. > :14:17.in the car-park and customer loyalty strong enough to see most
:14:17. > :14:26.businesses through these tough times. Broad Street lies at its
:14:26. > :14:31.heart and has about every shop you could need -- Brook Street. We have
:14:31. > :14:39.a couple of little stores that provide all the items we need.
:14:39. > :14:45.Budget took over the business a year-and-a-half ago.
:14:45. > :14:50.We are local farmers about three miles away and we decided it was
:14:50. > :14:58.the next logical step to get close to our customers. January and
:14:58. > :15:03.February are quiet and John have some concerns of -- concerns
:15:03. > :15:10.regarding how to compete. Some costs have gone up a lot. Things
:15:10. > :15:15.like the cost of pastry because of the wheat price and the cost of
:15:15. > :15:20.fuel for deliveries. Some things have gone up out of our control.
:15:20. > :15:26.Waste disposal is a rising cost through having to pay for the
:15:26. > :15:34.disposal of bones and waste. employs four members of staff who
:15:34. > :15:40.turnover around up to �5,000 a week, although more at Christmas and
:15:40. > :15:46.Easter. As long as we watch our costs and look after our customers
:15:46. > :15:55.they will hope leaky coming in week after week. Lunchtime over the road
:15:55. > :16:01.at the bistro. This is the owner's first business and very different
:16:01. > :16:08.from their last job -- as they were both police officers in London. It
:16:08. > :16:14.has not been easy. We have made some major changes to how we will
:16:14. > :16:19.run up business for 2012. To make the business viable, they have kept
:16:19. > :16:25.staff costs to the minimum. But that has taken its toll and two
:16:25. > :16:30.years ago they decided to sell up. In these difficult economic times,
:16:30. > :16:35.there have been no buyers and now Katrina and Julia have decided to
:16:35. > :16:41.stay but to make some changes to help their work and life balance.
:16:41. > :16:45.We are concentrating on keeping the daytime business the same as it has
:16:45. > :16:50.been for four and a half years. We do cough these, lunches and
:16:50. > :16:56.afternoon teas. In the evening, we were doing every weekend evening
:16:56. > :17:01.meals but we have adapted that. Despite taking over as the economy
:17:01. > :17:07.lurched into trouble, the business here is excess all. The secret is
:17:07. > :17:12.to give good service and good food. Our turnover has gone up very
:17:12. > :17:18.steadily most two years, even when we reduced the hours. We hope that
:17:18. > :17:23.will continue. To help, they are planning to diversify, making more
:17:24. > :17:28.use of space upstairs. Businesses in Bampton say that they are
:17:28. > :17:37.bucking the High Street End, by and large. One reason they give is easy
:17:37. > :17:40.parking with no yellow lines, no metres and no double parking.
:17:40. > :17:44.And we'll be back in Bampton throughout this year, following the
:17:44. > :17:47.fortunes of the Butcher, the bistro and Brook Street as a whole.
:17:47. > :17:50.It's hoped an exhibition of paintings and pictures in Plymouth
:17:50. > :17:53.will raise thousands of pounds to help troops and families affected
:17:53. > :17:56.by the conflict in Afghanistan. The artwork, which documents 3 Commando
:17:56. > :18:05.Brigade's six-month tour of duty last year, is about to go on public
:18:05. > :18:09.display. Spotlight's Simon Painting a picture of life in a
:18:09. > :18:14.war-zone, Devon artist Andrew Millar has drawn on his experience
:18:14. > :18:20.in Afghanistan to give a glimpse of military life on the front line. He
:18:20. > :18:24.spent weeks documenting the lives of men and women of 3 Commando
:18:24. > :18:30.Brigade on their recent tour of Helmand province. It is a great
:18:30. > :18:35.honour to be asked to do this. Very few people get to see what goes on
:18:35. > :18:40.out there so I guess I have been fortunate to have a close look at
:18:40. > :18:45.what Marines do when they go to work. Andrew Miller's work is
:18:45. > :18:49.included in an exhibition which features revealing images captured
:18:49. > :18:53.by the brigades photographers and journalists. It tells the story of
:18:53. > :18:59.bravery, courage and determination in the face of adversity often.
:18:59. > :19:03.Troops from the Brigade which has its headquarters in Plymouth served
:19:03. > :19:08.from April to October last year. Over 20 soldiers lost their lives
:19:08. > :19:16.and many of the images have not been seen before. Emotion is a
:19:16. > :19:21.difficult thing to capture on film. Certainly in still photography but
:19:21. > :19:26.if the events are severe enough or whatever has led up to that point,
:19:26. > :19:35.people's facial expressions and there trainee nurse or the
:19:35. > :19:39.condition of that - might they kicked builds the emotion. This
:19:39. > :19:44.gives a powerful account of military life and it is hoped the
:19:44. > :19:53.images will give a greater understanding of what British
:19:53. > :19:59.Youngsters at nine schools implement have been learning some
:19:59. > :20:09.new moves this term. A project run by Plymouth dance has helped
:20:09. > :20:12.
:20:12. > :20:16.children boost their confidence and Learning through dance. 20 minute
:20:16. > :20:22.classes, moving to music, apparently can help them improve
:20:22. > :20:26.all kinds of skill levels from communication took maths. Every
:20:26. > :20:33.child likes to bop around with a brush pretending they are a pop
:20:33. > :20:38.star. Their self-esteem and self- awareness raises so they are not
:20:38. > :20:44.that shy a child in the corner. Suddenly, they can say that they
:20:44. > :20:50.can stand on stage with able-bodied kids and do the same thing. They
:20:50. > :20:54.have been granted �300,000 by the Lottery to use on their project. In
:20:54. > :20:59.their three years, the University of Plymouth is studying the effects
:20:59. > :21:06.the dance classes have one children. The children all want to come to
:21:06. > :21:09.dance, they enjoy it. It is a way of playing without conflict, they
:21:09. > :21:14.have exercise which is an Sport and we have seen an improvement in
:21:14. > :21:21.their behaviour because they want to come to dance so they need to
:21:21. > :21:28.earn it to come here. What is your favourite thing? The skateboarding
:21:28. > :21:35.way you jump side to star I'd like you Ronnie real skateboard.
:21:35. > :21:41.rope. You can do all different dances. Having fun. The dance
:21:41. > :21:49.Worksop is now a popular class in nine schools in Plymouth and the
:21:49. > :21:52.outcome of the research will be In sport, Torquay United continued
:21:52. > :21:55.their impressive form last night with another win, this time against
:21:55. > :21:59.Dagenham and Redbridge. And Plymouth Argyle have appointed a
:21:59. > :22:09.Director of Football at Home Park. Spotlight's Dave Gibbins has all
:22:09. > :22:10.
:22:10. > :22:16.Torquay United are going great guns. The 9th goal of the season was
:22:16. > :22:26.enough to ward off a stubborn Daborn and -- Dagenham and rate
:22:26. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:33.breach at Plainmoor. It was their We put ourselves in a position
:22:33. > :22:40.where with one more win we are safe from relegation. Obviously that has
:22:40. > :22:44.changed but if we keep winning we will be talked about. 54 year-old
:22:44. > :22:50.John Deehan has been appointed as director of football at Home Park.
:22:50. > :22:57.He was successful with Norwich City as a manager and as a player. He is
:22:57. > :23:03.in their hall of fame which recognises his goalscoring record.
:23:04. > :23:08.He will work alongside pilgrims boss, cull Fletcher. He deals with
:23:08. > :23:17.play it transfers in and out and negotiates the finer points of
:23:17. > :23:27.their contract. The director of football at Es -- Exeter City and
:23:27. > :23:34.
:23:34. > :23:38.Now let us see what the weather has Good evening. If you have not yet
:23:38. > :23:42.used your winter coat, you will have to dig it out this evening.
:23:42. > :23:47.There will be a drop in temperatures which have been
:23:47. > :23:54.relatively mild so far this week. Wet and windy weather around this
:23:54. > :24:02.evening. Temperatures will be down to three degrees Celsius by the
:24:02. > :24:08.morning. The stripe of cloud across Ireland is a main bearing clout.
:24:08. > :24:13.For a couple of hours tonight, there will be an angry and heavy
:24:13. > :24:22.band of rain with strong winds. They will they're westerly and
:24:22. > :24:28.tomorrow we have a mix of sunshine and blustery showers. Wintry
:24:28. > :24:35.flurries over the tops of the mauls. Less breezy on Friday but the risk
:24:35. > :24:41.of showers and still cold. The brighter colours approaching
:24:41. > :24:51.Ireland is the rain Bank. Ahead of that, splashes of rain or drizzle
:24:51. > :24:54.
:24:54. > :24:59.and earlier today, our cameraman was down on the Exe estuary. The
:25:00. > :25:04.avocets have been enjoying peaceful conditions on the estuary. That is
:25:04. > :25:14.all has been off and on throughout the day right across the south-west
:25:14. > :25:20.
:25:20. > :25:27.and low cloud is causing some problems with mist and fog. Tonight,
:25:27. > :25:37.a heavy rain crosses as tonight and behind that we will see Calder air.
:25:37. > :25:43.
:25:43. > :25:47.Slightly milder around the coastline. Tomorrow promises some
:25:47. > :25:55.sunshine and better visibility. At the same time, you will need to
:25:55. > :26:04.wrap up warm. One or two of the showers above 1200 ft will fall as
:26:04. > :26:14.sleet or snow. Between the showers, all of us will see some sunshine.
:26:14. > :26:20.
:26:20. > :26:30.Not very warm in a brisk westerly Quite a breezy day for the Isles of
:26:30. > :27:07.
:27:07. > :27:16.Scilly. Much improved visibility Friday will see a frosty start and
:27:16. > :27:24.a few passing showers on Saturday. They get loud arriving and patchy
:27:24. > :27:34.rain. The best of any brightness in the east. We haven't got any idea
:27:34. > :27:35.