:00:20. > :00:26.Members of Devon and Somerset fire authority vote to give themselves a
:00:26. > :00:33.25 percent pay rise and put up council tax. It is grossly out of
:00:34. > :00:36.order and contentious. It is almost like the bankers. Good evening, The
:00:37. > :00:39.Devon and Cornwall Police authority has also voted to put up council
:00:39. > :00:41.tax. We'll have a full report on today's contentious budget
:00:41. > :00:44.decisions. Also tonight. Volunteers who save lives. The
:00:44. > :00:46.first responders who say cuts to the NHS are putting them under
:00:46. > :00:49.increasing pressure. And Damien Hirst, the controversial
:00:49. > :00:59.artist behind this, wants to build environmentally friendly homes in
:00:59. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:07.North Devon. Council tax bills will be going up across most of the
:01:07. > :01:09.region as the the governing bodies which oversee two of the emergency
:01:09. > :01:12.services have been setting their budgets for the coming year.
:01:12. > :01:14.Controversially, the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority
:01:14. > :01:17.have voted to increase their allowances by 25%.
:01:17. > :01:20.That's on top of a decision today to increase their share of the
:01:20. > :01:24.council tax bill by 3%. The Police Authority in Devon and Cornwall is
:01:24. > :01:26.also increasing its part of the bill by 2% despite an offer of a
:01:26. > :01:33.grant from the Government which would enable them to freeze their
:01:33. > :01:40.bills. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Simon Hall joins us
:01:40. > :01:43.now from Exeter. Simon. At this time of austerity, it is no
:01:43. > :01:52.surprise that the way they emergency services spend their
:01:53. > :01:56.budget is under scrutiny. But at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue
:01:56. > :02:01.today, what was a surprise was the issue of expenses. A surprise and
:02:01. > :02:11.rather more than that. This is about the front line in
:02:11. > :02:12.
:02:12. > :02:18.fire-fighting. Today, the politics behind the bravery. The decision to
:02:18. > :02:22.put allowances for everyone in this room up by 25%. It was called
:02:23. > :02:29.obscene by one member. I think it is grossly out of order. It is
:02:29. > :02:33.going to be very contentious. And heavily criticised by the public.
:02:33. > :02:39.It is 25%, which is a huge allowance. It is behaving like the
:02:39. > :02:44.bankers. Disgusting and unfair says that the union. We appreciate the
:02:44. > :02:48.fact that they work hard, but so do the employees of the fire service.
:02:48. > :02:57.Fire fighters go out there a protect life and to fight fires.
:02:57. > :03:02.They have not had anything more than a 1% pay increase this year.
:03:02. > :03:05.Next a decision on whether to race there but of the council tax. The
:03:05. > :03:09.coalition government did not want them to and offered them a one of
:03:09. > :03:19.financial incentive. But the authority said that would only help
:03:19. > :03:29.this year I caused problems ahead. So kinds of tax goes up 3%. -- so
:03:29. > :03:32.
:03:32. > :03:36.council tax. If this offer is taken now, there will have to be a bigger
:03:36. > :03:40.hike next year. We are tried to be innovative for this year.
:03:40. > :03:48.authority says it is becoming more commercially minded and hopes one
:03:48. > :03:54.day to be the first of free of charge fire authority in the
:03:54. > :04:01.country. Unprecedented scenes as the police authority met and
:04:01. > :04:09.initially failed to set a budget. That prompted a warning of
:04:09. > :04:15.financial meltdown unless a compromise could be found.
:04:15. > :04:24.Devon & Cornwall Police are again poor team controversy -- courting
:04:24. > :04:29.controversy. The number of officers is expected to remain as 700, at a
:04:29. > :04:34.cost to council tax payers. The police authority decided to reject
:04:34. > :04:40.a one off Government grant which would have frozen his chair of the
:04:40. > :04:45.council tax. All other police authorities and the South West have
:04:45. > :04:54.accepted the ground. Instead, Devon and Cornwall's portion of council
:04:54. > :04:58.tax bills will rise by 2%. Had we taken the 3% tax freeze for next
:04:58. > :05:05.year only, there would not have been an adverse impact next year.
:05:05. > :05:11.But for every you subsequently, the police service would have been a �3
:05:11. > :05:14.million worse off, which would have affected for a line police officers.
:05:14. > :05:24.Today's meeting was initially deadlocked. An emergency budget had
:05:24. > :05:27.
:05:27. > :05:33.to be drawn up. It means that everybody in Devon and Cornwall
:05:33. > :05:37.will have to pay something towards an increase in council tax. With
:05:37. > :05:42.the current pressures on everybody's budget, even the small
:05:42. > :05:47.amount we are talking about here is something that will be noticed by
:05:48. > :05:53.people. It means we are still in an area of a larger reduction of
:05:53. > :05:59.police officers. We are still looking at a reduction of 700. The
:05:59. > :06:05.police authority could have cushion do that slightly by 60 or 70 not
:06:05. > :06:10.having to go. Senior officers say levels of neighbourhood policing
:06:10. > :06:16.should be maintained. They had feared they levels would be damaged
:06:16. > :06:19.in future years. And more headlines to come for Devon and Cornwall
:06:19. > :06:26.police. They have to find a new chief constable. Then in November,
:06:26. > :06:35.election for commissioners. More days of prominence in the
:06:35. > :06:38.headlines to come. Well, soon after the police
:06:38. > :06:41.authority agreed the council tax rise I asked the Chief Constable
:06:41. > :06:47.Stephen Otter what it would mean for Devon and Cornwall Police.
:06:47. > :06:51.means a 2% increase which allows us to continue with the plan that we
:06:51. > :06:56.haven't place and maintain our service. I am very pleased with the
:06:56. > :07:00.result of this. It was a difficult decision for the police authority.
:07:00. > :07:04.By building this increase into our base budget, it means it is a
:07:04. > :07:14.sustainable increase over a long period of time which means that we
:07:14. > :07:19.
:07:19. > :07:22.will end up with a broadly similar number of police officers. For
:07:22. > :07:26.effectively a three pound a year increase, I think this is a good
:07:27. > :07:36.deal. That means that people will be paying more, but still be
:07:36. > :07:41.getting less from Devon & Cornwall Police. If we were not see him that
:07:41. > :07:44.extra -- if we were not see him that extra, I was seriously
:07:44. > :07:47.concerned that their neighbourhood policing or approach that we
:07:47. > :07:52.currently have that would be under great threat. These cuts are
:07:52. > :07:58.significant as they are, but to have even more cuts over the next
:07:58. > :08:06.four years was good to be a very difficult issue for us. -- was
:08:06. > :08:09.going to be. The very visible major or policing would have been
:08:10. > :08:19.diminished so much that the police would have notice a very
:08:20. > :08:23.
:08:23. > :08:27.significant difference. You wanted to something like 4%. That is not
:08:27. > :08:32.the case. I did not say that I wanted 4%. That was one of the
:08:32. > :08:37.options other police authority are looked at. I wanted a budget that
:08:37. > :08:41.was sustainable moving forward. This gives as that, that ability to
:08:41. > :08:45.plan for the future. It is a difficult time for all of the
:08:45. > :08:53.public sector. It does not take away from the fact that the we need
:08:53. > :08:58.to make say that then cuts, but it is achievable. -- we have to make
:08:58. > :09:03.significant cuts. My concern was that if we did have a freeze on
:09:03. > :09:09.council tax, although we might have had the money in next year's budget,
:09:09. > :09:14.we would have lost up money for ever after that. That would have
:09:14. > :09:17.been a significant consequence for policing.
:09:17. > :09:19.For more on this we're joined now by our Political editor Martyn
:09:19. > :09:21.Oates. Martyn, this is a local government matter, but ministers
:09:21. > :09:23.have got very strong views on it, haven't they?
:09:24. > :09:28.That is an understatement. The government does not dispute the
:09:28. > :09:33.fact that taking Dumfries money will make it difficult for councils
:09:33. > :09:37.and police authorities to base their financial planning on
:09:37. > :09:41.inexorable increase in council tax over the next few years. Eric
:09:41. > :09:46.Pickles said it was ludicrous for them to the use that argument to
:09:46. > :09:56.justify not taking the money. He said they were missing the point.
:09:56. > :09:57.
:09:57. > :10:01.The whole idea of the phrase was to take councils... Take the money and
:10:01. > :10:07.get your base down. Recognise that you population probably has not had
:10:07. > :10:11.an increase in their salary this year, so short some respect to the
:10:11. > :10:17.population and stop trying to grab money from hard-pressed families.
:10:17. > :10:23.We have already heard from the police and fire authorities who
:10:23. > :10:32.argue that increased council tax is essential to maintain essential
:10:32. > :10:39.services. We have this black hole after one year when the freeze it
:10:39. > :10:45.disappears. How do we felt that black hole? -- how do we felt that
:10:45. > :10:49.black hole? We have cut our services so much that we have
:10:49. > :10:59.pretty much have taken all the efficiency savings they can find.
:10:59. > :11:01.
:11:01. > :11:08.Having decided to put council tax up, the councillors will now have
:11:08. > :11:14.to face Minister's in Whitehall accusing them of kicking the
:11:14. > :11:17.taxpayer in the teeth. Volunteers who provide life saving
:11:17. > :11:20.care before an ambulance arrives have told BBC Spotlight they are
:11:20. > :11:23.coming under increasing pressure because of cuts to the NHS. There
:11:23. > :11:26.are more than 600 first responders across the south west. They're
:11:26. > :11:34.often first on the scene in rural areas and drastically improve a
:11:34. > :11:37.patient's chances of survival. Emma Thomasson reports from Salcombe.
:11:37. > :11:41.This lady knows more than most how vital first responders can be.
:11:41. > :11:47.She says she owes her life to them after having her first big asthma
:11:47. > :11:52.attack. I was gasping for breath. It is very, very frightening. I
:11:52. > :11:55.cannot tell you how frightening it is. It is really reassuring to know
:11:55. > :11:57.someone is coming to you quickly. Her husband trained to become a
:11:57. > :12:06.volunteer first responder himself after realising how vital the early
:12:06. > :12:10.intervention can be. We had to wait 35 minutes for the ambulance. Since
:12:10. > :12:13.I have been doing first responder, it can be anything from 10 minutes
:12:13. > :12:23.to 45 minutes before the ambulance gets there. They can have to come
:12:23. > :12:23.
:12:23. > :12:33.from Plymouth, Torbay. We have two here, but if they are both out, we
:12:33. > :12:35.
:12:35. > :12:39.take pot luck. Tim works with two others work on Salcombe Peninsula.
:12:39. > :12:43.This week, I went out and I said, the ambulance is only 10 minutes
:12:43. > :12:47.behind me. Then I got a call on my pager saying there was an incident
:12:47. > :12:52.that was more urgent. Therefore, I was waiting 45 minutes for an
:12:52. > :12:58.ambulance. In April, there will only be two ambulances instead of
:12:58. > :13:08.three covering a 24 hour period. But they will have the backup of a
:13:08. > :13:09.
:13:09. > :13:12.paramedic response car for 10 hours a day. Having a car, it is less
:13:12. > :13:15.likely to be out of the area transporting people to and from
:13:15. > :13:18.hospital. It is more likely to remain in the area and they will be
:13:18. > :13:21.more likely to respond quicker. first responder team fears about
:13:21. > :13:24.the demand on their services will continue to be high and they are
:13:24. > :13:32.now hoping more volunteers will come forward to help provide life-
:13:32. > :13:34.saving care come day or night. You're watching Spotlight from the
:13:34. > :13:44.BBC. Thanks for joining us. Still ahead.
:13:44. > :13:45.
:13:45. > :13:53.Home is where the art is. Damien Hirst's eco plans for Ilfracombe.
:13:53. > :13:55.And the youngsters whose dancing is strictly for Twickenham.
:13:55. > :13:58.Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, which specialises in superyachts,
:13:58. > :14:01.is about to begin the mammoth task of whittling down hundreds of
:14:01. > :14:04.applications for 12 apprenticeships. For the lucky dozen, it could well
:14:04. > :14:06.be a passport to the sort of highly skilled career many people no
:14:06. > :14:14.longer associate with Britain. Our business correspondent Neil
:14:15. > :14:17.Gallacher reports. 360 people work at Pendennis Shipyard and nearly a
:14:17. > :14:20.third have come through the yard's own apprenticeship scheme.
:14:20. > :14:23.They have a dozen places on a new intake starting this August. An
:14:23. > :14:31.open evening was packed with people all knowing that the shipyard will
:14:31. > :14:37.be very choosy. It is important we train people who are enthusiastic
:14:37. > :14:42.about getting better because we are always pushed in technology. Even
:14:42. > :14:48.something like plumbing is advancing. Every product we do has
:14:48. > :14:51.a different set of priorities and specifications. Those who make the
:14:51. > :14:55.grade will be practically minded people with initiative who probably
:14:56. > :15:01.are not set on going to university. The present apprentices are on hand
:15:02. > :15:07.to show their experiences. I did not want to go to university and
:15:07. > :15:15.this was before the fees rise. I wanted to learn and be paid at the
:15:15. > :15:20.same time. It is right on my doorstep in Falmouth as well.
:15:20. > :15:22.apprentices will get training as well from the college. We are
:15:22. > :15:30.giving specific skills which is important for Pendennis Shipyard as
:15:30. > :15:35.a business. The standard of their paint finishing is of such
:15:35. > :15:45.importance to them and that is something we really major in. What
:15:45. > :15:50.
:15:50. > :15:55.do the would-be apprentices think of that? I've been interested in
:15:55. > :15:57.entering since I was little. think the opportunity to work on
:15:57. > :16:01.the super yacht is phenomenal. First year apprentices are paid
:16:01. > :16:09.�110 a week. But that rises as they go through the scheme. In a few
:16:09. > :16:13.years, they could end up with skills that are in demand worldwide.
:16:13. > :16:16.Sport now and success stories to report on!
:16:16. > :16:19.Exeter Chiefs are aiming high in rugby's Premiership. They're on the
:16:19. > :16:23.brink of the top four and that brings end-of-season play offs for
:16:23. > :16:26.the title along with a European Heineken Cup berth. They go to
:16:26. > :16:29.Wasps tomorrow intent on claiming a hat-trick of wins against the next-
:16:29. > :16:38.to-bottom side. The Chiefs have already taken care of them in the
:16:38. > :16:43.Premiership and in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
:16:43. > :16:48.We have to show we are at an ambitious club. If the players what
:16:48. > :16:54.Heineken Cup will be, to play in big games, they have to be highly
:16:54. > :16:56.motivated what ever the opposition. The top attraction in rugby's
:16:56. > :17:00.Championship is undoubtedly at the Mennaye Field in Penzance where
:17:00. > :17:02.second meet top on Sunday. The Cornish Pirates are out to put one
:17:02. > :17:09.over leaders Bristol to whom they lost at the Memorial Stadium,
:17:09. > :17:11.despite leading 33-17. At the Brickfields, Plymouth Albion play
:17:11. > :17:18.their final home match against Nottingham before the relegation
:17:18. > :17:21.play-offs begin in March. Torquay United could go clear at
:17:21. > :17:25.the top of League Two if they overcome Bradford City at Plainmoor
:17:25. > :17:31.tomorrow. Martin Ling's unstoppable team chalked up their seventh
:17:31. > :17:34.straight win on Tuesday night with a single goal win at Cheltenham. It
:17:34. > :17:36.took them up to third on level points with Southend and the
:17:36. > :17:43.Gloucestershire club. On their current form, they should attract
:17:43. > :17:47.bigger crowds to Plainmoor. The people that come and have been
:17:47. > :17:57.prevent, let's make that clear. They are vocal, a brilliant set of
:17:57. > :18:04.
:18:04. > :18:13.supporters. In terms of numbers, we are only averaging 2600. We cannot
:18:13. > :18:16.change that, we cannot make people come in through the gate.
:18:16. > :18:19.The rest of the South West League teams have relegation problems to
:18:19. > :18:22.contend with. Exeter City strive to find the form which beat Sheffield
:18:22. > :18:25.Wednesday last weekend for the visit of Bury to Devon. Yeovil Town
:18:25. > :18:28.could move further away from trouble by beating Colchester at
:18:28. > :18:32.Huish Park. Plymouth Argyle attempt to stay out of League Two's
:18:32. > :18:34.relegation spots with a good result at Accrington Stanley.
:18:34. > :18:37.Cornwall's World and National track pursuit champion Wendy Houvenahgel
:18:37. > :18:40.is among Britain's elite cyclists at this weekend's World Cup in
:18:40. > :18:50.London's new Olympic Velodrome. It's classed as a test event for
:18:50. > :18:51.
:18:51. > :18:54.the Games with Wendy at the forefront of expectations.
:18:55. > :19:01.In Cornwall's quite and narrow country lanes, Wendy Houvenahgel
:19:01. > :19:05.can think about her bed to win a gold medal in July. She is getting
:19:05. > :19:12.used it to the new Olympic facility in London where the former dental
:19:12. > :19:17.surgeon is trying to perfect her strengths of. Endurance is my main
:19:17. > :19:24.background. That bodes well for the second half of the race. With the
:19:24. > :19:31.Olympic format, there are three rounds to take part in. Last year
:19:32. > :19:41.was a golden for Wembley. -- last year was Golden for Wendy
:19:42. > :19:46.
:19:46. > :19:54.Houvenahgel. But she knows that an Olympic gold is the ultimate aim.
:19:54. > :19:58.expect them we will do well in London. -- I expect that we will do
:19:58. > :20:03.well in London and I do not think that any of us will be satisfied if
:20:03. > :20:07.we do not get that gold medal. she succeeds, it will be at the
:20:07. > :20:10.London velodrome where dreams are made.
:20:10. > :20:13.Buckfastleigh is the location for this Sunday's point-to-point racing
:20:13. > :20:19.in the South West. There's a total of 150 entries with under-starters
:20:19. > :20:22.orders at 12 noon. Lovely, thank you.
:20:23. > :20:25.While many of you are limbering up for this year's Sport Relief, a
:20:25. > :20:28.group of school children from Somerset is gearing up for the
:20:28. > :20:31.performance of a lifetime. Around 80 pupils from schools in the
:20:31. > :20:33.Bridgwater area have been chosen to dance at the Premiership rugby
:20:34. > :20:41.final at Twickenham later this year. Spotlight's Andy Breare has been
:20:41. > :20:45.watching them rehearse. Half-term has been a bit different
:20:45. > :20:50.for the Somerset pupils. Every day, six hours of intense choreography
:20:51. > :20:55.ahead of their appearance at Twickenham in front of more than
:20:55. > :21:00.80,000 at rugby fans. From small beginnings with Law League football
:21:00. > :21:10.shows and things like that, we were taking these young people from
:21:10. > :21:10.
:21:10. > :21:19.Bridgwater to the biggest rugby stadium in the world. The dance
:21:19. > :21:24.will be led by a TV star. That adrenalin rush when you are
:21:24. > :21:31.standing in the tunnel with all those children behind you. 82,000
:21:31. > :21:35.people. But they will be supporting you, right behind you. More than
:21:35. > :21:42.400 Bridgwater pupils auditioned with just 80 been chosen. They
:21:42. > :21:51.cannot wait to entertain the crowds. We have put in a lot of effort, but
:21:51. > :22:00.it has been worth it. It is just the feel at Twickenham, the stadium,
:22:00. > :22:10.it is just electric. Which side eventually left some the coveted
:22:10. > :22:11.
:22:11. > :22:16.trophy at the end of May remains to be seen. But they are hoping to
:22:16. > :22:22.raise a quarter of a million pounds between them for Sport Relief. To
:22:22. > :22:24.find out how you can get involved, log on to that BBC website.
:22:24. > :22:27.He's been called Britain's most successful and controversial artist.
:22:27. > :22:31.But now the King of BRIT-art is turning his atttention to something
:22:31. > :22:33.much closer to home. The man who brought us pickled
:22:34. > :22:43.sheep and sharks is moving into property development in North Devon,
:22:44. > :22:51.
:22:51. > :22:56.as our Environment Correspondent It is his subversive creativity
:22:56. > :23:03.which has made Damien Hirst a house of them. He is Britain's most
:23:03. > :23:08.renowned, or outrageous, artist. But now he has been linked with
:23:08. > :23:17.plans to develop an eco chic settlement of around 800 homes on
:23:17. > :23:21.the out -- the outskirts of Ilfracombe. What do visitors and
:23:21. > :23:30.residents think? He is the one who keeps sheep them bottles in his
:23:30. > :23:36.fridge. I think he could definitely add to the area. Could he bring
:23:36. > :23:44.something to the whole thing? Probably, yes. No, I do not think
:23:44. > :23:49.so at all. Ilfracombe's landmark theatre shows that the town has not
:23:49. > :23:59.been afraid to experiment with architecture in the past. But
:23:59. > :23:59.
:23:59. > :24:04.people here today want it all to be built it to the highest standards.
:24:04. > :24:14.We bent to the field with the hope Damien Hirst can sprinkle some
:24:14. > :24:19.
:24:19. > :24:27.artistic Stardust. A lot of people... I see this as very much
:24:27. > :24:31.part of Ilfracombe. Eco homes come and all -- come in all shapes and
:24:31. > :24:35.sizes, but what Damien Hirst is planning is still open to
:24:35. > :24:45.speculation. Time for the weather forecast now.
:24:45. > :24:51.
:24:51. > :25:01.What can we expect? It is another cloudy and mild night
:25:01. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:09.for tonight. We have had I pressure with us for a week -- high pressure
:25:09. > :25:12.with us for a week, but that is getting squeezed away. Rain to come
:25:12. > :25:22.first thing tomorrow morning. It is a fine start initially tomorrow,
:25:22. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:34.but a lot of cloud and quite breezy. We have had some drizzle today. Our
:25:34. > :25:39.cameraman has been out to capture some of the breaks in that cloud
:25:39. > :25:49.however. People have been out and about enjoying the Nice calmer
:25:49. > :25:50.
:25:50. > :25:55.weather. It has been feeling quite spring-like at times. Tonight,
:25:55. > :26:05.mired again. Some clear skies for the first half of tonight. Thicker
:26:05. > :26:09.
:26:09. > :26:14.cloud moving in during the second half of the night. A fairly cloudy
:26:14. > :26:18.start tomorrow. Rain just starting to creep into the north coast. We
:26:18. > :26:24.will all see some wet weather as that rain band makes its way across
:26:24. > :26:27.the region. Some fairly squally rain for a time, gusty winds. The
:26:27. > :26:31.wind will become more north- westerly for a time. Once that rain
:26:31. > :26:33.clears, we will all see some sunshine by the end of the day.
:26:33. > :26:43.Temperatures peaking at 10 degrees. For the Isles of Scilly, some rain
:26:43. > :27:09.
:27:09. > :27:19.For the outlook. Sunday looks like being the best day of the weekend.
:27:19. > :27:20.
:27:20. > :27:25.It will be a much cooler day. But after a glimpse of winter on Sunday,
:27:25. > :27:30.we are back to milder conditions on Monday. Mild but damp conditions on