:00:16. > :00:26.How is the budget affecting the South West? One public sector
:00:26. > :00:26.
:00:26. > :00:34.worker says regional pay will hit us hard. My salary will be reduced
:00:34. > :00:42.and it will have deprived the area we are living. Welcome to Spotlight.
:00:42. > :00:46.Also tonight, budget reaction on the streets of Bampton. Well no
:00:46. > :00:55.change on a fuel duty keep people away from the shops or will they
:00:55. > :01:01.spend more with the increase in personal allowances? And the serial
:01:01. > :01:05.bigamist to have been spared jail. Public sector wages in the South
:01:05. > :01:09.West looked to be driven down to four in line with the private
:01:10. > :01:15.sector. Critics say it is the race to the bottom. Changes to the tax
:01:15. > :01:20.system affecting businesses have also been unveiled. Corporation tax
:01:20. > :01:24.will keep on coming down. Low pay it is a classic feature in our
:01:24. > :01:32.region. This might be held with the news that personal tax allowances
:01:32. > :01:37.will be raised. But one thing that has not changed is the rising cost
:01:37. > :01:42.of fuel. Those are some of the headlines from the Budget today,
:01:42. > :01:47.but what has been the reaction today? In the first of a series of
:01:47. > :01:51.reports, Our Business Correspondent looks at what could be a crucial
:01:51. > :01:55.change to public sector pay. The defining feature of the South
:01:55. > :02:02.West economy is probably low pay. In seasonal industries such as
:02:02. > :02:06.farming and tourism, low pay is for many a fact of life. It is not
:02:06. > :02:11.surprising that civil servants here have been looking at this Budget
:02:11. > :02:18.warily. This man works in the JobCentre and says this is not a
:02:18. > :02:21.cheap place for him or his family to live. I would say that the cost
:02:21. > :02:29.pressures are high in the South West, although wages are low. The
:02:29. > :02:34.cost of living in this area is high. You need to use public transport or
:02:34. > :02:42.your own car and house prices are high. In the UK, but gross weekly
:02:42. > :02:48.wage is about �500, but it is lower in the West. In Devon it is about
:02:49. > :02:54.�430. In Quorn what it is about �420. A big difference. Experts say
:02:54. > :03:02.public sector wages in these areas are up to a 10th higher than
:03:02. > :03:09.private sector wages. Making them more equal is meant to make it
:03:09. > :03:13.easier to compete. If people can go to London and and �10,000 more,
:03:13. > :03:23.then they will go to London. reflects the variations and the
:03:23. > :03:24.
:03:24. > :03:29.cost of living. Considering wages do not reflect the house prices,
:03:29. > :03:35.making wages low were, then less people will be able to afford
:03:35. > :03:40.houses. This afternoon I could not find one trader in Exeter City
:03:40. > :03:45.centre willing to comment. The charity Age Concern has welcomed
:03:45. > :03:50.the announcement of a flat-rate pension, although it has asked for
:03:50. > :03:55.more details. It stressed that 1.8 million retired people are living
:03:55. > :03:59.in poverty. Our reporter has been to meet one couple in Newton Abbot
:03:59. > :04:04.to find out what it will mean to them.
:04:04. > :04:10.Rates used to drive buses for a living. Now he is retired, he is
:04:10. > :04:16.still out on the road every day. He is a full-time carer for his wife.
:04:16. > :04:26.They rely on their car to get to hospital appointments. You fill it
:04:26. > :04:30.up, �30 a week. It is about 10 % of my income. It is difficult. I was
:04:30. > :04:34.hoping the Chancellor would put the fuel costs down, but no luck.
:04:34. > :04:38.will get an increase in the state pension, but with rising living
:04:38. > :04:44.costs, any extra money will be swallowed up by other household
:04:44. > :04:54.bills. My house is all electric and 20 % of my income goes on
:04:54. > :05:01.
:05:01. > :05:04.electricity. Everything is electric. We get by. It is not a lavish
:05:04. > :05:10.lifestyle. I am better off than some people, I must admit, but it
:05:10. > :05:16.is still difficult. Both Ray and his wife had hoped for more from
:05:16. > :05:22.the Chancellor today as a frugal lifestyle was not what they banged
:05:22. > :05:25.on in their retirement. With unemployment to will rising, how
:05:25. > :05:30.had businesses reacted to what the Chancellor outlined?
:05:30. > :05:40.What any of the measures generate more customers or make it easier
:05:40. > :05:40.
:05:40. > :05:45.for companies to expand? There is a simplified turn -- there is a
:05:46. > :05:53.simplified tax system for companies to have a turnover of less than
:05:53. > :05:58.�77,000 a year. Which join our reporter in Lyme Regis.
:05:58. > :06:02.Tourism is important here and many of the people I have been speaking
:06:02. > :06:07.to have been concerned that George Osbourne did nothing to reduce the
:06:07. > :06:12.price of fuel. This manufacturing company in Cornwall says that he
:06:12. > :06:20.missed an opportunity. We have about 15 lorries every date going
:06:20. > :06:26.up and down the motorway. The cost of fuel, which had increased by
:06:26. > :06:36.about 40% in two years, is enormous. The Chancellor outlined a number of
:06:36. > :06:42.measures which he says are designed to help small businesses. However,
:06:42. > :06:48.at eight Budget seminar that I attended, ice-pick to a woman who
:06:48. > :06:55.ran -- I spoke to a woman who runs a recruitment agency. They could
:06:55. > :07:01.have been more said or given to helping people into employment. It
:07:01. > :07:09.is interesting what the Prince's Trust do. They are evolving more
:07:09. > :07:14.and more and there was not a lot mentioned but regards to that.
:07:14. > :07:24.us get some more reaction from Lyme Regis. You are concerned about
:07:24. > :07:29.
:07:29. > :07:34.feel? Yes. With the reduction in the potential number of visitors,
:07:34. > :07:40.if you're is important to us. you heartened by some of the things
:07:40. > :07:44.you heard? There was good news in terms of the simplification of tax
:07:44. > :07:47.is for smaller businesses and the reduction in corporation tax.
:07:48. > :07:57.Hopefully that will encourage business owners to reinvest in
:07:57. > :08:01.their businesses. So, good news and bad news. Somebody said to Dave
:08:01. > :08:05.that things have changed financially, but their view from
:08:05. > :08:13.here is priceless. Yesterday, if you were watching,
:08:13. > :08:18.you would have seen a Budget wish- list from the people in Bampton.
:08:18. > :08:21.Our reporter has been backed to find out whether it traders on the
:08:22. > :08:26.Brook Street got what they wanted from the Chancellor.
:08:26. > :08:32.Budget Day in Bampton. A day it went politics and Parliament do not
:08:32. > :08:40.seem so far off. The Chancellor's decisions will hit pockets here one
:08:40. > :08:49.Brook Street tomorrow. Top of the wish-list in rural Bampton was for
:08:49. > :08:55.a reduction in fuel duty. We hope that beat three pence rise in
:08:55. > :09:05.August would be overturned. That was kept quiet. It will be a
:09:05. > :09:05.
:09:05. > :09:10.massive extra cost. What credit is that for the Chancellor here this
:09:10. > :09:19.afternoon? I hear there is talk of simplifying the tax rules for
:09:19. > :09:23.smaller businesses. There is also the increase in personal allowances,
:09:23. > :09:29.so hopefully people will have more money to spend on the High Street.
:09:29. > :09:34.Some credit and criticism as well. There does not seem to be much to
:09:34. > :09:43.be positive about. The child benefit will not help a lot of
:09:43. > :09:51.people. One parent earning over the threshold will lose it, but to
:09:51. > :09:55.parents earning under the threshold will gain. We are reducing the
:09:55. > :10:02.amount of tax for the people who are extremely wealthy. It makes no
:10:02. > :10:12.sense. Traders here will have to wait to see exactly how this Budget
:10:12. > :10:13.
:10:13. > :10:16.bodes for Brook Street. Our political editor has day's
:10:16. > :10:22.events in Parliament and joins us from Westminster.
:10:22. > :10:29.A surprising speech from the Chancellor, but surprising because
:10:29. > :10:38.there were no surprises. There was plenty of controversy and to
:10:38. > :10:48.discuss that we have a Labour MP and a Conservative MP. The Budget
:10:48. > :10:54.
:10:54. > :11:01.seems to help the rich and not the poor. It isn't. No help on appeal
:11:01. > :11:07.and for the South West, a regional play, which will be a disaster.
:11:07. > :11:10.big story here today is the fact that 24 million people are getting
:11:10. > :11:16.a tax Cup with this increase in the threshold. 2 million people have
:11:16. > :11:21.been taken out of paying tax altogether. This is a major boost
:11:21. > :11:26.for the West Country. When it comes to regional pay, no-one is going to
:11:26. > :11:30.get a pay cut. It will be graduated over a long period of time. We need
:11:30. > :11:39.to encourage the private sector to compete for the best talent in the
:11:39. > :11:46.country. Should he not have done something on fuel? Fuel is a
:11:46. > :11:56.regressive tax, but I was encouraged by the commitment to a
:11:56. > :12:04.
:12:04. > :12:11.field stabiliser. It means we will only see rises when it is necessary.
:12:11. > :12:15.Would Labour have really cut fuel prices? Yes. We would have cut the
:12:15. > :12:25.VAT. Raising the tax threshold is all very well, but it is
:12:25. > :12:26.
:12:26. > :12:31.inefficient. That is all from Westminster, but more on Sunday.
:12:31. > :12:37.Still to come - the volunteer coastguard selected to carry the
:12:37. > :12:43.Olympic torch. To be chosen out of all BP poor who have been nominated
:12:43. > :12:47.is fantastic. -- all the people. And why the Olympics have already
:12:47. > :12:50.delivered a good result for these footballers.
:12:50. > :12:53.Devon and Cornwall Police has admitted that sending up to 180
:12:53. > :12:56.officers to help police the Olympic events will be a stretch. On
:12:56. > :12:59.average they will be supplying 65 officers a day to cover events in
:12:59. > :13:09.Dorset and London. But bosses insist the local service won't be
:13:09. > :13:11.
:13:11. > :13:17.affected. For the public in Devon and Cornwall, planning is in place
:13:17. > :13:23.to make sure week delivered Business and -- we deliver business
:13:23. > :13:29.as usual during the Olympics. have eight shrinking workforce as
:13:29. > :13:36.it is. When you start taking office as a way to other locations, there
:13:36. > :13:39.will be a minimal number of officers in Devon and Cornwall.
:13:39. > :13:42.An investigation has found that human error was the cause of DNA
:13:42. > :13:44.contamination which led to a Devon man being wrongly accused of rape.
:13:44. > :13:47.19-year-old Adam Scott from Exeter was linked to the crime in
:13:47. > :13:51.Manchester, even though he'd never visited the city. The charges were
:13:51. > :13:55.later dropped. In a statement the forensics provider LGC says it's
:13:55. > :13:58.taken steps to prevent further cases of contamination.
:13:58. > :14:01.A conference featuring a former doctor who says cancer can be
:14:01. > :14:06.treated using baking soda has been barred from using a council's
:14:06. > :14:10.meeting hall. The event was due to take place this weekend in Totnes.
:14:10. > :14:12.It follows an investigation by Trading Standards.
:14:13. > :14:17.Staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospital are stressed and unhappy,
:14:17. > :14:21.according to the latest NHS staff survey. It falls in the bottom 20%
:14:21. > :14:26.of national rankings on staff motivation. The Trust says the
:14:26. > :14:28.results are disappointing and it's working to improve staff engagement.
:14:28. > :14:34.Staff at Plymouth hospitals also showed poor levels of satisfaction,
:14:34. > :14:38.although the Trust did well on the reporting of errors and incidents.
:14:38. > :14:47.A farmer has shot and killed a dog after a herd of rare cattle were
:14:47. > :14:51.attacked in their field. A woman from Somerset, who dressed
:14:51. > :14:54.as a man in order to fool a doctor into prescribing her drugs, has
:14:54. > :14:57.been spared prison. Max Quiberon, who used to be called Emily Horne,
:14:57. > :14:59.pretended she was her former partner. Quiberon, who is also a
:14:59. > :15:02.convicted bigamist with seven husbands, was told she was lucky
:15:02. > :15:06.she hadn't been sent to prison. Laura Jones was in court. Long
:15:06. > :15:11.before the sentencing today, Max Quiberon was no stranger to the
:15:11. > :15:17.Court of the press. These pictures are from a documentary made in 2009.
:15:17. > :15:26.She has been found guilty of bigamy. At this point she had married five
:15:26. > :15:34.men, but have never been divorced. Two years and two more husbands,
:15:34. > :15:41.today at Taunton Crown Court it was not about bigamy, but fraud. She
:15:41. > :15:46.had dressed up as her current partner to get prescriptions for
:15:46. > :15:51.drugs. The recorder said she had come terribly close to being sent
:15:51. > :15:54.to prison and that this would be her last chance. He also said if
:15:54. > :15:59.she came back before a court to face any further offences of this
:15:59. > :16:04.kind, he did not have any doubts that she would be sent straight to
:16:04. > :16:08.prison. The former glamour model has previously spoken of finding
:16:08. > :16:15.life difficult and so she just wants to make people happy. She
:16:15. > :16:23.will now be electronically tagged and supervised and supported by the
:16:23. > :16:28.probation service. A farmer has shot and killed and
:16:28. > :16:34.dog after a herd of red cattle were attacked. The farmer says more
:16:34. > :16:44.action is needed to control dogs. The police are calling for the
:16:44. > :16:46.
:16:46. > :16:56.owner of the dog to come forward. This heard were in their field when
:16:56. > :16:57.
:16:57. > :17:06.two pit-bulls got into their enclosure. When the owner got there,
:17:06. > :17:12.and the youngest cow was been mauled. She had a huge lump of
:17:12. > :17:21.flesh out of her cheek. It was evident that the other cows had
:17:21. > :17:27.been attacked. Eventually, one of the dogs push shot. A vet and every
:17:27. > :17:35.team were on seen within an hour and were able to bring the cow into
:17:35. > :17:42.this parlour. She was operated on and received 14 stitches in her
:17:42. > :17:49.face. This cow is very rare. Her owner is relieved she has been
:17:49. > :17:54.saved. We are lucky. If she could not eat and drink, she would have
:17:54. > :17:58.to be shot. It would have been a travesty. But police are
:17:58. > :18:08.investigating the attack and are appealing for the owner of the
:18:08. > :18:08.
:18:08. > :18:11.docks macro -- dogs to come forward. On to sport now, and just one point
:18:11. > :18:14.from a possible 12 was gained by the South West's Football League
:18:14. > :18:24.teams last night. Torquay United, Exeter City and Yeovil Town all
:18:24. > :18:30.
:18:30. > :18:36.suffered defeats. Only Plymouth Argyle spared the blushes.
:18:36. > :18:43.The hosts at the County Ground were definitely were rocking. The
:18:43. > :18:52.leaders stretched their advantage with seven points. We have got
:18:52. > :18:59.eight games left. It is not over. We have been down this road before,
:18:59. > :19:09.a few of us, so the experience will stand us in good stead. Plymouth
:19:09. > :19:10.
:19:10. > :19:17.Argyle left it late to win a point. With six minutes left, their heads
:19:17. > :19:27.were kept above the parapet. Exeter City are on relegation row. They
:19:27. > :19:27.
:19:27. > :19:37.are five points away from safer territory. Some life was breathed
:19:37. > :19:43.into city, but they have to concede a third. Yeovil Town's revival
:19:43. > :19:48.evaporated at Charlton Athletic. However, they are still well clear
:19:48. > :19:51.of danger. Now, as promised, we meet another
:19:51. > :19:54.of our Olympic torch bearers. One of the very first people to run
:19:54. > :19:57.with the Olympic flame will be Dave Jackson from Lands End Coastguard
:19:58. > :20:00.Rescue Team. He's served as a volunteer for 42 years and has been
:20:00. > :20:10.involved in some of the most harrowing rescues that Cornwall has
:20:10. > :20:15.
:20:15. > :20:19.ever known. Let us go through the equipment. Petr Cech all your rapes.
:20:19. > :20:27.Whether it is maintaining equipment or turning out in the middle of the
:20:27. > :20:31.night, Dave has spent 42 years dedicated to his volunteered role.
:20:31. > :20:40.That means being ready to respond at all times, regardless of the
:20:40. > :20:46.potential dangers. Over the years there have been plenty of those.
:20:46. > :20:54.have got a man down there are helping the diver. Here, a rescue
:20:54. > :21:04.helicopter was called in to help a man who broke his leg. Dave was
:21:04. > :21:12.also out when four schoolboys drowned. He was also out when the
:21:12. > :21:21.union stop capsized. It was horrendous that night. It was a
:21:21. > :21:27.very sad night. I have worked with him for 25 years. He is a fantastic
:21:28. > :21:33.guy. He is totally devoted to this cause. He hardly takes a holiday.
:21:33. > :21:38.He is just a man. And it is for this dedication that Dave has been
:21:38. > :21:43.selected to be a torch-bearer for the Olympic flame. Something that
:21:43. > :21:51.came as a shock. I thought it was a wind-up. These things do not
:21:51. > :22:01.happened to me. To be chosen out of all the people nominated is
:22:01. > :22:06.
:22:06. > :22:09.fantastic. A well deserved honour. How about this for an Olympic dream
:22:09. > :22:12.come true. Princetown Football Club is possibly one of few teams in the
:22:12. > :22:15.country without a pitch, and how they have suffered. But that's all
:22:15. > :22:24.about to change, thanks to an Olympic legacy windfall, courtesy
:22:24. > :22:29.of Sport England. Jumpers for goalposts? Not quite,
:22:29. > :22:38.but playing football he it isn't easy. What you think about playing
:22:38. > :22:43.on a pitch like this? It is terrible. In fact, players et
:22:43. > :22:51.Princetown Football Club have to travel seven miles to Tavistock
:22:51. > :22:55.four matches, but that is about to change. An Olympic legacy win four
:22:55. > :23:05.of �50,000 a means this field should soon be Princetown's very
:23:05. > :23:09.own theatre of dreams. The parish council will use it, the Women's
:23:09. > :23:18.Institute will use it. It is not just about football, it is about
:23:18. > :23:28.sport and community. To celebrate, local children came for a kickabout.
:23:28. > :23:30.
:23:30. > :23:39.It was great, but where it -- but we it. I don't like football.
:23:39. > :23:44.has been a baptism of football fire fault Princetown. We were losing
:23:44. > :23:51.badly when we started to, but it has got better. Hopefully next
:23:51. > :23:58.season they will have a perfectly flat pitch. Back of the net, if
:23:59. > :24:08.they had one! We are always happy to loan him out
:24:09. > :24:09.
:24:09. > :24:15.for target practice!. -- target practice! And now for the weather.
:24:15. > :24:21.It turned out to be a pleasant day after the club moved away. A fine
:24:21. > :24:25.start tonight, but it will become cloudy. There is an area of low
:24:25. > :24:35.pressure at developing in the Bay of Biscay. It will gradually move
:24:35. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:50.towards us over the next 12 hours or show. -- or so. At the weekend
:24:50. > :25:00.the high pressure will be back, so after a cloudy day tomorrow, things
:25:00. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:05.will improve from Friday. We can show you some pictures filmed by
:25:05. > :25:10.Our cameraman where there was a good deal of fine weather. When
:25:10. > :25:20.Dartmoor is like this, doesn't it look fantastic? You can see for
:25:20. > :25:21.
:25:21. > :25:27.miles. And in that sunshine across the north of the county we have
:25:28. > :25:33.seen temperatures of 15 degrees. Tonight, we will have a drop in
:25:33. > :25:38.this temperatures. It will be as low as three or four degrees. More
:25:38. > :25:46.cloud coming up from the south and towards their end, some light
:25:46. > :25:54.showers across the far south of Devon. Winds also pick up. It will
:25:54. > :26:04.be a bit blustery along the south coast tomorrow morning. Tomorrow,
:26:04. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:15.some bright dry weather at first, there will be cloud travelling in
:26:15. > :26:21.during the afternoon. The Channel Islands will have some persistent
:26:21. > :26:27.rain and there will be a keen breeze. Torquay and Torbay will not
:26:27. > :26:37.get much above ten degrees. We may get 15 degrees in the north of
:26:37. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:54.Devon. Here are the times of high water. The cleanest surf will be on
:26:54. > :27:00.
:27:00. > :27:03.the north coast. Here are the coastal waters. From Friday onwards,
:27:03. > :27:12.the high pressure comes back with a lot of settled weather over the
:27:12. > :27:17.weekend. Perhaps a bit misty overnight, but daytimes -- but
:27:17. > :27:22.daytime temperatures of 15 degrees. There will be more reaction to the
:27:22. > :27:30.Budget on your BBC Radio local station tomorrow. BBC Radio Devon