:00:00. > :00:12.will be back with more from Edinburgh at
:00:13. > :00:19.A cause for celebration, or a major economic setback? As the plug is
:00:20. > :00:21.pulled on a massive offshore wind farm.
:00:22. > :00:25.Good evening. Opponents have welcomed the news.
:00:26. > :00:32.But business leaders say the region's lost millions of pounds and
:00:33. > :00:36.hundreds of jobs. The market has realised the way the wind is blowing
:00:37. > :00:40.and they realise they need to put expensive money into this and it is
:00:41. > :00:43.not viable. We will have to work very hard to repair the economic
:00:44. > :00:47.loss we have suffered today. Also tonight: Vital services
:00:48. > :00:49.affected in Cornwall, as cuts are agreed.
:00:50. > :00:52.The council has to save ?43 million. The council tax will go up too.
:00:53. > :00:55.And, a sobering thought, as paramedics warn about the levels of
:00:56. > :01:01.drink and drug`taking among parents of young children.
:01:02. > :01:07.Seven years after it was first proposed, a giant offshore wind farm
:01:08. > :01:14.off the North Devon coast has been shelved. The news, revealed by BBC
:01:15. > :01:15.Spotlight last night, has been welcomed by anti`wind farm
:01:16. > :01:17.campaigners. However, business leaders say it would have brought
:01:18. > :01:20.vital jobs and income to the region. The Atlantic Array was planned for a
:01:21. > :01:23.site about ten miles off the North Devon Coast, with up to 240 turbines
:01:24. > :01:27.producing 1,200 megawatts of energy. That would have been enough to power
:01:28. > :01:29.900,000 homes. In a moment, our environment correspondent will
:01:30. > :01:34.assess the impact on the renewable energy industry. And our political
:01:35. > :01:36.editor will have reaction from Westminster. But first, here's our
:01:37. > :01:54.North Devon reporter Andrea Ormsby. This is the site many people in
:01:55. > :02:00.North Devon feared, for them, today is a day of celebration. This is
:02:01. > :02:04.clearly a victory for people power. RWE has said they have pulled out
:02:05. > :02:09.because they can't match the financing to the technicalities of
:02:10. > :02:12.the site. The reason is the market has realised the way the wind is
:02:13. > :02:17.blowing and they need to put expensive money into this and it is
:02:18. > :02:37.no longer viable. Not everyone is happy, this was a huge project,
:02:38. > :02:39.doubled the size of any wind farm operating in Britain. It would have
:02:40. > :02:41.brought jobs and investment. This is a massive body blow. The expectation
:02:42. > :02:44.was huge, hundreds of jobs during construction, 200 jobs probably for
:02:45. > :02:46.25 years looking after it once it had been built. We will have two
:02:47. > :02:48.work very hard to repair the economic loss we have suffered
:02:49. > :02:53.today. Here in Willie comb, delight, the village would have been
:02:54. > :03:04.closest. It would have gone across over here, ten miles out but still
:03:05. > :03:11.clearly visible. Concern that people would not come as tourists. From our
:03:12. > :03:15.survey two years ago, we asked 750 people if they would come back if
:03:16. > :03:21.there was a wind farm, 79% of them said they would not. In fact, it's
:03:22. > :03:26.not only good news for the people who know and love North Devon but
:03:27. > :03:30.for the wider population of Great Britain. Not everyone will see it
:03:31. > :03:35.that way, the Atlantic array brings a host of issues, from the jobs that
:03:36. > :03:39.may have been created, to the tourists that may have been lost,
:03:40. > :03:45.from the power generated versus concerns about the environment. The
:03:46. > :03:49.look of it, the politics of it, a host of issues and a range of
:03:50. > :03:57.opinions. One thing for sure, in this village, tonight is a time to
:03:58. > :04:01.celebrate. This raises The Atlantic Array would
:04:02. > :04:04.have generated around 17% of the region's renewable energy target.
:04:05. > :04:07.Many questions. So what is the future for green power in the South
:04:08. > :04:09.West? I'm joined by our environment correspondent Adrian Campbell.
:04:10. > :04:15.Adrian, what has the reaction been from the renewable energy sector?
:04:16. > :04:20.There was a renewables conference taking place in Bath today. Fair to
:04:21. > :04:23.say that people were disappointed and surprised. It's a significant
:04:24. > :04:27.development because this was to be one of the big new wind farms off
:04:28. > :04:31.the coast of England that are supposed to keep the lights on in
:04:32. > :04:35.the coming years. We spoke to the man who has pioneered the whole idea
:04:36. > :04:39.of the Atlantic Array, who has been involved in the London Array which
:04:40. > :04:46.is now operating. He said he is more optimistic than many people.
:04:47. > :04:53.I have been in this business for a very long time, and setbacks is the
:04:54. > :04:57.name of the game. As I said, it took us 17 years to build the one in
:04:58. > :05:05.London, others have taken longer from start to finish. It is a
:05:06. > :05:09.setback. But I am determined to do what I can to make it come back and
:05:10. > :05:12.I am certain it will. What are the wider implications for
:05:13. > :05:21.the renewables sector in the South West?
:05:22. > :05:27.For example, there's tidal energy and the wave hub. However, we are
:05:28. > :05:35.living in times where ambitions are being cut back on big offshore wind
:05:36. > :05:41.farms. The government has set out a road
:05:42. > :05:46.map to 2020 with up to 16 gigawatts of offshore wind are to be deployed
:05:47. > :05:50.in that time frame. That is a lot less than the current projects going
:05:51. > :05:56.through the leasing and planning project `` process. Some of those
:05:57. > :06:01.projects will fall by the wayside but each project carries with it
:06:02. > :06:11.major impact on the local community, supply chain and skills where people
:06:12. > :06:14.are making investment. Tonight, confirmation from the Crown
:06:15. > :06:17.Estate that for the short term they have no plans to undertake any
:06:18. > :06:22.further work in the Bristol Channel zone for the foreseeable future.
:06:23. > :06:25.We need these wind farms to provide electricity.
:06:26. > :06:29.Today, the Prime Minster added his reaction to the news. He says,
:06:30. > :06:32.despite RWE's decision, the UK is still the world leader in offshore
:06:33. > :06:36.wind power. But today's announcement comes at a time of increasing debate
:06:37. > :06:39.about green levies on energy bills. So, what's been the reaction at
:06:40. > :06:49.Westminster? Our political editor Martyn Oates is there tonight.
:06:50. > :06:55.Earlier, we heard opponents of the scheme celebrating a victory,
:06:56. > :07:00.saying, we told you so. I am joined by the constituency MP Sir Nick
:07:01. > :07:04.Harvey. Those aren't positions you share. I understand people who
:07:05. > :07:09.opposed the scheme being pleased it is off, but they haven't defeated it
:07:10. > :07:13.in planning terms. They have simply dodged the fight. They need to bear
:07:14. > :07:16.in mind there is still a lot of wind at that and maybe someone will come
:07:17. > :07:22.back with a different technology to make a go of it. Do you agree with
:07:23. > :07:25.the Green party and labour saying this is the kind of thing that was
:07:26. > :07:31.bound to happen once the Prime Minister started talking about
:07:32. > :07:36.reviewing green levies? I don't think it had anything to do
:07:37. > :07:41.with what has happened today. This is actually to do with the state of
:07:42. > :07:47.the German parent company which has run into difficulties in the German
:07:48. > :07:52.and central European energy markets. Do you think that is generally a
:07:53. > :07:59.problem? Your own energy spokesman said last week that there was a
:08:00. > :08:02.suggestion we are rolling back green subsidies which would undermine
:08:03. > :08:07.confidence? That is a problem but the bigger
:08:08. > :08:12.issue at the moment is that we seem to have sub contracted as a country
:08:13. > :08:15.the decision over our key energy infrastructure and environmental
:08:16. > :08:19.goals to foreign utility companies. They seem to be in a position to
:08:20. > :08:24.completely change our plans for us. Of course we want their investment
:08:25. > :08:27.by the government will have to take this and find other schemes for the
:08:28. > :08:33.future that guaranteed the lights will stay on.
:08:34. > :08:38.Uncertainty in the longer term as to whether this scheme will go ahead,
:08:39. > :08:42.whether it will be revived. And ongoing disagreement as to the
:08:43. > :08:45.direction the government energy policy should be heading in, or more
:08:46. > :08:49.generally. The public are being asked for their
:08:50. > :08:52.views on plans to manage the risk of flooding in Somerset. Several parts
:08:53. > :08:55.of county have been affected in recent years. The consultation,
:08:56. > :08:58.which ends just before Christmas, is part of a strategy to outline who's
:08:59. > :09:01.responsible for clearing gullies, managing surface and ground water,
:09:02. > :09:09.as well as helping residents manage their own flood risk.
:09:10. > :09:11.More than ?30 million of public funding has been given to the
:09:12. > :09:15.University of Exeter from the country's three main research
:09:16. > :09:18.councils. The faculty, which has more than 700 studentships, is
:09:19. > :09:23.hoping for millions of pounds of further funding in the future. The
:09:24. > :09:27.university says it will help the next generation of researchers to be
:09:28. > :09:30.trained in Devon and Cornwall. Cornwall Council has approved a
:09:31. > :09:36.budget for next year, which includes ?43 million worth of savings. The
:09:37. > :09:38.cuts include adult care, and health support for vulnerable youngsters,
:09:39. > :09:43.council`run leisure centres across the county, and road maintenance. In
:09:44. > :09:49.addition, council tax will increase by nearly 2%, the first rise for
:09:50. > :10:03.three years. Here's our political reporter Tamsin Melville.
:10:04. > :10:06.33 against. A decisive vote at County Hall as councillors approved
:10:07. > :10:14.a cost`cutting plan for next year which will hit many front`line
:10:15. > :10:19.services. I think everyone is reluctant to do what we have to do,
:10:20. > :10:25.but we are in a situation where lack of government support means we have
:10:26. > :10:30.to make huge cuts, and I commend the council on the way they have
:10:31. > :10:34.approached this in making sure the impact is mineralised. Something
:10:35. > :10:39.they still haven't got it right. They are not looking at themselves
:10:40. > :10:46.much, at highly paid officers, they are thinking immediately about
:10:47. > :10:52.cutting services. I am not saying that cutting our paid to officers,
:10:53. > :10:56.how many we have, would be enough, but it is absolutely essential if
:10:57. > :11:01.you are going to ask people to take `` to take these cuts in services.
:11:02. > :11:06.Public consultation revealed buses to be a priority and put leisure
:11:07. > :11:11.centres and libraries on the hit list. These people think cutting
:11:12. > :11:18.libraries would be wrong. For me, it is a life`saver, and
:11:19. > :11:25.emotional help. I don't think you can put a value on boosting
:11:26. > :11:29.children's imagination and reading. The council and lodgers whatever
:11:30. > :11:33.they cut they won't be popular. Unions are warning hundreds of
:11:34. > :11:36.council jobs are under threat. We have already seen a significant
:11:37. > :11:42.reduction in staffing numbers. People going on voluntary
:11:43. > :11:48.redundancy, huge numbers of compulsory is. The staff left behind
:11:49. > :11:52.have to absorb huge amount of work, the service can't continue like
:11:53. > :11:56.this. The budget next year may have been approved easily at County Hall
:11:57. > :12:02.today but it has been agreed going forward things will be far from
:12:03. > :12:05.easy. It is predicted if the spending squeeze from central
:12:06. > :12:08.government continues, Cornwall Council will have to find ?196
:12:09. > :12:15.million of cuts over five years. Two workers who exposed widespread
:12:16. > :12:19.failings at a Devon care home have won the latest round in their legal
:12:20. > :12:22.battle to get tens of thousands of pounds they were awarded for being
:12:23. > :12:25.unfairly dismissed. The owners of Park View Care Home in Plymouth
:12:26. > :12:28.challenged the award to Rosemary Parker and Launa Llewelyn Jones, but
:12:29. > :12:41.lost. Our home affairs correspondent Simon Hall reports.
:12:42. > :12:44.This was a resounding victory for Rosemary Parker and Launa Llewelyn
:12:45. > :12:50.Jones. The judge rejected the evidence of the home owner as
:12:51. > :12:55.unreliable and said the ?40,000 the women had been jointly awarded for
:12:56. > :13:00.unfair dismissal should stand. It feels good, just determined not to
:13:01. > :13:06.give up and get justice for ourselves, for other workers, for
:13:07. > :13:15.our elderly people, for the whole thing of the care community. This
:13:16. > :13:20.has become a protracted case. In summer, the women with supporters
:13:21. > :13:24.staged a sit in at Park View Care Home for not being paid. They were
:13:25. > :13:28.dismissed after exposing poor standards of care. But they have
:13:29. > :13:31.still received no money. We haven't got any money yet.
:13:32. > :13:37.There is another route we will have to go down now as soon as we get
:13:38. > :13:41.back, to see somebody else about the money which the judge has said we
:13:42. > :13:49.can take to another court hearing. We're not done yet. It's not a
:13:50. > :13:55.victory but it is in our favour. It proves we didn't tell lies, we were
:13:56. > :14:01.honest to the judge. It is a victory, we have won it. It will be
:14:02. > :14:05.a victory when we get the money. Park View Care Home has since been
:14:06. > :14:09.closed by Plymouth City Council. The next page in this battle is likely
:14:10. > :14:16.to see roles reversed with women pursuing mixture to the courts. As
:14:17. > :14:18.for Mr Chapman himself, he was not in the tribunal and has not
:14:19. > :14:21.responded to our request for a comment.
:14:22. > :14:25.Coming up later in the programme: Commemorating one of the Royal
:14:26. > :14:29.Navy's most famous ships. HMS Warspite, which saw action in
:14:30. > :14:33.both world wars, is remembered 100 years after its launch.
:14:34. > :14:36.And, with one voice, the choir hoping to help others in the run up
:14:37. > :14:43.to Christmas. Figures released to BBC Spotlight
:14:44. > :14:46.show that, in one month alone, paramedics in the South West raised
:14:47. > :14:52.concerns about families with young children around 80 times. In the
:14:53. > :14:56.majority of cases, parents drinking or taking drugs was the main factor.
:14:57. > :14:59.It's left paramedics worried about the ability of some adults to
:15:00. > :15:03.properly look after youngsters who've injured themselves. They say
:15:04. > :15:12.children's lives are being put at risk. Simon Clemison reports.
:15:13. > :15:20.With a bottle or glass of something at home, fast catching up with a
:15:21. > :15:24.pint on a night out, what if you are a parent of a young child who needs
:15:25. > :15:29.your help? One mother said she is never touching alcohol again.
:15:30. > :15:33.Telling a generalist her story was too much. In e`mails passed through
:15:34. > :15:39.the NHS in Dorset, she has answered some of my questions. In one of the
:15:40. > :15:43.most extreme cases, she drank at lunchtime and had 14 cans of cider,
:15:44. > :15:48.falling asleep on the server. Meanwhile, her baby has stopped
:15:49. > :16:01.breathing. When she was told he was dead, she said she couldn't stop
:16:02. > :16:03.other parents not to end up empty and lost. She says she believes if
:16:04. > :16:06.she hadn't drunk, she might have noticed her young son wasn't well
:16:07. > :16:09.and got help sooner. Alcohol will go the senses. You sometimes miss
:16:10. > :16:13.things happening. A child might be doing their normal thing but,
:16:14. > :16:18.because the parent isn't being as attentive, they might have a fall or
:16:19. > :16:23.crashed into something, wondered off. Figures I have been given a
:16:24. > :16:28.show on 81 occasions in June alone, paramedics raised concerns about
:16:29. > :16:32.families with young children. In the majority of cases, parents in their
:16:33. > :16:38.feud had had too much to drink or taken drugs. In 46 cases, the
:16:39. > :16:42.youngsters were under five. Of those, 21 were less than
:16:43. > :16:51.one`year`old. I was fairly surprised that intoxication was the main cause
:16:52. > :16:55.for referral in the age groups. It is probably down to the fact
:16:56. > :16:59.paramedics are seeing safeguarding as a more important part of their
:17:00. > :17:05.role rather than their emergency life`saving situations. A parent
:17:06. > :17:09.dialling emergency may simply not be able to follow instructions over the
:17:10. > :17:13.phone. A nurse who has been needing an awareness campaign says in her
:17:14. > :17:18.career she has seen 24 cases of children dying where a parent has
:17:19. > :17:22.been incapable. We are trying to make people think
:17:23. > :17:26.about the level of alcohol. One or two glasses might be a cake but if
:17:27. > :17:31.they are drinking the whole bottle or drinking another bottle and
:17:32. > :17:36.started at lunchtime, it will have a curative effect. Staying in maybe
:17:37. > :17:42.the new going out but whether that makes someone a more responsible
:17:43. > :17:46.parent is now open to question. Sports news now.
:17:47. > :17:48.It's a big night for Devon football, particularly at Plainmoor where
:17:49. > :17:52.Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle do battle for the 37th time in their
:17:53. > :17:55.history. John Sheridan's Pilgrims go into the contest as favourites,
:17:56. > :17:58.after going unbeaten in their last five league outings, moving to
:17:59. > :18:13.within five points off the play`off places. But the Gulls are struggling
:18:14. > :18:16.badly, and are next to the bottom of League Two, with only one win in
:18:17. > :18:19.nine games. BBC Radio Devon will be at Plainmoor
:18:20. > :18:22.to bring you full coverage from 7.05pm, along with the latest on
:18:23. > :18:24.Exeter City's match at Wycombe Wanderers.
:18:25. > :18:27.She was widely considered the greatest British war ship ever
:18:28. > :18:30.built, HMS Warspite was launched 100 years ago today in Plymouth. The
:18:31. > :18:33.super dreadnought of 1913 was actually the seventh battleship in
:18:34. > :18:36.Royal Navy history to bear the name Warspite, which dates back to 1596
:18:37. > :18:39.when Sir Walter Raleigh was her captain. Today, her more recent
:18:40. > :18:41.veterans gathered in tribute. Clare Burton was there to hear their
:18:42. > :18:56.stories. NEWSREEL: This is war, the dim light
:18:57. > :19:01.of early morning. HMS Warspite, gliding towards the Germans. There
:19:02. > :19:07.are other shells exploding. April 1940, the world is watching as HMS
:19:08. > :19:16.Warspite hunts down and destroyed German ships in Norwegian waters.
:19:17. > :19:23.Just one battle in a 30 year service career which ended when she ran
:19:24. > :19:26.aground in Cornwall in 1947 on her way to be scrapped. But this is
:19:27. > :19:32.where it all began in November 1913. Number three slip at the
:19:33. > :19:47.Devonport dockyard. Today, this is where then `` where 100 infections
:19:48. > :19:52.have `` veterans have gathered. Unfortunately we don't have a
:19:53. > :19:55.warship or submarine here, but this is one of the proudest ships we have
:19:56. > :20:04.in the Navy. My memory is very good. I had some
:20:05. > :20:14.good times. Believe it or not, I had some bad times. We got hit a couple
:20:15. > :20:18.of times. But we did very well. It's own happy and sad times
:20:19. > :20:23.remembered in a ceremony today, a chance for officers to reflect on
:20:24. > :20:28.the changing face of the Navy. It has been very interesting
:20:29. > :20:34.researching into life in the Navy that it served in. Let us not forget
:20:35. > :20:41.HMS Warspite saw service covering two world wars which saw a huge
:20:42. > :20:48.change in the way the world wars. Symbolic, not just of Britain's
:20:49. > :20:53.naval history, but Plymouth's master shipbuilders, the name HMS Warspite
:20:54. > :21:08.still inspires a pride and passion that time cannot erode.
:21:09. > :21:14.Christmas has come early in Weymouth. The town's One Voice Choir
:21:15. > :21:16.has released a CD to raise money for local children's charities and food
:21:17. > :21:19.banks. Local school children have been performing some of the songs,
:21:20. > :21:20.including a special composition, Christmas Time In Weymouth. Graham
:21:21. > :21:53.Smith reports. One night in the pub after
:21:54. > :21:58.rehearsal, I said, if you want me to arrange anything for your choir, I
:21:59. > :22:11.would be only too happy. The whole project was born from that.
:22:12. > :22:18.Doesn't it feel strange to be singing about Christmas in the
:22:19. > :22:23.middle of November? Well, yes, but it is nearly Christmas. I want it to
:22:24. > :22:27.be Christmas every day. What do you think, Chloe? The same as her but
:22:28. > :22:29.maybe not Christmas every day because it wouldn't be fair on
:22:30. > :22:50.Father Christmas. John came to me in July last summer
:22:51. > :22:55.with a song, and I thought it sounded great. He invited all of the
:22:56. > :23:00.local schools to take part. We wanted to at Saint Andrews. Since
:23:01. > :23:06.September, we have been rehearsing. And have all come together today. It
:23:07. > :23:10.is so thrilling. We approached all of the primary schools within the
:23:11. > :23:35.borough. And we were able to get six who helped us.
:23:36. > :23:47.Time now for the weather. It is feeling a bit Christmassy, it
:23:48. > :23:51.was freezing last night. I was going to ask whether you have done your
:23:52. > :23:57.Christmas list? Funnily enough, no! Plenty of time
:23:58. > :24:01.yet. Let us have a look. It is certainly
:24:02. > :24:05.cold enough but I don't think we will see any of the white stuff.
:24:06. > :24:09.Some fairly low overnight temperature is, last night it was
:24:10. > :24:17.down 2`3 in several places. Tomorrow, it is less cold. I am
:24:18. > :24:23.choosing my words carefully. Rather cloudy, and some drizzle in the wind
:24:24. > :24:31.every now and then particularly across Dorset and Somerset. More
:24:32. > :24:35.clouds on the satellite picture. It is allowing some weather fronts from
:24:36. > :24:40.the North West over the next two days. That area of high pressure
:24:41. > :24:45.moves further away back into the Atlantic over the next 24 hours. A
:24:46. > :24:51.warm weather system comes from the north, fairly weak, introducing
:24:52. > :24:58.cloud, meaning less cold air and the threat of drizzle and low cloud at
:24:59. > :25:02.the end of the day tomorrow. By the time we get to Thursday, little
:25:03. > :25:07.change in that pattern, we are on the edge of the high pressure so a
:25:08. > :25:10.limited amount of frost is likely as we see a lot more clout at
:25:11. > :25:18.night`time. That process has already happened tonight. Across Somerset
:25:19. > :25:23.and Dorset, briefly a touch of frost. Mostly, a cloudy night.
:25:24. > :25:29.Temperatures several degrees above freezing by dawn tomorrow. Those are
:25:30. > :25:33.the figures we can expect, up to four degrees by dawn tomorrow.
:25:34. > :25:38.Temperatures will start to rise again in the second half. The reason
:25:39. > :25:43.for that is we have this cloud producing a little drizzle. Mostly
:25:44. > :25:48.across Dorset and Somerset, drifting towards northern France. Devon and
:25:49. > :25:55.Cornwall, a lot of cloud. Over high ground, it becomes quite misty and a
:25:56. > :26:00.spit of drizzle in the wind. After the sparkling clear days we have
:26:01. > :26:06.seen, the moorlands are likely to be misty over the next few days. Double
:26:07. > :26:11.figures at last. Quite a big difference tomorrow. It will feel a
:26:12. > :26:16.little less cold. 10 degrees, considerably higher than we have
:26:17. > :26:22.seen for several days. The forecast for the Isles of Scilly. Rather
:26:23. > :26:27.cloudy, mainly dry. The seat is relatively calm. The winds are
:26:28. > :26:38.gentle. And on to the times of high water.
:26:39. > :26:45.For our coastal waters forecast, the winds are light. If you are heading
:26:46. > :26:54.down to the beach surfing, you might disappointed. The seat is beginning
:26:55. > :26:55.to cool down now, between 12 and 13 degrees.
:26:56. > :27:14.The coastal waters forecast. So, when will the frosts come back?
:27:15. > :27:20.Probably on Saturday night into Sunday. The next few days, cloud
:27:21. > :27:25.around, thick enough on Friday to generate some showers and a brisk
:27:26. > :27:30.north westerly breeze. 11 degrees by Friday but back into single figures
:27:31. > :27:34.at the weekend. Fine weather for the weekend but the Frost returns on
:27:35. > :27:39.Saturday night and Sunday night. Have a good evening.
:27:40. > :27:44.We have put a video of the choir in Weymouth on our Facebook page.
:27:45. > :27:46.That's all for now.