18/12/2013 Spotlight

Relief after the Greenpeace three from Devon are pardoned by the

Russian authorities. Good evening. It's still not clear when they'll

come home, but speaking via the internet they've been describing how

they feel after today's announcement. I'm going to be free,

with absolutely nothing hanging over me any more. My life can continue as

normal... Whatever that means! Also tonight: Under pressure. A E

departments across the region say they're seeing too many patients who

could be treated elsewhere. And light at the end of the tunnel

for the residents whose homes collapsed into old mine workings.

Tonight, the news the Devon families of the three Greenpeace activists

held in Russia have been waiting for ` Iain Rogers from Exeter, Kieron

Bryan from Shebbear and Alex Harris from Dolton are now finally free.

The three have been held since a Greenpeace protest in September

against oil drilling in the Arctic. Their ship ` the Arctic Sunrise `

was seized and towed to Murmansk. In October the three were charged with

piracy ` an offence carrying a penalty of 15 years. Later, the

charges were changed to hooliganism. In November the group were moved to

St Petersburg. All three were given bail. But today, as John Henderson

reports, the Russian Duma in Moscow granted an amnesty which should see

Alex, Iain and Kieron walk free. I'm going to be free, with absolutely

nothing hanging over me any more. My life can continue as normal...

Whatever that means! A joyful reaction from Kieron Bryan to an

amnesty for Russian prisoners. It means that the Arctic 30 should at

last be able to come home. For his family, who live in Shebbear, it's

brilliant news. Just fantastic to hear it was confirmed. We're

still... We can't quite believe it. Brilliant. Kieron was among 30

people held when Greenpeace activists tried to scale an

off`shore oil platform in September. He was bailed but denied permission

to leave Russia alongwith two others ` Iain Rogers and Alex Harris. I'm

very relieved. I can't wait to get home. But I don't know what this

means for my Russian friends. I can't jump up and down! All three

initially faced charges of piracy which has a maximum sentence of 15

years. It was downgraded to hooliganism. As it is, Alex's father

is now preparing for a homecoming. We're excited. We hope to see her

back here and have a Christmas at home. The potential release comes

after the Russian parliament granted amnesty to thousands of people

convicted of minor crimes. It means he should be able to leave the

country. His mum hope he never returns. I don't think they'd be

treated kindly. But he's on his way home now. He could be on a plane

now! We'll have a great Christmas! The end is almost in sight.

Greenpeace have welcomed today's decision. Earlier, I asked the

charity's Ben Ayliffe when the campaigners would be coming home. We

hope they'll be home as quickly as possible. Hopefully by Christmas but

we don't quite know. We hear from our sources in Russia that the

charges, and the whole process, will now be dropped. That will,

therefore, allow them to have their Visas stamped. That will allow them

to leave Russia and come home. We've heard from them today. The Devon

people who've been held. What responses have you been getting from

the Arctic 30 after this news today? Obviously, the overriding sensation

is one of relief ` that the ordeal is now over, or will be very soon.

They're now being pardoned for something they didn't really do, and

on top of this there is no amnesty for the Arctic. Oil companies are

still racing in there to drill for more of the oil that's causing the

Arctic to melt in the first place. That's hasn't stopped, so there's

relief they're coming home but that's tempered by the fact that the

Arctic isn't safe and we need to work together a lot more to achieve

that. You say they didn't do anything wrong. There will be those

who will argue that they tried to board a drilling platform in the

middle of the Arctic ` putting themselves at risk and the people on

board at risk. The Russians were within their right to take some

action. What they tried to do was put a banner on the side of a

half`a`million tonne platform in the Arctic, that's about to start

producing oil we're going to start using in Europe for our homes and

vehicles. This is a defining moment and we needed to act. Greenpeace has

a long history of peaceful protest and we are guided by these quaker

principles of bearing witness and non`violence. At no point did we try

to take over the oil platform or threaten anyone. Bearing in mind

what happened to them as a result of the protest, will you be rethinking

your methods ` your forms of protest in the future? No. We won't. That's

because taking peaceful action is a part of Greenpeace's DNA. It's a

core value. Greenpeace will still campaign in these places. The threat

to the Arctic is grave. It's of crucial importance to every man,

woman and child on this planet. We have to act and we have to act now.

Thank you for joining us. Doctors in Accident and Emergency

departments across the region say too many patients are visiting them

when they could be treated elsewhere. It's thought around a

fifth of the people who go to A E don't need to. With the onset of the

busy winter season, there's concern about the pressure accident

departments are under. Last week in the South West more than 9,000

people attended Emergency Departments. In Devon, A E staff

saw more than 5,000 patients. In Cornwall just under 1,000 people

sought emergency help. In Somerset that figure is nearer 2,000 and in

Dorset just over 700 people attended the emergency department. The RD E

in Exeter saw the greatest number of patients through A E. From there

our Health Correspondent Sally Mountjoy reports. The number of

people attending the emergency department at the Royal Devon and

Exeter Hospital has been rising steadily. This has been the busiest

year yet. When this man had pains in his chest he hesitated before

heading to hospital. I ignored it like I usually do. My wife moaned at

me so I rang the doctor... They rang me back... They said I should phone

an ambulance but I then rang a medical friend and he said yes you

should definitely get to hospital. Staff have put him through a battery

of tests and scans to find out what's wrong. But unlike Neville,

many people head to A E with minor ailments. The head of this unit

thinks up to one in five would be better treated elsewhere. That would

relieve pressure, especially at busy times. On a relatively quiet day we

might see around 250 patients. Things are calm, quiet and more

oganised. When the figures reaches close to 350, things become much

more stretched. Staff get fraught and the department gets really busy.

You might even see patients queueing down the corridors. In winter, the

NHS is under even greater strain than usual ` with large numbers of

people succumbing to infections, breathing difficulties and falls. As

more and more of us seek help at A E, most emergency departments in the

region are beginning to struggle to meet the key target of seeing 95% of

patients within four hours. Across the region, the NHS is urging people

` especially over Christmas and New Year ` to think carefully before

taking their problem to the emergency unit. You may be better

going to your GP, minor injury unit or a high street pharmacist. Those

who commission our health services say it's vital our health units

aren't put under uneccesary strain. The fear is that it will clog up the

emergency departments. It becomes difficult to treat people in a

timely manner. It's really important that the emergency heart of the

health service keeps beating, whatever happens. It's important to

keep the strain off. Last winter, some major hospitals were

overwhelmed by emergencies. This A E coped better than most and now has

a scheme to speed the path of many older A E patients. They're seen

straightaway by specialist doctors and get the right treatment fast or

get home with the support they need. While all hospitals have plans for

managing winter pressures, they want patients to think twice before just

turning up. And Sally joins me now. Hospitals couldn't cope with the

number of patients in A E last winter. So that's going to happen

again isn't it? It was very difficult. It was exasperated by the

long period of cold weather. There was a black aware for lots of

viruses. The one long waits in accident and emergency. Some people

are warning that this winter could mean a even get a crisis. `` even

greater crisis. But lots of new buses have been taken on. `` nurses.

They are also going to open a dedicated unit to assess frail,

older people. That means quicker treatment for them. Another hospital

says they are prepared as possible. That includes a short`stay ward.

Elsewhere, we have hospitals which are opening their extended

departments. Many others have had refurbishments. It will mean

expanded capacity and faster treatment.

Councils were today told how much money they can expect from the

government in the next financial year. Ministers claim they've made

the system fairer for rural areas but that's been angrily denied by

government MPs from the South West. Our Political Editor Martyn Oates

joins us now from Westminster. Many of our MPs have been involved in

that vigorous campaign to get more funding for rural councils. They

insist they are grossly underfunded. Today, the local minister said we

have listened and we are putting it right. We have recognised that there

is a gap between rural and urban. The rural MPs and councils have made

a strong case. We've dealt with that. I hope when they get into the

detail over the next few weeks they'll recognise that we have

worked hard to do something positive about it for rural areas. If you do

look at the detail, the sum of money he is talking about is just nine and

a half million pounds. This is how one of the MPs described it. I'm

afraid to say that the settlement, again this year, as far as the

adjustment is concerned, is merely chicken feed. It barely addresses

the equality between rural and urban areas. At this rate, it will take

more than 1,000 years to put right the inequality. He wasn't alone. The

MP who leads the campaign for the funding bluntly told his own

government that they had done nothing. He said that the

announcement was unacceptable. Before this becomes enforced, it

needs to be voted through. Some of the own MPs may find that difficult.

`` their own MPs. The region is on storm alert

tonight. Winds gusting to severe gale force have hit the South West.

The Tamar Bridge is closed to high sided vehicles, some homes are

without power, there are flood warnings in place and people are

being urged to take care. Spotlight's Eleanor Parkinson is on

the north coast of Cornwall for us tonight. Yes I'm in Perranporth,

which is just one of the resorts on the north coast which could be

affected by the strong winds, rain and possible tidal surges. Tidal

levels here are predicted to be almost a metre higher than normal,

and in the past shops and homes along the beach front here have been

hit by flooding. Flood alerts have also been issued for low lying

resorts and towns all along the north coast including St Ives,

Padstow and Bude. And we understand it's not just the coast that's

affected? Yes, this bad weather is also causing problems inland.

Earlier today we were told a tree had fallen on a car in the

Porthtowan area. No`one was hurt in that incident, although the road was

blocked for a while. Drivers are being asked to take care. Dozens of

homes in South Devon have been left without power after an overhead

power cable was blown down. And in Truro the farmers' market, which is

a big part of the city's late night Christmas shopping, has decided to

take stalls down because of the high winds which are expected to reach

force nine. One of the county's biggest attractions ` Trelissick

Gardens ` which is normally very busy just before Christmas has also

closed its gates because of the weather. Thank you.

The economic recovery continues to be reflected tonight in the region's

unemployment figures. Most areas here saw a rise last month in the

number out of work and claiming benefit. But the underlying picture

was still positive, as our business correspondent Neil Gallacher

reports. The very latest figures tell their usual story of the South

West's Autumn slowdown. The number of claimants has risen in most areas

but right across the region the number is well down on 12 months

previously ` down by almost a quarter, in fact. The claimant count

is the narrow measure of unemployment as it only picks up

those actually getting benefit. It's low here by national standards. The

latest UK rate, going by this measure, is 3%. In Cornwall it rose

to 2.1%. In Devon it went up to 1.5%. In Dorset it rose to 1.3%. In

Somerset it stayed flat at 1.7%. Plymouth saw a fall to 2.7% and in

Torbay it rose to 3.4%. So, unemployment could be far worse `

and of course it has been. This credit and kitchen maker says this

is now an economy where you can succeed if you have drive. I've got

friends who are starting businesses and doing really well. I think what

you need to do in business is a have a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.

That helps you succeed. I don't think I'm an exception. Lee Andrews

has certainly known tougher times. We first featured him five years ago

when he'd been forced to set`up on his own, having been made redundant

by a big construction firm. Now he employs one full`time and one

part`time member of staff. Not that wages here are great ` they're poor

in the region generally. Michael Poole is paid around ?10 an hour.

That's low for a skilled craftsman, but he's not despondent. I guess

someone more experienced would expect more and be worth more, but

as it grows the money side of things will expand as the business does

also. So, fairly low wages and fairly low unemployment ` a snapshot

of the South West economy at the end of 2013. The real value of the

average full`time wage in the South West has fallen by 8.3% ` or ?2,280

` since 2007. That's according to official figures published today.

Earlier I spoke to Nigel Costley from the TUC. I asked him if it was

better to have more lower paid jobs or fewer better paid jobs. We can't

have an economic recovery built upon people not getting wages in their

purses and pockets. It's a strange conundrum at the moment. But we

can't have economic recovery if people haven't got a job at all.

That's true. We can't be complacent about unemployment. But when real

wages are still being squeezed and are still falling, it's a puzzle as

to how we can build an economy on consumer spending. Consumers are

presumably having to borrow on payday loans in order to see through

Christmas. The government is trying to argue that it's doing all it can

to help lower`paid workers. It's taking more and more people out of

the tax regime altogether. It's trying to help families buy this ?50

reduction in fuel costs. It's trying various methods alongside making

sure the economy is growing to help lower` paid workers. I'm not sure

that's how people will feel. If you take a careworker, for example,

they've seen their wages fall. They probably don't blame their own

company because they're saying it's the problem of the council. In the

meantime, the low`paid workers are having to rely on welfare benefits

in order to make ends meet. It's a crazy way of running a system. We

should be having wages that can support their families. What about

businesses such as the ones we've heard about today. If wages

increased too dramatically then they wouldn't be able to expand and there

wouldn't be the jobs or the money coming back into the economy...

There's got to be a balance. But ultimately, until people have

confidence that they see their wages increasing, they're not going to be

able to spend in the way we need in order to get the economy really

growing. The fear is that this is a bit of a bubble built upon

short`term credit and payday loans. That's not a long`term way of

developing a growing economy. Thank you for joining us.

Earlier this year we reported on a huge project in Cornwall to prevent

flooding and remove the risk of subsidence in a Cornish village.

Some of the houses in Troon, near Camborne, had started to collapse

into old mine workings. The ?1.6 million, Cornwall Council project is

still underway and new shafts and holes have been found. But some

residents will be back in their homes in time for Christmas. David

George has been back to see how the work is progressing. The problem in

Troon is that many houses were built right on top of a 300`year`old

tunnel system or adit. It became blocked ` forcing water up into some

of the houses. The effect is dramatic. These homes have been

underpinned and a new tunnel will be built to replace the collapsed adit

here in New Street. I'm a bit alarmed but at the same time we can

do nothing about it. It's up to the experts. They know what they're

doing... I hope! I'm sure they can put it right. All around this area

there are holes in the ground. Very deep holes in the ground. In the

adit, engineers are finding many more problems than they anticipated.

We're under a back garden here, and we're going to take the granite

lintels off because they're not bearing on much of the edge. We're

going to replace them with reinforced concrete. The adit twists

and turns its way under the houses. Here there's a branch`off and this

whole area is going to be dug out from above to make it safe. Local

miners have been brought in to use their skills under the houses where

perhaps their predecessors might have lived. We've got lots of

miners. Their experience has been immense. The sort of problems we've

encountered on the job have been everyday problems but they've taken

it all in their stride. The project, which started in January and was due

to take a few months, is being paid for by Cornwall Council and the

government. It's cost ?1.6 million. If you open a hole in the ground in

Cornwall you never know what you're going to find! Quite simply,

somebody had to deal with this issue. Somebody had to take the risk

on. We've opened it up and yes, there have been several features

that we weren't exactly expecting. The project has taken longer but

we've been dealing with extremely difficult ground conditions. Some

residents are moving back in time for Christmas. This is one of the 16

homes that have been made safe. I think it should be a wholesale

improvement. It should last quite a long time. You're a happy taxpayer?

Yes! I think you could say that! Cornwall Council says the project

should be finished by the spring. Now for the weather. It is pretty

good out there. We have a weather warning out there. `` pretty grim.

There have been winds of up to 69 mph. The peak out to the West. ``

They peaked. You can see the intense colours which have swept in. We do

still have some torrential rain. It is a very active system. It is

followed on by some showers and some cooler air. Some of the showers

could be a little bit when today. `` a little bit wintery. The rainbow

clear in the next few hours and the wind will start to ease. `` The rain

will clear. Temperatures are already dropping. Temperatures will drop to

two or three degrees tonight. There will be some dry and bright weather

eventually, particularly into the afternoon, and that could bring some

hail or sleet. We could have some small for a time. `` some snow. Some

fairly strong winds and bright spells. Busts of heavy showers. Here

are the times for high water. `` Bursts or heavy showers. Probably

some very big waves. The winds will be choppy. They will come in from

the West. We have got some showers out at sea as well. Some very

unsettled weather with us for the next few hours tonight but it will

clear away. Showers through the day could come when today. `` could turn

wintery. On Friday it will be not too bad to start off with but it

will cloud over. At the weekend it will still be quite windy. Heavy

showers. Still looking unsettled on Sunday. It will eventually turn

milder. Take care for the few hours. Now with a week until Christmas Day,

in our series of carols recorded with choirs and singers from the

four counties of the South West, this evening we hear from our

soloist from Dorset. Tonight, Eleanor Nickerson from Sherborne

Girl's School sings the Corpus Christi Carol, recorded in the Mary

Harris Chapel at the University of Exeter.

# Lulley, lully, lulley, lully, # The faucon hath born my mak away.

# He bare hym up, he bare hym down, # He bare hym into an orchard brown.

# In that orchard ther was an hall, # That was hanged with purpill and

pall. # And in that hall ther was a bede,

# Hit was hangid with gold so rede. # And yn that bede ther lythe a

knyght, # His wowndes bledyng day and nyght.

# By that bedes side ther kneleth a may, # And she wepeth both nyght and

day. # And by that bedes side ther

stondith a ston, # Corpus Christi wretyn theron.