:00:00. > :00:00.Good evening. for the news where you are.
:00:00. > :00:08.Cornwall Council became the latest in the south west
:00:09. > :00:11.to raise its Council Tax today with the leader John Pollard saying
:00:12. > :00:17.The average household in Cornwall will have to pay an extra ?50
:00:18. > :00:19.per year from April - alongside overall
:00:20. > :00:24.It follows Devon and Dorset's approved increases of almost 5% -
:00:25. > :00:31.Tamsin Melville has been following events in Truro.
:00:32. > :00:34.It is becoming a bit like an annual production.
:00:35. > :00:38.The same themes, largely the same characters and the plot seems to end
:00:39. > :00:41.the same way for the people of Cornwall - bigger bills,
:00:42. > :00:44.fewer services and this plea from the leader.
:00:45. > :00:47.My message to the Government is they are not helping us.
:00:48. > :00:51.My message to the Government is that austerity can only go on so long,
:00:52. > :00:56.My message to the Government is please invest in adult social care.
:00:57. > :01:00.This is a national issue and it is money that needs to come
:01:01. > :01:03.directly from Government into that cause.
:01:04. > :01:05.Since 2010 Cornwall Council has made savings of nearly ?200 million.
:01:06. > :01:09.In the coming year there will be another ?33 million cut.
:01:10. > :01:12.Not many areas of spending escape but off-loading libraries
:01:13. > :01:16.and leisure centres is key to making savings this year.
:01:17. > :01:19.Council Tax bills are going up again by ?1 a week
:01:20. > :01:25.Half of this is exclusively for adult social care.
:01:26. > :01:29.Personally I'm happy with that. I really am.
:01:30. > :01:31.If it helps old people, that's really good.
:01:32. > :01:34.They need to be looked after and not thought of as a nuisance.
:01:35. > :01:40.A surge in the pit of my heart just thinking, more money, more money.
:01:41. > :01:43.We can rob Peter to pay Paul as long as we like but not everyone
:01:44. > :01:49.Councillors could have put another 1% on Council Tax for social care
:01:50. > :01:52.but this was rejected, with some Conservatives themselves
:01:53. > :01:58.We have to stand firm and canvas central Government
:01:59. > :02:01.and say on social care, it is a nationwide problem
:02:02. > :02:04.and they need to fund it from the centre.
:02:05. > :02:07.And what will the ?5 million raised actually fund?
:02:08. > :02:10.An awful lot of that will get sucked up through the increases
:02:11. > :02:13.to the living wage, so the national living wage obviously implements
:02:14. > :02:16.those hikes to the lowest paid, which I absolutely agree
:02:17. > :02:22.So the 2% really will only just cover that off.
:02:23. > :02:25.Today's vote also paves the way for around 300
:02:26. > :02:30.Meanwhile the Government is insisting its financial
:02:31. > :02:36.Well while setting their budgets for next year, councils in the south
:02:37. > :02:39.west have been anxiously waiting to find out how much money they'll
:02:40. > :02:45.That's due to be outlined to MPs in the Commons tomorrow but already
:02:46. > :02:47.Devon County Council leader John Hart has said the settlement
:02:48. > :02:50.totally fails to address the crisis in social care,
:02:51. > :02:57.Here's our Political Editor Martyn Oates.
:02:58. > :03:02.Many people frankly won't have been surprised that the government hasn't
:03:03. > :03:06.decided to put money into rural councils like those across the south
:03:07. > :03:10.west, but there has been a lot of lobbying behind closed doors
:03:11. > :03:15.by the Communities Secretary and I'm told by the Prime Minister herself
:03:16. > :03:17.from something called the Rural Fair Share
:03:18. > :03:22.It seems, though, of course, that that lobbying has ultimately
:03:23. > :03:25.failed and that has been greeted with condemnation by Council leaders
:03:26. > :03:30.It is nowhere near enough for what we need, nowhere
:03:31. > :03:40.We have to... And this year we are supporting
:03:41. > :03:53.And on the basis of that, the government took ?23 million out
:03:54. > :03:56.We have had to spend ?22 million over and above
:03:57. > :04:01.I mentioned the lobbying that had gone on from
:04:02. > :04:04.the Rural Fair Share group of MPs. At the moment, that is almost
:04:05. > :04:06.completely led by MPs from Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
:04:07. > :04:08.Earlier today, I spoke to one of its vice chairs,
:04:09. > :04:10.the St Austell and Newquay MP, Steve Double.
:04:11. > :04:13.Clearly, we've got to continue to make the case for funding
:04:14. > :04:15.for rural areas, for local government and we are
:04:16. > :04:20.The government is committed now, I just even met with the Minister
:04:21. > :04:23.today and he confirmed again that the government is determined
:04:24. > :04:26.to have this review of the cost of delivery services in rural areas.
:04:27. > :04:29.So although we are disappointed with this year, we are fighting
:04:30. > :04:32.the case and I am positive that we can get this extra
:04:33. > :04:39.There have been calls for MPs in places like the south-west
:04:40. > :04:43.to vote against the settlement when it comes before
:04:44. > :04:49.Mr Double says he will wait and see how the debate unfolds but having
:04:50. > :04:52.witnessed many of these before, I would be very surprised
:04:53. > :04:54.if tomorrow sees many, if any, Conservative MPs
:04:55. > :05:02.A fire at a leisure centre in Exeter is still going tonight, more
:05:03. > :05:08.At its height, 120 firefighters were deployed to the Riverside Centre,
:05:09. > :05:11.and dozens of swimmers were forced to flee the building.
:05:12. > :05:26.Two people received minor injuries in the ballets which is believed to
:05:27. > :05:31.have started in the sauna. I was told to leave everything and got
:05:32. > :05:35.out. I grabbed my coat but everything else was left in there.
:05:36. > :05:42.Obviously you are thinking of safety so you just get out. We will have
:05:43. > :05:43.the latest on the fire in our breakfast bulletins tomorrow from
:05:44. > :05:45.6:30am. Cornwall Council has confirmed it's
:05:46. > :05:48.investigating a number of allegations made about the care
:05:49. > :05:52.provided at a home for adults with Bowden Derra Park near Launceston
:05:53. > :05:58.is currently caring for 70 people on site
:05:59. > :06:01.with complex healthcare needs. The council says it's
:06:02. > :06:04.suspended its placements for now. A spokesperson for the care
:06:05. > :06:07.home said the health, safety and well-being
:06:08. > :06:09.of its residents was its top priority and it was working
:06:10. > :06:12.with Cornwall Council. Somerset is trying to recruit more
:06:13. > :06:15.people to foster unaccompanied Eight have arrived in the county
:06:16. > :06:21.since last summer, and another 60 are expected over
:06:22. > :06:25.the next three years. Now for something which could ease
:06:26. > :06:28.the pressure on housing Communal living is becoming
:06:29. > :06:35.increasingly popular among some older people -
:06:36. > :06:37.known as co-housing. Steve Harris has been to one scheme
:06:38. > :06:42.in Dorset to see how it works. They live side-by-side
:06:43. > :06:45.but they are not students. They get on well but some
:06:46. > :06:48.have only just met. They eat together but this
:06:49. > :06:52.is not a house-share. There are 14 separate homes here at
:06:53. > :06:59.the Threshold Centre in Gillingham, each with their own front door,
:07:00. > :07:02.but when it comes to gardening and cooking,
:07:03. > :07:05.residents share the burden. They have one central
:07:06. > :07:08.kitchen and dining room For them it is a greener
:07:09. > :07:13.way of living, a more And they are there for each other
:07:14. > :07:19.if they need support. Actually, what this was very
:07:20. > :07:22.important for me was that my son stopped worrying about me,
:07:23. > :07:24.because he knew there were lots of people around
:07:25. > :07:27.who would look out for me. It's a message, really,
:07:28. > :07:30.to other people that these things can be done and sustainability
:07:31. > :07:33.is not just about the green aspects and the environment,
:07:34. > :07:37.it's about people living together Co-housing is a microcosm
:07:38. > :07:43.of humanity. You have exactly the same issues
:07:44. > :07:47.that any group of people have, it's just that it's an intentional
:07:48. > :07:51.community, so we intend to make the effort to get on with each other
:07:52. > :07:54.and do things together According to the most recent
:07:55. > :07:59.figures, there are 7 million And we all know about
:08:00. > :08:13.the shortage in housing. Well, here in Bridport, 40 miles
:08:14. > :08:16.away from the Threshold Centre, one local group are hoping another
:08:17. > :08:18.co-housing scheme can The co-housing movement started
:08:19. > :08:22.in Denmark in the 1960s. It is now growing in popularity
:08:23. > :08:25.with other schemes near Totnes, In Bridport, they are now confident
:08:26. > :08:30.work will begin here in the spring. We are looking at the sort of lives
:08:31. > :08:33.we want to live in the future and the constraints we may face
:08:34. > :08:36.on our lives in the future, and I think that co-housing
:08:37. > :08:39.will answer many of them because it is flexible and people
:08:40. > :08:42.can have as little or as much company as they need.
:08:43. > :08:44.I suppose a real hermit would need somewhere else, you know,
:08:45. > :08:46.they wouldn't like it. But for most people
:08:47. > :08:49.there are benefits. Particularly single parents,
:08:50. > :08:53.there is a distinctive benefit. The town is very supportive of us,
:08:54. > :08:57.the sort of people that live here, a lot of people are interested
:08:58. > :09:00.in what we are doing and interested The first residents will be
:09:01. > :09:06.moving in to the Bridport For now, at the Threshold Centre,
:09:07. > :09:23.there are chores to be done. Do you remember Archie the fire dog
:09:24. > :09:26.who works for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service? He was a guest on
:09:27. > :09:32.the Spotlight studio last year and he is about to become a cartoon
:09:33. > :09:37.star. Hello, my name is Archie and I am a trained fire dog. He is
:09:38. > :09:40.appearing in the new animation with his sidekick would eat which tells
:09:41. > :09:44.the story of a house fire. It is hoped dogs will be able to get the
:09:45. > :09:46.message over about what parents and children should do in the event of a
:09:47. > :09:48.fire. Time for the weather now -
:09:49. > :10:00.how's it looking, Bee? It is looking dull and damp but
:10:01. > :10:05.there will be a solid layer of cloud tomorrow. Rain fairly light and
:10:06. > :10:09.westerly winds starting to pick up which would lift the cloud up in
:10:10. > :10:13.places. At the moment, this weather front toward the north so you can
:10:14. > :10:17.see westerly winds on that front sinking southwards. We can expect
:10:18. > :10:24.some rain but most of it will be fairly light and patchy. Thursday,
:10:25. > :10:31.this is actually stormed Doris, just been named, strong gale force winds,
:10:32. > :10:35.40-50 gusts at the moment. A lot of clouds and drizzle out there, fairly
:10:36. > :10:40.murky conditions. The rain mainly light and patchy but the
:10:41. > :10:45.temperatures very mild. Many places falling to just nine or 10 degrees.
:10:46. > :10:49.On Wednesday, further outbreaks of rain, a lot of mist, low cloud and
:10:50. > :10:55.hill fog and a fairly mild day as well.
:10:56. > :10:59.the Outlook toward the end of the week and then milder again from the
:11:00. > :11:01.wheel them. More on storm Doris now with Matt Taylor.