No Mandate For Police To Seek Right To Strike

Thousands of police officers in England and Wales have voted for the right to take industrial action after rows with the Government over spending cuts.

In a ballot of the Police Federation's 133,000 members, some 45,651 backed the right to strike with 10,681 against.

However, because less than half of its members voted, the organisation does not have a mandate under its own rules to push for a change in the law.

It is currently illegal for police officers to take industrial action - the last official strike was believed to be in 1919.

The low turnout avoids a new row between the coalition and police rank-and-file officers.

Steve Williams, chairman of the federation, said: "It would not be appropriate to undertake a course of action that could potentially change the employment status of more than 133,000 police officers if fewer than half of those officers have voted for us to do so."

He added that most members would consider industrial action to be a "last resort".

But he made clear that the "significant number" who did vote in favour had done so in protest at the Government's reforms.

The Federation's members were asked the question: "Do you wish for PFEW to seek the right for police officers to take industrial action?"

Its policy states that a clear mandate to seek industrial rights can only be provided by more than half of its total membership voting in favour.

The vote came after the group's officials said 20% cuts to policing and "attacks" on pensions, pay and conditions had sparked "unprecedented discontent and low morale".

Relations were further damaged by a report by former rail regulator Tom Winsor which recommended that police forces should face changes to pay, conditions and recruitment.

Suggested reforms included cutting pay for new constables by £4,000 to £19,000 and creating a fast-track to inspector scheme.

Chief constable roles should also be opened up to foreign candidates for the first time, according to the report.

Home Secretary Theresa May has said she is minded to press ahead with the radical overhaul proposed by the civilian lawyer.

A recent survey indicated just over half of police officers would consider looking for another job because of concerns about the changes.

The Federation's central committee will now discuss the ballot result before deciding its next move.

Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green said: "I am pleased the vast majority of police officers do not want the right to strike - their work is too important.

"Our police have done a fantastic job to cut crime by 10% over the first two years of this Government, despite having to play their role in cutting the country's record deficit.

"The Federation has a key role to play in driving our reforms on improving professionalism and leadership across all ranks and I look forward to working closely with them in the future."

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Queen's New Guard: 'Big Tone And Little Tone'

Queen In Hospital Over Stomach Bug

Updated: 8:49am UK, Monday 04 March 2013

The Queen is being treated in hospital "as a precaution" after suffering from the symptoms of gastroenteritis.

Her Majesty, who is aged 86, spent the night at the King Edward VII's Hospital in central London.

The monarch is in "good spirits" and is otherwise in good health, according to her spokesman.

She was driven to the hospital by private car at about 3pm yesterday and is expected to remain there for a couple of days.

The spokesman said: "This is a precautionary measure. She was not taken into hospital immediately after feeling the symptoms.

"This is simply to enable doctors to better assess her."

The Queen was last in hospital in 2003 when she had a knee operation.

All official engagements planned for this week will be postponed or cancelled, Buckingham Palace said.

These include a visit to HMS Lancaster in London today, and a reception for MPs and MEPs at Buckingham Palace, which will now be hosted by another member of the royal family.

A two-day tour to Rome with the Duke of Edinburgh, which was due to begin on Thursday, has also been called off.

The Queen had been due to meet Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, who sent her his "best wishes for a speedy recovery".

Prime Minister David Cameron also wished the Queen well.

The Queen's sickness was first announced on Friday. She had been due to attend a military celebration in Swansea on Saturday for St David's Day celebrations, but was forced to cancel because of the illness.

Instead, the monarch spent the day resting at Windsor Castle.

Before her admission to hospital she presented a female member of staff an award for long service at Windsor.

Gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and bowel. The most common symptoms are vomiting and repeated episodes of diarrhoea.

The two most common causes of gastroenteritis in adults in the UK are norovirus and food poisoning.

Medical experts said she would probably be treated with a drip. It is important to ensure patients are given combinations of sugar and salt to help fluids be absorbed.

Her Majesty has rarely missed a royal engagement due to ill health in recent years.

She was last forced to pull out of an investiture ceremony in October last year after suffering with a bad back.

She also missed a visit to the British Museum in October 2011 because of a cold.

The Duchess of Cambridge was treated at King Edward VII's Hospital last December for acute morning sickness.

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Queen In 'Good Spirits' As Treatment Continues

Queen Has Rarely Fallen Sick In Her Reign

Updated: 9:19am UK, Saturday 02 March 2013

During her six decades as monarch, the 86-year-old Queen has rarely taken time out of her active schedule of public engagements because of ill health.

She has had occasional problems with her back. In October, she was forced to cancel an appearance at a Windsor Castle investiture ceremony, and she also had to miss a church service in Scotland a few days earlier.

In 2006, she suffered a strain to her back during her annual summer break at Balmoral which led to her cancelling a tour of Arsenal's new stadium.

A firm believer in homeopathy like her son the Prince of Wales, the Queen has often supplemented more conventional medical opinion with herbal remedies.

As a young woman, in January 1949, she caught measles and had to be separated from the newborn Charles.

The first time the Queen was admitted to hospital was in July 1982 when she had  a wisdom tooth extracted at the exclusive King Edward VII Hospital in central London.

In March 1993, she was forced to cancel several engagements because she had the flu.

However, in the same month, she refused to cancel a visit to a handbag factory despite having had three stitches in her left hand after being bitten by one of her corgis.

In January 1994, she wore a plaster cast after breaking her left wrist when her horse tripped during a ride on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

The injury was not diagnosed until almost 24 hours later after she had remounted and ridden back to Sandringham unaware of the damage. Her wrist was X-rayed and set in plaster at a hospital in King's Lynn.

She was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in January 2003 for keyhole surgery on her injured right knee.

She had torn cartilage when she jarred the knee walking on rough ground during a private visit to Newmarket, Suffolk.

A 45-minute operation to remove the cartilage was a complete success and the Queen used a walking stick during convalescence when her official engagements were scaled down.

In December the same year, the Queen, then 77, returned to the King Edward VII for a similar operation on her left knee.

This time the damage appeared to be due to her advancing age or general wear and tear rather than a specific injury.

At the same time, surgeons removed minor - non-cancerous - lesions from her face in a double procedure lasting an hour and a quarter.

The Queen cancelled and postponed engagements but was fully active again in a few weeks.

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Weather: Cold Spell Set To Follow Spring Sun

Extreme UK Weather Prompts Warning

Updated: 8:59am UK, Monday 04 March 2013

The extremes of weather that Britain has experienced over the past year highlight the urgent need to plan for a changing climate, the head of the Environment Agency has warned.

Analysis by the Government agency reveals that one in every five days last year saw flooding in England and Wales, while one in four days were spent in drought.

There was flooding on 78 days of the year, and for 95 days there was official drought declared for some areas, figures from the EA show.

Rivers such as the Tyne, Ouse and Tone went from record low levels to experiencing their highest flows since records began, in the space of four months, the agency said.

Recent Met Office analysis suggests the UK could experience a 1976-style drought every 10 years.

The EA said that with the population of London and the South East set to grow by 23% by 2035, action should be taken now.

Modelling suggests some river flows could be cut by up to 80% during the summer in the next 40 years as the climate changes, putting more pressure on businesses that rely on taking water from rivers for irrigation.

The EA has called for an increase in small-scale water storage reservoirs, which can take advantage of wet times and help farmers, commercial turf growers, golf clubs, sports stadiums and racecourses cope with dry periods.

There are currently around 1,700 such water storage reservoirs in England and Wales, supplying around 30% of irrigation needs, but they will need to increase as the UK faces more extreme weather as the climate changes, the agency said.

EA chairman Lord Smith said: "The extremes of weather that we saw last year highlight the urgent need to plan for a changing climate.

"In 2012 we saw environmental damage caused by rivers with significantly reduced flows, hosepipe bans affecting millions and farmers and businesses left unable to take water from rivers.

"But we also saw the wettest year on record in England, with around 8,000 homes flooded.

"Interestingly 2007 - which also saw some of the most severe flooding in recent memory - also started the year with hosepipe bans.

"More of this extreme weather will exacerbate many of problems that we already deal with including flooding and water scarcity, so taking action today to prepare and adapt homes, businesses, agricultural practices and infrastructure is vital."

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PM Meets Families Facing Poverty At Food Bank

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

The Prime Minister has made a secret visit to his local food bank, after criticism that Downing Street does not understand the increasing role they are playing in 'Austerity Britain'.

Mr Cameron visited the charity, which operates out of a church hall in his constituency in Oxfordshire, and spoke to volunteers who supply up to 10 families each week with emergency food parcels.

Nationally, the use of food banks has grown, with the largest operator, the Trussell Trust, now running 310 centres. The trust helped 260,000 people in the past year, an increase of 60,000 on the year before.

The Witney food bank was set up by Jo Cypher, who told Sky News: "We've had people coming in saying 'we've had a choice this week, either we buy electric, we buy gas, we pay bills, or we eat'."

Her colleague Julie Walker-Lock said they were helping a variety of people. "We're seeing from the elderly down to the families with young children. We've had a barrister in - he'd been looking after his wife and she'd passed away and he'd lost everything, and he came here, and we helped him out."

Melody Hopkins is one of the those who has used the Witney food bank. She told Sky News she was a victim of domestic violence, and then lost her job as a carer for disabled people.

More and more people are relying on food banks

Despite receiving benefits and child tax credits, she said she struggles to pay rising food and heating bills, and care for her eight-year-old son Toby who requires daily medication for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. She found it difficult to make the transition from wage earner to welfare recipient.

"My wages had stopped, so I had to wait for the benefits to kick in. We were desperate. We didn't have any food. At one point I had a fiver, in my back pocket, to just go and get some food.

"It's sad to think that I used to work, I used to do three meals a day, it was great, and now it's come down to one meal a day, because Toby gets free lunch at school. So I haven't eaten today - I'll eat later with him. I have gone without because Toby comes first ... it's sad when I can't give Toby the food he wants."

Difficulties in finding childcare after school for a child with special needs mean Ms Hopkins cannot get a full-time job, so she does voluntary work instead.

"I don't want to be on benefits. I want to go back to work and do a job. I've always worked. This is the only one or two years I haven't had a job," she said.

The food bank in Witney is housed in a church hall

Ms Hopkins added that she shops for clothes once a year, gets furniture from charity shops and avoids big supermarkets. 

"Every aisle is temptation, you need to go around those shops and not even look at the prices. I can't do that. I go in with a basket and it's the bare essentials - can we make tea out of what we've got? And you see people walking out with big trolleys and you think OK, I haven't got that, we've got what we need and we will go," she explained.

To help as many people as possible, and to avoid dependency, food banks permit only three visits per year, and recipients have to have been referred by a charity or other agency. GPs are now prescribing food as well as medicine to patients.

Dr Raj Kohli, from the Deer Park Medical Centre in Witney, told Sky News: "I do come across families who are struggling to appropriately feed their children. Particularly with fresh fruit and vegetables, it's expensive.

"We're not necessarily seeing the physical effects of malnutrition at this stage, but they are struggling. We need to look at their immediate needs, and a food bank can help their immediate needs."

Food bank user Melody Hopkins prepares a meal

Witney is not the sort of place you might expect to find poverty. The Cotswolds town has only 909 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance and its unemployment rate is less than half of the national average. 

But there are enough people struggling to make ends meet to mean the food bank has become a vital resource. Even the local Brownie pack saved loose change and then put all their money together to buy tins of food to give to the poor. Shoppers and supermarkets both donate groceries which can be used in food parcels.

The volunteers at the Witney food bank were sworn to secrecy about the Prime Minister's visit, and no cameras were present.

But they said that he listened to their comments about why the food bank was needed and their fears that changes to the benefits system in April could bring a fresh influx of people who find it hard to pay their bills.

Previously, a Downing Street spokesperson has said: "Benefit levels are set at a level where people can afford to eat. If people have short-term shortages, where they feel they need a bit of extra food, then of course food banks are the right place for that. But benefits are not set at such a low level that people can't eat."

Affluent Witney is not necessarily where you would expect to find poverty

Volunteer Julie Walker-Lock told Sky News: "I think that was a very ill-informed statement they made. There is a genuine need for us to be here." 

Ms Cypher said: "We were glad he came, because I think he was blind to the fact that, like everybody else, supposedly Witney is very rich. It's actually quite the opposite. It's not.

"I think he went away with a better understanding of how the system works and why we're here. I'm hoping that we went away with some of those thoughts, and he will act on them."

For those who use the food banks, items like pasta and tins of soups can be an essential part of their diet. But sometimes it's having an occasional treat which can lift people out of depression. An unexpected Christmas hamper made all the difference to Ms Hopkins and her son.

"To everybody else they're not luxuries, but to me and my son they were luxuries. They were things I wanted to buy but couldn't afford to buy, and it brought some tears to our eyes.

"Christmas Day we just had a standard chicken. Most people have turkey, we didn't, we had tinned veg. I mean, it was OK, but we had the little extras like a cracker each, and mince pies. My son was like 'I got sweeties' and I actually wrapped them up and put them in his stocking - that's how important it is to us," she said.

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Councils 'Not Providing Enough Childcare'

More than two thirds of councils are failing to provide enough childcare for working parents, campaigners for families' rights have warned.

Only one in five local authorities have enough childcare for parents with children under two, and just one in three for school-age children, according to the Daycare Trust and Family and Parenting Institute.

And just one in seven have enough childcare for disabled children - a figure that has not improved in five years, it said.

The charity's chief executive, Anand Shukla, said the shortage is linked to the financial squeeze.

"Councils across England and Wales are failing families by presiding over a continuing shortage of high-quality, affordable childcare," he said.

"Local authorities have a legal duty to ensure a sufficient supply of childcare in their areas, but no doubt their failure to do so is linked to the tight financial squeeze they find themselves in, with ever more austere funding settlements.

"Only the Government can address this situation by investing more in providing support for parents."

Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world.

Figures published recently by the Department for Work and Pensions showed that a third of parents who want to work more cannot because they are unable to find affordable childcare.

The Government is set to announce childcare reforms

As part of coalition efforts to cut childcare costs, staff are to be able to take charge of six two-year-olds rather than four, while the ratio for children under the age of one will go up from three to four

But the charity's Childcare Costs Survey 2013 suggests such plans will have little impact on childcare costs.

Mr Shukla said: "Staffing costs are only part of a complicated picture, so allowing adults to look after more children at once is not only a risky idea, but an ineffective one too.

"With private and non-profit childcare providers exposed to the full force of a harsh business economy, we doubt whether parents will ever see any of the money saved by cutting nursery staff."

Ministers have still not finalised a much-heralded, wider shake-up of childcare funding and tax breaks.

The Government will make an announcement soon, a spokesman said.

"We are reforming the childcare system so that providers have more flexibility when they have highly qualified staff and childminders are better supported," he said.

"Ratio changes, which are not compulsory, will allow providers to have the flexibility to increase pay for better qualified workers.

"High quality providers will be able to expand and more childminders will enter the market - this will mean parents have more affordable childcare."

The charity's study will be published on Wednesday.

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Paul Gascoigne: I've Never Been As Bad As This

Paul Gascoigne says he is not ready to give up his fight against alcohol addiction after his emergency admission to a US rehab clinic.

The Sunday Mirror reported that the former football star told his friend Jimmy Gardner: "The drink nearly finished me off this time.

"I know I've never been as bad as this before. But I'm not ready to give up the fight.

"I'm getting better now. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting there."

Friends of Gascoigne, 45, clubbed together to pay for his £6,000-a-week detox treatment, after a relapse in January.

He was transferred to a hospital following a seizure, where he spoke to Mr Gardner, 46, from his ward.

Mr Gardner told the Sunday Mirror: "Paul sounded frail and weak and scared.

"But I could hear something else in his voice too. I could hear grit and determination.

"No one knows Paul like I do and I can tell you, he's not for throwing in the towel.

"I love him to his bones. I can't think about him not being here. He'll beat the booze. He's done it before and he'll do it again."

He will now spend time in isolation in rehab, and has had his phone taken away as part of his therapy.

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Devizes: Man And Woman Found Shot Dead

The bodies of a man and woman have been found shot dead at a house in Devizes, Wiltshire police say.

The discovery was made at a house on Moonrakers Estate, shortly before 11am on Saturday.

The man has been named locally as Bill Dowling.

It is being described as an "isolated incident" and no-one else is at risk.

The families have been informed but formal identification has not yet taken place.

A spokesman said: "We can confirm that at shortly before 11am on Saturday, March 2, officers were called to a property at Moonrakers Estate, Devizes.

"On arrival the bodies of a man and a woman were found. An investigation into the circumstances of their deaths is under way.

"This is an isolated incident and we have no reason to believe that anyone else is at risk."

Cordons have been placed around the scene as investigators continue their enquiries.

More follows...

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Don Valley: Jessica Ennis' Track To Close

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

The athletics stadium where Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis trains is to close.

Sheffield City Council voted to go ahead with the closure of the Don Valley stadium as part of a package of cuts. The council has to save £50m in the next financial year.

Ennis reacted to news of the closure minutes after it was announced, tweeting: "So sad to lose Don Valley Stadium! Where it all started for me. Great memories."

She had called on councillors to rethink the plans, saying: "It would be a huge shame. I've got some amazing memories, starting my athletic career there and having that iconic stadium in my home city is incredible.

"To lose that would be such a shame for future athletes coming through, so I hope that the right decision's made and we can find a way to keep it."

Thousands cheered Ennis to London 2012 glory on a screen at Don Valley

The stadium will remain open until September 2013 so planned events over the summer, including the British Transplant Games, can still go ahead. Alternative uses for the stadium or site will be considered by the city council until then.

Ennis began her athletics career after attending a summer camp at the stadium in her home city. Thousands gathered at the stadium to watch on a big screen as she won Olympic gold in the heptathlon at London 2012.

Councillors have been accused of failing to build on the Olympic legacy by closing the venue. A smaller, currently mothballed, stadium will be refurbished for athletes in Sheffield.

Jessica's coach Toni Minichiello says he is not convinced sufficient investment will be made in the alternative site and says the loss of the Don Valley stadium is a blow to the sport.

Jessica Ennis did most of her Olympic training at her home town venue

He told Sky News: "It is an iconic stadium and it's a place that has inspired youngsters and none more so than Jessica Ennis.

"It is a fantastic facility and it is an incredible shame to lose something like this from the sporting map.

"Having taken the youngsters all the way through to Olympic gold you see that this actually can be done in Sheffield.

"Why, if you can have one Jessica Ennis, can you not have two or three?

"That opportunity all of a sudden looked to be there and now it's going to be taken away from a whole new generation of youngsters."

Sheffield City Council said in order to keep the Don Valley Stadium open and achieve the same level of saving it would have had to close up to five community sports facilities.

Cllr Isobel Blower says the stadium is too expensive to subsidise

The council says that would have resulted in a loss in sports participation of up to 10 times greater that shutting the athletics stadium.

Councillor Isobel Bowler, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure at Sheffield City Council said "No-one wants to close Don Valley but we can no longer afford to subsidise it by £700,000 a year.

"Over the next 10 years, the council will save over £6m - a huge amount of money."

"We will still provide a home for athletics at Woodbourn, which is less than a mile away and will cost less than £70,000 a year to run.

"This approach has been endorsed by the sport's governing body and the city's two main athletics clubs are already engaged in constructive discussions with the council about the transfer.

"Woodbourn will technically offer the same quality of track and field facilities and in fact will provide uninterrupted access for our local clubs."

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Defence Sec: Cut Welfare Not Troops

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has warned he will resist further cuts to the armed forces in Chancellor George Osborne's forthcoming spending review.

After Downing Street said publicly last month that the military would not be immune from further financial retrenchment, Mr Hammond has vowed to fight against anything more than modest "efficiency savings".

He said other Conservative Cabinet ministers believed that the greatest burden of any cuts should fall on the welfare budget.

A Whitehall source said Mr Hammond's comments were aimed particularly at the Lib Dems following remarks by senior Lib Dem ministers indicating that they believed welfare spending should be protected over defence.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hammond said there was a "body of opinion within Cabinet who believes that we have to look at the welfare budget again", and that "we should be seeing welfare spending falling" as a result of rising employment levels.

He said the "first priority" for the Government should be "defending the country and maintaining law and order" and that further defence cuts were not possible while meeting stated security objectives.

Mr Hammond says the welfare budget should be curbed instead

"I shall go into the spending review fighting the case for the defence budget on the basis that we have made very large cuts to defence, we've done that with the collaboration and co-operation of the military," he said.

"Any further reduction in the defence budget would fall on the level of activity that we were able to carry out - the idea that expensively bought equipment may not be able to be used, expensively employed troops may not be able to be exercised and trained as regularly as they need to be.

"I am not going into the spending review offering any further reductions in personnel."

Mr Hammond's comments are likely to be welcomed by Tory backbenchers who have been calling for a return to a core Conservative values in the wake of the party's trouncing in the Eastleigh by-election.

However they will also heighten tensions within the coalition, with the Liberal Democrats resisting a further squeeze on welfare spending.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said: "Philip Hammond's words are significant for two reasons: he's clearly saying to the Lib Dems 'enough is enough' and by so blatantly suggesting that the British Armed Forces would be unacceptably weakened if subjected to further cuts, he's drawing a line that would be dangerous to cross."  

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