Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20170208

London. Alan simpson, the writer behind tv Classic Steptoe And Son has died. We look back at a remarkable life. In the sport on bbc news, the tinker man returns. Claudio ranieri makes. ;. 7 54. 7 5; r . A}; 92. 55; . L. ;. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. The bbc has uncovered fresh evidence of the length of time some patients remain in Hospital Waiting to be discharged, often because of a lack of suitable home or nursing care. Half of the acute hospitals in england told us about their Longest Delays in discharging medically fit patients. Over the last three years, 130 patients spent a hundred days or more waiting to leave hospital. The Longest Delay was in mid yorkshire, where one patient had to wait 419 days. And today a report by The Governments Spending Watchdog has warned that plans to ease pressure on the nhs byjoining up health and social care, arent working. Our social affairs correspondent, alison holt, has been looking at the situation in North Yorkshire. This is the road back to some sort of independence for 85 year old eileen kirton. Shesjust spent more than a month in hospital after a stomach bug. I felt terrible. I couldnt describe it. How i felt. I wasnt eating and it took me all my time to drink because i was frightened. The danger was she would be stuck in an expensive Hospital Bed Waiting for the care she needed to cope at home. I was isolated in a little room all by myself. I was very down. You know . I thought im never going to come out of here. But she was moved to this special flat with care on hand, without it she could have been in hospitalfor another fortnight. It is one way North Yorkshire county council and the nhs locally are working together to ease pressures. Ifeel as if they are helping me to get my strength back. And i do feel better for it. I mean, iam never lonely. But North Yorkshire is a large rural county with an Ageing Population. Despite investing in new Services Like many authorities highlighted in todays National Audit office report, the council is struggling with the sheer demand for care. And delays in getting people out of hospital have increased. At Harrogate Hospital it is social worker carol burdon who has to organise the Community Support needed. At the moment its very busy. There is a drive to get them out as soon as possible, but then you have to do that liaising with families, any Community Nurses or anyone that needs to be involved in that discharge, it can be quite hard to coordinate that care and find the care. The ambitions of the council plan or all about Better Outcomes for all North Yorkshire residents despite reductions in local government funding. It is North Yorkshire councillors and officials who have to find the money to pay for a lot of that care. They are raising council tax, but this conservative and authority is adamant a long Term Solution has to be found. I am too greatly disappointed that The Government hasnt seen fit to provide genuinely new money when it is so desperately needed. Seven years ago this council spent about a third of its budget on providing care and support for people who are older and disabled. But now the cost of Adult Social Care is heading towards half of its budget, with demand still increasing. And that is at the heart of the problems they are wrestling with today. We will continue to plan ahead for the future. We will continue to prioritise social care. You have seen, we have done that. Social care is a much bigger proportion of our budget. But it is probably the most worrying time in social care that i have ever known in 20 years. And at each stage the care system is showing signs of the pressure. And of course we have got this evenings handover at 7 15pm. At this harrogate Home Care Provider they are arranging support for new council funded clients. But on the wages they are able to pay it can be a struggle to compete with supermarkets for staff. You are driving from place to place, youre in your own vehicle, and it is easier to be in one place. Now, that might be a nursing home or it might be a supermarket. It is hard to compete with that. And i think the only thing, you know, carers are not paid enough, you know, for the service that they delivered daily. Sheiseartiallgsf ,. Vital supportrwhichrshesays give them more respect and provide more carers and adequate care for people who want to live in their own home. The government insists people are benefiting from health and Care Services working together and that more money is being invested. But change takes time and for those on the front line in the pressure is here now. Alison holt, bbc news, North Yorkshire. Well, social care was also the focus of Prime Ministers questions today, with the Labour Leader, jeremy corbyn, confronting theresa may with what he said were leaked text messages. He accused her government of Offering Conservative run Surrey Council what he called a Sweetheart Deal in exchange for dropping a planned Council Tax Rise to cover social care bills. Heres our political editor, laura kuennsberg. The file under her arm, the Prime Minister always properly prepared with her red government folders and read government boxes. Maybe not this time. Theresa may on her way to weekly Prime Ministers questions into this time a good Old Fashioned ambush. The torys Surrey Council called off a vote on increasing council tax just yesterday. Why . Can the Prime Minister tell the house whether or not a special deal was done for surrey . The decision on whether or not to hold a referendum in surrey is entirely a matter for the local authority in surrey. Was it . He was armed with leaked text is where the Council Leader wrote of a government deal. Is the same Sweetheart Deal on offer to every council with social care crisis created by her government . He comes with all sorts of claims. What you get from labour are alternative facts. Not quite what she was asked. It absolutely goes against the grain for us to impose an increase in taxation. The Council Leader seems to have thought he was having a conversation with a government adviser. He wrote. The numbers you indicated are the numbers i understand are acceptable for me to accept and call of the art, the referendum. Really want to kill this off. David hodge. It is believed he sent them by mistake to a Labour Leader will stop a lot more awkward than text message finger trouble. It is a tory safe haven. Labour can trouble. It is a tory safe haven. Labourcan claim trouble. It is a tory safe haven. Labour can claim Central Government has done favours for friends. Yesterday, when the leader called off the referendum, he hinted at a wider deal. Sometimes it is best to say nothing. Sometimes i cannot say too much but i am much more confident now about the future. I think The Government recognises that aduu think The Government recognises that Adult Social Care is a National Issue and we need to look at all tentative ways of funding it. This meant to reason me was on the back footin meant to reason me was on the back foot in the house of commons. One senior Council Leader said it smacked of the worst kind of political cronyism. It has turned minds again to the pressing question of how we pay to care for the elderly. Ministers say privately they are looking hard for a solution. In public there is not much evidence yet. Without an answer, the Government Faces much more than a little local difficulty. Alison is here now. Alison khalili have told the story of council. This is a of one macro council. This is a national problem. The i saw in North Yorkshire and surrey are ones you will find again and again in authorities around the country. What is interesting about these two authorities is they are tory heartlands. North yorkshire prides itself on keeping a good budget and investing for the future. They have an Ageing Population and they are feeling the pain and are worried about the future. Today we have at the National Audit office saying the better ca re the National Audit office saying the Better Care Fund is not releasing the fans it expected. There are concerns about the pressures that. The government says it is early days and it will work out. It also says it is not just and it will work out. It also says it is notjust about money because some authorities do better than others. We have looked at delayed discharges in england but different systems elsewhere in the uk have made it difficult for us to make direct comparisons with what is happening there. Thank you very much. And laura is in westminster. With the kind of evidence we have broadcast today, is becoming more and more of a political problem . Broadcast today, is becoming more and more of a Political Problem7m has come up the rails very fast. Not just because of pressure from local government but more and more mps are seeing direct evidence from their constituents, members of the public who are seeing these issues upfront and inside their own families and indifferent parts of the country. That means this is now extremely pressing. When you talk to ministers about it behind closed doors they say a lot of work is going on. There are is a long term hunt for solutions within the cabinet office. I have heard the Prime Minister is prepared to be quite radical. Successive governments have struggled with this. With the cash crunch for local authorities and the democrat big crunch coming as well, perhaps this government will have no choice but to confront it. Demographic crunch. And for more in depth analysis on the pressures facing the nhs, go to our website at bbc. Co. Uk health. A woman, whose long term partner died without Signing A Form Nominating her to receive his Public Sector pension, has won a legal battle that could affect millions of other unmarried couples. Denise brewster argued at the Supreme Court that she was the victim of serious discrimination. Our ireland correspodent, chris buckler, reports. Denise brewster had lived with her fiance, lenny, for ten years and they were making plans for their future. To me, lenny was my soul mate. When i look at this picture, i think thats just how we were. He was a fun loving guy, he had lots of friends. But in 2009, just days after they got engaged, he died suddenly. It was such a difficult time and it will always remain difficult for me. But i feel lenny has given me strength at the most difficult times. For 15 years, lenny worked for translink, which provides public transport in Northern Ireland and, during that time, like many workers, he paid into a local government pension scheme, which he thought would provide some security for him and his partner in later years. But when he died, denise was informed she wouldnt benefit. Because denise wasnt married, she was told that she wasnt entitled to a survivors pension. Her partner would have had to have filled out this, a nomination form. She argued that that was a lawful discrimination and today the Supreme Court ruled in her favour. We say that she is entitled to receive a pension and that the Nomination Requirement should no longer be applied. Its a ruling that could benefit the partners of some other Public Sector workers like nurses, teachers and Civil Servants although that could depend on the rules of each there are over 6 Million People across the Country Living as couples. Many of them are in Company Pension schemes, Public Sector Pension Schemes, and they should be treated equally to their married counterparts. So i hope all Pension Schemes will review their rules in light of this judgment. And the woman who fought this case hopes it will provide greater protection for other families. At least ijust had to defend for myself and i had to take my hardships but, when you have other families that have a vounn {imam or their mummy, and then of it all, i thought, was immense. And this is a judgment which perhaps reflects changes to what the word family now means in the uk. Chris buckler, bbc news, belfast. Tara Palmer Tomkinson, the socialite and god daughter of the prince of wales, has been found dead in her west london home. The 45 year old celebrity, who rose to fame in the 90s, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year. Prince charles said he was deeply saddened by the news. Rebecca jones looks back at her life. Ta ra Tara Palmer Tompkinson seemed to haveit Tara Palmer Tompkinson seemed to have it all. Money, looks, and friends in high places. Here she is friendsin highblacesfficeshejs f . . , 5; i the friendsin highblacesfficeshejs f . . , 5; the duke. Of cambridge. The ngurhgcc nf fatalfiring tina,. Of prince charles, She Goddaughter of prince charles, she went on holiday with the royal family. Today he said he was deeply saddened by the news of her death. She became a regularfixture on catwalks, red carpets come in Gossip Columns and on magazine front covers. Known as an it girl, in 2002 she appeared on the Reality Television show im a celebrity get me out of here. Where she played up her party image. Who is taking me to dinner . But fame had a darker side. Ta ra dinner . But fame had a darker side. Tara Palmer Tompkinson had been addicted to cocaine and at one point she spent £400 a day on the drug. On the same programme she spoke about her habit. In the last weeks of my using it literally was over the toilet, you know. To the most sordid you can have as a junkie. Toilet, you know. To the most sordid you can have as ajunkie. She finished second on the show and went on to appear on other programmes including celebrity mastermind. Do you remain an it girl when you have become one . Certainly not. After being diagnosed last january become one . Certainly not. After being diagnosed lastjanuary with become one . Certainly not. After being diagnosed last january with a Brain Tumourat being diagnosed last january with a brain tumour at public appearances by this became less frequent. Im not the person i was, she said. The party world scares me. Tara Palmer Tomkinson who died at the age of 45. Our top story this evening. Patients waiting more than 100 days to be discharged from hospital in england as consul struggle to provide social care. And still to come. Provide social care. And still to come. How much do you want . Have you gone raving mad . We look back at the life of the man behind the comedy classic hancock s half hour, alan simpson, who has died. Coming up in sportsday on bbc news. Mps are set to approve a bill in the next few hours giving the Prime Minister the power to start brexit negotiations in a major step towards the uk leaving the European Union. The final vote is expected to be at 8pm tonight as our chief Political Correspondent vicki young reports. It wasnt The Governments plan for parliament to have a say on kick starting brexit negotiations. Threatened rebellions have melted away, but today there were still concerns about the fate of eu citizens living in britain. I wonder if today she could reassure all our constituents that those who were born elsewhere in the European Union but settled here in the uk, married or in partnerships with british citizens, could be reassured that they will have the right to remain . Theresa may is sympathetic, but wants guarantees for uk citizens living abroad. I intend to make it clear that i want this to be a priority for an early stage of negotiations so we can address this issue and give reassurance to people concerned. Mps have fallen into line on crucial votes, but in five hours of debates so far today, it is clear that many are deeply anxious about the path ahead. Itjust strikes me as bizarre that we have given up extraordinary influence over a market of 500 Million People to sail off to negotiate free trade deals which will not be without their controversy. But to others brexit is a liberation. Courtesy of us leaving the eu, sterling has fallen and manufacturing in this country is having a field day as we can see from the export orders. And indeed the factory output orders. But divisions among conservatives have been dwarfed by labours problems. Many of its mps are struggling to obeyjeremy corbyns order not to block the brexit bill. It is my intention to do whats right by my constituents and by my conscience and whatever that takes. Also i have to think about the labour party. Its a really tough call. The Labour Leader could be facing more resignations from his team tonight while theresa may seems to have dodged trouble. Mps are about to vote on that issue. Tonight The Government is about to clear a massive hurdle, letting the brexit bill passed with the common unchanged which means when the action moves to the House Of Lords and a couple of weeks it will be much harderfor them to and a couple of weeks it will be much harder for them to justify taking it all apart. The government is to close a legal route for unaccompanied child refugees to come to the uk from europe after 350 have been accepted. Ministers agreed to whats known as the dubs amendment last year, amid mounting political and public pressure, but didnt set a cap on numbers or a time limit. The former entertainer rolf harris has been found not guilty of three counts of indecent and sexual assault. A jury at Southwark Crown court was unable to reach verdicts on four other alleged offences. The allegations in this trial spanned a 40 year period and involved seven women and girls. Heres sangita myska. What happens to him now . The prosecution has already asked for seven days to go and consider whether or not it wants to ask the Court Whether it can have a retrial on those cars that you just mentioned. Whetherjuries simply could not reach a verdict. In the meantime rolf harris issued a statement in which she thanked the Jury Statement in which she thanked the jury for the care and consideration and deliberations and for clearing him of three counts of Indecent Assault today. Rolf harris has protested his innocence throughout the trial but he did not walk out of court today a free man. Instead he is heading back to prison because it is heading back to prison because it is there that he is already serving a sentence for indecently assaulting four other women and girls and remember that trial was back in 2014. The tunisian inquest has heard that the gunman who killed 30 britons could have been stopped but for the negligence of the local police and security services. Seiffedine rezgui, an islamic extremist, was high on drugs and his phone contained instructions on how to maximise casualties during the attack on a hotel injune 2015. Sarah campbell reports from royal courts of justice. Unchecked, he managed to cover a distance of more than a mile. Walking from the beach, through the hotel, and back again. According to evidence gathered by the tunisian judge