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.

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Middle-Aged Drinking Takes Toll on 'Ladettes'

By James Matthews, Sky Correspondent

The "ladette" culture of the 1980s and 90s is a key factor in the growing number of middle-aged women turning to drink, according to the founder of a support website.

Lucy Rocca says women between 30 and 50 are turning to alcohol as a natural choice, having grown up in an era when drinking to excess was encouraged. 

Ms Rocca set up the Soberistas website after developing - and overcoming - a dependency on alcohol. 

Within two months, more than 1,500 women had joined the forum to discuss problem drinking. The overwhelming majority are middle-aged and many are professional, career women.

Ms Rocca told Sky News: "I think the reason that women of that age are finding themselves in that position where they are drinking too much is that a lot of them grew up in a ladette culture and went on to get married and have children. 

"They had grown up in a culture where it was acceptable and encouraged, really, to drink excessively and, once they found themselves dealing with motherhood and stresses of work, they swapped the pints for the wine and they drank at home to try to deal with that stress."

Former 'ladette' poster girl Zoë Ball recently gave up alcohol

Figures for hospital admissions reflect a recent increase in problem-drinking among women between 30 and 50. 

According to the Department of Health, in England in 2010 there were 110,128 alcohol-related hospital admissions for women in their mid-30s to mid-50s. This was nearly double the number of admissions of women aged 15-34.

In Scotland, the number of alcohol-related deaths among women aged 30-44 has doubled in the past 20 years. 

In January, the Scottish Government launched a new photo app called Drinking Mirror as part of an initiative it dubbed Drop A Glass Size.

Its aim is to encourage women to curb excessive drinking by showing them a photo of how they will look in 10 years' time, depending how much they drink.

Sarah Turner, 57, who runs a centre for women with drink problems, was a millionaire property developer until she developed an addiction to wine and vodka.

Her business collapsed and her home was repossessed. Having now recovered, she helps middle-class, middle-aged women deal with drink problems. 

She believes their needs are too often ignored, while resources are channelled towards areas like teenage binge-drinking.

She told Sky News: "There is enough being done for the disassociated and the disadvantaged.

"The middle-class, middle-aged woman is so shameful, guilty and fearful of coming forward to talk about this problem and they become hidden, secret drinkers.

"This is happening in the home on an epic scale now."

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Breast Cancer: UK Lagging In Survival Rates

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Ageism and poor treatment are reducing women's chances of surviving breast cancer, new research suggests.

The study, funded by The Department of Health, revealed that women in Britain are far less likely to be alive three years after diagnosis than those in other well-developed countries.

Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Cancer Survival Group found that 87-89% of women in the UK and Denmark were alive three years after diagnosis, compared to 91-94% in Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden.

Figures published in the British Journal of Cancer show the biggest difference was in women aged over 70. In the UK the three-year survival rate is 79%; in Sweden it is 91%.

The scientists say the findings suggest older women and those with more advanced disease are treated less aggressively in the UK.

Dr Sarah Walters, who led the research, said: "In the UK, women are diagnosed at a similar stage as elsewhere, but survival is lower than women with the same stage of disease in other countries.

"We should now investigate whether the treatment of women with later-stage breast cancer meets international standards. There is particular concern that this is not the case, especially for older women."

Sara Hiom, the charity's director of early diagnosis, said the survival gap between the UK and other countries is closing, but the country still fares worse.

"We know that UK women diagnosed with breast cancer are not routinely given CT scans to check if the disease has spread, which could mean we aren't always accurately staging more advanced disease.

"But we also need to investigate the possibility that fewer women with later stage breast cancer in the UK receive the best treatment for their circumstances."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This study will help us keep improving breast cancer treatment as part of our cancer strategy to save an extra 5,000 lives a year by 2014.

"We have worked with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve access to assessment, treatment and aftercare for cancer patients over 70.

"The NHS is also working to ensure all patients are treated as individuals and receive care that meets their healthcare needs whatever their age or condition."

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Lloyds: Osborne Plans Taxpayer Stake Sale

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

The Government will signal today that it will begin the sell-off of its stake in Lloyds Banking Group when the lender's share price hits 61p - a far lower level than previously thought.

I have learnt that UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which manages the taxpayer's 39% stake in Lloyds, and the Treasury will indicate today that the privatisation of the Government's stake can begin within months.

The 61p level is the price at which the stake - bought in 2008 at the height of the banking crisis - is booked at in the national accounts.

The £1.48m bonus awarded to Lloyds boss Antonio Horta-Osorio can vest if the Government sells at least one-third of its stake above 61p, Lloyds confirmed today.

"This award is subject to the normal performance adjustment policy and will only vest if a share price of 73.6p has been reached for a given period of time or the Government has sold at least 33% of its shareholding at prices above 61p," Lloyds said, confirming a report on Sky News.

"The board believes that these additional conditions are in the interests of all shareholders and support our common aim of repaying the taxpayer.

"HM Treasury has informed us that 61p is the average price at which the equity support provided to Lloyds Banking Group is recorded in the Public Finances."

The news comes as Lloyds reported a loss for last year of £570m, down from £3.5bn in 2011.

The loss was attributable to a £3.5bn provision during 2012 for mis-selling payment protection insurance, £1.5bn of which was taken during the fourth quarter.

Lloyds paid out £365m in bonuses for the year, with an employee average of £3,900.

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Jessica Ennis Makes Don Valley Stadium Appeal

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis has made an eleventh-hour appeal to save the stadium that helped to inspire her.

Councillors are expected to approve closure of the Don Valley Stadium at a budget meeting today.

It is where the sports star perfected her athletic prowess as a youngster and where she still trains.

The heptathlete was discovered on a summer schools training camp at the Sheffield stadium and thousands watched her charge to Olympic glory on a big screen inside the venue.

But despite the heptathlete's objections it looks likely that councillors will approve a plan to bulldoze the building.

Ennis said: "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."

Councillors in Sheffield have been accused of squandering the Olympic legacy but they say the 22-year-old stadium is often empty and needs major refurbishment that the city cannot afford.

Ennis won one of Team GB's 29 gold medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games

The Labour-controlled council argues that it has to save £50m as a result of Government budget cuts and if the venue remained open local leisure centres would have to close instead.

Councillor Isobel Bowler said: "We have to choose where we put our money. If we kept this stadium open we might have to shut two or three or possibly even four local leisure centres. That's not the way to preserve the Olympic legacy."

Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield MP Nick Clegg has urged the city council to keep the stadium open.

The sporting community is also strongly opposed to its closure.

Jessica Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello has invested many years of nurturing young talent at Don Valley and accuses the local authority of short-sightedness.

He told Sky News: "It is an iconic stadium and its 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."

The local authority says the building costs £700,000 a year to run.

It aims to redevelop the nearby Woodbourn athletics stadium - an older building that has been mothballed for a few years. That would cost approximately £100,000.

The Don Valley stadium was opened in 1991 to host the World Student Games in the hope that it would help revitalise the largely derelict east end of Sheffield.

The full cost of staging the event is not due to be paid off until 2024.

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CPS Taxi Fraud: Charges Over £1m Plot

Two workers at the Crown Prosecution Service are facing charges over a fraud plot involving false taxi claims worth at least £1m.

Finance manager Lisa Burrows, 41, from Birmingham, and an administrative officer who has not been named, work for CPS West Midlands.

The allegations concern false claims for witness care taxi services to the value of at least £1m when no such services had been supplied, the CPS alleged in a statement.

Malcolm McHaffie, deputy head of special crime for the CPS, said the charges followed a complaint by the CPS and a subsequent investigation by West Midlands Police into two members of CPS staff.

"I have now concluded that it is appropriate to charge both Burrows and the other individual with conspiracy to commit fraud," he said.

Mr McHaffie added that while the administrative officer had not yet been charged, Burrows was due appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday.

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MoD 'Wasting Funds On Unnecessary Equipment'

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is "wasting significant amounts of public money" buying equipment it does not need, according to a group of politicians.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has closely examined the management of the UK defence inventory by totting up what it orders and how much it spends on new kit and then comparing that to how much equipment is actually used.

MP Richard Bacon, who sits on the PAC, criticised the MoD: "While it is perfectly understandable that the department would want to ensure troops on the front line have the equipment they need, it is simply not good enough for the MoD to blame the Treasury for not incentivising it to deal with the issue," he said.

"The MoD should set targets to reduce unnecessary ordering and regularly review its progress to see where else money could be saved.

"With stock returning from Afghanistan and soon from Germany, the problem is likely to get worse unless the MoD acts now to get rid of the £3.4bn stockpile of supplies it has identified as no longer being needed.

"It needs to act fast as some central depots for non-explosive items are already 90% full."

Between April 2009 and March 2011, the MoD purchased 38% more raw material and consumable inventory, such as clothing or ammunition, than it used, costing £1.5bn.

The MoD is also criticised for not getting rid of stock it no longer needs or does not use regularly.

The report reminds the Government that it had been told to sort out its act as long ago as 1991 but has failed to address the "root problems".

It suggests that the MoD should hire professionals who would be better able to identify the problems. 

The MoD has accepted past failings and promised to improve the way it buys new equipment.

"I am determined to reverse decades of lax inventory management to ensure that MoD assets are managed much more efficiently in the future," responded Philip Dunne, the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology.

"Considerable progress has been made since 2010; the size and value of our holdings are now heading in the right direction and we plan to spend almost £2bn less on inventory over the next four years. Introducing comprehensive programmes and modern IT systems to enforce rigorous control are central to this improvement."

The committee does credit the MoD for acknowledging there is still a problem and suggests it is cautiously optimistic that things are getting better, but does warn that past promises of improvement have not materialised.

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RBS Boss: Spring Cleaning Drives £5.16bn Loss

The Royal Bank of Scotland boss has said "spring-cleaning" continues after his firm reported a pre-tax loss in 2012 of £5.16bn.

RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said: "This company is going through a pretty thorough spring-cleaning. It is a pretty dusty job.

"We are spring-cleaning this house and it is looking shinier."

The significant loss was in part due to provisions RBS has made for customer redress for payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling and other so-called bad practices.

It said the annual return was impacted heavily by a £4.64bn "accounting charge for improved own credit".

However, the firm's bankers will still share a bonus pool of £607m - including £215m for investment bankers.

In 2011 the total bonus pot was around 25% higher, at £789m.

Boss Stephen Hester said RBS must be "cleaned up"

When asked to justify the £607m payout, Mr Hester said: "We are a very big company so the numbers end up being substantial, but they are much smaller than other banks.

"We believe that we are doing a responsible job on bonus restraint while acknowledging our staff are badly needed."

The bonus reduction was done to help recoup cash to pay for its recent Libor-rigging settlement with UK and US authorities.

Last month RBS reached an agreement with the Financial Services Authority and US authorities over Libor and other rate fixings to include penalties of £381m.

Mr Hester admitted 2012 had been a "chastening" year to "put right past mistakes", with losses up significantly from £1.2bn in 2011.

The company revealed it took a £450m charge in the last three months of 2012 over PPI mis-selling, taking its cumulative provision to £2.2bn.

By December 31 a total of £1.3bn had been paid out in redress over the scandal.

The disgraced ex-boss Fred Goodwin reigned over the previous RBS regime

The bank said: "Our target is for 2013 to be the last big year of restructuring. There will be important work still to do, but an increasingly sound base from which to work.

"As the spotlight shifts to the 'new RBS' post restructuring, we are determined that it will show a leading UK bank striving to be a really good bank."

RBS saw changed fortunes in its core business, with retail and commercial sector income down 6% but markets up 68%.

The bank added: "RBS is four years into its recovery plan and good progress has been made. We are a much smaller, more focused and stronger bank.

"By serving customers well RBS can become one of the most respected, valued and stable of banks. That is our goal."

In its annual report the bank, which was bailed-out in Britain's biggest ever corporate disaster, said there is an intention to float an estimated 25% of its stake in US banking arm Citizens.

This move was welcomed by Chancellor George Osborne who said: "The Government's strategy is for RBS to be a stronger and safer bank, which in time can be returned to full private ownership.

"I have been very clear that I want to see RBS as a British-based bank, focused on serving British businesses and consumers, with a smaller international investment bank to support that activity rather than to rival it."

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Armed Forces Facing £11bn More Cuts Warning

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

More redundancies could be made in the UK Armed Forces, according to new analysis of the defence budget.

The respected Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) claims cuts to budgets are "likely" in 2015, despite hopes that the worst was over.

According to the Institute's calculations, the military might have to accept that budget savings need to be made of around "£11bn ... over 10 years as a result of the decisions taken in Autumn Statement 2012 and Spending Review 2013".

"The MoD is likely to face a very difficult 2015 spending review, especially if the country's wider fiscal position remains as difficult as is now projected," RUSI predicts.

The Ministry of Defence recently announced the latest round of redundancies that will affect the army, with 5,300 soldiers to lose their jobs in June.

The RUSI report said the MoD does not face a problem "comparable in magnitude to the black hole it faced in the 2010 Spending Review", but it concluded that the UK's overall economic outlook will lead to reduced budgets.

In response, Philip Dunne, the Defence, Equipment, Support and Technology Minister, said: "The MoD budget for 2015/16 will be set this summer and the budget for subsequent years will be finalised in the next full spending review.

"The Treasury has made clear that the MoD may plan on receiving a 1% real-terms increase in the equipment budget from 2015/16 onwards.

"This has been endorsed by the Prime Minister. Our Armed Forces will remain a formidable fighting force, backed by the fourth-largest defence budget in the world."

RUSI concluded that the best hope for a return to defence spending is a recovery in the overall economy - something that the Government cannot seem to achieve.

However, this worst-case-scenario painted by RUSI is based on hypothetical outcomes and will be regarded by some as unrealistic and scare-mongering.

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