Local News

A round up of Zetland FM's local news stories for Thursday 22nd October 2015.

Redcar MP Anna Turley has accused the government of planning to raid the £80m 'aid package' for sacked SSI workers to pay for final salaries and redundancy for sacked workers.

The package, which was announced by Business Secretary Sajid Javid last month, was supposed to pay to retrain redundant staff and fund new businesses in our area.

However Ms Turley told the House of Commons she'd learned £30m of the fund would be used to pay for redundancy payments.

She produced a letter from 'Northern Powerhouse' minister James Wharton, which revealed that the fund would also be used to pay steelworkers' final salaries.

Anna made the dramatic revelation during a rowdy session of Prime Minister's Questions yesterday.

Ms Turley asked: "On the 16th September the Prime Minister told this House that he would do everything he could to keep steelmaking on Teesside. He failed.

"Now we learn that £30 million of the support package that the Government promised for retraining and economic regeneration is not only going towards the statutory redundancies of those who lost their jobs, but I also have an email here from the Northern Powerhouse minister to a constituent in Stockton South that says it's also going to be used to pay for the final salaries of those who lost their jobs in the last month.

"I'd like to ask the Prime Minister how much more injustice does he think the people of Teesside can endure?"

Mr Cameron replied: "We will do everything we can to help including the financial package that she's set out, making sure that we help people with retraining and with new opportunities, making sure that we help bring new industries to the area.

"But let me tell her what we can't do. We can't in this House set the world price of steel, we can't overcome the fact that the SSI plant had lost £600 million in this Parliament, those are the facts and those are the facts that members opposite, frankly, have got to engage with."

Mr Cameron challenged Labour to examine its own record as he argued that steel production had gone up and steel employment had stayed at the same level during his time as Prime Minister.

He told a rowdy Commons at the end of PMQs "so before we get a self-righteous lecture from the party opposite, look at your own record".

Police are appealing for information after a 14 year old girl suffered injuries when she was in collision with a Toyota Yaris on Monday evening.

The collision took place just after 7.35pm where the cycle path joins Crestwood Road in Redcar.

The teenager suffered fractures to her left leg, head injuries and cuts to her body.  She is currently in James Cook University Hospital in a stable condition.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact PC Tina Lackenby of the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit on 101 quoting event 184835.

A Parkinson's Advanced Symptom Unit - the first of its kind in the UK – has opened at Redcar Primary Care Hospital.

Unlike a usual 15 or 30 minute appointment, the pilot clinic offers half-day or full day appointments where specialist staff - including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and specialist nurses - have greater opportunity to assess the patient’s condition and to tailor treatment to individual needs. 

Dr Neil Archibald, lead consultant neurologist, said there is a real need for specialist Parkinson’s care as one in 500 people has the disease and as the population ages then this number is only set to increase. 

The pilot clinic was set up by the Parkinson’s team from South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is supported in part by a £75,000 grant from the independent healthcare charity the Health Foundation. 

It also has the support of Parkinson’s UK, South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.