Secret Art Stash Hidden In Council Vaults

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Publicly owned works of art worth hundreds of millions of pounds are lying unseen in council vaults around the country, a Sky News investigation has revealed.

Freedom of Information requests to local authorities reveal many simply don't know how many pieces they have or what their value might be.

Some of it is uninsured and only a fraction has been on display in the past 10 years. One council said more than 90% had never been on public display.

Now there are calls for authorities facing financial cutbacks to sell some pieces to raise much needed capital.

Respected art critic Rachel Campbell Johnston called on councils to sell pieces which rarely, if ever, go on show.

Only a fraction of the art and artefacts have ever been on public display

"These works are lying around, unseen, in store rooms, gathering dust, costing money. Flog them off!  Make the most of them and let's hope that somebody somewhere can actually enjoy them," she said.

Sky News asked 10 authorities from across England to reveal what percentage of pieces were on public display, the total insurance value, and how many pieces have never been on public display.

Leeds City Council said it had no recorded information on how much of its collection of artworks (insurance value £150m) was currently on display.

Birmingham City Council's valuation was £235m but it refused to reveal which were the most valuable pieces in storage.

Liverpool and Bristol said their valuations were confidential.

There are calls for some authorities to sell their collections

Manchester said the valuation for local authority artworks was £371m but along with Nottingham and Southampton it refused to allow Sky News access to film items in storage.

Bristol originally told us it couldn't say what percentage of it's collection was on display but eventually revealed that it was 9%.  Sheffield put the figure at 5%. 

Newcastle, which holds 10,000 costumes and textile pieces alone, currently has just 3% of items on public display. 

Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives said that large numbers of the city's art collection was rotated or loaned to other museums and that many items were held for study purposes only.

Bradford Council, along with many others is cutting spending on frontline services due to Government spending restrictions. Some councillors on the authority have questioned whether the council should be art custodians at all.

Liberal Democrat Jeanette Sunderland said: "One of the assets we have is a seriously underused, undervalued and underinsured art collection worth millions which nobody sees.

"I think it's right that councillors challenge the authority on what it is spending it's money on."

But Labour councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said that the city had held its collection for about 130 years.

She said: "It's been amassed by Bradfordians over all that time for the enjoyment of people in Bradford and I don't think this generation should sell-out just for a short term fix which is actually not going to solve a great deal."

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Teen Thrown Around Ride Like A 'Rag Doll'

A teenager is recovering in hospital after falling 15ft from a fairground ride in Worthing, Sussex.

Beth Thorpe, 18, suffered bruises, head and neck injuries after slipping from the Rocker ride on Marine Parade on Thursday night.

A witness to the incident said Miss Thorpe was flung around like a "rag doll" during the ride before coming out of her seat.

Friend Faith Paine, 18, told The Argus newspaper: "Seconds after the ride started she was flung about like a rag doll and started foaming at the mouth, immediately I knew something was wrong.

"She then started to come out of her seat as her body turned to jelly and just slipped out. I was trying to scream stop and help, but it was too late.

"It was without a doubt the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life."

Miss Thorpe suffered cuts, grazes and bruising in the accident

The A Level student was later taken to the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton.

Her father, Robert Thorpe, said: "It was traumatic for her and it's traumatic for us, we are just happy she is recovering, I could have lost my child.

"She has got bruising, cuts and grazes all over her body.

"We do not know exactly what happened, we weren't there, we just got a phone call and all we know is that she was flung out of the ride and she blacked out."

A spokesperson from Worthing Borough Council said: "Following an accident on a fairground ride at Worthing seafront our thoughts are with the woman injured in the accident and her family.

"We wish her a full and speedy recovery. We are grateful to the emergency services who attended the scene promptly.

"The fairground ride operators and Worthing Borough Council will fully co-operate with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and relevant authorities into the investigation that will take place.

"In the meantime, the ride will remain closed until HSE clearance is received to reopen the ride. At the current time we are unable to confirm when the investigation will be completed."

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Teachers Warn Of 'Constant' CCTV Surveillance

Teachers say they are being subjected to constant surveillance by CCTV cameras in schools which are supposed to be used to keep pupils safe.

A poll conducted by the NASUWT union has revealed 8% of 7,500 members questioned said classroom cameras record their lessons. They felt the footage was being used by school leaders to monitor their performance.

The survey comes as delegates attending the union's annual conference in Birmingham discuss a motion suggesting there is too much surveillance of teachers.

Teachers have complained the cameras are being used to judge performance

It says the monitoring is unreasonable, without justification, and adds little value to pupils' progress.

The motion adds: "Its impact is to stifle creativity in education, disempower teachers, put procedure before purpose and increase the workload of teachers."

One teacher said of their school: "CCTV has been used against staff to imply they are handling a situation incorrectly even though the CCTV has no sound."

Another said: "In my school it has been used specifically with newly qualified teachers that the senior leadership team think are not performing well."

Nearly 90% of teachers who have CCTV in their classroom say they cannot switch the cameras off and 40% claim the recordings are monitored by school leaders and the footage used to make judgments about staff performance.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: "Teachers are already wrestling with excessive monitoring, masquerading as classroom observation, carried out by senior management and a host of other people regularly visiting their classrooms.

"The stories teachers recounted to us in the survey are a shocking catalogue of professional disrespect and unacceptable intrusion.

"No other professionals are subjected to such appalling treatment; no one should be subjected to the stress and pressure of being watched constantly. Lab rats have more professional privacy."

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Car Fire In Lion Enclosure: Family's Terror

A woman has told Sky News of the terrifying dilemma she faced when her car caught fire in the middle of the lion enclosure at a safari park.

But despite the frightening experience and ensuing rescue of herself and two children, Helen Clements from Gloucestershire said it would not put her off going back to see the big cats.

The drama unfolded at Longleat, Wiltshire, which was packed with visitors enjoying the long Easter weekend at the time.

Safari park rangers rushed to help the stricken family. Pic: George Lear

Ms Clements told Sky News what at first appeared to be steam coming from her car turned into smoke, and she alerted park rangers by sounding the horn.

They were rescued as flames began to engulf the car.

Fortunately, the lions kept their distance and were then cleared from the area to allow firefighters in to put out the blaze.

Ms Clements said: "We went into the lion enclosure and it was very busy so were stop start, stop start, and the car just overheated and what we thought was just steam coming out of it then turned to smoke.

"So we though OK I think we had better alert somebody.

"So we went onto the horn.

"Then the flames came out of the car, and were obviously coming into the car.

"We then thought we had better get out the car, but obviously the rangers were saying get back in the car.

"Obviously for safety reasons.

"It was very difficult to know what to do. Get in the car or get out the car.

"It was a little bit frightening, and obviously the children were frightened at the time."

Lions are able to wander close to cars as they pass through their enclosure

She added: "Luckily, because it was so busy and we were on the outside of the enclosure we couldn't see the lions."

After sounding the horn, she said help arrived within 30 seconds.

Ms Clements added: "I would like to go back and see the lions.

"It wouldn't put me off from going back.

"You can look back on it now and thank goodness we are all safe, but why did it have to be in the lion enclosure of all places."

George Lear, 16, from Bristol, was just a few cars away when the blaze broke out.

Mr Lear said the lions were about 150 metres away from the car at the time.

"They kept their distance but didn't take their eyes off the fire and smoke," he said.

Another eyewitness Wayne Skinner, who captured footage of the car blaze, told Sky News: "We felt worried for the family, with the car on fire and lions in the vicinity."

A Longleat Safari Park spokesman said there were no injuries to people or animals.

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'Faster Than Farah' Runner Denies Cheating

A man accused of jumping over a barrier during the London Marathon to finish the race in an impressive time has denied allegations he cheated.

Jason Scotland-Williams, 34, told the Sunday Telegraph that stewards along the route would have made it impossible for him to cheat.

The Sun newspaper claimed there were allegations that the runner jumped the barrier just after the half-way point and rejoined the race at a later stage.

The suggestion is that by missing out a portion of the race, Mr Scotland-Williams was able to post an unusually fast time.

"I have done nothing wrong," he told the paper. "Nobody thinks maybe I just trained hard. No one thinks 'maybe he paced himself through the first half and when the second half came he just let himself go'.

"All along the route there are stewards and people watching. There's no way you can cheat."

Split times of Jason Scotland-Williams compared with Mo Farah's

Mr Scotland-Williams finished the second half of the route in one hour, one minute and 42 seconds - more than three minutes faster than double Olympic running champion Mo Farah and just three minutes short of the world record for a half marathon.

It took him two hours seven minutes and five seconds to run the first half, which meant his finishing time was three hours eight minutes and 47 seconds.

A spokeswoman for the marathon told Sky News that an investigation into Mr Scotland-Williams' results was under way.

She said: "We are aware that unfortunately a few runners who take part in the marathon ... decide to take short cuts.

"We have a number of anti-cheating measures in place during the event itself to remove such runners, and then post event when we analyse split times from our extensive timing points around the course.

"This process is one of many that take place post event and usually takes between 10-15 working days to conclude.

"Runners who are found to have cheated are removed from the results and banned from future London Marathon events."

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Nurse 'Lost Her Job Over Christian Beliefs'

A nursery nurse has said she lost her job after telling a gay colleague her beliefs on homosexuality as a Christian.

Sarah Mbuyi said she made the comment after she was asked about her Christian beliefs by a co-worker at New Park Childcare in Highbury, north London, in January.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre which is assisting Ms Mbuyi, said the Government has "seriously let down" the Christian community.

Ms Mbuyi is claiming unfair dismissal on the grounds of religious discrimination.

She said: "When I said 'no, God does not condone the practice of homosexuality, but does love you and says you should come to Him as you are', she became emotional and went off to report me to my manager."

During an internal disciplinary hearing she claimed her colleague had alleged she raised the issue of homosexuality of a number of occasions. She was dismissed for gross misconduct.

Ms Mbuyi added: "My disciplinary hearing was hopelessly one-sided because they put my accuser's claims to me as fact, without any forewarning and so I wasn't prepared.

"It seemed to me they had already made up their minds to justify sacking me, before hearing my side of the story."

Ms Williams called for Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene in the case.

She said: "Sharing Biblical truths out of genuine love and concern for colleagues is being outlawed in the workplace by a dominating cultural correctness.

"Sarah's case demonstrates the confusion we're experiencing in current times.

"David Cameron has given public recognition of the enormous positive impact that Jesus Christ has had on our nation but he wants to mould Christianity to his political agenda."

In an article for the Church Times this week, Mr Cameron said Britain should be "more confident about our status as a Christian country".

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Islamist Extremism 'A Deadly Problem For Charity'

A charities' watchdog has warned that Islamist extremism is the "most deadly" problem the sector faces.

William Shawcross, chairman of the Charity Commission, said it was "ludicrous" that people convicted of terrorism offences or money laundering are not barred from setting up charities.

He told The Sunday Times the commission was taking action against any charity that was "sending cash to extremist groups in Syria" or "dispatching young Britons for training in Syria by al Qaeda or other extremist groups".

He said: "The problem of Islamist extremism and charities... is not the most widespread problem we face in terms of abuse of charities, but is potentially the most deadly. And it is, alas, growing.

"I'm sure that in places like Syria and Somalia it is very, very difficult for agencies always to know what the end use of their aid is, but they've got to be particularly vigilant."

In February, the Charity Commission was criticised as "feeble" after an investigation by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee, which found it had failed to act robustly on clear cases of abuse.

Mr Shawcross described the criticism as "completely wrong", but said the watchdog needs better funding and legal powers to improve its function.

He added he had written to the Prime Minister asking for legislation to strength its powers.

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Prince George Goes Walkabout With Bilbies

Prince George made his first walkabout on the Australian leg of the royal tour when he met some indigenous animals at a zoo.

The youngster looked fascinated as he was shown a bilby - a rabbit-like type of marsupial.

At one point, as he was held by his father Prince William, he held out his hand to attempt to touch the creature which was being fed by a keeper who has named the animal George in his honour.

George, dressed in a blue and white striped collared t-shirt and royal blue shorts, looked a little frustrated and waved his arms as he was unable to reach the animal, which was about a third of his size when standing on its hind legs.

Just before he was brought out for the cameras, the Royal family had been shown round the nocturnal house where several of Australia's animals who are awake during darkness are housed.

Staff said George coped well and was interested in what he saw, reaching out to a feather tailed glider and staring intently at some hopping mice and an echidna.

He was later given a soft bilby toy, which he promptly threw on the floor.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who was wearing a lemon yellow Stella McCartney skater dress, were visiting Taronga Zoo in Sydney where the new bilby enclosure will be named after their son.

The Royal couple went on, without their son, to be shown a few of the zoo koalas.

The zoo keeper who showed them round the enclosure, Paul Davies, said afterwards about George: "He was brilliant. He was regal. It was amazing how he coped with the dark environment of the nocturnal house.

"They seemed comfortable feeding (the bilby). Kate let him get really close. At one point he tried to grab the bilby by the ears.

"He was like any other child. He had a short attention span and wanted to go and look at something else. It was just like meeting any family."

Earlier, thousands of well-wishers turned out to see the Duke and Duchess mark Easter Sunday by attending a traditional church service in Sydney.

The couple arrived at St Andrew's Cathedral in the centre of the city and were greeted - as they have been throughout their tour of Australia - by officials and cheering crowds.

Kate looked elegant in a stylish dove grey Alexander McQueen coat and Jane Taylor hat, while William was in a smart suit.

If a Sunday falls within a Royal tour, visiting members of the monarchy usually attend a church service joining local parishioners.

At the cathedral's steps, the Royal couple were met by the Most Reverend Dr Glenn Davies, Archbishop of Sydney, and the Very Reverend Phillip Jensen, Dean of Sydney, and chatted to the senior clerics before the service began.

The Easter service was private and the large group of media covering the event were not allowed inside.

A bilby is an endangered desert-dwelling marsupial, the name of which comes from an aboriginal language from New South Wales meaning long-nosed rat. There are only about 10,000 left in the wild.

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Cameron-Appointed Quango Chief Resigns

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

A businessman appointed by David Cameron to head a £60bn quango has resigned after it was revealed he was declared bankrupt.

Tony Caplin was in charge of the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) which provides loans to infrastructure projects.

Under anti-sleaze rules, anyone on a public body must inform ministers if they are made bankrupt.

Tony Caplin was in charge of the PWLB

A Government spokesman said: "Tony Caplin was appointed to a number of public bodies by the Labour party. He was re-appointed to the PWLB by the Prime Minister.

"He should have declared he was bankrupt. This has been pointed out to him and as a result he has resigned."

According to the Mail on Sunday, Mr Caplin was a friend of the Chancellor, George Osborne, who is a former chairman of the same City firm where Mr Cameron's father was a partner.

He previously worked for the Conservatives as their Chief Operating Officer, but Tory sources have emphasised he no longer has a role in the party. He has also left his post on the Medical Research Council.

Chris Leslie MP, Labour's Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: "It is astonishing that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor could appoint someone who went bankrupt owing so much to the Treasury to run the Treasury's lending operations.

"For him to be bankrupted in 2012 and appointed by the Prime Minister as chairman of this key Treasury body the following year is surely a misjudgement too far by a Prime Minister with a track record of poor judgement in relation to his cronies.

"The Prime Minister and the Chancellor need to set out whether they knew about Mr Caplin's bankruptcy and debts to HMRC before making the appointment, whether it was a coincidence that the chairmanship was granted only weeks after Caplin was discharged as a bankrupt, and on which occasions they met with Caplin during the past four years."

The Labour MP and Chairman of the Public Account Committee, Margaret Hodge, told the Mail on Sunday: "This raises serious questions which should be investigated."

Conservative MP Douglas Carswell told the newspaper: "This proves the need for MPs to be given the right to interview public appointments instead of letting ministers hand them out to whoever they choose."

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Farage 'Slandered' Front National, Le Pen Claims

The leader of the French Front National has claimed Nigel Farage slandered her party by calling it "anti-semitic".

Marine Le Pen, 45, told The Sunday Times Mr Farage had made "defamatory" and "extremely disagreeable" statements about her party.

Mr Farage has refused to join Ms Le Pen's right-wing alliance in the European parliament, siding with Nicolas Dupont-Aignan - a member of the EU Democrats party.

He claimed "anti-semitism is still embedded" in the FN and last week referred to the party's "compromising historic baggage", the newspaper reported.

Farage has sided UKIP with the EU Democrats led by Nicolas Dupont-Aignan

But Ms Le Pen has hit back, saying: "He is often reproached for the behaviour and comments of... his members.

"Slandering your neighbour to try and make yourself look whiter than white, it's not correct. He's doing it simply for electoral purposes."

Ms Le Pen was joined by UKIP founder Dr Alan Sked, who described Mr Farage as "alcoholic, dim and racist" in an interview with the think-tank Parliament Street.

He said: "He's got no idea. He can repeat things about how nasty the European Union is and how it's a threat to the working class but that's about it.

"Anything sophisticated is beyond his grasp."

It comes after two opinion polls showed UKIP was gaining ground ahead of European Parliament elections in May.

A poll for The Sunday Telegraph puts the party in second place in next month's European Parliament elections, three percentage points behind Labour on 30% and, crucially, pushing the Conservatives into third place.

Another, reported in The Mail On Sunday, reveals Nigel Farage could be on track to win a seat in the House of Commons. According to Survation, UKIP polled 32% in the Hampshire constituency of Eastleigh - four points ahead of the Conservatives - where the party narrowly lost out on winning in a by-election last year.

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