in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale. good to see you.ayor the town for labour, but defected to the liberals. do you want a man to represent you or do you want a party robot? in the 60s, it was never revealed that he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. now this public inquiry intends, finally, to get the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was, in part, in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it is claimed that cyril smith abused boys at a hostel, cambridge house, which closed in the mid—60s. it is now a private home. when police began an investigation in 1970, smith asked for a meeting. a transcript records a police officer saying... you want to see what we know. and then smith started laughing at that. well, yes, fishing. i think that's fair comment. fishing because cyril smith was hoping to move from local politics to national. he told the

last month finally rochdale council apologised for failing children.egin taking fresh evidence. the reason that this matters is we cannot have a situation in this country were powerful people are able to abuse children and get away with it because other powerful people are protecting them. that cannot be allowed to happen and that's why we have to investigate what happened with cyril smith and that's why we have to learn the lessons from it. the enquiry takes evidence like a court but can't prosecute. its job is to discover what happened and who covered it up and provide ways of preventing it happening again. tom symonds, bbc news. let's talk to our correspondent sophie long, who is outside where the inquiry is taking place. right at the outset, this issue of whether cyril smith was protected by others in power. this is right at the forefront of the enquiry? brian altman is the council to the enquiry, still making his opening statement and he began by explaining this is not an investigation into the actions of cyril smith. but they will be central to t

peterjoinson told the hearing that the rochdale council leader richard farnell, had probably not beeniving evidence yesterday that he knew nothing about the sexual abuse of boys at the knowl view residential school. let's speak to tom symonds, who's at the inquiry. tom. the inquiry has heard one of these politicians is likely to be lying. what we know for sure is back in the early 90s education officials knew about allegations of sexual abuse in rochdale but the leader, richard farnell, says he didn't know at the time, he wasn't told by anybody. today, his colleague came along and said to the inquiry that actually he had had a meeting with the leader about three years ago, and at that meeting the leader had said that he had seen a draft report raising concerns about sexual abuse backin raising concerns about sexual abuse back in 1992. richard farnell says that evidence, which is based on a note given to the inquiry yesterday, that that was fabricated. you should know that both of these men are political rivals. but the inquiry has to decide who is telling the truth, because that quest

in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale.e town for labour but defected to the liberals, the forerunners of today's liberals, the forerunners of today's liberal democrats. do you want a man to represent you? but in the 60s it was never revealed he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. after nearly six decades, what started as rumour has led to this — three weeks of public hearings at the child abuse inquiry to finally get to the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was in part in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it is claimed cyril smith later abused boys at this school for troubled children but in 1970 police were investigating allegations about him ata investigating allegations about him at a hostel for young men, cambridge house, when he came to see them. a transcript of the meeting records a police officer saying... you want

last month finally rochdale council apologised for failing children.egin taking fresh evidence. the reason that this matters is we cannot have a situation in this country were powerful people are able to abuse children and get away with it because other powerful people are protecting them. that cannot be allowed to happen and that's why we have to investigate what happened with cyril smith and that's why we have to learn the lessons from it. the enquiry takes evidence like at court but can't prosecute. that its job evidence like at court but can't prosecute. that itsjob is evidence like at court but can't prosecute. that its job is to discover what happened and who covered it up and provide ways of preventing it happening again. tom symonds, bbc news. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: there's continuing uncertainty about whether the leader of the catalonian region will declare independence from spain. on sunday hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in barcelona against separation from spain. one of the most powerful men in hollywood, the f

in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale. good to see you.or the town for labour, but defected to the liberals. do you want a man to represent you or do you want a party robot? in the 60s, it was never revealed that he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. now this public inquiry intends, finally, to get the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was, in part, in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it is claimed that cyril smith abused boys at a hostel, cambridge house, which closed in the mid—60s. it is now a private home. when police began an investigation in 1970, smith asked for a meeting. a transcript records a police officer saying... you want to see what we know. and then smith started laughing at that. well, yes, fishing. i think that's fair comment. fishing because cyril smith was hoping to move from local politics to national. he told the po

last month rochdale council apologised for failing children.ar. certainly as far as the victims are concerned, the alleged victims, this is an opportunity for them to say in public what they have never been able to say in the cool room. in december 2012! looked at the allegations against cyril smith myself and came to the view that he should have been prosecuted. the evidence was there. decisions were made that were clearly wrong and, in my view, was not saying he was guilty, there was certainly a strong enough case for a jury to here. the opportunity for the victims in the next few weeks to talk about their experiences and relations to miss the smith is a pivotal moment. being trialled out. more now on bbc radio london. from your point of view do you think it can help... can lessons be learned by having this out in the public for the future? my my concern around the enquiry has been and continues to be that it will be several years before the final report and every agency needs to know now what they need to do differently. i'm hopeful when you

in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale.ay's liberal democrats. do you want a man to represent you? or do you want a party robot? but in the ‘60s it was never revealed he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. after nearly six decades, what started as rumour has led to this — three weeks of public hearings at the child abuse inquiry to finally get to the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was in part in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it is claimed cyril smith later abused boys at this school for troubled children but in 1970 police were investigating allegations about him at a hostel for young men, cambridge house, when he came to see them. a transcript of the meeting records a police officer saying... you want to see what we know. smith started laughing at that. well, yes, fishing, i think that's fair comment. fishing becaus

in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale.ur but defected to the liberals. do you want a man to represent uri party robot? in the 60s, represent uri party robot? in the 605, it represent uri party robot? in the 60s, it was never revealed he had been accused of sexually depriving —— abusing deprived boys. now this public enquiry intends to get to the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was in part in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, or involved in child sexual abuse, and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it's claimed cyril smith abused boys at a hostel, cambridge house, which closed in the mid—60s. it is now a private home. when police began an investigation in1970, when police began an investigation in 1970, smith asked for a meeting, a transcript records a police officer saying... you want to see what we know? smith started laughing. cyril smith was hoping to move from local politics to national. he told the police

a landmark moment after decades of child abuse allegations in children's homes in rochdale.for the first time to investigate an alleged failure to prosecute the late mp cyril smith, amid claims of a cover—up. good morning, it's monday the ninth of october. also this morning: theresa may will tell the eu today that it's time to show some flexibility in the brexit negotiations, saying that the ball is now "in their court." viva espana! after hundreds of thousands gather in barcelona for a pro—spain rally,

in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale.ou want a man to represent you? but in the ‘60s it was never revealed he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. after nearly six decades, what started as rumour has led to this — three weeks of public hearings at the child abuse inquiry to finally get to the bottom of it. the decision to embark upon this investigation was in part in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. it is claimed cyril smith later abused boys at this school for troubled children but in 1970 police were investigating allegations about him at a hostel for young men, cambridge house, when he came to see them. a transcript of the meeting records a police officer saying... you want to see what we know. smith started laughing at that. fishing, i think that's fair comment. fishing because cyril smith was hoping to move from local politics to national. he

he was killed three years ago in rochdale bya killed three years ago in rochdale by a driver travellingourin by a driver travelling 80 miles an hour ina by a driver travelling 80 miles an hour in a 30 zone. adil haroun was sentenced to six years in jail. we think the courts should have power to impose light —— impose life sentences for the reckless life changing cases with multiple victims or speeding or racing or looking at a mobile phone. the wreckage of joseph‘s callas displayed in front of the houses of parliament by the road safety charity brake. it welcomes the announcement. it is a victory by families of the breed, crash victims and charities including brake that we would —— but we would like the government to go further and increase resources for enforcement so the law can be properly enforced. the parliamentary advisory council for transport safety said there was no evidence that top sentences would act as that weren't. it is understandable words coming from but i think there was a danger that will disappoint the victims families and have no effect on road safety. this lorry dr

the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse begins hearings in rochdale, including claims over thetration for spanish unity there's growing speculation that the leader of catalonia may stop short of calling a unilateral declaration of independence. the business news,. the royal mail is to seek an injunction to try to stop a planned 48 hour strike by postal workers, the company has said. the british defence company bae is expected to announce it is cutting more than 1000 jobs this week. it is expected to affect jobs more than 1000 jobs this week. it is expected to affectjobs in warton. and the office for national statistics has had to correct an unit on unit labour costs. that's a vital piece of data which tells the bank of england how much it costs employers in the uk to produce a certain amount of output. on friday they said annual labour costs were up 1.6% — today they're saying it's actually up 2.4% — that is likely to have an impact on inflation figures and strengthen the argument for an interest rate rise. it's really about how the uk can compete and has leaner and cleaner man

but what could the inquiry into rochdale council mean for the victims?sammy woodhouse, a survivor of a grooming gang in rotherham, who gave evidence at the independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation there. how much of a difference can this make? a huge difference. the rather investigation started as a criminal investigation started as a criminal investigation and turned my life around. i was given support and feel like i am a different person. slightly different with rochdale because one of the main perpetrators in this, cyril smith, has died. it is said there will be no prosecutions as a result of this historical abuse. what can survivors hope for? this is about getting to the truth. our word is never good enough, unfortunately. it has to be there in black and white for the whole country to see. you decided to waive europe and then —— waving your anonymity. a weight off my shoulders andi anonymity. a weight off my shoulders and i feel like my life anonymity. a weight off my shoulders and ifeel like my life is getting back on track, i am me, not

in the 1960s, they called him mr rochdale. but defected to the liberals. do you want a man to represent you or a party robot? in the ‘60s, it was never revealed he had been accused of sexually abusing deprived boys. he wasn't charged. but years later, the press got wind, started asking questions. the decision to embark upon this investigation was in part in response to the public concern that some politicians, including cyril smith, were involved in child sexual abuse, and able to abuse with impunity because they were protected by the establishment. this inquiry is attempting to learn the lessons of the past so children can be better protected in the future. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is a senior republican senator has said donald trump has put the us on the path to world war three. there was never any chance of the president allowing this to pass. he's said his refusal to back bob corker led to him deciding to not seek re—election. the international red cross is going to drastically redu

he was killed three years ago in rochdale by a driver travelling 80 miles an hour in a 30mph zone.to six years in jail. the government says drivers like him could now face life behind bars. we think the courts should have power to impose impose life sentences for the reckless life—changing cases with multiple victims, or speeding or racing or looking at a mobile phone. the wreckage ofjoseph's car was displayed in front of the houses of parliament by the road safety charity brake, which welcomes the announcement. it is a victory by families of the bereaved, crash victims and charities including brake but we would like the government to go further and increase resources for enforcement so the law can be properly enforced. the parliamentary advisory council for transport safety said there was no evidence that tougher sentences would act as a deterrent. i think it's understandable where it's coming from but i think there is a danger that it will disappoint the victims' families and have no effect on road safety. this lorry driver, tomasz kroker, was scrolling through music on his mobil

he was killed three years ago in rochdale by a driver travelling at 80 miles an hour in a 30 mile annced to six years injail, the government says drivers like him could face life behind bars. we do think the cards —— court should have the power to impose life sentences on the worst cases, perhaps for their arm victims, looking at a mobile phone, speeding or racing. the wreckage of joseph scar was displayed in front of the houses of ornament by a road safety charity and the organisation welcomes this latest announcement. it's a victory for years of campaigning by families of breed crash but ernst and charities including ours but we would like the government to go further and increase resources for enforcement so increase resources for enforcement so below can be properly enforced. the parliamentary advisory council for transport safety says there was no evidence of sentences would act asa no evidence of sentences would act as a deterrent. i think it's understandable for its coming from but i think there is a danger that it will disappoint victims families and it will have no effect on

a labour councillor in rochdale has accused the local council leader of lying to the inquiry into childnson claims richard farnell gave conflicting accounts over a report about sexual abuse at a residential school. an american poker player has lost a legal battle to receive winnings of £7.7 million from a casino in london. phil ivey admitted using a card technique known as edge sorting, but the supreme court ruled this amounted to cheating and wasn't a legitimate strategy. ca rles carles puigdemont will not address a session at the spanish senate in madrid where members will decide whether to withdraw his region's autonomy. spain has been plunged into uncertainty following catalonia's disputed referendum earlier this month. katya adler is in barcelona tonight. we have two important in barcelona tonight. we have two im porta nt votes in barcelona tonight. we have two important votes this week in catalonia as well as madrid. this could be a momentous week in this whole saga. i stood here a couple of weeks ago and said the catalan leader and the spanish prime minister were dragging each ot

can they explain why they made no offers and rochdale? so few in sunderland, middlesbrough?alford last year for oxford. these are middlesbrough? nun in salford last yearfor 0xford. these are huge part of the country with talented people, many getting more than top marks at a level, yet not making their way to 0xford or cambridge. a level, yet not making their way to oxford or cambridge. each of the university spends £5 million a year on outreach programmes to try to encourage people who wouldn't thematically have thought to apply to those universities to do so. do you think those programmes aren't working or are there other factors at play, such as a lack of belief in some quarters, a lack of expectation that people could apply for those institutions? lets take the london borough of richmond. it is sending more young people to oxford and cambridge than the entirety of manchester, liverpool and leeds. they are applying, they are just not getting in. i don't accept that they are not good enough. harvard and yale, similar universities, do far better on access for poor americans

the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse begins hearings about abuse in rochdale, including claimsming up — the deadline for using your old pound coins is fast approaching.