You and Yours - 05/02/2009

Presented by Winifred Robinson. If you can't get a mortgage from a bank or building society, might your local authority step in to lend you the money you need? Steve Reed, the Labour leader of Lambeth Council, and Chris Leslie, director of the New Local Government Network, discuss. The Home Office has announced a joint project between the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Transport Police to tackle metal theft which is estimated to cost the UK 360 million pounds every year. Paul Crowther, assistant chief constable for the British Transport Police, explains more. Extra university places for the next academic year have been scaled back. The Higher Education Minister, David Lammy, explains why. Some post offices have re-opened in Essex after the county council stepped in to support them, but other councils aren't finding it so easy to prevent their post offices from shutting for good. Reporter Henrietta Harrison investigates. Audio description gives visually impaired people a commentary on the action taking place on screen. It has existed for many years but still only a small proportion of programmes have it. Hear from the charity RNIB, which has been campaigning for more programmes to feature audio description. Three hundred 'smart' fridges, which turn themselves on and off according to energy demand, are being tested by Npower at the moment. But should our domestic appliances be used to regulate supply and demand across the national grid?