07/10/2012 Sunday Politics East

In the East: The dissent in our Tory ranks pulling the party apart.

And the region's rural schools facing a struggle for survival, as

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2133 seconds

the Government changes the way they Welcome to Sunday Politics East.

Rural schools that could suffer through the change to the

Government's funding formula. First, let's make the guests for

this week. Sir Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP, and Jessica Asato,

Labour's parliamentary candidate. We will also meet Brandon Lewis for

Great Yarmouth, newly-appointed local government are Minister.

Let us begin with a brief word about the rail franchise fiasco.

The Government has halted the handover of the West Coast Main

Line and suspended the bidding process for the ThamesLink

franchise and a line from Fenchurch Street to Essex. Passengers at

Milton Keynes, Northampton, and Essex had been looking forward to

enhanced services, but rail user groups are now worried the changes

will be delayed. We put those concerns to the Prime Minister.

The rail service will continue as it is today, and we will continue

with the mass of upgrades in terms of electrification of lines,

improvements to stations and platforms, that all goes ahead. I

am disappointed by what happened with the West Coast franchise

arrangement. It should not have happened, I am very angry that it

did happen, and we will get to the bottom of the mistakes made. But it

is right to stop other franchising going ahead while we get to the

bottom of it. Are you annoyed that improvements to local services are

delayed? Of course. You used the word fiasco, there is no other word

to describe it. I believe our railway should never have been

privatised and fragmented. I think it is a public service and should

be run by professionals, not the civil servants. Some civil servants

have been blamed for this, is that fair? We have to wait for the

outcome of the Government's own review of what happened, but it

seems as though the government are passing the buck on civil servants.

David Cameron said in the past that if there is a systemic failure it

should be ministers that take the blame. In this case it looks as

though there has been one, and there are some serious concerns,

particularly if you see the delays that might happen to franchise

agreements for the down the line. Some analysts say that other things

could be delayed as well. What about the cost? We are told the

cost could be �40 million to the British taxpayer, which is usually

expense. I think that is an underestimate. We have a situation

where these companies compete with each other, only a few companies

actually get involved, and some faceless bureaucracy allocates them

to the prize winners, but on this occasion it would appear that the

prize winner should have been kept with Virgin trains and not handed

over to first group, but here in the east we have experience in the

past of first group, that we have a fragmented railway system, with

Network Rail and the various operating companies, and we know

from weekend travel what that means, it means buses rather than trains.

Hopefully there will be an improvement at least on that, in

the future. What about today's announcement from the Conservative

Party conference, at that rail fares increases will be capped at

1% above inflation. That is good news, is it not? If the

Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had agreed with that, they should

have voted with Labour has amendment when it went to

Parliament, but they did not do that. Why have they changed their

tune? Again, Labour has been making the Tories and Lib Dems follow

their lead. They have anything else does say? I find it odd that after

13 years of financial misrule that the Liberal Democrats have gone to

government to try to sort out labour's financial mess.

It is not just allegations of incompetency plaguing David Cameron,

but a rift in the ranks. A poll this week found 61% of people

believe the contest -- the Conservative Party to be divided.

We reckon that around half of the Tory MPs in our region, the East,

have spoken out or voted against their government on issues as

varied as Europe, wind farms and House of Lords reform. Opposition

to the coalition itself is the real nub of the problem, of which many

in the party are blaming for the Conservatives' poor showing in the

They visited the Basildon tractor plant together in May. The blue and

yellow livery on your tractors are tailor-made for the politics of

this coalition. The message was very clear. The economy may be in

trouble, but the coalition is here to stay. Saying that -- since the

last party conference, the Tories have fallen seven points in the

opinion poll and have lost seats. The expect next year's county

council elections to be tough, and the core of the by-election is

looming. The grassroots are worried. There is an atmosphere of

despondency. They would like to see us doing much better in the polls.

The activists would like to see more conservative policies coming

through and being announced. That is what they are open for we're at

a tipping point as a party, and from this conference on birds,

things have to become better. Nadine got it -- Nadine Dorries is

often dismissed as a mother of maverick, but she says the local

organisations believe that the Liberal Democrats are smothering

the coalition. We have heard the Liberal Democrat saying about how

much dominance they have in the party policy at the moment. What we

need to do is be able to say, enough is enough, now it is perhaps

time for a Conservative policy to dominate. She is not alone. A

number of MPs have expressed doubts about the coalition. Stuart Jackson

question the whole point of it. Others have fired warning shots

across the Lib Dem bows. Ideally I think the coalition

government should break-up sooner rather than later, and we should

govern as a conservative minority government, then going to the

electorate. I do not see how we can continue stumbling on with a

difficult partner, until 2015. If a marriage is fading, perhaps you

should divorce earlier than later. Such opinions are still held by a

minority. Most of them still accept that coalition is the right thing,

though not ideal. I would like to see a Conservative-led government.

I would like us to be tougher on Europe. The Government want us to

be grown-up and work together. it seems there is a potential

divided in the party. We will all be behind David Cameron. If he

looks like he is going to be a winner than 2015. If he looks like

he is going to lose the 2015 Election and the polls remain

stubborn as they are, I think a challenge to his leadership has a

very real threat. Earlier this week, Andrew Sinclair

met the Prime Minister and asked him if the coalition is holding him

back. No, we are taking the action that the country needs to get us

out the mess that was left by the last government. We have cut the

deficit by a quarter, and also we have created one million new jobs

in the private sector, which means unemployment has been falling

rather than rising. We still have a long way to go with a huge amount

to do. Coalition can sometimes be frustrating, but without a

coalition we would not have a majority or get things done. I

believe and my party believes in doing the right thing and the

National Interest, which is making the coalition work. But a number of

MPs from this region are worried about the direction of travel. Your

party is splitting over the coalition. I do not accept that. I

think the vast majority of Conservatives know that the it --

these are tough times and they require making the coalition work.

If we left the coalition we would not have a marriage -- a majority,

and we would not be able to take the steps that are required.

Difficult times that require strong leadership, which is what we're

giving them. When MPs speak out, does that anger your worry you?

There has never been a time in politics when certain backbenchers

have not wanted to speak out. The key thing is to keep your eyes on

the road. Brandon Lewis joins us now. Great Yarmouth are one of the

councils that the Tories lost this year. You were hit by voters being

disillusioned by the coalition, were you knocked? I think people do

understand we are having to make tough decisions. I think that

sometimes in local elections you have other parties that will

benefit from certain things, and we must deliver to the country.

you saying there was no dissatisfaction regarding the

coalition at a grassroots level? do see various parties become small

parts of the vote. Walsall Labour - - we saw Labour taking some other

seats. Getting the finances right will be the right thing to do for

the country. I will ask you again, did people have concerns that they

voiced to you about the direction of the party and about the fact

that you are in coalition with the Liberal Democrats? I never had

anybody on the ground comment to me about being in the coalition,

people understood why we were. Her members understood why we went into

coalition. What people want to see is moving the country in the right

direction, delivering for the people, and that is a long process,

something we have to stay prole -- focused on. We gave a long list of

MPs and in this region voicing dissent because they say the split

is drowning out the Government's achievements, damaging the party.

Do you have read? No, what you see across all political parties,

particularly the Conservative party, everyone has various opinions on

different issues, but what really matters at the end of the day is

government policy, and what they are delivering. We're delivering

good reforms and moving the country forward. We hope we can show people

who need an outright majority -- that we need an outright majority

in 2050. I am told Great Yarmouth has come second from bottom in the

country for lack of educational and employment of a Trinity's. We have

seen unemployment falling in Great Yarmouth and employment rights,

which is really good news. The energy industry has great

opportunities. The Enterprise Zone has given a real opportunities.

What we need to make sure is that we have got the skills to match the

jobs that are available. That is something the industry is keen on,

and we are working together to deliver for Great Yarmouth and East

Anglia. News from Birmingham and the confidence of a council tax

freeze and the threat of a veto on EU budget. Will that silence the

critics are? The council tax freezes are really important

message. We understand just how much council tax and by its people

and we wanted to do her best to make sure people who worked hard

are helped. After years of council tax rises, we are now showing that

we have an opportunity for a council tax freeze, and I hope

councils across the country will take up the opportunity for the

residents are. Thank you. Bob Russell, you were not happy with

the coalition at first. I am a One nation Liberal Democrat, and

Brandon is a very sensible person, completely different to the roll-

call of the right wing MPs you had early on. I went along with the

coalition because I think it was in the national interest. I remain a

Liberal Democrat, and do not accept the criticism from the right-wing

Tories. They do not like the coalition, but I tell you this,

David Cameron would much prefer to work with sensible ministers like

Brandon and Liberal Democrats than he would with some of those right-

wing MPs earlier. Thank very much. Now to concern

over the future of rural schools. Staff may have to be cut because a

new government funding system means they could lose out on thousands of

pounds. There will be winners and losers under the new rules but

everyone agrees councils will have their hands tied in the future in

smaller isolated schools, which are much more likely to miss the out.

It is the end of a school day for For these youngsters, a firm grasp

of figures will be handy in years to come, but for their head

teachers there is plenty of number- crunching behind the scenes, as the

government looks for a new funding formula. One wonders which schools

will be hardest hit, and I am now head of two large primary schools.

I am head of -- I have been head of a small village primary school and

I know how important every penny is in such a school, where they are

the heart of the community. A closure of a school could have a

huge effect. Jane is the headteacher of the school and

another more than -- and another, more than 300 pupils in total.

Every school will get the same amount of money, topped up by

funding per pupil. Council hands will be tied and it will not be

easy for them to give extra money to schools that need it. One of the

things that is inevitable and has already been started in some areas

is greater federations of schools. That is sensible, but what we do

not want to lose art-school suddenly leaving villagers. A

school is often a key part of the community.

The Education Secretary Michael Gove has been asking schools,

parents and governors and councils what they think of his plans to

change the funding formula as part of a move to a new education system

in 2015. He says he wants things to be fairer, simpler and more

consistent. He wants his department is said 10 key funding criteria to

replace the 37 that councils can use currently. Officials hope to

cushion any transition and say that no school will see more than a 1.5%

annual reduction in its budget in the next two years.

What schools really desperately need is the ability to be able to

plan strategically. To have a funding stream and a funding

mechanism which runs in parallel and supports that process. That has

to be the main thing we would like to see. The Department for

We have a huge variety of schools and a huge variety of pupils, and

anything that does this realigns the formula and a big way.

School similar in size to this have a budget of �850,000, and next year

they could lose the equivalent of a Brandon Lewis, we are told councils

will not be able to give geographically isolated schools as

much money as they could in the past. Are you concerned at schools

in your constituency will miss out? We heard that what is important is

the Government is asking schools to feed in what they need, to make

sure that we get a good system across all areas, as everyone has

to deal with cuts. But we need to make sure we still have a

maintainable system with schools that are an important part of the

community continue in. But it does not seem fair that some schools

will miss out on a teaching assistant next year. That is where

it is important to make sure we look at what feedback comes in. The

government can they respond to it to make sure it gets a strong,

sustainable and robust system in place. Jessica Asato, there will be

winners here, too, will you support under this criteria more money

going into deprived areas? Absolutely Labour will support any

changes that ensure that those areas with the most vulnerable

pupils get the money that they need. But the real story here is that

schools funding has decreased by the largest amount since the 19 50s.

Capital funding has decreased by 57%, the biggest of any other

department. Schools are already suffering because they do not have

enough money for their budgets, and the Pupil Premium is simply going

into a black hole to make up for what the government is not spending

on it. Rural schools look like they're going to be losing out, and

that is a concern. Bob Russell, you raise your eyebrows. The Pupil

Premium has been a great boost for so many schools, but we're talking

about rural schools, which closed under the last Labour government.

There are mixed messages coming out a white hole, and one thing is for

certain that Liberal Democrat campaigners across the eastern

counties will be fighting against any closures. The Government have

to make up their mind, are the centrally or locally controlled?

How closely will you be watching you schools in your particular

constituency to make sure they get their fair deal? I have poorer

rural areas where we want to see schools of -- flourish. I see both

sides of this. What is really important is we get a good policy

to make sure everybody gets the support they need, and we get

improved and better education to allow a far better aspiration in

areas like Great Yarmouth, to match the skills with the job now

available and growing. Thank you then much indeed.

Now, Deborah McGurran's political round-up for the week, where Police

Crime Commissioner has seen all He is hoping to persuade electors

in Norfolk to vote in the new police commissioner Paul. While the

future of research a were different paper of poll was causing concern

for a environmentalists last week after news that the British

Antarctic Survey could be moved from Cambridge. This is a step

towards taking away the priority of polar science the stop high praise

from Vince Cable. Education is exciting, a fusion

It has not about left and right any more, the country is in a dire

Collective courage to keep the What about the possible loss of the

British Antarctic Survey to the region? I hope it does not happen,

and I will be supporting my colleagues in Cambridge who want to

keep it there. Even Al Gore as against it, so you never know.

Jessica Asato, we have world renowned centres of excellence,

like the John Innes plans centre, how important are the to the

economy? They are very important, and the Antarctic Survey is world

renowned. They discovered the wall and the ozone layer, giving us

understanding about global warning. It centres like that disappear it

The you agree, Sir Bob Russell? course I endorse that. The last

centre of excellence was moved to Oxford under the Labour government

and got moved to Oxford. It then disappeared within a cup love you