24/06/2012 Sunday Politics South East


24/06/2012

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And in the South East: Second-class passengers? Why rail

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commuters in Kent and Sussex face Olympic hurdles getting into London

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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2009 seconds

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Hello. This is the Sunday Politics in the south-east. Coming up: can

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we have our money back? Why local councils want a change in the law

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to allow them to keep more of the taxes they collect. Joining me is

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the immigration in Mr Damian Green and the Labour peer Lord Bassam,

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also known as Steve. This week the mayor of London Boris Johnson given

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an interview in New York magazine says he wants Supreme powers in

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England so he can make the airport in the Thames estuary happen. It is

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not something you are in favour of, Damien. What is the answer?

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Government will produce a consultation document on airports

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in the south-east later this summer. I am not attracted to the idea of a

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brand new Ireland somewhere in the Thames estuary for environmental

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and practicality reasons. There are a number of airports in Kent you

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could see contributing to the overall expansion of airport

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capacity in the south-east but let's try looking at it as a whole

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rather than picking one solution. Big problem this for the government.

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It has itself in a whole, it has taken well over two years to make

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any progress and they have Boris to deal with on the sidelines. Boris

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Ireland is a bad idea and the environmental impact of it and the

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cost is enormous. I suspect a lot of pressure within the Tory party

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to go back to Heathrow and think about the third runway. Not an easy

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question to sulphur but one we have to solve because both Gatwick and

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Heathrow are close to capacity and we need extra capacity if we are to

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continue to thrive economically in the south and our hub is very

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important to us. We will discuss it more as the summer goes on. We will

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leave it there for now. When millions of visitors pour into

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London for the Olympics, many will get to the capital by the South

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East but are our rail networks equipped? Regular commuters could

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Four months and now the government has been advising Londoners on how

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to get a run during the Olympics. Stagger working hours, cycle event.

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But is it taking the needs of people outside of London E

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seriously enough? Kent will be particularly busy. With up to a

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quarter of a million extra people at any given time according to the

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council, so well this summer be chaos for commuters? Kelly-Marie

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Blundell clears to London every day from Ashford. The government has

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not provided any advice down here. Everybody is very worried about

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troubling. We have a problem with overcrowding so there are 10-15

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people standing in every carriage. The Olympics will exacerbate that.

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Hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors to the Olympics will come

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into the country via the South East, through the port of Dover, the

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Eurotunnel, Gatwick airport. Some south-east MPs are worried the

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region has been neglected by the government. Everything has been

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London centric and for anything outside it is a different story. We

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need some much stronger message is going out and hopefully the

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government can help bang heads together when it comes to the rail

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companies. Transport for London says people should cycle more, but

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you have well companies saying you cannot take your bikes on the train

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and that will make it more difficult. The Olympics should be a

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time when we are celebrating and excited and happy. I fear it will

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be a time we will get cross. fleet and blue water a designated

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coach and park sides from Stratford. At the moment, fewer than two. --

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2,500 people use the station here at Ebbsfleet. Up to 25,000 people

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use the service between St Pancras Ebbsfleet and Stafford per hour. In

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order to cater for the demand, South Eastern trains has a new

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timetable for the Olympic period. It means no high-speed trains

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running to places including Marks gate, Ramsgate and London. For the

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London Games, the timetable we are operating has been set up by the

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Department for Transport and the Olympic delivery authority. It is

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first and foremost to meet the needs of spectators, people going

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to the Games. If the timetable changes entirely. They will not be

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the normal high-speed service and actually main line and metro

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services alter significantly as well. People are likely not to be

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able to make the usual journey. While most people are expected to

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travel to the games on public transport, driving is an unknown

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quantity. Many are worried about roads in the North Kent especially

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around the Dartford river crossing. The Dartford tunnel could be pinch

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points at the best of time. There is more uncertainty about the

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impact on the road and South Eastern have done the planning on

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the rail system -- situation but the roads will be busier in some

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areas but not all. It is unpredictable and we were just need

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to be prepared. Has the government done everything it could to raise

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transport issue awareness? There is more to be done. We are getting

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closer to the Games and that effort needs to be stepped up.

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Olympics start next month and the Paralympics and in September. Over

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that time, it is the government giving visitors to the games are a

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gold medal service while commuters struggle to get out of the starting

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blocks? Joining us is the Conservative MP

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for Folkestone and Hythe Damian Collins. From what south-east and

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said in that report, you have made a decision to prioritise spectators

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over ordinary commuters. Is that why? I do nothing that is right. In

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terms of level of awareness, on the committee we have pushed this issue

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hard with the government and the organisers for some period of time.

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There is a lot of information out there for the public to look at so

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they can plan their journeys with more care. It will not be business

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as normal during the Olympic Games and people will look at how they

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plan their journeys and accept that for a couple of weeks around the

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main game as there is likely to be disruption. Because they are not

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the priority. I think we have to remember the games are taking place

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during the summer when demand for domestic drops off anyway, people

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on their holidays, students are not at college or school so it is

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expected that some of the demand will be satisfied because there

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will be fewer commuters on the service but what people should look

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at is what time of day they choose to travel, could they use

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alternative routes and certainly from Ashford and the rest of the

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county, there will be a fairly normal well service but for further

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east, people will have to change trains and planned their journey

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more carefully. It is only for the two weeks of the main games, then

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services get back to normal, then amended services for the

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Paralympics. The core two weeks of the Games will be the greater

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period of disruption. You say there are alternative routes. But a lot

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of other people will have jobs to get to that they need to get to.

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What are they supposed to do? you are coming from the east of the

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county of Kent, you might have to change trains on the way in. But

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that will run from Ashford throughout the day back and forth.

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What if you are beyond Faversham and to take a high-speed train?

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you look at the times tables, there are good connecting services from

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the east of the county to pick up the high-speed network. The journey

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will take longer but the rail services there, people will have to

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plan their brews and people will have to plan their time but that

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will be the same for everyone. We have a direct rail service into the

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Olympic Park. We are talking about other passengers though. What about

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what was said in the report that there is more to be done to get the

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message to commuters. A lot of people are not aware perhaps.

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is a lot of information out there. We get some benefits from the

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Olympics because we are close to them, a lot of Tests, tourists,

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will stay in Kent and the games are a great advert for people to come

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to Britain. Other countries had a great tourism boom after the games.

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Damian Collins, thank you. Lord Bassam, you can eat regularly up

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from Brighton. Are you concerned about the situation during the

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Games? I am a bit concerned because our rail services have been a bit

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badly disrupted and I am not sure why. I think it will put strains

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and stresses on the network but as Damien says, it is for the wider

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economic benefit and there is a long-term pay-off. Our services are

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fairly fast and frequent but they are subject to a lot of disruption.

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There are improvements we could make to our local network. What

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about you, Damian Green? A lot of your constituents will be hit by

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this. Services from Ashford which are extremely good, 38 minutes into

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central London, but let's get some perspective former this is the

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biggest and best global event taking in this country -- taking

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place in this country. It is taking place in August when there are

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fewer commuters than at any time of year. Let's celebrate what we are

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getting out a bit. We can positively endorsed this. We will

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get a bit of disruption but it will be worth it. Thank you.

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If you live in Sussex, Kent or Surrey, you are probably paying a

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lot more council tax and residence in London, up to 66 % more but you

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also have less money spent on the services you use such as health and

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transport compared to people in the capital. A group of councillors in

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the south-east says the system distribution taxes is unfair and

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they want more control over the more -- money raised. What a change

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benefit the poorest parts of our region? Joining us is Paul Clark.

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You are in favour of the current system. What I am in favour of his

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having a fair system of funding for local authorities across the south-

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east and across the United Kingdom in general. Anything that gives

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power to local authorities to retain money, of course on the face

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of it it looks good but the problem we have got is that the government

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has to have responsibility in terms of making sure there are resources

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throughout the country in all areas to meet the demands they Iraq in

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providing services for older people, whether it is deprivation, helping

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those unemployed and looking after youngsters that need to be in care

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and supported in that way or special education needs. It is

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complicated but it could not be done any other way? It is

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complicated but the problem we have got is the local government today

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is facing on average a cut of a fifth in central government funding

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for services and indeed I know one of the things that is being argued

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by the south-east councils is more money for a business to keep on

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business growth. Indeed the regional development agencies that

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were abolished were in fact putting money into local authorities to

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help with economic growth. Lord Bassam, you were once leader of

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Brighton council, one of the councillors who won control of

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their funding so they can use it more to benefit people in their

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area more. The truth of the matter is budgets are under pressure and

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that is why local authorities are pressing for greater local control.

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The greens will cut budgets by 40 %. The principle of giving the money

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to the nation to see as the government sees fit, what is wrong

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with that? Nothing wrong with the principle. But you now need to get

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the element of localism with getting as sensible and fair

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distribution that is why these councils have argued that the

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Distributed System is a quite right and they want a greater degree will

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of localism. It is something that is difficult to work out. I am

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sympathetic to where they are coming from. Most people would be

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as well. What pickles and the Department for local government is

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trying to do is drive Powell -- power were down to local levels. I

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think the key to this is to encourage councils through the

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financial system to promote growth in their own areas so that they

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will have a bigger and more prosperous tax base and then if

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they get more control over that, then that will solve the problems

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because Paul his way to the extent that essentially you do need to

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ensure that very poor areas do get enough money to spend on services.

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There will always have to be some we do speak Russian but the more

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power you double locally, the better. -- Distribution. A billion

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pounds more taxes is collected and is received in funding in this part

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of the world. It is unfair but as I say, it is a price you pay for

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being a more prosperous area than some other parts of the country so

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on the whole we all benefit from that. Were to have to do a strike

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the balance between the National redistribution and giving the power

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to the local councils, and I think the balance has been to national.

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Poorer cities do seem to lose out in this and with the big cuts they

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are making locally, it is a big problem. I can understand councils

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wanting to get more out of the cash. Is that the danger that the

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disparity get bigger if councils keep that money? That is exactly

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the danger that happens. Nobody is opposing localism but what happens

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if you have a predominantly rural areas that cannot generate business

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in a way that has been proposed. They would then miss out and also I

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have to say that was local authorities are not in control of

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the key economic growth indicators that are required, so if you have a

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backdrop of major cuts, economic decline whether that is a world

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lead or Number 11 lead, if you are control, you cannot do much as

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leader of county council. Poorer parts within the South East, how do

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we make sure if we kept the money that it could get to the bits that

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need it most? That is very much the responsibilities of the individual

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councils. From their part they will know where the poor areas are and

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if they need to spend more money there, they should do so and those

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are the decisions that are best taken at a local level rather than

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on the basis of some national formula. That is fine in theory.

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These poorer councils, if they do not have the money in the first

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place and they are badly managed, they are making the wrong sorts of

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decisions, what guarantee that local says and -- will local

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residents have that they will get services? Thank you. It is time for

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a round-up of the Week events with our political editor Louise Stuart.

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Hopes that 2000 jobs could be created in Sheerness were dashed

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after the wind turbine manufacturer announced it would not open a

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factory there. It comes after the Chancellor wants to cut green

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subsidies by 25 %. Two Kent MPs back the fair fuel

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campaign calling for the Chancellor to scrap the three pence increase

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in fuel duty during August. There was fighting talk from the

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Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne. He told ministers he would not stand by

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while services were cut at his local hospital. I have one of the

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fastest-growing towns in the south- east and we are determined we will

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win this. The Canterbury MP called for a change to immigration rules

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says the government should take a tough line with criminals without

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making it difficult for a genuine visitors.

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And true she crouched agreed ministers should not attend year-

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old editor of matches. Send a minister and they lose, it could be

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that Beijing's the team. -- jinx the team. It is a shame about the

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when turbine factory pulling out. It is a commercial decision and the

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subsidies for the wind industry had got out of hand. They need to be

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cut back. It is obviously a great shame for the area but there is

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huge publications about how we get a proper renewable energy strategy.

:54:10.:54:20.
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-- complications. You had a fairly Sussex... It is a bit rich coming

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from the Lib Dems. They are the ones that backed the Health Bill.

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It is nice to hear campaigning for the local community but they should

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