:01:22. > :01:25.In the East Midlands: The solicitor general on whether it
:01:25. > :01:35.is time to amend the European Convention on Human Rights. Plus
:01:35. > :01:35.
:01:35. > :31:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1780 seconds
:31:15. > :31:20.rows over elected mayors and the hello, I'm Marie Ashby. This week
:31:20. > :31:25.our guests are the Solicitor General Edward Garnier and shadow
:31:25. > :31:29.transport minister Lilian Greenwood. Coming up: with one of our MPs
:31:29. > :31:32.insisting we should temporarily withdraw from the European
:31:32. > :31:37.Convention on Human Rights to deport Abu Qatada, is it time to
:31:37. > :31:42.give our own cause a greater say? And how another City may follow
:31:42. > :31:46.Nottingham's lead on a workplace parking levy. First Nottingham City
:31:46. > :31:52.Council is getting it in the neck again, this time over its decision
:31:52. > :31:56.to spend �900 on posters opposing the idea of an elected mayor for
:31:56. > :32:01.the city. When you look at this poster, Edward, what is the
:32:01. > :32:06.problem? It says Nottingham City Council is opposed to the
:32:06. > :32:10.introduction of an elected mayor. It believes the cost does not
:32:10. > :32:16.represent current value for money and the Government disagrees and
:32:16. > :32:21.has decided that a referendum will be held. Looks fairly balanced.
:32:21. > :32:25.This is Labour Party propaganda being published at the expense of
:32:25. > :32:31.the tax payers. If the Labour Party wants to oppose an elected mayor,
:32:31. > :32:38.fine, but they must pay for it out of their own money of. It is �900,
:32:39. > :32:46.not a huge amount. If that is the attitude Labour takes towards
:32:46. > :32:50.public money, that is very bad. It should not be engaging in party
:32:50. > :32:54.political propaganda on the ratepayers expense. If they do not
:32:54. > :33:02.know the difference between the proper spending of public money and
:33:02. > :33:07.the production of propaganda, we are in a bad place. I think one of
:33:07. > :33:12.the things that is helpful about the poster is that it tells people
:33:12. > :33:17.there will be a referendum because talking to people... It gives the
:33:17. > :33:22.Labour Party view on that. It says what the council's policy is on it
:33:22. > :33:25.but talking to people it is clear a lot of people do not know there
:33:25. > :33:33.will be a referendum and do not know the arguments for and against
:33:33. > :33:39.a mayor. People of Nottingham, there will be a referendum on an
:33:39. > :33:45.elected mayor this may. The boats will be for this or that, but to
:33:45. > :33:49.put it out at the public's expense in this way it is an abuse of
:33:49. > :33:56.office. It is a wrong expenditure of public money. If you want to
:33:56. > :34:02.spend your party's money on this, do it. But do not dress it up as an
:34:02. > :34:06.information giving procedure. for the council to defend their
:34:06. > :34:10.decision to include their own council policy on it, but I think
:34:10. > :34:14.it is important that people understand that this referendum is
:34:14. > :34:18.coming up and what the arguments are because people are rightly
:34:18. > :34:23.asking, when there is such austerity when the council is
:34:23. > :34:29.having to make such cuts to the services, is this the right time to
:34:29. > :34:34.be having a referendum? You could also say look at all the money the
:34:34. > :34:38.government spends on its policies and all the press officers it has.
:34:38. > :34:44.The government is an elected government controlled by Parliament,
:34:44. > :34:52.which produces its policies for public scrutiny. Labour council was
:34:52. > :34:55.elected. It is acting outside its remit. The city council must act
:34:55. > :35:02.within the Local Government Act, within the discretion of a council.
:35:02. > :35:07.The council is to provide public services like education. It is not
:35:07. > :35:13.in the business of producing propaganda. There are good
:35:13. > :35:17.arguments for a information our lead. Yes, there will be a
:35:17. > :35:23.referendum, but to put out propaganda dressed up as
:35:23. > :35:27.information is wrong. I do not think million... I think it is
:35:27. > :35:34.important there is information out there about the mayor. There is a
:35:34. > :35:42.legal question about whether it is OK to put council policy out there.
:35:42. > :35:46.Let's leave it there. I will remove it from your person. The extent to
:35:46. > :35:51.which European Court of Human Rights you set decisions are made
:35:51. > :35:57.by our courts, an issue it exacerbated by the recent decisions
:35:57. > :36:02.are to prevent the deportation of radical cleric Abu Qatada. The
:36:02. > :36:11.Conservative MP for Wellingborough has introduced a bill to temporary
:36:11. > :36:20.we draw from the convention and allow -- not allow Abu Qatada to be
:36:20. > :36:25.deported 4th with. It is Amis understanding. The European Court
:36:25. > :36:29.of Rights is becoming sclerotic, there are 150 cases in the backlog,
:36:29. > :36:34.far too many petty disputes going to Strasbourg which should be dealt
:36:34. > :36:38.with by national courts. You should not be used in Strasbourg as a
:36:38. > :36:44.final court of appeal for Nottingham County Court. If you had
:36:44. > :36:51.a dispute about a holiday, your bus ticket from Romania to Strasbourg,
:36:51. > :36:56.do not take it to Strasbourg. We need to streamline the court, make
:36:56. > :36:59.it more efficient and we need to make it do less and do better and
:36:59. > :37:04.make it concentrate on the important rights which are
:37:04. > :37:10.protected by the Convention - the torture, free speech, the right to
:37:10. > :37:16.assembly. Is he right? I do not think I could disagree with what
:37:17. > :37:23.aid with says. It is important we are signed up to the European
:37:23. > :37:27.Convention with the human rights. There are things that can be done
:37:27. > :37:31.to deal with the backlog and make sure the court is operating
:37:31. > :37:37.effectively and that is what we should use our influence to do.
:37:37. > :37:46.government is holding talks with Jordan to gain assurance catarrh
:37:46. > :37:51.there will not be tortured. British courts refused to allow Abu
:37:51. > :37:57.Qatada to be deported if he were tortured. He will not be tortured,
:37:57. > :38:01.we had that assurance from Jordan. The Strasbourg court came up with a
:38:01. > :38:06.new. Which is he should not be tried in Jordan with evidence which
:38:06. > :38:10.had been extracted by virtue of torture. Had that been before our
:38:10. > :38:15.courts if they would not have permitted it either. We need to get
:38:15. > :38:21.Abu Qatada back to jawed SATs Gordon as quick as we can. Those
:38:21. > :38:25.negotiations are going on, the Home Secretary is about to go and there
:38:25. > :38:29.was constant dialogue between the Jordanian Foreign Office and their
:38:29. > :38:35.justice ministry and our own authorities. Are you optimistic
:38:35. > :38:38.that those talks will end in agreement? Yes I am. It is in our
:38:38. > :38:43.interest and there's that this man should be dealt with under the
:38:43. > :38:50.Jordanian system. He has already been convicted in his absence of
:38:50. > :38:54.Avensis in Jordan and he needs to be back there to face justice.
:38:54. > :38:59.Would you be happy for Abu Qatada to be deported if Jordan has given
:38:59. > :39:03.those assurances? That is what we need to make sure and unfortunately
:39:03. > :39:07.the Government could have been on this much sooner. It is good they
:39:07. > :39:11.are doing something now but they could have done this earlier.
:39:11. > :39:16.Everyone wants to see the opportunity for put her there to be
:39:16. > :39:21.tried in Jordan but that his human rights will be protected. We have
:39:21. > :39:25.to wait until the European courts had completed that process. They
:39:25. > :39:32.have reached a conclusion to a deferred basis to the one we were
:39:32. > :39:38.dealing with. 31 in Strasbourg. This process began under your
:39:38. > :39:48.previous government. We won it in Strasbourg but for this new point.
:39:48. > :39:51.
:39:51. > :39:55.It will be interesting to see how It has been a long time coming but
:39:55. > :40:00.now Nottingham City Council's workplace parking levy is a less
:40:00. > :40:03.than a month away. We report on how it is so controversial the
:40:03. > :40:09.government may make it more difficult for other authorities to
:40:09. > :40:14.follow Nottingham's lead. One may go down a similar road. Provide a
:40:14. > :40:17.solution that will save us money. If Eileen Barrett had her way, if
:40:17. > :40:24.this field would now be covered in concrete. The company she works for,
:40:25. > :40:30.Source BioScience, is near junction 26 of the M1 but it still inside
:40:30. > :40:34.Nottingham City Council's boundary, so come before it will be asked to
:40:34. > :40:39.pay �50,000 for 50 car-parking spaces as part of the new levy. But
:40:39. > :40:44.the field next door is outside the city boundary, so the company had
:40:44. > :40:48.wanted to move its car park here and avoid paying the levy. We are
:40:48. > :40:53.six miles out of the city centre, we have a limited bus service so we
:40:53. > :40:57.have to drive. We do not feel we receive any of the benefits that
:40:57. > :41:03.are being proposed through the levy. It does not help us but it affects
:41:03. > :41:08.us. Determined by Source BioScience to avoid paying the levy has failed.
:41:08. > :41:13.It turns out the land it wanted to use as a car park is a greenfield
:41:13. > :41:18.site. Nathalie -- Crewe is expecting to raise �9 million from
:41:19. > :41:26.the tax in the first year. Any company with over 11 car parking
:41:26. > :41:31.spaces will have to pay it. It will cost them �288 for each space,
:41:31. > :41:37.rising to �381 by 2015. If I was working here at Experian I would
:41:37. > :41:45.not have to pay. For the company is footing the bill. If I was working
:41:45. > :41:49.here at Boots, I would have to pay around �180 a year on average. I
:41:49. > :41:54.would also have to pay if I was working at Nottingham City Council,
:41:54. > :41:59.as much as �600 for those on the highest salaries. The workplace car
:41:59. > :42:04.parking levy may be unpopular in Nottingham but councillors in
:42:04. > :42:08.Bristol are thinking of introducing a similar scheme. Workers, not
:42:08. > :42:11.employers would pick up the bill. The money raised would pay for a
:42:11. > :42:15.shortfall in funding for improvements to public transport.
:42:15. > :42:18.We are trying to learn from Nottingham about what they have
:42:18. > :42:22.done right and wrong and we will meet with business leaders to tell
:42:22. > :42:27.them about the scheme and we hope to get a business down from
:42:27. > :42:31.Nottingham who may give a different point of view. Crewe hopes the new
:42:31. > :42:35.tramlines that the levy will pay for will ease congestion. It was
:42:35. > :42:39.the previous government that approved the levy. At the time
:42:39. > :42:44.David Cameron opposed it but now the government has tightened up the
:42:44. > :42:49.approval process. Regulations state that local authorities would have
:42:49. > :42:54.to insure that business interests are properly considered, consulted
:42:54. > :43:00.and councils must have secured their support. Something Crewe has
:43:00. > :43:02.not been able to do. The government is toting up with a link --
:43:03. > :43:07.regulations to ensure businesses are protected from the imposition
:43:07. > :43:11.of taxes that may have a detrimental effect on the economy.
:43:11. > :43:15.Are they saying Nottingham got it wrong? We believe they did because
:43:15. > :43:21.there is significant opposition and little support for a parking levy
:43:21. > :43:27.in the city. But the council -- councillor responsible for
:43:27. > :43:31.transport dismisses such criticism. I think the government would like
:43:31. > :43:37.the private sector to become more involved in local issues, to take
:43:37. > :43:42.the lead in some cases on local issues and to invest more. But on
:43:42. > :43:45.the other hand, says that it does not want schemes to go ahead and
:43:45. > :43:53.Les the business committee supports them. The government is sending
:43:54. > :43:58.mixed signals. In Nottingham at least the business community seems
:43:58. > :44:07.resigned to the new levy. Some have already made alternative travel
:44:07. > :44:11.arrangements to avoid having to pay. Eileen Barrett joins us now. You
:44:11. > :44:17.clearly feel that this led the is unfair. Others would applaud
:44:17. > :44:23.Nottingham City Council for taking action to tackle traffic congestion.
:44:23. > :44:28.We as an employer feel it is a significant amount of money. The
:44:28. > :44:33.levy does not have an end dates so we do not know how it will impact
:44:33. > :44:38.on us. We are worried about the impact on the city. We have about
:44:38. > :44:44.70 staff, or we will have to find funds to accommodate the parking
:44:44. > :44:48.levy for those people. Eileen's business it six miles outside the
:44:48. > :44:53.city centre. Nowhere near the tram route. There one day she feels it
:44:53. > :44:56.is unfair. The question for Nottingham City Council is how do
:44:56. > :45:01.they find their part of the investment in Nottingham and for
:45:01. > :45:07.every pound that the parking levy raises, �3 are coming in from the
:45:07. > :45:13.government and it will generate �10 of inward investment into the city.
:45:13. > :45:18.I sympathise with Eileen's situation but if we do not Path To
:45:18. > :45:24.-- funded through the parking levy, we have to find another way to make
:45:24. > :45:29.the money. One of the problems we have is it is only affecting her
:45:29. > :45:35.few and if you look at the scheme, we regard it as grossly unfair in
:45:35. > :45:41.its application. Imagine a small organisation with less than 10
:45:41. > :45:45.people by someone takes home �70,000, they are exempt. Another
:45:45. > :45:55.organisation with someone on a minimum wage will have to find
:45:55. > :45:55.
:45:55. > :46:05.those funds. We have no transport for hour employees. -- dedicated
:46:05. > :46:05.
:46:05. > :46:09.transport for our employees. There is no link to the benefits.
:46:09. > :46:15.Businesses tell me that they are paying enormous cost from
:46:15. > :46:20.congestion in the city. One of the biggest things they raised with the
:46:20. > :46:24.A453. If you are going to get in best not in the city, that will not
:46:24. > :46:28.work if we do not have an integrated transport system. I
:46:28. > :46:33.sympathise with what Eileen says and businesses have to decide
:46:33. > :46:38.whether they can absorb the cost or whether they will have to ask
:46:38. > :46:45.employees to pay a contribution to the cost of parking at work. People
:46:45. > :46:50.to pay for their parking. I do not think it is painful. It is painful
:46:50. > :46:54.at the moment particularly when the economy is in a shaky state --
:46:54. > :46:59.state but we do need to find this money so that Nottingham can
:46:59. > :47:03.benefit from the billions of pounds of investment. The Department of
:47:03. > :47:06.Transport will make it harder for any other scheme to get off the
:47:06. > :47:11.ground without the support of the business community. Surely the
:47:12. > :47:17.government should be supporting schemes like this especially when
:47:17. > :47:22.we have heard in the past about David Cameron's green issues.
:47:22. > :47:26.is an arbitrary attack on jobs, attacks on businesses. If the wise
:47:26. > :47:33.counsellors of the Nottingham City Council thinks this will encourage
:47:33. > :47:38.investment in the city, they must live on another planet. It is also
:47:38. > :47:41.about less pollution, we have a polluted atmosphere. It ought to be
:47:42. > :47:46.proportion of, properly targeted and to affect those people who have
:47:46. > :47:55.an interest in the city of Nottingham. Clearly you will agree
:47:55. > :47:58.with that. Absolutely. It strikes to make that it is common sense.
:47:58. > :48:02.People who work in your Business who do not live in the city of
:48:02. > :48:06.Nottingham are being fleeced by the city council in order to go to work,
:48:06. > :48:14.some think they need to do so support their business and families
:48:14. > :48:18.in order to do -- schemes like this can go ahead. Strong language.
:48:18. > :48:25.the people of Nottingham and led them vote on it rather than those
:48:25. > :48:31.who come to work from outside. These are important businesses,.
:48:31. > :48:38.you think the council will live to regret this? The council put
:48:38. > :48:42.forward the levy and they have been re-elected so it is not a secret. I
:48:42. > :48:47.disagree with Edward. Lot of the people who drive in to Nottingham
:48:47. > :48:51.do not live in the area. Why should taxpayers in Nottingham fund the
:48:51. > :48:55.congestion created by people coming in from Derbyshire and
:48:55. > :49:00.Leicestershire? If we are serious about tackling congestion then we
:49:00. > :49:04.have to look at innovative ways of doing it. The government signed off
:49:04. > :49:10.on the projects that are bringing money into the city knowing what
:49:10. > :49:15.the scheme was for. There is a balance between central government
:49:15. > :49:19.interference and localism but the point is this came through the
:49:19. > :49:25.Transport Act under millions government and if they are going to
:49:25. > :49:30.do this, why did they wait 10 years to do it? We will have to leave it
:49:30. > :49:40.there. Thank you. Time for our weekly round-up of some of the
:49:40. > :49:47.
:49:47. > :49:51.Rebel Euro MP Roger Helmer has left the Conservatives and defected to
:49:51. > :49:54.the United Kingdom Independence Party. He claims you Ken Dulieu
:49:54. > :49:58.represents the values of the East Midlands Tories better than a
:49:58. > :50:04.Conservative Party led by David Cameron. UKIP is now the largest
:50:04. > :50:06.party representing the region in Europe. Robert Bolt tree has been
:50:06. > :50:11.suspended from the Conservative group after being charged with
:50:11. > :50:15.three offences of theft. They involve his council expenses and
:50:15. > :50:18.council funds amounting to �5,000. It means Derbyshire is now a hung
:50:18. > :50:21.council. Nottingham City Council has given
:50:21. > :50:26.the markets where protesters their marching orders. They have been
:50:26. > :50:30.there since October. The Occupy group say their anti-capitalism
:50:30. > :50:33.protest will not go away. Finally a reminder when Roger
:50:34. > :50:40.Helmer was flying the flag for the Tories. He complained the Union
:50:40. > :50:47.Jack was upside down in Strasbourg. Now Lib Dem councillor Phil Knowles
:50:47. > :50:52.once Harborough council to apply the black every day. Are you a 21
:50:52. > :51:00.day years a man or a 365 days a year man as far as the flag is