10/06/2012 Sunday Politics East Midlands

Here, Labour and Conservative councillors warned the government

that benefits changes could lead to more evictions and rent arrears.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1713 seconds

And there has been a big increase Might guests are conservative MP

Mark Spencer as John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw.

We revealed that laid-back Conservative MPs have warned the

government their benefits changes could lead to more evictions and

rent arrears. And I will be revisiting the

children of the reserve -- revolution in Cotgrave. Did it

work? We can disclose that there has been

a big rise in the number of vacancies for carers of vulnerable

people in most part of the East Midlands. According to figures, in

April in Derbyshire, there were a formidable 94 vacancies less. But

in Leicestershire there were double the figure from last year. In

Lincolnshire, there was a 600% rise. And in Nottinghamshire, they were

up by over 1000, 50%. Mark Spencer, on the face of it,

these are pretty alarming figures. There has to be some concerted

action to improve the state -- status of carers?

It is good news we are talking about vacancies not redundancies.

There are jobs out there. We need to raise the profile of some of

these couriers and vocational Korea's that people may choose to

go down. We have focused for a long time on going to university and

getting a degree, when their lorry number of career options out there

for people that offer a great deal of personal reward.

What do we need to do to get a career structure and salary

reflecting the importance of the work?

We need to encourage people to go into that, and we need to encourage

those in the sector to reflect, both in terms of salary and support

of the career, the right skills and rewards.

If you pay peanuts, this is what you get. The problem is the

turnover. Unqualified, untrained staff going, being paid the minimum

wage to work nights, struggling to cope with the work. And they are

leaving and are not getting replaced. That is the problem.

It is also that this has been a problem with successive government.

Your government did not break this problem.

It has been a bigger problem in Nottinghamshire ever since the

Conservative county council decided to sell off the good care homes

with well trained, experienced staff and put them to the bidders

in the private sector. This privatisation is a key part of a

problem. Paying lower wages, less training, people do not want to

work there, the turnover of staff leaving is huge.

You are a number of Nottinghamshire County Council, Mark?

We are lifting the quality of the care homes and are investing in

them. You talk about quality,

Lincolnshire, where the number of vacancies has risen by 600% over

the last year, Unison say that the minimum wage that is paid to some

of the carers, we are talking about �6.80 an hour. A checkout operator

get more than that. How can you get quality care like that at poor

rates of pay? We need to recognise the rewards

you get from entering that career. Relatives of people in those homes

are very grateful to those staff, and they get a great deal of reward

not just financial, but in terms of your career. We need to make sure

there is a development system so that you can progress through those

private companies and go up the ladder. It is a stepping stone. If

you getting at the early stages, you can progress through the

company. Mark Spencer is talking about

stepping stones. Is that enough? It is dangerous, because you have

got vulnerable people in none of the staff looking after them. It is

particularly chronic at night, that is the Real recruitment problem. A

minimum wage at night, they are not getting the staff. There is a huge

problem and there will be scandals emerging.

There has been scandals a long time before the Conservative government,

and we have been looking at that very closely to make sure that this

does not happen. Next, the government's changes have

come in for a lot of criticism from the opposition, but we can reveal

that Labour and Conservative councillors have now joined forces

to warn that they could lead to more evictions and rent arrears.

If the government's -- the government contributes towards the

cost of your housing, it can give it to direct your landlord. It

keeps things simple, and reduces mistakes. But for most people, that

option is about to be taken away. That is bad news for people like Jo.

She works part-time as an administrator, and is entitled to

housing benefit. It but used to come out at the

beginning of every month, but it that extra money comes in the, I do

not know what benefit it does to give it to the person who is paying

it, because I could just do whatever I wanted with it.

Do you think people could struggle with it?

Definitely, you will get people who will take advantage of it.

Now, fears over the change have given rise to a chorus of

opposition from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire's counsellors.

If you are giving people money and telling them to pay the rent, there

will be other priorities, especially these days when you have

got inflation, or the energy bills to pay, there is a danger of

massive debt. And eventually evictions.

Already, bailiffs are reporting an increase in business, largely as a

result of council tax arrears. But it is not just Labour-led council

has which are opposed to this particular change to the benefit

system. -- a Labour-led councils. Nottinghamshire County Council, a

conservative one, as well as the districts and boroughs, are asking

the government for a rethink. There are people who may have been

very reliant on the welfare system for a number of years, and all the

sudden, they are being asked to take over complete responsibility

for all their budget. With the best will in the world, many will do it

and get it right, but we know there will be a significant proportion of

bad ball really struggle. You are hoping the government will

change its mind? Mr Cameron and likes to say he is a

listening Prime Minister had the government is a listening

government, and I certainly would not dream of asking him to do a U-

turn, but maybe just a slight turn. We do need to look at this more

sensibly. What are the chances of a U-turn?

The government says it wants all households to be responsible for

their own household budget. But the government says it will look at

providing support to families who need help with managing their

finances. There is a cross-party consensus in

Nottinghamshire that it is the wrong thing to do. Housing

associations will also be making representations. I think they are

being extremely naive. The government is not for turning

Ed Balls. But with a list of coalition U-turn as standing here -

- stacking up, could there be room for one more.

The leader of Newark Council says that another look is needed. Is he

right? Simplifying the benefits system has

to be the right thing to do. We have to make sure some of the

extortionate rents get paid. It is important not to patronise people.

To say these individuals cannot manage their own finances could be

a bit patronising. Some people can, but there will be a small sector of

society that cannot, and the government will have to look at

those people at but -- and protect them. A Kay Cutts, the Tory leader

of Nottinghamshire County Council, she says you should be going back

to the drawing board on this. If she right or wrong?

To be fair, she has a good antenna for these things, and I think if

local councils are saying this, then the government should have a

look at it. I think the general principles are correct.

Tony Roberts says this is a listening government, so why no

change? Let Toad the government is in

listening mode. -- leads hope. It is easy to say that a certain

approaches the correct one, but we should not patronise these people.

John Mann, the coalition says it wants to give people more power

over their lives. Is it not patronising to say that we do not

trust people to pay their own rent? It is ideology not common sense. I

think there will be yet another U- turn. If there is enough space in

the U-turn Callender, I think we could predict that we will see this

happen. You're either accused of U-turn in

or listening, and I think, frankly, it is pretty much a of a government

to say that these are the changes we want, and there we can change it.

This is a government that is not doing his homework. It is bring --

bringing forward all kinds of Bonnie proposals and gets its

fingers burned. Everybody knows that if Kay Cutts is saying the

government has got it wrong, this must be a pretty extreme proposal,

and it needs to be got rid of. Simplifying and changing the

benefit system is the right thing to do, and we need to pursue this.

There will always be some wrinkles that need to be shaken out, and I

think this is one of them. They're all the families in my constituency

that have invested in a property that see that as an investment,

they do not have to be scared of renting a property to someone on

benefits if they do not want their income, so that is something to be

looked at. Landlords are the most hostile to

this, because instead of them getting the rent, there will be

some, presumption of negotiation over what the rent should be, and

in not getting paid. It will create work and bureaucracy for everyone.

The government says there will be held for vulnerable people.

That means we will have to spend more taxpayers' money covering up

the mistakes of a flawed policy. Let's have a another U-turn in the

next week or so. -- let's have another U-turn.

The government is to listen to these issues and recognise that

there is a small group of people that are going to need some support.

I cannot emphasise enough that we must not patronise people.

It is small details that are not being looked at which create a

political row. It is an enormous task to change

the benefit system, and it is something we have taken on and have

decided to do. That is the right thing to do it.

What about the concern over evictions? We heard from Graham

Chapman, he says that it will lead to more evictions.

You only get evicted if you do not pay your rent, and if we can look

after that small start -- small section of society that cannot

manage, we will be fine. Next, we like to keep an eye on the

stories we cover on the Sunday Politics, add one in particular

springs to mind. It is the first anniversary of the Cotgrave

Revolution, but we have been back to the scene of something that has

all the ingredients of a political version of Midsomer Murders.

Nine new councillor celebrate victory. Nothing unusual about that,

but these newcomers are plotting revolution in, of all places,

This former pit town of, or whether colliery closed in 1993, is now run

by a group of shopkeepers, churchgoers and professionals, who

call themselves the Cotgrave Revolution. So, one year on, what

has happened to the revolution? Have we seen the end of poisonous

parish-pump politics? Well, no, the children of the revolutions in to

have fallen out. Two defections, two resignations, including the

leading light, Penny Bunn. You would have thought we have

stormed the Bastille and not been elected democratically. There were

hate groups on Facebook within days of us being elected, pouring out so

much abuse. There were leaflets flying around the village, nasty

stuff. How worried were you?

Frightened to death. Penny Bunn blames the old guard of

the Labour Party. Time to revisit a Drew Wilkie, seen by some as

Cotgrave's Peter Mandelson. He says it is just politics.

I expect someone to come back to me if I criticise them. I will not

shrink and asked why they are doing that. There was an allegation we

had hacked into their computer system and computers of individuals,

that was refuted by the police after an investigation of.

Community events are proving to be popular with residents. The the

council is now led by this man, Ian Shaw, one of the original members

of the revolutionary team. These days, he is not fond of that

word. It was a misinterpretation, and I

do not want anything to do with it, because I do not want that would

mention from our side. Controversial plans to redevelop

the old pit site on now going ahead, and Ian Shaw feels it is time to

depoliticise the council. I do not think a council of this

size has run for Party politics. It should be working purely for the

benefit of the people who'd it represents, and should get all the

parties wobbling out of bed. But not, it seems, for the benefit

of former town clerk Anne Ellis, once dubbed Cruella De Vil by the

revolutionaries. She lost her job when the new regime took over.

I was sad that there was something of a cloud over it, when I should

have been allowed to leave with my head held high and proud of the

achievement I brought a Cotgrave. She would not co-operate at all,

and it was very frightening for us. She was a very frightening woman

when she wanted to be. Do you stand by the Cruella De Vil

jibe? Yes, I do.

I am yet to be presented with any evidence as to how they acted like

Cruella De Vil. The arguments continue, but Ian

Shaw claims there is a new community spirit in Cotgrave. And

what of the revolution? Postponed indefinitely, and, from what we can

tell, hardly missed. I do not know anything about the

Cotgrave Revolution. I took no notice.

I had no idea there was a revolt going on in Cotgrave!

But Penny Bunn feels they missed a real opportunity.

It is a lovely dream to think that I was going to do something great

for my community and be really involved and make big changes, but

dreams cannot always come true. Are there any lessons to learn from

what has happened in Cotgrave? Well, perhaps just this, that at whatever

level, politics can be a brutal and dirty game.

A political thriller from Rob Whitehouse. Next, some of the other

political stories in the East Midlands this week.

The new Labour majority in Darby says it will fight any plans to

turn more schools in two academies. It backs co-operative trussed like

the 84-1, where schools work more closely with local communities. --

Da Vinci Community College. Beat UKIP member of the UK parliament,

Geoffrey Bloom, once Lincolnshire sausages to be given the same

protected status of champagne and Parma ham. The problem is, our own

departments, DEFRA, is not convinced. Next, the contest for

elected police commissioners. After giving their members a vote, the

Conservatives have a selected Sir Clive Loader as their candidate in

Leicestershire and Rutland. Finally, mega shake-out a council has issued

much tougher guidelines for wind turbines. The county already has

many more than the rest of the region. Now they are being advised

not to approve any less than a mile from people's homes.

John Mann, do you sympathise with Lincolnshire and the dilemma they

have had with all these wind farms? I agree, I do not want any

whatsoever in Bassetlaw. I would have solar panels instead. I would

have conventional energy. We... If David Cameron and George Osborne

and Nick Clegg love them, they can have them. I do not want them in

Bassetlaw, as the vast majority of people do not either. They do not

work. I was one of the original 101 MPs

saying it should be looked at again, and I think I am not offended by

them, but I think from the point of view of the taxpayer, I think we

can spend our money more wisely on solar panels.

So we have got two sceptics on this whole issue of wind turbines. How

do we need renewable target? Anaerobic digestion, solar panels,

ground and air sauced heat pumps, and nuclear power, because it does

not release carbon. I am happy with nuclear power, but

stick the windmills of Shaw, where the results of wind. It is a shame

they have not been put there, because that is where they should

Also, coal, because if we can capture carbon, that has a lot of