:01:33. > :01:36.The company behind a proposal to provide 6,000 new jobs talks
:01:36. > :01:46.exclusively to us. And why Liberal Democrats are
:01:46. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :29:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1681 seconds
:29:47. > :29:51.snubbing elections for Police I am Marie Ashby and my guests in
:29:51. > :29:55.the East Midlands this week know what it is like to grapple with the
:29:55. > :30:01.challenges facing our local authorities. Richard Blunt is the
:30:01. > :30:03.Conservative leader of North West Leicestershire and Anne Western is
:30:04. > :30:08.on the Labour Derbyshire County Council.
:30:08. > :30:13.Coming up: A massive freights project that could create up to
:30:13. > :30:18.6,000 new jobs. The company behind it give their first interview to us.
:30:18. > :30:22.It is a big scheme, an important scheme. It is significant. We are
:30:22. > :30:27.working hard with our technical team to assess all the impacts,
:30:27. > :30:30.both positive and less positive. And why Liberal Democrat in one of
:30:30. > :30:34.our counties are refusing to put up a candidate for elected police
:30:34. > :30:38.commissioner. The Health Secretary is being asked
:30:38. > :30:44.to investigate claims that patient safety was put at risk in hospitals
:30:44. > :30:46.in Lincolnshire because of an obsession with targets. The former
:30:46. > :30:54.chief executive of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has
:30:54. > :31:02.been gagged from speaking to the media in a �500,000 pay-off.
:31:02. > :31:08.Rising debts and ageing populations. Pressure on our hospitals is rising,
:31:08. > :31:14.but what happens when it gets too much? In late 2008, Lincoln County
:31:14. > :31:17.Hospital was experiencing a period of demand, and staff were being
:31:17. > :31:24.placed under more pressure to meet targets without any additional
:31:24. > :31:28.resources. Documents handed to the Sunday Politics show that bosses
:31:29. > :31:33.had concerns about patient safety. They requested a review of the
:31:33. > :31:37.situation but were turned down by NHS regional managers. My concerns
:31:37. > :31:41.were that the pressures coming up on the trust from outside could
:31:41. > :31:45.compromise patient safety. I stood up to those pressures and when it
:31:45. > :31:49.got to the point where I could not stand them any longer, I resigned
:31:49. > :31:53.and made my concerns about patient safety public. Lincolnshire MP
:31:53. > :31:57.Stephen Phillips has written to the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
:31:57. > :32:01.asking for an urgent investigation. What we need is to see all the
:32:01. > :32:05.documents so we can see whether or not the last Government's target
:32:06. > :32:08.culture led to risks being taken with patient safety, added that is
:32:08. > :32:12.right and give officials within the Department of Health were en
:32:12. > :32:16.forcing these targets and giving rise to risks with patient health
:32:16. > :32:21.and safety, they will have to be held to account. Both the Hospitals
:32:21. > :32:25.Trust and NHS Midlands and East to say that patient safety is a top
:32:25. > :32:31.priority and that more talent -- mortality rates have fallen in
:32:31. > :32:34.recent years. It is too simple to say that targets are good or bad.
:32:34. > :32:39.You have to look at the whole picture. The whole picture is that
:32:39. > :32:43.the NHS is under more pressure today than it has ever been. It is
:32:43. > :32:50.up to the Health Secretary to decide whether to reopen the row
:32:50. > :32:54.that has Dr this trust in recent years. -- that has played to the
:32:54. > :32:56.stress in recent years. Do you think the trust have acted
:32:56. > :33:01.against the public interest by stopping and talking about what
:33:01. > :33:04.happened? The difficulty is that none of us know the exact details.
:33:05. > :33:09.The first fundamental principle is that this is public money and
:33:09. > :33:13.people are entitled to know where it is being spent. There are
:33:13. > :33:18.several potential scenarios. It could be about personality clashes,
:33:18. > :33:23.it could be about other personal issues we do not know about. It
:33:23. > :33:28.might not be relevant -- relevant for the public to know. It is about
:33:28. > :33:31.patient safety, I cannot imagine that there are not routes through
:33:31. > :33:35.the NHS hierarchy through which things could have been reported. I
:33:35. > :33:39.would be very concerned if it is about patient safety. Somebody
:33:39. > :33:43.somewhere, within the NHS all within the Department of Health,
:33:43. > :33:47.needs to look at this to establish what the story is about. We know
:33:47. > :33:51.there are concerns about patient safety. Surely patients have the
:33:51. > :33:58.right to know what is happening on this case. The target culture is
:33:58. > :34:03.always scary. If you have a certain amount of money, you will spend in
:34:03. > :34:07.is certain way. What caught my eye in the story was the fact that the
:34:07. > :34:16.person he was defending himself was put in his house on the line to
:34:16. > :34:20.defend it. When you are fighting the NHS at that level, that must be
:34:20. > :34:28.-- you must be incredibly strong. Our health of his more elected to
:34:28. > :34:35.come forward because of this? -- our health bosses more out --
:34:35. > :34:39.reluctant to come forward because of this? The safety issues have to
:34:39. > :34:42.be the first thing to be established beyond doubt. If there
:34:42. > :34:48.are significant patient safety issues, immediate action has to be
:34:48. > :34:53.taken and if the things this person has to say contribute to that, they
:34:53. > :35:00.need to be made available. A leading developer is planning to
:35:00. > :35:04.build a huge new freight depot near Castle Donington. It will be so big
:35:04. > :35:07.that the company, Roxhill, claimed it could create 6,000 jobs. They
:35:08. > :35:12.have been speaking for the first time about the project to our
:35:12. > :35:18.Political Editor John Hess. Another delivery, another heavy
:35:18. > :35:23.lorry on our congested roads. This is junction 24 of the M1 motorway
:35:23. > :35:27.near East Midlands Airport. It is tucked out of sight from passing
:35:27. > :35:31.drivers. This is farmland which could make way for a huge
:35:31. > :35:35.distribution centre linking rail and motorway networks. There have
:35:35. > :35:39.been consultation meetings with local residents, but some are
:35:39. > :35:46.outraged at the prospects of noise and disruption. The company behind
:35:46. > :35:51.the scheme, Roxhill, is unrepentant. One of its directors, Kate Bedson,
:35:52. > :35:56.gave her as its first media interview about its ambitions.
:35:56. > :36:01.site will act as a kind of inland port for goods to come in from
:36:01. > :36:05.overseas. We are expecting to develop up to 6 million square feet.
:36:05. > :36:09.Evidence suggests that will generate 6,000 jobs. An existing
:36:09. > :36:14.freight line linking Nottingham and Birmingham would be extended to the
:36:14. > :36:18.proposed site. Junction 24 is very important for the region. It is
:36:18. > :36:28.close to capacity at the moment. The work we are hoping to do there
:36:28. > :36:28.
:36:28. > :36:37.will improve junction 24. We are proposing to give way to judge in
:36:37. > :36:44.23 and puts in a new bypass. That sort of talk is attracting
:36:44. > :36:48.influential backing. It is an opportunity for us to link both
:36:48. > :36:52.rail and air transport. This is the second largest air transport
:36:52. > :36:57.freight in the UK. The opportunity of linking rail to it would be an
:36:57. > :37:00.enormous strategic advantage for this area. It would put over �10
:37:01. > :37:05.million of business race into the local council. We need jobs and
:37:05. > :37:09.economic growth. That is a major factor. In a time of recession, he
:37:09. > :37:14.would have thought that the prospect of 6,000 jobs would have
:37:14. > :37:18.been welcomed with open arms, but not here, it seems. I don't think
:37:18. > :37:24.for a minute it can be 6,000 permanent jobs, and even if there
:37:24. > :37:28.are 6,000, unemployment here is very low, so that will be 6,000
:37:28. > :37:33.people coming into here when we are already under strain on the busiest
:37:33. > :37:39.motorway junction in the country. Residents from nearby villages are
:37:39. > :37:48.fighting the development. village itself will be completely
:37:48. > :37:55.ring-fenced by a railway system and continual freight traffic movement.
:37:55. > :38:00.This part of the M1 might be the shape of warehouses to come. 50
:38:00. > :38:08.miles further South, near Daventry rail terminal wants to expand.
:38:08. > :38:12.he wants -- if you want, get the development Denham and reassess
:38:12. > :38:16.what is actually required in his immediate area. The Government
:38:16. > :38:20.wants a network of such rail interchanges to take more freight
:38:20. > :38:25.off the roads. Justine Greening says the Government is considering
:38:25. > :38:28.taking measures to what she calls and block obstacles in the way of
:38:28. > :38:32.construction. She means the Government may consider planning
:38:32. > :38:36.powers to approve rail and transport infrastructure projects
:38:36. > :38:43.deemed to be of national significance. I support the
:38:43. > :38:51.Government's policy a strategic rail freight into James's. --
:38:51. > :38:55.interchanges. It will be good for business. This woman is planning
:38:55. > :38:59.the next stage in her Facebook campaign to block the scheme.
:38:59. > :39:03.have had 5,000 leaflets printed and we will get them out to every
:39:03. > :39:08.household in the area. This form of transport remains a welcome sight
:39:08. > :39:12.in the village. The proposed rail freight interchange is set to be an
:39:12. > :39:15.end Markham neighbour. The residents say it is not a done deal,
:39:16. > :39:20.but the economic case may prove to be too powerful and persuasive for
:39:20. > :39:25.government. There are a number of hurdles to
:39:25. > :39:29.clear, but you must welcome the prospect of new jobs. If there were
:39:29. > :39:32.no villages anywhere near junction 24, it would be easy to say, yes,
:39:32. > :39:37.we will have the jobs and the business rates and we will plough
:39:37. > :39:43.the money back into the economy. Unfortunately, there are four
:39:43. > :39:47.lovely villages there. There are ancient villages and people have
:39:47. > :39:53.lived there for a long time. Their lives and their future is now under
:39:53. > :39:56.threat. But we have lost a lot of jobs in the East Midlands including
:39:56. > :40:01.redundancies from Bombardier and Thorntons. This could be great news
:40:01. > :40:06.for our economy? Yes, and in principle, you have to welcome jobs
:40:06. > :40:12.and investment at times like these. The issue is that this particular
:40:12. > :40:19.area is not an area of high unemployment at, as areas further
:40:19. > :40:27.the M1 R. When you are looking at this daughter of -- this sort of
:40:27. > :40:32.strategic site, this has many advantages that her sides do not
:40:32. > :40:35.have. You would struggle to find as many advantages at another site.
:40:35. > :40:39.This scheme could bring in �10 million in business rates. I'm sure
:40:39. > :40:45.you would like to get your hands on that money. The Government said
:40:45. > :40:50.they would give business rates back to councils. We get about 10% back.
:40:50. > :40:55.The are the thing that is quite clever with the proposal is they
:40:55. > :41:00.have taken the pressure of the M1. They are going to provide a bypass
:41:00. > :41:04.for Kegworth. The Government will never be able to afford that in the
:41:04. > :41:11.next 20 years. It was only in March last year that your council said
:41:11. > :41:15.you were proposing to allocate any land -- to not allocate any land
:41:15. > :41:19.for strategic distribution. Is that still the case? Decisions will not
:41:19. > :41:24.be taken by our district. Decisions will be made in Bristol, which is a
:41:24. > :41:28.concern for local people. We have to try to win as many concessions
:41:28. > :41:32.as possible. I told the applicants that they had to sit down with
:41:32. > :41:35.every parish council and borough councillor and everyone in the area
:41:35. > :41:39.and convince them that they can put this in there and mitigate the
:41:39. > :41:44.damage to the villages. Say you are seeking assurances from Roxhill?
:41:44. > :41:50.That is our job as local politicians. We do not have to look
:41:50. > :41:54.at the whole of the colony of the UK. We are looking at one area. We
:41:54. > :41:57.are not desperate for jobs, but give jobs to come, I know in
:41:57. > :42:04.Derbyshire, where there is more unemployment, it is a different
:42:04. > :42:11.position. Areas within 10 miles to needed jobs. You mentioned the
:42:11. > :42:16.concerns of local residents. Residents to say that before the
:42:16. > :42:20.proposal gathers more momentum, you should look at the expanding depots
:42:20. > :42:25.at Lutterworth and Daventry instead of swarming up more farmland.
:42:25. > :42:28.is true, and within the immediate area, there may not be greater
:42:29. > :42:32.levels of unemployment, but within the band beyond that, and
:42:32. > :42:38.employment is an issue, and if you get in Nottingham, Derby and beyond,
:42:38. > :42:43.it is a significant issue. For me, if that is the site which is chosen
:42:43. > :42:47.and developed an Beragh 6,000 jobs on offer, we have to look at
:42:47. > :42:50.transport networks to allow people to access those jobs. Justine
:42:50. > :42:53.Greening has championed these integrated rail schemes. The
:42:53. > :42:57.coalition is already talking about taking measures to speed up the
:42:57. > :43:01.planning process to allow these things to happen. There is a
:43:01. > :43:05.difference between the strategic national importance of this and
:43:05. > :43:11.making it accessible to locals. It is the next year down of highway
:43:11. > :43:16.development and improvement that needs to be looked at to make sure
:43:16. > :43:21.we deal with the immediate site and the connections that needs. Can I
:43:21. > :43:28.give you one number to think about? 500 metres. We live in villages.
:43:28. > :43:31.500 metres is the distance to neighbouring villages. Say you
:43:31. > :43:37.would like people in Bristol to take that into account? 500 metres
:43:37. > :43:47.is not a big difference. We have to leave it there. Now we look at the
:43:47. > :43:47.
:43:47. > :43:51.other political stories in the East The police are investigating the
:43:51. > :43:55.European travel expenses of Leicestershire Conservative leader
:43:55. > :44:01.David Parsons. He has already been censored by the standards committee
:44:01. > :44:04.for breaching a code of conduct. Nottingham South MP Lillian
:44:04. > :44:09.Greenwood is urging the Government not to cut its grant for social
:44:09. > :44:12.housing improvements. She claims those already in -- completed have
:44:12. > :44:16.saved pensioner's blue mac lives by making them warmer in winter.
:44:16. > :44:23.hope the Minister will confirm the funding and enabled Nottingham city
:44:23. > :44:27.-- city homes to finish the work. The new college has been praised as
:44:27. > :44:30.one of the country's top 10 improving schools. She warned
:44:30. > :44:34.Michael Gove that plans to reintroduce O-levels would creche
:44:34. > :44:37.motivated students. Liberal Democrats in Derbyshire
:44:37. > :44:41.will not be put in a anybody to stand for elected police
:44:41. > :44:44.commissioner in the county. The crime spokesman for the counter --
:44:44. > :44:54.County said it was a stupid idea and will come back to bite the
:44:54. > :44:57.
:44:57. > :45:02.The man in question, Tony Rodgers, is here. Colourful language. It
:45:02. > :45:09.will come back to bite the Tories. How exactly? It is fraught with
:45:09. > :45:15.danger. I am totally opposed to party politics within the police
:45:15. > :45:22.force. If you have just one person he was totally responsible, can
:45:22. > :45:26.hire and sack the chief constable, the only people in my view which
:45:27. > :45:31.will be able to afford to stand for the police commissioner our
:45:31. > :45:35.political parties, which is to say the chances are... So you don't
:45:35. > :45:39.want them and you don't think we need him? Is the Prime Minister
:45:39. > :45:49.saying that our police force in the past and police authorities have
:45:49. > :45:53.been rubbished? I don't think so. Richard? They have done a good job.
:45:53. > :46:02.There is no doubt in my view that everyone associated with the police
:46:03. > :46:07.at a local council level has gone native. I do believe me
:46:07. > :46:12.accountability is not working at the moment. Mrs a high risk
:46:12. > :46:16.strategy. It is a little bit like Boris Johnson in London, it all
:46:16. > :46:20.depends on the character and Canada of the person who get the job.
:46:20. > :46:25.know that we are getting elected commissioners as a result of
:46:25. > :46:28.coalition legislation, so you are defined by party. Our own party is
:46:28. > :46:32.opposed to the policy of police commissioners. It just happened to
:46:32. > :46:36.be one of the Tory policies that they could not keep out of the
:46:36. > :46:41.coalition agreement. We have kept a lot of right-wing Tory philosophy
:46:41. > :46:43.out of the agreement, but this is not one of those things. Ed Davey
:46:43. > :46:49.said this week that he would expect Liberal Democrats to field
:46:49. > :46:53.candidates or at least get behind one. What the party nationally has
:46:53. > :46:57.decided is to let it go to the regions. The regional parties can
:46:57. > :47:01.do what they want to do. We will be standing one in Northampton because
:47:02. > :47:04.we actually have a person there who I think is highly suitable to be a
:47:04. > :47:09.police commissioner and will probably win the seat. His one
:47:09. > :47:14.enough? It is really up to the individual counties. That is the
:47:14. > :47:17.only county that really wants to stand a candidate for Police
:47:17. > :47:21.Commissioner. A I think there is a difference here between reality and
:47:21. > :47:28.what is being said. We are where we are. Police commissioners are
:47:28. > :47:32.coming in whether we agree with it or not. In Derbyshire, and our
:47:32. > :47:36.candidate, the rest of us don't agree with it, but we are stuck
:47:36. > :47:40.with it. Do you walk away or fight it? We have to fight it to
:47:40. > :47:45.represent our communities. I have known Tony for several years. He is
:47:45. > :47:49.a realist and he is very shrewd. He comes here and stands on the moral
:47:49. > :47:52.high ground, but basically, they can't win, the Lib Dems can't win.
:47:52. > :47:56.Why would you want to take the backlash of all the negative
:47:56. > :48:01.feelings against the Lib Dems in government and risk losing your
:48:01. > :48:06.�5,000 deposit? Why would you what to do that? If the Liberal
:48:06. > :48:10.Democrats were to stand a candidate and we thought we could take on the
:48:10. > :48:17.Labour Party and the Tory party or -- Tory party, we can prove that we
:48:17. > :48:21.could win. It is a problem that we didn't know how this will work out.
:48:21. > :48:27.It is all a bit of a stab in the dark. I am concerned about the
:48:27. > :48:32.politics in this, because these - but the Conservatives in this are
:48:32. > :48:35.not put in for a political person, they have chosen a retired RAF
:48:35. > :48:40.senior officer for Leicestershire. I applaud that, because they are
:48:40. > :48:44.bringing in somebody who is far more non-political. You don't look
:48:44. > :48:46.happy with that. That is not the case in Derbyshire. The
:48:46. > :48:53.Conservative candidate there is the current deputy leader of the
:48:53. > :48:57.Conservative group on the council and a political operator. I don't
:48:57. > :49:01.think you can take politics out of this because of the way it has been
:49:01. > :49:04.set up. The whiskeys you either get somebody who knows something about
:49:04. > :49:10.how the police service operates or you get somebody who comes in with
:49:10. > :49:15.no knowledge. It is an almighty gamble. And has raised an
:49:15. > :49:17.interesting point. It has been a big surprise to another of those he
:49:17. > :49:21.will be the Conservative candidate and that itself is fraught with
:49:21. > :49:24.danger. I'm sure we will find out soon enough.
:49:24. > :49:27.Thanks to all my guests. If you want to stand for Police
:49:27. > :49:31.Commissioner, you have until mid- October to submit your nomination.