14/04/2013 Sunday Politics East Midlands

Cameron tells us almost fifty thousand jobs have been created in

our region. And a striking miner and a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2193 seconds

businessman give us their views on look at the fight for a living wage

and are legion and on the day the Bishop of Grantham criticises the

cost of Baroness Thatcher 's funeral, we ask, what did you do for

you? Joining in this week is the Conservative MP for Derbyshire South

who praised Margaret Thatcher in this -- the House of Commons.

And the Labour MP for Bassetlaw. More on that in a moment but first,

David Cameron has been on the patch and telling us there is good news.

One of the two Rolls-Royce, the Prime Minister said the economy is

generating tens of thousands of jobs. I think we have seen some good

progress. Here in the East Midlands, 48,000 new private-sector jobs this

year. That is good progress. We have seen a growth partnership set up

with the government committing �1 billion over the next seven years to

really help industries like this. We are seeing a rebalancing of the

economy that we need. I would like to go faster and more export

success. Where are all these new jobs? Loads of them are in South

Derbyshire. Toyota is taking on 1500 people. Nestle are taking on 200

people and it is growing exponentially. It sounds good for

the economy. It is the antidote to Thatcherism. You do have a

government spending a lot of money on advanced manufacturing centres in

Sheffield with Rolls-Royce and then a new educational centre with a huge

amount of money going on. It is the government supporting our industry.

I applaud that. The government should be doing more to support the

industry. So the economy is on the way up? I wish it was. This is a one

off with Rolls-Royce. It is the right to do but what about the rest

of the economy. We are seeing no growth. We have had a lot of tweets

from people saying that these are all paid or part-time jobs. I regret

to say they are very poorly informed. They are superior jobs,

they are quality jobs, they are training jobs and they are going to

have jobs for the future. Nestle have invested �200 million. We have

brought business back from China. We now have proper class Manufacturing

and I am very proud of it. Jobs are jobs aren't they? People are hungry

for any kinds of jobs going but we are our industrial base? What is the

government doing about it and why haven't we got growth in the

economy? We are falling behind the rest of the world once by month. The

dusty mature party always seems to go to Rolls-Royce. Why do they

always go the? Fortunately, David Cameron came to Nestle as well. We

do our bit and South Derbyshire. Obviously I would love him to come

to healthcare. They are going to spend another 150,000. 75% of the

English market they have. They are taking on another 25 people as well.

If you are in work, how much would you say you need to get by? A

campaign is trying to persuade councils and businesses to be a

living wage. That is a way to link to the easy cost of living. It is

reckoned that must for hundred thousand people are paid a lot. --

paid below it. Just smell the coffee. The strategy of one Tory

poster on testing the political mood. His business in Nottingham

supplies copy to restaurants, cafes and hotels. He is also bring up a

political debate over low heat. -- over low pay. His latest recruit,

19-year-old Josh, helps out. He is paid more than the national minimum

wage will get --. A living wage is calculated by independent people who

have worked out just how much things cost and how much you need. It is a

realistic figure. At the moment the national minimum wage is �6 19p.

living wage would add an extra �1 26p, bringing it up to �7 65. The

question is whether the living wage should replace the national minimum

wage by law. As a taxpayer, I do not like the idea of not being people

enough money because they go on benefits. That extra in the hourly

wage rate would make such a difference for these two canteen

workers. Tracy and Rose worked for Nottinghamshire County Council. They

are paid above the legally enforced national minimum but only just. I am

a single mother with two children. At the end of every month, my money

runs out. I look to borrow money from my mother. She is a pensioner.

At the end of the month, I have to work 30 hours a week and come home

and do other things I have to do. I have bills to pay. The way I live

now is that I am putting more in my bells and even in my food. It would

make me a lot more comfortable and it would help a lot to bring up my

children. An estimated 4.8 million workers get less than the so-called

living wage. That is 20% of the working population. Given East

Midlands, it is at 22% which is why campaigners are targeting local

governments. What about those people currently earning �7.45 who would

therefore expect your own salary to incrementally rise? It would add a

huge amount to Council wage bills across the East Midlands and that is

something that council tax payers can ill afford the month.

telling that to this man. He is one of seven children and his family and

is campaigning for the living wage because of the adverse his mum, a

cleaner, has to put in. If it is happening to me, it is happening to

my little sister and a lot of other young people around Nottingham as

well. A lot of people feel ashamed about how much they are working. A

living wage to more accurately reflect living cost. It is winning

some political support at like strong copy, it may need sweet

running to suit everyone's tastes. Why shouldn't everyone expect a

living wage? You can't live without one. The difficulty is that you have

to have productivity to pay for it. Particularly when the unions are

trying to highlight that this is an issue for local council, we are very

proud that we haven't put up our local council tax for two years.

People who are on fixed incomes cannot afford for these things to be

going up. We have the money going to come from? Bassetlaw district

Council has signed up to this hasn't it? Here we have another well-paid

MP telling cleaners and caretakers that they shouldn't be getting seven

or �8 an hour. This is what people need to live on. We need to be

encouraging work. Every council and every employer should be bringing

and the living wage. It motivates people and these people spend their

money and the economy. That creates jobs. Is there a danger that if you

start paying people are living wage, people bother up the line would want

to do? How can we afford that? That is the problem. That is regularly

start getting into problems about how much it is going to cost to run

a council. Instead of giving millionaires huge tax cuts, squash

the people of little bit at the top. They will not notice it. At the

bottom, it will make a huge difference. Because we have taken

the tax threshold up to 9400, these people will not be paying tax at all

so weird looking after them. So we are looking after them. There is

opportunity for employers, including local authorities in the public

sector to PED since wage to all their employers. The lowest paid the

server increase. Is it cost-effective and good for morale?

Absolutely. Every employer understands the worst of their

employees. If they can afford it, fantastic but you have to have

greater productivity for it. Are you saying that that Tory council did

the wrong thing? Every council needs to understand where the money is

going to come from. If you are talking 13 people, you can maybe

find it but if you are talking 3000 people, maybe you can't find.

Vessels need prioritise at the moment. They? Productivity, cleaners

who are cleaning toilets, they should be paid a living wage. That

is what this is about. Local authorities should take the lead.

Well done Bassetlaw Council for doing it. It's the other councils

and other employers doing the same thing. It doesn't sound a novel lot

to some people but it would be a -- a big difference to some wouldn't

it? I stress again, the tax levels have been raised enormously so you

have to earn a lot of money before you start paying any tax at all.

think these people will find that they are the level where they will

not be paying any tax and that is the difference. Local councils are

in the front line when it comes to the campaign for a living wage but

that is just one of the many issues facing them as they approach those

crucial County Council elections in three weeks time. In the run-up, we

will be hearing from the leaders of the main parties in each county are

starting this week with Nottinghamshire. Their promises

include, a freeze on council tax, increasing spending on roads and

pothole repairs, and for every school to have a school hall.

have promised not to be council tax up for the next two years. I am well

aware of how little money people have to spend and we still have to

provide services. We have already succeeded in finding savings there.

Therefore, I know we can do it again without cutting back on those

services. Alan Rhodes leads the Labour group. They say that jobs,

skills and training are priority. They are promising extra care

housing for the elderly and a 20 mile an hour limit outside schools.

A Labour authority will offer a fairness in difficult times to the

people of Nottinghamshire. We know that we are in a difficult financial

situation but at the same time, we must prioritise local government

services to those people in our communities who do so desperately

need them. We will be putting people first. We will be prioritising those

most disadvantaged communities and we will be offering fairness in very

difficult times. Liberal Democrat's pledges include, freezing council

tax for one year at least, no cut and library services and sure start

and �1 million extra for road repairs. I think if people want a

stronger council that runs taxis fairly but delivers social fairness,

then you cannot trust that either of the other two parties. Liberal

Democrats will keep taxes low and other social policies. -- and

deliver social policies. Next week will be hearing from the party

leaders in Derbyshire. We can't hold our politicians back any longer.

Let's talk Margaret Thatcher. One example, she also had a major impact

here in the East Midlands. Joining us to debate how her policies change

their lives, we have Les Raine, a former striking miner from

Nottinghamshire. Les, where you celebrating when you heard of

Baroness Thatcher 's death? Celebrating is a strong word.

end of the day, somebody has died but I certainly didn't mourn her

passing. Some of the people who have been celebrating, you have got to

understand that some of those people have been given an opportunity to

vent some of their anger and frustration that built up during her

time in office. They possibly feel that they have never had an

opportunity to do so because prior to this, you're not going to wake up

one morning and say let's have a party to celebrate. It is like any

other leader of any other organisation. When leaders die, you

have people who will rejoice and your people who will mourn. Whether

you are rejoicing or morning, will depend on what section of the

society you Ireland. What did Margaret Thatcher mean to you?

from an area which was in the industry. What she did for the

working-class in freeing them has led me to where I am today. You are

saying that she inspired you? She inspired me to go into business as

she has done for many working-class people. She privatised a lot of

these big businesses. These working-class had opportunities to

play a part in businesses that they worked on by buying shares etc.

there to say that the reaction we've had from some of our viewers on our

Facebook page has been mainly about the hardship people based during the

Thatcher years and they haven't been terribly complementary either. What

do you see to someone like Les who lost his job and says his community

was destroyed by Thatcher's policies? I think it is very

unfortunate. History is being rewritten because the miners in

South Derbyshire, half of them work is we didn't strike. We have

villages where families are split, villages where you go to one pub

rather than the other. What I am saying is dot mac she polarised

opinions. We may not be having this debate on any other conservative

leaders. You lived through the Thatcher years and lived in those

mining areas in Nottinghamshire. you go to those communities and ask

those people in those communities, some of them have never recovered.

There was nothing there. The thing that fits those communities was the

mains. There was nothing to replace that. Working-class people were also

liberated by her policies, what do you say to that? She doubled up

unemployment and had mortgage rates at 12%. She had inflation at 9%. She

had growth in the economy so she left an economic disaster. Then we

have got what and electric and gas privatised and we are all paying

huge bills because of that. What there is as private sector making

vast amount on the back of all others. What about that? Would it be

profitable? The thing is that is going back to the mains, they were

not making money. It is a business. The Australians are making a profit

out of coal and we can't because we have shut the collieries. I don't

think it is as simple as a profit and loss basis. The communities

looked after each other. Maybe it is not just people who are rewriting

history. Let's leave history rewriting alone and let's talk about

today. The Bishop of Grantham has said that the cost of a funeral is a

mistake. You would believe that the funeral should be more low-key and

personal. I think it is absolutely wrong and I cannot believe he has

come out with this statement. doesn't sound like a very Christian

statement. He thinks it is not going to help this situation by having a

big show. When you look at other funerals in the past, there has been

a private funeral and then a national memorial, you and

Westminster Abbey or other. This is going to be on funeral and on the,

that is it. Did we not have a parliament that costs a lot of money

anyway? Not because this is for the nation to see what is going on.

Parliamentarians want to talk and pay tribute to a massive

parliamentarian. She was a brilliant parliamentarian and I don't want

history rewritten about that. reckon recognise that Margaret

Thatcher had some very fine leadership qualities and that most

people the country would be that there are things they are but when

you talk about a nation, which nation are you talking about? The

ones that prospered under Thatcher or the ones that didn't? You have

absolutely got the wrong idea. Jason Doctor O'Dell about the fact there

were a lot of people who owned their own houses. Let's talk about the

impact that Baroness Thatcher 's death could have on the upcoming

council elections. It could go either way couldn't it? It will have

no impact whatsoever. Everybody is reminiscing about the Thatcher

years. It will have no impact because people will go about their

everyday lives. It is right that she has a funeral but no politician

should have the funeral paid for by the state. Not Margaret Thatcher,

not Tony Blair, no politician should ever have to all edition paid for by

the state. It is fundamentally wrong. How do you feel about this?

It is one funeral. The costs are going to escalate with people

protesting about it. Because we have to put in place police officers to

oversee and ensure nothing escalates to far. That increases costs. They

are talking about arrest is happening on the day. Thank you very

much. Time for a roundup of the other political stories in the East

Midlands this week. Lester's Deputy Mayor has been

chosen as a Labour candidate for the East Midlands for the European

Parliament. He has been asked on Twitter if he will step down from

the Deputy Mayor's role to campaign but he says he will only leave if he

is elected to Europe in next year's elections.

Derbyshire's Fire and Rescue Service has signed up nine councils to its

campaign to install more walking -- Watters fingers and homes. They have

put together a bunch of the hundred and �60,000 to pay for the systems

which significantly reduce damage caused by fire. Nottingham City

Council is offering advice on switching to lower fuel bills are

people in the city. Council is holding sessions and libraries and

information on its website to calculate how to save money.

MPs are to get a taste of Derbyshire this week. A food fair at the

counties to these products is being held in the House of Commons.

Organisers hope the exposure will help local businesses to flourish.

Sounds tasty? It is going to be brilliant. What is known for? I am

taking two producers from South Derbyshire. One produces wine and