21/04/2013 Sunday Politics East Midlands

In the East Midlands, a housing crisis with thousands on the

waiting-list and bitter battles to find new homes. Can the Liberal

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2074 seconds

In East Midlands, a housing crisis. Tens of thousands of people on the

waiting list, and it is still growing. We have seen a dramatic

increase of people coming into her eyes with housing issues. They are

on the list and currently living with family and friends because

they are waiting to be rehoused. There are no houses available.

can the Liberal Democrats win a seat here in the East Midlands? And

I am at Marie Ashby, and joining me are Graham Allen and Julia

Cambridge, who has just been appointed as the Lib Dems'

parliamentary candidate for Chesterfield. Graham, you sign they

saw this week -- you finally saw this week the launch by David

Cameron... Yes, Nottingham has been trying for a long time to give

babies, children and young people the solid bedrock on which all

learning and aspiration is based. We have now taking it to a national

level and I was delighted with the launch on Monday. The hard work

begins now to take these policies to the rest of the nation and

making sure that every young person gets the good start they deserve.

How did you manage to persuade all the leaders to go for this?

shows it can be done. There is a lot of bickering in party politics.

B three party leaders and the political class as a whole has come

on this occasion at least, put partisan politics aside and put the

needs of young people above any partisan bickering. What difference

will have been a Foundation make? We will collect together all the

best practice that is that there, all the best evidence and pressured

out to scale, in other words, anybody can pick it up and start to

do it in their own area using the money available. We need to change

the culture of late intervention. We let things become intractable

and deep-rooted and then throw money at it. It is better to invest

money early on and then we will have a lot of children growing up

in more rounded environments. how important is working together?

Your party is part of the coalition. First and foremost, I would like to

congratulate Graham Allen on this fantastic initiative. If there is a

consensus, which they evidently his, behind this new independent body,

then everybody needs to work together, and it is something that

we welcome. Graham has not only identified a very important issue,

but he has actually work at getting a solution, and that is the sort of

politics we want more of a. will he make sure the money will

stay there to support this foundation? I think, with everybody

behind it, the coalition and also three leaders, I think of Graham

probably does expected to be well supported, and I can see that

continuing in the future. I'm sure you will keep us posted a mat.

The East Midlands is in the middle of a housing crisis. Thousands of

homes need to be built, but finding the land leads to endless planning

rows. A lack of available homes is holding back our economy. Here is

Wesley Mallin from Radio Derby. Britain is in the midst of a

housing crisis. Depending on which estimate to take, we need to build

between 250,000 and 500,000 new homes every year just to meet

demand. In the East Midlands, social housing is one of the key

pinch points. In fact, across the East Midlands, 116,500 people on

the housing waiting list. 40,000 of those I in overcrowded housing.

That figure is up 16% on the previous year. The lack of social

housing means more and more people are seeking advice from

organisations like cab. We have seen a dramatic increase in people

coming into us with housing issues. They are currently living with how

-- family and friends, or they are being put up in bed and breakfast

by the council because there are no houses available. But it is not as

simple as just throwing up a few hundred homes. Many of the site

earmarked for building are green field, and nobody wants a major

development on their doorstep. This land on the outskirts of Alfred has

been the subject of many unsuccessful planning applications

over the year. But now and the Bally -- Amber Valley Borough

Council have granted permission for several hundred homes on the site.

There is no legal basis to refuse. I guess it loses some open space

for people to go to. There is very little open space around. It is a

shame because there is not a lick of -- a lot of green in Alfreton

now. If this goes, 500 houses? Meanwhile, the over occupancy

surcharge, or what the Labour Party calls the bedroom tax, is pushing

up demand for one-bedroom properties. It will have a knock-on

effect, and it is only just beginning now, when people are

coming to me and saying they are struggling financially, so I think

it is going to get worse. Where joined now by Chris Hobson,

the East Midlands chairman of the National Housing Federation. How

acute is this problem? Very acute. In the East Midlands each year, we

have 20,000 new houses being produced. But only 45% of the

demand is being met. We also have people being priced out of buying a

home, rising rents in the private sector, so it is squeezing private

finances. We know that there are 97 brownfield sites in the Amber

Valley area. The Campaign to Protect Rural England says there is

plenty of space to build on already. Yes, we need more houses, but we

need them in the right places. There are lots of places,

brownfield sites, and I think the Government should firstly restore

the cut to the ground that was given to build houses. It was

goodbye half by this government. And get rid of the bedroom tax.

What is the point of pushing people out onto the housing market, when

there are no homes for elderly couples or single people? We need

to build some of those homes, and you can only do that by getting the

housing grant restored, and what that does for you is help to build

the economy as well. Construction workers, bricklayers, plasterers,

they would get our economy going. Julia, your party are committed to

building tens of thousands of new homes. Where are they going to put

them? It is important where they go, indeed, and what I would say is

that one of the things we have to find his money to actually build

houses in the first place. Something the Liberal Democrat

state when they came into the coalition, which the Labour Party

had flatly refused to do for their whole term of office, was to free

up local councils to have money to invest in properties by being able

to keep the council rent money. That is what we have done. Councils

can now keep the revenue from rent that they get from council houses

and they can put it back into property and get this thing moving

again. I think that finance is extremely important. Some people

say you're party did but do enough when you were in power. We did

twice as much as his government in terms of the money put into new

housing. I have to peculiar up on this question of the revenue

support. Everybody knows that council expenditure has been

savaged by the Government. The Liberal Democrats support every

single night of the week the Kurds to councils. I am a great revolver,

and I think that councils will do the job and know the best places

for housing. That is better than having edicts from Eric Pickles in

Whitehall telling people what they have to do. You can hear the

different opinions it. What you think about what our politicians

have to say? First novel, you're absolutely right to say that we

need to know where the homes are needed and we need to build in the

right places. We used to have a national strategy which gave

targets for building across the region for -- the regions. But that

has been scrapped. Councils need to step up to the mark and make the

right decisions. In terms of the money and the economy, I absolutely

agree that we need continued grants for building homes. If we build the

number of houses needed in East Midlands, that would generate �1.5

billion in the local economy. Those jobs would be local. Can the

Council's resolve this problem? -- can be councils resolve this

problem? I think they have a part to play. There are only -- it was

only a couple of days ago about protests in Binham against new

building houses. The local government in Cambridge have got

plans to build 500 homes, and contested, and the local people are

very happy. It is not always the case, though. No, it is not always

the case, but I think with waiting lists as they are, all sorts of

low-cost housing is needed. We need to start building small houses now,

in light of the bedroom tax. Well, we need to know what kind of homes

are needed in which every is. -- areas. To come back on the point

about people not wanting to build on certain areas, everyone

recognises there is a need for new homes, just not at the end of their

vote. We need to show them what the impact is of not building new homes.

The closure of pubs, the drop in services, and so on. And if we

build new homes, we can bring a vibrant new areas with jobs as well.

We are now forcing builders to approach councils to develop land

which is inappropriate, which could be on a flood plain, or on a green

space in a precious area. There is a stress and pressure coming now.

We should leave these things to local councils to fill a particular

space and a gap in the market. At the moment, we are pressing

councils because they have abolished spatial strategies. The

Government is pressing them from a national level. It is inappropriate

to try to meet these ridiculous targets. Thank you very much.

It is less than two weeks until the elections in Nottinghamshire,

Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Each week, we are hearing from the

leaders of the main parties in those counties. This week,

Derbyshire. Andrew Lewer is the leading of the

Conservative group. His party is promising 1000 new apprentices, no

council tax increase next year, and no library closures. We have a

manifesto called Quality Services, low taxes, and I would encourage

people to look at our track record over before Maggie is in those two

areas. We have delivered front line services in an excellent fashion,

despite profound financial pressures. We have modernised the

county council. We have also delivered three years of 0% council

tax, so if people say, how can we believe what is in your manifesto?

I would say, look at what we have done. And West Indies the Labour

group leader. They want to introduce a living wage. -- and a

Western. -- Anne Western. We want to promote growth in the Derbyshire

economy. Until we get jobs Wigan people and the economy growing, we

will stagnate. The Government has put a lot of funding into cities,

but the rural areas, the towns and villages in Derbyshire have not had

any of that funding. We have to make the case for Derbyshire, for

jobs and regeneration to. That will then help us to support families

better and raise income levels. Derbyshire has become a low-pay

economy and we need to do something about that. Then we will be able to

support families better and look after old people better as well.

Stephen Flitter is leader of the Liberal Democrats on Derbyshire

County Council. He says the Lib Dems will not make promises they

can't keep an will concentrate on providing excellent council

services and a balanced economy for Derbyshire for in the past, you

have had years of tax and spend. You have had Kurds from the left

and the right. The Liberal Democrats will look at things

logically and soundly. We will consult with local people and take

the appropriate action, where it is there for everybody in Derbyshire.

That is why people should vote for the Liberal Democrats on May 2nd.

We head there from the Lib Dem leader for Derbyshire, and Julia,

you are aiming to become a Lib Dem MP for East Midlands. It is not

exactly a happy hunting ground for your party, though, is it? You say

that, but recent history shows that we have an excellent MP in

Chesterfield. Paul Holmes came into this programme many times that he

is no longer an MP for you, is he? We are aiming to get back into

Chesterfield as quick as we can. Paul left a fantastic legacy, as

did our council, and am going to build on that. Why is it, do you

think, that there are no Liberal- Democrat MPs in this area? You have

to look at the demographics. The East Midlands, a traditional Labour

Party, mining community -- communities. You go around any

corner and you see the miners' union clubs. To make inroads, we

have done an amazing job, but we intend to do more. You are a strong

second in some of our seats. Are the Lib Dems a threat? A couple of

by-elections in Nottingham recently, they were fighting with

Conservatives fought 4th and 5th place. I feel sorry for Julia

because she is up against one of the most active members of

parliament in Toby Perkins in Chesterfield. I have been out on

the knocker this weekend and it is difficult to see or find people who

admit to being Lib Dems, even when we know there previously have been.

I think the big tactical problem, the decision that was made when

Nick Clegg decided to be close to David Cameron rather than be the

great in the oyster, people are saying, especially with the fees

questing, they do not believe the Lib Dems. When people get hundreds

of pounds in their back pocket from our fantastic policies of lowering

the tax threshold, they are not going to be saying that. I would go

further than Graham Allen and say that the Labour MP in Chesterfield

is underperforming. His party knows it. To say that he is one of the

top performers, as far as I'm concerned, that is disingenuous.

is one of the hardest workers in the House of Commons. Why do the

Lib Dems struggle so much in the East Midlands? We went out to get

your views. What we take for you to vote Lib

Dem? I am interested to find out. What we take for you to vote Lib

Dem? I don't know if I ever would. I don't really understand how they

differentiate themselves from the Labour Party. They don't seem to

have any policies that are sufficiently different to make me

go for them. What would it take for you to vote Lib Dem? To understand

what is going on! Do you think they should make their policies more

clear? More understandable. So I can understand what's going on, to

vote for whoever. So you would not vote Lib Dem? No. I don't believe

in them. I am a working-class Labour Party man. Investing in

things like education for my children, that I had to have, the

NHS system and making sure that people go to work really benefit

from going to work. I understand we are in a time of crisis and we'll

have to stick together and say that pay rises cannot be given

everywhere, but I sometimes feel like the working man does get

forgotten about. I don't really understand the Lib Dem policies. I

think they are wishy-washy. I don't really understand it. The

Conservatives, you know from their history where they are going. The

Labour Party, you understand from their history where they are going.

But the Lib Dems do not have a great history, so it is difficult

to understand that if they came into power, or total power, what

they would actually do. Why did you vote Lib Dem? Because they don't

knock on my door and tell me what they are about. As simple as that.

Go and knock on a door. I knock on the doors every day. And at

weekends at the moment! What are they not getting? They want to know

what you stand for. What I would say is we have a fantastic

opportunity with the general election coming up and the council

elections, if people want a stronger economy, a fairer society,

allowing everyone no matter what their background to get on, then

there may have to look at the Lib Dems -- then they have to look at

the Lib Dems. All of our policies underline that message and those

values. But you need to get that message across more, because what

those people were saying is that they understand what the other

parties stand for, but not you. You have a lot of groundwork to do

there. Nobody can deny we have work to do, like all the parties. Those

were vox pops, and I talk to people every day, and I have people

repeating that to be what they have been getting it from the press and

the papers, and they seem to understand what we are about. That

is not to say there is no work to be done, and we will be doing that.

Will you be picking up some of these boats, Graham? I think so.

The Liberal Democrats were always the party of protest, and they

think a lot of people copped out of a decision and voted for them. Now

people have seen them in government, not us protest but in government,

and every night and in the House of Commons and the Lib Dems vote

through the lobbies with the Conservatives, whether that is

welfare cuts or changes to the health service, right the way

across the board. They have been in government and they are tarred with

the Conservative brush. A has he got a point? Graham Allen does not

have a point. We are autonomous and be a scene as a party which has put

forward some amazing policies which would have only been there if it

had been for the Liberal Democrats. Keep knocking on his stores. Time

to round up the other political stories in the East Midlands this

Jessica Leigh has been sleeping rough to raise money for the

homeless. She joined a sleep had organised by a charity, which

provides accommodation for homeless men.

Leicester city Council is planning to cut its homeless accommodation

by almost half. The council is considering reducing the number of

units from 129-70. The Church of England in

Nottinghamshire has set up a new group to help people cope with the

impact of welfare cuts. The diocese of Nottingham has set up

transforming the area. There had come to get volunteers to help

people out of the web of poverty. Differing reactions from our MPs to

the latest unemployment figures in the East Midlands. Conservatives

had the Wheeler and Andrew Bridgen tweeted that the number out of work

in the constituencies is falling. John Mann from Bassetlaw says that

youth unemployment is increasing. That is the way it is looking

across the East Midlands. What have you got planned for this week?

Either be speaking at a conference on early intervention, which I do a

lot of. It is your baby. It is. I'm trying to range -- raised �20

million for an endowment to keep it going for ever. And they will be

out there campaigning to win back the county council in Nottingham

for Labour. I am confident we will come close and hopefully get there

in the end. Julia? More of the same. I will be campaigning all week with

our hard-working councillors, out on the doorstep delivering, all

over Chesterfield. And going to see that woman in our film! Thank you