04/03/2012 Sunday Politics East

Coming up, June demands for more government cash to ease road

congestion. And the folly of the development. Why the citizens of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1782 seconds

Southend have that it had plans for Hello, I'm Etholle George. Coming

Plans for an international airport in the Thames Estuary. A crackpot

idea from London Mayor Boris Johnson or a visionary scheme to

safeguard the future of British aviation? Shortly, we will be

finding out the views of this week's guests, Robert Halfon, the

Conservative MP for Harlow and Gavin Shuker, Labour's MP for Luton

South but we'll start with a brief word about fuel duty.

Now, there have been questions this week as to whether the Chancellor

will put prices up in his Budget later this month. Fuel protesters

went to Downing Street this week to try to persuade the Government to

scrap a planned three pence a litre rise. Robert Halfon, record prices,

price rises in petrol. I know you're a seasoned campaigner

against price rises, but the Chancellor is going ahead with it

this time, isn't he? Yes, we will have to wait and see. It is the

number one issue facing our country. In my constituency, it is costing a

10th of the average motorist their income, the amount of money they're

paying on petrol prices every year. I was glad the Government cut fuel

duty last year and did not go ahead with the January increase. We're

urging the Government to postpone the August increase and also to cut

fuel tax as soon as financial conditions allow. Let us talk about

the Labour position on this. I understand that Labour was keen on

this fuel price escalator which automatically increases prices

ahead of inflation, sold as a green benefit, but actually just another

tax on the motorist. I think if the economy were growing, we would be

in a different place, but we actually accept that the best way

you can get growth in the economy and reduce fuel cost is VAT. That

is adding �2 or �3 on to the average fill-up at the tanks and

that is actually a really important thing that we could do right now

and George Osborne should do. is a fuel protest planned on

Wednesday, but this has not gained the momentum of last year. Well, it

has and there are still thousands of people that have signed the

petition. The problem with a VAT cut is that not only does it cost

�12 billion and would increase our mortgages because it would increase

borrowing, but businesses do not pay VAT, so they would not benefit

from any reduction. Thank you very much. Now, staying with frustrated

motorists, here in the East, road improvements are always near the

top of the agenda. This week, ministers have agreed to sit down

with MPs to discuss how to upgrade the A47 from Great Yarmouth to

Peterborough. Delegates at a special summit in Northamptonshire

put pressure on the Government to find the cash to pay for promised

improvements to the A14. Business, politicians and motorists all agree

that delays to developments on improving this important road will

damage the region's economy. Here is Andrew Sinclair.

It is one of the busiest roads in the region. Used by 100,000

vehicles a day. One in four jobs in Northamptonshire depends upon it,

which is why there is such a clamour for things to be done

quickly. We, frankly, are less concerned about the actual solution

than the fact that we desperately need extra capacity as soon as

possible. The Government has pledged �218 million to junction

improvements and widening sections of the road. It has launched a

consultation on a toll road in Cambridgeshire. But many at the

summit said that was not enough. They want new carriageway all along

this route. I think they're probably hoping for far more than

they are ever going to get. They want a three-lane motorway instead

of a two-lane dual-carriageway A- road and whilst that is going to

happen in sections, possibly, there is just not the money to do that

from Felixstowe, to join it up to the M6. And then there is the

question of funding. Public money is highly unlikely. A PFI deal

could be possible. There might also be European funding. This is after

all a European highway. But some say building new lanes is not the

answer to the A14's problems. think what we need to do is get the

heavy goods vehicles off that road. When they are there, when they

start passing each other, blocking up the road, that causes problems

and it is them who are predominantly involved in accidents.

I would like to see more work to get those off the road and on to

the railways. We can do much more work to expand the railways, get

those off and then the road will flow much better. Both business and

the Government want a solution. But whatever option is chosen, it is

going to take time. Gavin Shuker, what about the idea,

then, of a new toll road? That is one way to improve our road. It is

clear it is the only way that the Government will be willing to put

money and investment into this vital route, the A14. I think that

is probably the wrong choice, though. I would say that right now

what we need to get their economy moving and businesses able to get

their goods to market is a proper expansion of the A14. The first

thing this coalition government did in transport when they came in was

to scrap plans for the A14 and two years later, we still have no

solution. Robert Halfon, if we have a toll road, the already hard-

pressed motorist will just have to pay even more money to go about

their daily business. It is good news that the Government are

investing 130 million in this new road, but it was impossible to,

given the economic situation we are in, to fully fund the �1 billion

roughly that it would cost, so we have to look at alternative methods.

The toll road works very well for the M6 in the North of England and

I think we should go further and faster in looking at toll roads

because, if we want these roads, we have to fund them somehow. Money

does not grow on trees. We're facing a very difficult economic

time. But how can people afford to utilise a road like that? It is an

expensive way to go. It is, but at least people have the option. The

M6 toll road has been incredibly successful. Gavin Shuker, don't you

feel that we're being very stuck in the mud about continuing with the

amount of traffic on our roads? What about this idea that was

mooted at the end of that film about simply getting the freight

off? It is great. And across the East of England, we know we need

further and greater investment in public transport as well as road

transport as well. The key thing on the M6 toll road is that you have a

choice. For many people living across the East Anglia, the A14 is

not another choice that they can choose to access, it is their only

route and they suffer really badly from delays. This is why the

Government are investing 130 million. But we have to recognise

that money does not grow on trees and we have to make a judgement

about where money is spent. In my own area, we're looking for an

extra junction. That is going to cost �50 million. I know that

you're a Euro-sceptic, but Europe could be the saviour of all these

problems. Of course, if money is available for the scheme, all well

and good and I would support the Government doing everything it can

to get European funding, but let us wait and see to see if they are

ready and waiting to give us the money. Let me give you an example

from my own constituency, this government have been good in

improving a junction there, that means that we can move more and the

new businesses to Luton and they can get their goods to market. It

helps everyone. I do not accept the argument that there is no money for

improvements. The Chancellor does not be there. we to get you across

the whole of the Regent that he had put the money where you could get

We know that for every paid to that end, you get three or �4 out of

these major improvement projects. We need to have a long-term vision

on it. A want to talk about another form of transport dive. Let us look

at the new plans for an airport in the Thames estuary. The mayor of

London has championed the idea, but that first minister has poured cold

water on it. Now the plan and are some were more expensive scheme

have gone from PY and the sky to being under consideration. This

week, councillors in Southend came out overwhelmingly against the

plans, describing them as a folly of a development, which would

prompt an extremely damaging change of life for people in the borough.

So, well and estuary airport ever take-off?

The Thames estuary, where a battle is being fought over nothing less

than the future a deviation. The UK has a problem. Heathrow was there

only hub airport, and you put that flies a long haul to world call --

worldwide destination. It is at full stretch and their coalition

has ruled out building another runway. Some say the answer is to

forget Heathrow and build a new hub airport some were out there, in the

Thames estuary, off at Southend. Talk of an estuary airport was back

to the 1950s. Now the mayor of London has resurrected the idea.

The problem with Heathrow is that it is a great the airport, but he

cannot indefinitely expand that because it is in the wrong place.

Boris Johnson's vision is an island airport. Other plants have been

unveiled for the Thames Cup, directly opposite said then. This

is what it could look like. Supporters say that if we cannot

have more fights, our economic future is bleak. A London and the

Saudis could end up at the end of a branch line. He will want to come

here? If they do not have access to regular flights to major

destinations? As the plants came a momentum, so does opposition to

them in his set end. This would not be an estuary town, looking out to

the open sea. It would become an industrial environment. A we have

all sorts of wildlife on either side of the Thames and whether it

be either project's idea, I think neither are appropriate. But not

everyone agrees. This was Southend airport in the 1950s, now it is a

thriving again. This new terminal officially opened on Monday. The

managing director says an estuary airport is worth considering, for

economic regions. If we're going to trade with that the Far East and so

on, we need to work out how we're going to get there. It is important

for the nation to work this out. One Suffolk MP supports the idea.

come in favour of a new airport, which will actually have by product

of being great for the economy of East Anglia. But the estuary is

rich with wildlife. The RSPB is horrified by the idea as is this

man. He started a protest group. would be 12 times more dangerous to

fly from an estuary airport and any other airport in the UK. That is

just madness. It is peaceful around here. It there always has been. It

will be a massive difference. It will have a massive impact if it

goes ahead. There is no doubt it that it would damage the estuary.

Supporters say that without it, the UK economy will stagnate.

Joining us now is a former director of Friends of the Earth, now an

environmental campaigner who stood for the Green Party in the general

election in the Cambridge. As a prominent environmentalist, you are

totally against any kind of airport expansion. A week to take a broad

view of this and one of the things that I would not is that in the

cities of England, we have quite a lot of airport and not much

wildlife. If we go ahead of this a large-scale development, we will

push that equation still further up in the wrong direction. You that

there the comparisons here about it the other countries that we compete

with on the global economic stage in terms of the size of their hub

airports. This is a commonly repeated plight about Heathrow be

not big enough to compete, but bear in mind that in Amsterdam the have

one big airport and we have one big airport and five others of the the

incises, so we have an enormous amount of airport capacity already.

If there is a case for expansion, the terms of getting access to

long-haul destinations, then let us change the way we're using the

capacity we have got, by reducing them at of short-haul flights, I

put in place more high-speed rail. What about the fact that we need it

new jobs? Gandhi environmental arguments stem -- stand up to be

economical and? As long as we see that the environmental and economic

argument are in opposition, have we will not get far. What we need to

do is build a Green economy which invest in those kind of industries

that will deliver long-term benefits for the future of the

planet, as well as jobs in the short term. It is strange that we

say that we should not be doing these things if China is bulletin

so much. A key goal to China today, you'll see the biggest investment

in the world going to soar panels, and to wind turbines and battery

technology, because they have realised that the future is based

on environmentally clean technologies. That is what we

should be putting our investment rather it than in highly polluting

sectors like aviation and a fossil fuels. We will come by tea and a

second. Gavin Shuker, the government is launching a

sustainable framework for radiation later this month. Why did this not

happen years ago? I think it is a shame that they are not building a

third runway at Heathrow because I believe that there is an aviation

capacity crunch coming her way. Once we have looked at it China as

the example, we can also look at them and realised they are building

100 you airports to get that technology into the hands of the

rest of the world. That is part of her be built a new a Green economy.

They are starting from having no airport. The her modernising their

economies. They are playing catch- up, not picking stuff on top of

what they already have. You can see clearly that there is a capacity

issue. Back in a believe Boris Johnson's plan will happen. The

collision can say they have an economic strategy. Is it

convenient? Even within the college and there is a lot of opposition.

Brazil is opposition to anything new that is proposed. Let us face

the facts. My idea of torture is going to Heathrow airport. It needs

modernisation. We need have some vision and look at whether this

island might be a good idea. I am moderately sympathetic to it and I

do not know whether I would think he wants the environment will

consultation has come through. We need to look at options because

Heathrow has had its day. There has always been an opposition. Let us

talk about the Victorians, who were against the railways. Surely we

should move with the Times? Times are of a shrinking planet, in

ecological terms, climate change getting to the point where

scientists are warning of a catastrophe later in this century.

We're getting to the point where mass extinction of plant and

animals is under way. We have to start recognising some of these

major environmental problems and playing a role in solving them as

if the future actually mattered. The scientists at the heart of

government are at signing letters that they have an unprecedented

emergency honour a Hance, when it comes to the climate issue and the

loss of animals and plants and here we are not in an airport in the

middle of a wildlife haven that will make massive carbon-dioxide

emissions. Let us build a clean and green economy. What about expansion

at Luton? At have welcomed the plans to expand all the time. We

think we can make a contribution to this capacity crunch that is coming,

using the infrastructure that is there. It does not solve our

problems about a hub airport. We need a serious hub that does not

fall over every time it rains or snows. We believe it there. It is

time for her political round-up. A last ditch attempt was made to

serve in the coastguard at Great Yarmouth. Will it was the saving

other rural banks. By answer an important part of our towns and

villages. When they leave somewhere, you like to think it is done in an

open way rather than in cuts just putting the shutters up. At Bedford

MP made the case for safeguarding our Tad -- cab drivers. They

deserve to be afforded the same protections for their physical

safety and the safety of their property as are a bus drivers.

Peterborough MP to do not want to save face with the Lib Dems, but

instead lashed out at their leader. Will the Prime is to close the

loophole for are multinational companies that allows the migrant

cap to be floated, using end to it -- into a company just for us, or

as is another one that will fall victim to the curse of Nick Clegg?

Objections to charges introduced to our national treasure.

What about that died at the Nick Clegg? that he died at Nick Clegg?

I think that Nick Clegg should start acting on his own principles.

The cracks in the coalition, are the real or is it just that our

East Anglian awkward squad, stirring the pot? There were always

be MPs raising questions. There are always going to be difficult pieces,

-- difficulties, but we were working together. Let us talk about

Big Ben. Why are you concerned about these charges? I think this

is unprecedented because people have never been charged for going

into the House of Commons before. It is undemocratic because no MPs

have had an input. A family of four will have to pay �60 a time to go

up the tower. We pay for it through her taxes. You are nodding and she

can go ahead at the same time! completely agree. I find it

astounding. One of the nicest things that I'd do when I got to

schools is say that I worked next to Big Ben. Addressing the best

thing is that they own it and they can come and see me there. It is

our office, but all of us on it. have tabled a motion that has been

signed by a lot of MPs from all parties and had gone to the

backbench committee asking for a vote on this. Thank you both very