:01:13. > :01:23.biggest road scheme finally gets the go-ahead in the spending review -
:01:23. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :33:25.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1922 seconds
:33:25. > :33:30.but wouldn't it be better if we all here in the East. I'm Amelia
:33:30. > :33:35.Reynolds. We're on the road this week as the region's biggest road
:33:35. > :33:38.scheme gets the green light at last after decades of campaigning. But
:33:38. > :33:47.we're told if more robust up to two wheels instead of four, we'd all
:33:47. > :33:50.benefit. MPs are campaigning for investment in cycling. We're also
:33:50. > :33:56.looking at the changes to welfare support, causing worries for people
:33:56. > :33:59.who are struggling with disability and illness. I was once riding home
:33:59. > :34:05.from here on my bike and a bus came a bit too close to me and the
:34:05. > :34:11.thought went through my mind that even if I got hit by the bus, it
:34:11. > :34:14.couldn't possibly hurt any more than I already hurt. We have a Liberal
:34:14. > :34:19.Democrat MP for Cambridge, who is the co-chair of the Parliamentary
:34:19. > :34:24.cycling group and a first appearance for Sharon Taylor, the Labour leader
:34:24. > :34:28.of Stevenage Council and its prospective Parliamentary candidate.
:34:28. > :34:32.Let's start with this week's big story, the government spending
:34:32. > :34:40.review. Salvation is at hand for those who have to endure the
:34:40. > :34:43.congested Arthur, 14. The government has guaranteed the �1.5 billion
:34:43. > :34:49.route through Cambridgeshire. A new toll road will be built on the work
:34:49. > :34:55.will start next year. I am among those in Cambridgeshire who've spent
:34:55. > :34:58.the best part of two decades arguing for this project to go ahead and I
:34:58. > :35:03.think it's important that it does go ahead and it shows we have the
:35:03. > :35:06.financial backing of the government and can make it happen. The budget
:35:06. > :35:11.for science remains ring fenced, while the capital budget is to
:35:11. > :35:15.double to more than �1 billion a year. The government says Cambridge
:35:15. > :35:19.and Norwich research Park will receive a large part of that money.
:35:19. > :35:25.The big loser is local government. The central grant to councils will
:35:25. > :35:28.be cut by 10%. Authorities will have to make up the shortfall through
:35:28. > :35:33.other means. We're looking at car parking, business rates, council
:35:33. > :35:40.tax. The money we have to make the shortfall up from his coming from
:35:40. > :35:43.local people, who are being damaged by changes in welfare reform.
:35:43. > :35:47.Sinclair has spent the week to adjusting all these big
:35:47. > :35:54.announcements. He's in our Norwich studio. Council funding, science,
:35:54. > :35:58.the A14 getting a lot of attention but what else stood out for you?
:35:58. > :36:03.There were two announcements that stood out for me. The first is the
:36:03. > :36:07.increased by 15% in the flood defences budget and the hint of a
:36:07. > :36:11.new deal with the insurance industry. That will be of interest
:36:11. > :36:16.to people where flooding has been a big worry. The other thing was the
:36:16. > :36:18.national funding formula for pupils. At the moment, school funding has
:36:18. > :36:22.been unevenly distributed and that has worried people in
:36:22. > :36:27.Cambridgeshire. There was also more money for potholes and to encourage
:36:27. > :36:31.offshore wind energy. There was more money for local enterprise
:36:31. > :36:33.partnerships, although not as much as they had hoped for. I also
:36:33. > :36:39.clocked that police commissioners will be getting less money and there
:36:39. > :36:42.will also be less money for regional arts and sport. People are saying
:36:42. > :36:52.the spending review as a springboard for the next election so what does
:36:52. > :36:56.
:36:56. > :36:59.it tell us about the amp a message here in the East. You sense that the
:36:59. > :37:09.Chancellor was turning a corner. They say they have a very strong
:37:09. > :37:10.
:37:10. > :37:14.message. MPs in 2015 will be able to point to a completed A11 and the new
:37:14. > :37:18.toll road about to start and say that they have invested in
:37:18. > :37:21.infrastructure projects which they've had to wait years for. I
:37:21. > :37:27.thought the Chancellor's argument about cutting spending to councils,
:37:27. > :37:32.despite which public satisfaction with local authorities is at an
:37:32. > :37:39.all-time high at is a strong argument that will come out in 2015.
:37:39. > :37:43.Is that true? Are these the battle lines for the next election? We'll
:37:44. > :37:47.have to see but there was good news in these tricky economic times. We
:37:47. > :37:51.are still coping with the problems that started with the banking crisis
:37:51. > :37:56.and the deficit and debt that was racked up them. But in many ways it
:37:56. > :37:59.is very much the right thing to help jobs and growth in this area. In my
:37:59. > :38:04.Cambridge constituency, we have unemployment substantially down
:38:04. > :38:10.since the general election. I hope that will continue. I've been saying
:38:10. > :38:14.for ages we need to sort out the worst bits of the a 14. Sharon
:38:14. > :38:20.Taylor, infrastructure development, even if it is in three years, is a
:38:20. > :38:24.vote winner, isn't it? It's a very long way off. We've seen some good
:38:24. > :38:28.news and I'm delighted for friends who use the a 14, as I have many
:38:28. > :38:33.times, that there is progress on that but if it is going to be a toll
:38:33. > :38:40.road, there are big issues around that. We still haven't got the major
:38:40. > :38:44.structure that we need which is the widening of the Aone. The East of
:38:44. > :38:50.England has two contribute to the national economy and unless we get
:38:50. > :38:55.the infrastructure investment, house prices in this region are so
:38:55. > :39:00.expensive, particularly for young people, and we still need jobs for
:39:00. > :39:07.our young people. One in four young people are still unemployed. I don't
:39:07. > :39:09.recognise some of the good news story that we're hearing. Fairer
:39:09. > :39:15.funding for education - that's particularly important in
:39:15. > :39:21.Cambridgeshire. Yes and I used to campaign on this as a councillor in
:39:21. > :39:27.Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire schools get the least per pupil of
:39:27. > :39:31.anywhere in the entire country, �600 per pupil less than the English
:39:31. > :39:37.average. -- English average. I was pleased the Chancellor confirmed
:39:37. > :39:42.there will be a fairer formula and I will make sure they get the money as
:39:42. > :39:45.soon as possible because I wanted to help our children really soon.
:39:45. > :39:51.big losers here are local government. How are they going to
:39:51. > :39:56.cope with that? We've done our best to make the savings that we've had
:39:56. > :40:02.to do over the last two years but to carry on making those savings, you
:40:02. > :40:06.can't get the same efficiencies out of the same pot more than once. Its
:40:06. > :40:10.front-line services we're delivering. It's looking after
:40:10. > :40:14.vulnerable young people. These are front-line services as well as
:40:14. > :40:18.keeping the roads moving and keeping the streets safe and clean. We can't
:40:18. > :40:24.carry on delivering the same savings out of the same pot. You talked
:40:24. > :40:28.about keeping the roads moving and our roads are not only used by
:40:28. > :40:32.motorists but by cyclists, too, and we're told we should all take up the
:40:32. > :40:42.habit. It could ease congestion is healthier and better for the
:40:42. > :40:42.
:40:42. > :40:52.environment. It will be argued in Parliament soon that huge rewards
:40:52. > :40:55.could be reaped. Our reporter got on her bike to find out more. David
:40:55. > :41:00.cycle six miles to and from his work in Ipswich three days a week. He
:41:00. > :41:08.does it keep fit and save money. days like today you can't beat it. I
:41:08. > :41:13.would rather be on bike man in the car. What are the pros and cons?
:41:13. > :41:18.Traffic is always a bit dangerous. Cars get too close, don't always see
:41:18. > :41:22.you coming out of junctions. You've just got to be very, very careful.
:41:22. > :41:26.The pros are that a lot of the time you can beat the traffic. There have
:41:26. > :41:30.been occasions when I have definitely beaten cars home.
:41:30. > :41:35.David's bosses also a keen cyclist and is encouraging all staff to get
:41:35. > :41:40.on their bikes, even in their lunch breaks. We've created facilities for
:41:40. > :41:43.them to do it, somewhere to keep their bikes securely and if they're
:41:43. > :41:47.cycling some distance, shower facilities so they can wash and
:41:47. > :41:50.change before they go to their desks in the morning. And we've provided
:41:50. > :41:55.bicycles for other staff who can't cycle to work use a lunchtime if
:41:55. > :41:58.they want to go to the shops. Although there's been a temper cent
:41:58. > :42:07.increase in cycling to work, it still accounts for just 2% about
:42:07. > :42:09.journeys. A local MP wants to see that increased to 10% by 2025. His
:42:09. > :42:14.Cambridge constituency already has the highest number of cycle commutes
:42:15. > :42:19.to work. The evidence is clear that the more people who cycle, the safer
:42:19. > :42:29.it gets. One study showed that if you double the number of cyclists
:42:29. > :42:32.the accident risk is reduced by over a third. Calls are growing for the
:42:32. > :42:39.spending per person to be brought more in line with other European
:42:39. > :42:44.cities. We're working with employers to try to develop green travel
:42:44. > :42:47.plans. We've got the schools to try to develop green travel plans
:42:47. > :42:53.eventually adding to our infrastructure network of cycle
:42:53. > :43:02.ways, so all those things together are pushed towards getting people to
:43:02. > :43:12.do perhaps just ten minutes on the bike every day. Do you cycle to
:43:12. > :43:18.
:43:18. > :43:23.work? Now and again. It depends on the weather. It's likely to be an
:43:23. > :43:27.uphill battle persuading us to give up our four wheels for two. So do
:43:27. > :43:31.you think the new A14 toll should have a bike lane? Should that be the
:43:31. > :43:37.way forward? If you're going to build new roads, should you
:43:37. > :43:45.incorporate the bike lanes? I don't think alongside the A14 is the best
:43:45. > :43:48.place. Encouraging people to cycle by providing safe facilities does
:43:48. > :43:54.also ease congestion for those people who are driving, so it's a
:43:54. > :43:59.huge benefit. It also says it huge amount of money for public health
:43:59. > :44:07.because people can fit it into their day more easily. There's been a
:44:07. > :44:12.cross-party effort to support cycling. The money we've got from
:44:12. > :44:16.government is very welcome. There are a number of changes to help
:44:16. > :44:22.cyclists but also pedestrians, as well, because we want to have people
:44:22. > :44:26.have active transport. Sharon, we talked about the pressure on local
:44:26. > :44:33.government finances. Have you got money spare to help and support
:44:33. > :44:39.cyclists? You're going to get an outbreak of cross-party agreement.
:44:39. > :44:42.I'm lucky enough to have lived in Stevenage, where the first post-war
:44:42. > :44:46.new town was built with a complete network of cycle ways all around the
:44:46. > :44:51.town. That's a huge boost and I would love to see that kind of
:44:51. > :44:55.facility available in as many places as it's possible to deliver it. It's
:44:56. > :45:00.a great thing. It's environmentally friendly and keeps people fit and
:45:00. > :45:04.the more people that do it, the safer it gets so it's great. It's
:45:04. > :45:08.recreational, a good transport to work and I am all for the more
:45:08. > :45:12.cycling the better and we should invest in it. We keep our cycleways
:45:12. > :45:19.up to scratch and we make sure that we've got good cycle maps and good
:45:19. > :45:29.routes for people to go out when they're using cycling for
:45:29. > :45:34.
:45:34. > :45:37.recreation. Well. This month has seen changes to
:45:37. > :45:42.welfare benefits for people who, through illness or disability, need
:45:42. > :45:46.help with everyday life. If you are over 16 and under 65 you will no
:45:46. > :45:49.longer be able to claim Disability Living Allowance. Instead, you will
:45:49. > :45:51.have to claim a personal independence payment or PIP. It's
:45:51. > :45:54.estimated that half a million fewer disabled people will qualify for
:45:54. > :45:57.that funding by 2018, as the government struggles to curb its
:45:57. > :46:00.welfare bill. And that's worrying people like Nicola Gouldsmith, who
:46:00. > :46:03.runs a haberdashery shop in Needham Market in Suffolk. I started the
:46:03. > :46:06.haberdashery because when I was 38 - I'm 41 now - I became aware of the
:46:06. > :46:12.fact that I was not very well. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
:46:12. > :46:16.It came on very suddenly. I woke up one day and fell over. The
:46:16. > :46:20.progression of the disease has been quite aggressive so I've had to
:46:20. > :46:27.change the way that I work. In the end I decided I would teach the
:46:27. > :46:32.skills I have to people instead of trying to do it myself. At the
:46:32. > :46:38.moment, I can so for about an hour. Then I can't so again for a week.
:46:38. > :46:44.The people around me are very patient and help me quite a lot.
:46:44. > :46:49.This time last year I was coming to work in my pyjamas and my mum was
:46:49. > :46:53.helping me dress in the office. When I was first ill, I didn't really
:46:53. > :46:58.know much about rheumatoid arthritis. I didn't know anything
:46:58. > :47:02.about the disability living allowance. I printed out the form
:47:02. > :47:08.and started filling in the form it took me about three months because
:47:08. > :47:11.my hands were so bad and this is when I was getting about flare up by
:47:11. > :47:16.prescription has changed about ten times in that time so when I was
:47:16. > :47:23.filling in the drugs I was taking, it was difficult. I nearly gave up.
:47:23. > :47:27.On the old DLA form, it asked how far you could walk without pain or
:47:27. > :47:32.how many steps you could take. In the new form, as far as I can see
:47:32. > :47:38.it's how far you can walk. Well, I can walk but I have to stop and if I
:47:38. > :47:42.stop for any length of time, it takes me a long time to start again.
:47:42. > :47:46.The way I read it is that if you approach your illness, sickness or
:47:46. > :47:50.disability in a positive manner and accommodated into your life and
:47:50. > :47:57.adapt what you do, you will be penalised because it won't be seen
:47:57. > :48:02.as having an effect on you. I think the people that are assessing people
:48:02. > :48:07.like me have no understanding about pain management, where destruction
:48:07. > :48:14.and motivation are very much relied on rather than drugs. That was my
:48:14. > :48:18.concern. I know of a few people who haven't applied because they think
:48:18. > :48:24.they're going to get turned down and they can't put up with being turned
:48:24. > :48:27.down. The Minister for disabled people, estimate of eight, wouldn't
:48:27. > :48:32.give us an interview so I spoke to Doctor Stephen Davis from the
:48:32. > :48:35.Institute of economic affairs. The institute has argued the case for
:48:35. > :48:39.the urgent reform for disability benefits and questioned why the
:48:39. > :48:42.numbers of people claiming them really need to. So what did he make
:48:42. > :48:48.of Nicola's point that many people will just not apply because they'll
:48:48. > :48:52.find it too depressing. If people feel they shouldn't apply for those
:48:52. > :48:57.reasons, they're making quite a serious mistake because the point of
:48:57. > :49:00.this new system that the government is trying to create is one to have
:49:00. > :49:05.interviews or assessments to establish exactly how the disability
:49:05. > :49:12.that you have affects you and therefore how much help you need. So
:49:12. > :49:16.there is a very strong reason to apply, rather than to not apply.
:49:17. > :49:20.isn't the key point here that the government is just trying to cut
:49:20. > :49:26.costs and save money, rather than responding to the needs of disabled
:49:27. > :49:30.people. Not at all. I actually suspect they're not going to save
:49:30. > :49:36.much money. I think when it comes out ultimately, the budget is going
:49:36. > :49:38.to be the same as it was under the DLA. I think they're going to end up
:49:38. > :49:43.spending the same money so I don't think this is going to have a
:49:43. > :49:47.money-saving. The government has said they need to cut the bill by 20
:49:47. > :49:56.percentage. That is what they say but I suspect the way this is going
:49:56. > :50:01.to work out is that they are not going to say that much. Half a
:50:01. > :50:04.million people will no longer receive funding. When you are living
:50:04. > :50:10.in the 21st century in a civilised society, shouldn't people that need
:50:11. > :50:14.support get it? Well, it's whether or not they still need it. The big
:50:14. > :50:19.changes having regular assessments. What has been happening in many
:50:19. > :50:22.cases is that people who did need assistance at one point, their
:50:22. > :50:26.condition has improved or something has happened and changed their
:50:26. > :50:34.circumstances and they no longer needed. But the of assessment has
:50:34. > :50:37.changed and people like Nicola are concerned about that. Well, she's
:50:37. > :50:42.concerned with the question of ability assistance. Mobility
:50:42. > :50:48.assistance. There is still an element of that and it's based upon
:50:48. > :50:53.whether you can move around and whether you can plan and organise
:50:53. > :51:00.travel effectively. So if people still find that they aren't able to
:51:00. > :51:08.show the assessor that they can't move easily, they will get
:51:08. > :51:12.assistance. Are you reassured by that? Of everything this government
:51:12. > :51:18.has done, I find this to be the most worrying and appalling. The amount
:51:18. > :51:22.of concern and worry that people have been caused... And what I can't
:51:22. > :51:26.understand is why we can't trust the commissions that look after these
:51:26. > :51:31.people to do the work to say whether they are recovering from a
:51:31. > :51:38.disability or not. Over and over again, they've been hit - by bedroom
:51:38. > :51:42.tax, council tax support its use and now this change. The basic idea of
:51:42. > :51:47.personal independence payments, I support. They should have the
:51:47. > :51:51.ability to make decisions about what they need. But to take money out of
:51:51. > :51:56.the funding pot and the impact of local government cuts in funding,
:51:56. > :52:00.which have also impacted on the same group, is just not acceptable. I
:52:00. > :52:10.don't think that's the sort of country that we want to see in the
:52:10. > :52:11.
:52:11. > :52:16.UK. I don't think saving money should be the point. Nicola's case
:52:16. > :52:20.was very powerful. Sharon and I would agree that the principle of
:52:20. > :52:24.personal independence payments is the way to go - to trust people who
:52:24. > :52:27.are disabled to spend money, rather than tell them what we think. What
:52:27. > :52:37.we have to avoid is the disaster we saw with work capability
:52:37. > :52:45.
:52:45. > :52:48.assessments. At us have a very bad reputation. -- AtoS. You do need to
:52:48. > :52:54.save money but the number of disabled people aren't going to
:52:54. > :52:59.suddenly dropped by 20 percentage. Yes, but the people who need support
:52:59. > :53:06.will get it. It's not a limited budget. I'd save the money in all
:53:06. > :53:15.sorts of other ways. There are other ways of doing things and I would
:53:15. > :53:18.want to see the books balanced on the back of people who need help.
:53:18. > :53:23.The welfare bill has got to come down and we've said we will look at
:53:23. > :53:29.this very hard before we get to 2015 to have a look at what needs to be
:53:29. > :53:33.done to bring that welfare bill down. I would call small council
:53:33. > :53:36.homes so that we're not spending huge amounts of money on housing
:53:36. > :53:42.benefit to pay twice the amount of rent in private housing that the
:53:42. > :53:47.board have to pay elsewhere. So I would do that straightaway. Which is
:53:47. > :53:52.why the statement had more money for affordable housing. It's time now
:53:52. > :54:02.for a snapshot of this week's political news. We've talked about
:54:02. > :54:07.
:54:07. > :54:13.cars and bikes but what about plans Calls for the board of the East of
:54:13. > :54:19.England Ambulance Trust to go were heard in Westminster this week.
:54:19. > :54:21.is deeply alarming and, in my view, thoroughly disgraceful is that there
:54:21. > :54:30.are five nonexecutive directors who have resided over the mismanagement
:54:30. > :54:38.of this trust and they still sit on the board. Not any more they don't.
:54:38. > :54:48.The Scouts have now been claimed. The case was being made for more
:54:48. > :54:48.
:54:48. > :54:55.funds at Kettering General Hospital. Nine MPs that an amendment against
:54:55. > :55:02.HS2. And there were calls against a cut on expenditure on the military.
:55:02. > :55:11.Will the Prime Minister gave an assurance that will be no further
:55:11. > :55:16.cuts? And an MP deleted to eat after an unfortunate spelling error. Have
:55:16. > :55:21.you ever do is is a tweet or may don't mistake like that?
:55:21. > :55:30.-- deleted a tweet or made a mistake like that. Know but I sometimes get
:55:30. > :55:37.my grandson pressing the buttons on my phone! Julian, you're an avid
:55:37. > :55:41.tweeter. How important is it? important so people know what I'm up
:55:41. > :55:46.to and why they can ask the questions and I have made errors, to
:55:46. > :55:52.do with auto correct. The big thing is that if you delete it, people
:55:52. > :56:02.wonder what you're trying to hide. So you have regretted pressing the
:56:02. > :56:03.