Browse content similar to 22/04/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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In the North East, at Durham prison as a category B prison home to | :01:42. | :01:46. | |
serious offenders. Should a private company be allowed to run it for | :01:46. | :01:56. | |
:01:56. | :01:56. | ||
Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1729 seconds | :01:56. | :30:45. | |
A warm welcome to your local party official. Coming up - now cheaper | :30:46. | :30:50. | |
to buy a council house backs it extra discounts from the government. | :30:50. | :30:55. | |
Does that mean few affordable homes for those who need in the most? | :30:55. | :31:05. | |
:31:05. | :31:08. | ||
Talking about that are my guests, Stockton MP James Wharton. Durham | :31:09. | :31:11. | |
is a category B prison that it contains the most dangerous | :31:11. | :31:15. | |
offenders. It is one of nine prisons that the Government is | :31:15. | :31:19. | |
considering handing over to a private company to run. Ministers | :31:19. | :31:23. | |
say there is more to it than saving money because they say it could | :31:23. | :31:28. | |
also help cut reoffending rates. Prison officers say making money | :31:28. | :31:34. | |
out of prisoners is plain wrong. Durham prison. One of the oldest in | :31:34. | :31:39. | |
Britain. Inside, just over 1000 prisoners. This places be on the | :31:39. | :31:45. | |
news this week as it has been revealed one in eight prisoners | :31:45. | :31:50. | |
here develop a drug habit after being locked up here. This is of | :31:50. | :31:55. | |
concern particularly because the prison is facing competition. The | :31:55. | :31:57. | |
competition comes from private companies who want to run the | :31:57. | :32:02. | |
prison. It is a form of privatisation that the Government | :32:02. | :32:08. | |
calls market testing. The unions say this is a bad idea. We do not | :32:08. | :32:14. | |
think there is a need for this competition policy. We believe that | :32:14. | :32:20. | |
a public sector Prison Service as an effective and cost effective. We | :32:20. | :32:27. | |
do not believe it is morally correct to put profit in private | :32:27. | :32:31. | |
shareholders from the misery of others. A by the end of the year, | :32:31. | :32:36. | |
this prison could be run by a private firm. A good deal for | :32:36. | :32:43. | |
taxpayers are a dangerous risk? You have heard what the Prison | :32:43. | :32:47. | |
Officers' Association have said. Basically, it is distasteful to | :32:47. | :32:52. | |
make money out of prisons? understand the concern. The | :32:52. | :32:55. | |
important thing is to ensure that standards are maintained and things | :32:55. | :33:02. | |
are done properly. At the moment, it cost �45,000 to run at a single | :33:02. | :33:06. | |
prison cell. The last government started the programme at looking at | :33:06. | :33:10. | |
whether the private sector could contribute to running a presence | :33:10. | :33:15. | |
and an effective and efficient way. Where appropriate, it should be | :33:15. | :33:20. | |
rolled out. That has not been for a very prison. We will look at | :33:20. | :33:22. | |
individual circumstances and how prisons are being run today before | :33:22. | :33:29. | |
making that decision. This whole process started under the last | :33:29. | :33:34. | |
government. Are you against it now? I was against it then and against | :33:34. | :33:39. | |
it now. I did not hear you shouting about it are threatening to resign. | :33:39. | :33:43. | |
You're not listening because I have been speaking up against the | :33:43. | :33:53. | |
privatisation of prisons for a long time. The inspectors' report this | :33:53. | :33:56. | |
week said that the prison was making enormous progress and had | :33:56. | :34:01. | |
very good management. Unfortunately, the media are being distracted at | :34:01. | :34:05. | |
the moment by this privatisation progress. That is not good for the | :34:05. | :34:10. | |
running of our prisons and they do an effective job. What I would like | :34:10. | :34:15. | |
to do support the prison staff. They do an incredibly difficult job | :34:15. | :34:22. | |
and have very serious issues to deal with. I accept there was some | :34:22. | :34:26. | |
praise and that report but it found the prison was not sufficiently | :34:26. | :34:32. | |
safe and one in five inmates tested positive for drugs. There were lots | :34:32. | :34:36. | |
of positive points in that report and it pointed to a particular | :34:36. | :34:40. | |
issue and drug use. That is being tackled by the management of the | :34:40. | :34:45. | |
prison who, since the report was written, have really tackled the | :34:45. | :34:52. | |
drugs issue and reduced drug usage by about 1 1/2. They're making | :34:52. | :34:55. | |
progress and need to be supported and be do not want to see the | :34:55. | :35:00. | |
prison privatised. This was never a lover the Democrat policy but I can | :35:00. | :35:08. | |
remember. -- Liberal Democrat policy. Our policy has always been | :35:08. | :35:12. | |
that we are in favour of public or private sector running prisons as | :35:12. | :35:18. | |
long as they do it efficiently and well. So what is already to make | :35:18. | :35:27. | |
profit out of prisons? -- it is all right. If they can run it more | :35:27. | :35:31. | |
efficiently through a private contractor then that is OK, that | :35:31. | :35:36. | |
his spine. What I am pleased about with this is that it has been to | :35:37. | :35:42. | |
put out to the public sector is well to run it. It is in stark | :35:42. | :35:46. | |
contrast to something like academies where local academies -- | :35:46. | :35:50. | |
local authorities are not like to put forward a community school and | :35:50. | :35:55. | |
they have to look at the Academy's first. Here, you have a level | :35:55. | :35:59. | |
playing field where public and private and partnerships can come | :35:59. | :36:04. | |
together and offer to do it. Is it a level playing field? As I | :36:04. | :36:10. | |
understand it, 20% has been added to the costs of the in house picked | :36:10. | :36:17. | |
by the existing public sector management. It is difficult as to | :36:17. | :36:22. | |
how you'd apply criteria to get a level playing field. Their costs | :36:22. | :36:26. | |
involved behind the scenes that are centrally and kerb at the | :36:26. | :36:29. | |
Department of Justice that contribute towards, or take away | :36:29. | :36:36. | |
from the costs of up public sector organisation has a private sector | :36:36. | :36:41. | |
has to provide. We're not saying all prisons should be privatised | :36:41. | :36:44. | |
but we should look at whether there is an effective and more efficient | :36:44. | :36:52. | |
way of doing this. The report that he met this week implied that at a | :36:52. | :36:56. | |
time when they're trying to tackle these problems, they have to | :36:56. | :37:00. | |
produce a bed for the prison they already run. We have a problem with | :37:00. | :37:04. | |
the image of prison provision in this country at the moment. There | :37:04. | :37:09. | |
are only about 2000 spare spaces in our prisons, many of which are | :37:09. | :37:14. | |
already overcrowded and we have to do something about that. We cannot | :37:14. | :37:18. | |
find savings because there is no money left. We are massively of a | :37:18. | :37:22. | |
spending as a country. If we cannot find a more effective way of | :37:22. | :37:27. | |
running a prisons, we will run into bigger problems in the future. | :37:27. | :37:31. | |
is about value for money for the taxpayer. That cannot be a bad | :37:31. | :37:35. | |
thing? We want prisons to run effectively but they also have to | :37:35. | :37:40. | |
do a good job and rehabilitate the people who are there. Some of the | :37:40. | :37:44. | |
praise that was given to the prison management this week was about how | :37:44. | :37:47. | |
the strength and work opportunities and training opportunities within | :37:47. | :37:54. | |
the prison. Some of those schemes are now being put at risk by cuts | :37:54. | :37:59. | |
and by the privatisation proposals. It is not only about efficiency and | :37:59. | :38:03. | |
the running of the prison but ensuring that the people who are | :38:03. | :38:08. | |
there do not go out and continue to commit crimes. That is not included | :38:08. | :38:12. | |
atoll in the tender documents. this be a waste of money if it ends | :38:12. | :38:22. | |
:38:22. | :38:26. | ||
up being in in his bed? But -- in house bid. The tendering process is | :38:26. | :38:32. | |
useful because there is currently a lot of dissatisfaction. It is | :38:32. | :38:38. | |
about... Who will have to cut you off there. | :38:38. | :38:43. | |
From this month, it is cheaper to buy a council house should you what | :38:43. | :38:48. | |
it. Ministers are offering bigger discounts and say it is about | :38:48. | :38:52. | |
resurrecting the spirit of ownership from thatcher's time in | :38:52. | :38:56. | |
office. Some say it is not welcome news and that money gained from | :38:56. | :39:04. | |
selling homes will not be enough to build more affordable homes. | :39:04. | :39:10. | |
1987 - Madonna was in the charts, Mrs thatcher won a third term and | :39:10. | :39:18. | |
this family bought their council house. The benefits have been that | :39:18. | :39:24. | |
I have something to leave the children. It was about security. It | :39:24. | :39:30. | |
was about getting on the property ladder. The fact that I love these | :39:30. | :39:34. | |
decide, I loved it here, and they wanted to buy a house here. After | :39:34. | :39:38. | |
the heyday of the policy, the number exercising their right to | :39:38. | :39:42. | |
buy has fallen. The coalition government is giving up another | :39:42. | :39:46. | |
lease of life. From now on, tenants purchasing council houses get a | :39:46. | :39:52. | |
much bigger discount. The maximum saving in the North East has risen | :39:52. | :39:58. | |
from �22,000 to 75 -- �75,000 below the market value. | :39:58. | :40:01. | |
The effect of three decades of right-to-buy can be seen clearly in | :40:01. | :40:06. | |
a street like this one. It used to be all council-owned but it is now | :40:06. | :40:13. | |
three-quarters private. Supporters of the transition say it has meant | :40:13. | :40:17. | |
greater pride and vitality. Critics have a right to buy say that 30 | :40:17. | :40:21. | |
years on, it has led to a shortage of affordable rental homes for | :40:21. | :40:26. | |
those who need them most. Ministers say it would different this time. | :40:26. | :40:30. | |
For a very council house sold, they promise an affordable home will be | :40:30. | :40:34. | |
built. One of these council says it will not get enough money from each | :40:34. | :40:40. | |
sale to fund a replacement. There is a shortfall of around �13,000 | :40:40. | :40:44. | |
because tenants get a very large discount now and we also have to | :40:44. | :40:49. | |
hand back substantial amounts to the government. We have estimated | :40:49. | :40:56. | |
that for every 25 houses we sell, we will only be able to provide 10. | :40:56. | :41:00. | |
This Darlington estate is already a mix of council and private. What | :41:00. | :41:05. | |
the residents here think? I think it is a good idea because if the | :41:05. | :41:10. | |
price reduction comes down a lot lower, it will help young people to | :41:10. | :41:15. | |
get onto the property ladder. they try selling them off, there | :41:15. | :41:18. | |
will not be enough for people like me and my husband to a disabled to | :41:18. | :41:24. | |
Nevin. As well as concern about the housing shortage, their fears about | :41:24. | :41:30. | |
the financial risk of buying a house in -- council house and a | :41:30. | :41:33. | |
volatile market. There are fears that those who have bought their | :41:33. | :41:37. | |
houses through right-to-buy at higher risk of mortgage arrears and | :41:37. | :41:40. | |
losing their properties. Because of the higher rates of unemployment | :41:40. | :41:44. | |
here, that is something that worries us for the future. In a | :41:44. | :41:48. | |
previous see a, were right to buy East up-to-date aspirational chord | :41:49. | :41:55. | |
with the electorate. It is far from clear that this remixed policy will | :41:55. | :42:00. | |
be a hit with voters. James Wharton, this might be great | :42:00. | :42:03. | |
for those who get a big discount but the danger is these people will | :42:03. | :42:07. | |
be pulling up a ladder behind them at at least places like Darlington | :42:07. | :42:16. | |
short of affordable homes. somebody buys their home, that is | :42:16. | :42:21. | |
one less person who needs a council house, so there is less demand. | :42:21. | :42:25. | |
Money released by that has been be invested by the Government through | :42:25. | :42:29. | |
a centralised scheme to allow a one-for-one replacement nationally | :42:29. | :42:33. | |
so that for every house that is sold, another is built. Where does | :42:33. | :42:38. | |
that leave a place like Darlington who do not see all this money come | :42:38. | :42:44. | |
back? For every 25 houses sold, they have 25 fewer council tenants | :42:44. | :42:50. | |
who need those homes. government has made a big play of | :42:50. | :42:54. | |
needing to build new homes. If it reduces the stock, this cannot be a | :42:54. | :42:59. | |
success came at you will have 25 people who wear in council homes | :42:59. | :43:03. | |
who do not need them. You use some of the money to build new | :43:03. | :43:11. | |
affordable properties for people to move into. You will have more stock, | :43:11. | :43:15. | |
more people living in their own homes. It is a good scheme and it | :43:15. | :43:21. | |
is right to be invigorated in this way. The right to buy it made a | :43:21. | :43:26. | |
huge difference to people's lives. Your Government made it difficult | :43:26. | :43:32. | |
for people to get the same benefit? We support aspiration and the right | :43:32. | :43:40. | |
to buy. We were shifting resources because we inherited an �18 billion | :43:40. | :43:44. | |
black gold. We had to ensure that properties were brought up to a | :43:44. | :43:52. | |
basic standard. Only 25% of the receipts of sales are going to stay | :43:52. | :43:58. | |
with the local area. When the replacement house is built if it is | :43:58. | :44:02. | |
ever built, that will be at 80% of market rent so it will not be like- | :44:02. | :44:08. | |
for-like. No local authority will get any money until an additional | :44:08. | :44:15. | |
13,000 houses had been put on to the right to buy. Our criticism is | :44:16. | :44:21. | |
about like-for-like replacement. that not commonsense to it, rather | :44:21. | :44:24. | |
than just handing the money straight back to the council, take | :44:24. | :44:30. | |
a more strategic view. They may not be needed in Darlington but instead | :44:30. | :44:36. | |
in Durham, for instance? The point is that this is not replacement of | :44:36. | :44:42. | |
like-for-like. There as an acute shortage of affordable housing | :44:42. | :44:46. | |
right across the country. Up if we're going to lose yet more houses | :44:46. | :44:50. | |
from the affordable rented sector, then we need more affordable houses | :44:50. | :44:55. | |
to be built in that area. This is just not going to happen under the | :44:55. | :45:01. | |
scheme. Has the Government got it right here? In rural areas, it may | :45:01. | :45:06. | |
be more of a problem? There is something to be aware of here which | :45:06. | :45:15. | |
is that in this, there is an additional commitment to build | :45:15. | :45:20. | |
130,000 extra houses in this Parliament. That is in addition to | :45:20. | :45:25. | |
the one for one. Weaver very police have Liberal Democrats to get this | :45:25. | :45:28. | |
one for one replacement for each household because that was not | :45:29. | :45:37. | |
there before. As ever, the devil is in the detail and we have to be | :45:37. | :45:41. | |
aware of that. The other issue we would like to have seen would have | :45:41. | :45:47. | |
been to have a more local approach to it. The �75,000 discount in the | :45:47. | :45:51. | |
media like the North is far too much. Because the houses are worth | :45:51. | :45:57. | |
a lot less? Yes, so we would like to have seen that be locally | :45:57. | :46:02. | |
determined and be more strategic. You're right about rural areas like | :46:02. | :46:07. | |
the one I live and where we are desperate for affordable homes. | :46:07. | :46:12. | |
everyone get �75,000. That is the maximum some people can get and it | :46:12. | :46:16. | |
depends how many years she had been in the house, there is a formula. | :46:16. | :46:22. | |
Thank you all very much. No shortage of other news this week | :46:22. | :46:27. | |
with a special debate in Parliament about the North East economy and | :46:27. | :46:32. | |
the local election visit to Cumbria by the Prime Minister. He that his | :46:33. | :46:42. | |
and 60 seconds. The first steel has been produced | :46:42. | :46:47. | |
at the reopened blast furnace on Teesside. It was lit again last | :46:47. | :46:52. | |
weekend after being mothballed. David Cameron has promised to make | :46:52. | :46:55. | |
apprenticeships attractive alternative to university. He was | :46:55. | :47:00. | |
speaking during a visit to Carlisle. The Greens have parallel in their | :47:00. | :47:04. | |
sights as well. We are looking to challenge the cuts agenda but we | :47:04. | :47:14. | |
:47:14. | :47:14. | ||
also be looking to make sure that money stays within local community. | :47:14. | :47:18. | |
I Gateshead MP accused ministers of presiding of a slash-and-burn | :47:18. | :47:28. | |
:47:28. | :47:29. | ||
agenda for the North. The much-heralded regional growth | :47:30. | :47:34. | |
fund has funnelled money directly into companies in the north. | :47:34. | :47:41. | |
MPs have welcomed a decision to display the Lindisfarne Gospels | :47:41. | :47:47. | |
next summer. A man and a rush there. | :47:47. | :47:53. | |
Welcome news about the Cuthbert Bible but does this helped the | :47:53. | :47:59. | |
campaign to get the Gospels displayed permanently in Durham? | :47:59. | :48:03. | |
think it does. We are looking forward to next year and we think | :48:03. | :48:08. | |
it will be fantastic for Durham and the North East to have a | :48:08. | :48:11. | |
Lindisfarne Gospel and the Cuthbert gospel displayed alongside it. We | :48:11. | :48:15. | |
think it will be a huge attraction for the North East and bring lots | :48:15. | :48:20. | |
of people into the area. We will have to use that and use the | :48:20. | :48:26. | |
display to really step up a campaign for a permanent relocation. | :48:26. | :48:31. | |
James Wharton, a good news for Teesside? What you think it means | :48:31. | :48:37. | |
for the state of the economy that work is ongoing for their? No one | :48:37. | :48:42. | |
is denying the economy is still on a tough situation. With the | :48:42. | :48:46. | |
reopening of this blast furnace and Teesside, that is great news. | :48:47. | :48:52. | |
Hitachi are opening and good news from Nissan. A lot of good news in | :48:52. | :48:56. | |
the North East economy which suggests we are coming into the | :48:56. | :48:59. | |
difficult period which means jobs and investment in the future, which | :48:59. | :49:07. | |
we need. There are important developments such as the Durham | :49:07. | :49:13. | |
Valley airport. Any development there? It has been bought by People | :49:13. | :49:18. | |
who used to be dealers. They are pushing ahead with an advertising | :49:18. | :49:27. | |
drive and looking for support across Teesside. We wanted to be | :49:27. | :49:32. | |
excess it and hopefully it can be. Do people in North Yorkshire Cup -- | :49:32. | :49:40. | |
care about this airport bar do they wanted us go to Bradford? | :49:40. | :49:45. | |
Improvements are being made which is fantastic. I cannot see it | :49:45. | :49:49. | |
released are making much of a note in North Yorkshire. We're very well | :49:49. | :49:54. | |
served by Leeds-Bradford. That's about it for months. If you live in | :49:54. | :49:56. | |
Newcastle and would like to get involved in the debate over an | :49:56. | :50:00. | |
elected mayor, there is a good opportunity tomorrow lunchtime. I | :50:01. | :50:05. | |
will be taking the debate to the city centre and looking for people | :50:05. | :50:11. | |
who wish to put questions towards both the yes and No campaigns. If | :50:11. | :50:16. | |
he still need to make up your mind, it make a worthwhile coming along. | :50:16. | :50:21. |