25/11/2012 Sunday Politics North East and Cumbria


25/11/2012

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Can anyone beat Labour in the Middlesbrough by-election?

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Other Government enterprise zone that selecting new jobs for the

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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2243 seconds

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North East or just recycling Good morning.

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Coming up... A bar the Government's enterprise

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zones delivering new jobs for the North East or just recycling

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existing ones? We will be talking about that and

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the rest of the week's political news.

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The cuts made by Newcastle council to its supportive arts

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organisations made the national headlines this week. Are those

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grants just a luxury we cannot afford?

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Absolutely not. Arts and culture are part of the branding of

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Newcastle Gateshead and the North East. They have also driven growth.

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The council has to explain why its proposal to do these cuts when

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other councils are not. They haven't got enough money.

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Newcastle are not very different to the other councils around them.

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Can you justify funding for the arts when the councils might say

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money for essential services is so tight?

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They have made these choices. I think it is important about the

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arts and the creative industries are well financed and well-funded

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from central Government. A lot of local authorities are staring into

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the abyss in terms of finances, and the mass of savage cuts imposed

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upon local Government means that these tough choices have had to be

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made. They have made these decisions against their will. They

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would prefer to have the arts and the creative industries left in

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place. If you haven't got the finances, you cannot do what you

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want to do. The Middlesbrough by-election up

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next. The Labour leader was in town yesterday campaigning on behalf of

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his party's candidate. The by- election follows the death of Sir

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Stuart Bell, whose cast -- some critics that it use of neglecting

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his duties. Also, the UKIP leader is aiming to cause an upset when

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they go to the polls this Thursday. The vote comes at at time when

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Liverpool is wrestling some of the biggest cuts yet to local services.

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Middlesbrough. For almost 40 years, represented by a Labour MP. For

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more than half of that, by Sir Stuart Bell. Plenty of people paid

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tribute to his work here but he did, a fair amount of flak here in his

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final years, with some asking if he does Britain's laziest MP. His

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reputation and majority in recent years took a bashing. In 1997,

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seven out of 10 people voted Labour, producing a massive 25,000 majority.

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By 2010, they had slipped to 45% of the vote and a majority of the

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8,700. As low as it has been and 40 years. 17,000 voters drifted away.

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That doesn't mean a Middlesbrough is a marginal seat, but opponents

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believe this figures suggests this is a town that is falling out of

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love with Labour. Most of the people I speak to on the doorstep

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are crying out for something different. They're not sure what

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that something different days. The time lacks a credible challenger

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who will pick up the gauntlet and really challenge the Labour Party

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and told them to account. I am offering that.

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I am asking, what is the Labour Party doing for us? There has been

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little or no investment in the area. They have turned up at election

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time and then they will disappear for five years and did all over

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again. I am here to say that does not have to be the case. I am a

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genuine alternative for the Labour Party.

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There is one tricky problems. As the Conservatives leaflet voters, a

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few hundred yards away, the council was planning 111 cuts worth

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millions. They're even turning off the town centre CCTV cameras.

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Middlesbrough's mare, Ray Mallon, has blamed the coalition. You

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contenders believe they have the chance to prosper. It is such a

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strong Labour area that for historical reasons, at we could

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never find us in our hearts to vote for the Conservatives.

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Understandably. Lot of people are beginning to realise that UKIP

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really does represent the ordinary hard-working person in the country.

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More so than the current New Labour Party. There is nothing in

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Parliament at the moment that will fight on behalf of these people.

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They don't care. All they care about is global business. They

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don't care about building factories and making stuff again in our

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country. Labour are facing plenty of hostile fire. But it is still

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those prepared to stick with them. Support like that is likely to make

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this man Middlesbrough's next MP. Does he accept that his party needs

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to up its game? I am telling people that I am absolutely committed to

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opening an office in Middlesbrough. I will have the surgery is there

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and I will be a very accessible. The MP and the party should work

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hard to serve the people who elect their representatives. That is an

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absolute given, as far as I'm concerned. I will work hard for the

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people of Middlesbrough. There is another danger. Apathy. At this

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time of year, there are plenty of distractions. Recently, a own

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record low by-election turnout to be 18% was set in Manchester. It's

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will be a shock of labour did not win next week. It might be less of

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a surprise if that term at record comes under threat.

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You can hear more on the by- election on BBC TV's Breakfast

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programme which is running minutes manifestos from all the candidates.

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You can see a list and are of who they are lower at the website.

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There seems to be an increasing challenge to get people to turn out.

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Is that quite depressing? It is. For generations, people

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thought for the vote and people have got red and people are not

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turning out. Whether it is in the police and crime Commissioner

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elections last week were these recent by-elections, they have not

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been turning out the way they should have. They have to take

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responsibility for that. People should look at what is happening in

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their area. There are plenty of critics. They should vote for who

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they think should best represent their area.

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Is it telling you politicians that you're not inspiring them to vote?

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They may believe that, but there are plenty of good politicians of

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all colours out there. People are not listening.

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A low turnout is a sign of disillusionment with politics. That

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is the danger. I absolutely. It is particularly a

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problem with young people. Alter people have had a habit of voting

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over many years. -- older people. I am very seriously worried about

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this. Politicians will have to do more to engage with the population.

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With young people in particular. How do you best defence you

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communities as a politician? De protest against cuts, or is there

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something else? You grow your business rates. From

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April, Middlesbrough has the capacity to share in half of the

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growth of business rate income. Given the amount of money going

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into the regional growth fund, some �300 million across the North East

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as a whole, there is great capacity to grow...

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Does that compensate for all the money that has been taken out of

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all these places? Broadly speaking, the amount of

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money that the Government is spending through the regional

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growth fund and similar funds in the North East is not that

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dissimilar to what was spent by one North East.

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But there are lots of other cuts. Sure. But led Middlesbrough has the

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power to grow its own tax base and let's get the councils to share

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services more than they do. Your area has suffered cuts. His

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protest will you can do? The job of an MP is to be sickly

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get into the house of Commons, speak to people, discuss things,

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explain the problems in your area and hopefully, get a good deal from

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whoever is in Government. It is always very difficult if you are in

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opposition. My job... I met with the Secretary of State from

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different departments and tried to promote my area. I tried to promote

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so that the areas we needed help with. It is a constant, ongoing

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process of campaigning on behalf of the people you represent.

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A queue. Enterprise Zones carried Government

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policy designed to attract new jobs in two areas hardest hit of the

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recession. There are two in the North East. There are discounted

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business rates and other tax breaks to tempt new companies in. But are

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they working? There one of the Government's big

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ideas for reviving the economy. But already, there are claims that

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Enterprise Zones are displacing, not creating, jobs. It was

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obviously far more advantageous to them to be on at this site within

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the Enterprise Zone, as opposed to being on our site 50 yards away and

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not being on a Enterprise Zone. This man runs the oceanic business

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park on Tyneside, right next to an Enterprise Zone. He claims a client

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left him for the zone next door. is 10,000 square feet of offices

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which were occupied by them for about four years. From our point of

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view, it is not easy to replace that. Why would a firm up sticks

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and move into an Enterprise Zone? They offer a discount of up to

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�55,000 via on firms on their business rates, faster planning

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process and other help with big projects, but super-fast broadband.

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Northumberland, Tyneside and Wearside is where our area is.

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Focusing on firms associated with the manufacture of all to no carbon

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vehicles, part of the stone is near the Nissan factory. Other areas are

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near the North bank of the time, focusing on its renewable energy.

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Is there a small area is that the Port of Blyth. There is another

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right here. Around 40 nectars of the Port of Blyth is part of the

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Enterprise Zone. But the port had risen he wanted more than 60 actors

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included. We were open for 60 plus at one point. It was then died 30

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plus, but we have to be pragmatic. We will work with what we have got.

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We have still got the Enterprise Zone on the two key sites around

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the estuary. We're already getting firm interest in both those sites.

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The local MP thinks that because the area in his own as though -- so

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small placed at Port of Blyth, it is not well placed to take the

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thriving new energy development. But we have the land, the place

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that it, and we must encourage that. We have the best testing centre in

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the whole of Europe for these things. You would expect companies

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to a building them would want to come to that Port of Blyth and set

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up business. This is the old shipyard on the banks of the

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enterprise zone. How about that claim we heard area, that the firm

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hopped over the fence to be here? This man -- woman is a board member

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of the Local Enterprise Partnership. That is the organisation who

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oversees the zone. That the council were talking to that business one

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year before the Enterprise Zone was actually allocated. Enterprise

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zones now offer a real opportunity. Previously, we had shipbuilding.

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That is gone. Now, we have the opportunity to move on. This is a

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great opportunity for regenerating the area to bring life back into

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our region and the really successful. We have got that

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opportunities. We have been great before and we need to be great

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again. Enterprise Zones were tried in the 1980s and 1990s with mix

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success. Many jobs for simply displaced from elsewhere. This time

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around, it is hoped an old idea will bring new vigour to the region

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rather than running into the same old problems.

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Thin you local enterprise partnerships over Segers and Max

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:52:09.:52:09.

Louis Phillippe. Over see those Enterprise Zones. Jobs can just pop

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over into the Enterprise Zone. As that's something that concerns you?

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You heard on a report that there are two sides to that particular

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incident that was described. I think, however, as we have said

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with the Enterprise Zones, what we have tried to do is set up a regime

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where that risk of so-called sense of income be minimised. The end --

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Enterprise Zones are very different to the ones in the 1980s. Business

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rate relief is limited to five years rather than 10 years. The

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absolute amount of money someone can benefit from his limited. We

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have deliberately chosen sites that are more suitable for manufacturing

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rather than offices or retail. Would you accept that there is some

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risk? If you can get an advantage, the business will take it?

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There is a risk. But we have taken a lot of steps to minimise those

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risks. We have cut allowances and these are only available for plant

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and machinery. It is not available for the buildings like it used to

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be in the past. A lot of measures have been put in place to try and

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mitigate some of the things from the past. Are you convinced that

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these Enterprise Zones will generally create lots of new jobs?

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Yes. We are already seeing some success. The North East Enterprise

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Zone is the first to actually achieving a significant tenant with

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the announcement earlier in the year of a van TEC, who have arrived

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under making a big investment. Be is what is on offer and off? Yes.

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Ask all the companies why they came. They are taking advantage of the

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benefits of the Enterprise Zone. Thank you.

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That is the view of business. Enterprise Zones are delivering

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jobs and will continue to. That is why I have been calling for

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an extension from the Councillor Sammy Brush to cover -- an

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extension of the current Enterprise Zone to cover new regions. The

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statistics you see in some areas are alarming. There is a rate of

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15.9% of people aged between 18 and 24 or claiming jobseeker's

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Allowance - twice the national average. Yet the current Enterprise

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Zone stops but for -- before this area that is in the greatest need.

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Anybody who wanted to come into the area would stop at the side of the

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events were the incentives are and not come into the area is beyond me.

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They're not there to go into the areas with the highest unemployment,

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there are there to target areas where businesses are most likely to

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wants to come. They cannot be everywhere. Correct, but I would

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have thought that where you have areas of high deprivation, and

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there are a lot of their areas like that, and I cannot for the life of

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the C Y D Enterprise Zones stop its there, when there are massive

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unemployment rates and social deprivation. We need to create up

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employment and growth. I have been calling for an extension of the

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already extended Enterprise Zone into my area.

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The allegation is that there's just not enough of the areas in the

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Enterprise Zone to make a big enough difference.

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In Port of Blyth, it certainly is big enough. I have some sympathy,

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but these Enterprise Zones we have are the ones that the region asked

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for. In the course of time, they might be able to be expanded. But

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let's just celebrate the good news of the energy bill, which has made

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it financially viable for companies to invest in offshore.

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What about the point that the danger is that instead of getting

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valuable investment into impoverished areas, it will just go

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towards whether some at the Max are already?

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You will see very substantial private sector investments now as a

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consequence of the energy bill in offshore. To her mind and bleared

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manufacture I think are going to come to the North East. There could

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be supplied change, you see. Think of Nissan in Washington, Sunderland,

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and look at their supply chain. The North East as a very bright future

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and that is not just about the James Murdochs.

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Wood and the best way to get gross be to make the will of the North

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East is the Mac and when a company comes, you say you can have your

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grants Revenue want to go in that region?

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The effectively, the regional growth fund is doing that by giving

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de private sector companies to can grow. That is almost �300 million

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from the first three rounds of the region on with funds coming into

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the North East. That's bigger success of what we have got and

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demonstrate a Government that we can use the money productively.

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Are you satisfied with that? The idea you have just suggested,

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making the whole of the North East and the James Murdoch, is fine.

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But there is a limit to public finances?

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Yes, but the current extension to the Enterprise Zone has not

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attracted extra enhanced allowances. Geographically, it has expanded,

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but the finances are exactly the same as what was announced in

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November 2011. They have just expanded the size of the Enterprise

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Zone. Thank you. It is not often a humble

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kebab gets a mention on the programme, but a Cumbrian MP is

:58:02.:58:12.
:58:12.:58:16.

keen to change all that. Here is the 60 seconds news.

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Newcastle council is to shed 1,300 jobs and scrap weekly been

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collections as part of its efforts to save �90 million over three

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years. Arts funding will also be cut.

:58:27.:58:31.

Come rain needs to save �80 million next year to balance the books.

:58:31.:58:35.

The region's new police commissioners are starting work in

:58:36.:58:40.

County Durham. Anne McIntosh has criticised

:58:40.:58:42.

planning inspectors for lying 300 houses to be built in an area prone

:58:42.:58:46.

to flooding. How is this that a planning

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decision can be overruled by an out-of-town planning inspector that

:58:51.:58:55.

will have enormous implications for something?

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Is it time to move the house of Lords up North? Peers will debate

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at Northumbria University this week that the second chamber should up

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sticks out of Westminster. And the quality of Cumbria's kebabs

:59:10.:59:14.

get celebrated by Penrith MP. He has dominated the alternative

:59:14.:59:20.

takeaway for the first ever British kebab wards.

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It comes in all shades and sizes! It would be great news 3, wouldn't

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it, that out of Lords came to the North?

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They would certainly save me in travelling. The idea originated

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with the proposed Bill, which would have turned the house of Lords into

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a set and would have had its direct regional representation. It is very

:59:44.:59:48.

complicated to do, because the nature of the Lords, which revises

:59:48.:59:52.

have scrutinised as the Commons, which the sides, actually requires

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us to be very close to the Commons. However, it is my view that you

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could get many more select committees to take evidence from

:00:00.:00:04.

right around England and the rest of the UK and I could welcome that.

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You can make a case for moving civil servants, but not the Lords?

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You can make a decision to move the Commons and the Lords to the region.

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Why not? We have a brilliant region here with fantastic people and

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facilities. It would stimulate a regional economy.

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But everybody has to be together. While I do they have to be together

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in London? Why not Newcastle? Simulate the local economy. Bring

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them into one of the best regions in the world.

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Do you think you could persuade business leaders, international

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politicians, to come up to Northumberland?

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I doubt it. Fair enough!

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It would change the whole political balance of the country, wouldn't

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it? We desperately need to do that. That is true. You would have a

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problem deciding where it would be. The North of England would be

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competing with Edinburgh, because that house of Lords covers the

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United Kingdom. What I would prefer, because the back of the matter is

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that London is the UK's capital. It is where the media is, big

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business... Briefly, obviously, there is the

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need to refer this. It has to go somewhere.

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A for five years, we will have to leave. You either leave elsewhere

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in London or you could leave to go elsewhere in England. I would

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welcome a study which tells us I feasible that might be.

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Thank you. That's about it from us. I will be

:01:42.:01:45.

Middlesbrough on Thursday night for the by-election count. You can

:01:45.:01:51.

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