:01:20. > :01:23.In the North East and Cumbria: The towns and cities hardest hit by
:01:23. > :01:33.cuts. And, we're on the campaign trail in South Shields as the by-
:01:33. > :01:33.
:01:33. > :39:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2288 seconds
:39:41. > :39:45.election campaign enters its final Hello and a warm welcome to your
:39:45. > :39:49.local part of the show. With just four days to go until the county
:39:49. > :39:51.council elections, the big hitters have been in the North. The Prime
:39:51. > :39:55.Minister, David Cameron, met workers at the Pirelli tyre plant
:39:55. > :39:58.in Carlisle on Friday as part of a rapid run through Cumbria. While
:39:58. > :40:02.Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, was focussing on the contest in
:40:02. > :40:05.Northumberland with a campaign visit to Berwick. But we're
:40:05. > :40:08.concentrating on a different election this week - the contest to
:40:08. > :40:11.be David Miliband's successor as MP for South Shields. With me in the
:40:12. > :40:17.studio to discuss that - and the rest of the week's news - North-
:40:17. > :40:21.East Euro MP Martin Callanan and the MP for Hartlepool, Iain Wright.
:40:21. > :40:25.Let's start briefly with Hartlepool. It was named in new research this
:40:25. > :40:30.week as the North East town that's been worst-hit by the cuts. Doesn't
:40:30. > :40:33.this tell us what we already knew that basically Hartlepool was too
:40:33. > :40:37.dependent on the public sector at the start of this process so it's
:40:37. > :40:39.not surprising? I don't think it does say that. It shows and
:40:39. > :40:42.demonstrates very vividly the failure of Government economic
:40:42. > :40:46.policy at the moment. You can't have the public sector working in
:40:46. > :40:50.isolation with the private sector, that's not how a modern economy
:40:50. > :40:52.works and the whole of the North is feeling the effect of that, but
:40:52. > :40:55.particularly Hartlepool. We are losing with a combination of
:40:55. > :41:00.welfare cuts, cuts to local Government and other Government
:41:00. > :41:04.contracts being lost, losing in the region of about �725 per person,
:41:04. > :41:08.that's having a huge impact on the private sector and we are seeing
:41:08. > :41:13.that with rising unemployment. list that includes Hartlepool also
:41:13. > :41:17.high up in that list, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, it shows areas already
:41:17. > :41:21.deprived are the ones being hit the worst by your policies. Well, it's
:41:21. > :41:25.a consequence of the fact that those areas have high levels of
:41:25. > :41:28.public sector dependency, high levels of welfare, etc, when we are
:41:28. > :41:34.having to take painful decisions to get the national books in order
:41:34. > :41:37.from a deficit that Labour left us with, obviously those areas will
:41:37. > :41:42.suffer disproportionately. We need to get people off welfare, get them
:41:42. > :41:48.into work, into the private sector so they're not dependent on public
:41:49. > :41:51.sector handouts in the future. Thank you very much.
:41:52. > :41:55.Now, there's a by-election in South Shields next week. But careful you
:41:55. > :41:57.don't blink or you might miss the entire campaign. It's one of the
:41:58. > :42:01.shortest ever - which means the nine candidates don't have much
:42:01. > :42:04.time to grab the attention of South Tyneside's voters. I went to find
:42:04. > :42:07.out how the race to succeed David Miliband is shaping up. Got a pen
:42:07. > :42:12.and Heathrow Airport handy? Prepare to take note of the Labour by-
:42:12. > :42:17.election victory recipe. Take a smattering of activists, a sprinkle
:42:17. > :42:21.of Shadow Cabinet stardust, a very local candidate and mar inaid over
:42:21. > :42:24.a short campaign. This could be seen as a contrast to campaigns for
:42:24. > :42:28.Labour's previous MP, a man who arrived with no connection to the
:42:29. > :42:33.town. Yet now in this by-election how local each candidate is really
:42:33. > :42:37.seems to matter, even down to what they might have got up to with
:42:37. > :42:42.their bucket and spade on the beaches. Here on her campaign
:42:42. > :42:46.website is Labour's Emma Lewell- Buck enjoying fun on the beach. Is
:42:46. > :42:50.she saying she would make a better MP than David Miliband because she
:42:51. > :42:54.was born and bred in the area? at all. MPs bring different things
:42:54. > :42:58.to the role and David was a different kind of MP to what I will
:42:58. > :43:02.probably be. People in the area already know me, I am local, I was
:43:02. > :43:04.born here and spent my life in Tyneside, people know I will be a
:43:04. > :43:08.strong voice for them and will fight for them in Westminster if I
:43:08. > :43:12.am successful. Almost every door I have knocked on people have been
:43:12. > :43:15.excited to meet me. They're going to come out and vote. They're
:43:15. > :43:20.fighting on the beaches here. Conservative Karen Allen, also born
:43:20. > :43:25.and bred in South Shields is using the bucket and spade, to win people
:43:25. > :43:28.over, too. Is knowing every grain of sand here that vital? It's
:43:28. > :43:33.important that you understand who you are selecting, who you want to
:43:33. > :43:37.be your MP. I wanted to reach out and a a personal level. On the back
:43:37. > :43:42.of that leaflet my policies are there in black and white, the hard
:43:42. > :43:46.facts of what I would like to do for this town. No, I found it
:43:46. > :43:50.useful for people to connect with me and it is important where I am
:43:50. > :43:55.from and I want to share that. those with more tenuous connections
:43:55. > :43:59.can't resist playing the local card. Lib Dem Hugh Annand says his
:43:59. > :44:03.relative ran the local paper, 125 years ago. He now lives in
:44:03. > :44:10.Hertfordshire. He sees that as a positive. People in the town feel
:44:10. > :44:16.they are neglected by politicians in London. I think coming in as an
:44:16. > :44:19.outside Eric be that link -- as an outsider, I can be the link for the
:44:19. > :44:22.political bubble in London and local people up here and represent
:44:22. > :44:25.the entire constituency in that way without focusing on one particular
:44:25. > :44:29.neighbourhood, for example. UKIP don't have much political history
:44:29. > :44:35.in this town. Their candidate does live nearby, though. He has a
:44:35. > :44:38.growing confidence he might be able to spoil that Labour recipe.
:44:38. > :44:42.They've given these various parties a chance over the decades and none
:44:42. > :44:46.have done what they said they were going to do. The people feel
:44:46. > :44:51.neglected. They've become disillusioned with the main parties.
:44:51. > :44:55.They're looking to UKIP for a fresh start. A party which has common
:44:55. > :44:59.sense policies, which resonate with the average ordinary working man
:44:59. > :45:03.and woman in the street. Given this is the shortest by-election
:45:03. > :45:07.campaign for 70 years, it will be tough for anyone new to build much
:45:07. > :45:12.momentum. That may turn out to be good news for Labour, but is it
:45:12. > :45:14.good for democracy? And in addition to the parties
:45:14. > :45:24.featured in our report, there's five other candidates fighting
:45:24. > :45:35.
:45:35. > :45:39.Leaving aside the merits of the candidates we saw is it fair to
:45:39. > :45:42.make voters make a decision in a campaign of less than - over a
:45:42. > :45:46.fortnight? It's difficult, sometimes parties are dammed if do
:45:47. > :45:51.you and dammed if you don't. My by- election in 2004 was 12 weeks long.
:45:51. > :45:55.I remember it well! People complain it was too long. Given the piece
:45:55. > :45:59.about the North being hardest hit by Government cuts it's right we
:45:59. > :46:02.have a representative in South Shields fighting for South Shields
:46:02. > :46:05.and to do that as quickly as possible. Other candidates say they
:46:05. > :46:08.were doing the same. Having a quick by-election to ensure a
:46:08. > :46:11.representative is there fighting is important. If aud postal vote, you
:46:11. > :46:15.almost have to post it off almost as soon as the election is declared.
:46:15. > :46:19.I have been to South Shields to campaign for Emma and have seen the
:46:19. > :46:22.great work she's doing. She is a great local candidate. We haven't
:46:22. > :46:27.got all the representatives here. It's important that South Shields
:46:27. > :46:30.has a representative in parliament as quickly as possible. This is
:46:30. > :46:34.fair game, this is tactics all parties will pursue, go for a short
:46:34. > :46:37.campaign it makes it difficult for any opponent to get any headway?
:46:37. > :46:40.That's why the Labour Party are doing it, of course. We know how
:46:40. > :46:45.strong the Labour Party are in South Shields and south Tyneside.
:46:45. > :46:47.You would do it in a Conservative area. We probably would, to be fair.
:46:47. > :46:52.They want the campaign as quickly as possible. On the same day as
:46:52. > :46:55.local elections in Northumberland and Durham and it prevents other
:46:55. > :46:59.parties, we are all campaigning in those elections and prevents us
:46:59. > :47:02.bringing activists from other parts of the regions to help, etc. So, I
:47:02. > :47:07.suppose it's fair political tactics, we know what the Labour Party are
:47:07. > :47:11.up to here. Is there scope for setting a minimum time for a by-
:47:11. > :47:15.election campaign beyond a couple of weeks so so this doesn't happen
:47:15. > :47:20.again. It's difficult to do that. To a certain extent I agree with
:47:20. > :47:23.Ian, in some campaigns, certainly the one in Eastleigh in recent
:47:23. > :47:26.weeks people were refusing to open the door, blocking letterboxes
:47:26. > :47:30.because there was so much literature through them. You have
:47:30. > :47:33.to get the balance right. People get sick of it sometimes and low
:47:33. > :47:38.turnouts demonstrate that. The tradition is that the party who
:47:38. > :47:41.holds the seat gets to choose when the by-election is within a
:47:41. > :47:44.reasonable period of time and we know what the Labour Party are up
:47:44. > :47:49.to here. All the candidates in South Shields have made a big play
:47:49. > :47:54.of their local connections, either small or big. But if all
:47:54. > :47:58.constitutes think that way, you don't get Tony Blairs or David
:47:58. > :48:02.Milibands, it's short-sighted, isn't it? I don't think that is the
:48:02. > :48:08.case. Candidates put themselves forward and think of different
:48:08. > :48:10.strengths that they can provide for the electorate and I saw this
:48:10. > :48:15.replacing Peter Mandelson in Hartlepool. People want different
:48:15. > :48:20.things at different times. So to have a huge-hitter like David
:48:20. > :48:23.Miliband was important. But equally, people want to see local, strong,
:48:23. > :48:28.passionate campaigners from the area, as well. Will this result say
:48:28. > :48:32.anything about either your fortunes or Labour's fortunes? I think it
:48:32. > :48:35.will say something if the Labour Party lost, which would be a
:48:35. > :48:40.political earthquake, hopefully will happen. Probably won't, though.
:48:40. > :48:43.History is by-elections don't provide much information. They are
:48:43. > :48:48.short, intense periods. People know they're not choosing a Government.
:48:48. > :48:50.They use them often to send a message to the parties. Turnout is
:48:51. > :48:54.very low. People don't really engage with them. They're great
:48:54. > :48:58.sport for us politicians but I suspect don't give us a long-term
:48:58. > :49:03.message. Will it say anything about the wide irpolitical situation?
:49:03. > :49:06.will send a message to Government in the North - I am hoping we do
:49:06. > :49:09.win, I think it will send a message that the policies are not working
:49:09. > :49:13.for the north-east and they really need to think again and think about
:49:13. > :49:15.an economic policy based upon jobs and growth. We will leave it there
:49:15. > :49:19.and see what the result is on Thursday.
:49:19. > :49:22.And if all that has whetted your appetite for the cut and thrust of
:49:22. > :49:25.the by-election and you'd like to put some questions of your own,
:49:25. > :49:28.there's a chance to do just that in South Shields tomorrow morning when
:49:28. > :49:31.we'll be putting the main party candidates in the Look North "hot
:49:31. > :49:36.seat". That's in South Shields near the marketplace from 11.00am.
:49:36. > :49:39.I'll be there too to ensure fair play!
:49:40. > :49:42.Now it's less than a month since people living in social housing had
:49:43. > :49:45.to start paying for their spare rooms - what the Government calls
:49:45. > :49:48.the under-occupancy charge and its critics described as the bedroom
:49:48. > :49:51.tax. But it's already having an impact. Legal advice centres say
:49:51. > :49:53.they're being deluged with new work. But tougher rules on Legal Aid mean
:49:54. > :49:58.most people won't qualify for financial help to appeal against
:49:58. > :50:03.the decision. Megan Paterson reports from Cumbria. Chris has
:50:03. > :50:06.lived in this flat in Carlisle for 18 months. The Government says he
:50:06. > :50:08.is underoccupying so his housing benefit has been cut and by the end
:50:08. > :50:14.of this month he will owe his landlord money he will struggle to
:50:14. > :50:17.pay back. This is the main bedroom. The flat has two bedrooms, one for
:50:17. > :50:21.Chris and the other is a occasionally used if friends stay.
:50:21. > :50:24.He has been told to let that room out if he is struggling with rent
:50:24. > :50:28.and if he doesn't do that, he should move. But Chris is a
:50:28. > :50:33.recovering alcoholic and he fears finding somewhere else to live
:50:33. > :50:38.could unsettle his progress. It's difficult for me because with being
:50:38. > :50:42.a recovering alcoholic I find that I have got myself settled in this
:50:42. > :50:47.area and I feel like the upheaval of moving again could cause me to
:50:47. > :50:53.relapse because it's a stressful thing to do moving house, if I was
:50:53. > :50:56.forced to have a lodger I couldn't have somebody who was a drinker, so
:50:56. > :51:01.there would be restrictions because if they were drinking in my flat it
:51:01. > :51:04.could lead to me relapsing again. In theory, Chris could appeal his
:51:04. > :51:08.underoccupiesancy case with the Department for Work and Pensions.
:51:08. > :51:11.But he can't afford to do that. Last month, that appeal could have
:51:11. > :51:16.been paid for with legal aid. But on the 1st April the Government
:51:16. > :51:19.withdrew funding for all non- serious civil cases so that means
:51:20. > :51:23.for people like Chris legal aid isn't an option any more. It's
:51:23. > :51:27.important that we all understand... Charities specialising in social
:51:27. > :51:32.welfare say the changes to legal aid mean the help they would have
:51:32. > :51:35.once given to solve situations like Chris's are tkrasically limited --
:51:35. > :51:40.drastically limited. Employment disappeared, debt advice
:51:40. > :51:45.disappeared, welfare benefits advice disappeared. Housing was
:51:45. > :51:50.reduced down to just the most acute cases of imminent homelessness. For
:51:50. > :51:54.us that means that we used to be able to offer people indepth
:51:54. > :51:58.specialist advice across that piece and look at their problem
:51:58. > :52:03.holistically and help every aspect. Now to do a funded piece of
:52:03. > :52:10.casework for a client we need to wait until they are facing an
:52:10. > :52:12.imminent threat of homelessness. According to the minute is tree of
:52:12. > :52:19.-- Ministry of Justice support is still available if people's lives
:52:19. > :52:23.and homes are at risk. 1.7 billion a year will still be spent on legal
:52:23. > :52:28.aid and a further �65 million has been budgeted to help charities
:52:28. > :52:32.adapt to funding changes over the next two years.
:52:32. > :52:36.The MOJ says charities can't afford budgetry constraints impacting
:52:36. > :52:39.councils and Government departments. Still there's concern that under
:52:40. > :52:46.the current reductions charities don't have money needed now help
:52:46. > :52:50.deal with demand. Cumbria's already seen the closure of one CAB office
:52:50. > :52:58.due to financial difficulties. think all of the welfare reforms
:52:58. > :53:03.that the Government is trying to bring in needed, however, I think
:53:03. > :53:09.they have dramatically miscalculated the impact of those
:53:09. > :53:15.reforms on individuals and also on the agencies they're relying on to
:53:15. > :53:19.support individuals through these changes. Unless something is done
:53:19. > :53:24.soon to put additional resources in to the agencies who are helping put
:53:24. > :53:31.the reforms through, it's likely the whole thing will collapse like
:53:31. > :53:33.a pack of cards. It's a tsunami heading towards us and it's
:53:33. > :53:38.terrifying. The verdict from the Citizens
:53:38. > :53:41.Advice Bureau in Copeland. A tsunami, perfect storm really.
:53:41. > :53:44.Biggest benefit changes in generations and doubts the advice
:53:44. > :53:48.services that could provide help for these people and cuts to legal
:53:48. > :53:51.aid to prevent people being able to appeal. First of all, you don't
:53:51. > :53:54.need professional legal help, you don't need a solicitor to appeal
:53:54. > :53:59.against these decisions. Tkoubg it yourself. -- you can do it yourself.
:53:59. > :54:02.It's a straightforward process, why should the the taxpayer pay for
:54:02. > :54:06.people to appeal when they could do it themselves. We have the most
:54:06. > :54:10.generous legal aid system anywhere in Europe and the deficit that we
:54:10. > :54:13.have requires some difficult decisions to be made and we have to
:54:13. > :54:17.start getting those bills down a bit. We still are going to have the
:54:17. > :54:21.most generous system even after these savings have been made. Going
:54:21. > :54:24.on to the benefits changes themselves, we need to get this
:54:24. > :54:28.into perspective. This charge has already applied to people that have
:54:28. > :54:33.private landlords for many years and why should taxpayers pay for
:54:33. > :54:37.something they can't afford themselves? �1.7 billion still
:54:37. > :54:42.spent on legal aid. The bill was over �2 billion, it's fair enough
:54:42. > :54:45.to save money? It's fair enough to save money and Government should
:54:45. > :54:49.always look to see where they can make efficiencies, but this is
:54:49. > :54:54.targeting the poorest and most vulnerable. Martin says tkoubg it
:54:54. > :54:57.by yourself, actually some people who will have to appeal aren't in a
:54:57. > :55:01.position to be defend themselves and the job of a good civilised
:55:01. > :55:05.welfare state is to make sure that the legal system is not just the
:55:05. > :55:10.preserve of the rich and elite. legal system is not the same as the
:55:10. > :55:13.benefits system. This is not a court of law. This is just asking
:55:13. > :55:17.the department for welfare to look again at a decision they've made.
:55:17. > :55:19.It's a simple straightforward process. You don't have to get
:55:19. > :55:22.professional legal help. Your Government is cutting every avenue,
:55:22. > :55:25.whether it's Citizens Advice Bureau, whether it's debt advice, whether
:55:25. > :55:29.it's the legal aid budget at a time when these biggest welfare changes
:55:29. > :55:32.for a generation are taking place and they are being targeted at the
:55:32. > :55:37.poorest and most vulnerable in our communities. We take the view that
:55:37. > :55:40.you have to get fundamental welfare reform through that makes it
:55:40. > :55:44.worthwhile for people to work and for taxpayers to continue paying
:55:44. > :55:47.those bills. The Labour Party might believe they can continue spending
:55:47. > :55:51.until it was going out of fashion but the raeplt is the -- reality is
:55:51. > :55:55.the country was bankrupt. We have to make savings and it requires
:55:55. > :56:01.difficult decisions. Would it have been sensible to spend money making
:56:01. > :56:04.sure Citizens Advice Bureaus were geared up to get people - these are
:56:04. > :56:11.your rights, you may not get a lawyer but tkoubg this. -- but
:56:11. > :56:15.tkoubg this. -- but you can do this. Anybody facing homelessness is
:56:15. > :56:18.still able to access professional help. They can still get that paid
:56:18. > :56:22.for and legal aid. But we are saying in some cases people should
:56:22. > :56:25.be prepared to fill in a simple form and appeal themselves, rather
:56:25. > :56:28.than using these professional services. Aren't you on the wrong
:56:28. > :56:33.side of the argument with the public? A lot of the public will
:56:33. > :56:36.think I don't mind �350 million off this bill, when a lot is being
:56:36. > :56:39.handed to lawyers? That's a fair point. But no one says that
:56:39. > :56:46.actually when they're saying I would want to see savings in the
:56:46. > :56:50.NHS because the pay is going on nurses. Most people class lawyers
:56:50. > :56:54.as being different from nurses! Certainly I can understand that
:56:54. > :56:59.argument, of course I can. But it's coming down to a fundamental plank
:56:59. > :57:04.of Government policy which is let's cut support, let's cut help for the
:57:04. > :57:08.most poorest and most vulnerable in our societies, whilst at the same
:57:08. > :57:12.time giving a tax cut for millionaires that could have helped
:57:12. > :57:18.pay... Briefly come back on that. What he said is not true. The tax
:57:18. > :57:21.cut he talks about was less than the tax rate that applied under 13
:57:21. > :57:23.years almost of Labour Party Government. What we are doing is
:57:23. > :57:27.taking sensible structured approaches to welfare which says
:57:27. > :57:32.that people should always be better off in work, rather than out of
:57:32. > :57:37.work. Ian should support his constituents being in work rather
:57:37. > :57:44.than being dependent on the welfare state. We have to leave it there
:57:44. > :57:47.and debate about unemployment another day.
:57:47. > :57:50.Now, if the local election campaign leaflets don't always make much
:57:50. > :57:53.sense to you, spare a thought for people in Eden who had reason to
:57:53. > :57:56.scratch their heads when a leaflet from the local Tories landed on
:57:56. > :58:02.their doormat. Here's Megan with that - and some good news on the
:58:02. > :58:06.jobs front - in our regular round- up of the week's news in 60 seconds.
:58:06. > :58:12.The BAE systems factory in Newcastle has been acquired by the
:58:12. > :58:17.Rhys group, 500 employees will be based at the former Armstrong works.
:58:17. > :58:23.More good Newsround in Darlington where the -- more good news in
:58:23. > :58:26.Darlington. Local MP praised the role played by
:58:26. > :58:31.Darlington Council in keeping jobs in the town. These jobs were
:58:31. > :58:36.important to the town. It's managed to stack up a very good business
:58:36. > :58:41.case that persuaded the department to stay so I am very proud of that
:58:41. > :58:45.council today. MPs have criticised a pay-off to the chief executive of
:58:45. > :58:48.Cumbria Council. Carlisle MP John Stevenson raised the issue with the
:58:48. > :58:51.Prime Minister. Would the Prime Minister agree this and similar
:58:51. > :58:57.arrangements are difficult for the public to accept and are certainly
:58:57. > :59:01.not good news for taxpayers' money? Finally, an election leaflet with a
:59:01. > :59:08.difference. Householders were left puzzled when they received this
:59:08. > :59:14.leaflet in Latin. Perhaps it was written by Michael
:59:14. > :59:17.Gove! Now they may have fallen behind
:59:17. > :59:19.UKIP in the publicity stakes, but the Greens believe they can make
:59:19. > :59:22.some headlines of their own at this month's elections. And preferably
:59:22. > :59:24.not in Latin. The party is contesting nearly 900 seats across
:59:24. > :59:27.the country with significant numbers standing for election in
:59:27. > :59:30.County Durham and Cumbria. So what can the Greens offer voters? With
:59:30. > :59:33.me, from South Tyneside Greens, Shirley Ford. What's your realistic
:59:33. > :59:37.target here? At the moment you don't have any councillors in any
:59:37. > :59:40.of these councils as I understand, will it be a success just to poll
:59:40. > :59:44.respectively or to win seats? are aiming to win seats,
:59:44. > :59:49.particularly in Cumbria where we haveish aoufs -- issues like the
:59:49. > :59:55.nuclear waste storage, in Yorkshire, in Durham, that's where we are
:59:55. > :59:59.really realistically focusing. We will be delighted if we poll well
:59:59. > :00:03.because these - a lot of these candidates, particularly County
:00:03. > :00:05.Durham, are young, enthusiastic people who care about making a
:00:05. > :00:14.difference and want to be elect and a couple have already been elected
:00:14. > :00:17.as town councillors so we are on the way. I did look to see on the
:00:18. > :00:21.the Green Party website to see if there was a manifesto, I have to be
:00:21. > :00:27.honest, I struggled to find it. How are people supposed to vote if they
:00:27. > :00:30.don't know what you stand for? it comes to local elections it is
:00:30. > :00:34.very much our local parties that are putting their campaigns out
:00:34. > :00:38.there. So County Durham have their own manifesto on their own website
:00:38. > :00:42.which is a fantastic four-page document, they've really thought
:00:42. > :00:45.through the policies they think will make a real difference to
:00:45. > :00:50.boost the campaign. It's not just about manifestoes on websites,
:00:50. > :00:58.though, it's going out there door- knocking, talking to people.
:00:58. > :01:02.Campaigning. I will leave that to you. What is then the central plank
:01:02. > :01:05.of how you tackle the biggest challenge for councils, which is
:01:05. > :01:08.they are having to manage with less money? They are having to manage
:01:08. > :01:14.with less money. But it is about what do you with with that money,
:01:14. > :01:18.the priorities. What we are saying right across all of the County
:01:18. > :01:23.elections is that the priorities that have been there for spending -
:01:23. > :01:26.for investing in the wrong wrong kind of development on the green
:01:26. > :01:31.belt, things like this, roads, these are the wrong priorities and
:01:31. > :01:35.we need to be investing in jobs, local shops on high streets are -
:01:35. > :01:39.bring in more jobs. How do you do that as councils? They can do a lot
:01:39. > :01:44.to support markets and high streets as opposed to putting up money to
:01:44. > :01:48.lure in developers for big out of town retail. Councils are spending
:01:48. > :01:52.money. They're borrowing money. It's borrowing money for the wrong
:01:52. > :01:58.priorities. Aren't they creating jobs with that? Very few. If you
:01:58. > :02:02.look at the difference and it's not looking at the jobs they destroy in
:02:02. > :02:10.high streets that we currently have. They're more job intensive. Thank
:02:10. > :02:12.you very much. That's about it from us. Those
:02:12. > :02:16.county council votes aren't being counted until Friday morning - so
:02:16. > :02:18.stay tuned to your BBC local radio station and Look North for all
:02:18. > :02:21.those results. There's full coverage throughout Friday on the
:02:21. > :02:24.News Channel, too. And I'll be up all night on Thursday bringing you
:02:24. > :02:27.the result of the South Shields by- election. I'll be tweeting regular
:02:27. > :02:30.updates from the count, too. We're back same time, same place next