11/03/2012 Sunday Politics North West

And in the North West: A rubbish offer? The government's

giving councils extra cash to have weekly bin collections. So why are

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1809 seconds

Hello and welcome to the programme. In the next 20 minutes: the

Government is offering council's cash to do weekly in collections.

Why do so many say the idea is rubbish?

We also have an interview with the former Labour Foreign Secretary

David Miliband coming up, and I will be discussing the issues with

my two studio guest. We have the studio -- that we have been MP for

Lancaster and fall of Shaw and Yvonne Fovargue.

First, more than 200 people with disabilities are facing

redundancies in the north-west after the Government announced the

closure of seven Remploy factories in the region.

The factories are losing money and ministers say the money can be

better spent. Charities are saying it is an attack on the Most

Honourable. Remploy factories were created

after the war to get injured servicemen a job. Workers at this

factory are among those to have been fighting a losing battle to

keep them. It is appalling. Where can they find those jobs? We have

no chance of getting a job. I and 58 and had been here for 21 years.

He will give a 58-year-old a job outside? The problem is that most

of the factories are losing money. 40 years ago, the Labour Government

closed a similar number of factories, and this Government

estimates there are still paying a rent �25,000 to keep each worker in

a job. By spending money more effectively, up to 8004 unemployed

disabled people could be supported into mainstream employment.

strategy means that seven factories will close in the north-west, in

Barrow, Birkenhead, Balsam, Manchester, Oldham, Preston and

Wigan. Around 260 people will lose their jobs. Factories and Burnley,

Blackburn and he would will remain open. In the Commons, some MPs

wanted alternatives. Can I have an assurance from the Minister that if

it during the consultation period they consultation is made to keep

the factory opened as a social enterprise that the proposal will

be given sympathetic consideration and adequate support? Critics say

this is an attack on the most vulnerable. The Government say it

is a way to help those with disabilities get better jobs. At

least many facing the personal challenge of unemployment.

Eric Ollerenshaw, the GMB have called these closures a disgrace,

Labour call it the wrong plan at the wrong time, is it? I do not

think so. As you, Terry explained, there has been a long principle

behind this. The idea of segregating disabled workers in

their own factories is out of date and out of time. The previous

Government closed 28 factories and closed -- tried a modernisation

programme. They say the money can be spent on helping other disabled

people into work. That is the key, getting disabled people into work

beside the table. It will be a difficult process. I am pleased

that the Government has announced it million pounds specifically to

get special attention to each individual worker in the factories

that will have to close. To clarify, is this about funding, because they

are supposedly losing money, these factories, or is it to end the

segregated and climate? In one sense it is both. It is to deal

with the disabled, and the more debt is around 1,700 and particular

factories, but there are thousands of more disabled people that can be

helped by the money being lost by these factories. The principle of

integrating the disabled alongside the labelled is one that the

previous Government and this Government are continuing. Yvonne,

would you welcome this principle? would welcome it, and I actually

visited the Remploy factory. The people they thought it was a family,

they will living in a supportive environment and they feel like the

family it is being taken away from them. As the film set, where is

someone who is 58 and has a disability and has worked in

support of employment for this length of time, where are they

supposed to go? Do you disagree with Labour closing 28 factories in

2008? I believe that in 2008 they looked at it and look at the

procurement, and people did try and find them jobs in a much better

environment. There were many more jobs around and there was much more

help given. I know Citizens Advice Bureaux and others went in to

provide help for the people in Remploy, and the packages they got

in 2008 they extremely generous. The GMB union said that many of

those who were made redundant them are still on welfare now. There are

quite a few on welfare now and that is a lesson we must look at. With

the employment prospects are so poor for young people at people who

do not have a disability, is this the best time to lose these

factories? Than is the point, isn't it, Erica all unsure? Is this the

right time to put more people on to benefits? There is never a right

time to do these things. Never a great time at all. But the

statistics that have looked at, Remploy employment have something

like 700 or 800 jobs for disabled people per week. We have looked at

the mistakes of the previous Government, when they tried to get

disabled people into work with personal packages, at a cost of �8

billion. We will take 18 months with a pestle attention to each one

to get them into the jobs. Ignore them alone, there are around 115

people who could lose their jobs. Where will they go? If you look at

the jobs vacancies, there are over half a million jobs vacancies.

the jobs go to their? Avon, what are the chances that people from

Remploy will put up and climate? the moment in Wigan, there are 14

people chasing every one job. Where are these people, who need the

support, to keep the in climate, where are they going to go and find

the employers that are prepared to take the time and the efforts to

help people into work? It is completely the wrong time and I

would take issue with some of the figures as well. In fact, the

bonuses paid to the reply managers were 1.8 million in 2011. That is

disgraceful and should have been put into keeping factories going

and looking into procurement. going to stop you there. We are

going to move on. Some of you may think a lot of rubbish gets spoken

on this programme, Today, obviously not. But we make no apologies for

it to stay as he will be talking about Ben's. RG has been emptied

regularly enough? Communities Secretary thinks not affect his

every fortnight. He is offering councils �250 million to switch

back to reclaim any collections. Not many are keen. One way for

councils in the north-west have shown an interest in the money.

Salford, rebel Barre, Barrow, Chester West Manchester. -- Ribble

Valley. The other councils are The issue of bins has caused a

political stink over the years. For nearly in collections where a

process developed under the last Labour Government. This Government

has called weakly in collections a basic right. They have put aside

�250 million to encourage local authorities to increase collections.

Labour were finding for minor breaches of being rules. Did you

put your been out at the lot wrong power? Watch out! Because no one

expects the town hall Inquisition. Rubbish gags aside, the two

councils will be applied for the cash. They will be increasing

collectors from 49 be to recreate an attempt to get residence to

recycle everything from cooking oil to batteries. We will recycle twice

as much material as we currently do. We are looking to use this as a

springboard to drive for that next level of innovation in terms of

what we can recycle or remove from the waste stream. That will be very

much what we will be applying for the Pickles pounds and pennies.

the may be less is this council, upper weekly collections will cost

an extra �2 million per year. They're happy with the current

system of four nearly but think there is scope for improvement.

are looking at what Mr Pickles is proposing, there are conditions

attached, as you may expect. But we have started looking at the

feasibility of taking out the largest element of the Benn, which

is food. That is 20,000 tonnes per easier. To collect that separately,

you would need to collect it quickly. At Wyre Council, it is a

definite No. They are concerned that the money offered would not

cover the costs of the extra been around. It took to be a lot of work

and we would lose money. We lost enough of our budget last year, and

he cannot afford it. There is no such thing as a free lunch. We

cannot afford it if people lose money. If it will cost us �1

million or more to use that money it does not make sense.

Government say or make councils that can prove there will be an

environmental benefits will get the money.

Still with me is Eric Ollerenshaw and Yvonne Fovargue. This is one of

those issues that gets people going. Should councils be taking Pickles

pains and pennies? Councils should be doing exactly what you saw there.

Different councils of different persuasions, some are going back to

weekly collections and some are not. That is localism. What Eric Pickles

has provided is the ability to do that. The previous council --

previous Government was compelling councils to court to buy a weekly

collectors. I would like to see real localism. With indifferent

council areas, different structures for different streets. In

Lancashire, the still have some very long terraced streets. Weekly

in collections would be perfect. Wouldn't this be offensive? Not if

you balance it. In rural areas it could before rightly. On terraced

streets you have a problem with the number of different bins. By the

time you get to third collection, then, perhaps, many councils will

look back at this money and say that perhaps they need weekly

collections for food waste. Avon, what do you think? I think spending

a quarter of a million pounds on bin collections when local

authorities are having problems cutting home care and essential

services like Sure Start and libraries, real localism would mean

giving this money to councils and providing services that councils

actually want to provide and that residents actually need. This could

be best-paid breaks for carers looking after disabled people.

Pickles says that councils not taking up this money are out of

touch with opinion. He says it is a class divide. If you have a large

garden you can store the rubbish for weeks, but if you have a

bungalow or terraced garden then you cannot. In my constituency we

have buildings for bags inside the Downs were you can recycle. Batty

school recently, a boy told me that he likes sought the rubbish out

because it taught him which bits of packaging goes where. He said he

knew that there was too much packaging on items because he had

to recycle for his family. This is a vote winner. Isn't that why Eric

Pickles is doing this? He is saying that, or the Tate councils to do

not take this money. This is something we promised in the

General Election. The previous Government compelled councils to

abandon weekly bin collections. Remember there was the top of chips

in dense to measure so you could be fined so much? We have scraps that

and what Eric is giving is a choice to councils, to sue what this?

is giving a bit of a sex though his and he? He is saying, will betide

the councils who do not take this money. -- he is a giving a little

bit of any accept the old. It will be up to the councils to decide.

Different parties will make decisions as to what to put into

the local manifestos about bin collections. I would like to see

more variety within councils and not just want system for all

councils. I would like to scotch this notion that the fines we used

to find people for media been led to centimetres high, speaking to

waste what today, what the fines have been used for are for people

who leave their rubbish, the bin bags scattered around and block

pavements so that people who are in wheelchairs or with pushchairs

cannot get through. Councils can no longer take action against those

people. Let's get a round-up of the week's

A multi-billion pound plan to transform the Liverpool waterfront

has been approved by councillors. Liverpool waters could create up to

20,000 new jobs. Opponents are worried about the city's famous

architecture. The reader of Salford council John Merry has lost his bet

to become the city's first elected mayor. Labour have selected the

former Pickles MP Ian Stewart to be a candidate.

People living in Greater Manchester will soon be able to ask police if

their partners are violent. It follows the case of Clare Wood from

Salford, who was murdered by her former boyfriend. Some charities

have criticised the move, but campaigners are pleased. I am not

saying that every person will choose to enter a relationship, but

that it will be a magic bullet for domestic violence. We need other

things in place. But it is a simple measure that will give people the

right to know and then to make decisions. Two police stations on

the Isle of Man are being forced to close. The police must make savings

A few weeks ago we had the Labour bitter Ed Miliband here in the

studio. This week, his brother, David, is visiting Manchester. He

is touring universities giving his thoughts on politics and perhaps

reminding that Labour members that he is still around. At last has met

him and asked him why Labour have stayed popular.

A fundamental reason is that the party in Manchester, to take that

as an example, has looked outwards instead of inwards. We were swept

away in the south of England were many people thought we were not in

tune with their aspirations. In the Manchester party be engaged with

the community at they were able to persuade people that they could

represent their interests. We are in Manchester today and we had

decent results. Obviously, there is a bit sudden problem for Labour.

But what does Labour stand for mayor? Other than opposing spending

cuts. Labour stands for protecting people from risks beyond their

control. It is at the heart of our economic policy. We stand for

giving people more power over daylight, which he would do through

public services and investment reform. But we are a party that

also stands for a strong and cohesive community. If you look at

the big public sector reforms, I remember when you wear in

Government you push for a reform of the NHS and schools. Now when that

is proposed by the Government you up was it. There is a big

difference. The current Government are devolving the Health Service

instead of reforming it. The choice is not whether you reform or not,

that is what the Tories are saying, it is nonsense. It is good reform

or bad reform. We have an absolute car crash of NHS reform.

students sat next to me today said that David Miliband is very good,

he reminds me of Tony Blair. I am not sure that all the reviewers

will be that as a complement, but I am happy to take it as a complement.

I am joined in the studio by Professor Andrew Russell from

Manchester University. You were there as well, do you think he is

happy about the comparison with Tony Blair? The reception he got

was phenomenal. It was more like Kennedy to be honest. It was

Kennedy to be honest. It was rapturous. He was playing to a home

turf audience. I think that lots of people were there from the student

Labour conference. But he definitely told a story about

Labour needing to reach out beyond its heartland. That went down very

well. He was saying that Labour has done better in this region than

perhaps in other areas. But he seemed less sure or why. One of the

reasons why that may be the case is that what we have had, particularly

in certain cities in the north-west, is a special two-party system where

many of the cities where the Conservatives lost ground in the

1990s and early part of the 21st century, and therefore the battle

has been with the Lib Dems and Labour. That has been a comfortable

victory for them. The real test is outside of this area. The real test

is how they can persuade people who are not natural Labour supporters

to come and vote. It is interesting seeing him, there has been lot of

talk about him. Did he come across as a better potential leader and

his brother? Perhaps Ed Miliband will come and talk to us and we can

make them direct comparisons. We are open to talk to all of the

party leaders on that basis. It was very clear that he was comfortable

a the spotlight. He was asked very awkward questions that was not just

giving the answers people wanted to hear. He stuck to a particular line.

Do you think, Yvonne Fovargue, you have picked the wrong future

leader? Know, I do not. It has made a great start as leader. He is

uniting the party behind him. We must move forward and take control

of the next Parliament. Eric, very briefly, who d'you think David

Cameron would be more friend of? was Blair Brown with Labour, and

now we have Miller Band and Miller Band. It unless -- and now we have

Ed Miliband and David Miliband. They must admit that they got us