:01:16. > :01:19.In the North West: Waste not, want not. The local
:01:19. > :01:29.producers doing their bit to combat food poverty, but should the
:01:29. > :01:29.
:01:29. > :37:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2136 seconds
:37:05. > :37:09.I'm Arif Ansari. Coming up in the North West:
:37:09. > :37:18.Waste not, want not. The local producers doing their bit to combat
:37:18. > :37:22.the growing problem of food poverty. The box has been damaged but the
:37:22. > :37:26.bag inside is still sealed on the food is imperfect condition but the
:37:26. > :37:29.supermarket will not take it, and that is the sort of thing we will
:37:30. > :37:33.donated Fare Share. We'll be asking why people are
:37:33. > :37:36.still going hungry in modern Britain. To discuss that and the
:37:36. > :37:39.rest of the week's news, Luciana Berger, the Labour MP for Liverpool
:37:39. > :37:49.Wavertree, and Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat Euro MP for the
:37:49. > :37:49.
:37:49. > :37:55.North West. So this stuff about food poverty, you have been looking
:37:55. > :37:59.into it? Yes, it is a growing problem and the number of food
:37:59. > :38:05.banks is growing so I decided to make a film about it. And you are
:38:05. > :38:10.campaigning, Chris, about fishing policy at the moment? Yes, we want
:38:10. > :38:13.to stop discards and land all fish. But what you do with fish that
:38:13. > :38:19.people do not want? It is perfectly edible but people tend to go for
:38:19. > :38:24.the usual things, haddock and so on. So we are not landing perfectly
:38:24. > :38:28.good food and it ends up as cat food. OK. Thank you.
:38:28. > :38:31.There aren't many political heroes. And now there's one fewer. This
:38:31. > :38:36.week, the Crown Prosecution Service admitted Cyril Smith should have
:38:37. > :38:39.been prosecuted for abusing young boys. He was the Liberal MP for
:38:39. > :38:42.Rochdale and one of the most colourful politicians of the '70s
:38:43. > :38:47.and '80s. One of his victims is calling for a public inquiry, as
:38:47. > :38:50.Stuart Pollit reports. Instantly recognisable around the
:38:50. > :38:59.region, returned to Parliament by voters in Rochdale six times in 20
:38:59. > :39:05.years. Sir Cyril Smith was the most powerful politician in the town.
:39:05. > :39:15.can testify to how powerful he was because he kept -- picked and 11-
:39:15. > :39:16.
:39:16. > :39:19.year-old trialled off the floor -- 11-year-old trialled off the floor
:39:20. > :39:23.and put his head against the wall. That 11-year-old boy is now
:39:23. > :39:28.Rossendale Councillor Alan Neal. In the 1960s he says he was physically
:39:28. > :39:34.abused by Cyril Smith at Cambridge House. I had to go to us but will
:39:34. > :39:40.and have stitches in my head. All of this is on file because in 1964,
:39:40. > :39:45.65, 68, I made complaints to both the police and also social services.
:39:45. > :39:47.45 years after Alan first complained, the truth has emerged.
:39:47. > :39:52.Earlier this month, current Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk told the
:39:53. > :39:55.Commons that Sir Cyril should be investigated. On Tuesday, Greater
:39:55. > :39:58.Manchester Police said they believed Smith had abused boys. The
:39:58. > :40:06.CPS admitted he should have been charged but on three occasions the
:40:06. > :40:10.organisation and its predecessors decided not to prosecute. For
:40:10. > :40:12.almost half-a-century, he was the pre-eminent political figure here
:40:12. > :40:16.in Rochdale butter over the last few weeks, many of those who voted
:40:16. > :40:24.for him have been forced to reassess their opinion of Sir Cyril
:40:24. > :40:27.Smith. -- but over the last few weeks. The council says they may be
:40:27. > :40:33.neutral pact but it is hard to see how the pack or his reputation can
:40:33. > :40:43.ever be restored. I think people will be very sad and upset and
:40:43. > :40:45.
:40:45. > :40:50.mystified. I sometimes think, how did I know years ago? But tidied.
:40:50. > :40:54.What impact will these allegations have on the Lib Dems in the town
:40:54. > :40:59.and on the region? Unfortunately, nobody from the party at any level
:40:59. > :41:01.was available to talk to us when we asked. Instead, the party sent us a
:41:01. > :41:04.statement saying it doesn't endorse anybody involved in incidents such
:41:04. > :41:07.as these and vowing to co-operate fully with any investigations which
:41:07. > :41:10.are being carried out. The statement adds that the Liberal
:41:10. > :41:18.Democrat Party wasn't aware of any allegations being made or any
:41:18. > :41:23.police investigations taking place. The victims, of which there are
:41:23. > :41:28.many, they need justice. You would like to see something like a public
:41:28. > :41:32.inquiry? Most definitely, because it is the only way forward. It is
:41:32. > :41:37.no good everybody saying, this is terrible but we can't do anything
:41:37. > :41:42.about it. We can. And we're also joined now by the
:41:42. > :41:46.current Rochdale MP, Simon Danczuk. Welcome to the programme. You heard
:41:46. > :41:51.Alan Neal saying he would like a public inquiry. What sort of
:41:51. > :41:55.inquiry, if any, do you want? good news is victims are getting
:41:55. > :42:01.some comfort from the fact that the CPS and police have come out and
:42:01. > :42:05.quite clearly said that Sir Cyril Smith was a serious sexual abuse of
:42:05. > :42:10.children. And the reason it is good news is that it gives the victims
:42:10. > :42:14.of his crimes some comfort and satisfaction. They can begin the
:42:14. > :42:19.process to get closure. So that is the first thing. The second element
:42:19. > :42:26.is why there was a cover-up. There is no doubt about it - the CPS
:42:26. > :42:32.could have prosecuted and pushed for prosecution in the 70s, 80s and
:42:32. > :42:36.90s. Sorry to interrupt but does that mean there was necessarily a
:42:37. > :42:39.cover-up or was it a mistake or bad judgment? That is a possibility but
:42:39. > :42:44.you think we need to get to the bottom of it because what is
:42:44. > :42:49.happening is that more victims have come forward over the last week was
:42:49. > :42:56.so. No doubt about that. I have spoken to many of them. And some of
:42:56. > :43:03.the abuse they received at his hands is horrifying. It really has
:43:03. > :43:07.had a terrible effect on their lives. I think more will come out
:43:07. > :43:12.as time goes on. I don't think there is any doubt about that. But
:43:12. > :43:15.also, former police officers have been coming to me as well, not just
:43:15. > :43:20.from Lancashire police or Greater Manchester but also from the
:43:20. > :43:25.Metropolitan Police, so I think his abuse was clearly... It could have
:43:25. > :43:29.been stopped in the 1960s a or 70s when the CPS had the opportunity
:43:29. > :43:32.and he probably felt emboldened because he was called in
:43:32. > :43:39.unquestioned but because he got away with it he probably felt
:43:39. > :43:43.emboldened to carry on with it. We need to know why action was not
:43:43. > :43:48.taken back then with witnesses coming forward. He was a friend of
:43:48. > :43:54.yours, wasn't he? How do you feel about this? I think your programme
:43:54. > :43:59.introduced it very well. A fallen hero. Do you feel as if you have
:43:59. > :44:03.been somewhat cheated by it? think people do feel that. They saw
:44:03. > :44:09.him as a champion of the underdog for the people of Rochdale who
:44:09. > :44:14.spoke words of common sense and who brought a spark to people's lives.
:44:14. > :44:22.It was always fun when he visited a town. And yet these allegations
:44:22. > :44:24.just a... I think as Simon has said, evidence of violation of
:44:24. > :44:28.individuals just means his reputation can never be the same
:44:28. > :44:33.again. We have to be clear what this abuse is and I have only just
:44:33. > :44:37.read the report that came out in 1979 within the last couple of days.
:44:37. > :44:41.What it seems to be his it is corporal punishment and Moller
:44:41. > :44:49.station. It is not rate as far as I know but maybe Simon knows
:44:49. > :44:56.differently. Maybe he is alleging rape took place. Well, indecent
:44:56. > :44:58.assault is what he would have been prosecuted with backing the 60s at
:44:59. > :45:04.Kenwood House and with the witnesses that have come forward,
:45:04. > :45:11.rape would have been included in the allegations. -- at Cambridge
:45:11. > :45:15.House. So you think it did include that? Yes. He went to a special
:45:15. > :45:22.school in the local Rochdale authority area and that is where it
:45:22. > :45:26.is alleged and has been covered in the media quite widely that he
:45:26. > :45:32.raped children. There have certainly been allegations swirling
:45:32. > :45:37.about Cyril Smith for many years. Did the Lib Dems or the Liberal
:45:37. > :45:41.Party do enough to investigate? I am sure we didn't, but then
:45:41. > :45:45.neither did the Labour Party when Cyril Smith was a Labour councillor.
:45:45. > :45:50.And these allegations do refer to that period as well. When matters
:45:50. > :45:54.of this kind, this seriousness come up, it is not political parties
:45:54. > :46:01.which investigate, it is the police. Of course it is the police. We all
:46:01. > :46:05.rely on that, whatever party we are a number of. There is no doubt
:46:05. > :46:09.about it that Lord David Steele knew about the allegations in 1979
:46:09. > :46:12.because they are we in the public arena in the Rochdale alternative
:46:12. > :46:16.press, and you wonder why he did not instigate some sort of
:46:16. > :46:20.investigation and push for that at the time. I think rolling forward
:46:20. > :46:25.to where we are now, I would have thought the Liberal Democrats would
:46:25. > :46:31.have wanted to investigate both locally in Rochdale and nationally,
:46:31. > :46:36.to see what went wrong in terms of their system. Again, I have to say
:46:36. > :46:40.to Simon it is something that started 50 years ago, as it seems.
:46:40. > :46:45.I would like him to put forward the names of Labour figures we would
:46:45. > :46:49.also want to talk to. Many of the people involved have come and gone
:46:49. > :46:55.and are not involved any more. It has to be the police, the CPS.
:46:55. > :46:59.are doing that. Luciana, at the moment, this is part of a wider
:46:59. > :47:03.picture of child abuse. Have the attitudes changed, do you think?
:47:03. > :47:07.just look at video and I feel sickened by it. We have a
:47:07. > :47:11.discussion about what kind of abuse and first and foremost we need to
:47:11. > :47:15.think about the victims. Whatever level it has been, it is the
:47:15. > :47:18.victims we need to think about and it makes me feel sick. It is
:47:18. > :47:22.another story in the press and we need to make sure we do everything
:47:22. > :47:26.to right the wrongs of the past and think first of almost that the
:47:26. > :47:30.victims to encourage them to come forward. Alan has been very brave
:47:30. > :47:34.about what he has said on film. Thank you so much.
:47:34. > :47:38.It's a problem you'd have thought we might have solved by now, but it
:47:38. > :47:41.seems the number of people going hungry in the North West is growing.
:47:41. > :47:44.According to recent research, in the past year one in ten of us has
:47:44. > :47:47.struggled to afford food. The numbers heading to Liverpool's food
:47:47. > :47:50.banks has doubled in the last six months alone. And the Salvation
:47:50. > :47:54.Army has received 1,300 referrals for Christmas food parcels just on
:47:54. > :47:57.the Isle of Man. So what's the solution? According to one charity
:47:57. > :47:59.working here in the region, it's to redistribute the thousands of tons
:47:59. > :48:07.of perfectly good food manufacturers dump every year. Dave
:48:07. > :48:12.Guest's been to find out how it works.
:48:12. > :48:16.This centre in Manchester feeds the desperate and the destitute. Sister
:48:17. > :48:20.Lucy is among those who keeps it going. She is outraged that while
:48:20. > :48:26.some are now society struggle to get enough to read, good food often
:48:26. > :48:34.goes to waste. I think it's just disgraceful. When I go to the
:48:34. > :48:37.grocery shop where I shop, I think, they throw away enough to feed the
:48:37. > :48:42.street every evening. I suspect many of us are guilty of throwing
:48:42. > :48:50.food away from time to time and here in Salford this is where the
:48:50. > :48:55.content of household bins ended up. But each year, food manufacturers
:48:55. > :48:59.send millions of tons of surplus food to landfill. The charity Fare
:48:59. > :49:05.Share aims to tackle such waste. It takes in surplus food from
:49:05. > :49:14.manufacturers... And passes it on to organisations you can get it to
:49:14. > :49:20.those in need. We have got juice that has come in, we have two Hall
:49:20. > :49:24.boxes from Kellogg's later today, so we have got a big turnaround.
:49:24. > :49:30.fact, this man has just arrived with a delivery from a major bakery
:49:30. > :49:34.chain. Products find their way onto shelves here through a variety of
:49:34. > :49:38.routes. Take, for example, these high-energy drinks. They were
:49:38. > :49:42.purchased for the Olympic athletes at the London Games and when the
:49:42. > :49:45.Games were over, thousands of these were left, so they were sent to
:49:45. > :49:51.Fare Share and of being distributed across the country. The goods do
:49:51. > :49:56.not stay in the warehouse for long. I joined the team on a delivery run.
:49:56. > :50:05.Is it surprising there is such a need for a service like this?
:50:05. > :50:10.in this day and age, poverty and so on... It shouldn't be happening.
:50:10. > :50:14.First stop, a Community Church, where the volunteers were making up
:50:14. > :50:19.food parcels for local people in need. What sort of people are they?
:50:19. > :50:24.Mainly local people - families, single people, people in work but
:50:24. > :50:27.may be doing part-time work and have not had any work that week.
:50:27. > :50:33.Fare Share charges a nominal fee for each delivery to cover its
:50:33. > :50:37.running costs. But the run is not just about dropping of supplies. It
:50:37. > :50:44.is about picking them up, too. Kellogg's is one of their biggest
:50:45. > :50:47.supporters. This one, the box has been damaged. The bag insiders
:50:47. > :50:52.still sealed and the food is in perfect condition but the
:50:52. > :50:57.supermarket will not take it. -- the bag inside his in perfect
:50:57. > :51:01.condition. It has a year's life on it and that is the sort of thing we
:51:01. > :51:05.would send to people. Back at the centre, lunch is being prepared.
:51:05. > :51:11.Sister Lucy has Harrow an idea for dealing with firms who dump rather
:51:11. > :51:15.than give away surplus stocks. -- has her own idea. I think they
:51:15. > :51:23.should be fined for this. Kellogg's are not sure a big stick with be
:51:23. > :51:28.the answer. We want to convert them into something better. I think it
:51:28. > :51:31.is an embarrassment factor. Nobody likes to admit they have made
:51:31. > :51:36.mistakes or created waste. And I think they do not like to admit
:51:36. > :51:44.they have waste. And I think for us, we have overcome that. And that
:51:44. > :51:50.Fare Share they have their own ideas. In France, there are
:51:50. > :51:56.incentives, so food companies will donate surplus and receive a tax
:51:56. > :52:00.break. 60% of the value of the stock can be deducted from the tax
:52:00. > :52:05.bill. So if you had a system like this here, I am sure we would see
:52:05. > :52:09.more food. Meanwhile, enlightened companies will continue to support
:52:09. > :52:15.Fare Share as the charity tries to persuade others to join them.
:52:15. > :52:19.And Lucy Danger from Fare Share joins us. In terms of this problem,
:52:19. > :52:24.how much is it getting worse? have had a lot more individuals
:52:24. > :52:30.phoning us, literally begging us for food, and we do not deal
:52:31. > :52:33.directly with individuals and families. In terms of beneficiary
:52:33. > :52:43.organisations approaching us, we have a big stack of applicants
:52:43. > :52:47.waiting to be processed at the moment, so, yes, it is happening.
:52:47. > :52:53.And for different reasons? Yes, we support breakfast clubs, charities
:52:53. > :52:55.that work with people with drug and alcohol problems, a whole range of
:52:55. > :52:59.different beneficiary organisations working with people to try to
:52:59. > :53:04.address the root causes of their problems. What would you like to
:53:04. > :53:10.see done about it? For one of the key things we need is more food
:53:10. > :53:13.coming through, so as you can imagine, we get lots of things and
:53:13. > :53:20.surpluses for lots of different reasons. As you have heard, it can
:53:20. > :53:24.be damaged stock, a whole host of reasons why we get the food. But we
:53:24. > :53:30.do not have a whole variety, particularly fresh vegetables and
:53:30. > :53:35.fruit, meat, what makes for a healthy diet. How do you reform
:53:35. > :53:40.things to be able to make the kind of changes Lucy is looking for?
:53:40. > :53:47.think it is a really sad indictment that in the 21st organ at -- 21st
:53:47. > :53:52.century we have organisations like this. Food vans across the country,
:53:52. > :53:58.-- food banks. We should be doing everything to deal with waste in a
:53:58. > :54:01.system. That is a separate issue. But we know at least 110,000 people
:54:01. > :54:06.across the country have access to emergency food aid in the last six
:54:06. > :54:09.months and I think that is shocking. I want the Government to think very
:54:09. > :54:12.hard about why this is happening. And, Luciana, you've recently made
:54:12. > :54:22.your own film on the subject of food poverty. Here's a quick
:54:22. > :54:38.
:54:38. > :54:44.Only one or two pay packets a week away from having no money. Nobody
:54:44. > :54:47.in this country should be relying on donations to food banks. So what
:54:47. > :54:51.obviously meant a lot to you if you wanted to make that film. Did you
:54:51. > :54:57.come to any... Was a different from what you expected as a result of
:54:57. > :55:01.making it? -- was at different? knew it was a challenge and a
:55:01. > :55:04.problem because I had constituents at my advice surgery who are
:55:04. > :55:09.struggling to get by and hearing the stories from people and food
:55:09. > :55:16.vans, not just in Liverpool where by live but across the country, too.
:55:16. > :55:20.-- food banks. But it is not a recent problem. But if you look at
:55:20. > :55:24.how many people are going to have to use a food banks by 2015, the
:55:24. > :55:28.figures are frightening. Half a million people in this country. And
:55:28. > :55:31.we have a cost-of-living crisis which is going to go up, and you
:55:31. > :55:35.add to that the challenge that the biggest reason people tick the box
:55:35. > :55:40.when they have their food bound ship -- food vouchers is because of
:55:40. > :55:45.delays in receiving their benefit payments, up to eight weeks, so if
:55:45. > :55:49.people have no money, they cannot afford it eat. Chris, what would
:55:49. > :55:52.you do about it? Looking at this in the global context, I think Lucy
:55:52. > :55:57.and her organisation is doing a great job because we have an
:55:57. > :56:02.enormous problem of not just through poverty, but food waste. In
:56:02. > :56:10.our own homes, we waste food re ridiculous degree even with the
:56:10. > :56:15.population exploding as it is. A huge problem of good food, which is
:56:15. > :56:20.not being used at a time when we need it. But it is getting worse
:56:20. > :56:26.under this Government? Ida City today that Germany, probably the
:56:26. > :56:29.richest country in Europe, one in six would be regarded in poverty.
:56:29. > :56:33.So there are distribution problems and income distribution problems in
:56:33. > :56:38.every country. But it doesn't make it any better for this country?
:56:38. > :56:42.is not simply helping people who need help, but also environmentally
:56:42. > :56:47.providing a means of reducing the problem of food waste. Or I feel
:56:47. > :56:53.comfortable with the fat beagle needed? No, not at all. -- do I
:56:53. > :56:59.feel comfortable with the fact that people need it? And what about the
:56:59. > :57:03.push to make those reforms you feel are needed? The Common Fisheries
:57:03. > :57:10.Policy is one that is really needed. We need to make sure that fish
:57:10. > :57:13.stocks can be rebuilt, especially in our waters. And also changing
:57:14. > :57:17.fishermen who take a short-term view for next season and not
:57:17. > :57:23.thinking five years hence, we have to rebuild their fish stocks and
:57:23. > :57:30.give them and everybody has a better future. And briefly, Lucy,
:57:30. > :57:36.Todd extent you think up -- big business and organisations are
:57:36. > :57:42.moving to a better attitude? have to make it the norm that the
:57:42. > :57:46.food industry diverts surplus and in date food to organisations like
:57:46. > :57:51.Fare Share and hopefully we are moving towards the note -- Better
:57:51. > :57:55.direction. Maybe we need a manifesto or a pledge that the
:57:55. > :58:02.industry can sign up to. Not just financial incentives, but others as
:58:02. > :58:06.well. For and you for coming in. -- thank you.
:58:06. > :58:10.Time for a round-up of the the rest of the week's news now, with Euan
:58:10. > :58:15.Doak in 60 seconds. Almost an acrid years after these
:58:15. > :58:19.protests, Manchester City Council has announced further job cuts. --
:58:19. > :58:23.almost eight years. Lancashire is defending it supplied of Hal fowl
:58:23. > :58:27.for school dinners. Becomes after the Lancashire councillor of
:58:27. > :58:31.mosques says they are happy with how they are prepared. Bus drivers
:58:31. > :58:35.on the Isle of Man are being balloted on strike action about
:58:35. > :58:41.their lunch hour. They could lose �3,000 a year. Pulling a pint -
:58:41. > :58:50.these shire waltzes were on hand to look -- to deliver local ale. If --
:58:51. > :58:53.shire waltzes. -- shire or horses. And life in the digital fast-lane.
:58:54. > :58:56.Homeowners in rural Lancashire have finally been linked up to the World
:58:57. > :59:06.Wide Web. The first households in seven parishes across the Trough of
:59:07. > :59:12.
:59:12. > :59:17.Bowland are online after laying So, several more hundred job cuts
:59:17. > :59:21.being talked about at Manchester council. Things are as bad as ever,
:59:21. > :59:26.as far as you're concerned? really worry about what is going to
:59:26. > :59:33.happen. The councils are doing the Government's getting work,
:59:33. > :59:38.essentially, with the deep cuts. It is very worrying for the people of
:59:38. > :59:42.Manchester and Liverpool. necessary from your point of view?
:59:42. > :59:46.The Government has inherited debts that are still growing. We are
:59:46. > :59:52.paying enormous sums of interest just to pay the bills. We are