:01:28. > :01:32.Hand in the north-west, picking up the pieces. The counsel cuts that
:01:32. > :01:42.mean we could all be doing much more of this. How much did you
:01:42. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :37:30.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2147 seconds
:37:30. > :37:34.Coming up in the north-west. Picking up the pieces. Counsel cuts
:37:34. > :37:38.that mean we could all be doing much more of this. Maybe it should
:37:38. > :37:41.be fifty-fifty, there is a role for volunteers but there is also a
:37:41. > :37:45.responsibility for the local council.
:37:45. > :37:50.And to discuss that and all the other subject, we are joined by 20
:37:50. > :37:53.Lloyds the former Labour MP for Manchester Central and now Greater
:37:53. > :38:02.Manchester Police Commissioner and Mark Hunter the Liberal Democrat MP
:38:02. > :38:04.for Cheadle. -- Tony Lloyd. Tony, Didier this week we have had
:38:04. > :38:09.announcements on jobs particularly for BAE Systems at four Airbus,
:38:09. > :38:14.does it look like we're turning the corner in terms of the jobs market
:38:14. > :38:18.came at I hope so. The reality is that the economic model for the
:38:18. > :38:23.future still does not look good. The Chancellor is on the wrong
:38:23. > :38:31.track. We must recognise that because if we want to see doormat
:38:31. > :38:34.even if jobs are being created? I want to see jobs created, but if we
:38:34. > :38:38.want to get rid of long-term unemployment and that has gone up
:38:38. > :38:43.over the last few years, we must see that come down.
:38:43. > :38:47.Not only has the senses are shown that, Mark, but it has shown there
:38:47. > :38:53.is a serious lack of altercations among some people. In some parts of
:38:53. > :38:57.the region, yes, it is not true in parts of the world that I represent.
:38:57. > :39:01.20 is being a charitable, the latest figures put the biggest
:39:01. > :39:05.quarterly fall that we have seen in over a decade. I would certainly
:39:05. > :39:09.hesitate to say that be have turned the corner, but there are signs to
:39:09. > :39:13.say that things are improving in the economy, we have cut the
:39:13. > :39:17.deficit by 25% and unemployment is down, inflation is moving in that
:39:17. > :39:22.direction. It has been called the -- for gas,
:39:22. > :39:28.but it has been moving pretty slowly after an 18 month pause, the
:39:28. > :39:35.Energy Secretary STV all -- said that shale gas kicks oration or
:39:35. > :39:40.fracking can resume in Lancashire. -- shale gas exploration.
:39:40. > :39:44.The gas company Cuadrilla said that it could supply one-quarter of the
:39:44. > :39:50.UK's gas needs from one Kisha's untapped resources, creating almost
:39:50. > :39:53.2,000 jobs locally. It has test site in various areas in the county.
:39:53. > :40:00.How does it work? A whole is drilled thousands of metres below
:40:00. > :40:04.the surface. Tiny explosions then shatter the rock and water and sand
:40:04. > :40:08.and chemicals are injected into the rock to keep the cracks open,
:40:08. > :40:15.alarming shale gas to float. Last April there was a tremor measuring
:40:15. > :40:21.2.3 on the Richter scale and then a second end-May nesting 1.5.
:40:21. > :40:25.Fracking was suspended. The report found that fracking was the likely
:40:25. > :40:28.cause. Do we will hear from the Energy
:40:28. > :40:35.Secretary, but first there Lancashire political reporter
:40:35. > :40:38.assesses the reaction. A turning point for UK energy or
:40:38. > :40:43.arrest to the residents of Lancashire?
:40:43. > :40:46.Fracking has been on hold for 18 months after the reserve tremors.
:40:46. > :40:50.But after Ed Davey gave the go- ahead to continue their remains
:40:50. > :40:54.concerned that questions. A Health and Safety at community and not
:40:54. > :40:58.just for Lancashire but the whole country, has been put at stake --
:40:58. > :41:02.has been put at stake for a quick buck. I want to make sure that my
:41:02. > :41:06.residents and constituents have the opportunity to put forward
:41:06. > :41:10.questions and to get answers. Government's new safety measures
:41:10. > :41:15.include assessing geological faults and the rest of seismic activity,
:41:15. > :41:21.they plan to deal with those risks spread to introduce a traffic light
:41:21. > :41:23.warning system. Cuadrilla say there will not be a repeat of last year's
:41:23. > :41:28.feelings to a that the coverage's board about the tremors. We have
:41:28. > :41:34.done a lot of beating up with the doublet and having conversations
:41:34. > :41:40.with them and a listing to their concerns. -- a lot of meeting up
:41:40. > :41:43.with the public. We are being as open and transparent as we can.
:41:43. > :41:49.There are those who believe that fracking will bring long-term
:41:49. > :41:52.benefits to the region's workforce. It is an important opportunity to
:41:52. > :41:55.develop engineering knowledge and expertise that will potentially
:41:55. > :41:59.form the basis of an industry for the north-west in the future.
:41:59. > :42:04.Cuadrilla will now have to reapply for permission from the local
:42:04. > :42:07.County Council to resume drilling. The council say they want to see an
:42:07. > :42:11.environmental assessment before this is approved.
:42:11. > :42:15.I ask the Energy Secretary how worried he had been by last year's
:42:15. > :42:19.earth tremors. We have real concerns and we shared
:42:19. > :42:24.these concerns with local people and that is why it be spent such a
:42:24. > :42:29.long time getting the Independent reports had expert advice, and
:42:29. > :42:33.looking at the evidence. We have at evidence from a range of people
:42:33. > :42:39.from the loss society and Academy of Engineering and we have opened
:42:39. > :42:43.up a consultation. We want to make sure we can reassure people that we
:42:43. > :42:47.will detect seismic activity even at a very low level and stop
:42:47. > :42:51.fracking should that occur. Some of this is not about whether
:42:51. > :42:55.there is seismic activity or whether it is detected, it is
:42:55. > :43:01.whether it is reported. Cuadrilla the about it at their staff did not
:43:01. > :43:05.report it up the chain. We have concerns about what
:43:05. > :43:09.happened and that Cuadrilla's team on the ground did not report this
:43:09. > :43:15.to the board. We have demanded improvements in the governance
:43:15. > :43:20.within the company. We have seen significant changes, and they will
:43:20. > :43:23.now be independently audited. Cuadrilla will see this report and
:43:23. > :43:29.we can see if they had made the changes necessary.
:43:29. > :43:36.When would you expect fracking exploration to restart in
:43:36. > :43:41.Lancashire? There is time yet, our decision enables Uzbekistan to go
:43:41. > :43:45.back to the local County Council and to renew its planning
:43:45. > :43:52.permission. -- will enable Cuadrilla to go back to the local
:43:52. > :43:56.County Council. I believe that most people assume that we will see some
:43:56. > :43:59.fracking started up in the middle of next year, perhaps later.
:43:59. > :44:04.But we could see quite a rapid increase in the number of the site
:44:04. > :44:08.being tested? That is likely in the near future, I think that some
:44:08. > :44:11.people, the commentators, get carried away. Saying that there
:44:11. > :44:20.will be a huge amount of drilling in Lancashire. The development will
:44:20. > :44:27.be a lot slower than that. We're in the exploratory stage. The critical
:44:27. > :44:30.thing for me is to ensure that any drilling will, in a few years' time,
:44:30. > :44:34.or repealed possibly commercial production and be safe and the
:44:34. > :44:38.public can be assured. It also that any environmental issues can be
:44:38. > :44:43.dealt with. We must make sure that we have a tough regime and that is
:44:43. > :44:46.what we will do. Mark, quite a lot to people in
:44:46. > :44:50.Lancashire who could be affected by this are quite disappointed by the
:44:50. > :44:54.decision that has been made. think it is the right decision. He
:44:54. > :44:58.has looked at the scientific evidence. There is no doubt there
:44:58. > :45:03.are considerable suppliers of gas down there and we are a country
:45:03. > :45:06.that is heavily dependent on gas imports. One of the things this
:45:06. > :45:10.will do will help create jobs in the local area but importantly will
:45:10. > :45:15.reduce our reliance on importing energy from other countries. That
:45:15. > :45:19.will be a good thing. S Davies's approach is cautious. Let's make
:45:19. > :45:22.sure that all the checks and balances are in place. Tony, should
:45:23. > :45:28.be moved more quickly if there is the potential for a lot of new
:45:28. > :45:34.jobs? We obviously want the jobs but I very much agree with mark on
:45:34. > :45:38.this issue. We must take into account the possible environmental
:45:38. > :45:43.consequences, it is quite right that this goes back to the County
:45:43. > :45:49.Council. But this must be based on the evidence available. The
:45:49. > :45:53.scientific evidence has been examined. That must be...
:45:53. > :45:57.Why must we keep going backwards and forwards for various
:45:57. > :46:00.permissions? Someone must make a decision. Politicians must do that
:46:00. > :46:05.because they are elected by the public to safeguard the public
:46:05. > :46:09.interest. Experts are being asked to provide expert advice that
:46:09. > :46:12.politicians must weigh this in the balance. The cost and benefits and
:46:12. > :46:17.come to a conclusion that takes into account the needs of the
:46:17. > :46:23.minority as well as the majority. It cannot just be driven by those
:46:23. > :46:26.who have a vested interest or those who are experts in the field.
:46:26. > :46:31.There are people who have been saying that this could lead to a
:46:31. > :46:34.big fall in the gas price but that is not true, is it? There is every
:46:34. > :46:38.possibility that in the future it could help stabilise energy prices,
:46:38. > :46:44.if we discover new forms of energy within our own country that must be
:46:44. > :46:48.a help because as we said before we are importing so much at the moment.
:46:48. > :46:51.But the European gas market, this would only make a time all
:46:51. > :46:56.proportion of the European gas market so it will not have a big
:46:56. > :47:00.impact on British prices. These are small steps in a relatively new
:47:00. > :47:05.industry in the UK. That is why the approach that the Secretary of
:47:05. > :47:08.State has outlined is the right one. Move slowly, be cautious and
:47:08. > :47:14.providers much reassurance as we can. If there are issues then of
:47:14. > :47:18.course we can stop and look at it again. Eric Ollerenshaw has
:47:18. > :47:22.questioned the Government's strategy for Energy one thing if
:47:22. > :47:25.they know precisely what we're doing rather than just going for a
:47:25. > :47:28.piecemeal decisions here and one there. I would say that the
:47:28. > :47:32.Government does know what it is doing. Clearly there is not any
:47:32. > :47:37.sense in developing a strategy was to become increasingly dependent on
:47:37. > :47:41.external energy suppliers. That is the case in many others European
:47:41. > :47:45.countries who are importing huge quantities of energy from places
:47:45. > :47:50.like Russia. We do not want to be in that club. We need to be moored
:47:50. > :47:54.here, that is where renewables are so important. That is why this is
:47:54. > :47:58.another area that has great potential but it must be looked at
:47:58. > :48:02.with caution and we must make sure that everything is right. Tony, in
:48:02. > :48:06.tears of caution, what about the environmental Harkin at about the
:48:07. > :48:11.fact that lots of methane is going to be produced, which is a very bad
:48:11. > :48:15.gas when it comes to climate change? That is true but if you
:48:15. > :48:20.look at the range of alternatives in energy, we must have a security
:48:20. > :48:27.future. We must make sure that the fires are lit in winter for all of
:48:27. > :48:32.us. So that energy security his prime. The capacity to have one
:48:32. > :48:36.quarter of a gas meter sorted out by this one process is enormous. If
:48:36. > :48:40.it comes to fruition. We do not know if it will. Prices ought to
:48:40. > :48:44.come down at least a little bit. Partly because of the amount of
:48:44. > :48:47.fracking taking place in the United States. This is at good-news story
:48:47. > :48:51.but the environmental consequences must be examined properly.
:48:51. > :48:54.thing that will definitely be happening is the Government telling
:48:54. > :48:59.her councils how much more they need to save in the latest round of
:48:59. > :49:07.spending cuts. Some services will disappear but councils are also
:49:07. > :49:12.looking to us, the public, to keep other services running.
:49:12. > :49:16.From seaside to sports centres, an army of volunteers are helping to
:49:16. > :49:19.keep services running across the north-west.
:49:19. > :49:24.This is at the Pelican Centre in Tillsley, ten months ago it was
:49:24. > :49:28.facing closure because of council spending cuts. The committee has
:49:28. > :49:31.stepped in and it is mostly run by The Help of volunteers. It is hard
:49:31. > :49:37.because everyone is trying to fight for the same funding or to reduce
:49:37. > :49:43.costs he then there, it is competitive. But we have had a good
:49:43. > :49:46.opening in the past ten months so so far we are doing very well. The
:49:46. > :49:49.great aspect of volunteers is that they choose to be here so it brings
:49:49. > :49:54.a different atmosphere. They want to be here and it is not money that
:49:54. > :50:01.is bringing them here. Money is an issue for Wigan council, this
:50:01. > :50:05.year's budget is �254 million, next year it must save �90 million.
:50:05. > :50:11.Services like his library have also had to turn to volunteer to keep it
:50:11. > :50:15.open. Most people think it is the older end that get the volunteers
:50:15. > :50:19.but in our case we have 16 year olds still at school coming in, we
:50:19. > :50:23.have a 75-year-old, myself I wanted to keep the library opened. What
:50:23. > :50:26.else was I do? Do it yourself. Out of austerity has come a sense
:50:26. > :50:31.of camaraderie, and perhaps important lessons for local
:50:31. > :50:34.councils. It has been pointed out to me by very spot here groups that
:50:34. > :50:37.they are running the services better than the councils. Was it
:50:37. > :50:42.the case that councils were not particularly good at running these
:50:42. > :50:46.services? Councils were good at running the services, what it was,
:50:46. > :50:50.I think you do learn from other people when you have been running
:50:50. > :50:54.services that we could do it better. The point we're trying to get all
:50:54. > :51:01.for now is that we want to deliver a service, we want to deliver it as
:51:01. > :51:07.well as it was before if not better. But with a limited budget.
:51:07. > :51:13.This beach is one of Wirral's most important aspects. -- assets. It is
:51:13. > :51:16.breathtaking with stunning views across the estuary. It is looked
:51:16. > :51:21.after by volunteers, but others in the borough are claimed by the
:51:21. > :51:26.council. The current budget is �264 million, next year this will be
:51:26. > :51:29.reduced by 49 million. This could see beach cleaning scrapped. This
:51:29. > :51:34.is just one beach in the borough, there are around 15 beaches
:51:34. > :51:37.altogether Shia in Wirral and if they were cut back there would be
:51:37. > :51:41.severe problems of litter. There is a role for volunteers but I also
:51:41. > :51:44.think there is a responsibility for the council.
:51:44. > :51:49.From whence they councils will be told how much they must save next
:51:49. > :51:53.year. The Government insists the voluntary sector will not be left
:51:53. > :51:57.to pick up the pieces. Voluntary groups have a lot to gain at the
:51:57. > :52:00.moment. With the changes we have made if they can look at what they
:52:00. > :52:03.can do, they can challenge councils to provide services. Councils
:52:03. > :52:06.themselves should be working with voluntary groups to ensure they get
:52:06. > :52:11.the best value for money. Over in Berwick, the councils could
:52:11. > :52:16.not afford to run this gymnasiums are parents stepped in. Bury
:52:16. > :52:19.Council has a current budget of �140 million. Next year they must
:52:19. > :52:22.save �10 million, which will mean the public managing more facilities
:52:22. > :52:26.like football pitches and allotments, why they will have to
:52:26. > :52:31.close. There will be services that will death it would be
:52:31. > :52:34.significantly reduced, some might stop altogether. We will hope to
:52:34. > :52:38.mitigate those as much as possible but this is a difficult situation.
:52:38. > :52:42.If the debt society is David Cameron's buzz word, for many of
:52:42. > :52:49.the volunteers giving up their time this is nothing new. In this
:52:49. > :52:54.climate it is becoming a vital part of keeping services going.
:52:54. > :53:01.We are joined from London by Alex Thomson the chief executive of the
:53:01. > :53:06.local Government think tank Localis. Will we see much more of what we
:53:06. > :53:12.saw their? Was more request for volunteers to get on with the job?
:53:12. > :53:15.We are. The local Government sector is facing 28% cuts over the current
:53:15. > :53:18.spending review period and there is no reason to believe, I think, and
:53:18. > :53:22.they think the sector of least, that there will not be more cuts to
:53:22. > :53:26.come after that. A more difficult will life get for
:53:26. > :53:29.our local councils? It will get pretty difficult. If the Government
:53:29. > :53:34.takes the view as it does that you want to pretend large chunks of
:53:34. > :53:37.public spending such as health and education and to a degree welfare,
:53:37. > :53:43.then you must make cuts will not putting up taxes. He end up cutting
:53:43. > :53:45.what is left very hard indeed. It is inevitable.
:53:46. > :53:49.Why is the Government so willing to put so much pressure on local
:53:49. > :53:53.Government? The first thing to say is that local Government
:53:53. > :53:56.expenditure is something like 25% of all of the money that central
:53:56. > :54:01.Government Spence, so the idea that will be are in economic
:54:01. > :54:06.difficulties we can somehow make local authorities exempt from the
:54:06. > :54:09.financial realities of life is frankly a fantasy. Local
:54:09. > :54:12.governments like every other organisation, institution and
:54:12. > :54:17.individual must live within its means. The fact is that they must
:54:17. > :54:21.take a share of the responsibility in terms of looking to make savings.
:54:21. > :54:25.I do not see anything wrong with volunteers helping out with council
:54:25. > :54:28.services, we should celebrate it. The reason not to celebrate is
:54:28. > :54:32.because they are not doing it because they want to but because
:54:32. > :54:35.they have got to keep the services going. The reports did not indicate
:54:35. > :54:38.that they were doing it because they had to, but people have
:54:38. > :54:43.indicated that they were enjoying it. But the services would have
:54:43. > :54:47.gone lost completely. I am not saying we should rely entirely on
:54:47. > :54:51.volunteers but they certainly have a place in an organisation to get
:54:51. > :54:55.involved, and in this region in the north-west, certainly in the parts
:54:55. > :55:00.of the north-west that idealist, we are fortunate in having a large
:55:00. > :55:05.army of volunteers who get involved in all sorts of activities across
:55:05. > :55:10.society. They are not looking for a reward. That is a strength that not
:55:10. > :55:14.a weakness. The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe
:55:14. > :55:18.Anderson, said that the cuts threaten community cohesion. He is
:55:18. > :55:22.what he had to say. If you look at the custody, they
:55:22. > :55:27.are worse than they were in the 80s. They must recognise this and the
:55:27. > :55:30.possibility of discontent taking place at whether that is
:55:30. > :55:34.demonstrations like occupy Liverpool, occupy Manchester, that
:55:34. > :55:38.sort of disquiet and discontent will take place at it is right for
:55:38. > :55:43.me to highlight that. Dettori, is it right for him to drop about the
:55:43. > :55:47.possibility of a summer of discontent?
:55:47. > :55:55.Volunteers will lot plug the gaps that the council like Liverpool
:55:55. > :55:58.council and Manchester Council are already facing. Some people will
:55:58. > :56:02.even questioned whether cuts even had anything to do with the summer
:56:03. > :56:06.of discontent. What do you think? The rights that took place, I do
:56:06. > :56:10.not think they themselves were on the back of cuts but that is a
:56:10. > :56:14.separate issue. There is a reality that if we do begin to do that
:56:14. > :56:18.people services it is not just riots were things go wrong. So he
:56:18. > :56:24.is wrong to say that? Were in councils in the north-west are
:56:24. > :56:28.cutting because they have to, places like refuges for victims of
:56:28. > :56:33.domestic violence, this might not be a riot but it means a woman
:56:33. > :56:36.might be going home to be beaten or killed. That is serious. The almost
:56:36. > :56:40.justified the words he uses in terms of Liverpool, of course he
:56:40. > :56:44.does. These cuts are serious and stress the very heart of things
:56:44. > :56:48.that we must be providing an volunteers cannot make up for these
:56:48. > :56:53.services. The Government action is going too deep at making it too
:56:53. > :56:57.difficult. I want to go back to Alex Thomson,
:56:57. > :57:02.Mr Thompson, is there anything local councils can do about all of
:57:02. > :57:06.this other than what we have already talked about?
:57:07. > :57:09.Volunteers are part of the solution, but there are lots of things that
:57:09. > :57:13.local authorities are doing to make the money they have stretch further.
:57:13. > :57:19.There sharing services between themselves and with other parts of
:57:19. > :57:22.the public sector. They're trading service. You're getting sponsorship
:57:22. > :57:26.money, in Leeds City Council you have sponsored payslips. That is
:57:26. > :57:32.the rule. The Government has encouraged them to set up pilot to
:57:33. > :57:36.dock at community budgets. Bob Flynn we can see a better use of
:57:36. > :57:41.public money in future. Alex Thomson, thank you.
:57:41. > :57:43.Market back and finish with you, we have heard some council leaders say
:57:43. > :57:49.that local Government will be nothing more than a provider of
:57:49. > :57:52.adult social care. I do not think that is the case. I come from a
:57:52. > :57:56.local authority back round and spent 18 years as a counsellor. I
:57:56. > :58:02.understand why local services and imported, we all do. I do not think
:58:02. > :58:07.this will be reduced to that level. Basic core public services must be
:58:07. > :58:13.there for those to be done. Time for the rest of the week's
:58:13. > :58:18.used so here is your news in 60 seconds.
:58:18. > :58:23.1,500 UK jobs are no longer up in the air. The Prime Minister came to
:58:23. > :58:29.Brotton to announce a deal for 100 Airbus A three twenties. 5,000
:58:29. > :58:34.workers at BAE Systems in barrel blow release after the Government
:58:34. > :58:36.announced a deal for a new audacious submarines. This will be
:58:36. > :58:39.the foundation for growth in the area.
:58:39. > :58:42.The Attorney-General has made of official application to the High
:58:42. > :58:46.Court for a new inquest into the deaths of 96 people who died in the
:58:46. > :58:49.Hillsborough disaster. He said there was a good case to quash the
:58:49. > :58:53.original verdict of accidental death.
:58:53. > :58:57.Chris in the red, Salford's rugby league team face uncertainty as the
:58:57. > :59:00.council refused to offer more bail- outs.
:59:00. > :59:05.Mayor Ian Stewart said that it was painful that he had to say not.
:59:05. > :59:09.council cannot go alone to the clubs, particularly regrettable.
:59:09. > :59:12.It was the town centre that was never finished, but finally
:59:12. > :59:22.Skelmersdale is getting a �20 million revamp that will see
:59:22. > :59:24.
:59:24. > :59:28.restaurants, shops and a new cinema. So that story their Abbots Salford
:59:28. > :59:32.City Reds, that is a team going for over 100 years. Should the Council
:59:32. > :59:36.have given them several hundred �1,000 more to continue? I have
:59:36. > :59:41.been watching them since my dad took me at five years old, but this
:59:41. > :59:45.is the position of Salford Council. I hope that the club can find new
:59:45. > :59:52.orders because actually the identity of Salford is massively
:59:52. > :59:55.improved by at club. We know it in football and rugby, so let's keep
:59:55. > :00:00.Salford up there in the Premier League. Let's keep the Salford game.
:00:00. > :00:04.It is looking shaky. It is a great asset to have professional football
:00:04. > :00:09.or rugby attached to your town but at the end of the day as a previous