:39:38. > :39:40.Are our new enterprise zones still I'm Arif Ansari. Coming up in the
:39:40. > :39:43.North West: They're supposed to help local
:39:43. > :39:53.business take off, but are the new enterprise zones still stuck on the
:39:53. > :39:56.
:39:56. > :40:00.drawing board? And the exhibition inspired by a historic election
:40:00. > :40:03.campaign, but which one? No answers on a postcard, please.
:40:03. > :40:06.Find out later. My guests this week are former Cabinet Minister Hazel
:40:06. > :40:08.Blears, the Labour MP for Salford and Eccles. And alongside her, the
:40:08. > :40:14.Conservative MP for Wirral West, Esther McVey, who's also the
:40:14. > :40:19.Minister for Disabled People. How disappointing is it that the
:40:19. > :40:24.economy is contracting again? knew it was going to happen. We are
:40:24. > :40:29.living in difficult times. The country has been built on debt over
:40:29. > :40:36.the last 10 years. 10 months in a row we have had unemployment go
:40:36. > :40:42.down. And we have got the highest rate of people in employment.
:40:42. > :40:47.you pleased about the unemployment figures? The unemployment figures
:40:47. > :40:51.may well have increased marginally, but a number of part-time jobs in
:40:51. > :40:55.there, and people are saying to me all the time, I would like to be
:40:55. > :41:01.working more hours, I would like to have more income coming in. But it
:41:01. > :41:09.is impossible. A triple dip recession is something this country
:41:09. > :41:12.has hardly ever known. It is not quite a triple-decker. -- triple-
:41:12. > :41:15.decker. From April, people with
:41:15. > :41:18.disabilities face changes to their benefits which mean that most will
:41:18. > :41:23.be assessed for the first time. The system's being switched from
:41:23. > :41:25.Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments. But
:41:25. > :41:28.,this week, the Warrington North MP, Labour's Helen Jones, told the
:41:28. > :41:32.Commons that one constituent was so worried they would consider
:41:32. > :41:35.euthanasia instead. Claire Hamilton reports.
:41:35. > :41:37.Britain's Paralympians celebrating success at London 2012, where they
:41:37. > :41:40.were credited with changing the public perception of people with
:41:41. > :41:43.disabilities. Now the government stands accused of ignoring that
:41:43. > :41:48.legacy by cutting the benefits which disabled people say keep them
:41:48. > :41:53.living independent lives. Disability living allowance does
:41:53. > :41:57.exactly that. This is money to let me live. It is the difference
:41:57. > :42:01.between living and existing, and it does not go on frivolous or trivial
:42:01. > :42:03.things. Kaliya Franklin from Hoylake has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome,
:42:03. > :42:12.her joints dislocate frequently, she has limited mobility and finds
:42:12. > :42:16.everyday tasks exhausting. Like a lot of disabled people, it is the
:42:16. > :42:19.fear and uncertainty of not knowing what will happen to me. Whether I
:42:19. > :42:23.will qualify and what the consequences of not qualifying will
:42:23. > :42:29.be. Disability charities say half a million people will lose out under
:42:30. > :42:34.the changes. They're also critical of the proposed assessment process.
:42:34. > :42:40.Even those with a physical disability, he is very difficult
:42:40. > :42:45.for an assessor to monitor how that impacts their day-to-day life.
:42:45. > :42:50.Helen Jones told the Commons about a constituent who wrote to her.
:42:50. > :42:53.said he believes the answer for him is the introduction of voluntary
:42:53. > :43:00.euthanasia. Isn't it about time we had a proper debate on these
:43:00. > :43:10.issues? The changes to benefits for disabled people will focus more
:43:10. > :43:11.
:43:11. > :43:16.resources on those who are most in need. The changes coming in April.
:43:16. > :43:19.If the test site and probably, do you agree with the principle?
:43:19. > :43:24.principle should be that we support disabled people in this country and
:43:24. > :43:30.there is a huge amount of concern. If you look at the tests, that has
:43:30. > :43:35.been an absolute disaster. There is a gentleman I know who had ME, and
:43:35. > :43:39.he was assessed as being fit to work. During the next few weeks, he
:43:39. > :43:43.was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and he was still
:43:43. > :43:48.diagnosed as fit for work. I think disabled people are genuinely
:43:48. > :43:53.worried that the next set of changes, if moving into personal
:43:53. > :43:57.independence payments, means they will miss out. We have had a city
:43:57. > :44:03.council report in Salford which says a 1,000 people are likely to
:44:03. > :44:08.be affected. The amount of worry and stress and strain is immense.
:44:08. > :44:14.Is there enough confidence in the system? That is why I am glad you
:44:14. > :44:18.have invited me on today. I have got to reassure people. We spend
:44:18. > :44:28.�50 billion every year for benefits and support for disabled people and
:44:28. > :44:28.
:44:28. > :44:33.we will continue to do that. will not reduce? There are a couple
:44:33. > :44:37.of minutes I want to put away. The growth in the benefit had been 40 %
:44:37. > :44:42.in 10 years and the cut is in the growth in the benefit. People need
:44:42. > :44:49.to be supportive and that is what we are doing. This call for these
:44:49. > :44:59.changes have been from both sides of the House. This was from the
:44:59. > :45:02.Labour government from 2008-2009. We will learn from that failed
:45:02. > :45:08.Labour initiative but when we introduced this, which I am helping
:45:08. > :45:15.put through, we will get it right. How will you learn from those
:45:15. > :45:20.mistakes? Because this was something we watched. But what will
:45:20. > :45:27.you do differently? It was not ours in the first place. You have been
:45:27. > :45:31.there for three years now. Be honest with people, this is about
:45:31. > :45:37.saving �2 billion from some of the most vulnerable, the hardest hit
:45:37. > :45:45.people, and they are worried to death about this. This is
:45:45. > :45:50.scaremongering. Nobody who has got a benefit now will be reassessed
:45:50. > :46:00.before 20th October 15. It is only new claimants. So you are not
:46:00. > :46:04.aiming to save �2 billion? That is the truth of it. What had happened
:46:04. > :46:08.under the Labour government, they had run out of money, overspent on
:46:08. > :46:11.everything, and you have put his any predicament where we have got
:46:11. > :46:16.to look at the budget and we have got to protect the most vulnerable.
:46:16. > :46:25.That is why disability benefits will be going up in line with
:46:25. > :46:29.infamy -- inflation. There is a gentleman who has just been to see
:46:29. > :46:37.me who has had a massive heart attack, he has now had too many
:46:37. > :46:42.strokes, the JobCentre said to him that he was fit for work. He will
:46:42. > :46:52.be facing the test for personal independence payments. Is it any
:46:52. > :46:52.
:46:52. > :46:58.wonder that he is worried to death? He is in a desperate state. You are
:46:58. > :47:05.getting your information wrong. budget is huge. It is the largest
:47:05. > :47:09.in Europe. Do you think we should be reduced in some way? I think we
:47:09. > :47:14.have got to have a welfare reform and I do think that people who can
:47:14. > :47:19.work should work. They have a responsibility to do that. But when
:47:19. > :47:25.you see people with a massive disabilities, we saw on that film,
:47:25. > :47:29.she is worried. You are going to have the job as the Minister of
:47:29. > :47:33.facing these people and explaining to them why they are going to be in
:47:33. > :47:39.this position. Are there any people with disabilities who have said you
:47:39. > :47:43.this is a good idea? Yes, because when this was set up, he ate was
:47:43. > :47:49.set up for people with physical disabilities. It never has it into
:47:49. > :47:57.account people with a sensory, learning and cognitive disabilities.
:47:57. > :48:02.Only 50 % of people with benefits have got assessments to go on that.
:48:02. > :48:12.We want to help those people, review those awards and get this
:48:12. > :48:17.
:48:17. > :48:20.right. We will wait and see. We need to move on.
:48:20. > :48:23.They're called enterprise zones but they're not exactly travelling at
:48:23. > :48:27.warp speed. It was two years ago when the Chancellor George Osborne
:48:27. > :48:30.dusted off the 1980s concept. The zones aim to attract new businesses
:48:30. > :48:32.by reducing tax and easing planning rules. Manchester Airport,
:48:32. > :48:37.Liverpool Waterfront and BAE Systems in Lancashire are among
:48:37. > :48:41.them. Elaine Dunkley's been finding out if they're working.
:48:42. > :48:51.From high flying to health care. It's all about being in the zone -
:48:52. > :48:52.
:48:52. > :48:55.the enterprise zone to be exact. BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire,
:48:55. > :49:01.has been granted the status. It's the buzz word to attract big
:49:01. > :49:08.business and, so far, companies are making the right noises. What we
:49:08. > :49:11.have now got is a catalyst to kick- start a lot of good ideas. The
:49:11. > :49:14.enterprise zones and provide all the rules, he has given a focal for
:49:14. > :49:19.people to bring companies into rather than being a scattered
:49:19. > :49:27.approach. We are in discussions with over 15 countries from across
:49:27. > :49:31.the world. We have signed non- disclosure agreements with them.
:49:31. > :49:34.is great to come here. Enterprise zones attracted much fanfare when
:49:34. > :49:39.they were announced two years ago, but the real test is whether
:49:39. > :49:44.they're attracting jobs. We don't think they are particularly good
:49:44. > :49:48.way of creating jobs but they probably deem me to work harder. A
:49:48. > :49:52.lot of them are construction site at the moment, which is fine, but
:49:52. > :49:58.some of them would be creating jobs for five or 10 years. That is a lot
:49:58. > :50:07.longer than necessary because we need them now. In Manchester,
:50:07. > :50:13.things are beginning to take off. The aim is to create 16,000 jobs,
:50:13. > :50:17.with manufacturers, hotels and offices. It is based on looking at
:50:17. > :50:24.other airports cities across the world, particularly European
:50:24. > :50:28.examples. Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Munich, and building of those and
:50:28. > :50:32.creating a business destination. We will be developing the first stages
:50:32. > :50:37.of infrastructure in spring of this year. In Manchester there are also
:50:37. > :50:41.plans for a new medical park at Whythenshawe Hospital. This is
:50:41. > :50:47.incredibly exciting for Manchester and the region because not only is
:50:47. > :50:51.it going to offer at least 2,500 extra jobs for this region, he is
:50:52. > :50:55.going to solidify the place of a Manchester in the north-west with
:50:55. > :50:59.him that global life sciences industry and economy. But the
:50:59. > :51:01.excitement isn't felt by everyone. These green fields in Hale Barnes
:51:01. > :51:07.are part of the designated enterprise zone. Soon this will be
:51:07. > :51:14.transformed into a logistics hub. Of the jobs that could be created,
:51:14. > :51:18.only 20 % will be genuinely new jobs. It is a bit of spin to use
:51:18. > :51:22.their jobs cut to justify development. The reality for us is
:51:22. > :51:24.that we are going to lose our countryside. And it's a case of
:51:24. > :51:27.back to the future. The Conservative Party first launched
:51:27. > :51:33.enterprise zones in the early '80s and there are those that believe
:51:34. > :51:38.they should be left in the past. We've probably would not like to
:51:38. > :51:42.see them a focus on enterprise zones at all. We would rather they
:51:42. > :51:46.government invested in development for small, innovative firms, have
:51:46. > :51:50.access to capital for companies outside London and the south-east
:51:50. > :51:54.who find it tough to get bank loans. I think measures like that would be
:51:54. > :51:57.far more effective. So, not everyone is convinced, but for
:51:57. > :52:00.those in the zone, there is real optimism that the economy could get
:52:00. > :52:03.a real boost. And we're joined by Michael Taylor
:52:03. > :52:13.from Downtown in Manchester, a group that lobbies on behalf of
:52:13. > :52:17.
:52:17. > :52:21.local businesses. Are you convinced? It is a good instrument
:52:21. > :52:25.to encourage economic growth. I went to SiliconValley last year in
:52:25. > :52:32.California, one of the great entrepreneurial hot spots in the
:52:32. > :52:37.global economy. Enterprise zones in America are in a derelict areas
:52:37. > :52:45.with a old industries have died. The difference here is slightly
:52:45. > :52:51.incorrect in the report because there are businesses already there.
:52:51. > :52:55.If someone is going to relocate their engineering business to
:52:55. > :53:05.supply a another business, they are going to do it anyway, if not
:53:05. > :53:05.
:53:05. > :53:10.because there is �2,500 of rent to be saved. Manchester Airport is
:53:10. > :53:15.another example. There is a lot of activity going on there anyway.
:53:15. > :53:20.Local authorities, Labour-led local authorities have taken the
:53:20. > :53:23.initiative by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat government to
:53:23. > :53:29.lever in different sorts of pots of money and resources and that is a
:53:29. > :53:35.can he way of working at a local level. What do you make of them?
:53:35. > :53:38.They are not a new idea. Margaret Thatcher did them in 1981. I want
:53:39. > :53:43.the new enterprise zones to do what they promise and that is to bring
:53:43. > :53:48.masses of amount of jobs here. But we do want all our economic
:53:48. > :53:52.activity concentrated in one area. I want to see it spread across
:53:52. > :53:57.Greater Manchester and the north- west. Is there a danger having a
:53:57. > :54:01.big one at Manchester Airport might suck business away from Salford?
:54:01. > :54:05.think there is a danger for the whole of the north-west. I want to
:54:05. > :54:08.see economic activity right across the region. And I would like to see
:54:08. > :54:12.their government pressing on a bit more with Michael Heseltine's
:54:12. > :54:19.report. There is some good stuff in it about devolving more powers to
:54:19. > :54:29.the local level and really driving the economy. Let's see a bit of
:54:29. > :54:33.
:54:33. > :54:38.action. It has got some great ideas in it. What do you make of the
:54:38. > :54:43.concern that it might suck business away from other parts of the area?
:54:43. > :54:49.That is why they have got to be strategically placed, which they
:54:49. > :54:54.are. In Liverpool, we are bringing in the book from China. We are
:54:54. > :54:58.going to have an international trade centre. There will be an
:54:59. > :55:08.international business festival in 2014. If that will be the start of
:55:09. > :55:09.
:55:09. > :55:15.that killed. I want to ask a question. I want to be able to ask
:55:15. > :55:20.questions because that is my job. would like to be able to answer.
:55:20. > :55:25.Are they moving fast enough? They always said they will be over about
:55:25. > :55:30.25 years. When you bring in billions of pounds, he is not going
:55:30. > :55:39.to happen overnight. You have got to go to wait public consultation.
:55:39. > :55:43.That can take a long time. You have got to work with local democracy,
:55:43. > :55:50.if you have got to bring the money in internationally and you have got
:55:50. > :55:55.to let it grow. I would not expect it to be done again a year or two.
:55:55. > :56:00.The Albert Dock took that long in Liverpool. That is why they are not
:56:00. > :56:05.the sole answer. I am not against them. We have a million young
:56:05. > :56:11.people in this country Corkery and of work. If the Government does not
:56:11. > :56:16.have a plan for growth and jobs other than enterprise zones.
:56:16. > :56:26.have got more people in jobs than ever before. Fat film thought about
:56:26. > :56:31.small clusters if trying to get small innovation going. We have got
:56:31. > :56:41.small creative industries here in Salford creating jobs. And that is
:56:41. > :56:49.
:56:49. > :56:54.what is happening in an enterprise zone. Let me pick that up with
:56:54. > :57:04.Michael. I can understand what your concerns are but one of the ideas
:57:04. > :57:05.
:57:05. > :57:09.is that they focus and they expand. A new idea to bring pharmaceutical
:57:09. > :57:15.companies to work alongside the hospital will bring international
:57:15. > :57:20.flows of capital from there. They have a choice, if this is an
:57:20. > :57:25.international marketplace. In the film, this book about looking for
:57:25. > :57:32.inspiration from Amsterdam and Copenhagen. But this is building
:57:32. > :57:35.success at on a success. Manchester airport is already doing quite well.
:57:36. > :57:40.Thank you very much indeed. Time for the rest of the week's
:57:40. > :57:43.news now. Here's Euan Doak in 60 Seconds.
:57:43. > :57:46.Bottom of the class - Knowsley's secondary schools finished at the
:57:46. > :57:50.foot of the government league tables for GCSE results. Just four
:57:50. > :57:54.in ten children making the grade. Blackburn with Darwen Council
:57:54. > :57:57.warned of more pain as it announced 500 job cuts to help save �30
:57:57. > :58:07.million over the next two years. Libraries and leisure centres look
:58:07. > :58:11.vulnerable. The Government does not have any money. Sheep farmers in
:58:11. > :58:13.Cumbria are warning the price of lamb is about to rise because of
:58:13. > :58:17.volatile weather. Heavy rain last year means the number of lambs
:58:17. > :58:20.coming to market is about to fall. Getting the Royal seal of approval
:58:20. > :58:27.- Prince Charles was in Halewood to celebrate half a century of Ford
:58:27. > :58:32.and Jaguar cars rolling off the production line. I have been so
:58:33. > :58:36.impressed to hear about the immense contributions. And campaigners have
:58:36. > :58:39.lost their battle to keep the A&E unit at Trafford General Hospital
:58:39. > :58:49.open round the clock. Managers say there weren't enough patients
:58:49. > :58:53.
:58:53. > :59:02.coming through the door. Some concern about the education
:59:02. > :59:07.league table. Why is it, after so many years of education reform from
:59:07. > :59:11.both governments, that we are still in their approach? I think
:59:11. > :59:16.education results are fundamental to children's success and that is
:59:16. > :59:19.why in Salford we have seen a massive increase. We are starting
:59:19. > :59:23.to plateau under this year and I want to see another drive.
:59:23. > :59:29.Otherwise, if young people from poorer areas don't get a chance to
:59:29. > :59:33.get those decent jobs. I think education is vital and I do a lot
:59:33. > :59:40.of work with children from inner- city areas have to look at role-
:59:40. > :59:43.models. He is about character types, personality types, and giving an
:59:43. > :59:47.individual hope, aspiration and the ability to fulfil their dreams.
:59:47. > :59:50.That is what I believe in and is imperative.
:59:50. > :59:58.Maybe the biggest political story this week didn't take place in
:59:58. > :00:05.North West England. The constitution of the United
:00:05. > :00:10.States. Barack Obama being sworn in for the
:00:11. > :00:14.second time. But four years ago, artist Nicola Green witnessed the
:00:14. > :00:17.campaign that first led him to the White House. Now, her work, Seven
:00:17. > :00:22.Days, is on display at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery. I've been to
:00:22. > :00:27.meet her. This is called for Change. If this
:00:27. > :00:31.is the only one that has got him in it. She first met Barack Obama
:00:31. > :00:38.before he was famous her and she was driven to record the global
:00:38. > :00:41.social impact of the election. husband was friends with him and he
:00:41. > :00:47.came back from a trip and told me that this guy was thinking of
:00:47. > :00:52.running for president. I started thinking as a mother about what the
:00:52. > :01:01.fact of him even thinking about running might mean for my kids.
:01:02. > :01:08.made seven visits to create Seven Days. This is from a photo I sought
:01:08. > :01:14.in Philadelphia in 2008. That was the day they felt they had probably
:01:14. > :01:17.won the election. Because of you, tonight I can stand here and stay I
:01:17. > :01:22.will be the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States
:01:22. > :01:30.of America. A successful artist, who she also became part journalist
:01:30. > :01:36.and party political historian. was an artist, I was not a media
:01:36. > :01:40.photographer. I felt it was my role to think about this story in a very
:01:40. > :01:45.reflective way and to think about the imagery in a long-term way in
:01:45. > :01:54.terms of history. The old images are on display in Liverpool and
:01:54. > :02:00.have been acquired by the US Library of Congress. Yes we can.
:02:00. > :02:06.Are you going to go and see that? Of course I will. What is the best
:02:06. > :02:10.piece of political art you have seen? I love Vivienne Westwood, and
:02:10. > :02:16.I loved the punk iconic picture of her transformed into Margaret