04/03/2012 Sunday Politics South East

And in the south-east, as water companies warned of a serious long-

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1773 seconds

term shortages, are households I'm Julia George and this is the

Sunday Politics in the South East. Coming up in the next twenty

minutes: The future for our energy supply or

just a blight on the landscape? Are you happy to subsidise wind farms

across the region? With me in the studio today is the

woman who wants to be the next MP for Hastings and Rye, Labour's

prospective candidate Sarah Owen, and Conservative MP for Folkestone

and Hythe Damian Collins. The cost of petrol and diesel is a

big story with Kent and Sussex prices higher than the record

national average. This week, one Kent filling station was charging a

massive 146.9 pence a litre for unleaded. Damien Collins, how much

more can people take? It is a big impact on the cost of living so

that is why it is so serious and that is why a number of MPs were

against any increase in their duty in January. It is something serious

for the Chancellor to think about. Is a car becoming a luxury for

people? People still rely on cars and businesses are being affected

by this. The haulage companies in particular are finding this very

difficult and I would be looking to the Chancellor to reduce VAT at

this point and perhaps save motorists three pence per litre.

Are we going to see major protests? It is something that really affects

people's lives but you have got to look at it against a number of

costs as well. For motorists, it is a big part of their monthly spend.

Is it time to start rationing our water use? The South East is

officially in drought after two dry winters, and yet every day we

continue to use 15 litres more water per person than the rest of

the country. At a drought summit, the Environment Secretary Caroline

Spelman said, "Iit's not just the responsibility of Government, water

companies and businesses to act against drought. We are asking for

the help of everyone by urging them to use less water and to start now".

How long do you spend in the shower? Do you bath your kids every

night? Do you flush every time you use the loo? Should it be voluntary

or should we be forced to use less This reservoir is on the Kent and

Sussex border. It is usually around 90 % fall at this year put it is

currently at half of that Act. The south-east is officially in drug.

But are we taking enough responsibility for our water used?

Already, the South East has the highest water usage per person in

Europe at around 165 litres per day. The UK average is 150 litres I.

Household usage is predicted to live -- rise, particularly in the

affluent South East. But when rainfall is low, this is a problem.

Together with the Environment Agency, the Government department

told us daily water awareness and decide on a meter installation at

to the water companies are. It already happens in most other

European countries and while the UK is behind, some countries in the

south-east are changing that. have put in half a million metres.

We are trying to give customers tips about how to save water so we

are working hard on that front. the message does not seem to be

getting through. How much do you think about the water you use at

home? I think about it at times, not very often. Do you do things to

save water? No. I don't use the running water when I am cleaning my

teeth. Relatively small changes in water usage can have a big impact.

For starters, watering your garden using a hosepipe uses a lot of

water whereas at filling a pay packet is far more efficient. And a

bath takes a whopping 80 litres of water whereas a five minute shower

uses around a third of that. If you are a bath lover, you could follow

the example set by East Sussex residents. I saved my bath water,

then I put it in a bucket and then I flush the toilet with it. That

means that not only have you use less water, you have had a bath as

well. This helps reduce how much refreshed. It announced lower

single biggest use of domestic water. Flushing less often would

help us all to save water, although it is not the most popular idea.

What about rushing when you go to the toilet? I always flushed. It

order to raise awareness, some say the Government needs to be more

hands on. It is a balance between action by water companies, and

individuals. We would like to see a firmer stance taken by the

Government, saying that there is a long-term issue and we need to

promote water efficiency, and this is what we would like to see you

doing. Water companies are very good at delivering. So should the

Government intervene in order to make us save more water and, in

turn, make sure this valuable resource does not vanish down the

Helen Drew reporting. Joining me from our studio in Hastings is

Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye Amber Rudd. Nice to have you

with us. How serious is the problem? And how seriously are you

taking it? If the Government is taking it very seriously indeed.

The first responsibility of a government is the security of the

people and that includes food and water responsibility. We need to be

much more careful with water. don't you just bite the bullet and

a mandate of water meters? I think that would be difficult to execute

straight away. As we heard earlier, water meters are being introduced

throughout the South East and I think that is a really good move

forward. If we can measure it, people are much more likely to be

careful about how much water they use. Apparently, water usage goes

down by around 10 % when people have a metres so I am delighted

they are delivering those metres to all households around here. Has is

very proper Government's strategy here or are you hoping it is going

to rain non-stop for the next three months? We hope we get this right

and together with the consumers and the water companies, and above all

with the Environment Agency, we get the message across to reduce water

and take the action we need to take to make sure water is preserved for

the populations. Does it seem a bit strange that we are giving the

water companies the biggest responsibility for reducing our use

of water. They are the ones who make money out of selling water to

us. But look at their record. Their record is very good for fixing the

problems with the infrastructure they have been working on, for

introducing meters. They have been set these targets and they are

delivering on them. I am interested in outcomes. What do we need to do

in terms of getting the message out there? Do we need a leaflet

campaign, adverts on the radio? think people are beginning to know

about it. I am delighted the BBC is covering it. I think the message is

getting across. The later we'll deal with this, the bigger the

impact will be on what life as well. -- wildlife. Isn't it better to

tackling it now? Have we are tackling it now. We are taking

action now. There is likely to be a hosepipe ban and people are

responding very well. Don't underestimate the way people are

responding. They are responding very well and I think the water

companies will continue to get a message across. I hope the

reduction of water usage will continue so we can replenish those

reservoirs. What should our water policy be in this country? I am

very pleased to hear they are taking this situation very

seriously because in the South East, we are looking at something we have

not seen before. We are going to be seeing people relying on standpipes.

The Government has chosen to help people in the south-west with a �50

rebate because why should people be paying for water they are not

getting? We have got to South East MPs here and I want to know why

that is. We talked about water meters. They were introduced in my

constituency a couple of years ago and it has had a positive impact.

It has worked very well. It would be difficult just to legislate to

bring in water meters across the whole region overnight. I don't

think that would be practical. It is about the consumer having the

message, being responsible. Also, looking at water sources as well,

the Government is working with water companies to incentive eyes

them. -- in cent devised them. Another issue which is very

important, why is the insurance industry threatening residents with

losing plug cover for their homes when we up being told we live in a

crowded area. A lot of people will find that very confusing. -- a

drought area. Why do we use so much more water in the South East? Are

we more selfish? His I would not describe any more -- of and my

constituents as a selfish. I want people to be more careful with

their water. Wind farms have been blowing up a

political storm in recent weeks. Our guest Damian Collins was one of

the one hundred MPs who signed a letter to the Prime Minister

criticising the onshore wind power industry for being inefficient and

ugly. An ICM/Guardian poll out last Thursday shows that local

opposition to wind farms has tripled since 2010. And David

Cameron has promised to cut public subsidies for the companies

operating the giant wind turbines. We currently have two onshore wind

farms in the South East, one of them in Damien Collin's

constituency, the other near Lewes in East Sussex. Another two have

been approved but not built yet on the Isle of Sheppey. And, Damien

Collins, there are early plans for another five wind turbines at

another site in your patch aren't there? That is at a pre-

application stage but it is something that has been discussed

and residents have been concerned about it. What the letter was about

is the fact that consumers are paying through the subsidy for wind

farms and they feel their voice is not being heard in the planning

system we have inherited. We need to do something about that. There

is an issue we flat up which is that sometimes the planets might

think because there is a target for renewable energy, they are almost

duty-bound to approve any application. Let's find out your

absolute position. Are you against onshore wind farms per se? Would

you rather it there were none in your constituency or anywhere else

in the South East? He I would rather see them offshore because

that is where I feel they can do a better job. We are where we are in

my constituency. I would not say to other communities around the

country, you cannot have them, but the local community should have a

much bigger say on whether they want them. To deliver the scale we

need, they need to be big offshore wind farms. Her in terms of your

onshore wind farms put you slightly at odds with the Prime Minister, he

has also made it clear there are perfectly hard-headed reasons for

building will wind farms. And I think of sure is the best base for

them to go. Communities might look at a wind farm and say they are

happy to have it there. That is something that communities need to

have a debate about. We communities have been frustrated is that they

don't feel they have a voice in this process at all. It is

impossible to stop planning application. Fast-forward a few

years, if you do make it to be the next MP, would you back wind farms

on short in your constituency? think we have got to look at the

much bigger picture here. Onshore wind farms are not going to be

right everywhere. But when you're talking about the subsidies they

actually get, we are looking at �3.6 billion being subsidised for

the company's but only 0.7 % -- 01 �7 billion going on wind farm

subsidies. There is a massive difference there. If you are

talking about people being squeezed at the moment in terms of finding

fuel bills higher, looking at renewable sources of energy is the

way to go. Half there is also a figure here, published in the

Guardian a couple of days ago, a British Science Association poll

said that people were willing to pay an extra �3.64 per month to

make sure they energy comes from renewal. The public is quite happy

to pay. But onshore wind is by no means the only source of renewable

energy. One of the reasons that people have complaints about

renewable energy is that you cannot always predict when the wind is

going to blow. You need back-up systems, which is why we need to

invest in major generation capacity. But you are pro-nuclear and you

want a new nuclear power station. We need nuclear power stations and

we need renewables. The idea that we can be reliant on wind is absurd.

We need power stations which you can turn on and off and you know

you're going to get a constant supply. Has what about the nuclear

argument, Sarah. This government has an appalling renewable energy

policy. For you to say we are backing some forms on renewable

energy is a joke, considering what you have done with the solar feed

in tariffs. High I went to visit a solar panel we house and they were

just on the cusp of expanding, they were going higher in terms of

levels of staff, they were about to expand, and that was a German

company coming to invest in the UK. Because of your cuts, they and a

scaling back. Are they going to damage another industry, pulling

back on the public subsidies, or are foreign companies having a

laugh at the taxpayers' expense? Half this is having a direct impact

on my constituents. The system we inherited from the last

Government's was one which had a finite amount of money allocated to

it. We could have had a system which benefited FA people buy a

huge amount or helped everyone to a much fairer to grief. The money has

not been cut at the rate at which not been cut at the rate at which

not been cut at the rate at which you pay back has been changed.

And now a round up of the week's events in the region with our

political reporter Alan Soady. As this this this man face trial in

America, his wife told MPs his extradition was wrong. Shouldn't it

be a basic requirement that a proper case be made out against

Chris in a UK court? Suspected drug dealers were targeted in the area

by police. Her we have a first- class police force working in

partnership with a local authority and the residents have to make our

towns a safer place. If Mike Weatherley so next week Badger and

that person dressed as Bill Oddi. They were campaigning against --

government plans to license badger culling. And amber Rudd talks

family values, telling David Cameron it was lead day when women

proposed two men. If I was wondering where the honourable lady

was going with that. The Prime Minister went red but no green

light. Shall we pick up on Christopher

tapping and the extradition? There has been so much discuss and on

this. What does it tell you about our extradition treaty with

America? Hearts it is a complete disgrace. We have a businessman who

was a very arms-length compared to the charge levelled against him. He

has been extradited to the US where he will have to spend some time

before his case is heard. I don't know why these cases can't be

initiated here. You wanted to pick up on one of the other stories. A

serious issue on licensing badger culls. Are I don't think it is time

for that. If we are talking about a 16 % drop in TB cases and we are

unsure about the result, I don't think it is time to go they yet.

What is your most embarrassing moment so far? Had I don't think I

could pick one but it was some light-hearted fun in the chamber.

Sarah? Like the badger, I was dressed as a fox for a campaign.