:01:38. > :01:41.In the second West, disillusioned voters say that though local
:01:41. > :01:51.elections will not stop the planet incinerator.
:01:51. > :01:51.
:01:51. > :30:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1729 seconds
:30:40. > :30:44.And fears for the future all or Hello and welcome to the programme.
:30:44. > :30:47.Coming up on the Sunday Politics in the south-west, the farmers to care
:30:47. > :30:51.for some of her most treasured landscapes are worried that they
:30:51. > :30:56.will lose the funding they get from Europe.
:30:56. > :31:02.And for the next 20 minutes I am joined by Alison Seabeck and Keith
:31:02. > :31:07.Baldry, the Lib Dem councillor for the south.
:31:07. > :31:11.This week has been dominated by the fall-out from the Budget. Keith, do
:31:11. > :31:16.you think George Osborne was aware of how that the political fall-out
:31:16. > :31:20.would be with the granny tax and his other taxes? The Government has
:31:20. > :31:27.been caught unaware. I have never known a budget debate to go on for
:31:27. > :31:31.so long after the Budget. The most disgraceful decision would seem to
:31:31. > :31:35.be the cut in the top rate of tax. But you also mentioned things like
:31:36. > :31:41.the pasty tax, which will be unpopular with people who can least
:31:41. > :31:46.afford to pay. Alison Seabeck, what do you make of this? Some people
:31:46. > :31:50.think the Cornish MPs should resign over this. Far be it from me to
:31:50. > :31:56.comment on the internal grief of the coalition, the budget was
:31:56. > :31:58.described as a Budget budget, and I think the Prime Minister and the
:31:58. > :32:03.Chancellor have really lost touch with their backbenchers and they
:32:03. > :32:08.have a lot of unhappy backbenchers from both parties. More from report
:32:08. > :32:11.in a moment, but first to a top story which is, with the local
:32:11. > :32:15.elections just a fortnight away, the battle for votes in Plymouth is
:32:15. > :32:19.intensifying. Labour needs to gain just four seats to take control
:32:19. > :32:23.from the Tories. One issue at the forefront of some of voters' minds
:32:23. > :32:26.is the Conservatives decision to approve plans for a large
:32:27. > :32:31.incinerator at the edge of Devonport dockyards. They happen to
:32:31. > :32:35.be voting in one of the city's most marginal wards, but the Labour
:32:35. > :32:41.manifesto stopped short of promising to scrap the plants. Many
:32:41. > :32:44.voters feel disillusioned. A few years ago, Donna and Stewart
:32:44. > :32:49.were ordinarily resident. But the prospect of having an incinerator
:32:49. > :32:53.on their doorstep has turned them into active campaigners who have a
:32:53. > :32:57.keen eye on the local elections. am waking up in the morning
:32:57. > :33:02.thinking of how to do fundraising to get money to battle this
:33:03. > :33:09.incinerator, to help for legal fees. My whole waking life, sleeping with,
:33:09. > :33:14.is all about this. It is just about this. So May 3rd can hopefully
:33:14. > :33:19.change things, but I am not sure. The Conservatives one of the sport
:33:19. > :33:23.by just 20 votes last time it was up for election. -- Conservatives
:33:23. > :33:26.are one of this ward. Since then, this has become an issue closely
:33:26. > :33:30.aligned with both parties vying for power.
:33:30. > :33:34.Last December when the planning committee met, to consider the
:33:34. > :33:38.application for the incinerator, the public gallery was packed with
:33:38. > :33:42.protesters. So many people turned up that the council set up a run in
:33:42. > :33:45.the Guild Hall across the road so that they could watch proceedings
:33:45. > :33:49.via a video link. What they saw were seven Conservative councillors
:33:49. > :33:54.voting in favour of the application and five Labour councillors voting
:33:54. > :33:59.against it. But this award is not necessarily
:33:59. > :34:02.an open goal for Labour. The contracts have been signed and they
:34:02. > :34:06.will have big financial penalties to pay at the build does not go
:34:06. > :34:10.ahead. The Labour Party manifesto stops short of saying it will not
:34:10. > :34:16.be built. Although I was led to believe by the Labour Party that
:34:16. > :34:19.they will review the legal side of things, I see now from their
:34:19. > :34:22.manifesto that they are in fact saying that they will inherit an
:34:22. > :34:26.incinerator from the Tories, and they will do their best to ensure
:34:26. > :34:31.that the city never build a second one. I think that is something and
:34:31. > :34:35.nothing of a statement. The Labour Party says it will work with
:34:35. > :34:39.residents in their fight to overturn the planning decision.
:34:40. > :34:45.Meanwhile, the Conservatives defend their decision and say they plan to
:34:45. > :34:50.save the council money, create jobs and generate energy around the
:34:50. > :34:56.dockyard. They argue it is a much it needed solution for waste
:34:56. > :35:01.control as landfill charges are becoming less of an option.
:35:01. > :35:04.The National Party policy paper says that we will not allow it new
:35:04. > :35:09.incinerators for municipal waste unless they can show that they are
:35:09. > :35:13.the best option of a considered alternatives. A cross the border at
:35:13. > :35:17.Cornwall Council, it was a Lib Dem administration that signed the
:35:17. > :35:20.contract for the controversial plant. The Green Party opposes
:35:20. > :35:25.incineration, they have five candidates standing in the play
:35:25. > :35:30.with elections but none of them are standing in this ward. We are
:35:30. > :35:33.supporting five candidates in five wards, where they have come forward
:35:33. > :35:38.and a vocal active people. Unfortunately, we did not have
:35:38. > :35:41.someone like that. We do not push people into constituencies and
:35:41. > :35:48.words, be they are hoping for someone to come up but no wonder
:35:48. > :35:53.that this time. You kept are contesting this ward. They are
:35:53. > :35:57.critical of landfill directives. -- these UK Independence Party. They
:35:57. > :36:02.are not against incineration pair say. It is a totally wrong location.
:36:02. > :36:06.If it was in the middle of the countryside, an area with no houses
:36:06. > :36:12.or anyone who would, if you like, have a problem with that, that
:36:12. > :36:15.would be fine. But we cannot have it in the middle of a city. Will
:36:16. > :36:23.the political debate continues, campaigners look to the courts and
:36:23. > :36:26.a judicial review to try and stop the incinerator being built.
:36:26. > :36:29.Be heard their front two of the parties contesting elections in
:36:29. > :36:34.Plymouth, and joining us now to represent another is the
:36:34. > :36:38.Conservative councillor Ian Bowyer. Welcome to the programme. There are
:36:38. > :36:41.many people out there who do not like the incinerator idea, a
:36:41. > :36:46.decision that the Tories made last year. Will it come back to haunt
:36:46. > :36:51.you? I think I need to make it clear that the myth is the 15th
:36:51. > :36:58.largest city in the country, we need an infrastructure to support
:36:58. > :37:01.that population. -- that Plymouth is the 15th largest city. We need
:37:02. > :37:06.to answer this huge question about what to do with the city's waste.
:37:06. > :37:11.We cannot keep putting it into the ground. That is environmentally
:37:11. > :37:15.damaging and the most expensive way. We think the solution is the right
:37:15. > :37:19.one for the city of Plymouth because the city employs a
:37:20. > :37:23.technology that works. Alison, the Conservatives at and -- are
:37:23. > :37:27.defending their position and be clear about it, a Labour been
:37:27. > :37:29.opportunistic here? And the manifesto, Labour are not saying
:37:29. > :37:34.they will scrap it, but they're saying they are against it and what
:37:34. > :37:38.they will not do is build a second one when there is no suggestion of
:37:38. > :37:43.building a second one at all. It is clouded. There are other options
:37:43. > :37:50.for other similar types of technology in and around Plymouth.
:37:50. > :37:54.That is technically not wrong, we opposed the incinerator and did so
:37:54. > :37:58.prior to the last local elections. Four years ago you were making
:37:58. > :38:02.plans to sell for an incinerator. Not necessarily in the dockyard in
:38:02. > :38:07.front of those houses. I suppose that on planning grounds, because
:38:07. > :38:10.the families in those houses will be 160 metres from this constantly
:38:10. > :38:15.humming and very large building. These elections then will not make
:38:15. > :38:22.a difference, to your opinion and Labour's used? The problem we have
:38:22. > :38:24.is that it has gone through Joe -- gone through due process, and I
:38:24. > :38:28.have run to the Home Secretary twice to say it should be looked at.
:38:28. > :38:32.On two occasions, the Conservative Government said it would not. The
:38:32. > :38:35.people we have heard from in the film be have reeled genuine worries
:38:35. > :38:40.about this and are taking it to judicial review quite rightly. It
:38:40. > :38:45.must go through that process and we must see what the decision is at
:38:45. > :38:48.the end of that. What we have to see of course is, with waste in the
:38:48. > :38:52.future, let's have a proper debate which did not happen in this
:38:52. > :38:57.instance about the alternatives. Hang on, this is a classic example
:38:57. > :39:01.of Labour being disingenuous. Your colleagues left behind a waste-
:39:01. > :39:04.management strategy in federate 2007 before the last Labour council
:39:04. > :39:09.left office which clearly stated that the way forward was
:39:09. > :39:12.incineration. Now they are tried to be opportunistic and exploit for
:39:12. > :39:16.electoral gain people's discomfort. That is disreputable and you
:39:16. > :39:21.shouldn't be doing that. manifesto is quite clear. It does
:39:21. > :39:24.not say we are opposed to incineration. He signed and left
:39:24. > :39:31.behind a waste-management strategy and federate 2007 which charted the
:39:31. > :39:34.way to the position we have now. -- in February. Let's bring in Keith
:39:34. > :39:38.Baldry, because the Lib Dems are saying that they will work with
:39:38. > :39:43.local people to fight the incinerator. He had been clear
:39:43. > :39:46.about that, while in Cornwall it is Lib Dems have voted for their
:39:46. > :39:50.incinerator and to send that contract in 2006. What is the Lib
:39:51. > :39:55.Dem position? The major difference is the location of the incinerator,
:39:55. > :39:58.which is in an urban area close to people's homes. I am worried, first
:39:58. > :40:02.on the health side which has not proved one way or the other, and in
:40:02. > :40:05.the United States they have much more stringent health checks on
:40:05. > :40:08.these things, but more than that, it is the placement where it has
:40:08. > :40:12.been put. It is the number of vehicle movements which will go in
:40:12. > :40:17.and out of their through the city. Given all of that, if you scrapped
:40:17. > :40:23.it, how much would it cost? How many millions? The scrapping of it,
:40:23. > :40:26.there must be at an alternative site. I am sure an alternative site
:40:27. > :40:30.could be found that would not be near to people's homes. In my ward,
:40:30. > :40:33.there is a proposal from a different developer to place an
:40:33. > :40:38.incinerator in my ward which could bring vehicles to had passed houses,
:40:38. > :40:42.that is not the place to put it. Talking about alternative sites,
:40:42. > :40:46.the previous Labour council bought another site that was specifically
:40:46. > :40:53.reserved for waste management. We're saying that it is not OK for
:40:53. > :41:00.Devonport but it is OK and a new by area. It is not hokey... What I'm
:41:00. > :41:05.saying is it is not OK to. We need the support the naval base and
:41:05. > :41:09.support jobs in the naval base. planning grounds, it was not
:41:09. > :41:12.appropriate for the people in that ward, to look at a building they
:41:12. > :41:15.will have a home near and still have a strong feeling about that
:41:15. > :41:19.come the election. I am not a member of the planning the
:41:19. > :41:25.authority, but you will note that the matter was aired in public and
:41:25. > :41:31.the decision was taken. I am not against incineration in principle,
:41:31. > :41:38.in a am just say that is where you put it. I hope not, because they
:41:38. > :41:42.are no new plans to cut 10 new sites throughout the county. -- to
:41:42. > :41:46.put 10 new site. You are involved in this next, if it is all right in
:41:46. > :41:51.Plymouth it should be all right in Devon, what is the difference?
:41:51. > :41:55.hate to stop you there, but we must move on.
:41:55. > :42:02.Upland farmers are proud custodians of some of the South West's most
:42:02. > :42:05.impressive scenery. Those on Dartmoor or Exmoor and Bodmin Moor
:42:05. > :42:08.depend on money to challenge the harsh conditions which challenge
:42:08. > :42:13.their farm. Though the European Commission is considering changing
:42:13. > :42:18.the support criteria and redrawing the funding bounties. That has made
:42:18. > :42:23.many at hill farmers are very concerned about their future.
:42:23. > :42:28.There are landscapes which have remained unspoiled for centuries.
:42:28. > :42:32.Our home to wild life at the Recreation Ground for visitors. To
:42:32. > :42:36.some, these moors and peaks are central to our livelihood. Those
:42:36. > :42:40.who farm the south-west's Cup and areas are key to the maintenance of
:42:40. > :42:43.the land and the well-being of wildlife. Exmoor, like other upland
:42:43. > :42:50.areas in the region, offers limited agricultural potential and as such
:42:50. > :42:53.has been designated as a less favourable area, or L F A. It is a
:42:53. > :43:01.classification that can attract additional funding, so Hill farmers
:43:01. > :43:06.do not want to lose it. If you take this out, which will be due to its
:43:06. > :43:11.wards status, that it over there will remain in and apart even
:43:11. > :43:15.further over there might appear within it. That does not appear to
:43:15. > :43:20.make any logical sense. European Union are proposing a
:43:20. > :43:26.change to the realities are identified. The criteria involved
:43:26. > :43:30.and which boundaries to be used. This map shows existing L F he's in
:43:30. > :43:34.the south-west, and under the new plant less favoured areas, areas of
:43:34. > :43:41.natural constraint, have shrunk and shifted. In some cases they have
:43:41. > :43:44.disappeared. We are receiving so news of that really does worry us.
:43:44. > :43:50.The show large part of the up plants disappearing from this
:43:50. > :43:53.designation. Defra have yet to complete their investigation and
:43:53. > :43:59.they are tried to endeavour to get them to match the existing
:43:59. > :44:02.boundaries. It is beholden on us all to really keep the pressure on
:44:02. > :44:05.to make sure we do not see boundaries that are not really
:44:05. > :44:09.reflect what it is like on the ground. The European Commission
:44:09. > :44:12.favours the use of electoral ward boundaries over a National Park or
:44:12. > :44:16.were land boundaries to identify their areas of natural constraint.
:44:16. > :44:22.There is a slight problem in the ward boundaries are political
:44:22. > :44:25.boundaries and the change. Relatively frequently in this
:44:25. > :44:31.country, that is something the Duke did not appear to be lies was
:44:31. > :44:37.likely to be a problem. -- the United -- the European Union.
:44:37. > :44:40.Places like the south-west and hope we be more up fairly recognised
:44:40. > :44:45.under the new measures. The new regulations will have a huge impact
:44:45. > :44:48.on the viability of an awful lot of up and farms. It is attempting to
:44:48. > :44:55.try and make sure that we can get the best deal possible and retained
:44:55. > :45:01.the landscape and a farming system such as we have at the moment.
:45:01. > :45:08.To discuss this we welcome the Conservative MP Neil Parish, who
:45:08. > :45:12.joins us from our Exeter studio. Is this a problem in the approach of
:45:12. > :45:15.the European Union? Changing demands had trekked here is all
:45:15. > :45:20.heart one size fits all approach to European countries which does not
:45:20. > :45:23.really work and could mean that her up and farmers miss out?
:45:23. > :45:26.experience of Europe is that they very often try to bring in one size
:45:26. > :45:29.fits all, and there are also looking at altitude as well and
:45:29. > :45:34.this does not fit her lovely landscape areas which of course
:45:34. > :45:38.need The Help not only for farming and wildlife, but also for the
:45:38. > :45:43.tourism aspects of it. The whole way of life on Exmoor. We must
:45:43. > :45:46.fight this, and I know were at the court will Minister is hard at work
:45:46. > :45:49.trying to make sure that they do not change the rules that rule a
:45:49. > :45:53.not change the rules that rule a lot of her land out of their L F A
:45:53. > :46:00.E S. His -- is there a case that the British Government should do
:46:00. > :46:05.more to subsidise this? Such as say the French do with suckler cows?
:46:05. > :46:09.Yes, we can always look as we reform the ad because of Paul say
:46:09. > :46:12.whether we need to send more money towards the up plans. Everyone at
:46:12. > :46:17.Green Agriculture Policy then there is nowhere better than these
:46:17. > :46:22.uplands and Mergers to actually support the farming and wildlife
:46:22. > :46:28.and environment. I am very keen to see if we can make some tweaks.
:46:28. > :46:32.There is money there that we can look at. It is a case of whether we
:46:32. > :46:36.can do so. Alison, is Neil right that the Government should
:46:36. > :46:40.subsidise the upland farmers? was a scheme and brought in under
:46:40. > :46:43.the last Government in 2010 where ministers at the time of burned the
:46:43. > :46:51.midnight oil with members of the end if you, in order to try and
:46:51. > :46:58.come up with a scheme that offers some support. So clearly there is
:46:58. > :47:02.scope for that with and this, but Neil is absolutely right to try and
:47:02. > :47:06.impose a sort of one size fits all in this instance does not make
:47:06. > :47:10.sense, particularly as our boundaries keep moving. I would be
:47:10. > :47:14.very supportive of the minister who is going to try and battle and
:47:14. > :47:19.bring some sense to the shape we have around her murder and areas.
:47:19. > :47:23.Keith Baldry, do you agree? Should be subsidised those people? I ate
:47:23. > :47:27.the with a lot of what has been said. I have been speaking to
:47:27. > :47:33.Graham Watson MEP on Friday about this and it is absolutely true,
:47:33. > :47:37.having A1 size fits all does not work. Even within England, this
:47:37. > :47:40.does not work as there are differences even between Dartmoor
:47:40. > :47:44.and Exmoor. There is a need for something to be done, because at
:47:44. > :47:47.the moment, half of the agricultural area in Europe is
:47:47. > :47:52.claiming these special needs. It is clear that some of the other
:47:52. > :48:00.partner states acclaim when they are not entitled to and we need to
:48:00. > :48:10.win back into life. Fact you very much.
:48:10. > :48:13.
:48:13. > :48:20.Now they have her round-up of the Unemployment figures show the
:48:20. > :48:23.number of people on the dole has gone up by 10% and the last year.
:48:23. > :48:28.My nesses is pregnant and I do not have enough money to support us
:48:28. > :48:34.both. Some people in Cornwall enjoyed
:48:34. > :48:38.their third week without a rubbish collection. It is still clocking up
:48:38. > :48:44.and gain an eyesore. It is ridiculous now. There was a record
:48:44. > :48:46.turnout in Guernsey would stop -- for an election would so the
:48:46. > :48:49.longest-standing deputy lose his seat.
:48:50. > :48:54.The Conservative leader of Somerset County Council announced he is
:48:54. > :48:58.stepping down as we can stand for election as a police commissioner.
:48:58. > :49:03.And Cornel's MPs fail in their attempt to stop the past the tax on
:49:03. > :49:08.Wednesday night. Stephen Gilbert made his feelings clear to the
:49:08. > :49:18.Prime Minister. There is no VAT tax on caviar, but the Government is
:49:18. > :49:19.
:49:19. > :49:22.choosing to put VAT on the Cornish That was our round-up of the
:49:22. > :49:25.political week in 60 seconds. Alison, have become the first,
:49:25. > :49:30.unemployment figures mentioned their up 10% year on year. A
:49:30. > :49:33.worrying is that you might it is extremely worrying, and if you look
:49:33. > :49:38.into the figures, the number of long-term unemployed is very
:49:39. > :49:43.worrying. The lessons we learnt from the problems he had in the 90s
:49:43. > :49:46.a car that the more people are and that gripped the harder it is to
:49:46. > :49:51.actually get the economy to pick up again and get them back to work. We
:49:51. > :49:56.must do something about that, and one in a particular also, the
:49:56. > :50:02.number of women unemployed are also rising. Keith, what is the
:50:02. > :50:07.coalition doing? This is terribly worrying, be made a fuss about the
:50:07. > :50:11.granny tax and quite so. The people at the other end, the youngsters
:50:11. > :50:15.are a big concern. It is a long- term unemployment and the prospects
:50:15. > :50:19.for them in the future which is an enormous body and we must hope that
:50:19. > :50:25.the economy takes off. In our area, there were serious.