07/10/2012 Sunday Politics South West

The regional pay row at our largest hospital. And the license for

Somerset's badger cull trial is issued, but political controversy

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2130 seconds

Hello. Coming up on the Sunday Politics in the South West... The

licence for Somerset's badger cull has been issued, Bobby controversy

continues as councillors speak out against the plans. I am joined by

Tudor Evans, Labour leader of Plymouth City Council, and Julie

Girling, Conservative MEP. First up, health workers in Plymouth who have

been drawing up plans to fight proposals for regional pay.

Derriford Hospital says it needs to save �45 million over the next

three years. It has joined with 19 other NHS trusts in the region to

look at pay and conditions. Unions fear that could lead to workers

facing pay cuts of up to 20%. You hear a lot of people saying we

are all in this together, but it seems to be be people on the front

line and those delivering the front care who seemed to be hit hardest.

We asked the Prime Minister whether he approved of NHS trusts in the

south-west looking at regional pay. It is an issue for them. NHS trusts

have a choice of looking at the national framework are looking at

local arrangements. We should allow them to manage the NHS as they see

it effectively. Do we take it from that that he

sees this as a good idea, and do you? The idea has been on the table

for many years. I represent the South West, always the most

expensive place to live. London and the south-east get regional Pate in

effect already. The south-west is or was number two on that list. We

need to look at where the South West might benefit from regional

pride. Do you think networkers down here will benefit, and where will

the extra money come from? -- do you think the workers. The idea is

to save money. It does not mean there is going to be an extra �45

million available. That is true. Doing that as part of the overall

strategy for being more efficient and saving money is not a bad thing.

It is wrong to assume... But there is a pay freeze across the board.

Any savings must presumably come from pay cuts. The unions are

suggesting we could be up to 20%. That is scaremongering, to said

they could be up to 20%. When the pay freeze comes off, which it will,

they will have to negotiate. The unions will be asking for more

money. That is the context in which this should be seen. They will be

looking for increases. This is not a bad thing to bring him to do next.

Do you agree with that, it is actually a positive outcome? I went

to that meeting bad you showed on your front. -- that you should. The

motion was carried unanimously, because we know there any move to

regionalised play is actually a race to the bottom. Do you think

there will be pay increases? course not. They are private every

-- privatising their health service. People coming in need to make a

profit on reducing budgets. The only way they can do that is pay

the staff less. You are against it? Of course. It would be disastrous

for the health service, a race to the bottom for public sector pay.

This idea that we need to cut the public sector to make a private

sector competitive is nonsense. is an issue that is going to run.

Labour do not think there will be unions asking for pay increases

when the freeze ends, that is interesting.

There are plans to privatise some of Cornwall's public services and

they are proving unpopular. 5,000 people have signed a petition

against the scheme which would see libraries among other things part

run by a private company. The council leadership says it will

save millions of pounds and create hundreds of jobs. Vital services

could be cut, say sceptics. It is apparent -- plan considers

believe will save millions a year and create 500 new jobs. BT and an

American firm are in the running to form a partnership with the council

to provide services such as libraries, Pedro and benefit

payments, transferring council staff to the new partnership in the

process. -- services such as library services and pay roll.

would be against the majority of the council and a great swathe at

the general public. They have not only ignored us but ignored the

people. But is a dangerous thing to do for democracy. One couple from

Perranporth to be petition to more than 1,000 people. They say the

vast majority signed up. Were they surprised? No, they were not

surprised but they were extremely surprised that the executive has

the power were to do that, as was I. That is viewed with incredulity by

almost anyone, once you spell out what has happened. The fact but it

is legal is astonishing. It is not rocket science but if something

goes into privatises hands, whether it is part shared or not, companies

want to make a profit. If they do not make a profit, jobs will go,

places will be closed, and we may not have as many libraries or a non

stop shops or whatever they are going to take out to stare -- share

services. In Somerset, a joint venture do not go quite to plan.

This is a classic example of how not to do public procurement.

South West MP directors' anger at a company, South West One. It led to

a �2.1 million overspend this year alone. The they are not saving the

money they said and it is becoming obvious but it is a tissue of

fabrication. Cornwall Council says it is there were not all

partnerships have been successful and they have learnt not to make

that the mistakes. They are confident it will be a good deal

for the county. The us is an exciting opportunity to create new

business in Cornwall but is not seasonal, will create good jobs and

it will be written into contract, we are expecting 500 new jobs to be

created, as a minimum. The commitment will be written into the

contract, with penalties attached if the jobs are not created.

final decision to transfer council services to a new firm is due to be

made next month. Thanks to the petition, the issue is likely to be

debated before then. How much outsourcing does Plymouth

City Council do, for example? Are people in Cornwall right to be

scared? For gave me, they are next door neighbours and I should not

comment on private grief. Everybody out sources, or council steerage to

a lesser or greater extent. If you think about our. Social care, for

example, we buy in care from a range of providers. -- adult social

care. Outsourcing is not anything new. Were this is a departure is

the scale. It is the size and range of services being put out all in

one go. That is what has created the alarm for so many people in

Cornwall and within Cornwall Council. You were in local

government before you became an MEP. How is a bet these kinds of

outsourcing can supposedly saved money while at the same time create

500 jobs, how was it possible -- possible? It is economy of scale.

You can get real productivity gains by joining up what is called back

office function. Where it can lead to job growth in an area is that

you can find, if Plymouth was doing it, they might in fact be employing

people in Plymouth who are paying the benefit cheques in London. In

many cases, but is very beneficial for regions like the south-west,

where people want to live and work. The skill base, in many cases, is

there or is being built. Does that happen in Plymouth? We work in

partnership. There is an audit partnership between three

neighbouring authorities. And the authorities provide services to

each other to share costs and save money. This is different, because

this is bringing a one provider to do a number of... You would not do

it to this scale? The Cabinet are making this decision without

reference to anybody else. They are saying but is because they must. It

is not about mast, they could ask the council to participate and

share the blame. My information is, and councillors are saying they

have not seen figures, they have not been shown figures. How can

councillors avoid problems like that in Somerset, such as we showed

in the front, where the contract went wrong? -- in the film.

Councillors are members of the community, they are not necessarily

business people, they do not necessarily have the skills

themselves. What it is imperative they do is make sure they get the

advice. I do not have any detail on what is happening in Cornwall. I

would be surprised if the Cabinet had made that decision without

getting that level of advice. The Somerset issue is well known

throughout the country as having been a problem. Lessons have been

put known -- learnt. Lots and shared learning information has

been sent out. It does not always work. In Cornwall, been collections

have been heavily criticised, but was outsourced. Serco were

criticised, railway services were criticised. Why did the Tories

think privatisation is better? not think they do. It is not just

Conservative councils who are at source at all. Some of the most

vigorous councils who are at source are not conservative. It is a mixed

bag and it is not a party political issue, it is about combatants and

council level. Some councils are good, some are less good. We will

come back to you after the next topic.

The natural England has issued a licence to allow the culling of

badgers in West Somerset. It means up to 70% of badgers in that area

will be killed with the aim of preventing the spread of TB in

cattle. Pilot,s are also due in Gloucestershire, were some farmers

have voted to not allow becoming of badgers on their land. Some local

farmers try to do the same thing. It has been a tough year for this

former. He found out his herd had contracted TB at the worst possible

time. My wife died on 16th April and I went down on 17th April,

shattered. I did not have my best friend of 48 years with me, it was

awful. Bovine TB is a foreigner problem, but to go early in the

south-west, with 40% of heard tapping an instance of the disease

in 2010. Eco-trials will involve laying bait and shooting badgers at

night. -- the cull trials. There is debate as to whether this will stop

me -- the disease. It could cut instances of bovine TB by 16% but

there are questions about the scientific evidence. Trials are

planned for Costa Show and Somerset. This time could fall into the pilot

area and councillors are concerned. Were have had leaflets from

organisations who were protest and spent every night for six weeks in

the area with loudspeakers, musical instruments, trying to disrupt the

cull. This week Stephen and his fellow independent councillor put

forward a motion asking the council to ban Colling on its land, even

though the council owns very little and in the, Derry, like this car

park. -- very little land in the cull area. Badgers move about. The

council ended up voting to remain neutral, because the Conservative

leader argued there was not the expertise to make a judgment.

is a lot of information made available to us. I am not

sufficiently skilled to determine from that which is the best way to

deal with bovine tuberculosis. councils in Gloucestershire's pilot

area have voted against killing badgers on council owned land.

Others are angry that their area has not done the same. They were

not combatant? Are they confident to look at planning issues or

economic regeneration issues? Taunton Deane Borough Council will

write to the farming minister to Roger their concern. It will urge

the government to devote resources to finding a humane solution to the

programme -- problem of bovine TB. This cull is politically toxic,

that is why we are still having pilates. No one wants to be the

minister in charge of standing up in front of the TV cameras saying

they are going to kill 70% of Britain's Burgess. Would you say

this will run and run? It is a controversial issue. What we have

got here is, let's be clear, but cull is aimed at discovering

whether it is it reasonable to'-- 3 should. -- to shoot the badgers. It

is to find out if it is a reasonable way to do that. Will

protesters will be caught in crossfire? Protesters have done

everything they can do to stop it. They have been to the High Court.

They need to accept that all of the legal redress, all of the legal

Brits are now closed, and if they are irresponsible enough to start

banging drums and blowing whistles and lighting in darkness, when

people are trying to shoot badgers, there could be a terrible accident.

It has to be absolutely clear that it is the responsibility of those

people to refrain from that behaviour. The idea of shooting

badgers in car parks is totally wrong, isn't it? It is run anywhere,

to be honest. At this week's Labour conference we heard that the

science does not support this action anywhere. That is an opinion.

The science clearly is mixed. point is that there is a lot of the

farming community with the Conservative Party and they are

struggling at a local level. The science is not equivocal about that.

If we forget the science for the moment, I am interested in this

subject Ahmed being politically toxic. Labour had various trials

and never achieved anything. We did not kill the badgers and we are not

going to either. You ploughed �50 million into killing by just over

10 years but never did anything about it. A lot of people will find

this whole thing distasteful, to be honest, when you know that the

science is... They might also have said that Labour should not have

ploughed �50 million into killing? Let's focus on what is about to

happen rather than blaming us for what did not happen. Do you want

people running around the south- west with a shot guns, blowing

badgers up in car parks? I have to interrupt. To say that people will

be running around the area with a shot guns, it is not a shot on

trial. Nobody will be out with a shotgun. But would be unsuitable.

Yes, they will be shot, but not with a shot guns. They will not be

done roaming the area. The region - - the reason it is toxic is because

the lack of attempting -- attention to detail, the emotive language, it

is much more serious than that. Before we move on, an update from

Ann Widdecombe, who last week told us better-off pensioners like her

should not get the winter fuel allowance. One of our guests

suggested she give the money back. It turns out she already does. She

gives her an allowance to the Devon Community Foundation which last

winter helped 250 people who could not afford to keep themselves warm.

Now, 60 seconds. Overweight children should be given

Free School moves to improve their eating habits said the Totnes MP.

85% of children who are obese will become obese adults. It is time to

address it. Train passengers were told they

would have to wait even longer for improvements as the government's

tendering process went off the rails.

In Dorset, Virgin's plan to take over NHS services was questioned by

the mayor of Lyme Regis. We need to know what this will do for us

rather than for them. People living near a proposed

incinerator outside Ivybridge were upset by the Environment Agency's

support for the plans. The Devon parlays woman who was

banned from Twitter for her comments about student drinking was

backed by air can't serve her. -- backed by a counsellor.

A busy week. Let's let's get this issue of

giving obese children free school meals. This is something that

Totnes MP NDP is pushing for. Is it something you would support? --

Thomas MP and GP. For someone who has eaten all the pilots -- pies,

we would be better restoring that sports schools partnerships. Have

we to get proper p going again, that would be far more useful. -- P.

There is a link between obesity and poverty, so this could be an

educational programme? Be it sounds very top dance. -- it sounds very

top down. I know she is a GP but I do not like her social programmes.

In his this their nanny state? Ghosh, not often accused of that. I

actually have great respect for Sarah. She has expertise and I'm

listening to her. An idea around trying to help children make better

choices with what they eat is no different than an idea around try

to make the government -- trying to make adults more aware of food

labelling. Why not help children? It is how you do it, the devil is

in the detail. Surely children from wealthy families does not deserve

three means? Maybe they deserved a free meal if that is going to make