27/01/2013 Sunday Politics South West

In the South West: the MPs on the brink of a revolt over council

funding, And the international row which is worrying the region's

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2291 seconds

Hello, I'm Martyn Oates, coming up on the Sunday Politics in the South

West. The Tory MP who says the Government's failing his

constituents. Be expecting me to stand up a bus there and he and say

the government, irrespective, you have this long, you must look again.

And the international row that's worrying the region's mackerel

fishermen. For the next 20 minutes I'm joined by Stephen Gilbert, Lib

Dem MP for St Austell and Newquay and the Labour peer and former

minister Larry Whitty. It hasn't been a great week for the economy.

The latest figures show it shrank at the end of last year. The

region's unemployment figures seem to be holding steady, but on

Wednesday the airline Flybe announced a hundred jobs are going

at its Exeter headquarters. If we don't take the actions we have done,

we will not be have to return the business to profitability and

deliver services. Are you thinking you backed the

wrong horse in signing up to the Conservative prescription? That

isn't affair caricature or of how the government is trying to

rebalance the economy. Away from dependence on financial services,

spreading gross including the south-west and Devon we need to

make sure we are getting as much Infrastructure Investment as

possible and we must never lose sight of the fact every job loss is

a personal loss. Nick Clegg says it was a mistake for the government

not as Ben Moore. Nick Clegg says the shovel ready projects should

have been invested in at the time. The I am happy Nick Clegg's

analysis is more accurate than mine. The overriding issue is we have to

rebalance the public finances away from a dependence on French

services and spread prosperity across the county. So, it isn't

going terribly well but it is the best approach. It is neither the

best approach nor is it going well. The economy is too bumpy. The

output figures were disastrous. We are not getting the growth in the

economy we need. We need it for jobs and prosperity but also to get

public finances right. You went into the last election agreeing

with the Lowry, you are converted to the Conservatives the. It isn't

going well. I agree with lots of the analysis. The economy is

bumping along. We get the prospect of a double dip and triple dip

recession. There is little in it. 8% hearing there. The overall

prescription to make sure international markets have

confidence in the UK as a place to the business is one we have to

tackle. There was the largest deficit in peacetime British

history and we could be in a worse situation than today had the

coalition government not taken action. We could have been in a

similar situation to Greece or Spain. The prescription hasn't

worked. If you look up the debt and deficit, we are worse off than when

the coalition to Cover. We have cut back on public spending, on

investment and capital projects. We are now reaping the dividend. It

will take a lot to get us out of this and it hasn't rebalance the

economy in the wake he suggests. Osborne suggested it should have

done. We are deep in debt than before. The danger is we could be

in a worse position, we could have been in a situation like Greece.

There were angry scenes, yet again, at County Hall in Truro this week.

Cornwall councillors, like their opposite numbers across the country,

are struggling to thrash out next year's budget. A difficult job

which the government's made even harder with an unfair funding

settlement. At least that's what nearly sixty of its own MPs are

saying. Tamsin Melville reports. There's a revolt brewing in the

green fields of the south-west. constituents expect to be treated

fairly and they expect me to stand up as their MP and say to

government, irrespective of whether it is my own government, you have

got this wrong, look again. It's unbelievable after all that work

that it can get worse. Conservatives from rural

constituencies are breaking ranks and joining the Lib Dems to

question the fairness of a funding settlement that is branded a

bargain but communities Secretary Eric Pickles. It is not a bargain

for rural areas. Councils and MPs from row MPs across England. In the

summer the government did good work revisiting the question of whether

rural areas get a good question but a few months later the first

divvying up of the funds of the back of that and guess what the

rural areas could to kick in the teeth. MPs are banding together in

a campaign to overturn the deal they say it means ministers are

still offering urban councils to to some more per head. In 2004, Labour

moved significant amounts of money towards urban authorities so we

need a rebalancing. That is why we are cross and there is a peasant

revolt going on in Parliament because we want to see a fair deal.

Rural authorities across the south- west are struggling to balance

their budgets. Before Christmas, Cornwall was told it faces a 1.8%

cut in spending power. The authority says in terms of actual

direct government funding, it's more like 6%. But his �80 million.

We survive on Electric, Kalidas and it's expensive. Those at this

JobCentre course know only too well the problems of living in rural low

wage economy. We have to factoring getting to the JobCentre, if you

haven't got the internet and she cannot afford the internet then you

have to go into the JobCentre to look for work. It affects

everything. With the increasing pressures on Cornwall Council, she

faces losing some of the help she gets to pay her council tax each

week. That extra few pounds, although it sounds like a paltry

sum is a daily struggle. If you take �5 of, it affects what you

have new shoes, if you need to buy yourself a new coat.

councillors say the cuts are hitting the poorest hardest.

They're challenging Conservative and Lib Dem colleagues to resign

from their parties in protest. are now gone past cuts in the fat,

we are cutting the muscle that is keeping the body going in Cornwall.

The government recognises there is a funding gap. With the finer

sediments imminent, the critics are not satisfied. What we want to see

his action and money, not just sympathy. Well, I don't think Neil

Parish will like the response we've just received from the Department

for Communities and Local Government. Their statement says:

"This is a fair settlement - fair to north and south, fair to rural

and urban areas and fair to shire and metropolitan areas. Councils

that cry wolf...are letting their residents down." Are you on the

side of the government or part of the Peasants revolt? The Peasants

revolt, some people may say who better to lead it. The reality is

all parties were the Labour, the Conservatives or the Lib Dems are

clear that we need to rebalance public funding across the country.

It is absolutely outrageous governments of all colours have

underfunded services in Cornwall and Devon and Dorset and across

other rural areas. What you make of the statement, you can hear people

saying it. I think it is frankly complacent claptrap to suggest

councils who were already struggling to balance the books and

cutting frontline services are able to easily make the savings he is

suggesting. Cornwall council says they need to put a council tax by

2%, you would agree? The councils have a different judgment call. I

would prefer them to take the offer from government to freeze council

tax, government has made available money to have a third year council

tax freeze. I know how difficult it is for my constituents have to make

ends meet. I don't know how some of the people who come to see me at my

surgery will find the extra money to pay council tax. This is a

difficult challenge and if Eric Pickles is a complacent in his

statement to say what he said and to be disdainful of his colleagues

is disgraceful. The council says the cuts would include libraries,

leisure centres and tourism support and transport. Vital services that

people absolutely depend on which is why I want to be clear that

Cornwall council has explored the option of getting the money for the

council tax freeze before I support an increase in council tax. These

are difficult decisions. We would not have to make such decisions if

we had a fair funding formula for rural areas something all

Government's promise but still we are lacking. This is something that

is Labour's support historically. Work, I don't agree that the

formula. A you did not move significant sums away from rural

areas. The form itself is by some time. To some extent the inner-city

areas are likely to score higher and on Labour's formula than any

role areas. Except on the grounds... Is it justifiable? It is not

justifiable if you are -- unless you're taking other measures to

help rural areas. Nobody understands the formula, suburbs,

in a city and rural areas complain about the cuts. The government

should recognise the problem and Rural Housing and businesses and

broadband. Room areas have a particular problem rather than play

one off against the other and also rather than leaving it a central

government to cajole, they allow councils to make a proper

assessment. On top of those issues, there is the transport problems

role areas face, getting to services when you live in a county

with communities but a disbursed -- Ruairi is. The use it in opposition,

David doesn't care Barbara areas. The head teachers I talked to say

the pupil premium is making a difference in helping those

children from disadvantaged backgrounds. I agree, the

government has to tackle this and it is utterly complacent for Eric

Pickles and his department to dismiss the concerns so many

coalition MPs from the south-west. I have been campaigning for a

fairer funding deal for Cornwall on education, health and transport for

the two decades I have been involved in politics. It is about

time government delivered on it. I don't care what the colour is of

the government but delivers it, we need to tackle this because it is

hurting people. And you have a junior government job, which voted

against? I am the bag career. consider voting against the

government? Let's be serious, let's be clear, I want see the final

settlement and I want to discuss this with ministerial colleagues. I

am as arranged as others from both parties in the region. Conservative

and Lib Dem MPs went in asking for fairer funding and it seems this

government is not prepared to deliver that.

Bad news this week about the cheap and cheerful mackerel. They may be

almost two a penny on the fishmonger's slab but

conservationists are warning it's a different story in the sea. And if

a decline in mackerel stocks is worrying for consumers, it's even

more disturbing for the people who catch them. Believe it or not, the

little stripy fellows are the most valuable species for the UK's

fishing industry as John Henderson reports.

Everyone knows fish is good for you but could too much of a good thing

the bad for the south-west? From our own fishery we are concerned

because last year it was the first -- worst year we've had. It could

be the overfishing has caused the poor season. Macro, Fashanu,

healthy and popular. It's been removed from the Marine -- mackerel.

The stocks as they stand are above the level they need to be to be

sustainable whole of the trend is downwards. The graph is pointing

downwards. If the pressure continues it will give below a

trigger point and the stock itself will be unsustainable. And this is

the pressure point. Boats from Iceland and the Faeroe Isles are

catching mackerel like never before. A million tons were taken in 2011,

double what scientists say it should have been caught. For UK

fishermen bound by quotas, it is frustrating. Plymouth is the second

biggest fish market and mackerel is only a tiny percentage of the catch.

In the south-west, it affects the local fishermen, south-west

interests and processes and everyone associated with the

industry. It is worth a lot of money. West Cornish liners like

David need mackerel to. We work a 30 hooks on a line, very

sustainable way of catching fish. There is no way you could over-

fished stocks with this method. Conservation is and the minister

had said catching them mackerel the traditional way it is not part of

the problem but David is worried. It is unfair we should be targeted

-- tarred with the same brush. A letter biggest London and people

may be are not as well educated and might decide not to buy it. There

is more international courts on mackerel next month.

Conservationists were asked not to eat his money.

I think when you were the minister you were involved with Brussels.

The EU is in agreement and the argument is with Iceland. Fish

stocks do need protecting. Part of the problem is the numbers are

going down and it is moving. Probably because of the warmer...

The North Atlantic is becoming warmer, fish are moving north. The

Icelanders are closer to the mackerel than they used to be.

There is a balance. The EU needs to renegotiate on our behalf with

Iceland and the Faeroe Isles to make sure we are not overfishing.

We are not yet in danger point, it's important to recognise that

but we might be in a couple of years. This stand-off has been

going on for about three years. Should Britain look at sanctions to

push this? Negotiations are not going anywhere. At this point I

would say they need to negotiate hard, harder than I have been doing.

The other. Is a lot of the south- west fishing his hand line. That

doesn't pose any serious threat to the stocks. As for consumers in

London, if the mackerel tins were labelled hands like a lot of the

concern of consumers who are keen on mackerel and it's good few would

tend to purchase the hand like stop that side of things is also

important. I can see you agree with a lot of that. In terms of

resolving this huge international dispute,... It is negotiation and

firm negotiations. It's a run like this is the week the Conservative

Party put Europe on the agenda and it is the European Union and the

ability to negotiate with 27 other countries supporting the British

position with Iceland and the Faeroe Isles will give strength in

numbers. We need to bring negotiations to a conclusion and

negotiate hard. The point he makes about consumer education is a vital

one. There were talks about tuner getting sucked up in factory which

-- vessels and there is more sustainable ways of fishing. It is

a sustainable way to source fish. OK,. Now our regular round-up of

Cornwall council plans to pursue council tax cheats with lie-

detector technology. It will put people off dealing with us and

making more difficult to root out fraud. More pressure on the

government to stop a repeat of this. We need a clearer idea about what

Network Rail is supposed to do, a time frame and the impact they

think the work will have. The MoD admits a 1000 pieces of military

equipment have gone missing from the base. They have to be better

procedures to stop it. It has to be tackled nationally. At the moment

this job can only be done by a man. Some say the new succession to the

throne should apply it to the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held by the

Crown pending the arrival of the future male heir.

We talked about Cornwall cancer, they think one way to save money is

through lie detection approach to counter tax benefits. It is

nonsense. It has been tried by government departments and shown

not to be effective in doing what they want it to do. Cornwall is

going down a dead end on this one. It might be more appropriate for

you to try the guests here. Not in time for you today. There does need

be a crackdown on fraud on social security. If lie-detector has can

help, I am not in principle against them. It is how you do it and

interpreted because they're not very accurate. I am concerned if

it's a private company rather than the police or social security

officials and that side of things needs to be addressed. As a

possible to fool I would not rule it out. The situation with the

energy equipment, it's a long standing mess. -- MoD equipment.

used to work for the oil ministry 40 years ago and it was always a

problem. And are you concerned about the succession? I am very

concerned was that I want to make sure it is done on the same

principles we have successions to the monarchy so there is equality