:01:23. > :01:27.And in the Midlands: we examine hour manufacturing industry is
:01:27. > :01:37.shrinking fast. Figures show during the Labour years, the Midlands
:01:37. > :01:37.
:01:37. > :35:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2019 seconds
:35:17. > :35:21.suffered more than anywhere else in Welcome to the Sunday Politics in
:35:21. > :35:25.the Midlands with the me Patrick Burns.
:35:25. > :35:30.The might of Midland's manufacturing. By wild approval but
:35:30. > :35:37.my how we have come down in the world since then.
:35:37. > :35:42.I guess this afternoon it Harriett Baldwin and Michael Cashman.
:35:42. > :35:48.Chiming in with our opening headline, negative figures on
:35:48. > :35:53.economic growth this year. Is there not a sense that looking at it from
:35:53. > :35:57.both sides of the water that the euro-zone is getting a lot of the
:35:57. > :36:03.blame for our ills? He it is getting the blame but if you look
:36:03. > :36:07.back at the contraction in the economy, that occurred in the last
:36:07. > :36:12.quarter of 2010 before the euro- zone problems reached their
:36:12. > :36:16.pinnacle. What is interesting if the euro-zone is so important why
:36:16. > :36:24.it isn't David Cameron getting behind it and coming up with a
:36:24. > :36:28.really good and strategic plan for stability of the euro-zone? The use
:36:28. > :36:33.of the veto indicated that Britain wants it both ways. It says we want
:36:33. > :36:39.a strong euro but we want to protect ourselves in the long term
:36:39. > :36:46.and what we need is stability and David Cameron does not understand
:36:46. > :36:50.that. You are getting embroiled in the Scottish question of but why on
:36:50. > :36:56.earth should your voters in West Worcestershire give a toss about
:36:56. > :36:59.what is happening north of the border? Increasingly people asking
:36:59. > :37:05.me why is it the case that when we have English legislation in
:37:05. > :37:11.Westminster, Scottish MPs can vote on those issues and potentially one
:37:11. > :37:16.day that might be critical. For the moment, we will leave the Scots to
:37:16. > :37:20.their own devices because our top story. Nine months from now two
:37:20. > :37:23.biggest cities could have their own elected mayors. The local
:37:23. > :37:27.government minister Greg Clark came to the Midlands last week to
:37:27. > :37:32.announce elections will be held in November subject to the outcome of
:37:32. > :37:35.May's referendum in Birmingham and Coventry.
:37:35. > :37:40.The two cities heading for the polls in May to decide whether they
:37:40. > :37:45.want an elected mayor or not. This line-up is hoping they will say yes
:37:45. > :37:48.and if they do, the government minister responsible said those
:37:49. > :37:54.cities would get to elect their mess before the end of the year but
:37:54. > :37:58.no word on what powers they would have. The needs of every city are
:37:58. > :38:03.different. What Coventry once may be different from what Birmingham
:38:03. > :38:07.once so we will not impose a model. We will say, we tell us what you
:38:07. > :38:12.want and we will give you the power was you need to make your city a
:38:12. > :38:15.success in the future. One a Birmingham's latest claims to
:38:15. > :38:19.success a celebrity chef restaurant with views over a city that is led
:38:19. > :38:23.by council leader and Cabinet. An elected mayor would replace the
:38:23. > :38:29.system. There were plenty of potential power was on the menu for
:38:29. > :38:32.any city that chooses to opt for an elected mayor. Birmingham could
:38:32. > :38:38.then go on to decide that its men should have more of a say over
:38:38. > :38:42.local transport policy or a over the economic strategy for the city.
:38:42. > :38:45.The elected mayor could also choose to have powers over running local
:38:45. > :38:49.schools. Critics say that is nothing that councillors cannot do
:38:49. > :38:55.already and that the risks of installing an elected mayor are too
:38:55. > :39:01.great. I think it would be a worse situation because it concentrates
:39:01. > :39:05.powers in one individual and leads to corruption. If people say no in
:39:05. > :39:10.May's worth when the, the Government's decision to hold in
:39:10. > :39:15.election in November becomes irrelevant.
:39:15. > :39:20.Harriet Baldwin, for a conservative Liberal Democrat coalition it would
:39:20. > :39:23.not be a work of genius to produce what looks like a new generation of
:39:23. > :39:30.powerful Labour figures the way things are going, Birmingham and
:39:30. > :39:35.Coventry, elsewhere. Is this a miscalculation? This government is
:39:35. > :39:39.committed to handing more power to local communities. The localism Act
:39:39. > :39:45.will give a lot more power across that this whole country but for big
:39:45. > :39:50.cities like Birmingham, Coventry, city's famous, we did not be great
:39:50. > :39:55.if they had a powerful elected spokesperson who could be readily
:39:55. > :40:01.identified with that city the way Boris is with the London. Is there
:40:02. > :40:05.not an implicit acceptance in your answer that the way things are
:40:05. > :40:13.going in big cities, there is a strong likelihood of Labour figures
:40:13. > :40:16.emerging? I hope we get Boris re- elected in London in May and there
:40:16. > :40:20.is a competitive range of candidates for other cities around
:40:20. > :40:26.the country. They may be independents, political parties and
:40:26. > :40:32.I think I will be campaigning strongly for the conservative male
:40:32. > :40:37.candidates. Are you celebrating the possibility of a new crop of Labour
:40:37. > :40:42.figures in big cities? I do not want a Boris figured that takes
:40:42. > :40:47.police numbers down and take police of the street but puts up the price
:40:47. > :40:54.of transport. What I want is someone that can represent a city
:40:54. > :41:00.as brilliant and diverse as Birmingham, but if we look at
:41:00. > :41:03.Birmingham in the first instance, I have to say I do not accept John
:41:03. > :41:08.Hemmings and view that if you get the balance right and to have a
:41:08. > :41:13.Cabinet and a mayor, and you have accountability and responsibility.
:41:13. > :41:19.I have to go on record and say that my name was thrown into the hat by
:41:19. > :41:23.a newspaper that I would be a candidate. Absolutely not. I have
:41:23. > :41:28.one job and that is enough. What do you make of this idea that each
:41:28. > :41:35.city will have the scope to determine what powers would be
:41:35. > :41:40.accrued by the mayor? Localism in action, we are forcing cities to
:41:40. > :41:47.have referendums whereas, the Babel party said, you decide whether you
:41:47. > :41:52.want to trigger a referendum. Will the public decide whether they want
:41:52. > :41:57.a where and -- a mayor and a manager or will they decide they
:41:57. > :42:05.have won something akin to London? Who will make that decision?
:42:05. > :42:09.Michael has made this point that the referendum is enforced. I think
:42:09. > :42:14.that it is a referendum, people are being asked the question and the
:42:14. > :42:21.cities are going to the polls any weight in May, so why not ask this
:42:21. > :42:25.additional question at the same time. It did not go world in Stoke.
:42:25. > :42:33.They got rid of their elected mayor at the first opportunity. In Stoke
:42:33. > :42:36.you had high expectations and they opted for the man and a manager and
:42:36. > :42:41.then you get a conflict between councillors who think they should
:42:41. > :42:46.have the control and the male office. Conflict in local
:42:46. > :42:51.government delivers nothing except disappointment. What will be the
:42:51. > :42:56.role of councillors if the you have this powerful figure in the centre?
:42:57. > :43:01.Then there would be leader of the council so it would fit in with the
:43:01. > :43:07.existing structures. But what if the council is not the same
:43:07. > :43:11.political make-up as the mayor? How can he lead that council? We will
:43:11. > :43:15.have plenty of opportunity to discuss that but now the sobering
:43:15. > :43:21.thought that our part of the country has suffered a bigger slump
:43:21. > :43:24.in manufacturing than anywhere else in the UK or. Now a senior Labour
:43:24. > :43:34.MP has admitted to this programme that his government did not do
:43:34. > :43:57.
:43:57. > :44:07.A new dawn for the UK as the 1997 general election seats Labour into
:44:07. > :44:11.power but it was not a new dawn for every one. Things did not get
:44:11. > :44:16.better for many of the region's small manufacturing businesses. At
:44:16. > :44:22.this firm, the last decade has been a struggle. 0 real roller-coaster
:44:22. > :44:27.ride. If we were seeing good years in the outset around 2000, 2001. We
:44:27. > :44:32.have seen a gradual decline and some of the major companies that we
:44:32. > :44:37.used to supply, they have gone. Coventry has had its fair share of
:44:37. > :44:41.big factory closures. This is the sight of the old Peugeot factory.
:44:41. > :44:47.It is part of the reason that there has been a big decline in
:44:47. > :44:52.manufacturing output over the last 13 years, down 23 %, the biggest
:44:52. > :44:57.for any way in the country. Be used to be so different. This footage
:44:57. > :45:04.shows a while this it to the Jaguar car plant, but this is what it
:45:04. > :45:08.looks like today. An exhibit at Coventry's transport museum
:45:08. > :45:11.charting the rise and fall of the city's automotive industry. A good
:45:11. > :45:18.place to find out from experts why the decline in manufacturing has
:45:18. > :45:24.been worse here. What we saw were Stirling 20 % overvalued, that
:45:24. > :45:32.affected our export base. Transport really struggled because of that
:45:32. > :45:37.and it meant we saw a run-down in closure of Peugeot. Service
:45:37. > :45:41.industries have been beginning. Adviser Garry used to work in a
:45:41. > :45:45.double-glazing factory. It is a lot less physical but a lot more
:45:45. > :45:50.enjoyable. I am in a much bigger company now with a lot more people
:45:50. > :45:55.here. It all begs the question - did the Labour government do enough
:45:55. > :46:01.to protect manufacturing jobs? did not. We have to do more and we
:46:01. > :46:05.have a different approach for the future. This is a key point.
:46:05. > :46:10.Manufacturing companies need access to finance and we have to persuade
:46:10. > :46:14.young people that manufacturing has a bright future. Despite the
:46:14. > :46:24.recession, employment levels in manufacturing are rising again. It
:46:24. > :46:27.
:46:27. > :46:31.is good news for a government that is keen to rebalance the economy.
:46:31. > :46:41.Also with us it is the head of strategy at one of the world's
:46:41. > :46:41.
:46:41. > :46:46.leading financial firms, Howard Wheldon. We know you are a
:46:46. > :46:51.Midlander through and through. When you look at the industrial scene
:46:51. > :46:56.here, who do you blame for it? There are a lot of factors. I do
:46:56. > :47:00.not think any one single person, party, government is to blame.
:47:00. > :47:08.Their rough factors we must take into consideration. You look that
:47:08. > :47:12.currencies, cost competitiveness, we have never had a proper
:47:12. > :47:16.industrial strategy, not through labour, not through Conservative
:47:16. > :47:20.government. That needs to be addressed and we allowed vocational
:47:20. > :47:24.training, education in terms of engineering and manufacturing to
:47:24. > :47:31.sink to a note which was unacceptable. We have to go to the
:47:31. > :47:38.bottom and start again. A couple of comments that have arisen. They
:47:38. > :47:45.blame the city. Over the last 30 years, at the behest of the city of
:47:45. > :47:50.London, short-termism UK industry has shipped manufacturing jobs to
:47:50. > :47:53.China. An over-reliance on London and on finances has slewed
:47:53. > :47:59.Investment said everything seems London focus. I completely agree
:47:59. > :48:04.with the major sentiments expressed. The city does take a lot of
:48:04. > :48:10.responsibility. Short-termism which began in the late 1970s and groove
:48:10. > :48:15.as the city of London got ever stronger and while our competitors,
:48:15. > :48:20.Germany and France, did not take that sort of attitude. They are
:48:20. > :48:26.taking it now but they did not take it back then. The city does bear a
:48:26. > :48:31.responsibility. We have to think long-term, long-term investment and
:48:31. > :48:34.research and development. The key to any manufacturing success is
:48:34. > :48:40.research and development. We have to escape -- persuade government to
:48:40. > :48:47.put bought in. What would you say it is the challenge of leadership
:48:47. > :48:54.for our political leaders? challenge is not to say, do what to
:48:54. > :48:58.say but what they express their view. Labour had not done enough.
:48:58. > :49:07.do not agree. It is so easy to say be did not do enough. All
:49:07. > :49:13.governments do what they can. Many factors are outside of our control.
:49:13. > :49:17.Instead we saw outsourcing in the ceramics industry. It is not
:49:17. > :49:22.interested in conditions or other things. Are you saying the ceramics
:49:22. > :49:27.industry did not raise their game to face that competition? We did
:49:27. > :49:31.not have the skills base and that goes back to the 1970s recession
:49:31. > :49:36.and the following recessions. We did not invest in the skills that
:49:36. > :49:39.made us the most attractive place to make it. The ball in terms of
:49:40. > :49:44.being in government is in your court now and to talk about
:49:44. > :49:48.enterprise zones, apprenticeships, but in the scale of events we are
:49:48. > :49:52.talking about it does not seem enough? This is a government that
:49:52. > :49:57.wants to see a country that makes think again. We are beginning to
:49:57. > :50:02.see that employment in the West Midlands is beginning to bottom out
:50:02. > :50:07.and increase. It seems very thin that we are turning the corner at
:50:07. > :50:13.the moment. It has been declining for a long time. It declined in the
:50:13. > :50:17.era where a government in the boom times was able to sit back and see
:50:17. > :50:24.the tax revenues coming in and not think about the need to rebalance
:50:24. > :50:28.the economy. We invested in this region, we invested in youth skills.
:50:28. > :50:34.We went from 68,000 apprenticeships in the year to nearly 300,000 and
:50:34. > :50:38.that is what I mean, people kept saying, we cannot make it here
:50:38. > :50:41.because it is higher productivity, manufacturing has changed. In the
:50:41. > :50:47.old days you could pile of Labour in there but the skills that are
:50:47. > :50:52.needed now are very different. totally agree we have to invest in
:50:52. > :50:56.skills. We will not be able to complete wed the labour is cheaper.
:50:56. > :51:01.We have to focus on high and manufacturing and there were signs
:51:01. > :51:06.that with the relocation of things like Jaguar and Land Rover that
:51:06. > :51:09.that is beginning to happen. celebrate the Jaguar and Land Rover
:51:09. > :51:13.and the engine plant but the key challenge for the supply chain that
:51:13. > :51:20.we talk about a lot is to cornerback share of the market
:51:20. > :51:25.rather than see the components... We have become very good and Gen
:51:25. > :51:29.Iraq -- Jaguar make a lot of its components here in the UK but too
:51:29. > :51:37.many companies are bringing in the components in from overseas and
:51:37. > :51:41.literally blowing the cars together. One example of that is the maker of
:51:41. > :51:46.the London taxis. The components are coming in from overseas, that
:51:46. > :51:52.is the sort of thing we have to try and reverse, so we need to put more
:51:52. > :51:56.energy into the supply base. quick yes no answer from each a
:51:56. > :52:06.view, is there enough of the manufacturing industry left to turn
:52:06. > :52:06.
:52:06. > :52:10.it around? Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you for coming and the dressing and
:52:10. > :52:16.import -- important part of the issue.
:52:16. > :52:26.In just 60 seconds, a political round-up. Shayne O'Connor begins
:52:26. > :52:26.
:52:26. > :52:31.his summing up with the sign of the On the breadline and going hungry
:52:31. > :52:34.in Coventry, charity worker say one in five are living in poverty and
:52:34. > :52:37.it will get worse if welfare reforms go through.
:52:37. > :52:43.How many council workers does it take to mend a pothole? A small
:52:43. > :52:47.army took to Staffordshire's roads as part of a �20 million programme
:52:47. > :52:53.using money saved from closing back offices. We are doing it because
:52:53. > :52:58.the public wanted. They want their roads back to a decent condition.
:52:58. > :53:01.First did was Help For Heroes now it is Help For Heroes families. And
:53:01. > :53:04.eight in bed centre is planned for Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth
:53:04. > :53:09.Hospital so relatives of injured soldiers can spend more time with
:53:09. > :53:13.their loved ones. Overseas aid a hit record levels at
:53:13. > :53:18.Birmingham's Islamic charity after famine was declared in Somalia for
:53:18. > :53:21.stop and financial pressures are being blamed for cuts in five
:53:21. > :53:28.kidney dialysis centres but the firm running them has been accused
:53:28. > :53:32.of putting profit before care. We know that the University
:53:32. > :53:36.Hospital in Birmingham is in talks on that day Ellis's issue so maybe
:53:36. > :53:42.there will be some further development on it. This will feel
:53:42. > :53:46.like an NHS cut to those patients. A budgets have gone up in the NHS
:53:46. > :53:50.this year but there were still more who need to use the services. In my
:53:50. > :53:55.neck of the woods in Worcestershire, they are beginning to think about
:53:55. > :54:01.how they can best structure care so it is delivered efficiency and in a
:54:01. > :54:05.way that is focusing on the quality for patients. A small army of
:54:05. > :54:09.people mending the pot holes in Staffordshire. This is a textbook
:54:09. > :54:15.example of the government getting those efficiency savings out of the
:54:15. > :54:20.back office and making use of it. Brilliant and I want to see more.
:54:20. > :54:26.When it gets to elections, you are Overton voted in or out whether
:54:26. > :54:31.bins are emptied, whether a pot holes are dealt with. The more we
:54:31. > :54:36.deliver locally the more politics can X and I think all of the main
:54:36. > :54:42.parties would want that and love that and we would see a reduction
:54:42. > :54:46.in extremis that have been sadly elected to represent our -- us in
:54:46. > :54:53.the European Parliament. A quick word from each, what are you all
:54:53. > :54:58.getting up to in Europe next week? I hope I will be talking about a