11/03/2012 Sunday Politics West Midlands

And in the Midlands, the elected commissioners who will take charge

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1806 seconds

of budgets, complaints and hiring The hello again from the Midlands.

I am Patrick Burns. Pull commissioners transform a

policeman's lock into a happy one? They will have powers to set

budgets, hire and fire Chief Constables but will have the voters

to answer to if it goes wrong. Let's meet our guests here today.

An intriguing blend of relative youth and lofty experience, Bill

Cash, the Conservative MP for Stone who has been an MP as long ago as

19 a four and Shabana Mahmood was elected Labour MP for Ladywood as

recent as 2010 -- Bill Cash, you have been a thorn in the side of a

succession of Tory party leaders. How did you feel when... The issue

on which the remark was made his now proving to be right. Many of

now proving to be right. Many of now proving to be right. Many of

the arguments which are put forward with others during the Maastricht

rebellion and sense on the European issue. I think everybody would now

agree have pretty much come true. I think it is perhaps a complement!

There it was not intended as such. You are also an author. You have

published an acclaimed biography of the Victorian statesman, John

Bright, after whom John Bright Street was named. You often say

that his ideas, albeit from the Victorian era, our ideas for our

time as well. I really think so. He, with others, fought for

parliamentary democracy to give the votes to the working class. It was

centred on Birmingham and he performed a great service by

providing people with the right to vote and unfortunately I think that

people perhaps take it for granted now and that our parliamentary

system is in need of reform. Shabana Mahmood, you have been

fast-tracked to the front bench to a position of abject loyalty.

have to disagree, I am having a great time in the shadow business

Thame, Shadow Minister for Higher Education and I am really pleased

to be able to stand up for students and the next generation -- shadow

business tame. You work in any what is described as a deprived

constituency, do you find you are talking down things? No, my

constituents represent what the parties as a nationally. Let's get

on with our top story, the pressure that is building on the Chancellor

to scrap the planned August increase in fuel duty in his Budget

in ten days' time. That is certainly the message that

campaigners to do Westminster. The three pence per litre rise which

they say will further damage businesses and choke off economic

growth. Andy Boyle describes himself as a

diesel millionaire, spending �1 million on fuel last year to keep

his business on the road. Diesel costs are now one quarter of his

costs. Good for such a great impact on my business that I have to pass

the cost on. Unfortunately, the fall-out from that his customers

don't have to pay me, they can go somewhere else. But it is not just

business is feeling the pain. Motorists are becoming increasingly

aware that more than half the cost of a litre of fuel is tax and VAT.

Do his graceful. The amount of tax taken off it, we are still got to

drive our cars around. I can cope myself but yes, it is expensive.

Expensive if you are running two family cars as well. I do find it

expensive. I don't use it as much as before, but it must be nearly

double to what it was forced up the Government scrapped the three pence

per litre rise which was due to come in to effect in January.

now effective in August unless the Chancellor changes his mind. Tell

them they hardship you are going through. The real difficulty is

that this unsupportable burden of fuel duty is having on your day-to-

day life. Which is why Andy Boyle joined hundreds of campaigners

lobbying their MPs in Westminster are asking for, if not a reduction

in fuel costs, at least no further increases.

Never any shortage of advice for the Chancellor during the run-up to

Budget day. Cath Mackie reporting there. You have to feel for Andy

Boyle, the haulier there. �1 million on fuel but what room for

manoeuvre has George Osborne got? absolutely sympathise with what

motorists and Marcus twins say, they have been lobbying me about it.

I think -- and what my constituents say. I think he should go for a

temporary cut in VAT and bring it back from 20% down to 17.5%. That

would take 3p off the cost of fuel per litre immediately and it would

put �480 into the pockets of hard- pressed families. I think he could

kill two birds with one stone. temporary VAT cut, Bill Cash?

have something for people who drive cars and hauliers. We are a

marginal constituency as well and people need cars to get around and

quite frankly, on 2009 figures, nearly 31 billion revenue from the

fuel duties. I personally think it has gone too far and I think the

element of tax is enormous and I frankly think that we should extend

the opportunity for people to be able to buy fuel at a reasonable

price. Thinking about fuel duty itself which I notice you slightly

sidestep, the campaigners on the fuel protest said the 2.5%

relaxation in the duty would actually deliver a third of a %

growth to GDP and bring in jobs according to their research. It is

a ballot proposal but I think if you go for a temporary cut in VAT,

you can not only take 3p of a litre but also do other things as well

which will help kick-start the economy which would be better for

all of us. That is the way forward in the circumstances in which we

find ourselves. The Budget we are told is about growth and the irony

is the effects of policy are to inhibit growth. He took the words

out of my mouth. It is growth and small and medium-size businesses.

That is why we must put the emphasis and I really think that

fuel duties are an inhibitor of growth and if you want to tackle

the deficit, you must get growth by increasing the capacity of private

enterprise to provide the Revenue for public expenditure. It is a

virtuous circle and I think the puled duties are far too high.

is interesting because you are both on a similar if not quite the same

page. Do you think the Chancellor is listening? No shortage of advice.

When I put it to the him a few months ago. That growth was the key

to everything, I got a sympathetic response. I believe this is an

element of the capacity to produce growth an eye, for my part, and

very convinced that there is a need to serve may not increase. I am

slightly disconcerted because I find myself agreeing with Bill and

that is why Labour has put forward a five point plan for growth. Vince

Cable has criticised this week for not having a strategy for growth

and that is dangerous for the Business secretary to stir a.

He should set police budget? -- who should said police budgets? From

November, it will be the police commissioner. Elected in each force

area to replace the police authorities which ministers say

lack clout and accountability. Our political reporter asks what

individual it might take to police Wanted - a voice of the people. Who

will hold the Chief Constable to account and lead the community in

If you have all these skills, you could be just the kind of person

the Government is looking for to From West Midlands Police to savage

a, local people in 41 different areas will elect a commissioner --

to Staffordshire. Some people worry about who they may end up with.

like to think that in the area, people getting in touch with us are

doing it for the right reasons but I am sure up and down the country

people are applying who have not had the career they wanted and are

now seeking another high-profile job to fulfil themselves. The most

high-profile of them all is John Prescott who wants the Humberside

police job but the Midlands have a fair few politicians in the frame.

Like James Plaskitt who lost his seat at the last election and wants

to be Warwickshire's police commissioner. A plethora of

politicians are vying for the West Midlands Police post which promises

a pay packet of up to �100,000 per year. And then there is Simon

Murphy, who is after West Mercia Police. He used to be Labour's top

MEP in Europe but stood down eight years ago to spend more time with

his family. Politicians to have been around the block a few times

know how to work with government ministers and the Civil Service in

Whitehall. How to defend budgets from being cut, had to run the

partnerships that will be required to reduce crime and help fund lad

police services in places like West Mercia. Police authorities will be

replaced by the commissioners. One former West Midlands Police Chief

thinks politicians might be better placed for the role than people

with a policing background. perception is that you want

somebody separate from the police hold in the police to account and a

thicket balls straight away that that theory falls straight away if

you have a former police person. The public police person is that

they are in the wrong camp. Government says it is spreading the

net for candidates widely. In eight months, the public will decide to

get the keys. -- will decide who Also with us here today is Martin

Searle who will be running for police commissioner in

Gloucestershire where he served as a superintendent, in command of

operations in the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury area before moving to UK

counter-terrorism role five years ago and retired a couple of months

or so ago. What you want the job, Martin? It is an important job. A

great opportunity to serve the people of Gloucestershire and that

that that police forces are increasingly important and I feel I

have the qualities to do that. I know the area well and I see it is

a great opportunity to move the police Ford, engage with the people

and be that conduit between the people and the police. But Jefferey

said in that report that you are insufficiently independent of the

police which might mean you might want to meddle in details. I think

I have done my meddling. He makes a valid point and for some police it

would be very different but I am not standing as a police officer.

That is only part of the role. But will take me just so far -- that

will take me so far. I think policing is a great qualification

to start but there is a whole load more to that job which she can

demonstrate an tell the people what that is. What style of leader would

you be? Are you a kind of sensitive, community type or a strict security

tap? The former, absolutely. You must represent all the people, not

just one section. The needs of people are crucial. Life is

complicated, policing is complicated. I am setting out my

manifesto based on appeal principles set out in 1929. All

commissioners should work towards these. Bill Cash, isn't there a

danger of a fragmented police service? We have one force with a

commissioner who is policing by consent type as Martin is and a

more security focused person elsewhere? I think the key thing is

accountability but also the party has to respond to local

requirements. He will be elected on what people want end their area and

the mention of Robert Peel, the Staffordshire Member of Parliament

who set up the original police force. I believe very strongly that

if we get the accountability right and the response to the local

people's requirements, it will be fragmented and -- it would be

fragmented, it will be the right person in the right place for the

right job. Isn't the police service a bit of a shake-up which your

government Dr? No, and I voted against this because when you are

facing deep cuts to the budgets, this is the wrong policy and

priority and it is absolutely the wrong time. The Fide had to choose

between coppers on the beat and commissioners, I would choose

coppers on the beat -- if I had to choose. On the latest blog post,

somebody says "my worry is just a political will baby, can they

divorce themselves from political affiliations and

interference?"Nathan says this is an invisible revolution in the

major change and shock many aid chief -- many a Chief Constable.

Isn't there a danger that target- setting politically will raise its

ugly head? Big vote in Gloucestershire if I get elected, I

can assure you -- it will not in Gloucestershire if I get elected.

We moved away from criminalising it targets. The political debate is a

good debate, I have no objection to former politicians applying for

this role. The difficulty I have with it is the party political

stance. I do not want to hear a headline that West Midlands Police

has been won for the Tory party, the Labour Party in the same way

that elections in councils are won for one party. Bill Cash, there are

a lot of political names in frames. It is bound to become politicised,

isn't it? I would not wanted to be under no there are lots of people

who are senior politicians who are going for it like John Prescott and

then other people who have not got that kind of high profile and there

are people who were going from an independent background as well. It

is up to people to choose. Actually I do hope that by November we will

have a really good campaign to make certain that the best balance is

achieved for the community because they are the ones to achieve it.

Something has to be done, Shabana Mahmood, because doesn't the

Government have a point, they are low profile and have not got the

required clout? We need to reform and reinvigorate police authorities

and that is where the Government should have headed. We are in a

position where we will have commissioners and we must make the

best of a bad job. And not just an insider's job as well. Thank you

and especially to Martin. This is where we go out on the beat again

at the double. Time for our regular round-up of the political week in

the Midlands in just 60 seconds brought to us by BBC Radio Stoke's

The army was recruiting in Staffordshire this weekend giving

school pupils do taste of army life in MoD Stafford. Pole 1,000 people

signed up from the West Midlands each year.

And you Lulsley suggests there must be significant investment in

hospitals in the West Midlands. -- Andrew Lansley. It will mean

additional emergency department capacity and maternity capacity for

things in Telford. More beds and The council wants to put Port Vale

football club into administration, and denied it was a waste of

taxpayers' money. But could step benefit from becoming part of

Staffordshire? I will be sharing a BBC Radio Stoke debate.

Mike Pritchard resigned from his post as deputy chairman of the

Tories international committee. He wants to speak out about the

Government's's policy on Europe and I don't know if that counts as a

promise by Mark Pritchard. Bill Cash, are we seeing another

emergence of the awkward squad that made John Major's life a misery?

Immigration and Europe were big issues that missed out in attention

from the last election and we have now seen the complete mess that

Europe is in. It needs renegotiation and those of us in

the House of Commons to share these views and Mark Pritchard is one of

them, as far as I and concerned are doing exactly the right thing.

There you are, Shabana. If I can use a word from the other side,

schadenfreude for you, looking at the discomfort of your opponents?

We have a discussion in our national debate about the tensions

within the coalition. They are probably a bigger problem in the

Conservative Party for David Cameron and you can see that as

time goes on. David Cameron used the veto which are strongly

recommended he did and made our position spiked upwards. That is

the position that people want, they want a referendum and they are very,

very concerned about the effect of European policy. That really is it

from us here in the Midlands Today. Thank you to Bill Cash and Shabana

Mahmood. Incidentally, that debate on whether or not Stoke would be

better on not off in Staffordshire, that will be in the Staffordshire