0:01:14 > 0:01:17And in the Midlands: Too old to work but too young to
0:01:17 > 0:01:20retire. As the state pension age keeps
0:01:20 > 0:01:30going up and up and up, the challenges of longer careers facing
0:01:30 > 0:01:30
0:01:30 > 0:32:09Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1838 seconds
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Good afternoon. Hello again from the Midlands. I'm Patrick Burns.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15And joining me today. Laurence Robertson is the Conservative MP
0:32:15 > 0:32:18for Tewkesbury. He's a former engineer and factory owner. And Ian
0:32:18 > 0:32:25Austin is the Labour MP for Dudley North. He was a special advisor the
0:32:25 > 0:32:32Chancellor for six of Gordon Brown's ten years at the Treasury.
0:32:32 > 0:32:41At least you've got something to show for it. My bike? You are
0:32:41 > 0:32:48talking... 30 seconds, 502 metres. I don't want to boast but I was
0:32:48 > 0:32:54delighted! Feel free to boast. You go out on roads as well. Several
0:32:54 > 0:32:59times a week. And part of a cycling club. By race bikes a bit, not very
0:32:59 > 0:33:07well, but I love cycling. It's a great way to get around and it is a
0:33:07 > 0:33:14great pastime. While on the subject of athleticism, you're on a
0:33:14 > 0:33:20marathon man as well. You are going back a few years there. Any plans
0:33:20 > 0:33:24for another marathon? I've done six. My last one was 1994 in New York.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29That was tremendous. I do a bit of jogging but that is all. My
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Marathon days are long gone. He got a thing about endurance events.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36This five-year parliament in cahoots with Liberal Democrats. Do
0:33:36 > 0:33:42you have the staying power as a man on the right of your power to stick
0:33:42 > 0:33:46it out? I certainly have. I've got the staying power to last for five
0:33:46 > 0:33:50years and hopefully longer than that as a Member of Parliament. We
0:33:50 > 0:33:55are where we are. The electorate didn't give a clear signal to
0:33:55 > 0:33:58anybody. The good of the country has to come first.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Coming up a little later: Never mind the granny tax. Could many of
0:34:01 > 0:34:05us be great-grandparents before we can retire? Rethinking the ever-
0:34:05 > 0:34:09lengthening careers of our ageing workforce.
0:34:09 > 0:34:18But before that, our top story this week: the Budget. Higher personal
0:34:18 > 0:34:21allowances to help lower earners. Easier borrowing for small firms.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25And a battle royal over simplified planning rules to boost our
0:34:25 > 0:34:32competitiveness. Or to give the developers a field-day. It had all
0:34:32 > 0:34:34been heavily-leaked. Apart from the one explosive detail, with which
0:34:34 > 0:34:37the granny tax budget may be forever associated, that cap on
0:34:37 > 0:34:47pensioners' top-up tax allowances. And fuel duty will go up, as
0:34:47 > 0:34:51
0:34:51 > 0:34:54planned, by 3p a litre. Not quite a Budget to remember,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58unless you're a Warwickshire coach from hoping for help paying your
0:34:58 > 0:35:02fuel bills. Here at Johnson's Coaches, they reckon they'll spend
0:35:02 > 0:35:09�2 million on diesel this year, 20% more than they did last year.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12are going to be put in �250,000 worth of more fuel into of vehicles
0:35:12 > 0:35:16to do the same mileage this year. And in nearby Henley in Arden the
0:35:16 > 0:35:20views weren't much different. disgusting. Everything is going up.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Astronomical. So what did other small businesses think of the
0:35:22 > 0:35:25budget? This Warwick photocopier firm was also looking for help
0:35:25 > 0:35:33after public spending cuts have meant fewer contracts. Here, some
0:35:33 > 0:35:39encouraging signs. The thing I'm most enthusiastic about his the
0:35:39 > 0:35:42government promising that they will reduce red tape. But will less
0:35:42 > 0:35:46bureaucracy really help the fitness of the economy? At this gym their
0:35:46 > 0:35:50more interested in tax cuts giving people more disposable income.
0:35:50 > 0:35:59allowances are going up. People will feel they have more money to
0:35:59 > 0:36:01spend which will be good for places like this. But despite the
0:36:01 > 0:36:05optimisms, this week there's also been a reminding of just how
0:36:05 > 0:36:09fragile things still are. With new research suggesting insolvencies in
0:36:09 > 0:36:14some parts of the Black Country are amongst the highest in the UK.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Sometimes you cannot get credit because they are risk-averse.
0:36:17 > 0:36:24Ultimately it's hoped that the Budget and measures to encourage
0:36:24 > 0:36:29more bank lending will help keep the wheels of industry moving. We
0:36:29 > 0:36:34are also joined today by Andy Street, the managing director of
0:36:34 > 0:36:42the John Lewis chain of department stores. But also the chairman of
0:36:42 > 0:36:46the Local Enterprise Partnership but covers the West Midlands. We
0:36:46 > 0:36:54have to mention that because we see all lorries going up and down the
0:36:54 > 0:36:59country. This is something... a biggish if all businesses and we
0:36:59 > 0:37:02recognise this. The next person to join our borders the managing
0:37:03 > 0:37:07director of National Express so why am sure he will be ferocious on the
0:37:07 > 0:37:10subject. In the longer term, what we have to do is deal with the
0:37:10 > 0:37:15transport infrastructure in the region to take people off road so
0:37:15 > 0:37:20that we've got a public -- better public transport system. On Budget
0:37:20 > 0:37:25day, the Treasury went out of the way to trumpet the �74 million
0:37:25 > 0:37:30growing places fund which they say is going to help around the West
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Midlands. This sort of money is a drop in the ocean in comparison
0:37:34 > 0:37:37above the sort of sums we were talking about previously. It is and
0:37:37 > 0:37:43I'm not going to say that is the difference that we are going to
0:37:43 > 0:37:47make. Let me explain what that money is for. That is all about
0:37:47 > 0:37:51kick-starting projects that are ready and have stalled. Let's not
0:37:52 > 0:37:56be ungrateful for that. It is useful for projects on the ground.
0:37:56 > 0:38:04But far more importantly than that, what we have to do is look at the
0:38:04 > 0:38:07underlying competitiveness of the economy. Can do business department
0:38:07 > 0:38:11help address those broader questions? I think a good example
0:38:11 > 0:38:21of how this is working at the moment, and we had an announcement
0:38:21 > 0:38:24from Vince Cable last Friday which was about... It was conceived of
0:38:24 > 0:38:28life or organisations across the country, has been taken national
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and is about giving money to potential supply chain companies,
0:38:31 > 0:38:35particularly the automotive industry. That is exactly the sort
0:38:35 > 0:38:38of help for business that I've heard you pleading for for some
0:38:38 > 0:38:42time now. This government is this enforced I welcome anything that is
0:38:42 > 0:38:46going to get the economy moving and will create jobs in the West
0:38:46 > 0:38:52Midlands but the truth about this Budget when you look at it, the
0:38:52 > 0:38:57Government's own figures don't show growth, they have not increased
0:38:57 > 0:39:04their growth forecasts. There are forecasting 0.8 % for this year and
0:39:04 > 0:39:08last year they forecast 2.5 %. Growth has stalled. Growth is
0:39:08 > 0:39:13moving ahead in places like America and Germany. Your policies are
0:39:13 > 0:39:17contributing to that stalling of growth. No, I think the growth
0:39:17 > 0:39:20figures are more optimistic, especially as we go for the next
0:39:20 > 0:39:24two or three years but the government is focusing on helping
0:39:24 > 0:39:27businesses. We've had a little bit about how they are helping. Why are
0:39:27 > 0:39:31there so many insolvencies in the Black Country? Because of the
0:39:31 > 0:39:38situation we are facing. Look at Greece, Spain, Ireland. The cut
0:39:38 > 0:39:45their terrible problems. We are not going into recession. The important
0:39:45 > 0:39:51thing is we have the sustained recovery. It got to welcome looking
0:39:51 > 0:39:57at... Personal allowances are going to take those with low incomes at
0:39:57 > 0:40:01of tax. You must welcome that. course. It's a good thing. If
0:40:01 > 0:40:09people are paying less tax, that's a good thing. Lower-income families
0:40:09 > 0:40:16are paying more... Middle income families are losing tax credits. We
0:40:16 > 0:40:20are seeing tax cuts for those earning �1 million per year. This
0:40:20 > 0:40:26cannot be the right time for that. The budget set the scene for a
0:40:26 > 0:40:30battle royal over this national planning policy framework which is
0:40:30 > 0:40:34designed to improve competitiveness but is it a developer's Charter?
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Would it be a free for all? I don't believe so. We are still waiting to
0:40:38 > 0:40:42see the detail. It will be published on Tuesday but our belief
0:40:42 > 0:40:47is that it will have listened to the requirements of business to
0:40:47 > 0:40:52make a positive response to planning applications the norm. But
0:40:52 > 0:40:56then there are safeguards to protect green belt and town centres.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00What do you say to those, particularly in rural areas who
0:41:00 > 0:41:04were worried about the green belt? One of my main motivations of
0:41:04 > 0:41:07coming into politics was to protect the countryside and the green belt
0:41:07 > 0:41:10so why wouldn't support anything that I felt threatened it. This is
0:41:10 > 0:41:14about simplification. The planning rules at the moment are
0:41:14 > 0:41:19unbelievably complicated. I don't know how many volumes there are of
0:41:19 > 0:41:22them. This is about simplifying it. There may be certain things which
0:41:22 > 0:41:28do need adjusting as Figure 1 but the important thing is to simplify
0:41:28 > 0:41:32the whole process. The other thing is to scrap the regional spacial
0:41:32 > 0:41:37strategy where a regional approach to his -- to planning was taken and
0:41:38 > 0:41:41that was deeply unpopular. A final word on that from you. We have to
0:41:41 > 0:41:49simplify the planning system but we need an urgent plan for growth to
0:41:49 > 0:41:52get the economy moving. My thanks to all for being with us today.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Hang onto your supermarket trolleys, Tesco are looking at raising their
0:41:55 > 0:42:04staff retirement age from 65 to 67. And they won't be alone. By October
0:42:04 > 0:42:122020, the state pension age will be 66. By 2046, it will be 68. We are
0:42:12 > 0:42:15living and working longer. So Cath Mackie has been finding out how we
0:42:15 > 0:42:19need to rethink the way we cope with extended careers and later
0:42:19 > 0:42:27retirement. Representing Russia, it's the
0:42:27 > 0:42:34Buranova Grannies. And for the UK, the 75-year-old crooner Engelbert
0:42:35 > 0:42:44Humperdinck. Well, we are all having to work longer and these
0:42:45 > 0:42:49
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Eurovision hopefuls clock up almost 500 years between them. Over in
0:42:51 > 0:42:56Wasall at the ironmonger manufacturer Kirkpatrick older
0:42:56 > 0:43:02staff show they too still have much to offer. I'm a 62. By have three
0:43:03 > 0:43:11years to go. I look after myself. I'm 71 and I enjoy my job, that is
0:43:11 > 0:43:15why I come to work. Around 90 people work here. Older people tend
0:43:16 > 0:43:20to be more reliable in terms of turning up for work and they have
0:43:20 > 0:43:24experience of the job. If they have started when they were 20 years old,
0:43:24 > 0:43:29they have got 20 years' experience. Our image of older people is
0:43:30 > 0:43:33evolving. When I was a kid anyone over 60 seemed to look like this.
0:43:33 > 0:43:39Now they can look like this. So is it time to rethink retirement? But
0:43:39 > 0:43:42more importantly, can we afford not to? When the state pension was
0:43:42 > 0:43:45introduced in 1909, there were around 22 working people for every
0:43:45 > 0:43:52retiree. By 2020 it's predicted that will have fallen to just 3.5
0:43:52 > 0:43:56working people to every person of state pension age. People who half
0:43:56 > 0:44:00a lifetime in business have got a lot to offer and almost a
0:44:00 > 0:44:05responsibility to try to put back particularly in supporting the
0:44:05 > 0:44:09younger generation. His company specialises in helping people of
0:44:09 > 0:44:13any age make the most of what they have to offer. But our employers
0:44:13 > 0:44:16ready to face the challenges of an ageing workforce? I don't think
0:44:16 > 0:44:23they got to grips with this yet but I think it is a timebomb that will
0:44:23 > 0:44:33hit them because soon... In 2020, 36 % of the workforce is going to
0:44:33 > 0:44:39
0:44:39 > 0:44:44be over 50! Some employers will employ people my age because they
0:44:44 > 0:44:50understand how we work. A lot of the new, up and you coming young
0:44:50 > 0:44:56lads who are opening up firms, they have never had any real dealings
0:44:56 > 0:45:00with guys my age and what he can achieve. Age UK claim that many
0:45:00 > 0:45:07older workers experienced age discrimination. Retirement experts
0:45:07 > 0:45:12say we are facing a social revolution and mustard up. And as
0:45:12 > 0:45:17for Eurovision, sorry, Hump, but my money's on the babushkas. There is
0:45:17 > 0:45:24hope for us all! I am pleased to say that since she completed that
0:45:24 > 0:45:27report, Tony Levey has found a job at a local school. Well done. Maybe
0:45:27 > 0:45:32you will encourage thousands of others who have not been quite so
0:45:32 > 0:45:35successful yet. Looking at that film, you get a picture of a
0:45:36 > 0:45:40society that is shockingly and prepared for this. During your time
0:45:40 > 0:45:47in government, Gordon Brown's raid on the pension funds didn't help.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49It's a ropy inheritance. That's not true because those changes were
0:45:49 > 0:45:54offset by corporation tax cuts. Everybody agrees people will have
0:45:54 > 0:46:00to work longer but how do we manage that? And how do we afforded?
0:46:00 > 0:46:03government has a crude way of looking at this. The government has
0:46:03 > 0:46:07put in the retirement age up but you have to look at the sort of
0:46:07 > 0:46:11jobs people are doing. At 71 year- old woman was doing back-breaking
0:46:11 > 0:46:15work which is a different job to one like mine or somebody working
0:46:15 > 0:46:19in an office. You've worked in industry see you know how people's
0:46:19 > 0:46:23careers can evolve and their attitudes change over time. They do.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27This has been a ticking timebomb for many years. To be honest, no
0:46:27 > 0:46:31government has done anything about it. We have not all of a sudden
0:46:31 > 0:46:34started to live longer. This has been coming for many years.
0:46:34 > 0:46:39Governments of all persuasions have failed to tackle this. We cannot
0:46:39 > 0:46:44put it off any longer. We are also starting work later. We used to
0:46:44 > 0:46:53start work at 14. People's often don't start work until 22 which is
0:46:53 > 0:46:57how we end up with the figures. is a challenge for all of us. But
0:46:57 > 0:47:04be raised with the way, and that has arisen as a result of my block
0:47:04 > 0:47:07this week. The reason in a number of the factory workers took up the
0:47:07 > 0:47:11offer of state-owned pensions is because most people realise what a,
0:47:11 > 0:47:15they are. If it is not the Government changing the goalposts,
0:47:15 > 0:47:22it's the possibility the employee will raid for funds. Pensions are
0:47:22 > 0:47:26worthless! What do you say to that? We've all got to make proper
0:47:26 > 0:47:33provision for our retirement. The other interesting thing I picked up
0:47:33 > 0:47:36on was the age profile of the workforce. You see lots of people
0:47:36 > 0:47:41in the 50s and coming up to retirement and there is a challenge
0:47:41 > 0:47:49about how we are encouraging people to think about careers in
0:47:49 > 0:47:53manufacturing. There are good, strong solid careers in these areas.
0:47:53 > 0:48:02On the evidence so far, most debar not making the sort of provision
0:48:02 > 0:48:07Ian is talking about. -- Most people are not making. Older people
0:48:07 > 0:48:10are reliable, turn up for work every day and so on. There is a
0:48:10 > 0:48:17blockage of career opportunities for younger people. I don't think
0:48:17 > 0:48:27so. Better off older people put more money back into the economy. I
0:48:27 > 0:48:32don't agree that by retiring people you boost the economy, you don't.
0:48:32 > 0:48:42The fundamental for you guys is that it is for the electorate
0:48:42 > 0:48:45decide who you -- when you retire! We haven't got a job for life. We
0:48:45 > 0:48:49are right there all the time tried in people's trust. People know that
0:48:49 > 0:48:57changes have to be made and we you put that to them. I'm sure they
0:48:57 > 0:49:05will respond in the right way. Now to our regular round-up of the
0:49:05 > 0:49:07political week in the Midlands in just 60 seconds.
0:49:07 > 0:49:1014-year-old Matthew Clarke from Shropshire was one of 800 Olympic
0:49:10 > 0:49:14torch bearers announced for the Midlands this week. It's hoped the
0:49:14 > 0:49:17relay will generate millions for tourism. Gypsies living in Meriden
0:49:17 > 0:49:25went to the High Court to try and overturn a ruling they're on their
0:49:25 > 0:49:27site illegally. The embattled Cannock MP Aiden Burley introduced
0:49:27 > 0:49:32a bill to get heavier motorised wheelchairs allowed onto pavements,
0:49:32 > 0:49:37so disabled children can use the latest technology. The Road Traffic
0:49:37 > 0:49:45Act categorises technologically advanced wheelchairs as cars which
0:49:46 > 0:49:48can only be driven legally by over 17 to hold a driving licence.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51is the shared space scheme in Coventry where traffic lights have
0:49:52 > 0:49:54been removed to improve the flow of cars. But campaigners in Leek want
0:49:54 > 0:49:57a public enquiry before they agree to having one too. And
0:49:57 > 0:49:59controversial plans for a �22 million wind farm near the
0:50:00 > 0:50:09Stiperstones are under now review. Two of the landowners have pulled
0:50:10 > 0:50:11
0:50:11 > 0:50:16out of the scheme. Sustainable energy, it's the sort
0:50:16 > 0:50:23of thing everybody signs up to in principle but in practice, not in
0:50:23 > 0:50:27my backyard! We've got to decide which sort of energy you want. Wind
0:50:27 > 0:50:31farms are intermittent. They don't produce energy when the wind is not
0:50:31 > 0:50:37blowing. Whether they are worth an investment, I'm not sure. There are
0:50:37 > 0:50:47better systems than wind farms. They are supposedly... Are you
0:50:47 > 0:50:48
0:50:48 > 0:50:51going cool on the environment? think they were surprised that the
0:50:51 > 0:50:54initial take-up of that scheme but I think solar power has a big
0:50:54 > 0:50:59future. The sun is there and provides a lot of energy. We can
0:50:59 > 0:51:02use it from more than we do. We are nowhere where we need to be.
0:51:02 > 0:51:08cycle which is good for the environment. What more can
0:51:08 > 0:51:12politicians do to give a lead? think we have to seize this. The
0:51:12 > 0:51:16low carbon economy is going to create many well-paid jobs over the
0:51:16 > 0:51:18next few decades and if we make the right decisions now, we can make
0:51:18 > 0:51:22sure we bring those jobs to areas like mine and the Black Country
0:51:22 > 0:51:29that are crying out for well-paid, high-skill jobs for the future. I'm
0:51:29 > 0:51:38excited about this. The company in my constituency produces Barings
0:51:38 > 0:51:41That's all from us. My thanks to Laurence Robertson and Ian Austin.