20/01/2013 Sunday Politics West Midlands


20/01/2013

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And in the Midlands, could your council tax be going up? We reveal

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the ten councils considering an increase, even though the

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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2302 seconds

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Government say they have a 'moral Hello once again from the Midlands.

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I'm Patrick Burns. Our guests today tell a story of marginal

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constituencies, past and present. Birmingham Northfield used to be a

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Tory marginal. But the Labour MP Richard Burden has made it all his

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own for more than 20 years. Karen Lumley is the Conservative MP for

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that perennial weather vain seat, Redditch.

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First it was Comet. Then dress up - - then Jessops. Next HMV. And now

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Blockbuster. All four chain stores have gone into administration

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during the past couple of months, with the loss of more than 10,000

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jobs. So what's the effect on a town like Burton-on-Trent in

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Staffordshire? Until recently, it had all of those high street names.

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Now, business leaders there are left to reflect on radically-

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changing customer habits. Clearly, the move to buying online is

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massive, and while people might going to restore to touch and feel

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the product, they will then searched online and find somewhere

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they can save 10%. So it is almost like a shop window but the purchase

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is done somewhere else. In Redditch, you have a shopping centre which

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has not been immune to this March of online retail. Know, we've lost

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Blockbuster, Jessops and HMV. your government have done more?

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Businesses are complaining about really high VAT and business rates.

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We're trying to help business and to be competitive in the UK and the

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global economy. But friends are moving towards online shopping. We

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need to revitalise our high streets. -- trends are moving. Are these

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businesses paying the price for having failed to update their

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business models? Well, there is no doubt there is a big change in

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people's shopping habits. Before Christmas, I went to the sorting

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office. A few years ago, it would be cards, now it is all parcels.

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But also, people don't buy if they don't feel confident about their

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futures, their jobs, if they feel insecure. That is why I think

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companies should be doing far more to get confidence back. What, for

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example? Well, a temporary VAT cut could help. They need to be much

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more active at implementing the Mary Porter's review. The action is

:42:46.:42:56.
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an air. -- isn't there. Most of the business is doing OK have a

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presence on the High Street and online as well. We have to study

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new scheme in Redditch where police shops are going to be funded partly

:43:09.:43:19.
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by the government. I think this is the right way to do it.

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Coming up a little later: the Government says local authorities

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have a moral duty not to increase council tax. But more and more

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Midlands councils are planning to do just that. It is costing them

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more to grit the roads, for a start. During the first snowfalls of

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winter, we go behind the scenes with one of the services they

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couldn't afford to get rid of. A find out which local councils are

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considering the tax rise later. What is it about our new police and

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crime commissioners? Every day, another drama. Just two months in,

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and one of ours has seen off a vote of no confidence. Another is facing

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flag -- facing criticism over his choice of chief constable, while a

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third demonstrated a business as usual approach by watching early

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morning drug rates -- drug raids. Cath Mackie has been following this

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epic. With me in the studio is the recently elected police and crime

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commissioners. Side by side and toughing it out.

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West Mercia's police and crime commissioner and the election agent

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he made his deputy. In the Radio Shropshire hot seat, answering

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listeners questions, and fiercely proud of their political

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independence. I will fight and they won't be me. I'm an honest person,

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I'm straight and honest. I don't like some of the things I've seen

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over the years go on in politics. There are some good people in

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politics, don't get me wrong, but there are some people that will

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stop at nothing to achieve what they want. So is this just a clash

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of cultures? The role of a police commissioner was created by a

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government frustrated at public services run by obscure committees

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operating behind closed doors. The government also want to elected

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police commissioners to be high profile, but these surely aren't

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the sort of headlines ministers had in mind so soon after the elections.

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Police and crime commissioners set the force's budget and decide

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crime-fighting strategies. But they don't decide day-to-day operations.

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However, that didn't stop the commissioner for Staffordshire

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seeing some early morning drug raids for himself. One of the

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fascinating things in my role, in six weeks, I think, now, is the

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incredible opportunities there are to get much better outcomes for

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communities if we just start working together. And they also get

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to hire and fire chief constables. But that isn't going smoothly in

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Gloucestershire, where the county's new chief, Suzette Davenport, is

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the subject of an independent investigation into a Staffordshire

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murder inquiry seven years ago. But she's not letting that distract her.

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Clearly, we've got a new governance with the commissioner. I'm excited

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to work with them to get the best levels of protection for the public.

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You might have been hard pressed to name your commissioner during the

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election campaign - after all, in some places just one in ten

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bothered to vote. But two months on, one way or another, they're

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certainly starting to make an impression. Now, Karen, you've got

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a meeting coming up with your commissioner in the next few weeks.

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He accuses party politicians of sour grapes, is there an element of

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that? Are you resent all of the independent Police Commissioner

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coming in? No, he won an election, I'm happy to work with them. When I

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became a Member of Parliament, did I. My friend to be my deputy? No, I

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didn't. That is one question I will be asking him. -- did I appoint my

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friend? He should have appointed the best person from the top.

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you have confidence in him? electorate elected him as they

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elected me. I will be making sure that his priorities are right for

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Redditch. There is talk of closing police stations in West messier. I

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want to make sure that Redditch is not one of the police stations he

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will be looking at closing. -- West Mercia. At least, Richard, the

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government can say they have created this high-profile job,

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cutting out the worst of committee government, if I can put it that

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way, and raising the profile. think it is trying to ask a

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question nobody is raising. People want police on the streets, they

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want crime coming down, and they want to feel safe. Now they have

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someone they can see to hold to account for exactly those things.

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Well, I have to say, the Commissioner for the West Midlands

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is doing a great job. But you don't really want to start by creating

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new positions and this kind of thing. Much better to do something

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about the cuts that are being made, which is taking 2000 out from the

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West Midlands. So a credit to those who were doing a good job, but we

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have to say to the government that they need to get their priorities

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right. And, Karen, they are coming in at a really tough time. The

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police cuts cannot entirely be blamed on these figures on the

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ground. No, it was in our manifesto that we would have commissioners.

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Boris Johnson is doing a great job, things are going well for him. I

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think we have to give these people time to settle into the job.

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Everyone is struggling and we have to make some difficult choices.

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They are there to look after our interests and they are elected to

:49:04.:49:14.
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run a police surfers. -- service. Do you support the commission has

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out and about on the drug raids? There is supposed to be a

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distinction between operational demand. I think that is a grey area

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about where that division is. This is where this system may come

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unstuck. But if the commissioners are there, it is right they should

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be out there. I was impressed the other day - I was speaking at

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something in the centre of Birmingham, and Bob Jones just

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turned up, just to see what was going on in the community. Karen,

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politically controversial, but I suppose these are political figures

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and it kinda goes with the territory, doesn't it? Well, I go

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out with my police officers on a Friday night. It is important that

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we are seen to be out there listening. Thank you.

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The number of Midlands councils considering putting a council tax

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is set to hit double figures. They say the cash they are offered from

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the Government if they keep the tax frozen doesn't meet the rising

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costs of providing services. So we're better, at a time like this,

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for our Coventry and Warwickshire political reporter to spend a day

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:50:27.:50:29.

than at a council gritting depot? - It's been one of those weeks when

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you realise that fewer council services could be more important

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than gritting. And while staff help keep traffic on the move, behind

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the scenes it's also the time of year for counsellors across the

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region to look at the books and get their finances in order. Last year,

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three councils in the Midlands rejected the cash handout from the

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government and decided to raise council tax, but this time around

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it could be as many as 10. North Warwickshire is one of those

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looking at a rise. Birmingham has asked residents to consider a rise

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of 1.64%. While Lichfield is looking at putting tax up by 2%.

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It's one of four Tory-led authorities prepared to defy the

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government. In Dudley there's even talk of a referendum to raise the

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tax further still. So why is the cash handout from Whitehall not

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enough to prevent attacks -- to prevent tax going up in so many of

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our council areas? Decision-makers in Coventry tell me they have no

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choice. Basically, we can no longer afford to take grants which are

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only guaranteed for a year or two. What it means is we have to make

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cuts further down the line. Eric Pickles says you have a moral

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obligation to hard-working families. I find that rich coming from any of

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the government ministers who talk about moral obligations when they

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are hitting the poorest in society and when they are hitting

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disproportionately places like Coventry. So what about these hard

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working families that the secretary of state is talking about? It just

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seems to be take, take, take. A higher earners don't seem to be

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paying any price. I think that's quite reasonable in the current

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climate. The council has a lot of money to find. If it's something

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that is shared between everyone who lives here, I don't see a problem.

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I think they could have frozen it and kept at the same for now.

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Because everything is so expensive that the minute. Adding more to

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that is going to make it hard for households. Nearly 100 miles away

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from the City of Coventry is the village of Westminster. The

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government insists councils should take Whitehall cash, freeze the tax,

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and help family budgets. There is a lot of scope for councils to be

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reducing the jobs. Nobody is saying it isn't easy time for local

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priorities at the moment, but they should be prioritising reducing

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council tax, looking at how they can provide services at a lower

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cost a higher value. Back at the gritting the pot, the work never

:53:08.:53:18.
:53:18.:53:21.

stops. And there's more about this on my

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latest block post. And as if to underline the pressures on local

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authorities, Worcestershire County Council have announced the loss of

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a further 650 jobs, bringing the number to go over the next five

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years to 1,500. Also joining us now, Mick Temple, professor of politics

:53:33.:53:43.
:53:43.:53:43.

at Staffordshire University. Mick, help us to make some sense of this.

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On the one hand, we had the government saying councillors have

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a moral duty to keep the tax frozen. On the other, local authorities

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have an equal opportunity to put them up to defend important

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services. The it is the eternal conundrum of party politics. Give

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two opposing parties different set of circumstances, and their one

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will always have the moral high ground. Eric Pickles is using this

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been, the rhetoric. Hard-working families, more obligation. It is an

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attempt to claim that moral high ground. It overlooks the fact that

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those hard-working families may also have children who need after-

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school care and elderly parents. That is an attempt to spin the

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blame. Eric Pickles also says there is some way to go yet in terms of

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council waste and smarter work. He wants them to raise their game

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rather than complain to the government. There is no doubt that

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it is easy for accusations to be thrown at local authorities. Where

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I live, Stoke-on-Trent, a 20-year- old council building is being

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demolished in order to move to in other new council building. Clearly,

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residents can see examples of council waste all the time. But at

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the same time, it is disingenuous, it overlooks the fact that we live

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in a highly centralised system, and government grants are being cut.

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What is the politically savvy thing for them to do? Should they try to

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do what the government is asking? Well, most of them decided last

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time to take the freeze. This time at most of them well as well, but

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they are in trouble if they do and in trouble if they don't. Because

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it is short-term and they will still have to make cuts. 1% seems

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to be the going rate for people on benefits and in public services.

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Should and local authorities play the same again? I think the big

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picture is the money being taken out of the local authority's budget.

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Local councils have got a real problem here. I have to say, I

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think Eric Pickles is behaving a bit like a white wall and shot,

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offering a pay-day known to local authorities. He is saying, have

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some money now, to freeze the tax, but I'll take the money away in a

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couple of years and you will be less even worse off. It is

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disgraceful. In effect, Labour authorities fear that if they don't

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take this money and face the consequences, they will end up

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bankrupt. What we are saying to local authorities is, we will give

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you a grant to freeze your council tax. That is your choice, when not

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saying you have to take it. If you take that Grant, then we will try

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to but hard-working families - times are tough here, I understand

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that - but we're in a difficult financial situation. You see

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Redditch council spending thousands of money doing up a bandstand - is

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that a good use of money? People in Birmingham as saying that the cuts

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of urban authorities like Birmingham and Coventry are twice

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as heavy per head of population. And it is a population that relies

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more heavily on those services compared with more rural, affluent

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areas. Worcestershire County Council is the third worst council

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but the third best authority in the country. How does that work?

:57:34.:57:37.

Birmingham is one of the most deprived areas in the country and

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it is being cut to the tune of �149 fare every single Birmingham

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resident. If it was cut by the average across the country it would

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be �79. There is something wrong with the way the government is

:57:52.:57:54.

looking at this and I just don't think they're looking at the

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reality of what goes on in communities.

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But do you not accept that there is a way to go for some authorities in

:58:02.:58:10.

terms of smarter working? Of course there are things that they can do.

:58:10.:58:15.

Some are already being done, they could do more. But it is really

:58:15.:58:18.

living with your head in the clouds if you think that somehow sharing

:58:18.:58:22.

back offices will put right the financial gap that is opening up.

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It is threatening the services people near. -- that people need.

:58:28.:58:32.

We'd been in government for two and a half years and we are facing

:58:32.:58:35.

tough choices. I find it really quite rich that we had 13 years

:58:35.:58:39.

before that of a Labour government that has done nothing to address

:58:39.:58:49.
:58:49.:58:51.

these balances. We are trying our best to get ourselves back on track.

:58:51.:58:55.

How do you see this whole thing playing out with the electorate,

:58:55.:59:00.

both in local elections and the general election in 2015? Well, it

:59:00.:59:05.

is clear that local people do not understand the council taxes. They

:59:05.:59:09.

don't know who is to blame the cuts in services, they tend to blame

:59:09.:59:14.

local government. But when they vote in 2015, they will not be

:59:14.:59:17.

voting on the record of local government, they will be voting on

:59:17.:59:22.

the record of the coalition. That is the sad truth about local

:59:22.:59:30.

democracy in this country. How all the debate itself play out? I think

:59:30.:59:38.

the Labour Party appeared -- probably has a higher ground on

:59:38.:59:43.

some of these policies now. Now our regular round-up of the

:59:43.:59:46.

political week in the Midlands in 60 seconds. Here's our Shropshire

:59:46.:59:53.

Another week, another boom at Jaguar Land Rover. This time, 800

:59:53.:59:59.

more jobs for the Solihull factory after record global sales.

:59:59.:00:02.

A split in the Labour ranks was revealed in a debate about Midlands

:00:02.:00:06.

manufacturing. Three Black Country MPs rigged each other over where

:00:06.:00:16.
:00:16.:00:16.

the industrial revolution was born. He needs a history lesson on this.

:00:16.:00:24.

The revolution was triggered by the production of iron in sufficient

:00:24.:00:26.

quantities which happened first in my constituency.

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Embarrassing. That's the admission from the boss of London Midland

:00:29.:00:31.

after 1,000 trains were cancelled because of a driver shortage.

:00:31.:00:35.

Financially bust and clinically unsustainable. The latest verdict

:00:35.:00:38.

on Stafford and cannot hospitals after a watchdog report.

:00:38.:00:41.

And help for people over 50 to set up their own business. It's thanks

:00:41.:00:51.
:00:51.:00:57.

to a new scheme in Birmingham run Lots of very capable people out

:00:57.:01:01.

there in the fifties, on their? But do you think there they have they

:01:01.:01:06.

get up and go that is required to set up a business on their own?

:01:06.:01:10.

someone over the edge it -- over the age of 50, this is a bit close

:01:10.:01:15.

to home. But there are 25,000 people over 50 unemployed in this

:01:15.:01:20.

area. They have a lot to offer. That is why we are saying they

:01:20.:01:25.

should be paid jobs guarantee for the long-term unemployed. It may be

:01:25.:01:29.

a challenge for people. At this age, do they really have the skills

:01:29.:01:34.

required? That is why you need to have the wraparound support. Do you

:01:34.:01:37.

think that the government should do more to help people who may feel

:01:37.:01:47.
:01:47.:01:48.

the alternative is the scrappy? Well, I set out my own business. --

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the scrapheap? I urge anyone who wants to run their own small

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business to get out there and go for it. Is there evidence that

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people can do that? But of course. I see people coming to me all the

:02:04.:02:10.

time wanting to set up their businesses. We must leave it there.

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Thanks to my guests of the day, Richard Burden and Karen Lumley.

:02:13.:02:16.

And for the latest on what's happening in the Birmingham and

:02:16.:02:19.

Black Country areas, including the snowfall - and here's the latest

:02:19.:02:22.

live shot outside our building - I suggest you lock on to our brand-

:02:22.:02:25.

new BBC local page. It has news, sport, travel and, of course, that

:02:25.:02:35.

all-important weather information, updated throughout the day. And

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