:01:27. > :01:37.to go until the counties go to the polls. Good high-speed rail change
:01:37. > :01:37.
:01:37. > :39:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2286 seconds
:39:44. > :39:46.their political colours just as I'm Patrick Burns. And head to head
:39:46. > :39:50.here today, Government and opposition MPs debate the questions
:39:50. > :39:54.that cut through, as well as between, the main parties. Gavin
:39:54. > :39:56.Williamson is Conservative MP for South Staffordshire. He's the
:39:56. > :40:00.parliamentary assistant to the Transport Secretary Patrick
:40:00. > :40:09.McLoughlin. Gisela Stuart is the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston,
:40:09. > :40:13.a seat she's held for the past 16 years.
:40:13. > :40:15.Gavin was on his feet in the Commons last week, asking why schools in his
:40:15. > :40:18.South Staffordshire constituency each receive on average almost �700
:40:18. > :40:26.less every year, than their counterparts across the border in
:40:26. > :40:36.Wolverhampton. It seemed to be the question the minister had been
:40:36. > :40:38.
:40:38. > :40:43.angling for. The last government left as a funding calculation for
:40:43. > :40:46.schools that is unfair. And that is why we do intend to introduce a
:40:46. > :40:54.national funding formula and in the meantime we are funding �20 million
:40:54. > :41:01.more to Staffordshire through the people premium. The question seemed
:41:01. > :41:04.to suit his answer, but did his answers suit you? Well, it is
:41:04. > :41:08.necessary that the government starts to address this issue. But what I
:41:08. > :41:15.want to see is the government deal with this in a much quicker way, and
:41:15. > :41:19.actually bring forward these changes so they start next year, not 2015.
:41:19. > :41:25.It is very unfair that my constituents are seeing so much less
:41:25. > :41:30.per pupil than knows a mile or so away. Let's hear the voice of the
:41:30. > :41:35.city MP on this. There is a grievance. It is more costly to
:41:35. > :41:40.educate children in less densely populated areas. When you said I had
:41:40. > :41:46.been an MP for 16 years, I think every year you get an MP from the
:41:46. > :41:50.shires getting up and saying the funding formula is wrong. I don't
:41:50. > :41:55.think a national formula is the answer because there is a difference
:41:55. > :41:58.between urban education and rural education. The way you need to fund
:41:58. > :42:05.and organise things in the cities and in the countryside, where you
:42:05. > :42:10.have distances to travel. But I really think we need to invest in
:42:10. > :42:13.our school buildings, because it grieves me to see old, crumbling
:42:13. > :42:17.school buildings. The Labour government addressed a lot of that
:42:17. > :42:20.and they ought to get more credit than that. The current government
:42:20. > :42:26.needs to do that because our children deserve better, wherever
:42:26. > :42:31.they live. We'll come onto the crumbling buildings in a second.
:42:31. > :42:35.But, fundamentally, if you look at the diversity and the complexity of
:42:35. > :42:40.many of our urban areas, it is a vastly expensive and complex
:42:40. > :42:44.business to educate the children there. It is absolutely right that
:42:44. > :42:48.children in deprived areas need more support in terms of education
:42:48. > :42:54.funding. But we're seeing a gross unfairness. A high school with 1000
:42:54. > :43:04.pupils is going to be �700,000 worse off because they are on the wrong
:43:04. > :43:05.
:43:05. > :43:10.side of the border. That is unfair to my constituents children. What
:43:10. > :43:13.about the challenge of quality of school buildings? Well, the
:43:13. > :43:18.government is starting to invest more. In the last government, so
:43:18. > :43:23.much money was wasted through procurement. We've address that and
:43:23. > :43:31.we're starting funding again. word on this? It is not enough what
:43:31. > :43:37.is going on there. I have some schools where 60% of the children
:43:37. > :43:42.change schools in one year. It's not just deprivation, it is the system
:43:42. > :43:46.of the city which is different, and it needs a different response.
:43:46. > :43:50.Coming up. We all know High Speed Rail is a 'hot-button issue' in some
:43:50. > :43:53.key shire counties. I wonder if that makes it an election issue as well?
:43:53. > :43:55.The plans already divide opinions. But will they change the political
:43:55. > :44:01.complexion of constituencies as well, as traditional loyalties jump
:44:01. > :44:08.the tracks? And who stands to benefit if they do? That's our big
:44:08. > :44:12.talking point, a little later. But before that, how's this for a
:44:12. > :44:15.challenge: 1,000 new apprenticeships in just 100 days. Birmingham City
:44:15. > :44:18.Council's ambitious target makes it the latest local authority to unveil
:44:18. > :44:24.plans to drive down unemployment rates, by supporting job creation
:44:24. > :44:27.schemes. With an average 19 people chasing every vacancy in our part of
:44:28. > :44:30.the country, Ben Godfrey has been finding out just how tough it can be
:44:30. > :44:39.for job-seekers to marshall the skills and sheer imagination they'll
:44:39. > :44:46.need to stand out in the crowd. Mark Collins believes it was
:44:46. > :44:49.thinking outside the box which got him his job. I stood there from
:44:49. > :44:53.eight o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon through
:44:53. > :44:59.blizzards, rainstorms... He took his hunt for work to the A34 in
:44:59. > :45:03.Newcastle under Lyme - and the advertising paid off. I'm sat there
:45:03. > :45:05.wondering how on earth I'm going to ring all these people back and a
:45:05. > :45:09.phone call comes through. They explained they were a new business
:45:09. > :45:13.starting up, and would I like come for a chat, just an informal chat.
:45:13. > :45:16.So on the Friday I went for the chat and they offered me the job on the
:45:16. > :45:19.Saturday. But he says it still wasn't easy to keep going in the
:45:19. > :45:22.face of rejection and the frustration and lack of confidence
:45:22. > :45:26.that can cause. It's very, very soul searching and it does make you feel
:45:26. > :45:29.that the problem is me rather than the fact I can't get a job - you
:45:29. > :45:32.know, that employers don't like me, I must be doing something wrong.
:45:32. > :45:35.It's a problem Gary Moseley recognises. He was made redundant
:45:35. > :45:39.from Peugeot's Ryton Plant in Coventry six years ago and hasn't
:45:39. > :45:41.had a job since September. Unemployment across the West
:45:41. > :45:47.Midlands remains stubbornly above the national average, now standing
:45:47. > :45:54.at 9.4%. Almost one in five of those claiming benefits have been out of
:45:54. > :45:57.work for more than a year - up by 6% from March 2012. Gary's now signed
:45:57. > :46:01.up for a job coaching scheme being run by BBC Coventry and
:46:01. > :46:03.Warwickshire. It brings together many of the support services offered
:46:03. > :46:08.by other back to work schemes, including interview techniques and
:46:08. > :46:14.how to write a CV. Skills he's concerned everyone may have to draw
:46:14. > :46:16.on more than they'd like in the future. Nobody's going to be long
:46:16. > :46:18.serving anymore as regards to employment because employers are
:46:18. > :46:25.finding it very difficult themsleves, so they are chopping and
:46:25. > :46:29.changing. In the world of work, as in politics, there's no such think
:46:30. > :46:32.as a job for life. Ben Godfrey reporting. And as we
:46:32. > :46:35.enter the final stages of the local election campaign, we're also
:46:35. > :46:38.joined, from the Green Party, by Felicity Norman. She's fought
:46:38. > :46:48.European and Westminster elections and is a former district councillor
:46:48. > :46:51.
:46:51. > :46:57.at Leominster in Herefordshire. You're a teacher by profession, and
:46:57. > :47:00.I gather you think we should have a complete rethink of our attitude
:47:00. > :47:04.towards vocational, technical qualifications. I certainly do. I
:47:04. > :47:10.think anyone who has taught in our secondary schools will be aware of
:47:10. > :47:16.the situation you often have, with young people reaching the age of 14
:47:16. > :47:25.and switching off. When not offering anything worthwhile. What should we
:47:25. > :47:35.be offering? I believe we should be looking at vocational options for
:47:35. > :47:39.both academic qualifications and vocational opportunities. We need to
:47:39. > :47:44.be very specific about who we are offering this too. Children vary
:47:44. > :47:50.enormously. Clearly, it's not that everybody. But the idea that the
:47:50. > :47:54.academic route suits all children simply isn't sensible. We've all
:47:54. > :48:01.suffered from young people who have become very disenchanted, very
:48:01. > :48:05.difficult. They don't benefit, and neither do the schools. We also
:48:05. > :48:09.often hear from people in industry that the skills being taught and not
:48:09. > :48:12.necessarily the right skills coming through the education system.
:48:13. > :48:20.think there is an important debate to be had about the age of
:48:20. > :48:28.transition. The some people, I think it is earlier. That is why I welcome
:48:28. > :48:34.College is looking at 14 to 19. The world of work and education have to
:48:34. > :48:40.be much more closely linked. If we don't make that link, we will have
:48:40. > :48:47.future problems. This city councillors are now working with the
:48:47. > :48:52.Birmingham baccalaureate. And you add work experience linking with the
:48:52. > :48:58.world of work. The one thing holding us back is employers coming back,
:48:58. > :49:01.because they always complain they don't get the skills we need without
:49:01. > :49:08.helping others. Exactly what is it you need and what role you prepared
:49:08. > :49:16.to pay? Gavin, you hosted a job fair in your constituency on Friday. What
:49:16. > :49:18.was the main feeling their? everyone wants to go to university.
:49:19. > :49:28.For far too long, we've been funnelling everyone down the same
:49:29. > :49:28.
:49:29. > :49:33.path. We had companies like Jaguar who are offering highly paid jobs
:49:33. > :49:41.and people don't need to go to university for them. Yes, they want
:49:41. > :49:46.graduate as well, but they want of a righty of people. But haven't
:49:46. > :49:52.successive governments downplayed technical qualifications? I agree
:49:52. > :49:56.with that, I really do. I think what is key is we value skills and we
:49:56. > :50:06.begin to value the skills, the technology, the training beyond the
:50:06. > :50:09.academics. It sounds as though the main two parties aren't doing that.
:50:09. > :50:18.The employers also need to help and put in training. I think the trade
:50:18. > :50:21.unions have a role to play when it comes to the workforce.
:50:21. > :50:25.The consultation on the Government's compensation scheme for phase two of
:50:25. > :50:27.HS2, originally due to end tomorrow, has now been extended for a further
:50:27. > :50:29.three weeks. The controversial high-speed rail link between
:50:29. > :50:32.Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds would cut two great swathes through
:50:32. > :50:40.Staffordshire, rather as it divides political opinions, running through
:50:40. > :50:43.party lines as much as between them. With the county council elections
:50:43. > :50:53.just four days away, BBC Radio Stoke's political reporter Phil
:50:53. > :50:56.McCann examines how HS2 might play out in the ballot box.
:50:56. > :51:01.The Sywnnerton estate has been in Lord Stafford's family for over 900
:51:01. > :51:06.years. It supports four tenant farms, and employs 30 people, many
:51:06. > :51:16.of whom live in the village. The Lord himself is firmly opposed to
:51:16. > :51:18.
:51:18. > :51:23.HS2 - but then he has reason. can see we've got cottages, houses.
:51:23. > :51:28.It will affect a huge number of people, particularly the farmers,
:51:28. > :51:32.because of the access aspect. You can imagine this huge train track
:51:32. > :51:36.coming through. The access from one field to another, how do they get
:51:36. > :51:40.their cattle and machinery across? The noise aspect, and also the
:51:40. > :51:44.blight. HS2 runs in a Y across Staffordshire. The Sywnnerton branch
:51:44. > :51:47.follows the M6 past Stafford and Stoke on Trent, the other runs along
:51:47. > :51:50.the Trent Valley past Tamworth. For voters here, HS2 will be an issue at
:51:50. > :51:53.the ballot box, even though county councillors don't really have any
:51:53. > :51:56.say over the route. In Staffordshire, the Tory county
:51:56. > :52:05.council has come out against it - despite David Cameron's view that it
:52:05. > :52:08.is vital for the UK economy. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are
:52:08. > :52:11.also in favour in Westminster. So campaigners against HS2 are left
:52:11. > :52:13.with just the smaller parties to represent their views - only UKIP
:52:13. > :52:17.and the Greens are unambigiously opposed. Peter Kenny is a tenant
:52:17. > :52:26.farmer - the line will come right through his yard. The threat has
:52:26. > :52:31.forced him to rethink how he'll place his vote. It has left me in a
:52:31. > :52:35.complete quandary. As I say, all parties are in favour of it. But I
:52:35. > :52:43.know the effect it will have on this farm, which is very, very
:52:43. > :52:48.detrimental. So, given all this opposition, why have a jazz to?
:52:48. > :52:54.Problems -- projects like this bring confidence, new investment. That can
:52:54. > :52:57.only be good for this area and regeneration. The business community
:52:57. > :53:03.in North Staffordshire is saying that if the government is serious
:53:03. > :53:05.about rebalancing the economy towards manufacturing, centres of
:53:05. > :53:09.excellence for manufacturing like Stoke must be on that high-speed
:53:09. > :53:16.line. The actual reality of HS2 is still many years away, so the
:53:16. > :53:20.question is now, how will the debate translate into votes?
:53:20. > :53:23.Phil McCann reporting. And, by the way, talking of trains, BBC WM's
:53:23. > :53:25.Breakfast Show and our 'Local Live' website will have the latest from
:53:25. > :53:34.Birmingham New Street Station's shiny new concourse during its first
:53:34. > :53:41.morning rush hour, from six o'clock tomorrow morning. Now, Gisele, you'd
:53:41. > :53:51.share the group in support of HS2. There is a real democratic deficit
:53:51. > :53:52.
:53:52. > :53:59.out there. I also campaigned the new Street station. The argument there
:53:59. > :54:03.was we didn't have enough capacity. If we look at UK LBC, we have to
:54:03. > :54:10.enable people to move from a to be swiftly. If I were in Staffordshire
:54:10. > :54:17.with that farm, I would be as heartbroken as they are. In terms of
:54:17. > :54:22.the political campaign, it is how they get proper compensation and how
:54:22. > :54:25.we minimise the environmental disruption. MPs will resolve those
:54:25. > :54:32.answers, rather than having a protest vote which will be silenced
:54:32. > :54:35.after the election. Gavin, do you feel you have a duty to articulate
:54:35. > :54:42.to the transport minister be obviously very deep concerns in your
:54:43. > :54:49.county? There are many MPs who represent Staffordshire 's seats.
:54:49. > :54:53.You are right, it is proper that those concerns are heard by the
:54:53. > :54:56.secretary of state for transport. We have to make sure compensation is
:54:56. > :55:02.right, and that is why the consultation period has been
:55:02. > :55:08.extended. Making sure that whatever can be done to reduce the impact on
:55:08. > :55:13.people affected by it is done. talked about the way this issue cuts
:55:13. > :55:17.through parties. Someone like the county council leader, Philip
:55:17. > :55:23.Atkins. An impeccable conservative in so many ways. And yet he is
:55:23. > :55:27.implacable on this issue. So it really does divide opinion. Yes, I
:55:27. > :55:33.think it divides opinion in lots of parties. The Prime Minister and the
:55:33. > :55:40.parliamentary party largely agree we need to do this for the benefit of
:55:40. > :55:44.the country. It will bring massive economic benefits. Even if you
:55:44. > :55:49.suffer a bumping electoral result is a consequence? In Staffordshire, I
:55:49. > :55:54.think people realise we don't want to go back to the 14% increase in
:55:54. > :55:59.council tax that we had under the last Labour administration. It is
:55:59. > :56:04.about improving our schools, those will be the issues. We will find out
:56:04. > :56:07.soon enough. Felicity, I'm puzzled by the Greens position on this. I'd
:56:07. > :56:16.always understood they were in principle in support of high-speed
:56:16. > :56:20.rail as part of an integrated transport package. But now they have
:56:20. > :56:24.come out against it. I think from the start we have been against this
:56:24. > :56:28.particular approach. You are right, there are some benefits to
:56:28. > :56:32.high-speed trains. There may be a time in the future when we look to
:56:32. > :56:37.it. The problem with this particular scheme is the root and the untold
:56:37. > :56:41.damage it was do. And also, a comparatively small amount of people
:56:41. > :56:45.are going to benefit from it. If we could put this money into improving
:56:45. > :56:55.the existing system, that would benefit a far, far greater
:56:55. > :56:55.
:56:55. > :57:00.proportion. This is a 20, 30, 40 year project that will bring the
:57:00. > :57:05.entire country together. If we don't do it, the sagging to the south-east
:57:05. > :57:12.will just continue. Well, I'm all for focusing away from the
:57:12. > :57:16.south-east. If we do not invest in our Railways, all were going to look
:57:16. > :57:20.at is building more motorways. And believe me, as someone who has
:57:20. > :57:24.motorways in their constituency, that has a far greater impact. We
:57:24. > :57:29.need to be investing in our railways so we don't have to constantly build
:57:29. > :57:34.more motorways. We are just a few days away from the county council
:57:34. > :57:40.elections, of course. One of the benchmarks that Ed Miliband would be
:57:40. > :57:44.to try to regain the lost ground from four years ago. They lost 29
:57:44. > :57:50.seats in Staffordshire. You have no chance of coming anywhere near those
:57:51. > :57:54.losses that you lost last time and bringing them back this time.
:57:54. > :57:58.like Birmingham don't have elections. Some of them are Labour
:57:58. > :58:04.strongholds. I'm talking about the shire councils which you used to
:58:04. > :58:09.control. I'd be much more interested to see what UKIP will do to the
:58:10. > :58:16.Conservatives in that election. Well, the Tories are more frightened
:58:16. > :58:22.of UKIP than they are of the real opposition. I think it will be about
:58:22. > :58:26.how much the Conservatives are illegitimate, coherent party.
:58:26. > :58:29.is a real threat to you. At the last general election they had a
:58:29. > :58:35.commitment for three high-speed rail lines, more than one high-speed rail
:58:35. > :58:39.line that has been proposed. Yes, every party is a threat. I wouldn't
:58:39. > :58:43.like to judge what the election is going to be, but we have a county
:58:43. > :58:51.council that has reduced council tax, that is dedicated to trying to
:58:51. > :59:00.create jobs, as seen from the Jaguar Land Rover plant built in my
:59:00. > :59:04.constituency. The Labour council just put up tax year upon year.
:59:05. > :59:09.think where Greens have been elected they are making very positive
:59:09. > :59:13.contributions in Worcester and Herefordshire. Where people are
:59:13. > :59:19.standing, they're going to make a difference and give someone very --
:59:19. > :59:22.something very positive to work for. We shall see. Thank you very much.
:59:22. > :59:32.Now here's BBC WM's political reporter Elizabeth Glinka with our
:59:32. > :59:35.
:59:35. > :59:37.round up of the political week in There are those in Sandwell who do.
:59:37. > :59:45.They're now spreading the word to their neighbours in Birmingham,
:59:45. > :59:48.who'll soon be trialling them. investing to save. The more rubbish
:59:48. > :59:51.that is thrown away, the more it will cost us.
:59:51. > :59:53.And good news for business? Lorry drivers are to be allowed to use the
:59:53. > :59:55.M6 toll road for nothing during July.
:59:55. > :59:59.Standards at Hewell Jail in Worcestershire have come under fire
:59:59. > :00:01.by prison inspectors. They found it to be filthy, unsafe and a degrading
:00:01. > :00:04.environment. While the conduct of Martin Yeates
:00:04. > :00:06.and Toni Brisby, the former chief executive and chairman in charge of
:00:06. > :00:11.Stafford Hospital, is to be investigated by the Crown
:00:11. > :00:15.Prosecution Service. It follows a formal complaint by Stafford Borough
:00:15. > :00:20.Council. No polling stations will be opened
:00:20. > :00:23.in Whitchurch in Shropshire for next week's elections. As no seats in
:00:23. > :00:33.either the unitary, town or rural parish elections are being
:00:33. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:47.contested, there's no-one for voters uncontested this time. It's a sad
:00:47. > :00:53.reflection on a democracy, isn't? Is it partly the senior figures? We've
:00:53. > :00:58.seen Vince cable, Ed Miliband here, but generally the heavy hitters are
:00:58. > :01:03.further and fewer between. Is the whole interest level falling?
:01:03. > :01:09.certainly hope not. Staffordshire had a closely contested election.
:01:09. > :01:14.Obviously, as Conservatives, I believe we are fielding strong
:01:14. > :01:19.candidates. You want to see other parties doing their responsibility
:01:19. > :01:25.to field candidates as seriously as we do. It's the first time in 20
:01:25. > :01:31.years these particular elections happen standalone, without a
:01:31. > :01:36.national election to bolster the turnout. I have had phone calls from
:01:36. > :01:43.people saying, my postal vote hasn't arrived. I'm beginning to wonder,
:01:43. > :01:47.when you have them uncontested, you could have an affirmation. The back
:01:47. > :01:52.process of still saying, yes, I'm affirming those candidates. Because
:01:52. > :01:58.if we don't go to the ballot box, it and minds the whole process. I think
:01:58. > :02:01.it's a reflection of not having enough local power. We will see what
:02:01. > :02:05.the turnout is. It's certainly a challenging thought, that there are
:02:05. > :02:07.no elections in certain places. My thanks to Gavin Williamson and
:02:07. > :02:10.Gisela Stuart. The results of Thursday's council elections are
:02:10. > :02:13.expected to be declared during Friday afternoon, so stay close to
:02:13. > :02:16.your BBC local radio and online output. And I'll be reporting on the
:02:16. > :02:19.BBC News Channel and of course on Midlands Today throughout Friday.
:02:19. > :02:22.Then next Sunday, we'll consider who are the real winners and losers, and