:01:14. > :01:24.digital city but what price Birmingham the media city? As
:01:24. > :01:24.
:01:24. > :33:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1917 seconds
:33:21. > :33:25.programme makers cleared their I'm Patrick Burns. With us today,
:33:25. > :33:28.two people who know a thing or two about winning elections in the teeth
:33:28. > :33:31.of adversity. Valerie Vaz was elected Labour MP
:33:31. > :33:37.for Walsall South in 2010, just when her party was suffering its heaviest
:33:37. > :33:43.national defeat in living memory. Philip Atkins is the Conservative
:33:43. > :33:46.leader of Staffordshire County Council. The Tories came from
:33:46. > :33:56.nowhere to eclipse Labour in 2009, and confounded most expectations
:33:56. > :34:01.
:34:01. > :34:04.except his own, by holding-on to office in last month's elections.
:34:04. > :34:06.A single pot of money, worth billions of pounds, devolved from
:34:06. > :34:10.Whitehall to local decision-makers, to prime the pumps of economic
:34:10. > :34:12.regeneration and growth. During a Spending Review otherwise dominated
:34:12. > :34:22.by austerity measures, the Chancellor was doing his best to
:34:22. > :34:23.
:34:23. > :34:28.sugar the pill. We also are embarking on major reforms to the
:34:28. > :34:32.way we spend money locally, through the creation of a single local
:34:32. > :34:39.growth fund that Lord Heseltine proposed. This will be �2 billion
:34:39. > :34:42.per year, �10 billion over the next Parliament, and that is something
:34:42. > :34:45.the local enterprise partnerships can bid for.
:34:45. > :34:48.But that �2 billion a year fell way short of the grand design projected
:34:48. > :34:52.by Lord Heseltine in Birmingham Town Hall last November. He'd envisaged a
:34:52. > :34:54.growth fund "pot" of more like �10 billion a year, to be contested by
:34:54. > :35:02.the 39 local enterprise partnerships. No wonder Birmingham's
:35:02. > :35:09.Chamber of Commerce led the general chorus of disappointment.
:35:09. > :35:15.Philip Atkins, what a let down that was. I think it is about projects
:35:15. > :35:20.ready to go. I keep telling people, don't look for the money, look for
:35:20. > :35:27.the projects, so that when the money turns out you can get the project is
:35:27. > :35:34.completed. We have a range of them within our city. Valerie, this
:35:34. > :35:39.figure does not as I understand it a further �5 billion of European
:35:39. > :35:44.regional development funding. That is sounding a bit more like it.
:35:44. > :35:50.is, but I think Lord Heseltine's figure was something along the lines
:35:50. > :35:57.of �49 million. This is a cross-party issue, because we want
:35:57. > :36:04.the West Midlands to grow again. I don't think some of my small
:36:04. > :36:09.businesses have seen any money coming in. But Andy Street, the
:36:09. > :36:14.chairman of the local enterprise partnership in Solihull, murmuring
:36:14. > :36:20.-- wrote mirroring what Philip has just said. It is not about the
:36:20. > :36:23.amount, it is about a new way of doing these things. But there have
:36:23. > :36:30.been so many infrastructure projects approved, and only eight have been
:36:30. > :36:37.started. It is already -- wrote all well to save the money is there and
:36:37. > :36:43.it is going to happen, the Government should make it happen.
:36:43. > :36:48.Meanwhile Philip, the infrastructure push from the Chancellor, George
:36:48. > :36:57.Osborne, the jam tomorrow Chancellor? We have got the M6, the
:36:57. > :37:01.West Coast Main Line and we have to accept that when infrastructure
:37:01. > :37:07.projects happen, there is some disruption to traffic. But you have
:37:07. > :37:11.to have the plans in place. The real issue for councils is which one is
:37:11. > :37:16.first, you have got to prioritise. You cannot have every plan ready to
:37:16. > :37:23.go, but make your mind up which is the most important. These are
:37:23. > :37:28.however all long-term -- was short-term projects.
:37:28. > :37:35.But the motorway junction we are building has locked up the potential
:37:35. > :37:40.to have 3,500 jobs. Add to that, there are cuts to local authorities.
:37:41. > :37:44.Coming up: It's been home to some of our most popular television
:37:44. > :37:47.programmes. But what now for Birmingham as a creative media
:37:47. > :37:51.centre? With ITV's old HQ being pulled down, and the BBC's centre
:37:51. > :37:59.half-empty, we ask if local viewers are getting value for money. Another
:37:59. > :38:03.argument, perhaps, for "rebalancing the economy", a little later.
:38:03. > :38:05.Now how's this for a David and Goliath act? In January,
:38:05. > :38:10.Warwickshire book shop owner Frances Smith started a petition calling on
:38:10. > :38:14.Amazon to pay more in Corporation Tax. Six months on, she's gathered
:38:14. > :38:24.tens of thousands of signatures and forced a Commons debate. Kevin Reide
:38:24. > :38:26.
:38:27. > :38:36.has the details. This book shop has in five months
:38:37. > :38:38.
:38:38. > :38:43.gathered nearly 5,000 signatures calling for more even tax laws. Last
:38:43. > :38:49.year Amazon made profits of 4.3 billion, but paid little in
:38:49. > :38:52.corporation tax. They are using the facilities of this country and yet
:38:52. > :38:57.claiming they make no profit in this country so they do not pay
:38:58. > :39:02.corporation tax. The amount of tax being avoided by
:39:02. > :39:08.big corporations is in the spotlight thanks to clever accountancy,
:39:08. > :39:18.Google, Starbucks and Amazon are not breaking any laws. But our
:39:18. > :39:19.
:39:19. > :39:24.politicians prepared to legislate to make them pay more? Through this
:39:24. > :39:30.creative tax planning, the burden of taxation is shifting onto
:39:30. > :39:37.individuals and businesses. That do not have the resources to spend on
:39:37. > :39:40.chrysalis Del mac reducing their tax Bill. There was a call for a change
:39:41. > :39:46.in the law, but it is an international issue and extremely
:39:46. > :39:51.complex and some experts believe nigh on impossible to change. For
:39:51. > :39:55.now, Frances and many other struggling traders can only hope the
:39:55. > :40:00.Government take decisive action. At least Amazon employ 900 people in
:40:01. > :40:06.their warehouse, so the economy gets something out of us.
:40:07. > :40:10.Valerie, the Public accounts committee in the Commons, and
:40:10. > :40:16.Parliament has raised this issue so we have an interesting situation
:40:16. > :40:21.where for once Parliament seems to be on the side of public opinion.
:40:21. > :40:26.The other part of the figures from Amazon is that they actually got 2.5
:40:26. > :40:31.million in grants from the Government, so although they have
:40:31. > :40:37.ostensibly paid 2.4 million in tax they got quite a lot of it back. The
:40:37. > :40:45.worst offender is Vodafone. 294 was their product -- profit margin, and
:40:45. > :40:50.yet they paid no corporation tax on that whatever. Isn't the onus on the
:40:50. > :40:56.politicians. If you do not like it, taxation is not a debate issue, you
:40:56. > :41:01.have to tighten those loopholes and Parliament has to act? The Labour
:41:01. > :41:04.Party is looking at tax havens and how we can make full disclosure and
:41:04. > :41:11.all the transactions taking place. If these companies make full
:41:11. > :41:21.disclosure just like the average citizen is supposed to do, could we
:41:21. > :41:25.
:41:25. > :41:30.not have a level playing field? Philip, you can understand how
:41:30. > :41:32.people in small businesses may feel there is one rule for us and another
:41:32. > :41:42.for the big guys with those first-day accountants and tax
:41:42. > :41:43.
:41:43. > :41:48.advisers. -- wrote fancy accountants. -- fancier accountants.
:41:48. > :41:52.Very few people queue in the post office for a tax disc, they do it by
:41:52. > :41:57.Internet. Maybe there is something in the consumer to think about this.
:41:57. > :42:02.I quite like browsing in a book shop, it is very easy to go click
:42:02. > :42:09.but not realise you are damaging another person's business. So you
:42:09. > :42:14.cannot put the Internet back in Pandora's box. However, we can Del
:42:14. > :42:20.mac have to make sure these people pay their share. -- make these
:42:20. > :42:25.people pay their share. I had one advisers say that if you clamp down
:42:25. > :42:30.on Google and Starbucks, you will bring a bit of taxation into the
:42:30. > :42:36.Treasury that way, but equally there are British-based businesses that
:42:36. > :42:40.sell overseas and so you will lose some revenue the other way round.
:42:40. > :42:46.I think if people go through the proper motions and pay the proper
:42:46. > :42:50.tax in an open and transparent way, there should not be a problem.
:42:50. > :42:57.no Government wants to disappoint these big businesses too much. Shot
:42:57. > :43:02.of having a world Government, nobody wants... It is a moral issue.
:43:02. > :43:08.should pay the taxes that they should pay, in the place they do
:43:08. > :43:12.their business. I think there is international pressure on all these
:43:12. > :43:14.companies to be open about their transactions.
:43:14. > :43:20.Tiswas, All Creatures, The Cook Report, Top Gear, The Golden Shot,
:43:20. > :43:26.The Clothes Show. The list of top network television programmes made
:43:26. > :43:28.in Birmingham down the years goes on and on. Now though, the old ITV
:43:28. > :43:30.studios are being demolished, and the BBC's high-profile factual
:43:30. > :43:38.programmes including Countryfile, Coast and Hairy Bikers have all
:43:38. > :43:42.moved away. What does this say about the Midlands as a creative media
:43:42. > :43:52.centre? As our WM political reporter Elizabeth Glinka explains, some
:43:52. > :43:56.
:43:56. > :44:00.campaigners are even calling the The Midlands was once a power house
:44:00. > :44:03.of TV production. Opened in 1971, the BBC's Pebble Mill studios were
:44:03. > :44:10.home to live TV and high profile drama, while nearby ATV were
:44:10. > :44:15.responsible for shows like Tiswas and New Faces.
:44:15. > :44:25.But times change. Pebble Mill was flattened in 2005, and empty for a
:44:25. > :44:33.
:44:33. > :44:39.decade, the old ITV studios are now set for demolished. -- demolition.
:44:39. > :44:42.In 2011. The BBC pulled the remaining factual TV production and
:44:42. > :44:45.network radio out of its new base at the Mailbox in Birmingham, leaving
:44:45. > :44:48.these empty desks, and relocating staff to other parts of the country.
:44:48. > :44:57.That decision has led to a local campaign being set up to protect
:44:57. > :45:02.regional broadcasting. We have allowed them to get away with it in
:45:02. > :45:06.a way that Scotland or the North of England or Wales would not, and year
:45:06. > :45:11.in year out there have been more cutbacks. You will not find
:45:11. > :45:15.Birmingham or the Midlands on peak-time television any more. The
:45:15. > :45:18.only time you will see the Midlands is when you see Birmingham on the
:45:18. > :45:20.weather map. In fact, using BBC figures, the
:45:20. > :45:24.campaign group says IT estimates that spending per licence fee payer
:45:24. > :45:28.here in the Midlands is about �12 a head - compared to over �80 in the
:45:28. > :45:34.north and �65 in the south excluding London. That's despite it being the
:45:34. > :45:37.biggest region and contributing the most to the licence fee.
:45:37. > :45:40.Have the big broadcasters simply forgotten the Midlands? Will Trotter
:45:40. > :45:50.runs the BBC Drama Village in Edgbaston, home to Father Brown and
:45:50. > :45:58.
:45:58. > :46:03.Doctors. We make 130 hours of television drama per year here. The
:46:03. > :46:11.talent base is here and it is growing. We develop talent in
:46:11. > :46:14.production and editorial, we just want more. So is more on its way?
:46:14. > :46:19.The director-general has put Birmingham on his list of
:46:19. > :46:23.priorities, and has said, think about ways we can develop a vision
:46:23. > :46:26.not just for this year but the next decade.
:46:26. > :46:35.Campaigners will be hoping that the broadcasters can deliver more for a
:46:35. > :46:42.part of the country that's beginning to feel it's missing out.
:46:42. > :46:48.We are also joined by one of our top independent programme makers, the
:46:48. > :46:53.founder and director of Maverick television. He has been based in our
:46:53. > :47:00.part of the world making dramas and documentary programmes for a range
:47:00. > :47:05.of media including the BBC. How much does this really matter in terms of
:47:05. > :47:14.what we are talking about here, the economic value of the media to a
:47:14. > :47:19.creative industry, creative region? It matters greatly, and economically
:47:19. > :47:29.the are a vast range of people of talent coming out of all our
:47:29. > :47:31.
:47:32. > :47:36.colleges and universities who have aspirations to work in the media.
:47:36. > :47:39.And you are a trustee of an academy in Birmingham, and the signs are
:47:39. > :47:47.that if the industry contracts your youngsters will have to look
:47:47. > :47:53.elsewhere in the country? Indeed, that is why we have to ensure we
:47:53. > :47:58.attract further production to this region. We can do it across drama
:47:58. > :48:02.factual, and a new industries of the future. David talked about the
:48:02. > :48:09.future of the BBC, the future is going to be a digital future
:48:10. > :48:16.including television. We focused there on the big monolithic
:48:16. > :48:20.structures like the old ITV building. Aren't we moving
:48:20. > :48:23.increasingly to smaller buildings and smaller enterprises, you do not
:48:23. > :48:33.need the major channels producing these major set piece series any
:48:33. > :48:37.more, do you? You do and you don't, we make embarrassing bodies out of
:48:37. > :48:40.the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, but equally we make
:48:40. > :48:48.small shows for Google channels which require much smaller
:48:48. > :48:51.infrastructure but still the talent is required. We heard that argument
:48:51. > :48:54.that as a publicly funded organisation and there is a
:48:55. > :49:00.responsibility to plough back into local economies as certain payback
:49:00. > :49:08.for the licence payer. Is that a fire could -- wrote -- is that a
:49:08. > :49:13.valid argument? The BBC in the West Midlands is the largest region in
:49:13. > :49:21.the UK, so �12 per head is rather small, and from a moral position
:49:21. > :49:25.that should be addressed. Valerie, you are a former BBC network
:49:25. > :49:29.television producer. There have been questions in the house and motions
:49:29. > :49:39.tabled on this question, but how much traction do you think this
:49:39. > :49:39.
:49:39. > :49:45.question has among MPs? I started my broadcasting career in Birmingham,
:49:45. > :49:50.so I have fond memories. I think my figures are different because 25% of
:49:50. > :49:57.the licence fee payments comes from the West Midlands, and it is �6 a
:49:57. > :50:07.head, which if you compare with Wales is �50. All of us, I think you
:50:07. > :50:10.
:50:10. > :50:14.will remember we have Del debate, and backbenchers spoke up for BBC
:50:14. > :50:18.Birmingham. If you look at what is happening culturally, Birmingham is
:50:18. > :50:24.going to be fantastic, the same around the West Midlands. You can
:50:24. > :50:32.actually give kids a hand up, and they can come out of school and do
:50:32. > :50:36.all sorts of things. Philip, you are the only person not involved in
:50:36. > :50:43.broadcasting here. I'll be overstating the economic importance
:50:43. > :50:49.of it, and the retention of talent question? I value more than anybody
:50:49. > :50:54.else and probably know the value of how much news, local news, is to
:50:54. > :51:00.local people. You can help them understand what is going on, and we
:51:00. > :51:06.have great creative talent. But at the moment there is not much
:51:06. > :51:14.evidence of anything happening. going to write to Tony Hall, the
:51:15. > :51:19.director-general. This is public money, and hopefully once you start
:51:19. > :51:23.bringing commissioning back to Birmingham, it has a kind of ripple
:51:23. > :51:31.effect and other people come through as well. We want to see ITV back as
:51:31. > :51:39.well. There is also the question of the portrayal of the Midlands. There
:51:39. > :51:42.are wider questions here. reputational value of being on
:51:42. > :51:46.television and having cities reflected on the mainstream channels
:51:46. > :51:52.and beyond internationally is incredibly important. That helps
:51:52. > :51:59.economically as well. Reputation of cities is very important in the
:51:59. > :52:05.global world we are living in now. have challenged you to say what is
:52:05. > :52:09.going to happen, if I ask you to project a head and say what can a
:52:09. > :52:15.digital media city like Birmingham be famous for in the future, what
:52:15. > :52:23.thoughts would you have? The sky is the limit. You have seen how
:52:23. > :52:27.programmes changed, so I think there is so much creative talent around,
:52:27. > :52:32.it is for the creative talent to think about where the future lies.
:52:32. > :52:40.We have a great history, a lot of talent, so programmes around that,
:52:40. > :52:45.and one thing we are lacking in is a soap. If we had something that
:52:45. > :52:55.continually was selling the region on the television, that is the sort
:52:55. > :52:56.
:52:56. > :53:03.of thing. What would you suggest? soap with the lion Del mac young and
:53:03. > :53:06.diverse community we are might be just the thing. -- the young and
:53:06. > :53:10.diverse community we are might be just the thing.
:53:10. > :53:13.Now for our regular round-up of the political week in the Midlands in 60
:53:13. > :53:15.seconds, brought to us today by our Hereford and Worcester Political
:53:15. > :53:19.Reporter, Tom Turrell. Old documents about Hillsborough
:53:19. > :53:22.have been found in the West Midlands Police archive. The force says no
:53:22. > :53:25.stone will be left unturned in the search for the truth.
:53:25. > :53:29.Birmingham schools could privatise some services. The council needs to
:53:29. > :53:32.save �20 million. More academies means they're losing money from
:53:32. > :53:38.Whitehall. One Labour MP wants Government
:53:38. > :53:45.departments to stop using 084 and 087 phone numbers. He says they're a
:53:45. > :53:52.rip-off which hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Some
:53:52. > :53:55.Government departments have been making money, and it is illogical
:53:56. > :54:00.and unfair. In my view it cannot continue.
:54:00. > :54:06.Millions of pounds are to be spent improving the region's motorways.
:54:06. > :54:11.Part of the cash will be used to build a long-awaited link road. The
:54:11. > :54:15.cost of HS2 has risen by �10 billion. The news came as the
:54:15. > :54:25.project cleared another hurdle in parliament, despite nine Midlands
:54:25. > :54:28.
:54:28. > :54:35.MPs voting against it. And the news that it will cost �10 billion more
:54:35. > :54:44.to build HS2. Philip, you have been strongly opposed to high-speed veil.
:54:44. > :54:50.This will embolden all these rebels, would it? Would it sweeten the pill
:54:50. > :54:54.if you got a station just outside Stoke? If they have the money to put
:54:54. > :55:01.the extra cost in, surely they can find the money to do compensation
:55:01. > :55:06.and some mitigation. There has been this remarkable three party
:55:06. > :55:16.consensus in Westminster, but if we have too many days like this, there
:55:16. > :55:19.
:55:19. > :55:23.is going to be I think there is a lot of will the jobs it will bring
:55:23. > :55:32.to the area will be fantastic. you can get from London to
:55:32. > :55:35.Birmingham in 49 minutes. But didn't the proponents of this -- wrote in
:55:35. > :55:43.50 years time there will be a problem with capacity, and
:55:43. > :55:53.high-speed true seems to be an alternative. Will it happen, in a
:55:53. > :55:57.
:55:57. > :55:59.world? That is for Parliament to decide.
:55:59. > :56:02.And incidentally, Wrekin's Conservative MP Mark Pritchard will
:56:02. > :56:04.be taking up Network Rail's decision to block Virgin's plans to serve
:56:04. > :56:07.Shrewsbury from London with the Transport Secretary on Wednesday.