0:01:21 > 0:01:23David Cameron puts his Culture In the West: It's been a week of
0:01:23 > 0:01:26resignations the Lib Dem leader of Bristol City Council stands down
0:01:26 > 0:01:36just days before the crucial referendum on a city Mayor. Join me
0:01:36 > 0:01:36
0:01:36 > 0:29:40Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1683 seconds
0:29:40 > 0:29:47Hello. Coming up in the West: There is to be another change at the top
0:29:47 > 0:29:51of Bristol City Council. The shock resignation of Liberal Democrat --
0:29:51 > 0:30:00Barbara Janke means they are searching for her yet another
0:30:00 > 0:30:09leader. Welcome to a local election special. There is under one week of
0:30:09 > 0:30:19campaigning to go and tell polling day. Then there is a meal
0:30:19 > 0:30:28
0:30:28 > 0:30:33referendum in Bristol. -- Mayoral. I am joined by the politicians. The
0:30:33 > 0:30:39Chief Constable of Gloucestershire has quit the saying he is unhappy
0:30:39 > 0:30:46with changes in the police. Not least the plans for elected
0:30:46 > 0:30:55commissioners will stop to leave on a point of principle is extremely
0:30:55 > 0:31:00rare for such a senior officer. Joining as his a former Chief
0:31:00 > 0:31:05Constable of Gloucestershire who is now considering standing for one of
0:31:05 > 0:31:12the elected police chiefs in November. What do you make of this
0:31:12 > 0:31:17resignation? It is unusual, as you say. I think he realises it will be
0:31:17 > 0:31:24a very difficult time over the next few years. We have not seen the end
0:31:24 > 0:31:29of the cuts yet. There are more to come. Whoever gets elected in the
0:31:29 > 0:31:33autumn is likely to be representing a political party and they will be
0:31:33 > 0:31:38under pressure to bring in local cut to policing as well. It is
0:31:38 > 0:31:43going to be a very difficult time for whomever is Chief Constable.
0:31:43 > 0:31:50Our other chief constables across the region are likely to follow
0:31:50 > 0:31:53suit? I doubt that is going to happen. There are some vacancies
0:31:53 > 0:32:02coming up already but I expect most people will be able to see it
0:32:02 > 0:32:08through four or a year or two. He knew these things were in the
0:32:08 > 0:32:15offing. They have been party policy since 2005 but parties have to get
0:32:15 > 0:32:22elected. He certainly has known for at least seven months. If you had
0:32:22 > 0:32:28been him would you have quit? over this issue, no. Where does
0:32:28 > 0:32:37this leave your policy on elected commissioners? As you have just
0:32:37 > 0:32:42mentioned this has been a party policy for seven years. In 2010 I
0:32:42 > 0:32:47stood on a platform of elected police commissioners. I think it is
0:32:47 > 0:32:51vitally important that the police can be held accountable to their
0:32:51 > 0:32:57local communities. It has worked in New York and crime fell
0:32:57 > 0:33:02dramatically. You do not seem to have won the argument with the
0:33:02 > 0:33:08police themselves. I am not sure there are many people on the
0:33:08 > 0:33:14streets walking up and demanding this change. The air is a case for
0:33:14 > 0:33:20change. Where we have seen these elected police commissioners in
0:33:20 > 0:33:24other countries the change has been fantastic. It will be the result
0:33:24 > 0:33:30that the police commissioners actually deliver which will prove
0:33:30 > 0:33:37their success. You are against this. If you are elected at the next
0:33:37 > 0:33:43General Election would use grab it? It is difficult when you inherit a
0:33:43 > 0:33:47situation to try to turn the clock back. Inflicting organisational
0:33:47 > 0:33:52change on big public services is a difficult thing and it is a
0:33:52 > 0:33:58question of priorities. You are right in saying we did opposed the
0:33:58 > 0:34:03bill. My main fear as a Bristol MP is that someone who is elected for
0:34:03 > 0:34:08the whole of Avon and Somerset will not have the interests of the city
0:34:08 > 0:34:18at heart. There is a danger that an elected police commissioner could
0:34:18 > 0:34:20
0:34:20 > 0:34:25very easily appealed to a populist vote. Unfree area as to claim that
0:34:25 > 0:34:32Bristol gets all the police. Bristol probably has a very good
0:34:32 > 0:34:37claim on policing. I think you have to see it as an overall package of
0:34:37 > 0:34:41political reforms which are designed to put more power in the
0:34:41 > 0:34:47hands of the people. We are collecting police commissioners and
0:34:47 > 0:34:54giving people a choice of having apnoea it here in Bristol. We are
0:34:54 > 0:34:59giving people reforms of the House of Lords as well. There is a whole
0:34:59 > 0:35:05package of measures to empower people. That is not what is going
0:35:05 > 0:35:11to happen with the police commissioner. This is nothing like
0:35:11 > 0:35:15the New York model. These jobs are going to be principally filled by
0:35:15 > 0:35:21party politicians. That is what is going to happen across the country.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26It is not about more power to the people but more power to party
0:35:26 > 0:35:36politicians. It is not just the chief constable who is packing it
0:35:36 > 0:35:36
0:35:36 > 0:35:42in. The chief of the council is off to. She is against an elected mayor
0:35:42 > 0:35:47but her resignation has given a boost to the Yes campaign. They
0:35:47 > 0:35:52have said that after seven leaders in 10 years it makes their point
0:35:52 > 0:35:58that the city needs a strong boss who will stay the course. Is this a
0:35:58 > 0:36:03final political mistake from the reader in Bristol? I do not see it
0:36:03 > 0:36:08like that at all. People have been given a chance here to vote on
0:36:08 > 0:36:13whether they want a mayor or not. There is a strong case for having
0:36:13 > 0:36:19the sort of dynamic political leadership that is provided by a
0:36:19 > 0:36:24mayor. I think we can see that in London for example. The concerns
0:36:24 > 0:36:29from the No campaigners is whether that takes too much power away from
0:36:29 > 0:36:33the councillors. That is our great debate to be had. They are not
0:36:33 > 0:36:42being imposed on anybody but people in Bristol will have a choice next
0:36:42 > 0:36:49week. It is a worthy idea and the hope is that an array of talented
0:36:49 > 0:36:56political leaders will come forward but the fear is that there will be
0:36:56 > 0:37:04to get politicians, political celebrities and random chances
0:37:04 > 0:37:10coming forward. We are giving people a say over how the city will
0:37:11 > 0:37:16be done. But do you accept that is the case? That is why we are having
0:37:16 > 0:37:20a referendum. If people believe what you say they can always bought
0:37:20 > 0:37:24know. But if they want to revitalise their city and create a
0:37:24 > 0:37:29bit of stability maybe they might want to have a charismatic figure
0:37:29 > 0:37:35which is not a bad thing if they can go and bid for funding and put
0:37:35 > 0:37:44Bristol on the map. I think there is always a danger that you will
0:37:44 > 0:37:53get the popular characters. I would not want the kind of situation in
0:37:53 > 0:37:57Doncaster or B Monkey they have in elsewhere. I think we meet
0:37:57 > 0:38:05stability and continuity. I think the fact we have elections every
0:38:05 > 0:38:10year so there is always a churn of councillors. I spent my preference
0:38:10 > 0:38:15would have been to go for all-out elections for councillors to every
0:38:15 > 0:38:20four years. I think that still needs to happen. I think an elected
0:38:20 > 0:38:27mayor would be a shot in the arm but it depends on who we get for
0:38:27 > 0:38:31the mayor. It is something we do not know until later. In Bristol
0:38:31 > 0:38:35since the 70s we have had a succession of Labour
0:38:35 > 0:38:42administrations up until recent times. We have seen Bristol fall
0:38:42 > 0:38:48behind other major cities. I do not think Bristol punches its weight.
0:38:48 > 0:38:55In cities such as Manchester there always seems to be massive change
0:38:55 > 0:39:01and regeneration, a sense of dynamism. You should be singing
0:39:01 > 0:39:05about Bristol at Westminster, shouldn't you? The Bristol City
0:39:06 > 0:39:15stadium was a cross-party approach. We stood outside in College Green.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Why do we need a Mayor then? Aside from MPs at Westminster, we
0:39:19 > 0:39:24represent our parties and a mayor will ensure that for a certain
0:39:24 > 0:39:30period of time we will have a figurehead who, regardless of party
0:39:30 > 0:39:34politics, will be able to stand there for Bristol. We will look
0:39:34 > 0:39:42forward to it. Now on Thursday we will be having elections held
0:39:42 > 0:39:48against the backdrop of the first double-dip recession in many years.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Our reporter has more. The bleak weather it suited the news on
0:39:53 > 0:39:59Wednesday that we were officially back in recession. For the
0:39:59 > 0:40:08opposition parties that is ammunition. Cutting too far too
0:40:08 > 0:40:18fast has made a difficult situation worse. Jacques Stron knows the
0:40:18 > 0:40:22national picture matters in local elections. This shows that the
0:40:22 > 0:40:27Government's's economic policy is failing. They said it was a plan to
0:40:27 > 0:40:32bring Britain back to a growing economy. It has not happened. One
0:40:32 > 0:40:42major reason is the fall in construction. Here in Swindon we
0:40:42 > 0:40:45
0:40:45 > 0:40:51can see exactly why this has happened. In Gloucester the Prime
0:40:51 > 0:40:56Minister visited and tried to look on the bright side. This lens maker
0:40:56 > 0:41:04is doing well but there is not enough of this success. He went on
0:41:04 > 0:41:10to see another prospering West Country farm. I want to rebalance
0:41:10 > 0:41:15this economy and have more of what we have right here, less reliance
0:41:15 > 0:41:21on financial services and less reliance on one corner of the
0:41:21 > 0:41:26country. The Government is engaged not only on a rescue mission but
0:41:26 > 0:41:31balancing our economy to create worthwhile jobs for the future.
0:41:31 > 0:41:41There was a similar approach by his coalition partner. He visited and
0:41:41 > 0:41:44
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Engineering firm that is faring well. I'm very much hope that it is
0:41:48 > 0:41:54recognised as a sincere but difficult attempt to clear up the
0:41:54 > 0:41:59mess inherited by Labour. I hope people recognise that what Liberal
0:41:59 > 0:42:05Democrats have been doing in Cheltenham, tirelessly now for over
0:42:05 > 0:42:11two decades, is serving dead people of Cheltenham. Stroud is the best
0:42:11 > 0:42:16place in the West for the Greens. The environment is a big issue here.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21There is no visit yet from the party leader who is thinly
0:42:21 > 0:42:27stretched trying to hold on to seats. We are certainly hoping to
0:42:27 > 0:42:32make some increases. It is about consolidation as well. There are
0:42:32 > 0:42:37some challenges ahead but we are doing really well, I great response
0:42:37 > 0:42:44on the doorstep. I think people are genuinely disillusioned by the
0:42:44 > 0:42:50other parties. In Swindon there are local important issues insists the
0:42:50 > 0:42:56UK Independence Party. Visiting the site of a controversial new school
0:42:56 > 0:43:02is their only councillor. Their cause is Europe which they see
0:43:02 > 0:43:11matters at this level. People do not realise that the EU is in every
0:43:11 > 0:43:17one of our lives today and especially in local Government.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21it is not mentioned at the street politics at the town centre. With a
0:43:21 > 0:43:30steady drizzle coming down it is impossible to escape the economic
0:43:30 > 0:43:34climate. Let's talk about the economy. You are a clever guy, how
0:43:34 > 0:43:39long will it take you to work out that the Government growth plan is
0:43:39 > 0:43:44not working? I think you will find that if you look at the situation
0:43:44 > 0:43:54we are in it has been two years since the General Election. At that
0:43:54 > 0:43:55
0:43:55 > 0:44:01time we had a budget deficit of 12.5 %, bigger than Greece. We are
0:44:01 > 0:44:06working on growth but even if you look historically, it took Margaret
0:44:06 > 0:44:15Thatcher four years to achieve growth. Plan B two would be
0:44:15 > 0:44:20bankruptcy. We had a situation where �1 in every four was borrowed.
0:44:20 > 0:44:26It is all your fault I guess. The Prime Minister said this week that
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Labour's answer to the debt crisis is more debt? As the result of
0:44:30 > 0:44:35George Osborne's failed economic policies the Government is having
0:44:35 > 0:44:40to borrow more than it originally thought. That is a direct result of
0:44:40 > 0:44:45the failure of growth. George Osborne said himself before he took
0:44:45 > 0:44:49office that you cannot cut spending during a downturn. That is exactly
0:44:49 > 0:44:57what they have been doing. This approach to public spending is what
0:44:57 > 0:45:02has caused the economy to go into the second wave of the recession.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Many people want to lock you in with the Conservatives in
0:45:06 > 0:45:11Government and there is nothing between you so if people do not
0:45:11 > 0:45:17want to support the Government this Thursday they can or only vote for
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Labour or one of the smaller parties. Labour says that the
0:45:20 > 0:45:26Government is borrowing too much but at the same time that the
0:45:26 > 0:45:33Government should be borrowing more. The fact of the matter is that we
0:45:33 > 0:45:37inherited an economic catastrophe. A complete disaster. We are still
0:45:37 > 0:45:42borrowing �300 million every single day. It is a long haul to get us
0:45:42 > 0:45:46out of this mess. If you want political parties that cannot apply
0:45:46 > 0:45:56themselves for more than a few weeks before the lose their nerve
0:45:56 > 0:45:59
0:45:59 > 0:46:02you have got to vote for Labour. I think people should respect our
0:46:02 > 0:46:08Government because it is important that our country has a functioning
0:46:08 > 0:46:15economy. There are all kinds of concerns related to international
0:46:15 > 0:46:20politics. When will it work? It is going to be a long haul. If you are
0:46:21 > 0:46:26massively in debt. We hope that the economy will grow as fast and as
0:46:26 > 0:46:31soon as possible but we cannot go on borrowing more and more money
0:46:31 > 0:46:35and spending what we have indefinitely. We have now cut
0:46:35 > 0:46:44corporation tax to the lowest level in the Western world. It takes a
0:46:44 > 0:46:48while to bring in business. The Bristol Bath signs park is bringing
0:46:48 > 0:46:53in companies internationally but it is the low tax that will bring them
0:46:53 > 0:47:01in and bring new jobs to this country. Stick with us because it
0:47:01 > 0:47:06is time to take a race but through this week's political highlights in
0:47:06 > 0:47:15just 60 seconds. Gloucester council has launched a pilot scheme this
0:47:15 > 0:47:20week to repair potholes around the city. Bristol city council has
0:47:20 > 0:47:24applied for a court order to remove squatters from the former Bristol
0:47:24 > 0:47:29North Poole sighed. Some say they are acting illegally while the
0:47:29 > 0:47:33squatters claim they are providing free security for the development.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38A youngster from Portishead has launched a bid for a judicial
0:47:38 > 0:47:43review into the decision to cut youth service spending which the
0:47:43 > 0:47:51local authority insists is necessary. The case is being built
0:47:51 > 0:47:54around the idea of the council breaking be a quality act. Ofsted
0:47:54 > 0:48:00inspectors have found the early stages of Wiltshire child services
0:48:00 > 0:48:10to be inadequate. The council and police say they are working to make
0:48:10 > 0:48:11
0:48:11 > 0:48:16improvements. That Was the Week. How it flashes by. Just 60 seconds
0:48:16 > 0:48:21left to talk with you three. Your predictions for the thirsty
0:48:21 > 0:48:25elections, what do you reckon, how well or badly will Labour do?
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Expect us to make some decent gains in some of the local elections
0:48:29 > 0:48:39across the country. My fear for Bristol is that there will be a low
0:48:39 > 0:48:40
0:48:41 > 0:48:45turnout. Are you expecting a Lib Dem way out? We know, I am not. I
0:48:45 > 0:48:51think people will support as in the local elections in Thursday and
0:48:51 > 0:48:59that we will do better than last year. I think Labour will make some
0:48:59 > 0:49:05gains. I hope in places like Swindon be Tories will nick it.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10accept that Labour is going to do quite well? Mid term governments
0:49:10 > 0:49:20always do get a hammering. It will be a crucial test of Ed Miliband's
0:49:20 > 0:49:21