:01:28. > :01:33.In the West, it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. A boom in
:01:33. > :01:43.business after the horsemeat scandal for butchers, but can
:01:43. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :37:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2121 seconds
:37:04. > :37:08.politicians restore our faith in Welcome to the part of the Sunday
:37:08. > :37:12.Politics that is just for us in the west country. Coming up,
:37:12. > :37:16.politicians say we should buy locally sourced British beef in the
:37:16. > :37:20.light of the horsemeat scandal. Consumer confidence has been rocked
:37:20. > :37:28.and we speak to farmers, butchers and food producers who say they
:37:28. > :37:33.could benefit from the scandal. Let's welcome our two guests, the
:37:34. > :37:43.Conservative Neil Carmichael and Labour's came McCarthy. Came
:37:43. > :37:50.McCarthy is a vegan. Let's talk about Labour's announcement to
:37:50. > :37:54.bring back the 10 pence rate of income tax. Labour doing this at a
:37:54. > :37:59.time when the Conservatives and the coalition decided to give tax
:37:59. > :38:04.breaks to millionaires. Have they got the upper hand? What we have
:38:04. > :38:08.done is taken a lot of people out of tax altogether. 38,000 people in
:38:08. > :38:14.Stroud are not paying as much tax as before because we have lifted
:38:14. > :38:19.personal allowances. It is not a 10 pence tax, it is a 0p tax for us.
:38:19. > :38:22.But still the millionaires get their break. We are taxing
:38:22. > :38:26.wealthier people much more than Labour ever did, we have a higher
:38:26. > :38:32.level of income tax for wealthy people and various other measures
:38:32. > :38:38.to improve tax collection from sales of houses and so forth. The
:38:38. > :38:44.fact is we are actually netting more tax. Is this here or there,
:38:44. > :38:53.the 10 pence tax rate? I you're admitting that you got it wrong
:38:53. > :38:58.when you scratch did? -- are you're admitting. Some people did not lose
:38:58. > :39:02.out but about half a million people did and, as we know, there was
:39:02. > :39:07.quite a fury about that. It is quite right to look at reducing the
:39:07. > :39:13.tax burden on the lower paid but this government is wrong to say
:39:13. > :39:16.they have a higher rate of tax than Labour did. We but the tax rate up
:39:16. > :39:23.to 50p for the higher rate earners just as we left office and they
:39:23. > :39:28.have put that down to 40 pence in the pound. It means that the richer
:39:28. > :39:35.people are not paying as much tax as we would have liked them to pay.
:39:35. > :39:39.You say that is what you're going to do but you did not do it.
:39:39. > :39:46.financial circumstances demanded. They did not in 1997 because it was
:39:46. > :39:52.an economic boom time. It will soon be -- soon be time for a spot of
:39:52. > :39:56.Sunday lunch. Would it be chicken, lamb, beef, or perhaps a few tender
:39:56. > :40:01.sort -- slices of course? The scandal has shaken confidence in
:40:01. > :40:08.the food we eat, so much so that 98 % of butchers locally but we have
:40:08. > :40:13.spoken to have reported an increase in trade. -- that we have spoken to.
:40:13. > :40:18.Are the public were turning back to meet by contrast?
:40:18. > :40:23.The start of the food trade. There is no mistaking these local cows
:40:23. > :40:29.for horses. But after slaughter, as meat is process, it can be nearly
:40:29. > :40:33.impossible to tell the difference would be -- without a DNA test. For
:40:33. > :40:37.cattle farmers like these outside Weston-super-Mare the scandal could
:40:37. > :40:46.be good news if consumers vote with their wallets and decide to buy
:40:46. > :40:50.more locally produced but it -- British beats -- beef. It could be
:40:51. > :40:57.good if people go back to bind from butchers and move away from
:40:57. > :41:01.processed foods. -- buying from butchers. Farmers like Simon are
:41:01. > :41:05.backed by senior politicians, who say that consumers need to take
:41:05. > :41:09.responsibility for what they are eating. This is the time we should
:41:09. > :41:15.be buying British beef from British butchers, farm shops, and when you
:41:15. > :41:21.buy from the supermarket go for farm assured track to assign for
:41:21. > :41:26.showing that the meat is completely able to be traced. Does local
:41:26. > :41:35.always make it safe? Bees Bristol- based to pie makers say that you
:41:35. > :41:45.get what you pay for. 60,000 pie is a role off the production line here
:41:45. > :41:47.
:41:47. > :41:52.every week. -- pie is a role off. At �3.50 up I'd they are pricier
:41:52. > :42:02.than a supermarket own-brand but they say that consumers need to get
:42:02. > :42:03.
:42:03. > :42:08.real if they want good food. -- �3.50 for a pie. You have to be
:42:08. > :42:16.careful about how you buy it and what cuts you use force. We would
:42:16. > :42:21.not economise on that. Bristol butcher David Giles agrees. We try
:42:21. > :42:28.to sort everything as locally as we can. Everything within 50 miles of
:42:29. > :42:37.this shop. This local butchers has been busier than normal in this
:42:37. > :42:41.last week. They say business is up 10 %. 16 out of 18 local business -
:42:41. > :42:44.- but just say their profits are up. Customers in the short term at
:42:44. > :42:51.least seem to be choosing local fresh meat instead of processed
:42:51. > :42:55.food. We saw step from this Budget because we know where it is coming
:42:55. > :42:59.from, it is all labelled. If you buy it in a packet you don't know
:42:59. > :43:06.where it is coming from. Four you know you will get good food, good
:43:06. > :43:10.quality, so that is why it is so busy. In reality we can't all eat
:43:10. > :43:14.locally produced fresh meat. need to remember that Britain is
:43:14. > :43:20.not self-sufficient in food, it is not self-sufficient in beef, so we
:43:20. > :43:24.have to import. If we import we need to work out how we can make
:43:25. > :43:29.sure we can trace meat across borders, so promoting British meat
:43:29. > :43:36.is important and legitimate but it should not distract us from the
:43:36. > :43:39.need to work out how we make sure our supply chains are able to be
:43:39. > :43:43.traced and transparent. Four the cost of testing beef products has
:43:44. > :43:51.run into millions. Restoring consumer confidence could cost even
:43:51. > :43:58.more. Joining the debate is a local food
:43:58. > :44:05.expert and the author of, who feeds Bristol. It is quite simple, it is
:44:05. > :44:11.the supermarkets, isn't it? You are right, it is. How much to people
:44:11. > :44:17.trust supermarkets? It is a good question. It is interesting to
:44:17. > :44:21.remember, since World War II, we have developed a food system which
:44:21. > :44:28.is effectively about commodities and profit and we have lost the
:44:28. > :44:32.transparency and connection. But actually people do care. We have
:44:32. > :44:41.data from Bristol that suggests people really do care where their
:44:41. > :44:46.food comes from. To they care about what is it quits -- what is in it?
:44:46. > :44:50.Is it the distaste of eating a different kind of animal? I think
:44:50. > :44:57.it is all of those things, but this taste but also wanting to know that
:44:57. > :45:05.when you buy something with a label it is what it says on that in. --
:45:05. > :45:11.this taste. Do you think people will go back to the cheap food
:45:11. > :45:17.easily available? That is the worry. We have had food scares before and
:45:17. > :45:21.for a period people go to buy food with a farmer's face on it, food
:45:21. > :45:30.they can trust, and then they refer to different habits. That is the
:45:30. > :45:35.fear but it is always helpful and we need to encourage our families
:45:35. > :45:43.and friends to be a bit more interested in what we eat. You said
:45:43. > :45:50.this was the tip of the iceberg. It seems it might be right. A lot of
:45:50. > :45:53.the concern has focused on the fact that there has been horsemeat found
:45:53. > :45:58.in the food chain and whether it is contaminated with the painkiller,
:45:58. > :46:02.but I think, if we don't know how it got into the food chain, there
:46:02. > :46:07.are other questions to be asked about what else is in the food
:46:07. > :46:10.chain. It is amazing, the number of steps... Some of these products are
:46:10. > :46:15.seen to have travelled around the hall of Europe before they end up
:46:15. > :46:20.on our shelves. There is concern about organised crime being
:46:20. > :46:25.involved and the fact that the food is so cheap makes you wonder...
:46:25. > :46:34.There is a balance. Your constituents can get four burgers
:46:34. > :46:44.for a food. I think they can get paid for at -- eight for a pound.
:46:44. > :46:49.That is a good value Mead. -- meal. A lot to be ball was saying people
:46:49. > :46:52.should be prepared to pay more for their meal and they can know where
:46:52. > :46:58.it came from, but a lot of people are not in a position to do that,
:46:58. > :47:01.they don't have the money, they are on a tight budgets -- so they will
:47:01. > :47:08.go for the value range, so that is why it is important that people
:47:08. > :47:13.know what is in them. Neil, you used to be a beef farmer. You know
:47:13. > :47:21.a thing or two about food. This is another failure of the markets,
:47:21. > :47:25.isn't it? First we had the bankers at letting us down, now it is the
:47:25. > :47:32.supermarket. This is an example of gross deception and people breaking
:47:33. > :47:37.the law. That is the market. have to make it more transparent
:47:37. > :47:40.and make sure that the supply train works more efficiently, but the key
:47:40. > :47:46.thing is that when people buy something it should be what it says
:47:46. > :47:49.on the tin. That has clearly not been happening with burgers or
:47:49. > :47:53.other processed food. We have to get that right. And the other thing
:47:54. > :47:58.I said in the House of Commons is we need random testing, not just
:47:58. > :48:03.across the supply train but right down into it as well, to penetrate
:48:03. > :48:08.areas where the spotlight has not been. For the politicians are
:48:08. > :48:18.saying take more interest in your food, but is that if a bid mill at
:48:18. > :48:23.-- middle class, is it really going to make a difference? It is not
:48:23. > :48:27.what most people do, go to farmers' markets. That is the perception.
:48:28. > :48:31.The food system is like dominoes, if you not want it has an impact,
:48:32. > :48:37.and cooking is at the heart of making a change. We have a problem
:48:37. > :48:42.as a nation, we have lost our cooking skills. Perhaps they don't
:48:42. > :48:45.teach it so much in schools. It is being brought back onto the
:48:45. > :48:53.national curriculum, which is a good thing. Thank you very much for
:48:53. > :48:58.joining us today. Have the cuts really heard our councils or is the
:48:58. > :49:03.age of austerity catapulting town halls into the 21st century? By
:49:03. > :49:09.West's councils will be both setting their budgets in the next
:49:09. > :49:13.fortnight. Most voters seem untouched by the cuts they are
:49:13. > :49:18.making. Taunton, Swindon, Bristol, Bath.
:49:18. > :49:22.There have been demonstrations and anger at many of our council's. It
:49:22. > :49:27.reached a peak at Gloucestershire County Council, which set about
:49:27. > :49:37.cutting a thousand staff and �100 million. Two years ago, as councils
:49:37. > :49:42.set -- met to set their budget, there were Big Eck -- bigger
:49:42. > :49:47.protests, but this time people don't seem to have noticed. It does
:49:48. > :49:55.not really affect us. Personally I have not noticed any difference.
:49:55. > :50:01.Not personally, no. They have not really affected me. Not at the
:50:01. > :50:07.moment but you know it will come. have not been aware of it. Only on
:50:07. > :50:11.the TV. There was much coverage of library cuts. The feared closures
:50:11. > :50:16.have not happened. This is one of seven run not by council staff but
:50:16. > :50:20.by volunteers. Already we have had some fantastic feedback in terms of
:50:20. > :50:25.the atmosphere. It is completely different in the building because
:50:25. > :50:29.it is not a local authority run service. All of the people here are
:50:29. > :50:34.local so they know half of the people who come in. The model we
:50:34. > :50:43.have here actually could be the model for other areas. The cabbie
:50:43. > :50:47.at, he adds, is that finance is an on going challenge. -- can be at.
:50:47. > :50:57.At this youth centre of volunteers have made up for what the council
:50:57. > :50:58.
:50:58. > :51:04.cut. Gloucester's's -- Gloucesters leader feels vindicated. Volunteers
:51:04. > :51:08.have taken on some of the responsibilities that it we have
:51:08. > :51:12.given up but there is far more focus on the really important
:51:12. > :51:17.services. Yes, we have so -- reduced staff numbers but we are
:51:17. > :51:24.protecting services those most important for the most vulnerable.
:51:24. > :51:28.Fewer staff in few offices and they work differently. Yes, I can
:51:28. > :51:34.probably find a number for the centre itself. This is the
:51:34. > :51:39.council's call centre. Much more is done by phone or online. Modern
:51:39. > :51:47.business practice is now becoming the norm in local government.
:51:47. > :51:51.are reducing our footprint as a local authority, bringing staff
:51:51. > :51:55.into this building and making sure that people are working better in
:51:55. > :52:04.teams. We are modernising, making some changes but frankly we should
:52:04. > :52:14.have made a long time ago. -- that frankly. Foster's council meeting
:52:14. > :52:16.
:52:16. > :52:20.is not expected to be as he did this time. - Matt Goss de's. --
:52:20. > :52:27.Gloucester's. If you don't repair the windows and don't repair the
:52:27. > :52:31.front door, finally you have to do it more expensively. We are at a
:52:31. > :52:35.stage where some of the impact will not be felt for two or three years
:52:35. > :52:40.down alone -- down the line. councils cut further without the
:52:40. > :52:45.public feeling the pain? This year's funding settlement is not so
:52:45. > :52:53.draconian but all expect the next few years to be much tougher.
:52:53. > :53:02.Join in us today is the and the cuts campaigner, Jerry Hicks. --
:53:02. > :53:11.and he cuts. Have you been crying wolf against these cuts? No, I have
:53:11. > :53:15.been campaigning against them. The bedroom tax will be the coalition's
:53:15. > :53:21.poll-tax. That was smashed as well. Let's look at Gloucester, where
:53:21. > :53:26.they have axed 1,000 staff and nobody seemed to be any the wiser.
:53:26. > :53:34.I don't know about wiser, I think people need to be inspired to fight
:53:34. > :53:39.back. Fight back against what? you cut 1,000 staff, shops close,
:53:39. > :53:45.people do not have the spending power. For your argument was always
:53:45. > :53:49.but the cuts would affect members of the public directly. So far it
:53:49. > :53:55.is not clear to see where this is happening, unless you can put me
:53:55. > :53:59.right. It is very clear to see where it is happening. I spoke to a
:54:00. > :54:04.Unite member this morning, a branch official from the hospital, and
:54:04. > :54:09.they are calling for a national campaign to say that cuts affect
:54:09. > :54:16.everybody. The budget for the NHS has not been cut. The other think
:54:16. > :54:22.it is important dimension, you know we talked about Labour early on --
:54:22. > :54:27.labelling early on, it is the label that cuts are the only alternative,
:54:27. > :54:33.and the difference between Labour and the Tories is on a pinhead.
:54:33. > :54:39.There is an alternative to cuts, cutting Trident... Let's bring in
:54:39. > :54:44.Kerry. We have heard so much about the cuts but it is hard to see
:54:44. > :54:48.where they are affecting people directly. I would not agree.
:54:48. > :54:54.Certainly in terms of the casework I am getting through, increasingly
:54:54. > :54:58.we are getting people to -- who are in desperate situations. The
:54:58. > :55:08.bedroom tax will hit a lot of people and the council is planning
:55:08. > :55:08.
:55:08. > :55:12.to scrap the homeless prevention sector. The basic living standards
:55:12. > :55:17.of people, you have people who are subject to the public sector pay
:55:17. > :55:22.freeze for several years, their overtime is being cut, child care
:55:22. > :55:25.costs are going up, food and fuel bills are a huge issue, and I am
:55:25. > :55:29.definitely seeing it in terms of individuals coming to me in
:55:29. > :55:34.desperate straits. Neil Carmichael, let's look at the other side of the
:55:34. > :55:44.coin, you are not really cutting public spending a tour, are you?
:55:44. > :55:46.
:55:46. > :55:49.Not in significant ways. -- planned -- public spending at all.
:55:49. > :55:52.Gloucestershire County Council is investing a lot of money in
:55:52. > :55:57.encouraging younger people to think about careers and give them
:55:57. > :56:01.opportunities for further training, low. �1 million worth of investment,
:56:01. > :56:04.and that is just Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire County Council has
:56:04. > :56:10.a really good story to tell in economic development so I think it
:56:10. > :56:13.is important to get this in but it -- in perspective. We now employ
:56:13. > :56:17.nearly 30 million people for the first time in Britain and for the
:56:17. > :56:23.last few years we have increased the number of people at work in the
:56:23. > :56:30.private sector. Coulter of those extra jobs are part-time, poorly
:56:30. > :56:34.paid jobs. -- a lot of those. of the jobs are in the
:56:34. > :56:40.manufacturing and engineering sector. The good news is we are not
:56:40. > :56:48.just getting more jobs but we are getting more orders for export.
:56:48. > :56:57.There are 800 job losses, job losses at Rolls-Royce, if people
:56:57. > :57:02.are so well off, why are the Tories so poor in the polls? People's
:57:02. > :57:12.spending power has been reduced, it is probably worse than it was in
:57:12. > :57:12.
:57:12. > :57:22.1997, certainly than 2003. In Lewisham, with the hospital cart,
:57:22. > :57:22.
:57:22. > :57:32.25,000 marched. -- the hospital cut. How many billions have been spent
:57:32. > :57:33.
:57:33. > :57:36.on walls? Thank you for joining us. -- spent on war. Let's go to the
:57:36. > :57:42.rest of the week's news in one minute.
:57:42. > :57:45.Almost half of GPs in the West say they will continue -- will consider
:57:45. > :57:50.leaving the profession when government changes come in in April.
:57:50. > :57:54.A local survey of nearly 3,000 doctors found that 48 % and may get
:57:54. > :57:59.a different job or retire. A former colliery and the Forest of
:57:59. > :58:04.Dean which has lain derelict for nearly 50 years is set to become a
:58:04. > :58:10.business park, creating 200 jobs. Councillors voted in favour but
:58:10. > :58:16.wildlife experts are unhappy. It is the event that made western
:58:16. > :58:26.Sudan call. T four on the beach saw thousands of youngsters flocking on
:58:26. > :58:27.
:58:28. > :58:34.to the beach but the event has been axed. -- made Weston-Super-Mare
:58:34. > :58:41.Cormack. -- cool. There was Pat -- pancake flipping
:58:41. > :58:47.about among MPs against journalists and they won.
:58:47. > :58:50.Let's pick up on one of those stories. GPs threatening to leave
:58:50. > :58:56.the health service or to retire because of the changes. Do you
:58:56. > :59:02.believe that? I don't, because I have talked to a lot of GPs who are
:59:02. > :59:09.happy with the changes. We have 360 GPs in Gloucestershire but not all
:59:09. > :59:14.of them are ecstatically happy but most of them are. We need to talk
:59:14. > :59:20.about the scandals... That is a good point. Are you conscious of
:59:20. > :59:24.low morale amongst GPs, many of whom are earning above 100 grand?
:59:24. > :59:29.Money is not everything. Certainly when I spoke to them about the
:59:29. > :59:39.changes, but GPs consortiums are taking over primary care trusts, I
:59:39. > :59:44.
:59:44. > :59:50.could not find much enthusiasm. -- the GPs' consortiums. Thank-you to