:01:13. > :01:17.In the West: How thousands of lives in Bristol are being put at risk
:01:17. > :01:27.because of pollution from vehicles in the city centre. So should the
:01:27. > :01:27.
:01:27. > :32:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1887 seconds
:32:55. > :33:02.Mayor introduce a congestion charge 23,000 Bristolian us are having
:33:02. > :33:08.their health put at risk because the of pollutants in the atmosphere.
:33:08. > :33:15.That is coming up but let's make our guests today. The Conservative
:33:15. > :33:20.MP for Kingswood and the mayor of Bristol. I want to talk about the
:33:20. > :33:26.Queen's speech and the news that the Government will try to limit
:33:26. > :33:33.NHS cover for a short stay immigrants. You have been part of
:33:33. > :33:39.that, what does it mean exactly? Yes, I was calling debates on this
:33:39. > :33:49.going to the Department of Health arguing that we need to do this. At
:33:49. > :33:51.
:33:51. > :34:01.the moment there are tens of millions of pounds being spent on
:34:01. > :34:01.
:34:01. > :34:06.here. We will make sure NHS trusts will make sure people have the
:34:06. > :34:13.documentation to prove they are eligible for that here. Who will
:34:13. > :34:18.get turned away? Obviously when it comes to emergency treatment and
:34:18. > :34:22.someone's life is at risk they will not be turned away but obviously
:34:23. > :34:30.they will then be presented with a bill if they are not a British
:34:30. > :34:40.citizen. Who will this applied to? Anyone who is not ordinarily a
:34:40. > :34:45.British citizen. Anyone who comes over here to use the NHS services
:34:45. > :34:55.without being entitled to. It is not an international health service.
:34:55. > :34:55.
:34:56. > :35:00.It is a British one. And what do you think? I think it is up to a
:35:00. > :35:07.story. You or I could go almost anywhere in Europe and get
:35:07. > :35:11.treatment. I think we have got to be really careful about it. We have
:35:11. > :35:19.as many people going to other countries in Europe as we have
:35:19. > :35:24.coming to us. I think mean this is not a very good policy. Our economy
:35:24. > :35:29.is driven by a lot of these people who have come into the country.
:35:29. > :35:33.There is a terrible sense of panic being generated at the moment. I am
:35:33. > :35:43.certainly not one who has a knee- jerk reaction against helping
:35:43. > :35:46.people who are in this country for good reasons. A pregnant woman
:35:46. > :35:56.arrives at Bristol airport and needs treatment, that should be fee
:35:56. > :35:57.
:35:57. > :36:04.and we should pay for them? general assumption would be that
:36:04. > :36:13.they are not taking the mickey. are shaking your head. When it
:36:13. > :36:18.comes to Europe week pay and of full lot every year. We are
:36:18. > :36:25.spending �10 billion on the NHS and we have to rein in the costs. This
:36:25. > :36:31.is what is driving all the debate around emigration. I recognise that
:36:32. > :36:36.hard-working people pay their tax. Thousands of people living in
:36:36. > :36:41.Bristol are being exposed to harmful levels of the gas nitrogen
:36:41. > :36:48.dioxide. It is colourless and odourless and released from
:36:48. > :36:54.vehicles on the road. It can be very damaging to people's health.
:36:54. > :37:02.Cities like Bristol are breaking EU law and could face heavy fines. Our
:37:03. > :37:07.reporter has more. You cannot see it or even smell it but the
:37:07. > :37:11.atmosphere here carries a dirty secret. The particles are much
:37:11. > :37:16.smaller but they are no less toxic, it they may even be more toxic
:37:16. > :37:21.because they can work through the lungs and into the bloodstream.
:37:21. > :37:26.According to the council's own figures, 23,000 people in the city
:37:26. > :37:32.are being put at risk because they are living in areas where the
:37:32. > :37:37.pollutants are above agreed European limits. I think it is time
:37:37. > :37:42.for the people of Bristol to wake up to how much of a problem this is.
:37:42. > :37:49.It is not just an issue for politicians, it is an issue for
:37:49. > :37:55.everyone. This is one of the most congested and polluted parts of
:37:55. > :38:01.Bristol. What does that mean for our health? According to this
:38:01. > :38:07.document from the city council, the damaging effects and costs to
:38:07. > :38:13.society are on apart with smoking and obesity. They have known about
:38:13. > :38:23.the rest for years and according to D Greens in the city something has
:38:23. > :38:24.
:38:24. > :38:31.to be done. Levels of nitrogen dioxide have been above those which
:38:31. > :38:34.are designated as safe so people are still being exposed to what are
:38:35. > :38:43.widely considered by health officials across the world as
:38:43. > :38:50.dangerous levels of pollution. Europe could reduce the number of
:38:50. > :38:55.vehicles on our roads and impose fines. Our governments came
:38:55. > :38:58.together and set certain targets to be met at European level. The
:38:59. > :39:05.European authorities including the European Parliament where I set
:39:05. > :39:11.have quite rightly said you set those targets, go out and meet them.
:39:11. > :39:18.So, the pressure is on. Will Europe actually find us for cleaning up
:39:18. > :39:22.our hair? Of course we are in favour of less the air pollution.
:39:22. > :39:30.We do not want their pollution at any level but this is not the right
:39:30. > :39:35.way to go about it. We have got to rely on ourselves, not on a series
:39:35. > :39:42.of EU directives which are liable to be enforced by us and not by
:39:42. > :39:48.other European countries. So here it has become a European issue and
:39:48. > :39:53.a local nightmare for the mayor. There is no simple way for the
:39:53. > :39:59.Mayor to clean up their pollution in Bristol, if there was, it would
:40:00. > :40:09.be done. All he can do is reduce the numbers of cars and lorries
:40:09. > :40:15.moving hour -- using our roads and where they are used, make the
:40:15. > :40:20.pollution from them less. The mayor does do his own little bit for
:40:20. > :40:26.Bristol's their quality by getting on his bike. Cyclists see him as a
:40:26. > :40:34.friend but so far he has been unable to convince enough motorists
:40:34. > :40:38.to join him. The nitrogen dioxide levels are far above the targets.
:40:38. > :40:45.We should be spending more on better public transport, walking
:40:45. > :40:51.and cycling. I know there are many priorities but air pollution should
:40:51. > :40:56.be top of the list, it will save lives in the city and create a
:40:56. > :41:02.healthier environment for our children. So the mayor has been
:41:02. > :41:07.warned, it is the health of tens of thousands of his residence at stake.
:41:07. > :41:12.We are joined by the man who has to sort it out. Do you welcome the
:41:12. > :41:19.challenge and will you fix this? absolutely welcomed the challenge.
:41:19. > :41:24.It was top of my Agenda for Bristol. I think we need a longer period
:41:24. > :41:29.than the 5.5 months we have had to make the difference. Bristol
:41:29. > :41:39.monitors air quality really well. We have been praised by Europe for
:41:39. > :41:40.
:41:40. > :41:47.monitoring it really well, that is the irony. We have had imposed on
:41:47. > :41:53.as many diesel vehicles. It has risen from 10% to 50%. This is
:41:53. > :41:59.mainly about car traffic, big buses and lorries. It is not mainly about
:41:59. > :42:04.industrial pollution. One option is that ingesting charge, where do you
:42:04. > :42:10.stand on that? Congestion charges one of a number of possible
:42:10. > :42:16.measures. I am definitely bringing in a resident's parking zone which
:42:16. > :42:25.will help with the reduction of commuter traffic. I am definitely
:42:25. > :42:30.working with my partners to produce much, much better public transport.
:42:30. > :42:36.I am working to make quite sure that we become a much more
:42:36. > :42:42.pedestrian and cycle friendly city. Yes, but what about the congestion
:42:42. > :42:47.charge? I have asked that the congestion charges looked at by one
:42:47. > :42:52.of my officers. Are you instinctively in favour or against?
:42:52. > :42:57.I am instinctively in favour of things that improve the health of
:42:57. > :43:04.the residents of Bristol. There are some people in this city who have a
:43:04. > :43:09.life expectancy 10 years less than others because of the places the
:43:09. > :43:13.living. There are probably on average 500 people in this city
:43:13. > :43:19.dying 10 years earlier because of the level of air pollution in their
:43:19. > :43:26.area. The only other major city to have done the congestion charges
:43:26. > :43:31.London. Ken Livingston introduced it and has this advice. I had three
:43:32. > :43:36.years of people predicting it would be a disaster. The more significant
:43:36. > :43:41.thing is that there could not be a bigger difference between myself
:43:41. > :43:47.and Boris Johnson and he has kept the congestion charge because it
:43:47. > :43:56.works. If you are going to rule it out, rule it out now. I am not
:43:56. > :44:01.ruling anything out, that would be irresponsible of me. I am going to
:44:01. > :44:06.make this the most liveable city in the UK and part of it is to make
:44:06. > :44:15.sure that we have a healthy city. People using active transport which
:44:15. > :44:19.does not pollute. I drive an electric car. Is there a danger
:44:19. > :44:25.that this report will be used by a minority political groups and
:44:25. > :44:30.single issue action groups to impose some pretty heavy penalties
:44:30. > :44:37.on drivers? We have got to be serious about the issue. This is
:44:37. > :44:43.not about being anti-car as some people will paint it. It is about
:44:43. > :44:49.being pro-life. Making quite sure that our children are able to walk
:44:49. > :44:54.safely to school. Making sure they do not begin these horrible
:44:54. > :44:59.particles. Making sure they do not have to deal with climate change.
:44:59. > :45:07.It is about the bigger picture and making sure we free up the roads
:45:07. > :45:15.for essential driving. His ambit of the air pollution a price worth
:45:15. > :45:25.paying for a busy commercial city? Bristol has always had a problem in
:45:25. > :45:30.terms of its layout. The congestion is caused by cars backing up.
:45:30. > :45:37.going round and round because they cannot find a parking space.
:45:37. > :45:42.reason I think our local mayor is an asset is because he will make
:45:42. > :45:48.changes that have been needed for years. On the congestion charge I
:45:48. > :45:54.would say I would opposed that tooth and nail. The reason Ken
:45:54. > :45:59.Livingston lost his position is because he tried to extend the
:45:59. > :46:05.congestion charge. The air has been a lot of work but what are you
:46:05. > :46:10.going to do? By June this year I will be producing an air-quality
:46:10. > :46:16.strategy which will be local action. There is no silver bullet to this
:46:16. > :46:21.but it is a matter of taking the leadership and making quite sure
:46:21. > :46:26.that we drive through these serious measures to reduce the amounts of
:46:26. > :46:31.pollution. I am happy to take the flak if I believe I am doing the
:46:31. > :46:36.right thing. Labour have admitted the local election results in this
:46:36. > :46:43.part of the world where a let down and a cause for concern. Across the
:46:43. > :46:47.country they gained about 20 councillors. Our reporter has more.
:46:47. > :46:53.After World War II have the male population worked in the coal
:46:53. > :47:02.industry. It was a working-class area. Now tourism is the major
:47:03. > :47:10.breadwinner. Back 50 years the forest of Dean had a Labour MP. The
:47:11. > :47:15.county council was Labour lead to but times have changed. At a museum
:47:15. > :47:23.dedicated to the Forest's mining history I met up with a former
:47:23. > :47:32.miner turned poet. He was a Labour supporter for many years but he has
:47:32. > :47:36.now given his support to UKIP. He explains in a poem. Politics,
:47:36. > :47:41.Labour and Conservative, you've been in and out of power. I believe
:47:41. > :47:45.your promises have now all turned sour. There are more on the dole
:47:45. > :47:55.than there ever was before. This country is not just for the rich
:47:55. > :47:56.
:47:56. > :48:00.but also for the poor. Let's give UKIP to have a chance. Their
:48:00. > :48:06.promising the moon. Then the getting to the Government and the
:48:06. > :48:10.show you a photograph of it, that is all you are going to get. Locals
:48:10. > :48:18.here tell me why they have steered away from the main political
:48:18. > :48:26.parties when they went to the polls last week. I voted UKIP, I am
:48:26. > :48:33.usually a Labour supporter. always supported Labour but I only
:48:33. > :48:39.changed because I like the people that are with UKIP. Over a pint in
:48:40. > :48:45.the pub I met one of the newly elected UKIP counsellors. He says
:48:45. > :48:52.they are here to stay. I will keep building on it. I will just listen
:48:52. > :48:57.to people. If people will follow that lead and get away from the
:48:57. > :49:04.rubbish that we are racist I think they will progress quite steadily.
:49:04. > :49:14.Many agree that the Tories were the biggest losers and UKIP the biggest
:49:14. > :49:18.
:49:18. > :49:20.winners. UKIP did not just pick up disaffected Tories. The Labour
:49:20. > :49:28.leader in the House of Lords grew up in the Dean. She admits they
:49:28. > :49:32.have not done well enough. I think people have been disappointed and
:49:32. > :49:37.disillusioned by mainstream politics. They are struggling
:49:37. > :49:40.economically to put food on the table. They are wanting jobs. They
:49:40. > :49:49.will find mainstream politics has not been offering the answers they
:49:49. > :49:54.need. This will Labour district councillor who lost out to UKIP for
:49:54. > :50:01.a seat on the county council says his party should not underestimate
:50:01. > :50:07.UKIP. I do not share the perception that UKIP is a Tory problem. I
:50:07. > :50:12.think it is a problem for all of those who have lost votes to them.
:50:12. > :50:17.They did not get the results they got in the Forest of Dean without
:50:17. > :50:23.harvesting some previous Labour boats and we have got to do
:50:23. > :50:33.something to get that back. -- Labour votes. Will it take a shift
:50:33. > :50:41.
:50:41. > :50:49.to the left or the rights? So I am joined by a member of the policy
:50:49. > :50:55.forum. You are failing to connect with people. I do not think that is
:50:55. > :51:01.true. People have not talked about some of the policies that Labour
:51:01. > :51:07.are interested in. You kept have filled that gap. The biggest losses
:51:07. > :51:17.were for the Tories. Labour have made some reasonable progress but
:51:17. > :51:26.probably not enough. I think it was Peter Mandelson who said about Ed
:51:27. > :51:31.Miliband that he test drives his policies on a national scale. He
:51:31. > :51:36.does not understand the people living in the Forest of Dean.
:51:36. > :51:46.not think that is true. They have elected three UKIP county
:51:46. > :51:47.
:51:47. > :51:53.councillors. I met someone I work with who used to vote Tory but
:51:53. > :51:59.voters UKIP. He said the one issue he did that because of was
:51:59. > :52:03.immigration. In the past there was a bigger influx than we might have
:52:03. > :52:10.anticipated but we brought in the minimum wage and without policing
:52:10. > :52:20.that and making sure people cannot undercut, this is a danger. If UKIP
:52:20. > :52:23.
:52:23. > :52:32.is a threat to you it is a disaster. Not really, when you look at the
:52:32. > :52:39.country, Bristol only polled 3%. They did not take any seats. It is
:52:39. > :52:44.becoming fragmented. You would not want to do a deal with UKIP?
:52:44. > :52:48.because when you look at their policies, they are a protest party.
:52:48. > :52:54.Their spending commitments would mean massive cuts to the NHS which
:52:54. > :53:01.I would not welcome. Now look at the political news this week in
:53:01. > :53:05.just 60 seconds. It was an deep for pomp and ceremony. At the heart of
:53:05. > :53:15.it Steven Williams who made one of the loyal addresses after the
:53:15. > :53:16.
:53:16. > :53:26.Queen's speech. The Prime Minister and I were born just hours apart
:53:26. > :53:28.
:53:28. > :53:33.but for the avoidance of tax he is the older. Negotiations following a
:53:33. > :53:38.ruling by the National Party Executive Committee. Meanwhile, in
:53:38. > :53:41.Gloucestershire talks are under way to form a new administration. The
:53:41. > :53:47.Conservatives remained the largest group and are seeking co-operation
:53:47. > :53:51.from other parties in advance of next week's meeting. The former
:53:51. > :53:57.head of public help in the West claims the response to the measles
:53:57. > :54:02.epidemic has been slowed down by computer changes to D NHS. It is
:54:03. > :54:07.really unclear who is responsible for what. Let's pick up on one of
:54:07. > :54:13.these stories, whether Labour will join the cabinet in Bristol. Birdie
:54:13. > :54:20.in or out at the moment? We are having very civilised discussions
:54:20. > :54:25.and I expect it will be resolved some time on Monday. You were
:54:25. > :54:30.elected in November and you have invited Labour members into your
:54:30. > :54:34.cabinet. They have not served. I think it is a shame they have not
:54:34. > :54:40.been there. We have had disagreements and I am very happy
:54:40. > :54:50.for those disagreements to be open. I encourage my cabinet members to
:54:50. > :54:53.
:54:53. > :54:59.say exactly what they think. That is my style of Government. You are
:54:59. > :55:03.an historian, does coalition work? Coalitions often end up being
:55:03. > :55:08.temporary but people respect them when they are in the national
:55:08. > :55:13.interest. What I would see here is that democracy does not always
:55:13. > :55:22.deliver a clear result and when it does not you have got to act in the