:00:54. > :00:57.Hello, I'm Marie Ashby and there's plenty to choose on our menu.
:00:57. > :00:59.We'll be talking about next week's public sector strike with
:00:59. > :01:02.Conservative MP Heather Wheeler and Labour's Chris Williamson.
:01:02. > :01:04.And we'll be asking them if local authorities should take up a
:01:04. > :01:06.financial incentive from the Government to freeze next year's
:01:06. > :01:08.council tax. Plus a special report on the
:01:08. > :01:18.Council leader facing a crucial election court hearing. An expert
:01:18. > :01:18.
:01:18. > :34:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2008 seconds
:34:47. > :34:51.says the case could set alarm bells Hello. There is plenty to choose on
:34:51. > :34:53.our menu. We will be talking about next week's public sector strike
:34:53. > :34:57.with Conservative MP, Heather Wheeler and Labour's Chris
:34:57. > :35:00.Williamson. And we will be asking them if local authorities should
:35:00. > :35:02.take up a financial incentive from the Government to freeze next
:35:02. > :35:05.year's council tax. Plus a special report on the
:35:05. > :35:15.council leader facing a crucial election court hearing. An expert
:35:15. > :35:15.
:35:15. > :35:17.says the case could set alarm bells ringing nationally.
:35:17. > :35:24.First, after years of campaigning, democracy may finally be coming to
:35:24. > :35:26.the Peak Park. The Park Authority will meet government
:35:26. > :35:33.representatives next month to discuss proposals under which 70 %
:35:34. > :35:36.of its members would be elected by people who live there.
:35:37. > :35:41.It took a foreign invasion and nearly three years of bloodshed to
:35:41. > :35:46.bring about democratic elections in Iraq. It was a similar timescale in
:35:46. > :35:56.Afghanistan. Now, after 60 years, Britain's oldest National Park, the
:35:56. > :35:59.
:35:59. > :36:03.Peak District, is about to embrace democracy as well.
:36:03. > :36:08.Of the 30 members, 16 are appointed by local authorities within the
:36:08. > :36:14.park area. Eight are appointed by the Secretary of State for their
:36:15. > :36:23.expertise. Only the remaining six are elected and they are elected by
:36:23. > :36:25.parish councils, not directly by members of a republic. -- of the
:36:25. > :36:28.public. For some, democracy for the Peak
:36:28. > :36:31.District cannot come soon enough. Consultant paediatrician and Peak
:36:31. > :36:38.Park resident Professor Mark Everard has long campaigned for it.
:36:38. > :36:42.In the past, there has been a cosying up of members who have been
:36:42. > :36:46.allowed -- allowing the officers to run the show and I am pleased to
:36:46. > :36:48.see that is now changing. Councillor David Chapman is a
:36:48. > :36:54.relatively new member of the Peak District National Park Authority.
:36:54. > :37:02.He agrees Professor Everard does have a point. We are all directly
:37:02. > :37:08.elected to the council whereas in the national park we just put those
:37:08. > :37:14.representatives in various bodies. I think that does have some effect
:37:14. > :37:17.on the attitudes of the officers towards members.
:37:17. > :37:19.In the Peaks, as in all National Parks, the most contentious issue
:37:19. > :37:21.is planning. John Youatt, himself a former planning officer with the
:37:21. > :37:28.Authority, now helps sustainable energy companies with planning
:37:28. > :37:30.applications. He says the tough line Peak Park
:37:30. > :37:36.planners take on solar panels contravenes government policy and
:37:36. > :37:41.shows just out of touch some officers have become.
:37:41. > :37:46.I think they have been too strict on some occasions and have not
:37:46. > :37:51.taking a balanced view and have threatened to refuse aren't too
:37:51. > :37:53.many occasions. -- on too many occasions.
:37:54. > :37:57.Steve Hardwick, who has had planning applications turned down
:37:57. > :37:59.but then approved on appeal, has set up a pressure group called Peak
:37:59. > :38:02.Park Watch. He points to a catalogue of what he
:38:02. > :38:08.claims were poor decisions. One of them was to allow a static
:38:08. > :38:12.caravan site outside the picture postcard village of Foolow.
:38:12. > :38:17.government inspectors said that the kindest way to describe the affair
:38:17. > :38:25.was that it was a serious error of judgment on behalf of the authority.
:38:25. > :38:30.The authority wish to include in the judgment that it had been
:38:30. > :38:33.written on the back of a fag packet. The irony, says Peak Park Watch, is
:38:33. > :38:36.that over the road is a 17th century barn which the owner wanted
:38:36. > :38:40.to convert but was refused permission for. The authority
:38:40. > :38:44.apparently advised him to demolish it and sell the stone. I do not
:38:44. > :38:49.know much about this Organisation. I have watched their website very
:38:49. > :38:55.carefully. They have not been very transparent about some of their
:38:55. > :38:59.decisions. I am a little concerned about some of the motor vacation --
:38:59. > :39:03.motivations of some of the people involved. We respect the fact that
:39:03. > :39:13.the Community can come together and organise themselves and take
:39:13. > :39:15.
:39:15. > :39:19.whatever position they want to take. The government says this is all
:39:19. > :39:24.part of the big society agenda. The idea is to give local people more
:39:24. > :39:30.of a say in how the parks are managed. But a proportion of
:39:30. > :39:35.authority members will continue to be appointed and the park is
:39:35. > :39:38.sceptical about whether democracy will make a significant difference.
:39:38. > :39:44.So what do the people of Hartington make of direct elections to the
:39:44. > :39:51.National Park Authority? If they were collecting them by the people
:39:51. > :39:53.for the people, yes. It has to be a better way. It would be an
:39:53. > :39:56.interesting experiment. There are already direct elections
:39:56. > :39:59.to National Park Authorities in Scotland including this one, Loch
:39:59. > :40:01.Lomond and the Trossachs. The Peak District is one of two
:40:01. > :40:06.National Parks in England where elections are being piloted, the
:40:06. > :40:09.other being the New Forest. The pilot will begin in 2013. The
:40:09. > :40:13.Park Authority is due to meet the Rural Affairs Minister in London a
:40:13. > :40:19.week on Tuesday to discuss the details.
:40:19. > :40:24.Do our MPs will come the proposals? 70 % of members would be elected.
:40:24. > :40:30.Do you think that will go far enough? The important thing for any
:40:30. > :40:34.reform is that the character of Peak Park is protected. It is a
:40:34. > :40:40.jewel in the nation's crown and is the second-most visited park
:40:40. > :40:45.anywhere in the world. It is important to ensure that people who
:40:45. > :40:50.live in Peak Park have their interests looked after as well. It
:40:50. > :40:54.is an interesting experiment. Whether or not it will make a huge
:40:54. > :41:02.difference remains to be seen. We need to wait to see the full
:41:02. > :41:12.details of how it is planned to roll out. They are saying it could
:41:12. > :41:14.
:41:14. > :41:20.cost �50,000. Surely it is only fair that the government picks up
:41:20. > :41:26.the tab. In be elections the government to pick up the tab. I
:41:26. > :41:30.think that will be one of the highlights on Tuesday at the
:41:31. > :41:35.meeting. In all of the years I have lived in Derbyshire, I have always
:41:35. > :41:43.heard complaints about how Peak Park is at Rand -- run and are
:41:43. > :41:47.governed. People just feel there is a disconnect between what they feel
:41:47. > :41:56.they want and how it is being governed. This has come to a
:41:56. > :41:59.crescendo. I am glad there will be a nation wide palette. The PPS to
:42:00. > :42:06.the Prime Minister has that a seat. She did government pay for this
:42:06. > :42:10.election? What is �50,000 to the nice people in London? Quite a lot,
:42:10. > :42:16.I would say. Let's move on to the strike. Tens
:42:16. > :42:21.of thousands of trade unionists, many schools will have to close,
:42:21. > :42:26.and yet the Government insists that the negotiations have not run their
:42:26. > :42:31.course. I think the Government's position on this is shameful. They
:42:31. > :42:36.have singled out public sector workers for harsh treatment. This
:42:36. > :42:41.is a tax on a group of people who provide the nation's most essential
:42:41. > :42:46.public services. Public services are actually what define our
:42:46. > :42:50.society and what make us a decent and civilised place to live. The
:42:50. > :42:56.whole narrative of this government has been, whenever they talk about
:42:56. > :43:01.public sector workers, it is talked about in a way that has a
:43:01. > :43:05.pejorative tone to it as if they are a drain on the tax payers.
:43:05. > :43:10.There is no recognition of the huge contribution they make to our
:43:10. > :43:14.society. To single out predominantly low paid women
:43:14. > :43:21.workers in this way for this very harsh treatment when the pension
:43:21. > :43:26.funds are in surplus and this money will not actually go to the pension
:43:26. > :43:33.fund is absolutely disgraceful. There is no justification for the
:43:33. > :43:39.Government's position. They pushed a group of generally at moderate
:43:39. > :43:43.workers... I am afraid he does not live in the real world. Anyone who
:43:44. > :43:48.looks at their council tax bills understands how great chunks of it
:43:48. > :43:55.go to help pay for the local council pension fund. If you are
:43:55. > :44:00.lucky it is 17 %. That is not acceptable. Yesterday I had a
:44:00. > :44:07.brilliant day at Toyota. Those guys who are working their bits of had a
:44:07. > :44:11.two year pay freeze and took a temper seemed -- 10 % pay cut. This
:44:12. > :44:21.country is in a huge financial mess and I am afraid everyone has to
:44:21. > :44:29.take their share. The contribution that has been made by the employers
:44:29. > :44:34.in a new scheme is just over 17 %. The are saying there's higher
:44:34. > :44:38.contributions are being used to pay down the shop where they are saying
:44:38. > :44:43.those higher contributions are being used to pay down the deficit.
:44:43. > :44:49.I think there has to be complete realism into what the country can
:44:49. > :44:55.afford. The is not much time left for the negotiations. -- There is
:44:55. > :45:01.not much time. I think it is the wrong time this -- I think it is
:45:01. > :45:08.the wrong thing to do. How many people actually voted? Less than 30
:45:08. > :45:14.% actually voted. That is incredible. That is not democracy.
:45:14. > :45:19.We just heard that the people in the Peak Park will get a vote.
:45:19. > :45:28.on a minute. What was the Conservative Party it share of the
:45:28. > :45:36.vote in the last election? It was put to present, 36 % of the vote. -
:45:36. > :45:43.- it was 30 %, 36 %. This is why we have ended up with a coalition
:45:43. > :45:47.government. The level of support that has been achieved by the
:45:47. > :45:52.Conservatives and Liberal Democrats is of that magnitude but that is a
:45:52. > :45:56.side issue. Had there is being complacent here. We are talking
:45:56. > :46:05.about a group of moderate workers who are being forced into taking
:46:05. > :46:14.this action. Is it really worth a lot of poorly-paid workers losing
:46:14. > :46:18.another day's pay? They do not take this action lightly. It is the low-
:46:18. > :46:28.paid public-sector workers who are providing these essential services
:46:28. > :46:31.
:46:32. > :46:37.who are being singled out for harsh treatment. This is a responsibility
:46:37. > :46:41.of the bankers. The Government is basically saying they will not give
:46:41. > :46:49.in no matter what the action. They will not change their view. What
:46:49. > :46:54.will it achieve? They have already come back with another offer.
:46:54. > :47:01.Anybody who is earning less than �15,000 a year will not lose out.
:47:01. > :47:06.Low-paid workers will not lose out. Can you dial back on the union
:47:06. > :47:12.rhetoric? How can you justify the singling out of one group of
:47:12. > :47:17.workers in society and say that they will have to pay down the
:47:17. > :47:24.deficit at an increase of 3.5 % and then ask it as if it has something
:47:24. > :47:30.to do with pension contributions? The pension fund is in surplus. The
:47:30. > :47:34.teachers' pensions are in surplus. Huge surpluses. The most important
:47:34. > :47:43.thing of the government is doing is saying the bankers have to pay
:47:43. > :47:49.their way. We are not letting them off with a one off tax. Massive
:47:49. > :47:57.bonuses and you are refusing to impose a banker's bonus... Your
:47:57. > :48:04.party, your government... Leg to talk about tax if we can. -- let's
:48:04. > :48:11.talk about tax. The are taxing the rich and we are giving... E you are
:48:11. > :48:15.giving a tax break to the bankers. Why the union will not admit that
:48:15. > :48:21.local government workers and estate workers, who are earning less than
:48:21. > :48:29.�15,000 a year, will have a better pension... Per that is not true for
:48:29. > :48:34.part-time workers. They will lose out. No they will not.
:48:34. > :48:39.Government is offering to absorb the equivalent of 2.5 % increase if
:48:39. > :48:45.local authorities freeze council- tax next year. With inflation, that
:48:45. > :48:50.is delaying the day of reckoning for council tax payers. This is a
:48:50. > :48:55.gimmick. The Government has imposed cuts and now they are coming
:48:55. > :48:59.forward saying that they will find a council tax freeze for one year.
:48:59. > :49:05.What are the local authorities supposed to do after that? The
:49:05. > :49:10.Government is ignoring the huge economic driver that of local
:49:11. > :49:18.authorities and the public sector actually provide. So it is just a
:49:18. > :49:22.gimmick? I am so sorry for the taxpayers that actually have the
:49:22. > :49:26.duty to the vote because they would not really understand. Why would
:49:26. > :49:31.they want politicians who will not stand up for them? Freezing the
:49:31. > :49:37.council tax for the last two years has been one of the best things
:49:37. > :49:46.that people on the doorstep have said to me. This is a huge amount
:49:46. > :49:56.of money. It is a huge amount of the monthly amount. They are very
:49:56. > :49:58.
:49:58. > :50:03.happy they are doing it. Many councils have said they would take
:50:03. > :50:06.up the Government's offer. They are Conservative-controlled councils.
:50:06. > :50:16.Don't Labour risk incurring the wrath of the electorate if they
:50:16. > :50:18.
:50:18. > :50:25.don't follow suit? They are stirring up a problem into the
:50:25. > :50:28.future. This grant that the Government is proposing will be for
:50:28. > :50:34.one year only and they are ignoring these massive cuts that have been
:50:34. > :50:39.imposed which are not just affecting public sector workers but
:50:39. > :50:48.also the wider economy. Thank you very much for her joining us in the
:50:48. > :50:52.Next, when politicians fall out, things can get ugly. We report on a
:50:52. > :50:55.row that will end in court. He is passionate about restoration
:50:55. > :50:57.but it is politics that take up much of Richard Blunt's time these
:50:57. > :51:04.days. He is currently leader of North
:51:04. > :51:05.West Leicestershire District council. He is a Cabinet member of
:51:05. > :51:08.Leicestershire County Council as well.
:51:08. > :51:11.But this man claims Richard Blunt is not eligible to be a district
:51:11. > :51:14.councillor. Independent candidate Colin Roberts,
:51:14. > :51:23.once a Conservative himself, stood against Mr Blunt in the ward of
:51:23. > :51:28.Appleby in May and came second. is just a principle, really. You
:51:28. > :51:32.fill out your forms and everyone does it and I looked at this and I
:51:32. > :51:35.saw that he had put down his qualifications and I thought that
:51:35. > :51:39.they were lies. To be eligible to stand in a local
:51:39. > :51:41.election you have to live or work in the area or occupy property. And
:51:41. > :51:44.it is that third qualification that's at issue here.
:51:44. > :51:50.Welcome to Clifton Hall. This is where Richard Blunt lives. It is
:51:50. > :51:54.just north of Tamworth. That is in Staffordshire not Leicestershire.
:51:54. > :51:57.But Mr Blunt has always been open about the fact he doesn't live in
:51:57. > :52:02.the area he represents. Welcome to Ashby de la Zouch. This
:52:02. > :52:05.is in Leicestershire. Richard Blunt grew up here. His
:52:05. > :52:09.family owns 2,000 acres of land and dozens on properties in the area.
:52:09. > :52:12.So in theory that means he is eligible to stand as a candidate in
:52:12. > :52:16.the local elections. On his nomination form, Mr Blunt
:52:16. > :52:19.described this house behind me on the corner in Ashby de la Zouch as
:52:19. > :52:25.a premises he owned and occupied. He certainly owns it but according
:52:25. > :52:28.to the Electoral Register he rents it out and there is the rub.
:52:28. > :52:31.Guidelines from the Electoral Commission say, if you have sub-let
:52:31. > :52:41.your land or premises to another person, this will point against you
:52:41. > :52:41.
:52:41. > :52:47.having occupied it yourself. Hence the challenge from Mr Roberts. Is
:52:47. > :52:50.this vindictive on your part? Absolutely not. I have known
:52:50. > :52:55.Richard for years and he is a nice enough lad but if you stand for
:52:55. > :52:59.election you have to abide by the rules and I do not think he has.
:52:59. > :53:01.The case against Mr Blunt will be heard at an Election Court in
:53:01. > :53:04.Coalville in January. An additional allegation that he deliberately
:53:04. > :53:14.gave misleading information has been dropped. He declined to do an
:53:14. > :53:18.
:53:18. > :53:24.interview but issued a statement A local politics expert says this
:53:24. > :53:28.case could have national repercussions.
:53:28. > :53:32.If the challenge is successful it could well be that many
:53:32. > :53:36.Conservative councillors across the country are looking very carefully
:53:36. > :53:41.at the qualifications that they used to stand for council in the
:53:41. > :53:45.first place. That is not to say the Conservative Party today is packed
:53:45. > :53:49.full of the aristocracy but small business people and land owners are
:53:49. > :53:59.likely to be joining the Conservative Party. They will be
:53:59. > :54:00.
:54:00. > :54:03.more likely to be concerned about that particular qualification.
:54:03. > :54:05.Judges have been ruling on contested elections for the last
:54:05. > :54:08.240 years. They took over from politicians who proved unreliable
:54:08. > :54:11.when it came to impartiality. These days there are about six
:54:11. > :54:14.cases a year on average. The most high profile case recently
:54:14. > :54:17.involved the former Labour MP Phil Woolas. He lost his seat in Oldham
:54:17. > :54:20.East and Saddleworth last year after an Election Court ruled he'd
:54:20. > :54:24.lied about his Lib Dem rival. If Mr Roberts wins this case there
:54:24. > :54:34.will have to be a by-election. If he loses he will have to pay costs
:54:34. > :54:34.