:00:30. > :00:35.Here, a Teesside MP blames councils for failing to support the region's
:00:35. > :00:38.businesses. Should they be forced to buy local?
:00:38. > :00:40.And a network of electricity pylons could soon be running through some
:00:40. > :00:50.of the north's most beautiful landscapes. We report from Cumbria.
:00:50. > :00:50.
:00:50. > :36:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2131 seconds
:36:21. > :36:25.Hello and welcome to your local part of the show. I hope you
:36:25. > :36:27.enjoyed the summer, what there was of it anyway. Thanks for tuning in
:36:27. > :36:29.again. Coming up: In a week of grim
:36:29. > :36:36.economic news, councils in the North East and Cumbria are accused
:36:36. > :36:39.of giving too much work to businesses outside the region.
:36:39. > :36:43.And I am in Cumbria, where a new network of pylons could be built
:36:43. > :36:46.across some of the county's most beautiful landscape.
:36:46. > :36:50.More from Emily in Cumbria later. And we will also be mulling over
:36:50. > :36:53.what to make of the new political map of the north that has been
:36:53. > :36:54.drawn up by the Boundary Commission with the MPs for Berwick and
:36:54. > :36:58.Hartlepool. First, the TUC has accused the
:36:58. > :37:00.Government of bleeding the life out of the North East economy after the
:37:00. > :37:03.region experienced another big rise in unemployment. Ministers say they
:37:03. > :37:06.are doing their best to help the private sector create new jobs. But
:37:06. > :37:09.what about our councils? Are they doing their bit? Well, the Politics
:37:09. > :37:12.Show has asked all the big local authorities in Cumbria and the
:37:12. > :37:20.North East how many contracts they are awarding to companies based in
:37:20. > :37:25.the region. Here's our political correspondent, Mark Denten.
:37:25. > :37:30.Kevin Brown is a happy man. After a few tough months, his company has
:37:30. > :37:38.just landed some big orders. contracts are potentially worth
:37:38. > :37:42.200,000. We finished in the last two weeks and �50,000 maintenance
:37:42. > :37:49.project. The form got that new business from Hartlepool council.
:37:49. > :37:54.It makes a point of buying local. We have in all our contracts
:37:54. > :37:59.clauses that talk about local employment, apprenticeships from
:37:59. > :38:03.the people from the borough and as a result of that, a lot of her
:38:03. > :38:08.local businesses are being able to compete more. For every pound spent
:38:09. > :38:13.with the local workforce, it comes back threefold. To but the by local
:38:13. > :38:16.message does not seem to have got through to everyone. We have
:38:16. > :38:22.discovered big variations in the amount that there councils spend in
:38:22. > :38:28.the region. In Hartlepool, 62% of contracts are placed with North
:38:28. > :38:35.East firms. In Newcastle, it is 51%. What is more concerning is that
:38:35. > :38:39.some councils have reduced the amount their spending locally.
:38:39. > :38:46.Redcar and Cleveland Council have seen a 17% drop in its North East
:38:46. > :38:50.contracts. Won Redcar seafront, the place is buzzing with building work.
:38:51. > :38:55.But large parts of this work went to companies based outside the
:38:55. > :39:00.North East. The local MP is concerned. Keeping money in the
:39:00. > :39:04.area which stimulates employment and other activity, is part of
:39:04. > :39:08.their value that can be generated through these contracts. I think
:39:09. > :39:14.they should look at this very closely. Clearly, the council
:39:14. > :39:17.taxpayers want a good deal. Did you know what to pay over the lot for
:39:17. > :39:22.services, but at the same time, they want their area to be
:39:22. > :39:26.successful. An hour Adia, we want to restore the North East economy
:39:26. > :39:31.and reduce unemployment. If but the council says that European
:39:31. > :39:35.competition rules mean that it cannot just by local. With �17
:39:35. > :39:40.million of council cuts around here, they say that Porter's expect the
:39:40. > :39:45.best deal. I think people expect value for money, but the expect a
:39:45. > :39:51.good job as well. There is no point in doing it cheaper if it is not
:39:51. > :39:58.fit for purpose. It all comes for the tax system and the council
:39:58. > :40:02.taxpayer pay for this. But some say the council could do much more.
:40:02. > :40:07.This business used to supply for councils and the North East, but
:40:07. > :40:12.all that business went to a firm in France. At the moment, what they
:40:12. > :40:15.are doing now is having one supplier supplying the product.
:40:15. > :40:23.Taking that out of the local economy creates a difficult
:40:23. > :40:27.situation. The worst-case scenario is that it puts a lead on the
:40:27. > :40:31.growth prospects of companies in the North East. They might still
:40:31. > :40:36.have opportunities to work as sub- contractors, but it will put a
:40:36. > :40:41.ceiling on how far they are able to grow. That will have an impact on
:40:41. > :40:45.the amount of wealthy can create and the jobs they can create.
:40:45. > :40:48.The Chamber of Trade ending Mark's report. Well, with me in the studio
:40:48. > :40:50.to discuss that are the Liberal Democrat MP for Berwick, Sir Alan
:40:50. > :40:53.Beith and the Labour MP for Hartlepool, Iain Wright. Ian Wright,
:40:53. > :40:58.your local council did well to us, but should the pressure to be the
:40:58. > :41:02.lowest price or supporting local firms? I think councils can be big
:41:02. > :41:09.economic players in the local region. I think they have to think
:41:09. > :41:15.about the value for money. There is a balance to be struck, because it
:41:15. > :41:19.is important to bleed -- breathed life into the local economy. We
:41:19. > :41:23.have had to work hard with contracts to make sure that their
:41:23. > :41:27.local jobs and apprenticeship opportunities as well. Would you
:41:27. > :41:32.say that other councils are not making the same effort? I think
:41:32. > :41:39.that there can be big players in the local economy. Would you
:41:39. > :41:45.criticise a country that did not reach that 62% level? In difficult
:41:45. > :41:50.times, at a time when central government is slashing budgets for
:41:50. > :41:54.local government, that will have an impact. Equally, in order to make
:41:54. > :42:02.sure that we can maintain skills and have a good economy in their
:42:02. > :42:07.region, councils can play a leading role there. Sir Alan Beith, is it
:42:07. > :42:11.ever justifiable to pay a bit more to insure a contract stays local?
:42:11. > :42:18.That is worth paying more to make sure that the job is done properly.
:42:18. > :42:22.Quite often a local contractor can do that. One of your items in the
:42:22. > :42:26.film demonstrated where the problems start from. It is these
:42:26. > :42:31.big contracts that bundle up everything so that a whole range of
:42:31. > :42:35.suppliers have to come through the one company. That is a get someone
:42:35. > :42:43.to -- someone coming to change a light bulb from the other end of
:42:43. > :42:49.the country. We're all under that pressure, but that is what drives
:42:49. > :42:56.out local businesses. One of the things that there tumbrel and do --
:42:56. > :43:00.that in Northumberland are doing is contract to the small local firms
:43:00. > :43:06.to do the work. There is a lot more scope for a smaller business if we
:43:06. > :43:11.do not have such a huge bundle up contracts. Every penny extra that
:43:11. > :43:18.the spend on these contracts, even it is laudable to look at other,
:43:18. > :43:20.local companies, they have to look at council tax bills. The council -
:43:20. > :43:27.- their tax payer expects local councils to be conscious of value
:43:27. > :43:30.for money. In the end, I think we would all suffer if we did not have
:43:30. > :43:35.proper competition and if we allowed companies to name their
:43:35. > :43:40.price because they were the nearest company to the council headquarters.
:43:40. > :43:46.We cannot run it like that. But we can organise it so that local
:43:46. > :43:50.companies can bed successfully for contracts. What did he make of
:43:50. > :43:56.councils like Gateshead or Cumbria that say they do not hold this
:43:56. > :44:01.information? I think it is important that you have
:44:01. > :44:05.transparency, so a local electorate can see what they council is
:44:05. > :44:10.spending money on. In these difficult times, every penny that
:44:10. > :44:15.every council spends is important. I would say for every penny or
:44:15. > :44:19.pound that is spent by Hartlepool council, three or �4 can be pumped
:44:19. > :44:26.back into the local economy. It can do a real job in regenerating the
:44:26. > :44:32.town's economy. Let us talk about local economy. Sir Alan Beith, the
:44:32. > :44:36.focus is on the desperate need for more jobs. You have the highest
:44:36. > :44:41.unemployment rate in the contract. The North East is not doing well
:44:41. > :44:51.out of this coalition. The way it has to the Ford is to increase
:44:51. > :44:53.
:44:53. > :44:56.private sector jobs. -- the way it has to move forward. These figures
:44:56. > :45:01.show that the coalition's policy of encouraging private sector
:45:01. > :45:10.employment is not doing enough. Private sector employment is
:45:10. > :45:20.increasing across the country. not enough. Nobody thinks that it
:45:20. > :45:26.
:45:26. > :45:33.will be at the speeds that is consistent. Ian Wright, some would
:45:33. > :45:38.say that this is a Labour's legacy. The last government made their
:45:38. > :45:44.council to dependent on spending. Prior to the last election, on
:45:44. > :45:48.employment was coming down. It was all about pumping lot of
:45:48. > :45:52.unsustainable government money into the region. It is more complex than
:45:52. > :45:56.simply having private sector and public sector jobs over here. You
:45:56. > :46:04.can see it councils can be enablers and facilitators of their local
:46:04. > :46:09.government policy. This is feeling the whole country, but especially
:46:09. > :46:19.the north east. But the solution is not for the government just to
:46:19. > :46:22.
:46:22. > :46:32.spend more money, isn't it? want things like the jailing of the
:46:32. > :46:35.
:46:35. > :46:44.-- dualling of the A1. One a focus on investment in infrastructure is
:46:45. > :46:50.the right way to goal. -- go. government in power at the moment
:46:50. > :46:53.will be subject to severe financial restraints. How long can be a keep
:46:53. > :46:58.on going seeing those significant rising in employment in the North
:46:58. > :47:08.East, before the strategy has to change? But you cannot go back to
:47:08. > :47:12.
:47:12. > :47:16.policy on -- of the borrowing in order to pay the current bills.
:47:16. > :47:19.Nick Clegg was talking this week about making sure that public
:47:20. > :47:25.sector contracts do not fall behind, so that we get the work in the
:47:25. > :47:33.timescale that we need it. But the money is not there unless the go on
:47:33. > :47:40.doing what we were doing before, which was borrowing money to pay
:47:40. > :47:43.the bills. -- unless we stop doing what we were doing before.
:47:44. > :47:45.And if you go to my blog you can find out how your council spends
:47:46. > :47:49.with businesses in the local area. That's bbc.co.uk/richardmoss.
:47:49. > :47:52.Now, we have heard a lot from the Government about the need for new
:47:52. > :47:54.nuclear power stations and wind farms to help generate energy in
:47:54. > :47:58.the future. Sometimes they are not welcomed whole-heartedly by local
:47:58. > :48:01.communities. But the controversy does not end there. In Cumbria, the
:48:01. > :48:04.energy generated from new reactors and wind farms will have to be
:48:04. > :48:08.transferred to the national grid. As Emily Unia reports, that could
:48:08. > :48:16.lead to a string of new giant pylons across one of Britain's most
:48:17. > :48:21.beautiful landscapes. De is like this draw thousands of
:48:21. > :48:26.visitors every year, so at any threat to their landscape is met
:48:26. > :48:31.with a ferocious opposition. But there is another side to Cumbria,
:48:31. > :48:36.the energy coast. Plans for a new nuclear power station, mean I knew
:48:36. > :48:39.grid connection, transferring energy across the country. But
:48:39. > :48:45.balancing development with protecting the environment is going
:48:45. > :48:51.to be a challenge. Cumbria sees itself as a place where no -- non-
:48:51. > :48:55.carbon energy can be focused in the future. We're looking very
:48:55. > :49:01.seriously at renewables, both onshore and offshore. All that
:49:01. > :49:04.means a much more powerful grid connection. What we have to see is
:49:04. > :49:07.an acceptable extension to the National Grid. In the heart of the
:49:07. > :49:12.National Park, there is a feeling that the countryside is under
:49:12. > :49:17.threat. I have no problem with them putting a connection in, my problem
:49:17. > :49:21.is how they are going to do it, underground or overground. If you
:49:21. > :49:27.look at it now, we have a few of the Lake District at its best today.
:49:27. > :49:33.If that will be covered with pylons, up to 60 feet high, you can just
:49:33. > :49:39.imagine what that will look like. It sickens me, to be honest. It is
:49:39. > :49:47.something that cannot happen. I am in the North Pennines, an area of
:49:47. > :49:56.outstanding national beauty. -- natural beauty. Once the work has
:49:56. > :50:00.been completed here in the putting connections underground. It will be
:50:00. > :50:04.difficult to tell that there will be any cables here. But these
:50:04. > :50:09.cables are very different are the ones that will be for the new
:50:09. > :50:14.connection. Buddying them will be a much more expensive proposition. It
:50:14. > :50:18.will likely effect energy prices. The National Grid does not have an
:50:18. > :50:22.inherent preference for any technology. What is important to us
:50:22. > :50:27.was that we get the right balance for the nation, that balances the
:50:27. > :50:33.local impact with the cost to the consumer. Underground cables are
:50:33. > :50:40.significantly more expensive. We know that underground cables
:50:40. > :50:45.removed the visual impact. They are one of their technologies that we
:50:45. > :50:49.will consider. As battle-lines are drawn offer the prospect of more
:50:50. > :50:55.and bigger pylons, their calls for a realistic conversation about the
:50:55. > :50:59.options. How much is the public prepared to pay in order to save
:50:59. > :51:03.the landscape, protect national parks and not live under national
:51:03. > :51:09.pylons? At think the answer will have to be compromised. You can
:51:09. > :51:14.bury some of it, but not all that. Some may areas are going to have to
:51:14. > :51:21.except the fact, because it is just not affordable for everything to be
:51:21. > :51:24.buried. It does not go to public consultation next year, but behind
:51:24. > :51:29.the scenes, councils and campaigners are pushing for a
:51:29. > :51:33.compromise. Meanwhile, become -- the government is running a
:51:33. > :51:35.competition to design a new kind of pylon, in the hope that we will all
:51:35. > :51:38.grow to love them. Emily Unia reporting. Well, all
:51:38. > :51:41.week, MPs like Penrith's Rory Stewart have been poring over the
:51:41. > :51:44.details of their new constituency boundaries. Cumbria will lose one
:51:44. > :51:47.seat, while the North East will lose three as part of David
:51:47. > :51:50.Cameron's plan to reduce the number of MPs at the next general election.
:51:50. > :51:53.It's a review that's thrown up some slightly quirky outcomes. Consett
:51:53. > :51:55.and Barnard Castle, two towns with very little in common up to now,
:51:55. > :51:57.find themselves in the same parliamentary seat. While, in
:51:57. > :52:02.contrast, neighbouring Whitley Bay and Tynemouth will be represented
:52:02. > :52:11.by two different MPs. So what are we to make of it all? And which
:52:11. > :52:18.party stands to gain most from the changes? The region can manage with
:52:18. > :52:25.for fewer MPs quite easily. I think those principles are correct. We
:52:25. > :52:29.should try and cost the -- cut down on the cost of politics. Your party
:52:29. > :52:35.was our duty to keep these MPs. think to cut down the cost of
:52:35. > :52:38.politics is the right approach. Let's be honest, this is
:52:38. > :52:45.gerrymandering by the Tories and order to make sure that they are
:52:45. > :52:51.locked in a majority. Whole legislative framework has been
:52:51. > :53:01.trying to push an in-built Tory majority in England in perpetuity.
:53:01. > :53:03.
:53:03. > :53:08.I think it is all it and I think deceit that you highlighted is a
:53:08. > :53:12.good example. On one hand, the MP would be representing Hadrian's
:53:12. > :53:15.Wall or at the top and the Yorkshire Dales at the bottom. I do
:53:15. > :53:19.not think the Boundary Commission have taken into account as much as
:53:19. > :53:25.they should have done. There are some huge constituencies that have
:53:25. > :53:30.been created. 2,500 square kilometres for Hexham. That will
:53:30. > :53:40.not help MPs serve their constituencies better. Mine is the
:53:40. > :53:42.
:53:42. > :53:50.third biggest in England at the moment. It can be done. Boundary
:53:50. > :53:56.changes always create problems. I think it is quite wrong to suggest
:53:56. > :54:01.that it is gerrymandering. This is nothing to do with the politicians.
:54:01. > :54:04.It is just a coincidence that it advantages the Conservatives?
:54:04. > :54:12.reason it advantages they Conservatives is because the
:54:12. > :54:18.current system has been a bad the during labour. -- giving an
:54:18. > :54:27.advantage to Labour. The Boundary Commission has set rules by the
:54:27. > :54:32.Government. What I think they could do little more of us looking at
:54:32. > :54:37.places where they might be splitting up a local communities
:54:37. > :54:42.and see if they can, within the rules, match communities better.
:54:42. > :54:47.Labour did very little about this, because it knew that it suited them.
:54:47. > :54:51.It lost in seats and are Canadians, where people voted Labour. Those
:54:51. > :54:59.principles, or tried to cut the cost of politics and equalise the
:54:59. > :55:09.number of voters. You say that and then see it is gerrymandering. It
:55:09. > :55:09.
:55:09. > :55:13.is political point-scoring. It is not. I think the point is that at
:55:13. > :55:17.the moment, the first draft of what the Boundary Commission has done
:55:17. > :55:20.this week froze up a number of interesting and somewhat odd
:55:20. > :55:25.connotations and they think people will be working to see if they can
:55:25. > :55:29.improve that sense of community cohesion which should be part of
:55:29. > :55:39.the parliamentary constituency. you think bet public opera about
:55:39. > :55:43.this? -- do you think that the public will care about this? It and
:55:43. > :55:48.there will be some committee concerned, but generally people
:55:48. > :55:55.want to see their MPs doing the job properly and well and they think we
:55:55. > :55:58.spend enough on politics as it is. Thank you very much.
:55:58. > :56:01.And if you go to my blog you can find more on the new-look
:56:01. > :56:04.constituencies. Why not post a comment and let us know what you
:56:04. > :56:07.think about them? We're back next Sunday quite a bit
:56:07. > :56:10.earlier, at 11am, when we will be asking what impact the Government's
:56:10. > :56:13.changes to planning policy will have on the North East. In the