:00:45. > :00:48.Hello and welcome to the Politics Show in the North West. I'm Annabel
:00:48. > :00:50.Tiffin. Coming up in the programme: California had the gold rush - will
:00:50. > :00:53.shale gas transform the Fylde Coast?
:00:53. > :01:03.And more Free Schools in the North West - will they improve education
:01:03. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :30:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1774 seconds
:30:37. > :30:41.standards or take money away from Hello and welcome to the Politics
:30:41. > :30:44.Show in the North West. I'm Annabel Tiffin. Coming up in the programme:
:30:44. > :30:46.California had the gold rush - will shale gas transform the Fylde
:30:46. > :30:49.Coast? And more Free Schools in the North
:30:49. > :30:59.West - will they improve education standards or take money away from
:30:59. > :31:02.
:31:02. > :31:05.The very idea that, as a normal, ordinary person, that I can
:31:05. > :31:14.actually make a difference and improve the education for my kids,
:31:14. > :31:18.This week, will be our end Daresbury in Cheshire. Daresbury is
:31:18. > :31:23.well known for its pioneering science park. He holed for feature
:31:23. > :31:26.ideas. It is people living in Blackpool who are bracing
:31:26. > :31:31.themselves for it but I'd -- big changes at the moment. Huge amounts
:31:31. > :31:40.of shale gas have been found at the Fylde Coast. Some worry about the
:31:40. > :31:44.environmentalist, but others see it as an exciting economic opportunity.
:31:44. > :31:49.One newspaper called it the "Dallas on Sea." others have compared it to
:31:49. > :31:53.the Aberdeen oil boom. It all points to the same thing. A
:31:53. > :31:57.possible multi- million-pound gas supply along the Fylde Coast. It is
:31:57. > :32:03.reckoned that out there and all on this part of the coast set 200
:32:03. > :32:07.trillion cubic feet of shale gas. That is equivalent to 56 years of
:32:07. > :32:11.and pause. There is more. The company which found it reckons that
:32:11. > :32:16.the process of extracting it could create hundreds of jobs. It could
:32:16. > :32:20.transform this area's economy. Their report commissioned by a
:32:20. > :32:24.Cuadrilla, the company behind this, found that up to 1,700 jobs could
:32:24. > :32:29.be created. He is the man who wrote it. There would be a lot of entry-
:32:29. > :32:33.level jobs, things like construction and the preparation of
:32:33. > :32:37.the well pad. Hospitality for the visiting workers. Security and
:32:37. > :32:42.haulage workers. There will also be a lot of high skilled jobs,
:32:42. > :32:45.particularly machine operatives around the darling. With jobs comes
:32:45. > :32:49.regeneration. Desperately needed and a part of the world struggling
:32:49. > :32:54.to keep its tourists, do proportionally hit by public sector
:32:54. > :32:57.cuts, and still reeling from the 1,400 job losses announced by BAE
:32:57. > :33:03.Systems earlier this month. The local councils see a possible
:33:03. > :33:05.lifeline. Our strategy is around diversified our economy. The
:33:05. > :33:09.economy at tourism is very important, but we need to think
:33:09. > :33:13.more about the future in terms of the other side of jobs that are
:33:13. > :33:18.available. All of these things will give us much more to our economy,
:33:18. > :33:22.and many more things to our bow. The ambitions do not end there.
:33:22. > :33:27.Aberdeen has become an international hub of expertise for
:33:27. > :33:32.the iron industry, exporting its skills. With our wind power and
:33:32. > :33:37.nuclear industry, and our shale gas, why not do the same here, some say.
:33:37. > :33:41.There could be substantial economic benefits here. We could become the
:33:41. > :33:45.UK's, of energy exploitation here in the north-west. I could see some
:33:45. > :33:49.major industries investing in the area, spin-off companies. The
:33:49. > :33:53.renaissance in the energy industry. We could become a base for energy
:33:53. > :33:56.knowledge and skills for the country. Professor Howe thinks that
:33:56. > :34:00.the US public might even bring fuel prices down, as well as
:34:00. > :34:07.guaranteeing a domestic gas supply. But all this comes at a large
:34:07. > :34:11.environmental caddie at. Protesters last month outside of Cuadrilla's
:34:11. > :34:15.test site. Shale gas extraction uses a controversial technique
:34:15. > :34:19.which forces a solution of water, lubricants and sand into the rock
:34:19. > :34:24.at high pressure, to release their gas. In America, there are claims
:34:24. > :34:28.that it has contaminated the water. Here, the technique was suspended
:34:28. > :34:35.in June after two minor earth tremors. Some say it is not worth
:34:35. > :34:38.the cost. We do not really have a proper understanding of shale gas
:34:38. > :34:47.in this country. And even in America, they are still conducting
:34:47. > :34:54.studies. Until we can be guided by those, I think it is irresponsible
:34:54. > :34:59.to start raising hopes about jobs and an infrastructure which might
:34:59. > :35:06.tie the industry to the area. report into this year's earth
:35:06. > :35:10.tremors is due to be made public in the next couple of weeks.
:35:10. > :35:15.How well our MPs respond? A political editor has been talking
:35:15. > :35:19.to one of them. Lot of issues therefore
:35:19. > :35:24.constituents to consider. Let's pick up with one of the MPs who
:35:24. > :35:28.would be affected, Mark Menzies. When you are considering whether
:35:28. > :35:33.you support this or not, already used an? What are the issues for
:35:33. > :35:36.you? The key thing for me is ensuring that it is safe,
:35:37. > :35:40.environmental impact and getting all the facts on the table. Clearly
:35:40. > :35:43.the jobs and benefits will be considerable, and that is something
:35:43. > :35:49.to consider. But the environmental and safety implications have to be
:35:49. > :35:53.everything. What d'you think the economic advantages could be?
:35:53. > :35:56.number we are talking about are up to 1,700 jobs. Even half of that
:35:56. > :36:02.level would be a considerable economic benefits to Lancashire.
:36:02. > :36:05.These are jobs that pay a very substantial salaries. You have to
:36:05. > :36:10.work that through and see that there is a clear economic benefit
:36:10. > :36:13.to be had, but we can only do that provided that we are satisfied with
:36:13. > :36:18.the environmental and safety elements. What I the environmental
:36:18. > :36:21.concerns that you need reassurance on? I have regular meetings with
:36:21. > :36:26.the environment a busy, with the various other bodies that are
:36:26. > :36:28.looking at this. All the way through, they are labouring the
:36:28. > :36:32.point that safety is absolutely paramount. That has to be
:36:32. > :36:38.everything. Is there something that Cuadrilla are able to reassure you
:36:38. > :36:42.about? I have visited the site on three occasions, including with the
:36:43. > :36:48.energy minister and also with the Environment Agency. One was visits,
:36:48. > :36:52.Cuadrilla have been at pains to share all their information with us.
:36:52. > :36:56.Whenever I have gone with questions, they had been answered. They
:36:56. > :37:00.encourage anyone with concerns, get in contact with the company.
:37:00. > :37:06.people do have concerns, don't they? There is concern in many
:37:06. > :37:10.earthquakes and things like that. Sure. The initial report that has
:37:11. > :37:14.to come out is inconclusive on that. That is why I am calling for more
:37:14. > :37:19.research to be done and what facts to be laid on the table. Everything
:37:19. > :37:23.we do must be evidence-based. a little bit tricky for you? On one
:37:23. > :37:27.hand, you are the local MP, but on the other hand you at the
:37:27. > :37:31.ministerial aide at the Department of Energy. Not at all. You are
:37:31. > :37:34.always able to separate your roles as a constituency Member of
:37:34. > :37:39.Parliament and any other functions that you do. At the end of the day,
:37:39. > :37:43.it is my constituents that must always come first. This government
:37:43. > :37:46.is one that has said that it had to be keen and wanted to be a very
:37:46. > :37:51.environmentally government. It is also one struggling to get that
:37:51. > :37:54.growth strategy coming. An interesting balancing act for them.
:37:54. > :37:58.This government is committed you slid to renewable energy and then
:37:58. > :38:05.you just have to look offshore now to see the amount of investment
:38:05. > :38:09.that is going into Olwyn turbines. -- to all wind turbines. He must
:38:09. > :38:12.also realise that the duty is running out of gas. If we are not
:38:12. > :38:19.careful, we will become reliant on expensive and insecure forces from
:38:19. > :38:22.overseas. Thank you very much indeed. Clearly there, Mark Menzies
:38:22. > :38:27.weighing up the pros and cons, something that his constituents
:38:27. > :38:32.will be considering as well. Will it is shale gas on the Fylde
:38:32. > :38:35.coast, people in Cumbria have to think about nuclear energy. If the
:38:35. > :38:39.government goes ahead to build a new generation of power stations,
:38:39. > :38:45.where will the house some of the most dangerous nuclear waste? One
:38:45. > :38:48.option is to build an underground store somewhere in Cumbria. Our
:38:48. > :38:55.correspondent has followed a delegation of councillors to France
:38:55. > :38:59.to find out more. On a mission far from home. Tesco's
:38:59. > :39:05.from west Cumbria deep underground in a unique laboratory in north-
:39:05. > :39:09.east France. On all sides, and extensive network of shafts and
:39:09. > :39:13.tunnels. I am now 500 metres below ground. Behind me, excavation
:39:13. > :39:17.workers are digging into the box so it can be tested by scientists to
:39:17. > :39:22.see if it might be suitable for the long-term storage of nuclear waste.
:39:22. > :39:25.This facility will never actually store every delight to waste. But
:39:26. > :39:30.by 2025, the French government hopes to build a repository in the
:39:30. > :39:33.area. This is the first step. But can it help councils in Cumbria
:39:33. > :39:39.make up their mind about allowing nuclear waste to be buried
:39:39. > :39:44.underground in the county? It is an eye-opener. It gives us a feel of
:39:44. > :39:48.what could be coming to come do if we do go ahead with a repository
:39:48. > :39:53.for no clear waste. There is no doubting the importance of the
:39:53. > :39:57.decision. In the 1990s, the British government tried and failed to find
:39:57. > :40:01.a site for burying high-level nuclear waste. This time, like
:40:01. > :40:04.their French counterparts, the politicians must get it right.
:40:04. > :40:09.There are a number of arguments, but what is important is to make
:40:09. > :40:13.sure nothing like nuclear waste is buried. It will never be fully
:40:13. > :40:17.researched. It will collude for an extremely long time and be
:40:17. > :40:21.incredibly hard to control. Deep disposal is sweeping it under the
:40:21. > :40:24.carpet. Back in Cumbria, environmental activists are finding
:40:24. > :40:29.it hard to believe that the county is once again being considered.
:40:29. > :40:35.This is a crazy process. It is taking us back to the situation we
:40:35. > :40:39.were in 20 years ago, when the whole bombe was supposed to be
:40:39. > :40:42.forced on us. Now we are in exactly the same position but it looks as
:40:42. > :40:46.though the local authorities have volunteered. So where might the
:40:46. > :40:50.waste be buried? No specific site had been identified yet, but the
:40:50. > :40:53.British Geological Survey has produced this map, showing the
:40:54. > :40:57.areas in read that definitely will not be suitable. That means that
:40:57. > :41:02.some of the most beautiful parts of the Lake District National Park,
:41:02. > :41:05.where I am now, have not actually been ruled out. The government
:41:05. > :41:09.would dearly love to find a solution soon, but critics are
:41:09. > :41:12.hoping that Cumbria's complex dual -- guilty could still be found
:41:12. > :41:19.wanting. And in the week's other political
:41:19. > :41:24.news, here is a correspondent. The much-anticipated Commons debate
:41:24. > :41:27.on Hillsborough was held this week, following an online petition. MPs
:41:27. > :41:31.wanted a guarantee that documents relating to the football disaster
:41:31. > :41:35.would be made public and and extracted this promise from the
:41:35. > :41:39.government. We want to see full disclosure to the panel of all
:41:39. > :41:44.documents relating to Hillsborough, including Cabinet minutes. Those
:41:44. > :41:48.documents should be uncensored and a redacted. The former deputy Prime
:41:48. > :41:51.Minister and one-time minister for Merseyside, Michael Heseltine will,
:41:51. > :41:55.published his latest vision to be in the great Liverpool. The
:41:55. > :42:00.recommendations include moving thousands of civil service jobs to
:42:00. > :42:04.the region, and transforming political leadership. One of the
:42:04. > :42:10.most important recommendations is that we need the right the Rec --
:42:10. > :42:15.directly elected mayors. There are also concerns about what happens if
:42:15. > :42:18.the region's firefighters go on strike next month. Greater
:42:18. > :42:24.Manchester Fire Service is giving 86 people three weeks of training.
:42:24. > :42:27.He says it needs a contingency plan. As I mentioned earlier, Daresbury
:42:27. > :42:31.is known for its science park, and that is where we have come to. It
:42:31. > :42:35.is made up of lots of businesses, all requiring highly skilled
:42:35. > :42:39.workers. That is something that a lot of companies say they cannot
:42:39. > :42:43.get enough of. The Government is reforming the education system. It
:42:43. > :42:47.is bringing in a Free Schools. They are a little like academies, state
:42:47. > :42:49.schools but with greater independence. The difference with
:42:49. > :42:53.Free Schools is that they can be set up by parents or any other
:42:53. > :43:03.group. Teaching unions are warning that they could take money away
:43:03. > :43:12.
:43:12. > :43:16.For Rachel and Lewis, it is the start of a new school day. For
:43:16. > :43:19.their parents, it is the end of the battle to get a new free school
:43:19. > :43:23.approved in Norrington. The local authority but secondary school is
:43:23. > :43:27.closing next year, so this family and an army of parents decided to
:43:27. > :43:32.start their own. I had cared about Free Schools and I did not really
:43:32. > :43:35.understand what they wear. But the very idea that as a normal,
:43:35. > :43:38.ordinary person, that I can actually make a difference and
:43:39. > :43:43.improve the education for my children and the children that fall,
:43:43. > :43:48.that really empowered me. That gave me the drive to say, right, I am
:43:48. > :43:51.not happy with the situation in my area. I want to make a difference.
:43:51. > :43:56.Free Schools are funded by the taxpayer, subject to Ofsted
:43:56. > :44:00.inspections, and free to attend. Unlike state schools, they are not
:44:00. > :44:03.run by local authorities. Parents, teachers, charities and businesses
:44:03. > :44:08.can now start up their own schools and have an influence on what is
:44:08. > :44:13.taught. That many children on this area, it has a new school on the
:44:13. > :44:17.doorstep. My children have always gone to hear, I went here and I
:44:17. > :44:22.want to move up to Walston as a new school group. Everyone is getting
:44:22. > :44:26.split up and going everywhere. idea of a Free Schools come from
:44:26. > :44:31.Sweden. David Cameron believes that a country which gave us about,
:44:31. > :44:34.flat-pack furniture and follows got it right when it came to education.
:44:34. > :44:37.Three schools are not the way that we would have went around improving
:44:37. > :44:41.schools. We have the academies programme and some very good
:44:41. > :44:45.academies in Liverpool. We have lots of other ways to giving
:44:45. > :44:49.support to all schools. My worry is that the Conservative government's
:44:49. > :44:52.approach is focusing on a very small number of schools. I want to
:44:52. > :44:55.focus on the needs of children in all schools, whether they are
:44:55. > :45:01.academies, Free Schools or the schools that most children go to,
:45:01. > :45:06.community schools. The Maharishi School in Skelmersdale is one of
:45:06. > :45:09.two Free Schools in the north-west. On the curriculum, English, maths
:45:09. > :45:16.and meditation. It was a fee-paying private school, but now receives
:45:16. > :45:19.state funding so pupils can go free of charge. Standards would be
:45:19. > :45:23.applied as a private school are being applied in exactly the same
:45:23. > :45:27.way as a Free Schools. That was a key for us, that transcendental
:45:27. > :45:31.meditation, a few minutes of meditation in the morning, a few in
:45:31. > :45:37.the afternoon, we were insisting that it had to form part of the
:45:37. > :45:41.curriculum. The Government has accepted the hundreds of scientific
:45:41. > :45:46.studies showing the effectiveness of this system of education. Do you
:45:46. > :45:50.think we will see more Free Schools in the north-west? I would imagine
:45:50. > :45:53.so. Once the Free Schools proposals to is, the ensure that the
:45:54. > :45:58.standards of education are going to be better. That is obviously
:45:58. > :46:06.crucial for the Department of Education. They must allow for
:46:06. > :46:10.diversity, and they also insist upon inclusion. Data to sell's
:46:10. > :46:14.prediction could well be correct. Six more Free Schools have been
:46:14. > :46:19.approved in the north-west and are due to open in 2012.
:46:19. > :46:24.-- of Dr Cassell's. We're now inside the Daresbury innovation and
:46:24. > :46:28.science campus, and to discuss the issue of Free Schools and joined
:46:28. > :46:32.with the Conservative MP for Weaver Vale, Graham Evans, and a poor --
:46:32. > :46:35.Avis Gilmore of the National Union of Teachers. The coalition are
:46:35. > :46:38.basing their model of Free Schools on the Swedish version, but am I
:46:38. > :46:43.correct in saying that even the Swedes have said, do not follow her
:46:43. > :46:49.example? I have not heard that. I have only heard good reports
:46:49. > :46:52.regarding the Swedish model. think that their actual education
:46:52. > :46:57.minister has said that, actually, it has not worked particularly well
:46:57. > :47:01.in Sweden and that it would not work over here. We will see. Time
:47:01. > :47:06.will tell. But we are cracking on with the Swedish model and we have
:47:06. > :47:11.had some success. The Labour Party started the Academy programme, and
:47:11. > :47:17.we're taking Labour's academies a step further. Avis Gilmore, is this
:47:17. > :47:19.a step too far? Absolutely, and you are quite right. The Swedish
:47:19. > :47:24.Minister for Education has publicly advised the government not to go
:47:24. > :47:26.ahead with the Free Schools system. It has been problem not to raise
:47:26. > :47:31.attainment in educational achievement in Sweden, and it has
:47:31. > :47:35.produced quite a lot of segregation within the communities. But it is,
:47:35. > :47:41.I am sure the coalition would say, it is going to provide more choice
:47:41. > :47:45.for parents and children, and that has to be a good thing. I am not so
:47:45. > :47:51.sure if parents get any choice at all. Take the example of where we
:47:51. > :47:54.are here in Woolverstone, where we have a school planned for closure
:47:54. > :47:58.because of the falling rolls, because there are not enough pupils.
:47:58. > :48:02.And yet, if the school on the same side has been authorised. It is
:48:02. > :48:06.clear from parents' campaigns, that they wanted the original school to
:48:06. > :48:11.stay open. So the coalition will be putting more money into Free
:48:11. > :48:14.Schools? Yes, it comes from the committee, though. It comes from
:48:14. > :48:20.parents. It could come from businesses, it could come from
:48:20. > :48:24.charities. The money is not though, the money is coming from the state.
:48:24. > :48:27.Dr Free Schools, they are independent state schools. Could
:48:27. > :48:32.that money not be better served in the local school that is already
:48:33. > :48:36.there? This is localism in action, if it is the case that the money
:48:36. > :48:40.can be spent in the school then that is fine, but in the area that
:48:40. > :48:43.we are in, the local parents for than the provision is not good
:48:43. > :48:46.enough, it is about parents' Choice wanting the best quality of
:48:47. > :48:49.education of other children. Good standards of discipline.
:48:49. > :48:54.Unfortunately, too many parents feel the need to send their
:48:54. > :48:57.children elsewhere. If we take the example of the school in
:48:57. > :49:01.Skelmersdale, which was in a report, that was previously fee-paying
:49:01. > :49:06.school. Those parents will now not have to pay those fees as it has
:49:06. > :49:10.been turned into a fee school. It is wonderful for them. It will be a
:49:10. > :49:14.free school for 850 pupils that it will be open for all stop how do
:49:14. > :49:20.you justify a private school that there was the pain now becoming a
:49:20. > :49:25.state-funded school? Children going to schools just one mile around the
:49:25. > :49:29.road, 60% a free school meals, will have access to that school. Those
:49:29. > :49:36.children are have access to high standards of education.
:49:36. > :49:39.Science, technology and sports. Let me bring Avis Gilmore end. Those
:49:39. > :49:42.children have access to a good school now. If the government want
:49:42. > :49:46.to put more money into that school or encourage businesses into that
:49:46. > :49:51.school, they can do it now. There is no need to close the school to
:49:51. > :49:54.be open another one and take money out of the education system. We are
:49:54. > :49:58.not closing the school, this is an additional school to give parents
:49:58. > :50:02.that choice. As I have said, some of my poorest constituents, just
:50:02. > :50:06.down the road from me, they have access to that very high education.
:50:06. > :50:10.We have been feeling children from the poorest backgrounds for a
:50:10. > :50:15.generation. What this country needs is engineers, scientists and
:50:15. > :50:19.entrepreneurs. This sort of campus gives access to these people from
:50:19. > :50:23.poorer backgrounds to those kinds of opportunities. Avis Gilmore and