0:00:40 > 0:00:44In the north-west, businesses are set to benefit from millions of
0:00:44 > 0:00:54pounds of government cash, but not everyone is celebrating. Plans to
0:00:54 > 0:00:54
0:00:54 > 0:38:03Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2228 seconds
0:38:03 > 0:38:08move the fire control centre 150 The welcome to the Baltic shore in
0:38:08 > 0:38:11the north-west. This week, north- west businesses are set to benefit
0:38:11 > 0:38:17from millions of pounds of government cash, but not everyone
0:38:17 > 0:38:27is celebrating. Fears in Cumbria or plans to move the fire and rescue
0:38:27 > 0:38:34service 150 miles south to Warrington. -- over plans. This
0:38:34 > 0:38:39week the government announced millions of pounds of funding for
0:38:39 > 0:38:45companies in the north-west. Our political editor is in Blackpool.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Not everyone is happy about this, are they? They are not. As you can
0:38:50 > 0:38:57see, I am outside a school in Blackpool. It is a business and
0:38:57 > 0:39:02enterprise college. It is very much the focus at the moment, because of
0:39:02 > 0:39:05this latest round of funding. Some people are not happy, because
0:39:05 > 0:39:11previously we had the North West Development Agency, which gave out
0:39:12 > 0:39:15a lot more money. It been it out to a lot more project. This week, it
0:39:15 > 0:39:19is the Regional Growth Fund. The Government will be giving money to
0:39:19 > 0:39:29businesses that can provide jobs. I have been down to see one of those
0:39:29 > 0:39:30
0:39:30 > 0:39:39that has been very happy about the ACDC, business with a glowing
0:39:39 > 0:39:47reputation. His East Lancashire company has already let up this --
0:39:48 > 0:39:52let up distant parts of the world. It produces LED lighting. -- lit up.
0:39:52 > 0:39:58Money from the growth fund would make things lighter still. If we
0:39:58 > 0:40:06could get it we could run a special programme that would have a special
0:40:06 > 0:40:11effect. We could hit �20 million turnover. That would have a
0:40:11 > 0:40:20definite knock-on effect. It would bring in a workforce that is
0:40:20 > 0:40:27already 100 up to 130 people. used to be a massive engineering
0:40:27 > 0:40:36works in nearby Accrington. That is long gone, but inside is a new
0:40:36 > 0:40:43company based in Lancashire. It successfully before �7.5 million on
0:40:43 > 0:40:47behalf of local companies too small to bed on their own. Provided the
0:40:47 > 0:40:54end result is to improve the overall employment and the
0:40:54 > 0:40:59Investment we make, that is what we aim to achieve. He has already
0:40:59 > 0:41:02helped lot of local businesses, but says the loss of the North West
0:41:02 > 0:41:07Development Agency has made his job much more difficult. All the last
0:41:07 > 0:41:1218 months we have seen a decimation of funding for regeneration. The
0:41:12 > 0:41:18North West Development Agency made massive investment in core
0:41:18 > 0:41:23infrastructure of things like transport, education, as well as
0:41:23 > 0:41:29helping major business expansion. That is not available. That is
0:41:29 > 0:41:35because the Government scrapped it to save money. The Regional Growth
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Fund is supposed to plug the gap. Smaller organisations known as
0:41:39 > 0:41:45local enterprise partnerships will also be bringing politicians and
0:41:45 > 0:41:50business leaders together. certain areas of the North West it
0:41:50 > 0:41:55will work more effectively and faster, Greater Manchester has a 30
0:41:55 > 0:42:00year history of the authority's working together, and there is a
0:42:00 > 0:42:06regional centre that is very important. Everyone recognises that.
0:42:06 > 0:42:14In Lancashire, which is much more fragmented, the politics and the
0:42:14 > 0:42:19economy will make it harder. They fought for funding in Bolton. 2000
0:42:20 > 0:42:25kids at every week enjoy themselves at Bolton Lads and Girls Club, run
0:42:25 > 0:42:35by Jeremy Glover. This is part of what is on offer tickets. This is
0:42:35 > 0:42:36
0:42:36 > 0:42:40what we do. It gives them opportunity. -- offer to the kids.
0:42:40 > 0:42:46He has found it more difficult. When the development agency went
0:42:46 > 0:42:50down the Jude's, he had to find alternative sources for funding. --
0:42:50 > 0:42:56when the development agency stopped funding. You have still been able
0:42:56 > 0:43:01to fund, at through alternative sources? We cannot rely 100 % on
0:43:01 > 0:43:09wealthy individuals putting up private capital. If we can have
0:43:09 > 0:43:13government and local investment, then we have a chance. The Regional
0:43:13 > 0:43:23Growth Fund it is cheering up some north-west businesses, and others
0:43:23 > 0:43:28will have to learn how to keep moving without. I have got Geoff
0:43:28 > 0:43:35Driver, the Conservative leader of Lancashire County Council. I also
0:43:35 > 0:43:38have the Labour MP for Blackpool South. When you look at what we
0:43:39 > 0:43:43have got with the Regional Growth Fund, do you share the joy of those
0:43:43 > 0:43:46companies benefiting from it? course companies benefiting from it
0:43:46 > 0:43:51are going to be pleased, and I am pleased from the companies that got
0:43:51 > 0:43:55that money, but there has to be big questions. First of all, there is
0:43:55 > 0:44:05only a third of the funding available that was available before.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08
0:44:08 > 0:44:12Secondly, the process was chaotic. A lot of the expertise that was in
0:44:12 > 0:44:16the Regional Development Agency has now been lost. We have to move on,
0:44:16 > 0:44:22and if you look at the situation today, my real concern is there is
0:44:22 > 0:44:30not enough money in the Regional Growth Fund start with. The time
0:44:30 > 0:44:40that is taken to hand his money out is appalling. Geoff Driver, D
0:44:40 > 0:44:42
0:44:42 > 0:44:47shared the disappointment? Not in the same way. -- do you share the
0:44:47 > 0:44:51disappointment? Money was spent by the Regional Development Agency but
0:44:51 > 0:44:56lots of it was spent in Manchester and Liverpool. Not much of it was
0:44:56 > 0:45:04spent in Lancashire. That was not our experience in Blackpool, we
0:45:04 > 0:45:08would not have had the package of acquisitions that we have now got.
0:45:08 > 0:45:13We were very happy. There is a broader point about second level
0:45:13 > 0:45:16towns and cities in Lancashire and across the country. They did quite
0:45:16 > 0:45:24well under the Regional Development Fund. I do not take that point as
0:45:24 > 0:45:31far as we're concerned. Many other parts of the region. Places like
0:45:31 > 0:45:39Cumbria said they did not have any funding. They may say that, but the
0:45:39 > 0:45:45real issue is the input into the decision-making process, I am all
0:45:45 > 0:45:55in favour of localism, we have said that, that has been consistent. The
0:45:55 > 0:45:56
0:45:56 > 0:46:02real problem is there is not enough funding, not enough power. There
0:46:02 > 0:46:09has not been any sub-regional input. This is being micro managed in
0:46:10 > 0:46:15Whitehall. You are on the board of one of these groups. It is working
0:46:15 > 0:46:25very well for us. The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership has had some
0:46:25 > 0:46:29
0:46:29 > 0:46:34trouble. The latest bid is going in today. We have acquired a strategic
0:46:34 > 0:46:38site at the end of the motorway, we are rolling out Super fat broadband.
0:46:38 > 0:46:44We only had the first meeting in May, so for us it is working very
0:46:44 > 0:46:47well. Towards the end of the last government I attend a meeting in
0:46:47 > 0:46:52Downing Street and the government were reflecting on whether we
0:46:52 > 0:47:00should go to the regions or go direct to the sub regions. That
0:47:00 > 0:47:04idea was becoming quite favourable. It is an evolving process. I do not
0:47:04 > 0:47:08claim everything that was done before was brilliant. The key issue
0:47:08 > 0:47:17now it is if this government is supporting local enterprise
0:47:17 > 0:47:20sufficiently. It sounds great from what Geoff Driver is saying. That
0:47:20 > 0:47:24is a list of what a local Enterprise Partnership would like
0:47:24 > 0:47:34to do, but I can tell you haven't been up and down the country, not
0:47:34 > 0:47:36
0:47:36 > 0:47:39all of them do have the support that Lancashire has had. It is a
0:47:39 > 0:47:46direct result of this government not putting money into the process,
0:47:46 > 0:47:52not giving them the powers that the small businesses should have. If we
0:47:52 > 0:47:58are not careful, the slow speed at which this money is being given out
0:47:59 > 0:48:05will have disastrous effects. only speak for Lancashire and it is
0:48:05 > 0:48:10a list of what we have got. It is a fairly open secret there will be an
0:48:10 > 0:48:17announcement for a substantial amount of money. Thank you very
0:48:17 > 0:48:22much indeed. There is a big row in Cumbria over
0:48:22 > 0:48:26plans to move the fire and rescue control centre from Cockermouth to
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Warrington. Cumbria County Council has agreed to be part of a new
0:48:29 > 0:48:33regional north-west control centre which could save millions of pounds.
0:48:33 > 0:48:41The plans have prompted claims that the loss of local knowledge could
0:48:41 > 0:48:44lead to a loss of life. The flooding in Cockermouth in 2009
0:48:44 > 0:48:52because the mass destruction. A main bridge collapsed against the
0:48:52 > 0:48:58rising tide. -- resulted in mass destruction. The fire and rescue
0:48:58 > 0:49:04received many calls as panic spread. Two years on, that service could be
0:49:04 > 0:49:08closing. There has been no consultation with the Fire Brigades
0:49:08 > 0:49:12Union and no consultation with the public. People are very upset. West
0:49:12 > 0:49:20Cumbria can ill-afford to lose any jobs. Most people do feel there
0:49:20 > 0:49:23would be a huge loss to the public. The local knowledge that has been -
0:49:23 > 0:49:31- that has been gained by some of our operators is just been
0:49:31 > 0:49:36dismissed. Last month, Cumbria County Council agreed that the fire
0:49:36 > 0:49:42and rescue service control centre should be moved to Warrington at a
0:49:42 > 0:49:47central facility for the north-west. It has been estimated that a
0:49:47 > 0:49:53regional call-centre could save �90 million. The concern is it is 150
0:49:53 > 0:49:56miles away. Four years ago, at train derailed at Greyrig. Local
0:49:56 > 0:50:05call centre operators were praised for the way they deal with that
0:50:05 > 0:50:08operation. When that 999 call came in, they didn't just go to the
0:50:08 > 0:50:12professional services but the mountain rescue volunteers. That
0:50:12 > 0:50:15call handler knew that the people with the best form of vehicles and
0:50:15 > 0:50:21access on the ground were actually not the professionals but the
0:50:21 > 0:50:25amateurs. That is why more people did not die at an accident. Cumbria
0:50:26 > 0:50:35has it Spear share of quirks. It is a large mountainous and brutal in
0:50:36 > 0:50:38
0:50:38 > 0:50:41the up. -- a fair share of quirks. The plans are causing heated debate
0:50:41 > 0:50:48at Staveley, and you would be forgiven asking what Staveley we
0:50:49 > 0:50:51are referring to. We have more than one Staveley in Cumbria, and that
0:50:51 > 0:50:58is one of the things that is so confusing to anybody giving
0:50:58 > 0:51:03directions. It is important that when someone is receiving a call
0:51:03 > 0:51:06they have a knowledge of where the location is likely to be. If you
0:51:06 > 0:51:13are very far away it is unlikely you will know the difference
0:51:13 > 0:51:20between Staveley and Staveley. Under the Labour Government this
0:51:20 > 0:51:25regional call centre was built in Warrington. It cost �432 million.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29It is state-of-the-art but it has been empty. The reality is all the
0:51:29 > 0:51:36fire services have had their budgets cut. For some, moving to a
0:51:36 > 0:51:40new facility saves money and makes sense. I generally believe that the
0:51:40 > 0:51:46service will be improved with the new technology and state-of-the-art
0:51:46 > 0:51:51building. We will improve the service. Anybody who questions that
0:51:51 > 0:52:00needs to look at the facilities. Dr the fire chiefs, they will get that
0:52:00 > 0:52:06understanding. -- talk to the fire chiefs. A regional control room is
0:52:06 > 0:52:14expected to be in operation by 2014. The original idea is not a new one.
0:52:15 > 0:52:20I spoke to the man at County Council of Cumbria with
0:52:20 > 0:52:26responsibility, Councillor Gary Strong. This is not the previous
0:52:26 > 0:52:34government's project. This is a collaboration between the fire
0:52:34 > 0:52:37authorities in the region. We are working together to provide a good
0:52:37 > 0:52:45and functional control the area in the Warrington building. The
0:52:45 > 0:52:50Warrington building is there, it has been billed, -- it has been
0:52:50 > 0:52:54constructed. You could argue, the money has been spent in Warrington
0:52:54 > 0:52:59and you feel you need to use this expense of building rather than
0:52:59 > 0:53:06thinking about what is good for the people of Cumbria. We don't have to
0:53:06 > 0:53:10use it. Why are you? We know that fire services will be charged for
0:53:10 > 0:53:15these buildings that had been built around the country. It is a
0:53:15 > 0:53:21financial move, not for the good of the people of Cumbria. It is not
0:53:21 > 0:53:24just a financial move, this gives us an up-to-date control system.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29The fire authorities in the north- west had been wanting to improve
0:53:29 > 0:53:33their fire control facilities and functions, but we have been led by
0:53:33 > 0:53:38the previous government into the regional process, that has been
0:53:38 > 0:53:44scrapped. Now we are working with our colleagues to provide a system
0:53:44 > 0:53:47that is safe and functional and resilient. The local MP has said he
0:53:47 > 0:53:53thinks it is a threat to public safety, because although the
0:53:53 > 0:53:58technology might be there, the public knowledge isn't. In an area
0:53:58 > 0:54:07like Cumbria, local knowledge is important. He uses the example that
0:54:07 > 0:54:12there are two Steve Lees. -- Staveleys. Local knowledge is
0:54:12 > 0:54:20important, but do we believe that the people in stop it -- the people
0:54:20 > 0:54:28in the copper might know everything in Barrow? -- people in
0:54:28 > 0:54:34Cockermouth? Firefighters in local areas have a lot of local knowledge
0:54:34 > 0:54:38and that will not be lost. He says in the middle of a situation,
0:54:38 > 0:54:44people might not be able to give precise postcodes, allowed that
0:54:44 > 0:54:50local knowledge will become essential. I can assure the MP that
0:54:50 > 0:54:56all local technology is being tried in London, the virus authorities
0:54:56 > 0:55:00are joining together, this is not something I'd on its own. Fire
0:55:00 > 0:55:07authority is across the country are looking at it. -- not something
0:55:07 > 0:55:13that is being done in an isolated manner. We should be able to get a
0:55:13 > 0:55:16virus even quicker. One of the regions is not going ahead with the
0:55:16 > 0:55:20regional control centre, that is Merseyside. They decided to
0:55:20 > 0:55:30consolidate with other emergency services and keep the service in
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Merseyside. White and Cumbria do that? -- why can't? Merseyside were
0:55:33 > 0:55:40going to join this collaboration until the last minute and they
0:55:40 > 0:55:46decided to polite. The thing is, Merseyside arrow only now looking
0:55:46 > 0:55:50at working with the police and ambulance service. It is not
0:55:50 > 0:55:55something that has been planned. That is not something you would
0:55:55 > 0:56:04consider in Cumbria? It has been looked at on a number of occasions.
0:56:04 > 0:56:091999, 2001, last year. None of the things we have looked that provide
0:56:09 > 0:56:14the people of Cumbria with what we're going to provide with a new
0:56:14 > 0:56:18control centre at Warrington which gives the taxpayer not only better
0:56:18 > 0:56:25functionality and resilience but is a safer operating system and also
0:56:25 > 0:56:35more efficient. Thank you for joining us. Time to look at the
0:56:35 > 0:56:36
0:56:36 > 0:56:41round-up of the week's events. The planned Preston regeneration centre
0:56:41 > 0:56:45has been abandoned after John Lewis pulled out this week. The plans had
0:56:45 > 0:56:52been in the pipeline for the best part of a decade, but had to deal
0:56:52 > 0:56:55with long-running legal issues. Very disappointed. Because of the
0:56:56 > 0:57:03prevailing economic conditions, we decided to draw a line under the
0:57:03 > 0:57:08town planning. The fisheries minister has waded is the
0:57:08 > 0:57:11controversy -- waded into the controversy over the cockle beds.
0:57:11 > 0:57:18He says they will close them if necessary because of illegal and
0:57:18 > 0:57:27reckless fishing on the site. have to take decisions that put
0:57:27 > 0:57:31human life as a priority. A amongst the many priorities -- a amongst
0:57:32 > 0:57:36the many projects to benefit from funding was Stanley Dock in
0:57:36 > 0:57:44Liverpool. It has been allocated millions of pounds to be