:00:49. > :00:52.And in the north-west, there is no place like home. But with many
:00:52. > :00:56.finding there are no homes to be had, we examine why.
:00:56. > :01:06.And how this small Lancashire town raised the Fairtrade flak and
:01:06. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :40:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2342 seconds
:40:08. > :40:12.change the it shopping habits of Welcome to the Politics Show in the
:40:12. > :40:16.north-west. On this week's programme, as thousands struggle to
:40:16. > :40:19.get a foothold on the housing ladder, if we ask what can be done
:40:19. > :40:23.to ease the crisis. At the small Lancashire town of
:40:23. > :40:31.that raised the Fairtrade flag and changed the shopping habits of the
:40:31. > :40:36.world. This week we are in a Darwen in
:40:36. > :40:40.Lancashire, and like many places here, affordable housing is guests
:40:40. > :40:45.on the ground. In fact, waiting lists have more than doubled in
:40:45. > :40:49.just 10 years. High house prices, high deposit requirements and
:40:49. > :40:53.difficulty in getting a mortgage has really hit families hard. This
:40:53. > :41:03.week, the government is launching its new housing strategy, but what
:41:03. > :41:06.
:41:06. > :41:12.They come in all shapes and sizes, but it has never been more
:41:12. > :41:18.difficult to get the right fit. This man thought he had. Four years
:41:18. > :41:23.ago he was forced to sell his home in Rochdale to the Council. He put
:41:23. > :41:27.a deposit down on a new home, but was never quite ready. Meanwhile,
:41:27. > :41:33.his friends moved out. What is it like living here on your
:41:33. > :41:37.own? It is horrible, a disaster. It is
:41:37. > :41:41.horrible having all these empty houses.
:41:41. > :41:46.The irony is, you live, Ramsay Street, but you have no neighbours
:41:46. > :41:51.at all. He's got home has grown
:41:51. > :41:54.increasingly damp and isolated, problems which is MP says are not
:41:54. > :41:58.unique. It is particularly bad in Rochdale
:41:58. > :42:02.because funding has been stopped. We have families in communities
:42:02. > :42:06.living next to boarded-up houses, and they have effectively been
:42:06. > :42:10.abandoned. At the sad thing is that over the years, the government has
:42:10. > :42:14.put money into housing market renewal, and we started to see a
:42:14. > :42:18.return on that, we saw a new and improved housing being developed in
:42:19. > :42:23.Rochdale. But this government has stopped that, and we are now seeing
:42:23. > :42:28.poor communities abandoned, at that is creating a misery for the people
:42:28. > :42:32.of Rochdale. These are pretty different! This is
:42:32. > :42:37.where you are going to move to? But at least his luck appears to be
:42:37. > :42:40.turning. He has been allocated a new home on a housing association
:42:40. > :42:46.development opposite. It has been a long time coming, and
:42:46. > :42:51.I do not know what will happen. Because last time it took us four
:42:51. > :42:57.years. But I do not know this time. It looks like it will be a very
:42:57. > :43:00.nice house if you get in there. hope so. A in Salford they have
:43:00. > :43:06.built the first new council houses here for 25 years.
:43:06. > :43:11.This man from Slovakia moved here in February after waiting two years.
:43:11. > :43:18.I am really happy that I can get a house, and I do not know how many
:43:18. > :43:22.people are as lucky as me. But there are problems here too.
:43:22. > :43:26.Rubbish has been thrown over his wall, fireworks set off by his
:43:26. > :43:31.windows at a neighbour has had his car destroyed. He thinks he knows
:43:31. > :43:36.why. I and Slovakia and and he is Polish,
:43:36. > :43:44.as the best of the people are English. -- the rest of the people
:43:44. > :43:53.are English. As they do not have problems. When someone is drawing
:43:53. > :44:00.an egg on your wall, and only you, what do you think.
:44:00. > :44:03.So it is it a bit cramped? Yes, we need a bigger bed in here.
:44:03. > :44:07.The the House would not be big enough for this woman.
:44:07. > :44:13.She needs a four bedroom house, but does not know how long she will
:44:13. > :44:17.have to wait. It is needed, we are desperate.
:44:17. > :44:27.They are not any situation that we are in.
:44:27. > :44:27.
:44:27. > :44:33.You feel people are not listening Different people facing different
:44:33. > :44:36.problems. Housing pressure remains a serious challenge.
:44:36. > :44:40.I enjoyed by the local MP, Jake Berry, who has a particular
:44:40. > :44:44.interest in housing, he is parliamentary private secretary to
:44:44. > :44:48.Grant Shapps, and by Derek Long from the National Housing
:44:48. > :44:53.Federation which represents England's 1200 housing associations.
:44:53. > :44:57.Thank you for joining us. Letters explain why we are standing outside
:44:57. > :45:01.a derelict building. Welcome to Darwen, it is fantastic
:45:01. > :45:05.to have you here. This was a development that was being
:45:06. > :45:10.undertaken on a commercial basis, it failed to during the recession.
:45:10. > :45:13.Now we are hoping in this town with the local housing association to
:45:13. > :45:17.take it on and make it a real success and provides a more
:45:17. > :45:21.affordable homes. Let me bring in Derek. We are
:45:21. > :45:27.talking about the housing associations, obviously you
:45:27. > :45:30.represent the housing associations. With a development like this, how
:45:30. > :45:35.difficult is it for a housing association to take this on and
:45:35. > :45:41.make it into an affordable house? It is a big challenge because there
:45:41. > :45:47.are not many resources available, particularly since there has been a
:45:47. > :45:51.reduction since the spending review. But housing associations are good
:45:51. > :45:54.value for money, because what they are trying to do is turn the
:45:55. > :46:00.government's grants into borrowing as well, which means we get three
:46:00. > :46:04.or four times the money we put in. It is difficult to do this, but
:46:04. > :46:06.housing associations are happy to do it. The this is one project, but
:46:06. > :46:10.it is a massive problem in the north-west.
:46:10. > :46:15.I was staying with you Derek, because waiting lists are growing
:46:15. > :46:19.at quite a fast rate in the north- west.
:46:19. > :46:24.There are about 250,000 people on the waiting list here, and that is
:46:24. > :46:28.because we are not building enough houses. We at the lowest level of
:46:28. > :46:32.building in 90 years. We have built less than half the houses we need
:46:32. > :46:41.in the north-west. So it is essential that resources could put
:46:41. > :46:45.into more affordable housing. I absolutely recognise that. It
:46:45. > :46:50.will look at the historic problem here, and we are talking about not
:46:50. > :46:54.building enough houses, over the course of the last government, we
:46:54. > :47:01.actually had 420,000 fewer affordable homes, despite the fact
:47:01. > :47:06.that they spent �4.5 billion try to create more. So the consensus
:47:06. > :47:10.around the old model does not work. What this government has done is
:47:11. > :47:16.given the opportunity to housing associations and local authorities
:47:16. > :47:21.to release wet their assets and go up to 80% of market rent, get a
:47:22. > :47:27.real return on their investments and to provide affordable housing.
:47:27. > :47:33.We are going to provide 170,000 affordable homes through this model.
:47:33. > :47:38.I did that is a real success. Derek, is that enough?
:47:39. > :47:42.It -- it is good, but it is not enough. The affordable rent model
:47:42. > :47:46.does not work in all parts of the country. It does not work well in
:47:46. > :47:49.areas of limited growth and limited strength in the economy. It is
:47:49. > :47:53.essential that we have more than just affordable rent across the
:47:53. > :47:58.country. I would accept that if it were not
:47:58. > :48:02.the case that we have had 143 providers apply for this model, it
:48:02. > :48:07.is vastly oversubscribed. I was told it would not work in rural
:48:07. > :48:12.areas, urban areas, the North or the south. In fact it is working
:48:12. > :48:16.all across the country. We are delivering houses people want to
:48:16. > :48:20.move into. Have governments got it wrong?
:48:20. > :48:24.Yes. It is true that governments have not built enough homes for at
:48:24. > :48:29.least 10 years. So it is not just a problem with the current
:48:29. > :48:36.administration. But you're in a position now to make a difference,
:48:36. > :48:40.at that means we need some new ideas put into the system.
:48:40. > :48:44.We have got the government housing strategy Juge due to be announced,
:48:45. > :48:48.so what will be in that a comic Derek feel more comfortable?
:48:48. > :48:52.It is hugely exciting. I cannot say much before it is released on
:48:52. > :48:56.Monday, but we accept that we need to build more houses.
:48:56. > :49:01.So there will be something in there about more affordable houses?
:49:01. > :49:06.I hope so. It will have to wait until Monday. But it is absolutely
:49:06. > :49:10.vital that we get the construction sector going again in this country.
:49:10. > :49:14.We all know we need more homes and jobs. Pulling that Leaver and
:49:15. > :49:18.getting people back building houses, whether affordable, private rented
:49:18. > :49:27.or ones we buy to living, will really get up our economy going
:49:27. > :49:31.again. Getting more houses built, will really help. That is why it is
:49:32. > :49:37.essential that this government initiative succeed.
:49:37. > :49:44.Derek, is that good news for you? We want to see the numbers, and we
:49:44. > :49:48.need to be clear about them. We would like a billion pounds to be
:49:48. > :49:52.allocated for shared ownership. That could create 99,000 jobs in
:49:52. > :49:56.terms of the construction sector, added would pay for itself in terms
:49:56. > :50:02.of people coming off benefit. So we need big money, and not just in the
:50:02. > :50:06.south but in the north as well. We would love to have big money,
:50:06. > :50:10.unfortunate the country is on its knees following the last government.
:50:10. > :50:16.But we don't need big money, we just need to use it in a smart away.
:50:16. > :50:20.I believe the housing strategy will show that, we will have government
:50:20. > :50:25.land coming forward on a bill now pay later system, and you can pay
:50:25. > :50:30.when you have built the house. I would have to stop you. Thank you
:50:30. > :50:33.very much for joining us. It is exactly 10 years since the
:50:33. > :50:38.small town of Garstang in Lancashire was officially
:50:38. > :50:42.recognised as the world's first Fairtrade town. At the time,
:50:42. > :50:46.Fairtrade products were a novelty. But now the idea has developed into
:50:46. > :50:53.way worldwide movement involving over 1000 towns and cities in 23
:50:53. > :50:58.countries. It was in the year 2000 that the
:50:58. > :51:06.people of Garstang voted almost unanimously for this to become the
:51:06. > :51:12.world's first Fairtrade town. One year later than was realised. A --
:51:12. > :51:15.one year later that was realised. Call the mavericks or
:51:15. > :51:21.revolutionaries, but what was started here was an international
:51:21. > :51:27.mood and. 23 countries have followed the lead.
:51:27. > :51:30.We try to ensure that when we have anything in and around Garstang, we
:51:30. > :51:35.always use Fairtrade products and local produce, which we think is
:51:35. > :51:39.very important. Gradually, all the shops in Garstang have followed
:51:39. > :51:42.suit, as they have got Fairtrade produce.
:51:42. > :51:46.When the Miliband first started, it focused on certain products like
:51:46. > :51:51.coffee and chocolate which she could only get in specialist shops.
:51:51. > :51:55.Now you can get everything from Fairtrade goal to two coffins. 70%
:51:55. > :51:59.of the items in the shops are Fairtrade.
:51:59. > :52:03.It is great to be a pioneer of this movement. Children are like
:52:03. > :52:08.learning about it in schools. The older generation are very
:52:08. > :52:13.appreciative of it. There is a vast range if you shop
:52:13. > :52:18.around and have a look. They all have the Fairtrade logo. So you
:52:19. > :52:23.just have to shop around. The idea behind Fairtrade is not
:52:23. > :52:28.just about stacking supermarket shelves with products, but building
:52:28. > :52:32.strong community links. Garstang is twinned with a village in Ghana. In
:52:32. > :52:37.2004, a delegation went out to build facilities for local children.
:52:37. > :52:42.But not all supermarkets do this. At with some marketing their own
:52:42. > :52:49.Fairtrade groups, -- Fairtrade goods, there is concern that some
:52:49. > :52:54.groups are being pushed out. It works by giving people a decent
:52:54. > :52:58.wage to give them a decent standard of living. Some companies go that
:52:58. > :53:03.one step further than the minimum standards and will get involved in
:53:03. > :53:06.producing partnership programmes, helping farmers to build their
:53:06. > :53:16.infrastructure and organisation. The motivation for large
:53:16. > :53:18.
:53:18. > :53:22.Fairtrade is not just helping farmers in the Third World. This
:53:22. > :53:27.man is a dairy farmer in Cumbria. He feels the model has a lot to
:53:27. > :53:32.offer him. I think the benefits are putting
:53:32. > :53:35.Cumbria on the agenda, if you will. People understand what they are
:53:35. > :53:40.getting, where they are getting from, how it is produced, and they
:53:40. > :53:44.trust the people who do it. And fetching together that food chain
:53:44. > :53:48.for them to understand how we do it and what we do it.
:53:48. > :53:51.How could the money you get from creating something like a Fairtrade
:53:51. > :53:58.model really benefit areas like Cumbria?
:53:58. > :54:02.If you look further down the road, we produce a lot of milk and lamb
:54:02. > :54:06.and all the rest of the things that Cumbria is quite famous for, if you
:54:06. > :54:10.will. But if that was processed within the county, and if it was
:54:10. > :54:13.sold within the county, you would get a lot more jobs were young
:54:13. > :54:18.people could work and there would be more money kept in the area
:54:18. > :54:22.instead of all that going elsewhere. And it is not just farmers feeling
:54:22. > :54:28.out of pocket. In tough economic times, can people really afford to
:54:28. > :54:30.shop ethically? I know people try to push for
:54:30. > :54:34.independent things, but at the moment, if you are getting your
:54:35. > :54:40.shopping, you just get bored is on offer.
:54:40. > :54:45.If you can help by getting Fairtrade food, then by all means
:54:45. > :54:48.get it. The majority go to where it is
:54:48. > :54:52.cheapest. Shopping ethically may be a
:54:52. > :54:56.challenge to consumers, but the Fairtrade brigade shows no signs of
:54:56. > :55:05.slowing down. What started here in the small town of Garstang has had
:55:05. > :55:10.a major impact on the way we shop. Joining the is the driving force
:55:10. > :55:14.behind Fairtrade here in Garstang. We are here at what will be the
:55:14. > :55:20.world's first Fairtrade visitor centre. An incredible achievement.
:55:20. > :55:28.Absolutely. It would be the world's first Fairtrade in visiting centre
:55:28. > :55:31.in the world's first Fairtrade town. We have got a lot of first here in
:55:31. > :55:37.this market town. Are you surprised at how big this
:55:37. > :55:40.movement has become? Yes. I am idealist, I have been
:55:40. > :55:45.called this all my life, so I always expect great things to come.
:55:45. > :55:51.But even I never dreamt we would be as big as this, we have now got
:55:51. > :55:55.over 1000 Fairtrade towns in 23 countries across all six continents.
:55:55. > :55:59.And it all started in a market town in Lancashire.
:55:59. > :56:03.Cannot work in other places? Definitely. There is no question.
:56:03. > :56:08.It can happen in a small market town like this, but that means it
:56:08. > :56:13.can happen anywhere. We have got places with populations of 65
:56:13. > :56:20.people in Scotland which are Fairtrade places. So is London, 7
:56:20. > :56:25.million. And do consumers get behind the
:56:25. > :56:30.ideal of Fairtrade? I think that is the point of
:56:30. > :56:33.Fairtrade towns. We live in a busy world, people do not have time to
:56:33. > :56:37.understand the issues that are happening with our trading system.
:56:37. > :56:42.The fact that people in Ghana are growing cocoa for a chocolate, and
:56:42. > :56:46.they do not have access to clean water. People do not know this, but
:56:46. > :56:49.when that awareness is fed to them, which it will be through the
:56:49. > :56:53.visitors' centre at Fairtrade towns, as these people want to do
:56:53. > :56:56.something about it, and all they have to do is buy the Fairtrade
:56:56. > :57:03.chocolate. Are the supermarkets getting behind
:57:03. > :57:07.Fairtrade, or are they coming out with their own Fairtrade did? Is
:57:07. > :57:13.some of the original Fairtrade Foundation being pushed out?
:57:13. > :57:19.Supermarkets are coming on board now. Some people are doing it just
:57:19. > :57:23.because they realise the consumers are demanding it. Therefore, the
:57:23. > :57:27.supermarkets need to change. Otherwise they will go out of
:57:27. > :57:31.business. In the recession, are people
:57:31. > :57:35.happier to pay that extra bit for ethical goods?
:57:35. > :57:40.Fairtrade could do not have to cost a lot more, and they often don't.
:57:40. > :57:45.So that is a bit of a question from the past. But the other thing is,
:57:45. > :57:50.when people who grow the cocoa do not have clean water, do we really
:57:50. > :57:55.need to have our chocolate so cheap that we cannot give someone a life?
:57:55. > :58:03.I think when people understand that they supported. In the middle of
:58:03. > :58:08.this recession, we have had a 40% increase, and that is clear across
:58:08. > :58:13.the last year. We still had a 40% increase in sales of Fairtrade
:58:13. > :58:17.product. So I think it shows people really do feel they can.
:58:17. > :58:21.Thank you for speaking to us. I know you have got lots to do,
:58:21. > :58:29.because the visitors' centre should be open tomorrow.
:58:29. > :58:32.Tied by that of this week's event. -- time for a round-up of this
:58:32. > :58:40.week's events. They could be good news for BAe
:58:40. > :58:43.Systems if the Indian government buys the Eurofighter plane.
:58:43. > :58:52.Ministers have been assiduous over the last few weeks in promoting the
:58:52. > :58:56.case for the typhoon in India and other countries. We understand that
:58:56. > :59:03.there is likely to be an announcement in the next few weeks
:59:03. > :59:04.on the decision that has been made by the Indian government.
:59:05. > :59:09.Everton Football Club's official charity has been given permission
:59:09. > :59:16.to set up a free school. From next September it will provide education
:59:16. > :59:20.for either 100 teenagers. The philosophy of our club will
:59:20. > :59:25.form part of our brand values within the school. It will be about
:59:25. > :59:29.team work, dedication, commitment. We will have access to players and
:59:29. > :59:33.the resources and facilities of the football club.
:59:33. > :59:39.Police stations across Lancashire are too close to the public in an
:59:39. > :59:43.attempt to save millions of pounds. 14 stations across the county are
:59:43. > :59:47.affected, eight or close completely, as the other six were have front
:59:47. > :59:52.desks shut. 31 buildings will be sold.