Browse content similar to 06/11/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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The warning that thousands of jobs could be lost as the government | 0:00:40 | 0:00:47 | |
Haft the incentive for solar panel installations. And a plan to hit | 0:00:47 | 0:00:57 | |
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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2221 seconds | 0:00:57 | 0:37:58 | |
second homeowners with the 100 % Hello and welcome to the Politics | 0:37:58 | 0:38:02 | |
Show in the South West. The region's solar energy boom | 0:38:02 | 0:38:05 | |
could be destroyed after the government announced it is halving | 0:38:05 | 0:38:09 | |
financial incentives. The warning comes from one energy expert, who | 0:38:09 | 0:38:13 | |
says up to 2,000 jobs are now at risk. But the government insists it | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
had to act before solar completely devoured its multi-million pound | 0:38:16 | 0:38:23 | |
budget. Later on, I will be talking to Mel Stride, the Central Devon MP | 0:38:23 | 0:38:25 | |
who has recently been given a government job in the business | 0:38:25 | 0:38:34 | |
department, but first this report from Andrea Ormsby. Alan Moody is | 0:38:34 | 0:38:41 | |
lucky. His solar power panels had been fitted with a subsidy from the | 0:38:41 | 0:38:49 | |
government. But in just six weeks time, at the Budget will be cut and | 0:38:49 | 0:38:58 | |
he might have had to think again. got it done at that time because | 0:38:58 | 0:39:06 | |
the finances looked favourable. But the changing tariffs would have | 0:39:06 | 0:39:09 | |
picked it up from seven years to 14 years, so it would definitely have | 0:39:09 | 0:39:18 | |
been a much more hard decision for me to take. We have been installing | 0:39:18 | 0:39:25 | |
them for five years. There was just a team of three of us then and we | 0:39:25 | 0:39:31 | |
were installing 20 units a year. We now have 45 people wine-dark | 0:39:31 | 0:39:41 | |
0:39:41 | 0:39:43 | ||
installing over 200 a year. this week, the government may have | 0:39:43 | 0:39:47 | |
changed all that. Everyone in the industry knew it was coming. The | 0:39:47 | 0:39:55 | |
shot was just how quickly it came. A I think it made devastates solar | 0:39:55 | 0:40:05 | |
0:40:05 | 0:40:06 | ||
industry in the South West. could see some 2000 jobs at risk. | 0:40:06 | 0:40:10 | |
While I think it was sensible for the Government to adjust prices | 0:40:10 | 0:40:17 | |
will the cost of solar energy came down, but this is not the answer. | 0:40:17 | 0:40:22 | |
So all panels are becoming an increasingly prominent site in the | 0:40:22 | 0:40:32 | |
South West and here it is why. Instead of paying 14p for every | 0:40:32 | 0:40:36 | |
kilowatt of electricity used, you're actually get given 43p for | 0:40:36 | 0:40:42 | |
every kilowatt you use. It is inflation-proof and guaranteed for | 0:40:42 | 0:40:46 | |
25 years. However, you do have to pay for the solar panels and the | 0:40:46 | 0:40:53 | |
first place - and that is not cheap. It is however getting cheaper. It | 0:40:53 | 0:41:00 | |
may have cost �15,000 in 2010 and is now down to �12,500. If you get | 0:41:00 | 0:41:09 | |
the work done before December 12th, the work stands. After that, the | 0:41:09 | 0:41:15 | |
tariff changes come in. For some people, that has meant a dramatic | 0:41:15 | 0:41:23 | |
last-minute change of policy. had intended to put the solar | 0:41:23 | 0:41:28 | |
panels across 13 buildings in a work a state. That would have let | 0:41:28 | 0:41:35 | |
us pay off the borrowing and produce money for the schools which | 0:41:35 | 0:41:41 | |
would have had the panels. We have had to cancel the contract. It | 0:41:41 | 0:41:44 | |
means a lot of work we have Britain in the last months putting together | 0:41:44 | 0:41:52 | |
these contracts and Surveys having been done and, unfortunately, the | 0:41:52 | 0:41:58 | |
whole programme is up in the air. Per the Government is this over- | 0:41:59 | 0:42:05 | |
generous subsidies have to be cut. People say it is simply too quick. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:10 | |
We are not saying that harassed did not need to be changed. But we are | 0:42:10 | 0:42:15 | |
worried that the industry could be strangled at birth by this. | 0:42:15 | 0:42:18 | |
Consumers and poor neighbourhoods now think they will never have a | 0:42:18 | 0:42:23 | |
chance, unless they get very rich, to have a chance to install solar | 0:42:23 | 0:42:30 | |
heating and help themselves. There are certain business models which | 0:42:30 | 0:42:38 | |
do not make any sense and there will be job losses in the industry. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:42 | |
But we know there is still a market for low carbon technologies and we | 0:42:42 | 0:42:45 | |
are extremely confident that we will continue and we are not | 0:42:45 | 0:42:49 | |
planning on making any job losses are worse selves. It is not all | 0:42:49 | 0:42:56 | |
doom and gloom. They are South West has seen the boom in solar energy | 0:42:57 | 0:43:04 | |
and the worry is that it it may turn to bust in the light of the | 0:43:04 | 0:43:14 | |
0:43:14 | 0:43:15 | ||
cutting of tariffs. I am joined now by the essential Devon MP. It is a | 0:43:15 | 0:43:20 | |
bad time for doing this, isn't it? The last thing the region needs is | 0:43:20 | 0:43:29 | |
more job losses. It is very important that all the good work | 0:43:29 | 0:43:39 | |
0:43:39 | 0:43:40 | ||
that has been done is not blown out of the water overnight. The cost of | 0:43:41 | 0:43:50 | |
an is installing the panels has changed and these have changed way | 0:43:50 | 0:43:57 | |
more than anyone expected. surely have less people order the | 0:43:57 | 0:44:05 | |
solar panels, then the price of them will go back up again? Well, | 0:44:05 | 0:44:11 | |
the original tariff of 43 pence per kilowatt which solar panel users | 0:44:11 | 0:44:20 | |
would have gained, would have to be changed. What we need is some kind | 0:44:20 | 0:44:25 | |
of sustainable jobs going for word. That means getting the level of | 0:44:25 | 0:44:33 | |
public subsidy right. Some people are saying it is the speed that you | 0:44:33 | 0:44:37 | |
have implemented this with that is worrying. Six months is surely not | 0:44:37 | 0:44:42 | |
enough? What about the people who have signed up and are now having | 0:44:42 | 0:44:52 | |
0:44:52 | 0:44:54 | ||
to think twice because of the December deadline? We may well have | 0:44:54 | 0:45:01 | |
to reassess, in light of the man, the level of the feed and tariff. | 0:45:01 | 0:45:05 | |
But six weeks is a short time and you have got public bodies, such as | 0:45:05 | 0:45:10 | |
schools and churches, who have spent a long time putting this in | 0:45:10 | 0:45:15 | |
place, which can take a lot of time because many of them are listed | 0:45:15 | 0:45:23 | |
buildings? Yes, up by our calculations, most of these places | 0:45:23 | 0:45:28 | |
will be able to meet the deadline before December 12th. Even if they | 0:45:28 | 0:45:35 | |
are after that date, existing contracts will be a factor through | 0:45:35 | 0:45:42 | |
until April 2012. But this is a consultation. It finishes on | 0:45:42 | 0:45:46 | |
December 23rd. And it is important that anyone who feels there in that | 0:45:46 | 0:45:52 | |
position makes their views known. will have to stop you there. Thank | 0:45:52 | 0:45:55 | |
you very much for joining us. Ministers have announced proposals | 0:45:55 | 0:45:57 | |
which could see council tax discounts for second home-owners | 0:45:57 | 0:46:00 | |
disappear altogether. All second homes used to be entitled to an | 0:46:00 | 0:46:04 | |
automatic 50% discount. In 2004, though, the last government gave | 0:46:04 | 0:46:09 | |
councils the option of reducing this to as little as 10%. Under the | 0:46:09 | 0:46:19 | |
0:46:19 | 0:46:24 | ||
new proposals, even this would become optional. This resort is a | 0:46:24 | 0:46:34 | |
0:46:34 | 0:46:34 | ||
popular place for second homes. The council asked that the council tax | 0:46:34 | 0:46:44 | |
0:46:44 | 0:46:50 | ||
discount was taken off. One second- home owner said that he brings a | 0:46:50 | 0:46:58 | |
lot of benefits. People coming down here from London are probably | 0:46:58 | 0:47:04 | |
welfare and the are making a good use of local pubs, restaurants and | 0:47:04 | 0:47:09 | |
the likes of the local golf course. They are putting money into the | 0:47:09 | 0:47:17 | |
local economy. The council wants to reduce the allowance so that they | 0:47:17 | 0:47:25 | |
can use the money to build more houses. If they can afford a second | 0:47:25 | 0:47:33 | |
home, they should pay the same as everybody else. Why should they not | 0:47:33 | 0:47:42 | |
pay the same as everyone else? some 4,000 homes a second | 0:47:42 | 0:47:46 | |
properties. A report by the National Housing Federation says | 0:47:46 | 0:47:51 | |
this is the most expensive area in Devon 2 by N. House prices here are | 0:47:51 | 0:47:56 | |
17 % more than the average place. The district council is scrapping | 0:47:56 | 0:48:06 | |
plans to cut the council tax discount. It would raise an extra | 0:48:06 | 0:48:12 | |
�700,000. The district council would get to keep around one 10th | 0:48:12 | 0:48:20 | |
of that. We would like to put it into the affordable housing bank, | 0:48:20 | 0:48:26 | |
as a wear. It would allow us to build more affordable housing. | 0:48:26 | 0:48:30 | |
say there could also use it to bring down the average council tax | 0:48:30 | 0:48:34 | |
bill by around �20 the year. Martyn Oates has been at | 0:48:34 | 0:48:36 | |
Westminster this week exploring the politics behind Monday's | 0:48:36 | 0:48:46 | |
0:48:46 | 0:48:48 | ||
announcement. The government plans to scrap their remaining mandatory | 0:48:48 | 0:48:52 | |
council tax discount for second homes has come as music to the ears | 0:48:52 | 0:49:02 | |
0:49:02 | 0:49:02 | ||
of Liberal Democrats. St Ives MP says Neil Liberal Democrat pressure | 0:49:02 | 0:49:07 | |
has forced the Conservatives to abandon the policy, which they | 0:49:07 | 0:49:17 | |
0:49:17 | 0:49:17 | ||
themselves introduced in a previous spell in government. We have a real | 0:49:17 | 0:49:23 | |
problem in some parts of Cornwall. Some parishes are 80 % second homes | 0:49:23 | 0:49:27 | |
or holiday houses. That is really stopping the people of Cornwall | 0:49:27 | 0:49:32 | |
accessing housing. I won local councils to be able to set a limit | 0:49:32 | 0:49:37 | |
on the amount of second homes or holiday homes in any area, so that | 0:49:37 | 0:49:47 | |
0:49:47 | 0:49:50 | ||
the Community can remain vibrant all the year round. People will be | 0:49:50 | 0:49:55 | |
able to take into account where they may be buying a second home. | 0:49:55 | 0:49:59 | |
Secondly, it is not unreasonable. What we're looking at is the | 0:50:00 | 0:50:03 | |
situation where in some parts of the country there are much higher | 0:50:03 | 0:50:07 | |
proportions of second homes. If you're applying the discount, as | 0:50:07 | 0:50:12 | |
local authorities have to, with no choice, that means a higher | 0:50:12 | 0:50:17 | |
percentage of revenue is gone. That means the rest of the council tax- | 0:50:17 | 0:50:21 | |
paying public has to make up the difference. I think it is very | 0:50:21 | 0:50:26 | |
reasonable to have flexibility to reflect how big an issue it is in a | 0:50:26 | 0:50:31 | |
particular area. So local authorities who want to get rid of | 0:50:31 | 0:50:36 | |
the discount may find themselves with a bit of a dilemma. Because | 0:50:36 | 0:50:41 | |
the current system does let them allowed to identify the number of | 0:50:41 | 0:50:49 | |
second homes in any area. Yes, I think with the modern advances in | 0:50:49 | 0:50:53 | |
information technology there are other ways of finding out that | 0:50:53 | 0:50:59 | |
information. I think you would probably find the collection costs | 0:50:59 | 0:51:05 | |
are just as much as any benefit you get from it. I think it makes sense | 0:51:05 | 0:51:15 | |
0:51:15 | 0:51:19 | ||
to give local councils their own discretion. There is a proposal by | 0:51:19 | 0:51:22 | |
some authorities that they would like to place restrictions on | 0:51:22 | 0:51:29 | |
holiday homes, so that they will more access to building homes and | 0:51:29 | 0:51:36 | |
having homes available for the likes of first-time buyers. Paul we | 0:51:36 | 0:51:44 | |
are in favour of his plans which give local communities more control | 0:51:44 | 0:51:49 | |
over their or a areas. But you do not agree with an across-the-board | 0:51:49 | 0:51:56 | |
reduction in holiday homes? Nor, I think this varies so much from a | 0:51:56 | 0:52:03 | |
area to a nearby you could not do that. But it all comes to the core | 0:52:03 | 0:52:08 | |
of our way of Public Finance and the housing sector. There are many | 0:52:08 | 0:52:13 | |
ways that social housing and landlords have social models that | 0:52:14 | 0:52:19 | |
restrictions can be attached so that the remain affordable. And may | 0:52:19 | 0:52:25 | |
also have the community right to bid - - right to build - so that | 0:52:25 | 0:52:30 | |
house is unavailable in the community for people on lower | 0:52:30 | 0:52:32 | |
incomes. Should Prince Charles have powers | 0:52:32 | 0:52:35 | |
to intervene in new laws? The question arises because a Cornwall- | 0:52:35 | 0:52:38 | |
based peer has run up against the prince's powers while sponsoring a | 0:52:38 | 0:52:41 | |
private members bill. Lord Berkeley, who is also harbour commissioner in | 0:52:41 | 0:52:44 | |
the port of Fowey, was championing a bill on marine navigation, but | 0:52:44 | 0:52:47 | |
was told as it affected the Prince of Wales' interests, it would need | 0:52:47 | 0:52:50 | |
his consent. Later, I will be talking to Lord Berkeley to find | 0:52:50 | 0:52:54 | |
out why this has angered him, but first let us look at how this came | 0:52:54 | 0:53:04 | |
0:53:04 | 0:53:04 | ||
about. Made up of more than 150 islands, the Isles of Scilly is one | 0:53:04 | 0:53:10 | |
of the largest island archipelago was in the world. Many parts of it | 0:53:10 | 0:53:17 | |
alone by the Duchy of Cornwall. It is the private land holding, set up | 0:53:17 | 0:53:22 | |
by the Black Prince in 1343. Historically, bills which affected | 0:53:22 | 0:53:27 | |
its interests must be agreed by the Duke of Cornwall. Today, that is | 0:53:27 | 0:53:33 | |
Prince Charles. A number of constituents have, quite | 0:53:33 | 0:53:43 | |
understandably, have been asking questions about the manner and | 0:53:43 | 0:53:49 | |
extent to which the Duchy is required to be consulted and | 0:53:49 | 0:53:57 | |
whether it has an effective veto in certain areas of policy-making. | 0:53:57 | 0:54:01 | |
What is also worrying people is that the Duchy has grown into a | 0:54:01 | 0:54:05 | |
multi- million pound bought for mail, with the number of full-time | 0:54:05 | 0:54:10 | |
employees. This housing development was built by the Duchy. It was | 0:54:10 | 0:54:15 | |
heavily influenced by the Prince, with his penchant for classic | 0:54:15 | 0:54:25 | |
0:54:25 | 0:54:27 | ||
architecture. The argument is that no other landowner has the sort of | 0:54:27 | 0:54:37 | |
0:54:37 | 0:54:37 | ||
power to influence what goes on in the Parliament. Lord Berkeley is | 0:54:37 | 0:54:42 | |
with me in the studio. You made the headlines this week when you | 0:54:42 | 0:54:45 | |
discovered that this bridge procedure exists. How do due come | 0:54:45 | 0:54:55 | |
about this? It affects marine navigation and ports around the | 0:54:55 | 0:55:00 | |
country, which was the legislation I was wanting to put through. I got | 0:55:00 | 0:55:06 | |
a letter saying that the prince would have to give his permission. | 0:55:06 | 0:55:12 | |
I was a bit surprised, really, because there are 120 ports around | 0:55:12 | 0:55:20 | |
the country. He, in this context, is a harbour master as the bail of | 0:55:20 | 0:55:26 | |
Scilly. I was a I did not need to negotiate with any of the other | 0:55:26 | 0:55:33 | |
harbour masters, but why him? the argument the thought that if | 0:55:33 | 0:55:41 | |
you accept the monarchy you accept some of these rather archaic laws? | 0:55:41 | 0:55:45 | |
My argument is that everyone needs to be treated fairly when we're | 0:55:45 | 0:55:51 | |
looking at the likes of harbour legislation. The whole point is | 0:55:51 | 0:55:56 | |
that the House represents everyone so interest and then it goes to the | 0:55:56 | 0:56:01 | |
Queen for her Royal Assent. And I do not think that anyone who has an | 0:56:01 | 0:56:06 | |
interest, and this is the financial interest for him after all, that he | 0:56:06 | 0:56:16 | |
0:56:16 | 0:56:22 | ||
should have any input into this. The Duchy of Cornwall has said that | 0:56:22 | 0:56:32 | |
0:56:32 | 0:56:33 | ||
they have never used this legislation in the past. | 0:56:34 | 0:56:40 | |
appreciate that, but the Queen also has powers that she does not use. | 0:56:40 | 0:56:46 | |
It is important that maybe this whole power is removed. What are | 0:56:47 | 0:56:55 | |
you going to do about this? Is it the end? Absolutely not. I have put | 0:56:56 | 0:57:01 | |
down a number of questions in the House of Lords asking what the | 0:57:02 | 0:57:11 | |
situation is. I want clarification. And this applies to all bills, not | 0:57:11 | 0:57:18 | |
just my one, which is a small one. The important thing is that | 0:57:18 | 0:57:21 | |
everyone should be treated it equally and it should be | 0:57:21 | 0:57:28 | |
transparent. The Duchy of Cornwall told us, | 0:57:28 | 0:57:30 | |
"there is nothing new or secret about a long-established | 0:57:30 | 0:57:32 | |
Parliamentary convention" which, it says, "is not about seeking the | 0:57:32 | 0:57:35 | |
personal views of the Prince but...would have applied equally to | 0:57:35 | 0:57:38 | |
his predecessors." And the Cabinet Office told us there are no plans | 0:57:38 | 0:57:42 |