10/07/2011 The Politics Show Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Here in the North: it claims that police numbers have been cut to

levels last seen in the 1970s. And as public funding for our canals is

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2363 seconds

replaced by a charity, would you Welcome to the Politics Show off

for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. We are asking whether we are seeing a

return to life on Mars policing. There are claims that police

numbers have been reduced to levels last seen in the 1970s despite an

increase in crime. And join me in the longest, deepest canal tunnel

in the country as the Government prepares to hand the entire canal

network over to a charity. Becks It was the decade of strikes and

the Sweeney. And today there are claims that cuts to police numbers

have left many regions served up by a few officers than in the 1970s. -

- served up by fewer officers. Many officers are in no mood for

compromise. The early 1970s it was the Year of a life on Mars.

Industrial unrest was dealt with by a no-nonsense police tactics. 1974

saw the creation of many of our modern police forces. In its first

year of operation the Humberside police had just over 1900 officers

dealing with 36,000 crimes. According to figures relating to

2011 that the force had less than 1900 officers dealing with 76,000

crimes. The public know that we have had

had a resources and began making a real impact on their safety. That

is now reversing. If we are going down too much a law levels at the

1974 it cannot be a good message to the public. -- nor levels.

1974. And more -- technology has changed since 1974. And more

civilians work behind the scenes. But it is many of the support

workers who claim they will be hit by proposed changes to allowances.

Strike action has not been ruled out.

1 the recommendation of which will hit us is the removal of weekend

working. This will affect a large number of my members who may lose

20% of their monthly Major. -- monthly wage. Many of them would

not consider strike action however there are pockets in every

department who are more active than others and they are seriously

considering some form of industrial action.

The Home Secretary this week told senior police officers are wide the

cuts were necessary. They were encouraged to prioritise spending

on frontline policing. It is my job to tell it like it

says. To make the difficult decisions needed to get the police

are through these tough times and put Paul missing on a sustainable

footing for future generations. -- put the police.

What do you say to people accused of scaremongering?

Crime is increasing. Anybody who wants to suggest we are simply

scaremongering does not live in the real world. They need to listen to

the people who actually do the job. Many officers from Yorkshire and

Lincolnshire will attend a national rally in London next week. They aim

to persuade the Government to reassess police cuts and claimed

that rising crime as a price that the public will not be willing to

pay. And the studio as the Conservative

MP for Brecon grin and the shadow police minister. Andrew, police are

dealing with twice as much crime, but fewer numbers. That is not

right, is it? As you saw in your item we have

seen changes to the way policing is delivered. This is not something

which is new. In 2007 police numbers and Humberside fell by 130.

Select is about delivering policing differently.

But any police officer will tell you that fewer officers means a

more crime. That is controversial, whether you

accept that. Some people say it as, some say it isn't. We have seen

trains in Humberside where crime levels have been falling in recent

years. -- trends. We have got to make sure we get the balance

correct. Bad Johnston, Theresa May argues

that the reduction in overall police numbers does not necessarily

mean less officers on the beat. -- Diana Johnston. Does she have a

point? Over the last 13 years we have seen

more police officers with more powers are sending more people to

prison. And crime fell. So clearly if you put resources in you can

tackle crime. I worry that the way the Government are rushing through

front loaded cuts means that we will see statistics going the other

way and crime starting to rise. For my community that will be a

dreadful situation. Can you really look people in the

eyes and claimed that the Conservatives are the party of law

and order? Ken Clarke wants to reduce sentences and you are

cutting it police numbers. I will not defend Ken Clarke's

position given that I voted against it in Parliament. But my views on

law and order have not changed at all. We just want to cut back on

the paper work, some of the things that hold them back. I would like

us to remove some of the other barriers to the police doing their

job. Health and safety stuff, human rights issues. It all has to be

taken together. We all want to trust the police more and give them

more powers. But we must accept we are in a difficult place

financially. The issue of reforming police pay

and pensions was kicked into long grass by both Tory and Labour

governments, previously. Can you honestly say that where you in

power today you could find the police force at previous levels?

We certainly recognise that savings would have to be made and there

inspector it would have to come up with 12% savings. -- of the

inspectorate. But the current cuts are far too fast and front loaded.

So we will see an impact on crime levels.

Moving away from the police dispute, Unison has been in talks with the

Government this week or for public sector pensions and pay.

Yorkshireman, Dave Prentice, is the general secretary. We asked him if

he saw strike action as a more or less likely.

I am not talking in percentage terms. But I will say that we're

hoping for the best. But I'll tell you that very strongly, we are

planning for the worst. If we are ready in our membership and making

sure we will win the arguments in court. I have no doubt these

employers will take us to court. If we have to balance the needs of

5,000 members. We would prefer not to be taking

this action. Our members want to do their jobs and care for people.

There is no profit motive that involved. This is not the

aristocracy, at is the working- class. We're saying to the

community, and now it is your time to care for the members who have

cared for you. There is no threat, we want an agreement.

It sounds like Dave Prentice is not yet fully committing to a national

ballot on strike action. Your message to Unison members?

Clearly we all want people around the table negotiating and reaching

an agreement. Both sides. I am just a very worried by the Government

approach. It is a megaphone diplomacy. If we have seen than a

Alexander laid down the law. That is not the way too late -- to deal

with the issues. -- Danny Alexander. But I am heartened by what they've

said there are about talks on going. Ed balls and even some Tories would

quite like to see a public sector strike because it would provide a

scapegoat for their faltering economy.

That is guff. She talks about megaphone diplomacy. Dave Prentice

was talking about class warfare and then pretending to be consensual in

the other. -- talking about class warfare in one breath. The reality

is that the public sector pension schemes -- pension schemes have to

change. Everybody accepts that. We have got to manage that and do it

in an negotiated way. A change of topic. Not a lot of

people know this but the faster of the beck government projects to be

taken over by the bed society are hour state owned canals. They will

be handed over to an independent charity specially set up to do the

job. Al reporter has been taking a This is the entrance to more than

200 years of the Yorkshire's industrial history.

What we have here is the oldest, at deepest canal in the country. It is

about three-quarters of a mile long. At the deepest point there is 640

ft above us. It took 16 years of sweat and toil

before the Standbridge tunnel which carries the Huddersfield Canal to

Lancashire was completed in 1811. It finally closed in 1944. These

two rest trips and the traffic it now carries are only possible

because of a massive rescue project in 2001. -- to rest.

That is terrific. A remarkable achievement from the Canal Society.

Canal enthusiasts now face a new challenge. The Government wants to

hand over ownership and running of the canal network across the

country to a charitable trust. Well the new organisation be able to

engage a volunteers in a root-and- branch way?

The existing organisation does not do that. It has tried but it needs

to be a very different organisation to achieve it. The important one

for Oz and other organisations as a funding. There is a large gap in

what is being offered. The With a National Trust of canals

taking ownership and control enthusiastically month that the

subsidy is only half of what is needed to ensue and the future of a

feature which is at the heart of the tourist industry.

On average, 1990 private boats and their fear -- birth in canals like

this one every day. Seeler, these locks on the Leeds-Liverpool canal

are used every day. But they were built four heels before the French

Revolution. British Waterways has one -- run the network since the

1950s. It will be transformed into the new independent charity taking

over. Around 20% of its income comes from licence fees from canal

users. Then 40% from rents on canalside properties. The rest is

filled by government grants. We have a restored more water ways

than we originally built when they originally constructed the canals.

But going into the future we do need to create a sound financial

few -- footing and plan for the future. Our financial plan lasts

for 15 years minimum and that will provide a far better situation than

we have had so far. Nigel hires out 17 barges from an

arena at Selby bridge. He is a supporter of the independent

charity idea but worries it will be deprived of money.

Given the state which the economy is an, would you expect the

Government to say we're going to spend money on canals?

They should spend it in proportion to the cost of usage. They do have

to pay for that because otherwise it will have to be subsidised by

other users are which is not right. Owner canal network has taken more

than 200 years to build. But one of the biggest changes in their

history will be sorted out in only months. The National Trust of the

canals will take over in 20th April We asked the canals minister if the

network could survive on charity alone.

We are drifting to the new charity �400 million worth of property. --

gifting. This has always been there are subject to any government

staging a dawn raid to and now they will go in to the charity and no

future government will ever be able to touch it. What's more the

charity can be here up against it and increase their income against

that property portfolio. We have a tougher budgetary climate. But that

does not mean there isn't wriggle room and how we set up this new

charity. We can support it in a variety of different ways. Indeed I

hope people lobby me. The door is not shut.

Dannatt Johnston, some would say that British Waterways is an

expensive quango. -- banner. Could their money be better spelt

elsewhere -- spent. There was an expectation before a

general election now we would have to look at the structure of British

Waterways. We preferred a mutual which gave people with a stake a

say in running the organisation. But my big concern as the money. Or

will the Budget allow it to do what it needs to do?

Is this just another small and managers attempt to get a public

service of the book under the guise of the big society?

Absolutely not. As Diana said the previous government also looked at

it. I think it is a good mover which puts them in a completely

different place to where they are at the moment. The National Trust

is a good example of what they can become and as the minister

explained that there is a wiggle room on the funding.

We are not seeing as much about the big society. Has it been quietly

elbowed aside? For North will stock it is just

hard to define. It is charitable giving. -- no, it is hard to define.

But when it is there and you see it you know what it is.

This is our last programme before the summer break. I do not suppose

that two of you will be our way together! But a final order on how

you think the political landscape will change.

You will see the cuts are biting and people's everyday lives been

affected. Come the autumn we will be no different position. The shine

on the Government is coming off. -- we will be in a different position.

The bottom will be a rough time for the coalition government.

I disagree. The Rupert Murdoch issue might define the summer. But

as the Prime Minister said, all political parties have a

responsibility when it comes to that. The shine coming of the

coalition? I am not sure I agree. Manufacturing is up, unemployment,

our biggest fall in 10 years. Not here in hall.

It is patchy across the country we accept that.

No, in the north, and a full stock let's remember, the coalition did

not put us in this position. The coalition did not put us in