21/02/2017

:00:07. > :00:10.I'm Victoria Derbyshire, welcome to the programme.

:00:11. > :00:13.This morning - will huge rises in business rates force shops around

:00:14. > :00:27.Coco my name is Rebecca Bishop, I run a small Artisan bakery in

:00:28. > :00:31.Suffolk. My business rates are June to go up by nearly 500% in the next

:00:32. > :00:36.year, which will have serious detrimental effects on my business

:00:37. > :00:43.and other small independents in Southwold in Southwark. My name is

:00:44. > :00:47.Sheila, I run a fancy dress shop in Berkshire, my business rates at you

:00:48. > :00:54.to go up by 64% this year, raising to 250% in -- 257% over the next two

:00:55. > :00:59.years, which will have a serious effect on my business and businesses

:01:00. > :01:03.in the area. We will hear more from Sheila and Rebecca and from you, if

:01:04. > :01:04.you run your own business could you get in touch?

:01:05. > :01:07.So could the Government be forced to soften the blow

:01:08. > :01:10.We'll get reaction from conservative MPs shortly.

:01:11. > :01:14.Also on the programme - this is the House of Lords.

:01:15. > :01:22.Brexiters the most important single issue which has faced the country

:01:23. > :01:27.for decades. We also have the terrible situation of losing an

:01:28. > :01:32.empire at the same time. How deep is our grasp, if we are honest, of what

:01:33. > :01:34.is actually going on in the EU machinery operating below us?

:01:35. > :01:36.800 unelected politicians get paid to sit here,

:01:37. > :01:38.but it's been rocked by another scandal after claims that

:01:39. > :01:40.some members collect their daily allowance whilst

:01:41. > :01:47.And this is the dramatic moment a crying girl was rescued

:01:48. > :01:54.from rubble after an air strike in Syria.

:01:55. > :02:10.Welcome to the programme, we're live until 11am.

:02:11. > :02:13.Throughout the morning we'll bring you the latest breaking news

:02:14. > :02:18.After 10am we'll cross to the Court of Appeal where a straight couple

:02:19. > :02:20.will find out whether the courts support their argument that civil

:02:21. > :02:22.partnerships should be open to heterosexual

:02:23. > :02:28.We'll speak to the couple as soon as the decision is made.

:02:29. > :02:31.As always, really keen to hear from you this morning -

:02:32. > :02:41.Letters know if you are affected by the revaluation of properties around

:02:42. > :02:50.the country and whether it means your business rates will go up,

:02:51. > :02:51.because to all be frozen. -- be cut or be frozen.

:02:52. > :02:54.And if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.

:02:55. > :02:56.Our top story today: Most areas of England will see hospital

:02:57. > :02:59.services cut or moved under plans to save money and

:03:00. > :03:04.Analysis by the BBC has also found that about a third of the proposals

:03:05. > :03:06.would see a reduction in the number of hospitals offering

:03:07. > :03:08.The Government says patients will receive better

:03:09. > :03:11.Our health reporter Sophie Hutchinson has the details.

:03:12. > :03:14.Protests outside Horton Hospital in Oxfordshire just a few months ago

:03:15. > :03:16.where there are concerns about bed closures and cuts to

:03:17. > :03:21.Right across England proposals for big changes

:03:22. > :03:26.The BBC has analysed 44 of the transformation

:03:27. > :03:31.Two thirds include either hospital closures or moving treatments

:03:32. > :03:38.More than a third involve cuts to the number of hospitals providing

:03:39. > :03:41.non-emergency treatments and around one third plan to reduce

:03:42. > :03:47.the number of hospitals offering emergency care.

:03:48. > :03:49.Proposed closures to hospital beds have been heavily criticised

:03:50. > :03:56.More generally, though, it says the plans are the best hope

:03:57. > :03:59.of delivering essential reforms to the NHS, but it says it can't be

:04:00. > :04:06.Ideally there ought to be an earmarked fund

:04:07. > :04:08.for new investment, to strengthen and improve the out-of-hospital

:04:09. > :04:10.services, and to shore up adult social care, which is really

:04:11. > :04:17.If those additional funds aren't forthcoming, the Government needs

:04:18. > :04:19.to be honest about the consequences for patients and what the offer

:04:20. > :04:27.The Department of Health says it's confident the NHS plans will help

:04:28. > :04:28.patients get better care, with improvements to mental

:04:29. > :04:37.health and cancer services and more access to GPs.

:04:38. > :04:46.Our correspondent Kathryn Stanczyszyn is here with me now.

:04:47. > :04:52.These are big changes and people will face cuts? The sustainability

:04:53. > :04:58.and transformation plans are what has been keeping NHS bosses up at

:04:59. > :05:02.night recently as they try to make ?22 billion worth of savings by

:05:03. > :05:11.2020, meaning some pretty drastic changes on the cards. Some examples,

:05:12. > :05:15.the of two out of three A in mid and South Essex, a reduction of

:05:16. > :05:18.major hospitals in south-west London from five to four, cutting the

:05:19. > :05:21.hospitals in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland from

:05:22. > :05:25.three to two. You could say it sounds like an obviously bad idea

:05:26. > :05:29.but the King 's fund, which has been looking into it, says there is a

:05:30. > :05:33.case for it if done well and it improves patient care. They believe

:05:34. > :05:41.there should be essential reform of the NHS away from hospital services

:05:42. > :05:43.but they say that the crucial thing is what it is replaced with, they

:05:44. > :05:46.need massive investment into community provision because if we

:05:47. > :05:48.don't get that we are heading for serious problems.

:05:49. > :05:51.Joanna is in the newsroom with a summary of the day's news.

:05:52. > :05:54.The shortage of teachers in schools in England is getting worse,

:05:55. > :05:56.affecting key subjects like physics and maths, according

:05:57. > :05:59.The Commons Education Committee says recruitment targets have been missed

:06:00. > :06:02.for five years in a row and there should be more

:06:03. > :06:04.focus on keeping teachers in the profession long-term.

:06:05. > :06:10.The actual sums are adding and taking...

:06:11. > :06:13.Maths class for these children with Mr Walton.

:06:14. > :06:15.But professionals like him are increasingly hard to come by,

:06:16. > :06:18.that's according to a group of MPs, who say school teacher shortages

:06:19. > :06:27.I'm into my fourth year of teaching now.

:06:28. > :06:31.I think that's mainly due to workload and pressure

:06:32. > :06:36.The Education Select Committee is calling for a long-term plan

:06:37. > :06:38.to recruit more teachers and a bigger emphasis to be

:06:39. > :06:43.placed on retaining them, warning many are leaving.

:06:44. > :06:45.Reasons include a lack of job satisfaction,

:06:46. > :06:51.Research has found teachers in England work nearly 20% more

:06:52. > :06:53.than they do in other similar countries, an average

:06:54. > :07:03.20 of those are spent here in the classroom teaching.

:07:04. > :07:06.MPs say secondary schools are hardest hit in subjects

:07:07. > :07:12.What we've got to get across is just how important

:07:13. > :07:16.teachers are to our society and to our economy.

:07:17. > :07:18.They need to feel valued, they need to feel trusted.

:07:19. > :07:21.The Department for Education says it is investing in teacher

:07:22. > :07:23.recruitment and development to make sure the best in the

:07:24. > :07:33.Profits at Britain's biggest bank, HSBC, fell

:07:34. > :07:40.The bank has blamed slowing growth in the UK, which it has linked

:07:41. > :07:44.It's also repeated a warning that it could move a thousand staff

:07:45. > :07:53.Five people have been killed after light plane crashed

:07:54. > :07:55.into a shopping centre in the Australian city of Melbourne.

:07:56. > :08:01.It suffered an engine failure and crashed into a shopping centre which

:08:02. > :08:05.was prepared to open. The impact sent a large fireball into the sky

:08:06. > :08:06.and sent debris onto the road nearby. Nobody on the ground is

:08:07. > :08:09.thought to have been injured. The American president Donald Trump

:08:10. > :08:12.has named General HR McMaster as his new National Security

:08:13. > :08:13.Advisor. He replaces General Michael Flynn,

:08:14. > :08:15.who resigned just three weeks into the job after misleading

:08:16. > :08:17.the vice-president over talks he'd had with Russian

:08:18. > :08:19.government officials. President Trump has described his

:08:20. > :08:21.new appointment as a man Iraqi forces say they are closing

:08:22. > :08:27.in on western Mosul, the last major stronghold

:08:28. > :08:33.of so-called Islamic State in Iraq. A military spokesman said that

:08:34. > :08:35.government troops had entered the last town on the road leading

:08:36. > :08:38.to Mosul airport, as the offensive to recapture the western half

:08:39. > :08:43.of the city continues. The Chancellor Philip Hammond has

:08:44. > :08:46.assured Conservative MPs that he's listening to concerns

:08:47. > :08:47.about a business rate revaluation The rates are being updated

:08:48. > :08:54.for the first time in seven years, and will leave more than a quarter

:08:55. > :08:58.of companies facing higher bills. Mr Hammond is facing pressure to do

:08:59. > :09:04.more to help those affected. A heterosexual couple will find out

:09:05. > :09:07.today if they can have a civil Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan

:09:08. > :09:10.from London took their case to the Court of Appeal

:09:11. > :09:13.following a defeat at They say it's unfair that only

:09:14. > :09:18.same-sex couples can Specialist police teams are digging

:09:19. > :09:24.up the gardens of two One is believed to be the former

:09:25. > :09:29.home of Christopher Halliwell, who's serving a whole life sentence

:09:30. > :09:32.for the murders of two women, A man in New York had a lucky escape

:09:33. > :09:43.while shopping at a mini-mart. He was about to pay

:09:44. > :09:47.for his groceries when he returns to the shelves -

:09:48. > :09:55.unaware of the imminent danger. A car smashed through the window

:09:56. > :09:57.of the mini-mart, crushing him Amazingly, no-one was

:09:58. > :10:02.hurt in the accident. He and the driver were both taken

:10:03. > :10:17.to hospital but neither had Thank goodness for that! That could

:10:18. > :10:19.have been so much worse. Cheers, Joanna.

:10:20. > :10:22.Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -

:10:23. > :10:31.Listen, you are a bit cross about the story of the peer who apparently

:10:32. > :10:35.left a taxi running outside the House of Lords while he went in for

:10:36. > :10:40.a moment to clock on in order to qualify for his ?300 daily

:10:41. > :10:44.allowance, then nips back out to the taxi. Morag on Twitter, peers who

:10:45. > :10:50.clock in and clear out without doing any work should pay the money back.

:10:51. > :10:54.Else but on Facebook said ?300 per day is double my weekly stately

:10:55. > :11:01.pension, it is a disgrace that this is being abused by those not

:11:02. > :11:04.financially struggling to heat homes or put food on the table, it is

:11:05. > :11:06.greed. Your views I'll welcome, we will talk about that just after

:11:07. > :11:08.9:30am. -- your views are welcome. Olly Foster is at

:11:09. > :11:19.the BBC Sport Centre. Sutton did themselves proud? A

:11:20. > :11:24.terrific cup tie, 5000 fans, 105 places between Sutton United and

:11:25. > :11:28.Arsenal. Arsene Wenger did not underestimate the non-league team,

:11:29. > :11:35.he put out a team that was just too strong, parents with a fairly lucky

:11:36. > :11:40.goal. 1-0 to the gunners. Theo Walcott, a tap in, his hundredth

:11:41. > :11:46.goal for the gunners. He did not celebrate too much. Their manager

:11:47. > :11:50.was just shaking hands with Arsene Wenger, he says they have made ?1

:11:51. > :11:53.million out of the cup run this year but we still have one more

:11:54. > :12:01.non-league team left in the cup, Lincoln city, they came through over

:12:02. > :12:08.the weekend. They play Arsenal in the quarterfinals, what a tie!

:12:09. > :12:14.Let's talk about the guy eating the pie at half-time, is he in trouble?

:12:15. > :12:19.He probably will be, his name is Wayne, he is a cult figure in

:12:20. > :12:24.Sutton, 23 stone reserve keeper who does not play very much, he does

:12:25. > :12:32.more around the club. He did that in the second half. Spotted on camera

:12:33. > :12:36.in the 82nd minute. It is a fun picture but a betting company had

:12:37. > :12:40.put their sponsorship boards of everywhere, sponsoring Sutton United

:12:41. > :12:46.and they had got a fun bet on 8-14 Wayne sure to be filmed eating up

:12:47. > :12:51.high. Afterwards, Wayne Shaw admitted some of his mates were in

:12:52. > :12:55.on it and they had a flutter as well. Players are strictly not

:12:56. > :12:59.allowed to come he said he did not and one of the other players did.

:13:00. > :13:05.The FA regulations and gambling say that a player should not instruct,

:13:06. > :13:10.permit, cause or enable any person to bet the results, progress,

:13:11. > :13:15.conduct or any other aspect of an occurrence in a football match, and

:13:16. > :13:19.that covers eating pies. Of course it does, they have made many macro

:13:20. > :13:23.out of it. Of course you are not allowed to bet on anything to do

:13:24. > :13:28.with the football match, but it seems slightly Po faced. It is a bit

:13:29. > :13:38.cynical, I know the Sutton manager was not happy about it at all and

:13:39. > :13:41.said it took the shine off what was a terrific occasion for the club. I

:13:42. > :13:44.am sure the FA will look into it. There was fighting and a pitch

:13:45. > :13:48.invasion towards the end, a bottle was thrown towards the dugouts, so

:13:49. > :13:53.the FA will have a bit to look at. You talked about the funding story

:13:54. > :13:56.guest today for the various would-be Olympic sports, appealing to UK

:13:57. > :14:03.Sport to get their money back heading into Tokyo, none of them got

:14:04. > :14:08.it back? In our time, wheelchair rugby, we revealed they would get no

:14:09. > :14:12.funding. Fencing, weightlifting, archery Badminton were funded for

:14:13. > :14:16.the four years leading up to Rio, all five were unsuccessful in the

:14:17. > :14:22.appeals, badminton especially, because they hit their medal target

:14:23. > :14:25.of getting a medal in Rio, are said to be staggered. UK Sport said there

:14:26. > :14:30.was no compelling evidence to make them change their minds. They can

:14:31. > :14:40.take another path, another appeal process, but it is a real long shot.

:14:41. > :14:42.All those five governing bodies were very, very upset.

:14:43. > :14:47.The head of golf's governing body, who makes the rules, there could

:14:48. > :14:50.good news from Muirfield? Last year Muirfield, an all-male membership,

:14:51. > :14:54.voted against allowing female members to play. The RNA, the

:14:55. > :14:58.governing body, threw them off the roads are for hosting the Open

:14:59. > :15:07.Championship, they have posted it over a dozen times recently -- they

:15:08. > :15:11.have hosted it. 750, the all-male membership, are holding another

:15:12. > :15:15.ballot right now. The RNA chief has given an interview and says he is

:15:16. > :15:19.delighted, they can't get involved in club matters but if it is a

:15:20. > :15:24.positive outcome the course will be reinstated very quickly right back

:15:25. > :15:29.onto the list of open venues, lots of players were very vocal when the

:15:30. > :15:33.vote came to last year. Another interesting thing, Brexit, we have

:15:34. > :15:37.spoken about that forever, but the head of the RNA says it might

:15:38. > :15:41.consider paying the winner this year in dollars because the pound has

:15:42. > :15:45.been hit so badly. It has knocked an awful lot of the value of the price

:15:46. > :15:53.money of the Open if the pound continues to be as weak.

:15:54. > :16:04.Business rates are also being revalued in Scotland and Wales.

:16:05. > :16:06.In England, there's plenty of disquiet about how some big

:16:07. > :16:13.retailers wont be affected as much as smaller ones.

:16:14. > :16:16.This morning - will the government come under pressure to soften

:16:17. > :16:21.If you own a shop or business, chances are you're worried about it.

:16:22. > :16:24.Around a quarter of firms could see a rise in the amount they pay,

:16:25. > :16:26.with some facing rises of up to 500%.

:16:27. > :16:28.Business pay roughly half of the value of their

:16:29. > :16:31.In a moment, we'll talk to those affected, but first,

:16:32. > :16:33.Business rates - they are what companies large

:16:34. > :16:37.Think of them as like council tax, but for companies.

:16:38. > :16:41.They are the charge on a business' property and that charge is decided

:16:42. > :16:42.in proportion to the value of the land.

:16:43. > :16:45.The Government has decided that the rates need to be revalued,

:16:46. > :16:48.which they are supposed to do every five years, but they didn't do it

:16:49. > :16:51.when they should have last time, so it's been seven years

:16:52. > :16:54.That seven-year gap means that some companies are bracing themselves

:16:55. > :16:56.for a whopper of a rise, while others may see

:16:57. > :17:01.So the extra rates paid by an online retailer who owns a huge warehouse

:17:02. > :17:04.in the middle of the countryside will in some cases pay less

:17:05. > :17:06.than a cafe in London, and that's why we're here.

:17:07. > :17:10.Alex is the manager and owner and it looks like his rates could double.

:17:11. > :17:23.It's one of the now longest running businesses left in Victoria.

:17:24. > :17:27.At the present moment, we're just shy of 11,000 and come April,

:17:28. > :17:30.I've been advised I'm going to be paying just shy of ?22,000,

:17:31. > :17:35.And if you even go further back, three, four years ago,

:17:36. > :17:37.we were only paying about ?7,000, so the rates have

:17:38. > :17:48.Ministers and MPs have been lobbied by businesses to either water down

:17:49. > :17:50.or scrap the increases, but the Government says

:17:51. > :17:52.that the majority of people will see their rates

:17:53. > :17:54.The Government believes around 520,000 ratepayers

:17:55. > :17:58.will see their bills increase as a result of the revaluation.

:17:59. > :18:01.While 920,000 will see their bills fall and 420,000 will see no change.

:18:02. > :18:03.But despite these assurances opposition to the upcoming changes

:18:04. > :18:18.isn't dying down and the changes kick in on 1st April.

:18:19. > :18:20.Business rates are also being revalued in Scotland and Wales.

:18:21. > :18:26.In England, there's plenty of disquiet about how some big

:18:27. > :18:29.retailers won't be affected as much as smaller ones.

:18:30. > :18:32.For instance Amazon's rates will increase by 0.95%,

:18:33. > :18:37.miniscule compared to some of the increases across

:18:38. > :18:47.Online fashion retailer BooHoo.com will see their rates cut by 13%.

:18:48. > :18:50.Fashion giant Asos - their rates will stay exactly the same.

:18:51. > :18:52.Whereas in Southwold in Suffolk the average business will see

:18:53. > :18:59.Her rates are going up by almost 500%.

:19:00. > :19:04.Sheila Tims owns a fancy dress shop in Berkshire.

:19:05. > :19:06.Her rates are going up and she says she'll have to close

:19:07. > :19:12.Also with us two Conservative MPs who are campaigning

:19:13. > :19:24.Grant Shapps, MP for Welyn Hatfield and former

:19:25. > :19:32.Andrew Bridgen is the Conservative MP for NW Leicestershire

:19:33. > :19:34.who was supporting the business rates rise until he met

:19:35. > :19:38.the Chancellor Philip Hammond last night.

:19:39. > :19:44.Let me hear from Rebecca and Sheila. You pay Rebecca ?2,000 a year in

:19:45. > :19:50.business rates. What will it increase to? Well, I did some sums

:19:51. > :19:54.yesterday after I quoted the figure, ?2,000 and when I looked back at my

:19:55. > :19:59.rate bill, if you actually take off the business relief that I pay at

:20:00. > :20:06.the moment, I'm only paying ?835. OK. With my transitional relief

:20:07. > :20:13.which I'm given at 12.5%, next year I will be paying ?4028 which is a

:20:14. > :20:17.482% increase. And what impact will that have on your bakery? It's going

:20:18. > :20:23.to have repercussions, obviously next year is not the full increase.

:20:24. > :20:27.Over the five years, it will increase year-on-year. It'll be

:20:28. > :20:33.affecting my expansion plans. It will be affecting my ability to

:20:34. > :20:38.recruit. The money represents probably at least two part-time

:20:39. > :20:42.people. It will affect my ability to put money into training. It just is

:20:43. > :20:46.a damaging effect on all the businesses, all the independent

:20:47. > :20:51.businesses, in Southwold. Sheila, you run a fancy dress shop, which I

:20:52. > :20:56.think you were looking to sell after 30 years, but the buyer pulled out

:20:57. > :20:59.when they found out about your rate rise? That's correct. What do you

:21:00. > :21:09.pay at the moment and what will it go up to? At the moment I'm paying

:21:10. > :21:13.?3300 a year. It's going up to ?5200 this year, that's with the

:21:14. > :21:19.transitional relief and up to ?8500. Can you afford it? No. What will you

:21:20. > :21:23.do? We're going to close. Seriously? We can't afford it. We've already

:21:24. > :21:28.made the decision to shut because we've lost our buyer now, but I am

:21:29. > :21:33.still fighting this because this is my village and it's the whole

:21:34. > :21:38.village that's suffering, all of the business rates have gone up, the

:21:39. > :21:45.actual value of the rateable value has gone up by 75% on every business

:21:46. > :21:51.here. Will other independent shops, do you think, have to close? Yeah,

:21:52. > :21:55.two have told me, I'm in a small parade of shops. I'm not in a high

:21:56. > :22:00.street. There are 20 of us and two of the others have said if it can't

:22:01. > :22:06.be resolved they can't sustain the increases either. I know one shop

:22:07. > :22:13.that's got 1,000% increase. 1,000%, OK. I mean, if it wasn't so serious,

:22:14. > :22:16.this was absurd, what did the Chancellor say to you when you met

:22:17. > :22:19.him last night and you relayed the concerns? Well, I gently reminded

:22:20. > :22:23.the Chancellor and colleagues that something we should all remember is

:22:24. > :22:28.that all the wealth of our country that pays for our public sector and

:22:29. > :22:31.those of us who work in the public sector's wages is generate from

:22:32. > :22:36.business and commerce. We've already shifted huge amounts of burden on to

:22:37. > :22:40.business, you've got the national Living Wage and huge pension

:22:41. > :22:47.provisions going forward and now we've got business rate rises. At

:22:48. > :22:51.the end of the day we're in danger of killing the golden goose of

:22:52. > :22:57.growth. What did he say? He said he was in listening mode, but the bills

:22:58. > :23:00.for the business rate increase are going out next week, but we have

:23:01. > :23:03.time for a period of contemplation and discussion and we certainly

:23:04. > :23:09.need, where people are getting huge increases, we need a longer period

:23:10. > :23:15.for those to be phased in. Right. Would that be enough Grant Shapps?

:23:16. > :23:19.One of the problems... Yes, it would be enough? I'm not sure it would be.

:23:20. > :23:24.One of the problems is this hasn't been changed for seven years. We had

:23:25. > :23:29.the same issue with domestic rates, that's council tax, it was I was the

:23:30. > :23:34.Local Government Minister and decided not to do the revaluation

:23:35. > :23:39.and just leave it because we knew it would be a disaster to try to do the

:23:40. > :23:43.revaluationsment we need to reform this and have a proper look at how

:23:44. > :23:48.business rates are done. You can't leave it five or seven years and

:23:49. > :23:51.suddenly have these increases because unsurprisingly, that's an

:23:52. > :23:56.enormous shock to smaller businesses... And the wider economy?

:23:57. > :23:59.As Andrew says all money in this country is generated from business

:24:00. > :24:02.and commerce and this is going to really create a problem. I suggested

:24:03. > :24:05.to the Chancellor in the same meeting last night that perhaps we

:24:06. > :24:10.should still do the same thing that's been done with the council

:24:11. > :24:13.tax which is just not to revalue them. The Chancellor says that's not

:24:14. > :24:17.possible. The letters are going out next week. I think one of the

:24:18. > :24:21.problems here has been that rather than present this as what it really

:24:22. > :24:26.is, which is about another ?1 billion collected for the economy,

:24:27. > :24:29.and let's face it, we're still grappling with the deficit, we need

:24:30. > :24:32.to do those things, but be straightforward and say yes, we need

:24:33. > :24:36.to raise the money. Instead it has been presented as if somehow it was

:24:37. > :24:40.a cut to business. I received a letter saying that businesses in my

:24:41. > :24:45.constituency would pay less, but about 1.4% less. In fact they're

:24:46. > :24:48.going to pay more than 5%. How did that mistake happen? It looks like

:24:49. > :24:52.they have already factored in the fact that so many people will appeal

:24:53. > :24:56.the rate bill that they get. And that some of those appeals will be

:24:57. > :24:59.successful and then some issues with inflation and in fact, it turns out

:25:00. > :25:06.that this is actually a rate rise in my area, not a cut.

:25:07. > :25:12.Can I just say something? Yes, go ahead? There needs to be a

:25:13. > :25:15.fundamental review of what constitutes a small business. This

:25:16. > :25:21.is the major flaw in this re-evaluation. I was a small

:25:22. > :25:24.business. My rates were 7.2 per year and I was eligible for small

:25:25. > :25:28.business rate relief and a recognition that a small business

:25:29. > :25:33.does need specific help. With this re-evaluation, my rates have been

:25:34. > :25:37.moved to ?25,000 a year and I'm classed as a medium business. My

:25:38. > :25:41.business hasn't actually changed. I employ the same amount of people. I

:25:42. > :25:45.have the same amount of sales and the same amount of foot fall and

:25:46. > :25:49.yesterday suddenly I've been moved out of any relief and any help and

:25:50. > :25:52.this is what's going to kill the high street and kill small

:25:53. > :25:59.businesses. The lack of recognition of what a small business means. Fair

:26:00. > :26:04.point? Absolutely. In my situation, it is similar to Grant's. The letter

:26:05. > :26:08.that came out at the weekend indicates 1.3% average cut in

:26:09. > :26:10.business rates, but when I looked through the sectoral analysis, they

:26:11. > :26:18.are showing an increase and we're going to end up with a 5%, 6%

:26:19. > :26:22.increase. Business in my seat, since 2010, economic growth, they have

:26:23. > :26:26.reduced unemployment by 75% in my seat and youth unemployment by

:26:27. > :26:35.almost 80%, I don't want to see that economic growth put at risk by these

:26:36. > :26:38.sort of punitive rises. OK. If they close shops on the high street,

:26:39. > :26:43.people are going to lose their jobs. There is going to be increased

:26:44. > :26:50.unemployment as a result of this. Sheila wants to come back in. I just

:26:51. > :26:53.wanted to reiterate with regards what Rebecca was saying about the

:26:54. > :26:57.small business relief. I got the small business relief because my

:26:58. > :27:03.rateable value was ?10,000, they have put that up to ?17500, but the

:27:04. > :27:07.small business relief is only up to ?15,000 so I don't constitute any

:27:08. > :27:10.small business relief. They haven't moved president goal posts enough.

:27:11. > :27:15.They have moved them so slowly that we are not going, I'm still classed

:27:16. > :27:19.as a small business because I'm under ?18,000, but I don't get any

:27:20. > :27:23.relief whatsoever. Understood. OK. So you Andrew have suggested to the

:27:24. > :27:27.chancellor, a tapering of the rises so, you know, bring them in more

:27:28. > :27:33.gradually. Grant, what do you want to see? We need to look at the

:27:34. > :27:38.entire system again. But how does that help Rebecca and Sheila right

:27:39. > :27:41.now? I think what Andrew and I and other colleagues are trying to do is

:27:42. > :27:44.say to the chancellor, look, there are businesses like theirs, other

:27:45. > :27:46.shops, restaurants, pubs, who are really going to suffer and

:27:47. > :27:49.potentially close which is not where I think a Conservative Government

:27:50. > :27:53.who should be very pro-business wants to be or should be. So they

:27:54. > :27:59.need to resolve that in the short-term through the Budget.

:28:00. > :28:03.Probably altering the rate reliefs, it is crazy to have a system which

:28:04. > :28:08.we haven't reviewed these for seven years, but that woor five years and

:28:09. > :28:12.any anything else you do every year. People know where they are. They can

:28:13. > :28:18.plan their business future rather than this coming out of the blue. If

:28:19. > :28:22.there is no relief or help in the Budget, would you consider voting

:28:23. > :28:26.against the Budget? It is a single vote on the whole economic plan, it

:28:27. > :28:30.is difficult to vote against individual items. Would you vote

:28:31. > :28:34.against the whole Budget if there is nothing to help small businesses?

:28:35. > :28:37.The way to do this is to ask the Chancellor to look with a lot of

:28:38. > :28:41.interest and concern at businesses like that. He indicated that's what

:28:42. > :28:45.he will do. And then my further concern is to make sure we don't end

:28:46. > :28:49.up in this mess again, whether it is in myself years or what have you.

:28:50. > :28:51.We invited the Department for Communities and Local Government

:28:52. > :28:56.and the Treasury onto the programme today, but both declined.

:28:57. > :29:05.A viewer says, "My family business has been trading in the town for 165

:29:06. > :29:10.years. I wonder how much longer you can survive with such a huge rate

:29:11. > :29:15.rise coming of 185% this. Is horrendous. The smaller shops will

:29:16. > :29:19.disappear to be replaced by more charity shops and chain stores which

:29:20. > :29:22.crept in over the last few years pushing up rents to unsustainable

:29:23. > :29:28.levels." We will see what happens. Thank you very much for coming on

:29:29. > :29:31.the programme. Sheila and Rebecca, thank you for your input. We will

:29:32. > :29:41.see happens over the coming weeks and on Budget Day.

:29:42. > :29:45.Your views are welcome. If you run a small shop, a medium sized business,

:29:46. > :29:47.tell what yous is happening with your business rates because some

:29:48. > :29:49.rates are being frozen. Some people are getting a rate reduction. We

:29:50. > :29:52.must bear that in mind as well. Take a minute to watch this dramatic

:29:53. > :29:56.footage of the moment a crying girl is pulled alive from rubble

:29:57. > :31:35.following an air strike in Syria. While the little girl was rescued

:31:36. > :31:38.we don't know what happened to her. The footage was released

:31:39. > :31:40.by Syria Civil Defence, It was apparently taken in Damascus'

:31:41. > :31:48.Tishreen neighbourhood on Sunday. Activists reported air

:31:49. > :32:03.strikes in two other The House of Lords faces questions

:32:04. > :32:06.after claims that some members collect their 300 quid daily

:32:07. > :32:08.allowance whilst contributing nothing. We will get reaction from

:32:09. > :32:12.peers in the next few minutes. Joanna is in the newsroom

:32:13. > :32:15.with a summary of the day's news. Most areas of England will see

:32:16. > :32:17.hospital services cut or moved under plans to save money

:32:18. > :32:21.and improve efficiency. Analysis by the BBC has also found

:32:22. > :32:24.that about a third of the proposals would see a reduction in the number

:32:25. > :32:26.of hospitals offering The Government says patients

:32:27. > :32:30.will receive better There ought to be an earmarked fund

:32:31. > :32:37.for new investment to strengthen and improve the out of hospital

:32:38. > :32:55.services and to shore If you are concerned about NHS cuts,

:32:56. > :33:01.sending your questions. We will put them to Chris Ham, you have just

:33:02. > :33:07.heard from, at 12:30pm. Contact details are on screen.

:33:08. > :33:11.The shortage of teachers and schools in England is getting worse,

:33:12. > :33:15.affecting key subjects like the six months, according to a report by

:33:16. > :33:17.MPs. The House of Commons education committee says will group and

:33:18. > :33:22.targets have been missed for five years in a row and once there should

:33:23. > :33:26.be more focus on keeping teachers in the profession long-term.

:33:27. > :33:30.We had to get across just how important teachers are to society

:33:31. > :33:31.and our economy, they need to feel valued and trusted.

:33:32. > :33:33.Profits at Britain's biggest bank, HSBC, fell

:33:34. > :33:37.The bank has blamed slowing growth in the UK which it has linked

:33:38. > :33:41.It's also repeated a warning that it could move a thousand staff

:33:42. > :33:46.Benefits claimants face "unacceptable" variations

:33:47. > :33:48.in the number of payments being docked or removed entirely,

:33:49. > :33:54.depending on where in the UK they live, MPs have said.

:33:55. > :33:57.The Public Accounts Committee said those penalised for missing job

:33:58. > :33:59.centre appointments or other failings often faced

:34:00. > :34:04.It's urging the Department for Work and Pensions to monitor

:34:05. > :34:16.Five people have been killed in a plane crash in Melbourne. The light

:34:17. > :34:20.aircraft suffered engine failure and crashed into a shopping centre which

:34:21. > :34:23.was prepared to open for the day. It threw debris onto the road nearby.

:34:24. > :34:25.Nobody on the ground is thought to have been injured. There was a large

:34:26. > :34:26.fireball. Here's some sport now

:34:27. > :34:31.with Olly Foster. These are our sports

:34:32. > :34:32.headlines this morning. Sutton United's FA Cup

:34:33. > :34:34.adventure is over. Theo Walcott scores his 100th goal

:34:35. > :34:37.for Arsenal in a 2-0 win that sets up a quarter-final tie for them

:34:38. > :34:39.against another non-league Newcastle are back on top

:34:40. > :34:43.of the Championship after a 2-0 win Goals from Yoan Gouffran

:34:44. > :34:47.and an own goal from Henri Lansbury see them knock Brighton off

:34:48. > :34:51.the top. Badminton are one of five Olympic

:34:52. > :34:54.and Paralympic sports to have had their funding appeals rejected

:34:55. > :34:58.by UK Sport. The body that allocates

:34:59. > :35:00.National Lottery money says none of the sports had strong enough

:35:01. > :35:14.medal potential in Tokyo 2020 I will be back after 10am with a

:35:15. > :35:15.full update. Thank you.

:35:16. > :35:18.This morning, claims that members of the House of Lords

:35:19. > :35:20.collect their full daily allowance of ?300 whilst contributing

:35:21. > :35:24.A former Speaker of the Lords has described how one peer left a taxi

:35:25. > :35:28.waiting outside so he could nip in for a sec to clock on in order

:35:29. > :35:31.to claim his 300 quid, before leaving immediately.

:35:32. > :35:35.Unlike the House of Commons, which is made up of elected MPs,

:35:36. > :35:38.the House of Lords is made up of people who are

:35:39. > :35:41.There are over 800 of them, including 90 hereditary

:35:42. > :35:48.So what should be the sanction for a peer like this

:35:49. > :35:51.who's spending your taxes for doing nothing?

:35:52. > :35:54.If he was a benefit claimant, let's be honest, he'd be called

:35:55. > :36:06.The claims were made in a 3-part BBC Two documentary. Here is a clip.

:36:07. > :36:13.To be in the Lords you have to be punctual... Sometimes you have to

:36:14. > :36:17.literally slammed the door and somebody's face. What right do they

:36:18. > :36:22.had to tell me about their fashion sense? And conduct yourself

:36:23. > :36:27.correctly? Can you control your bad language, otherwise you will be

:36:28. > :36:33.drummed out. To win on something as important at this is phenomenal.

:36:34. > :36:37.This is how we make laws. Another member of the so-called

:36:38. > :36:41.second Haas has described the House of Lords as the best daycare centre

:36:42. > :36:48.for the elderly in London. He is a Lib Dem lord called Lord Taylor, the

:36:49. > :36:51.party's spokesman on constitutional reform. He joins us.

:36:52. > :36:54.Katie Ghose is Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society

:36:55. > :37:00.Michael Cockerell is a BBC documentary-maker.

:37:01. > :37:05.He did not make this documentary. Lord Tyler, what do you think of

:37:06. > :37:10.some of your peers clocking in and to bring nothing but still taking

:37:11. > :37:13.home the ?300 daily allowance? I have worked for 15 years to try to

:37:14. > :37:17.make House of Lords more democratic and accountable to the public, I

:37:18. > :37:20.welcome the opportunity for the public to see the weaknesses and the

:37:21. > :37:24.strengths of the House of Lords that I question really whether it is a

:37:25. > :37:31.large number of peers who use the place in the way it is described.

:37:32. > :37:34.From the former Lords Speaker's comments, I find them entirely

:37:35. > :37:38.because she does not know whether the pier that is opposed to have

:37:39. > :37:42.kept the taxi running spent the rest of the afternoon there and was just

:37:43. > :37:46.coming back for their code. If she thought it was such a bad thing that

:37:47. > :37:50.so many peers were not doing the job that they were therefore, why did

:37:51. > :37:55.she do nothing about it? She did, she says. We have invited her onto

:37:56. > :37:58.the programme, as you would expect, she did not want to join us but she

:37:59. > :38:04.will speak after the documentary goes out. She says she tries to --

:38:05. > :38:08.try to raise it with various whips but nothing could be done because

:38:09. > :38:13.this gentleman turned up and clocked in, no sanctions could be placed

:38:14. > :38:17.upon him. What do you think should happen to him? I think she should

:38:18. > :38:20.have supported the coalition Government's reform at the House of

:38:21. > :38:23.Lords, which is a very effective reform and would have meant by now

:38:24. > :38:27.we were getting rid of people who could not really contribute to the

:38:28. > :38:35.work of the Lords. The Lords have a very important job, not least with

:38:36. > :38:38.Brexit, whether Government is pushing something through with no

:38:39. > :38:40.proper mandate. The Lords is an important part of our Constitution

:38:41. > :38:45.and most peers take it very seriously indeed. I accept there is

:38:46. > :38:50.a minority... I understand you want to talk about reform but I want to

:38:51. > :38:55.talk about what you think should be the sanction for a pier that turns

:38:56. > :39:01.up to clocking just to get the ?300 daily allowance of taxpayers money?

:39:02. > :39:09.The answer is that it should be for a full-day's work. The answer is

:39:10. > :39:14.what? For doing a full day's work. And if no work is being done but the

:39:15. > :39:18.still being claimed, what should be the sanction? The answer is, of

:39:19. > :39:24.course, there are powers for the pier concerned to be told thank you,

:39:25. > :39:30.goodbye. Are there?! Baroness D'Souza tells us, quote, I mentioned

:39:31. > :39:35.this behaviour regularly to the relevant whips whose responsibility

:39:36. > :39:40.it was handed weekly meetings we up any transgressions for the parties

:39:41. > :39:45.to deal with. Furthermore, the PSU dashed in to get his tick was not

:39:46. > :39:51.infringing any rule, nothing says Apia has to be in the chamber for

:39:52. > :39:56.any particular amount of time. She could have supported more effective

:39:57. > :40:05.reforms are persistent, including the sanctions available. I entirely

:40:06. > :40:10.accept that it is a minority who make no contribution, but I think it

:40:11. > :40:13.is difficult for her after this experience to get away with saying

:40:14. > :40:18.there was nothing she could have done, she could have supported the

:40:19. > :40:21.Major reforms there on the table in 2012.

:40:22. > :40:24.The House of Lords got in touch to ask us to point out that

:40:25. > :40:29.Parliamentary work is not limited to amending legislation and most of the

:40:30. > :40:32.members' work would not leave a record in Hansard, which officially

:40:33. > :40:37.records debates in Parliament. The statement said all members had to

:40:38. > :40:40.certify they have undertaken Parliamentary work when claiming for

:40:41. > :40:45.the House. Where members are shown to have claimed when they have not

:40:46. > :40:48.undertaken Parliamentary work the House can suspend them, as in the

:40:49. > :40:58.case of law tanning fields. The Haas has a robust code of conduct. -- the

:40:59. > :41:01.House has. Katie, what do you think of this practice? These outrageous

:41:02. > :41:05.abuses of privilege happen because we have no accountability

:41:06. > :41:10.whatsoever, it is an appointed second chamber, not elected. We want

:41:11. > :41:14.the Government to take action. This is absolutely shocking for people to

:41:15. > :41:18.see that members of the House of Lords can claim ?300 a day without

:41:19. > :41:22.doing any work, this has been going on for some time and is nothing new,

:41:23. > :41:29.we want concrete proposals from the Government to move towards unelected

:41:30. > :41:33.House of Lords. It is over 800 peers, the second-largest

:41:34. > :41:40.legislation chamber in the world. -- to move towards an elected House of

:41:41. > :41:44.Lords. A peer who has done this can be suspended, is that enough? Of

:41:45. > :41:48.course not, people are powerless because they cannot kick peers out

:41:49. > :41:53.of this kind of shocking behaviour because they are not elected, there

:41:54. > :41:57.is no accountability. Taking back control was such a big theme of the

:41:58. > :42:01.EU referendum, this is a fantastic opportunity for the Government to do

:42:02. > :42:06.something where power lies and to modernise democracy by introducing a

:42:07. > :42:10.smaller, more effective and, crucially, an elected second

:42:11. > :42:13.chamber. Michael, you have made an cycle and thoughtful documentaries

:42:14. > :42:21.about the working of Parliament, what do you think of this? -- made

:42:22. > :42:23.insightful and thoughtful. Suppose that person with the taxi running

:42:24. > :42:28.was going to lunch and then coming back to do a full-day's work, not

:42:29. > :42:33.necessarily in the chamber but anywhere else, we don't know. Just

:42:34. > :42:39.because the taxi was running, we don't know what happened. Baroness

:42:40. > :42:44.D'Souza seems pretty clear, she reported it to the relevant whips.

:42:45. > :42:48.She spent her whole time looking round in every nook and cranny of

:42:49. > :42:54.this extraordinary place, looking for this chap and he was not there?

:42:55. > :42:58.You are sceptical? The fact that the taxi was running is a wonderful

:42:59. > :43:02.anecdotes, but he could have come back from lunch and dinner

:43:03. > :43:11.full-day's work. Doesn't seem harsh to criticise her for raising this?

:43:12. > :43:16.-- does it? Who is criticising her? It is up to how Lord Tyler wants to

:43:17. > :43:22.play it. Are resurgent couple of years ago shows that a huge amount

:43:23. > :43:28.of public money is going towards peers who do not do a day's work,

:43:29. > :43:33.others work hard, this is an established practice. It is shocking

:43:34. > :43:37.how long it has gone on for, it is right that Baroness D'Souza has

:43:38. > :43:41.lifted the lid on the scandal. The time for talking is over, we are

:43:42. > :43:47.looking to the Government to take concrete action to sort this out.

:43:48. > :43:54.Katie says about the time for action, I have been hearing this for

:43:55. > :43:59.all professional life and long before, 1909 when the peers

:44:00. > :44:06.throughout Lloyd George's people's Budget, they said the House of Lords

:44:07. > :44:08.should be amended or entered. For 100 years, governments have tried to

:44:09. > :44:18.reform the House of Lords and failed. One way or another, it will

:44:19. > :44:21.probably end up in the sand. Why have so many governments failed?

:44:22. > :44:28.Partly because the House of Commons does not want to see a reformed

:44:29. > :44:33.House of Lords that is elected, because it is the most damning thing

:44:34. > :44:36.you can say about the House of Lords, these unelected, and

:44:37. > :44:41.representative people. If they were elected then there would be two

:44:42. > :44:48.elected houses, which one has power over the other? That is one of the

:44:49. > :44:54.things that successful governments have struggled with. Tony Blair, to

:44:55. > :44:59.his credit, got rid of most of the hereditary peers, because that was

:45:00. > :45:05.complete nonsense, and there have been the reforms in the past when

:45:06. > :45:09.they invented life peers, which brought a really new life into the

:45:10. > :45:15.House of Lords. The House of Lords is quite a nice place in a lot of

:45:16. > :45:23.ways, it is amazingly civilised, even get nursery food,

:45:24. > :45:28.bread-and-butter pudding. It is very courteous, unlike the House of

:45:29. > :45:33.Commons. Interestingly, when Theresa May went yesterday and sat on the

:45:34. > :45:40.steps to send a message to the House of Lords, don't mess with me, she

:45:41. > :45:45.looked around that House of Lords and there were no former Prime

:45:46. > :45:50.Minister is there. There used to be as many as five former Prime

:45:51. > :45:57.Minister is, they used to go... It is not enough of them, ?300 a day.

:45:58. > :46:05.The House of Lords, there is a Register of Members' Interests and

:46:06. > :46:08.of to declare your earnings now. A succession of recent Prime Ministers

:46:09. > :46:11.have not wanted to declare their earnings so they haven't taken the

:46:12. > :46:15.peerage that they could have taken. Thank you very much.

:46:16. > :46:17.We will see how this debate develops. Thank you very much for

:46:18. > :46:24.coming on the programme. Coming up just after 10am,

:46:25. > :46:26.benefit sanctions have "increased in severity in recent years and can

:46:27. > :46:29.have serious consequences", We'll speak to some

:46:30. > :46:35.of those affected. Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall,

:46:36. > :46:38.has said he has been the victim It folts the regular ig nations of

:46:39. > :46:53.two party members. His comments come after

:46:54. > :46:55.the resignations yesterday of two Ukip party chairmen in Merseyside -

:46:56. > :46:57.furious over false claims about Hillsborough published

:46:58. > :46:59.on Mr Nuttall's website. Mr Nuttall has now apologised

:47:00. > :47:02.that the claim that he lost close friends at Hillsborough ever

:47:03. > :47:04.appeared, but it's cast a shadow over his campaign to win

:47:05. > :47:06.the Stoke by-election, Stoke was a strong Brexit voting

:47:07. > :47:11.area and Mr Nuttall is hoping he can But Labour have held this

:47:12. > :47:14.seat for nearly 70 years they have a local candidate

:47:15. > :47:20.and Prime Minister Theresa May visited the constituency yesterday

:47:21. > :47:22.in a bid to show this isn't just Our reporter Gillian Hargreaves

:47:23. > :47:26.was born and brought up in Stoke. She's returned to her home town

:47:27. > :47:34.to talk to people there. What I like about Stoke

:47:35. > :47:55.is that I think it is You can guarantee that

:47:56. > :48:00.people are going to be Hopefully, touch wood,

:48:01. > :48:09.there's not much trouble, They're so friendly,

:48:10. > :48:18.but they are fiercely proud and outspoken and I'd say that kind

:48:19. > :48:21.of covers myself as well. I'm quite an outspoken person

:48:22. > :48:24.and I'm proud to be from Stoke. The sense of community and the fact

:48:25. > :48:27.that everyone has a real passion It doesn't matter how tough things

:48:28. > :48:32.get, everyone still sticks together # This is all that

:48:33. > :48:50.we've been left with.# It's where I was born

:48:51. > :48:54.and brought up. My dad worked in a factory further

:48:55. > :48:58.along the canal here. When I was a child I used to come

:48:59. > :49:01.down here and hundreds of people We cannot underestimate

:49:02. > :49:13.the importance of this by-election. Labour is desperate to hold

:49:14. > :49:15.on to Stoke Central, a seat it's held 67 years,

:49:16. > :49:21.but in a city where the majority of the people voted to leave

:49:22. > :49:24.the European Union, the stakes Kelly's dad runs He and

:49:25. > :49:37.She Hair Fashions in Stoke. Honestly, I'm to the point

:49:38. > :49:43.where I don't know who to vote No matter who is in,

:49:44. > :49:50.everything is always, You're promised a lot of things

:49:51. > :49:55.and they never happen, so you get to the point

:49:56. > :49:57.where you think, what's And you've got real examples,

:49:58. > :50:04.haven't you, with your children of services that have

:50:05. > :50:05.just gone completely? I've got my oldest where I've

:50:06. > :50:10.had to appeal for him My youngest, he's seven months

:50:11. > :50:28.and I've noticed they are closing the children's centres since I've

:50:29. > :50:30.been trying to take him out. So the politicians

:50:31. > :50:32.aren't listening to you? No, they're not listening

:50:33. > :50:34.to anybody, no. They need to come out

:50:35. > :50:36.in the real world and see All these old buildings

:50:37. > :50:40.need filling up. Everyone happy and just

:50:41. > :50:43.getting about their life, whereas at the moment you drive past

:50:44. > :50:46.everywhere and buildings are empty, Ukip and Labour both have a good

:50:47. > :50:54.chance of appealing to voters, but both have managed

:50:55. > :51:00.to court controversy. Ukip's candidate and leader,

:51:01. > :51:02.Paul Nuttall, full screen claimed a personal loss

:51:03. > :51:04.in the Hillsborough Stadium disaster There's been a scandal

:51:05. > :51:07.here about him using an address Labour's candidate Gareth Snell has

:51:08. > :51:12.been in trouble for tweeting And don't rule out

:51:13. > :51:21.the Conservative Party. They insist they are taking this

:51:22. > :51:24.by-election very seriously. Jack Brereton is their

:51:25. > :51:28.choice and he's a local. Linda, what is it about Ukip that

:51:29. > :51:32.appeals to you then? What they say appeals to me more

:51:33. > :51:35.than what Labour says. It's not just about immigration

:51:36. > :51:46.and things like that, it's before we had the referendum,

:51:47. > :51:49.I felt as if though they spoke more about what I felt

:51:50. > :51:51.than anybody else did. Because it is awkward talking

:51:52. > :51:53.about immigration, isn't it? If you have a conversation

:51:54. > :51:55.with people, they'll often say, You daren't not say anything

:51:56. > :51:59.really about colour All these politicians just say

:52:00. > :52:07.what they want you to hear and then when they get elected,

:52:08. > :52:15.they forget about you. You can't miss Ukip's campaign

:52:16. > :52:18.headquarters in the centre They are throwing everything

:52:19. > :52:24.at this campaign. Nigel Farage likens it

:52:25. > :52:28.to be triple in football. Nigel Farage likens it

:52:29. > :52:30.to the triple in football. First there was Brexit, then

:52:31. > :52:34.there was Trump, now there's Stoke. Although Ukip would have

:52:35. > :52:37.to do exceptionally well to overturn Labour's majority,

:52:38. > :52:40.there's a strong sense that Labour is complacent

:52:41. > :52:45.and failed to do its job. When I was a child this

:52:46. > :52:49.street was full of shops. What you see here is probably

:52:50. > :52:52.a failure of politicians to bring Dancers Page and Ben should be

:52:53. > :53:07.in the political spotlight. After all, they are the future

:53:08. > :53:10.for Stoke, but does Labour In the past 20 years

:53:11. > :53:16.a share of the vote Dawn has voted Labour in the past,

:53:17. > :53:24.but she is frustrated. The regeneration of the buildings,

:53:25. > :53:32.there's never been any help. If you try to get anything

:53:33. > :53:36.with the of outside of buildings, I've got a young son

:53:37. > :53:45.who is on a gifted and talented register, but the schools that way

:53:46. > :53:47.looking at for higher education in our catchment area

:53:48. > :53:49.are both underperforming. For my thoughts it's that

:53:50. > :53:52.if you are an MP that cares about the next generation and you're

:53:53. > :53:55.going to see opportunities then the only way to regenerate the city

:53:56. > :53:58.really is to look at the younger generation, put the quality

:53:59. > :54:00.into the teaching environment and actually that generation

:54:01. > :54:02.will grow with the city, make it a city to be proud

:54:03. > :54:05.of and that's where your glory I think the reason I'm not

:54:06. > :54:10.going to vote is because if I voted, I don't think anything

:54:11. > :54:12.is going to change. It doesn't matter if I vote

:54:13. > :54:15.for Labour, Ukip, I mean I don't know a lot about it because I don't

:54:16. > :54:19.follow politics, but I don't think I think we're still good

:54:20. > :54:27.to be living in poverty. I think the poor stay the poor,

:54:28. > :54:30.the rich stay rich. Everything, like I said,

:54:31. > :54:43.wages are staying as it is. He came to live in Stoke 12

:54:44. > :54:51.years ago from Pakistan. At the moment he's kitting

:54:52. > :54:54.out a local mosque with The cuts we're suffering,

:54:55. > :55:04.the poor people, the poor families, like me, I'm an electrician,

:55:05. > :55:06.working very hard, eight to ten hours a day, but we still have

:55:07. > :55:10.to pay a lot of things. The elite people are getting richer

:55:11. > :55:13.and richer and who is it affecting because of these cuts,

:55:14. > :55:15.or the circumstances? People who can't

:55:16. > :55:26.afford to buy a house. What do you want politicians

:55:27. > :55:34.to give your children? Peace, and try to take the,

:55:35. > :55:40.you know, my children They are half white,

:55:41. > :55:48.half Pakistani and nowadays, As soon as his name comes up,

:55:49. > :56:00.I want people not to think anything So you don't want prejudice

:56:01. > :56:04.because he has a Muslim I want some sort of culture

:56:05. > :56:08.or system that gives me the satisfaction that my child

:56:09. > :56:11.is going to have the full rights There's no doubt that

:56:12. > :56:20.Stoke is a poor city. The average weekly wage

:56:21. > :56:23.here is ?424, that's ?100 less 17% of people living

:56:24. > :56:35.in Stoke Central will have been Nationally it's more like 27%,

:56:36. > :56:39.and this is one of the cheapest But there are plenty

:56:40. > :56:43.of people fighting back, trying to do their bit

:56:44. > :56:47.to restore prosperity. Georgie is the kind of entrepreneur

:56:48. > :56:49.any city would want. A self-starter running

:56:50. > :56:55.a pizza business in Has been a problem with

:56:56. > :57:00.the reputation of the city? I remember a few years back

:57:01. > :57:10.Nick Griffin and the BNP called us the jewel in the BNP crown,

:57:11. > :57:13.was something that really disheartened me because I know

:57:14. > :57:16.that's not the case and I know there's a lot of people in this city

:57:17. > :57:18.who are so accepting For someone to come along from any

:57:19. > :57:22.political party and tar us with a negative brush,

:57:23. > :57:26.or use our city in their own kind of agenda to get into Westminster,

:57:27. > :57:31.I find that quite offensive because that's not

:57:32. > :57:33.what we're about at all. We need to make an attractive

:57:34. > :57:36.city so that all these other companies come in,

:57:37. > :57:38.they open up job opportunities and then the regeneration

:57:39. > :57:43.continues to spread. I'd love investment so I could open

:57:44. > :57:46.up the top floor which would then I mean us alone, we've created ten

:57:47. > :57:53.jobs, which might not seem a lot, but if every single business on this

:57:54. > :57:56.street can do that, you know, hopefully by the end of this year

:57:57. > :57:59.we could have 200 workers, He's a new dad and runs

:58:00. > :58:08.a craft beer business. I always vote Labour

:58:09. > :58:19.in the elections and probably world time, but I'm worried that some

:58:20. > :58:23.people have seen the amount of work and effort that Ukip have put

:58:24. > :58:26.into taking the seat and yes, it does concern me that we might

:58:27. > :58:32.see a Ukip victory. What do you need the politicians

:58:33. > :58:35.to do now to make this I think investment in local

:58:36. > :58:42.infrastructure and local economy. Local people bringing local jobs,

:58:43. > :58:51.so the local market and putting back I think that's absolutely vital to

:58:52. > :58:56.the redevelopment of Stoke-on-Trent. Chris, what do you

:58:57. > :59:02.I'd just like an upward, progressive mobile society

:59:03. > :59:11.I'd like to have hope and have dreams and that have a realistic

:59:12. > :59:17.I'd like to want more for herself than I've had and I hope

:59:18. > :59:34.This is an exciting time for Stoke, but whoever wins, people don't just

:59:35. > :59:40.They need well-paid jobs, good schools, decent housing,

:59:41. > :59:42.and a sense that this once glorious Victorian city, my

:59:43. > :59:55.The by-election in Stoke-on-Trent takes place on Thursday.

:59:56. > :59:59.Here's a full list of the candidates taking part, and this list is also

:00:00. > :00:06.Let's get the latest weather update with Phil Avery.

:00:07. > :00:13.Minister is, they used to go... It is not enough of them, ?300 a day.

:00:14. > :00:20.Good morning. Grey, mild face of February at the moment. The air

:00:21. > :00:24.streaming in from the Atlantic made it so mild yesterday, another mild

:00:25. > :00:27.day for many but it is turning increasingly wet across Wales, part

:00:28. > :00:31.of the south-west and eventually into the north-west of England,

:00:32. > :00:35.wetter this afternoon for Northern Ireland and the rain quite extensive

:00:36. > :00:39.across a good part of Scotland, perhaps in parts of the east you

:00:40. > :00:43.will get away with the dry afternoon. Try in the eastern side

:00:44. > :00:48.of England, temperatures pretty spectacular for the time of year.

:00:49. > :00:52.Overnight, the rain will drag down across Scotland and Northern Ireland

:00:53. > :00:57.eventually. South of that, very mild overnight. A fresher look to

:00:58. > :01:03.proceedings under really windy start for the north of the mainland, the

:01:04. > :01:07.Northern Isles, gusts of possibly 80 mph and a bright and showery Dave

:01:08. > :01:12.the northern Britain. Further south, you still have the weather front, so

:01:13. > :01:13.murky, mild and pretty damp but at least temperatures are in double

:01:14. > :01:16.figures. Hello, it's Tuesday,

:01:17. > :01:17.it's ten o'clock. The Government's under

:01:18. > :01:20.pressure to soften the blow Shop owners we've spoken to say it

:01:21. > :01:33.will have disastrous effects It will affect my ability to put

:01:34. > :01:36.money into training and it just is a damaging effect on all the

:01:37. > :01:38.businesses, all the independent businesses in the area.

:01:39. > :01:43.Also on the programme - this is the House of Lords.

:01:44. > :01:51.The most reported single issue which has faced the country for decades.

:01:52. > :01:55.And we also have the terrible situation of having to live with

:01:56. > :02:00.losing an empire at the same time. How deep is our grasp, if we are

:02:01. > :02:01.honest, of what is actually going on in the EU machinery operating at the

:02:02. > :02:03.moment? 800 unelected peers

:02:04. > :02:05.get paid to sit here - but it's been rocked by another

:02:06. > :02:07.scandal after claims that some members collect their 300 quid

:02:08. > :02:18.daily allowance whilst What sanction should they face? Lots

:02:19. > :02:21.of you getting into. One text said the Lords should be ashamed of

:02:22. > :02:33.themselves. Your views are welcome as always. Should there be tougher

:02:34. > :02:37.sanctions for Lord's doing that? We will also look at claims that people

:02:38. > :02:41.on benefits sanctioned for not coming into interviews have been put

:02:42. > :02:44.in an appalling situation, we will speak to those affected shortly.

:02:45. > :02:47.And a heterosexual couple who went to the court of appeal

:02:48. > :02:50.after being told they could not have a civil partnership

:02:51. > :02:58.We expect to hear shortly from Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles

:02:59. > :03:02.Keidan, who have lost their appeal. They wanted to form a civil

:03:03. > :03:07.partnership and cannot because that is only available to same-sex

:03:08. > :03:08.couples in law. They argue that discriminates against them but they

:03:09. > :03:15.have lost their appeal here. Good morning. Time for the latest

:03:16. > :03:22.BBC News with Joanna. Most areas of England

:03:23. > :03:24.will see hospital services cut or moved under plans

:03:25. > :03:26.to save money and Analysis by the BBC has also found

:03:27. > :03:31.that about a third of the proposals would see a reduction in the number

:03:32. > :03:33.of hospitals offering The Government says patients

:03:34. > :03:36.will receive better There ought to be an earmarked fund

:03:37. > :03:40.for new investment to strengthen and improve the out of hospital

:03:41. > :03:42.services and to shore And if you're concerned about NHS

:03:43. > :03:50.cuts, send your questions in. We'll put them to Chris Ham, who

:03:51. > :03:53.you've just heard from, at 12:30pm. You can text 61124, email

:03:54. > :03:55.askthis@bbc.co.uk and Tweet In the last few minutes,

:03:56. > :04:06.the Court of Appeal has rejected a heterosexual couple's legal bid

:04:07. > :04:09.to be allowed a civil partnership Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan

:04:10. > :04:12.from London, took their case to appeal court following a defeat

:04:13. > :04:16.at the High Court last year. They claimed it was unfair that only

:04:17. > :04:30.same-sex couples can We will hopefully hear from Rebecca

:04:31. > :04:32.Steinfeld and Charles Keidan from the Court of Appeal in the next few

:04:33. > :04:34.minutes. The shortage of teachers in schools

:04:35. > :04:37.in England is getting worse, affecting key subjects like physics

:04:38. > :04:39.and maths, according The Commons Education Committee says

:04:40. > :04:42.recruitment targets have been missed for five years in a row

:04:43. > :04:45.and there should be more focus on keeping teachers

:04:46. > :04:50.in the profession long-term. Five people have been killed

:04:51. > :04:53.in a plane crash in Melbourne. The light aircraft suffered

:04:54. > :04:54.engine failure and crashed into a shopping centre,

:04:55. > :04:56.which was preparing The impact sent a large fireball

:04:57. > :05:00.into the sky, and threw debris No one on the ground is thought

:05:01. > :05:06.to have been injured. The Chancellor Philip Hammond has

:05:07. > :05:08.assured Conservative MPs that he's listening to concerns

:05:09. > :05:10.about a business rate revaluation The rates are being updated

:05:11. > :05:17.for the first time in seven years, and will leave more than a quarter

:05:18. > :05:20.of companies facing higher bills. Mr Hammond is facing pressure to do

:05:21. > :05:33.more to help those affected. For example, this local business

:05:34. > :05:41.owner who faces a huge increase in rates. With my transitional relief

:05:42. > :05:51.which is given a 12.5%, next year I will pay ?4028, 482% increase.

:05:52. > :05:58.Moore at 10:30am. James Anyon Mel says the main way to stop Lord's

:05:59. > :06:02.fiddling expenses is to make it voluntary. -- James on e-mail.

:06:03. > :06:06.Another person says that the media should stop attacking the House of

:06:07. > :06:11.Lords, they are an important part of the democratic process with many

:06:12. > :06:14.experts reviewing legislation. MPs are not always special as standard

:06:15. > :06:18.is crucially important for watchdog to oversee potential impact of

:06:19. > :06:24.legislative procedures. Leslie says these peers are getting

:06:25. > :06:27.almost two weeks' worth of my pension in one day, except my

:06:28. > :06:34.pension has been put back by five years one month. James says it is

:06:35. > :06:38.not just going on in the Lords, MEPs were outed years ago and that may

:06:39. > :06:39.still be happening. Thank you for those.

:06:40. > :06:42.Do get in touch with us throughout the morning -

:06:43. > :06:45.If you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.

:06:46. > :06:55.Here's some sport now with Olly Foster.

:06:56. > :07:00.The Arsenal manager was full of respect for Sutton United last

:07:01. > :07:06.night. He described them as astonishing.

:07:07. > :07:10.though, it was 2-0at Gander Green Lane with a goal

:07:11. > :07:13.Lucas Perez with a fortuitous first and Theo Walcott

:07:14. > :07:16.105 places separate the two sides through the Leagues.

:07:17. > :07:18.Arsenal will face another non-league side, Lincoln City

:07:19. > :07:21.For Sutton it's back to their relegation battle

:07:22. > :07:24.in the National League, but they have made ?1 million

:07:25. > :07:37.I think the players have been absolutely magnificent. So have the

:07:38. > :07:41.volunteers. They have given up Sundays to sell the tickets,

:07:42. > :07:45.everyone is a volunteer, we are not leak two club in the National

:07:46. > :07:49.League, we are rich additional non-league club. Lincoln and certain

:07:50. > :07:55.Houston competition very, very proud to -- Lincoln and Sutton have done

:07:56. > :08:00.the competition very, very proud. I hope Lincoln have their day in the

:08:01. > :08:01.sun like we had today, it is one of the best experiences you will ever

:08:02. > :08:02.have. Newcastle are back on top

:08:03. > :08:05.of the Championship this morning Goals from Yoan Gouffran

:08:06. > :08:09.and a mistake from Henri Lansbury on the Villa goal line see them move

:08:10. > :08:21.above Brighton by a point. The chief executive of UK Sport, Liz

:08:22. > :08:26.Nicholl, says sports can have no excuses for the failure to look

:08:27. > :08:29.after the welfare of athletes. Report into alleged bullying,

:08:30. > :08:33.sectors and discrimination in British cycling is expected to be

:08:34. > :08:36.published in the next month. Liz Nicholl says they were never given

:08:37. > :08:39.the full details of the 2012 internal review into cycling but

:08:40. > :08:46.might have highlighted some of the current issues being investigated.

:08:47. > :08:50.It is no excuse for not actually addressing duty of care

:08:51. > :08:53.responsibilities to athletes, no excuse to not putting them first,

:08:54. > :08:58.they are the greatest assets, the ones that will deliver the medals.

:08:59. > :09:04.Every programme should be trying to ensure they have happy and

:09:05. > :09:09.successful athletes. There probably has not been enough attention given

:09:10. > :09:16.in sport, if I am honest, about how they do things. There is a lot of

:09:17. > :09:20.focus on operational delivery, probably not enough on leadership,

:09:21. > :09:24.management and communication. The Chief Executive of the RNA,

:09:25. > :09:29.Martin slumbers, says they are considering awarding the prize money

:09:30. > :09:34.at the Open in golf in dollars rather than pounds after the

:09:35. > :09:40.weakening of the pound following the Brexit vote and other circumstances.

:09:41. > :09:45.Since that, the Open prize fund has fallen significantly behind the U.S.

:09:46. > :09:49.Open. Henrik Stenson won over ?1 million last year, but the prize

:09:50. > :09:54.money has decreased in dollars over the past two championships.

:09:55. > :09:59.It is very important for our game, for golf in the UK, that the Open is

:10:00. > :10:05.viewed as one of the world was my great sporting events. As part of

:10:06. > :10:10.that it is important that we get the right framework, the right structure

:10:11. > :10:17.in place. This is a professional game and the players play for money.

:10:18. > :10:21.Dollars is one option. Could be a couple of hundred thousand dollars

:10:22. > :10:24.difference, Victoria. Live to the Court of Appeal to get

:10:25. > :10:27.more on the straight couple who have been fighting to have a civil

:10:28. > :10:31.partnership. They have lost their case in the last few moments. Daniel

:10:32. > :10:37.Boettcher is there, tell us about the case and why they lost?

:10:38. > :10:42.Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan want to form a civil partnership,

:10:43. > :10:48.they can't because under the law as setup in 2004 it is only available

:10:49. > :10:53.to same-sex couples. Since 2014, same-sex couples can get married in

:10:54. > :10:59.England, Scotland and Wales. The couple this appeal say because they

:11:00. > :11:03.don't have the option of a civil partnership they have been

:11:04. > :11:07.discriminated against and they argue that it is incompatible with their

:11:08. > :11:11.right to private and family life under the European Convention of

:11:12. > :11:16.human rights. They first brought this case to court to just over a

:11:17. > :11:21.year ago, they lost, they brought it back to appeal, that was heard in

:11:22. > :11:25.November, two day this judgment. They have lost their appeal. It is

:11:26. > :11:29.slightly more nuanced because all three judges accepted there was a

:11:30. > :11:41.potential breach of their human rights, but one of the three judges,

:11:42. > :11:43.Lady Justice Arden, accepted that time had run out for the Government

:11:44. > :11:45.to address the issue of discrimination. The Government's

:11:46. > :11:47.wait-and-see policy, they start looking at the take-up of same-sex

:11:48. > :11:49.civil partnerships, was found by Lady Justice Arden not good enough

:11:50. > :11:55.to address discrimination faced by heterosexual couples. What happens

:11:56. > :12:01.next? The couple has indicated they will seek leave to appeal to the

:12:02. > :12:05.highest court, the Supreme Court, we will have to wait and see in the

:12:06. > :12:09.light of this judgment, which as I said is slightly more nuanced, what

:12:10. > :12:15.the Government plans to do, whether it will look again at whether this

:12:16. > :12:20.should be changed. We hope to hear from the couple that brought the

:12:21. > :12:25.appeal shortly, but I can't tell you exactly how long that will be at the

:12:26. > :12:27.moment, but they have lost. We will come back to you, Daniel, as

:12:28. > :12:30.soon as the couple emerge. Benefit sanctions have increased

:12:31. > :12:32.in severity in recent years and can That's according to a group of MPs

:12:33. > :12:37.who say those who see their benefit reduced or stopped altogether

:12:38. > :12:39.for missing Jobcentre appointments often face an appalling situation,

:12:40. > :12:41.leading them into debt, rent arrears and

:12:42. > :12:46.sometimes homelessness. More than a million people who claim

:12:47. > :12:49.unemployment benefits are expected to meet certain conditions in order

:12:50. > :12:51.to get those payments - such as showing they

:12:52. > :12:53.are looking for work. Around 400,000 sanctions

:12:54. > :13:00.were imposed in 2015. Her brother, a former soldier,

:13:01. > :13:04.died weeks after his He'd missed two appointments with

:13:05. > :13:08.the Government's work programme. Charlotte Hughes' daughter

:13:09. > :13:11.was sanctioned after she turned down going to an interview

:13:12. > :13:13.when 23 weeks pregnant. Bob Blackman is a Conservative

:13:14. > :13:17.MP for Harrow. He supports the work the Government

:13:18. > :13:28.is doing to encourage Welcome, all of you. Gill, your

:13:29. > :13:35.brother was on jobseeker's allowance, he missed a two meetings.

:13:36. > :13:42.What was his sanction? He was sanctioned totally, he lost all the

:13:43. > :13:46.money, he was left penniless. He was an insulin-dependent diabetic, and

:13:47. > :13:54.the DWP were aware of this. He was left destitute. He had no money? No

:13:55. > :14:01.money, no food, he could not chill his insulin and he died with no food

:14:02. > :14:06.in his stomach. Obviously we invited a member of the DWP to come on the

:14:07. > :14:09.programme, they gave a statement saying our sympathies are with your

:14:10. > :14:13.family, decisions on sanctions are not taken lightly, there is a chain

:14:14. > :14:17.of processes we follow before a sanction comes into effect,

:14:18. > :14:20.including taking every opportunity to contact the claimant several

:14:21. > :14:25.times. People can appeal if they disagree. Your brother did not

:14:26. > :14:30.appeal or ask for a reconsideration or apply for a hardship payments.

:14:31. > :14:36.David would not have been eligible for a hardship payments. It has been

:14:37. > :14:40.looked into. We have looked at all the paperwork and he probably would

:14:41. > :14:44.not have been eligible for a hardship payments. David was a very

:14:45. > :14:48.quiet and private person, he never moaned and would not have

:14:49. > :14:55.complained. Plus, as well, a letter was received on the 15th saying that

:14:56. > :15:02.David was going to be sanctions. David was found dead on the 20th. Do

:15:03. > :15:07.you say there is a link between the two? David died with no food in his

:15:08. > :15:12.stomach, he died in the middle of a benefit sanction. Diabetes is a

:15:13. > :15:19.serious condition where you need food and insulin, he was sanctioned

:15:20. > :15:25.until the 9th of August. I feel that they should have, before sanctioning

:15:26. > :15:35.him, looked at his medical condition more. And taken advice, because it

:15:36. > :15:39.is not... It is a serious condition. I feel that sanctioning him when

:15:40. > :15:51.they did, they put him at risk. As a Conservative MP, a Labour MP

:15:52. > :15:55.says sanctions are a blunt instrument that this Government has

:15:56. > :15:58.been using. Do you agree? Well, I think we should recognise that the

:15:59. > :16:02.level of employment now is at a record level. The numbers of people

:16:03. > :16:08.that are disabled, women, young people, in work, are now at an

:16:09. > :16:13.all-time high, what we were elected to do was to make sure that work

:16:14. > :16:18.always pays and people should be encouraged to work. However, when we

:16:19. > :16:23.come on to situations like this... Individuals? Individuals. Real

:16:24. > :16:25.people. What should happen is clearly sanctions should only be

:16:26. > :16:30.applied in the most extreme circumstances. This seems to me a

:16:31. > :16:36.case obviously, each individual case is very difficult to deal with,

:16:37. > :16:39.where a sanction was a blunt instrument was completely wrong.

:16:40. > :16:44.What is important, I think, is people who are in this position

:16:45. > :16:48.should approach their MPs. If they are submitted to sanction, they

:16:49. > :16:53.should approach their councillors fore help and advice. In the

:16:54. > :16:56.meantime, what do they live off? A sanction means the money is stopped

:16:57. > :17:02.or reduced while they are appealing or writing a letter or waiting for a

:17:03. > :17:05.reply, what do they live off? They should seek advice straightaway.

:17:06. > :17:08.What do they live off? The clear position is they should seek advice

:17:09. > :17:13.and help. That doesn't give them money. An MP can be in a position

:17:14. > :17:18.whereby they can help and get advice and get this sanction overturned

:17:19. > :17:22.provided... How quickly? Well, it can be very quick indeed. How quick?

:17:23. > :17:25.Well, it depends on the circumstances and what has led to

:17:26. > :17:30.the Position. Weeks, months? No, it can be a matter of weeks. A matter

:17:31. > :17:34.of weeks? I understand the circumstances. They could have been

:17:35. > :17:38.dead. I understand the circumstances and clearly the medical conditions

:17:39. > :17:43.of a claimant should be taken into account fully before any sanction

:17:44. > :17:48.should be applied. The other thing from the report today, it suggests

:17:49. > :17:53.that some Jobcentres are referring twice as many people for sanctions

:17:54. > :17:58.as others in the same area and it is completely inconsistent. That is a

:17:59. > :18:02.postcode Lottery that clearly is unacceptable. And it has to be

:18:03. > :18:06.addressed. Let me bring in Charlotte. Your daughter was 23

:18:07. > :18:11.weeks pregnant when she was sanctioned. What was the impact on

:18:12. > :18:16.her? It was devastating and she has never got over T she was ill at the

:18:17. > :18:20.time, but we didn't realise, you've got to remember when you're

:18:21. > :18:24.sanctioning a pregnant lady or anybody, she was feeding an unborn

:18:25. > :18:30.child, OK. So there wasn't only her life, there was a baby's life and

:18:31. > :18:33.when she told this and she said to the advisor, look, you're not just

:18:34. > :18:39.sanctioning me, you're sanctioning my baby. They said, "Tough. Get on

:18:40. > :18:43.with it." Those words were noted. She came out of the Jobcentre

:18:44. > :18:46.crying, they had no sympathy. She has never actually mentally

:18:47. > :18:53.recovered from that and I don't think she ever will do. We have

:18:54. > :18:57.claims today of a peer in the House of Lords clocking-on, while his taxi

:18:58. > :19:02.is waiting outside in order to claim his ?300 daily allowance and doing

:19:03. > :19:08.no work and yet we have stories of people who are trying to survive on

:19:09. > :19:12.not very much to start, ?70 a week, having their money cut off if they

:19:13. > :19:16.miss a meeting. There are double standards. Clearly, that's

:19:17. > :19:19.unacceptable and I would never defend that. Can you see that there

:19:20. > :19:23.are double standards here? Well, there are double standards being

:19:24. > :19:29.applied. One of issues that we're trying to deal with is a very

:19:30. > :19:32.complex set of welfare conditions and reforming it so people apply

:19:33. > :19:36.once and they are properly assessed and they get the been fits they're

:19:37. > :19:39.due. The fact is people who have medical conditions, as we're hearing

:19:40. > :19:45.here, should not have sanctions applied. The medical staff who

:19:46. > :19:50.obviously they are assisted by should be in a position to help and

:19:51. > :19:53.advice those making those decisions. Do you agree with this

:19:54. > :19:58.recommendation from the Public Accounts Committee report. There

:19:59. > :20:03.should be a trial of warnings rather than sanctions for the first

:20:04. > :20:06.sanctionable offence? Absolutely. I completely agree with that. I think

:20:07. > :20:11.it's right and when they get a verbal warning then, that's the time

:20:12. > :20:17.when they can go to the doctor, they can go to get their MP's help, a

:20:18. > :20:22.councillor's help, they can get the advice they need so they can make

:20:23. > :20:27.sure that the DWP staff are informed of the problems and particularly

:20:28. > :20:35.medical problems, that people face. I have every sympathy with people in

:20:36. > :20:41.this position and we've got to make sure that it is right and people get

:20:42. > :20:44.the help they need and people are not sanctioned in a completely

:20:45. > :20:48.unacceptable way. There are a lot of criticisms of the sanctions, the

:20:49. > :20:52.inconsistencies and the fact they have increased in severity. It

:20:53. > :20:59.points out sanctions do encourage some people into work. Well, I've

:21:00. > :21:08.heard different. I've heard and seen different reports. You know, making

:21:09. > :21:12.people destitute and in such a state, how that can be

:21:13. > :21:16.encouragement? I mean they say sanctions are issued as a last

:21:17. > :21:21.resort. We have seen two meetings, is that a last resort? No and that's

:21:22. > :21:26.the point I would be making. I don't understand that. Plus as well, David

:21:27. > :21:37.didn't have an inquest when he died because he died of a fatal diabetic

:21:38. > :21:46.condition. I asked for an inquest into David's death. It has been

:21:47. > :21:51.refused because they say there is no connection with his death and the

:21:52. > :22:00.benefits. It is going to be judicial review and I'm just hoping by doing

:22:01. > :22:04.this that showing that you know, what happened to David, you know,

:22:05. > :22:08.the sanctions didn't help and I hope that this will help to get

:22:09. > :22:13.prevention of future deaths. That's all I'm asking for. I have another

:22:14. > :22:26.statement from the Department of Work and Pensions.

:22:27. > :22:28."Our sanctions guidance is the same right across the UK

:22:29. > :22:30.and the fact is the number of sanctions has more

:22:31. > :22:35.Sanctions are an important part of our benefits system,

:22:36. > :22:38.and are only used in a very small percentage of cases as a last

:22:39. > :22:39.resort when people don't fulfil their commitment

:22:40. > :22:49.A quick final word. There has been reports from the Trussell Trust, the

:22:50. > :22:54.foodbank saying that their report showed that a lot of what's

:22:55. > :22:58.happening with the foodbanks was due to benefit problems and you know,

:22:59. > :23:03.it's still going on. People are still dying and people are still

:23:04. > :23:08.suffering and this shouldn't be happening. We're meant to be, the

:23:09. > :23:13.fifth richest country in the world and people are dying. I just, I just

:23:14. > :23:19.think it should stop and you should just look at, you know, all I want

:23:20. > :23:31.is for them to look at the guidance, you know, we've now produced

:23:32. > :23:37.professional medical reports from Diabetes specialist. There was an

:23:38. > :23:42.independent review asked for in 2015 at the Select Committee inquiry and

:23:43. > :23:46.that was refused. That was refused. Thank you for coming on the

:23:47. > :23:52.programme. We'll follow your progress and your fight on behalf of

:23:53. > :23:57.your brother. Thank you. Thank you to Charlotte as well. A

:23:58. > :24:01.quick word. Can I just say, there is no evidence to prove that a sanction

:24:02. > :24:06.encourages people into work. In fact, it does the opposite. I quote

:24:07. > :24:10.that had from today's report, but I appreciate your point, thank you.

:24:11. > :24:16.You're not a minister yet, you're a Conservative MP. I'm piloting my

:24:17. > :24:20.homelessness reduction Bill which improves the position for people who

:24:21. > :24:23.are homeless and face some of these problems. It shouldn't get to this

:24:24. > :24:27.stage, but I'm taking action to make sure the law is changed so the local

:24:28. > :24:29.authorities will provide the help and the assistance people in this

:24:30. > :24:35.vulnerable position need. Thank you.

:24:36. > :24:38.Still to come, the stand-off in a Hungarian village

:24:39. > :24:41.between its mayor who is banned Muslim traditions such as the call

:24:42. > :24:44.to prayer and the central government which says his action is illegal.

:24:45. > :24:52.Last night Gary Barlow's new play The Girls opened

:24:53. > :24:56.It is a musical based on the film Calendar Girls which starred

:24:57. > :25:01.It's the real life story of a group of Yorkshire women who raise money

:25:02. > :25:04.for Cancer research by selling a calendar with nude pictures

:25:05. > :25:06.of themselves after one of them lost their husband to leukaemia.

:25:07. > :25:09.Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, who wrote the play, spoke

:25:10. > :25:16.to our entertainment reporter Chi Chi Izundu.

:25:17. > :25:19.It has been five years' work this and I've realised now that one

:25:20. > :25:22.of the nicest things has been working on this.

:25:23. > :25:26.To think that now it is just managing what is on the stage...

:25:27. > :25:29.It was taking your hands off the wheel and just saying,

:25:30. > :25:31."We have done all we can, you set sail.

:25:32. > :25:37.You are not on your own, but you have to make it your own now."

:25:38. > :25:39.That was strange, it's like letting our child run

:25:40. > :25:49.Well, the film and the play were already in existence.

:25:50. > :25:54.When I was writing the play, you could feel that there were areas

:25:55. > :26:00.I was writing speeches that were longer than I would normally

:26:01. > :26:03.write because these characters had something that they need to say,

:26:04. > :26:06.I collared him and said, "Come to Milton Keynes,

:26:07. > :26:17.It was interesting, because I thought it was just

:26:18. > :26:20.showing me as work, because Tim would always tell each

:26:21. > :26:22.other what we were doing, and in the break, he said,

:26:23. > :26:29.Then when I was watching act two, I could hear the music,

:26:30. > :26:32.it was so strange, what it should sound like, how we should

:26:33. > :26:39.So we began the journey literally five years ago.

:26:40. > :26:43.How nice was it to have the children of the man that lost his life see

:26:44. > :26:53.We constantly keep in touch with the Calendar Girls,

:26:54. > :26:56.they come to the workshops, it's so important.

:26:57. > :26:59.It's a living story, it has been important for us to know

:27:00. > :27:02.that they like the way they are being portrayed.

:27:03. > :27:07.But this was the first time we have seen those guys at the show.

:27:08. > :27:10.They've never come onstage before, it was quite a thing.

:27:11. > :27:15.It's a living story because every performance of the musical earns

:27:16. > :27:17.money for the charity, and they will be out now,

:27:18. > :27:23.there will be people outside collecting with buckets,

:27:24. > :27:26.so in many ways it's a living story for them and for

:27:27. > :27:34.Joanna is in the newsroom with a summary of the day's news.

:27:35. > :27:36.Most areas of England will see hospital

:27:37. > :27:38.services cut or moved under plans to save money and

:27:39. > :27:44.Analysis by the BBC has also found that about a third of the proposals

:27:45. > :27:47.would see a reduction in the number of hospitals offering

:27:48. > :27:49.The Government says patients will receive better

:27:50. > :27:56.If you're concerned about NHS cuts, send your questions in.

:27:57. > :28:00.We'll put them to Chris Ham, who you've just heard from, at 12.30pm.

:28:01. > :28:02.You can text 61124, e-mail askthis@bbc.co.uk and Tweet

:28:03. > :28:14.The Court of Appeal has rejected a heterosexual couple's legal bid

:28:15. > :28:16.to be allowed a civil partnership instead of a marriage.

:28:17. > :28:18.Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan from London, took their case

:28:19. > :28:21.to appeal court following a defeat at the High Court last year.

:28:22. > :28:24.They claimed it was unfair that only same-sex couples can

:28:25. > :28:29.Five people have been killed in a plane crash in Melbourne.

:28:30. > :28:31.The light aircraft suffered engine failure and crashed

:28:32. > :28:33.into a shopping centre, which was preparing

:28:34. > :28:37.The impact sent a large fireball into the sky, and threw debris

:28:38. > :28:41.No one on the ground is thought to have been injured.

:28:42. > :28:43.A British man is to be convicted of group assault

:28:44. > :28:46.resulting in the death of an Indonesian police officer.

:28:47. > :28:50.Prosecutors are calling for David Taylor to be convicted

:28:51. > :28:59.of group assault leading to the death of a police

:29:00. > :29:01.Mr Taylor, who performs as DJ Nutzo, is originally from Halifax,

:29:02. > :29:03.and admits hitting the police officer with binoculars

:29:04. > :29:07.The singer and actor David Cassidy has revealed

:29:08. > :29:10.He made the announcement after he forgot his words

:29:11. > :29:12.during shows in California at the weekend.

:29:13. > :29:15.Cassidy, who's 66, rose to fame in the TV series

:29:16. > :29:17.The Partridge Family before becoming a teen idol, and recording a string

:29:18. > :29:25.That's a summary of the latest news, join me for BBC

:29:26. > :29:36.These are our headlines this morning.

:29:37. > :29:38.Non-League Sutton United are out of the FA Cup.

:29:39. > :29:40.Theo Walcott scored his 100th goal for Arsenal

:29:41. > :29:44.They won 2-0 to set up a quarter-final tie at home

:29:45. > :29:46.to another non-league side, Lincoln City.

:29:47. > :29:48.Newcastle are back on top of the Championship after a 2-0 win

:29:49. > :29:52.Goals from Yoan Gouffran and an own goal from Henri Lansbury

:29:53. > :29:57.And Open golf prize money could be paid in dollars rather

:29:58. > :30:04.It's because of the falling value of sterling following the Brexit vote.

:30:05. > :30:07.That's all for now, I'll be back with the sport on the BBC

:30:08. > :30:12.News Channel for the rest of the morning.

:30:13. > :30:24.Thank you. Let's go back to the Court of Appeal. We will in a few

:30:25. > :30:29.minutes. Before that, officers have begun searching the Garden of a home

:30:30. > :30:30.in Wiltshire once owned by a convicted murderer in Wiltshire.

:30:31. > :30:34.Becky Godden was just 20 years old when she was murdered in 2003.

:30:35. > :30:35.Last year taxi driver Christopher Halliwell was given

:30:36. > :30:39.a rare life sentence for her murder - meaning that he will never be

:30:40. > :30:42.Wiltshire Police say the excavation is related to new intelligence. Will

:30:43. > :30:50.Glennon is in Swindon with more. What is happening? The whole

:30:51. > :30:55.alleyway is sealed off behind me at the back of a row of terraced houses

:30:56. > :31:00.here on broad Street in Swindon. Police are working at the back of

:31:01. > :31:03.those houses, drilling away, we can hear them this morning, they sound

:31:04. > :31:08.like they are trying to break through concrete. If you look behind

:31:09. > :31:14.the tarpaulin you can see two white police scenes of crime tents at the

:31:15. > :31:17.back. Police have given a statement, Wiltshire Police, saying specialist

:31:18. > :31:23.officers are carrying out excavation work within the gardens and garages

:31:24. > :31:27.are two properties, an investigation by the major crimes team which they

:31:28. > :31:31.say relates to intelligence the force has. They say there are no

:31:32. > :31:35.plans to search inside the properties and people living there

:31:36. > :31:39.at the moment have no involvement with the investigation. Police have

:31:40. > :31:42.not told us what intelligence they have and what exactly they are

:31:43. > :31:48.looking for but they say the surge could last for five days. As you

:31:49. > :31:52.mentioned, it is very significant, this is whether convicted double

:31:53. > :32:03.murderer Christopher Holley well lived between 1996 and 2000. Tell is

:32:04. > :32:08.Becky Godden and the background? -- tell us about Becky Godden and the

:32:09. > :32:12.background? In September last year he was convicted of the murder of

:32:13. > :32:20.Becky Godden, a young Swindon woman who disappeared in 2003. Her body

:32:21. > :32:23.was found in 2011 in a rumoured field in East Leach in

:32:24. > :32:27.Gloucestershire. Christopher Halliwell received a whole life

:32:28. > :32:31.sentence in September for the murder of Becky Godden because he was

:32:32. > :32:38.already serving a life sentence for the murder of another young Swindon

:32:39. > :32:42.woman, Sian O'Callaghan. She disappeared in 2011 and was last

:32:43. > :32:46.seen after a night out in old town in Swindon getting into the taxi

:32:47. > :32:52.belonging to Christopher Halliwell, her body was later discovered in

:32:53. > :33:00.nearby woodland. There are eight years between those two murders,

:33:01. > :33:04.Becky disappeared in 2003, Sian in 2011, there is significant

:33:05. > :33:08.speculation that there may be more victims that Christopher Halliwell

:33:09. > :33:12.may be responsible for killing more women. Wiltshire Police have not

:33:13. > :33:16.linked into any more crimes but have appeal to Halley well's conscience

:33:17. > :33:23.and asked him to come clean and tell them all. -- have appealed to

:33:24. > :33:26.Halliwell's conscience. A straight couple have lost their

:33:27. > :33:31.battle for the right to enter into a civil partnership at the Court of

:33:32. > :33:35.Appeal. They were challenging the ruling that they could not have a

:33:36. > :33:39.civil partnership because they were not same-sex, they claimed it was

:33:40. > :33:43.discrimination. Daniel Boettcher is with the couple.

:33:44. > :33:47.They argue that a civil partnership is not available to them because

:33:48. > :33:52.when the law was set up in 2004 it stipulated that civil partnerships

:33:53. > :33:58.were between two people at the same sex, in 2014 in England, Scotland

:33:59. > :34:06.and Wales, same-sex marriage was made available, so same-sex couples

:34:07. > :34:08.have the choice of marriage or civil partnership, they do not. They argue

:34:09. > :34:11.that is discriminatory and incompatible with their right to

:34:12. > :34:15.family and private life. That is what the court has been deciding on,

:34:16. > :34:21.they have lost that appeal. Let's speak to them. Firstly, explain why

:34:22. > :34:27.a marriage, whether in a church or registry office, is not something

:34:28. > :34:30.that you want? Marriage, we recognise it as a body blow and

:34:31. > :34:35.meaningful institution for many, just not for us. We see ourselves as

:34:36. > :34:39.partners in life and want to be partners in law, many thousands of

:34:40. > :34:47.others be the exactly the same way. There are over 3 million non-married

:34:48. > :34:52.couples, the fastest-growing family type, they lack financial and legal

:34:53. > :34:54.protection and civil partnerships would improve the stability of

:34:55. > :34:59.family life in this country. I happened to land some of the points

:35:00. > :35:04.that the court has considered, but what is at the bottom of your legal

:35:05. > :35:09.action, innocence? -- I underlined some of the points. We are being

:35:10. > :35:14.treated unfairly based on our sexual orientation. We lost today in court,

:35:15. > :35:19.it was a split decision from the judges, 2-1. On many points the

:35:20. > :35:23.judges agreed with each other and is that we are being treated

:35:24. > :35:27.differently because of our sexual orientation, it impacts on our

:35:28. > :35:31.private and family life and it is an unsustainable difference in

:35:32. > :35:35.treatment. The Government needs to act now and extensible partnerships

:35:36. > :35:38.to everybody so the 3 million cohabiting couples that Charlie with

:35:39. > :35:45.O2 can have the legal and financial protection they deserve. -- that

:35:46. > :35:49.Charlie referred to. What happens now? It depends on the Government,

:35:50. > :35:54.if the Government response to the fact that 72,000 people had signed

:35:55. > :35:58.our petition, thousands are supporting our efforts and they

:35:59. > :36:02.recognise that it is time for Parliament to catch up with where

:36:03. > :36:07.society isn't introduced a measure in the Queen's Speech, none of this

:36:08. > :36:11.will be necessary any more. If they are not willing or able, and we hope

:36:12. > :36:14.that is not the case, we will continue to the Supreme Court and

:36:15. > :36:21.solicitors have filed for permission to do that. In same-sex marriage was

:36:22. > :36:24.introduced, the number of civil partnerships has fallen -- since

:36:25. > :36:27.same-sex marriage. Do you think there is a danger that the end

:36:28. > :36:33.result is that civil partnerships will be ruled out that everyone?

:36:34. > :36:41.Possibly, but it would be retrograde. A significant minority

:36:42. > :36:43.of same-sex couples want to form a civil partnership, the majority have

:36:44. > :36:46.not converted them to a marriage. Given that they exist, why not say

:36:47. > :36:51.everyone is welcome, should their conscience mean they want one? Many

:36:52. > :36:56.thanks. Although this appeal has been lost, this is not the end of

:36:57. > :36:59.the story, the couple say that the ball is in the Government's chords

:37:00. > :37:03.and if the Government does not indicate there will be change, it

:37:04. > :37:06.could go to the Supreme Court. We will see what happens.

:37:07. > :37:09.This morning - claims that members of the House of Lords

:37:10. > :37:11.collect their full daily allowance of ?300 whilst contributing

:37:12. > :37:15.A former speaker of the Lords has described how one peer left a taxi

:37:16. > :37:19.waiting outside so he could nip in for a sec to "clock on",

:37:20. > :37:21.in order to claim his ?300 before leaving immediately.

:37:22. > :37:23.Another member of the so-called upper house has described it

:37:24. > :37:27.as the "best day care centre for the elderly in London".

:37:28. > :37:29.It's inevitably led to more claims of reform of the Lords

:37:30. > :37:35.Our political guru Norman Smith has been looking at how

:37:36. > :37:51.There are so many, over 800? Welcome to the longest-running

:37:52. > :37:55.parliamentary show in town, House of Lords Reform, it has been running on

:37:56. > :37:59.Darfur more than 100 years. What you need to know about the

:38:00. > :38:04.House of Lords? Let's start with their Lordships and Lady ships.

:38:05. > :38:08.There are just under 800 of them, around a quarter of which women.

:38:09. > :38:12.Most of the Lords had been appointed as life peers that almost 90 are

:38:13. > :38:18.still classed as hereditary peers. How much do they cost? Most don't

:38:19. > :38:23.get salaries but they can get around ?300 a day for turning up. With a

:38:24. > :38:29.total cost of the Lords running to nearly ?90 million.

:38:30. > :38:34.Lloyd George first got the ball rolling on House of Lords reform,

:38:35. > :38:39.but another Liberal leader had the latest attempt, Nick Clegg. His

:38:40. > :38:45.efforts, predictably enough, like any other effort, ended in total

:38:46. > :38:50.defeat and disarray. What was in the Clegg package of reforms for the

:38:51. > :38:57.House of Lords? He wanted to cut the number of peers in half, to 450. He

:38:58. > :39:03.wanted to ensure 80% of them were elected and he wanted to bar peers

:39:04. > :39:08.from serving more than 15 years. But will this latest controversy

:39:09. > :39:14.spark renewed calls for reform? With every member of the House of Lords

:39:15. > :39:20.entitled to ?300 a day, tax-free, just for showing up, that puts the

:39:21. > :39:23.cost per peer at ?118,000. That is a lot of money, and with more

:39:24. > :39:28.appointments on the way, more political appointments, that is a

:39:29. > :39:33.lot more taxpayers' money being spent on people not accountable to

:39:34. > :39:35.them. For all the good walk -- work that the House of Lords does, it is

:39:36. > :39:36.undermined by the size and cost, which is out of

:39:37. > :39:40.control. That's Darren Hughes

:39:41. > :39:42.from the Electoral Reform Society. Let's speak to the Deputy Speaker

:39:43. > :39:45.of the House of Lords, Lord McFall, and Lord Pearson who was the former

:39:46. > :39:57.Leader of Ukip Welcome, both of you. What do you

:39:58. > :40:03.make of these fresh claims, Lord McFaul? There is the reform of the

:40:04. > :40:09.House of Lords and the issue with the alleged peer who was claiming

:40:10. > :40:15.money. On the latter point there is a code of conduct and an independent

:40:16. > :40:21.commissioner who oversees this issue. If any member has an issue

:40:22. > :40:25.and a complaint, it should go directly to her, she investigates it

:40:26. > :40:31.completely independently from the House of Lords. In the case of

:40:32. > :40:34.Baroness D'Souza, what surprises me is that as the Lords Speaker at the

:40:35. > :40:39.time she did not take the opportunity to refer it to the right

:40:40. > :40:42.place, namely the independent commissioner, who has investigated a

:40:43. > :40:49.number of complaints over begins. Only last year she investigated a

:40:50. > :40:52.complaint by Lord Hanningfield, who was suspended from the Parliament

:40:53. > :40:56.until the end of that session. Now that code of conduct has been

:40:57. > :41:02.toughened up undergoes Haitians between the commission and the House

:41:03. > :41:08.of Lords, and we have the penalties of exclusion if need be. It is very

:41:09. > :41:13.important that the Nolan principles established in the 1990s following

:41:14. > :41:18.the scandal of the expenses in the House of Commons is adhered to. If

:41:19. > :41:24.it is still happening, what do you think about it? If it is still

:41:25. > :41:28.happening then the Avenue is to the independent commissioner. What do

:41:29. > :41:34.you think if one of your peers is doing this? I think it is wrong,

:41:35. > :41:40.completely and utterly wrong. By the way, in my position I engage with

:41:41. > :41:44.the crossbenchers, with the official opposition, Labour, with the

:41:45. > :41:48.Conservatives. Tomorrow I will be speaking to the Liberal Democrats

:41:49. > :41:53.and will reinforce that very point. If they feel there is any problem,

:41:54. > :42:00.go straight to the commission. Lord Pearson, do you hear of this going

:42:01. > :42:06.on? No. Do you see it? I think what we have to be careful of here is you

:42:07. > :42:14.can't measure the value of a peer to the nation by how long he actually

:42:15. > :42:23.spends in the chamber. Well, it helps, it is part of the measure. Of

:42:24. > :42:30.course, there may be a few peers who are doing unacceptably little and

:42:31. > :42:35.taking the daily allowance. I think you will probably get that in any

:42:36. > :42:40.organisation of 800 people or so on who are largely self-regulating.

:42:41. > :42:44.Into this conversation I would like to reject the idea that lots of

:42:45. > :42:51.peers go into the chamber not for very long, but they are doing a lot

:42:52. > :42:57.of work outside the chamber for charities, where lots of peers are

:42:58. > :43:02.involved, work overseas and so on. It is not a simple black and white

:43:03. > :43:09.one. Nevertheless, I agree that if there are a few scroungers then we

:43:10. > :43:15.should put irresistible pressure on them to resign or mend their ways.

:43:16. > :43:19.It is interesting... Sorry to interrupt, it is interesting you use

:43:20. > :43:23.the word scroungers, that is the word that some of our audience

:43:24. > :43:29.watching, taxpayers who pay the ?300 daily allowance, they point out that

:43:30. > :43:35.if it was then, a benefit claimant, who had broken the rules, they would

:43:36. > :43:39.face really harsh penalties. In your case... They are not breaking the

:43:40. > :43:46.rules, is the trouble as I understand it. Lord McFall is

:43:47. > :43:51.shaking his head in disagreement. Is a peer breaking the rules if they

:43:52. > :43:58.simply clerk in without doing any thing and leave in order to claim

:43:59. > :44:03.the allowance? I think that is to Lord McFall? They are breaking the

:44:04. > :44:07.rules because they had to engage in Parliamentary work. Lord Pearson

:44:08. > :44:11.makes the point that it can be a range of Parliamentary work, maybe

:44:12. > :44:16.not recorded in Hansard. Yesterday 191 peers spoke on the House of

:44:17. > :44:19.Lords, starting at 2:30pm and finishing at midnight, starting at

:44:20. > :44:23.11 o'clock today and finishing at midnight. There was an overflow of

:44:24. > :44:31.people speaking and there is an element of peers who are listening.

:44:32. > :44:34.I would consider that parliamentary work because it is a very important

:44:35. > :44:36.issue and peers are in there. They can be in committees and

:44:37. > :44:41.delegations, they can be meeting interest groups coming along who

:44:42. > :44:45.hope to involve themselves and influence legislation. The main

:44:46. > :44:51.point is they have to do parliamentary work. Why is it ?300 a

:44:52. > :45:01.day, viewers are saying that that is two weeks worth of my pension. I

:45:02. > :45:07.think that was set in 2011. I wonder why. Does it strike you as being a

:45:08. > :45:12.lot? For quite a number of peers it includes attendance in the house and

:45:13. > :45:17.overnight allowance in London. When you consider that it could be a

:45:18. > :45:25.hotel bill, lots of that could be taken up with the subsistence of the

:45:26. > :45:30.overnight stay in London. Some of us are working absolutely full-time for

:45:31. > :45:36.the Lords. I think I am probably one of the more active backbench peers,

:45:37. > :45:40.but for ten years now I have been doing very little, 12 hours a day,

:45:41. > :45:47.trying to get as to the Brexit position. I speak more and ask more

:45:48. > :45:52.questions than I would think possibly any other backbench peer.

:45:53. > :45:56.But I still completely understand and support those peers, and some of

:45:57. > :46:00.them are really doing a first-class job, but they don't turn up in the

:46:01. > :46:06.chamber all that much, so we have to sort out the sheep from the goats. I

:46:07. > :46:11.leave it too Lord McFall and the prefects of the situation to deal

:46:12. > :46:15.with the situation appropriately, those who bring a bad reputation to

:46:16. > :46:19.the Lords. The Lords are doing far worse things than that, we have a

:46:20. > :46:24.two day debate going on now where peers in receipt of an EU pension

:46:25. > :46:25.can lose it if they do not support the EU, they don't have to declare

:46:26. > :46:39.them. That is a far bigger scandal. You mentioned Nick Clegg's proposed

:46:40. > :46:42.reforms. The Liberal Democrats actually have 62 more peers than

:46:43. > :46:46.they ought to have according to their own principle of getting the

:46:47. > :46:51.Lords to represent the votes cast in the previous general election and

:46:52. > :46:55.yet they propose to use those excess peers to vote down an Act of

:46:56. > :46:59.Parliament and the referendum of the British people. That's a real

:47:00. > :47:05.scandal. Not what you're looking at now. There are a number of scandals.

:47:06. > :47:11.OK, thank you. Those are two bad situations. This one isn't all that

:47:12. > :47:18.bad. I think it's wrong and I think the powers at be should look into it

:47:19. > :47:27.and do something about it. Thank you very much.

:47:28. > :47:30.This morning - warnings that small shops, pubs and businesses could be

:47:31. > :47:32.forced to close when business rate rises are introduced in April.

:47:33. > :47:35.Around a quarter of firms could see an increase in the amount they pay.

:47:36. > :47:45.Our reporter Ashley John Baptiste explains.

:47:46. > :47:47.Business rates - they are what companies large

:47:48. > :47:50.Think of them as like council tax, but for companies.

:47:51. > :47:54.They are the charge on a business' property and that charge is decided

:47:55. > :47:59.in proportion to the value of the land.

:48:00. > :48:02.The Government has decided that the rates need to be revalued,

:48:03. > :48:05.which they are supposed to do every five years, but they didn't do it

:48:06. > :48:08.when they should have last time, so it's been seven years

:48:09. > :48:13.That seven-year gap means that some companies are bracing themselves

:48:14. > :48:15.for a whopper of a rise, while others may see

:48:16. > :48:20.So the extra rate paid by an online retailer who owns a huge warehouse

:48:21. > :48:23.in the middle of the countryside will in some cases pay less

:48:24. > :48:25.than a cafe in London, and that's why we're here.

:48:26. > :48:32.Alex is the manager and owner and it looks like his rates could double.

:48:33. > :48:50.It's one of the now longest running businesses left in Victoria.

:48:51. > :48:53.At the present moment, we're just shy of ?11,000 and come April,

:48:54. > :48:56.I've been advised I'm going to be paying just shy of ?22,000,

:48:57. > :49:00.And if you even go further back, three, four years ago,

:49:01. > :49:02.we were only paying about 7,000, so the rates have

:49:03. > :49:09.Ministers and MPs have been lobbied by businesses to either water down

:49:10. > :49:11.or scrap the increases, but the government says

:49:12. > :49:13.that the majority of people will see their rates

:49:14. > :49:16.The government believes around 520,000 ratepayers

:49:17. > :49:18.will see their bills increase as a result of the revaluation.

:49:19. > :49:21.While 920,000 will see their bills fall and 420,000 will see no change.

:49:22. > :49:24.But despite these assurances opposition to the upcoming changes

:49:25. > :49:39.isn't dying down and the changes kick in on 1st April.

:49:40. > :49:43.Our business correspondent Emma Simpson is here.

:49:44. > :49:54.We've heard claims this morning that some people say their rates

:49:55. > :49:57.are going up by 500%, but in fact there is a gap.

:49:58. > :50:02.There is devolution so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have

:50:03. > :50:07.their own arrangements what we're talking about is England. So there

:50:08. > :50:11.are winners and losers. But these rates are being phased in. It is

:50:12. > :50:16.called transitional relief. So if you're a winner or a loser this will

:50:17. > :50:22.all be phased in over five years. So it all comes down to property

:50:23. > :50:27.values. So if you have a large rateable value of ?100,000, then

:50:28. > :50:33.your cap in year one is 42%. What does that mean? No one in England

:50:34. > :50:38.will see their rates bill go up by more than 42% in year one. So why

:50:39. > :50:46.are some people saying I'm going to get my bill in April and I'm

:50:47. > :50:51.expecting a 500% rise, a 24% rise, a 64% rise? The information people

:50:52. > :50:54.have, they can go on the website and look at their rateable values and

:50:55. > :50:59.business rates are based on property values largely. It is what a

:51:00. > :51:03.property can be rented out at any one particular date for the whole

:51:04. > :51:08.year and they're looking at the rateable values which in lots of

:51:09. > :51:11.cases have rocketed and people are scrambling to figure out what their

:51:12. > :51:15.rates bills are. So it is complicated? It is hugely

:51:16. > :51:19.complicated and the more you look into it, the more complicated it

:51:20. > :51:24.gets, but if you're a small business with a rateable value of I think

:51:25. > :51:30.it's somewhere around above ?15,000 a year, you're going to be capped at

:51:31. > :51:34.5% in year one. In fact, if you have got a rateable value of ?12,000,

:51:35. > :51:40.then you will be taken out of business rates altogether. So it is

:51:41. > :51:46.staggered, but no one will face business rate increase of more than

:51:47. > :51:50.42% in year one and that affects the largest premises. And what about the

:51:51. > :51:55.end of the Parliament? You say... But what's the cap in four years

:51:56. > :52:01.time? Well, it changes year by year. It's phased in. So you don't feel

:52:02. > :52:06.the full brunt of the increase until you reach the end of that five year

:52:07. > :52:13.period. Right. Equally, for the winners and let's not forget, that

:52:14. > :52:17.lots of hard-pressed businesses in towns like Hull, Rochdale, Stockton

:52:18. > :52:22.who have been paying over the odds in business rates for sometime

:52:23. > :52:26.because their property values have plummeted then they will have to

:52:27. > :52:31.wait to get the benefit. Over the years. Over the years. You may not

:52:32. > :52:34.know the answer to this, Emma, apologies in advance, do you know if

:52:35. > :52:39.in five years it is possible for a small business owner to be receiving

:52:40. > :52:44.a 500% increase? I haven't heard as much as 500%, but certainly, you are

:52:45. > :52:50.going to see some businesses who will face some eye watering rises

:52:51. > :52:54.and this is because business rates have not been revalued for seven

:52:55. > :52:59.years. The Government decided to delay the last revaluation by two

:53:00. > :53:06.years in which time property values have changed dramatically so you're

:53:07. > :53:09.going to get these huge swings for economically thriving town centres

:53:10. > :53:13.and of course, London which will be clobbered because you get these huge

:53:14. > :53:18.swings. So for some people, the rate rises will be huge, but they will be

:53:19. > :53:23.phased in. OK. I don't know if that will be a consolation. Emma, stay

:53:24. > :53:24.with us. You maybe able to help in the conversation with various

:53:25. > :53:33.people. Pamela Houghton runs

:53:34. > :53:39.a nursery in Bolton, Joel Adebayo who runs two

:53:40. > :53:41.clothing shops in London, Simon Butterworth who runs a tech

:53:42. > :53:44.company in Crowthorne and two people who are seeing a rate cut -

:53:45. > :53:48.Rita Balogun who owns a hair salon in London will see her rates go

:53:49. > :54:01.down, as will Elaine Jiggins Simon you think your rates will go

:54:02. > :54:09.up by 1,000? It is 1280%. How have you got that figure? Our current

:54:10. > :54:16.rateable value is ?6500. Our rateable value is ?6500, our new

:54:17. > :54:22.rateable value is ?15195. We pay ?262 a year which is great. Don't

:54:23. > :54:30.mind that. According to the website, we're going up to ?3369 a year and

:54:31. > :54:35.that's 1200% increase. OK. Emma... What really concerns me is the

:54:36. > :54:41.valuations and how they're done. This part of our village, we have

:54:42. > :54:45.been rated at ?450 per square meter. Around the corner with the shops and

:54:46. > :54:51.Lidl and Co-op and the butchers and the brilliant shops we've got in the

:54:52. > :54:56.village, they're mixed out at ?350 per square meterment for some

:54:57. > :55:02.reason, this part of the village which is quiet is Mayfair and the

:55:03. > :55:07.strong stretch which has the car parks and the footpaths, they're'

:55:08. > :55:10.Park Lane. Can I make one point on that? We have got a business above

:55:11. > :55:18.us which is a chartered surveyors. They have had a rates increase from

:55:19. > :55:25.?4800, under the same footprint as us, ?4800 to ?5,000. They have gone

:55:26. > :55:31.up by ?200. We've gone up by over ?9,000. Emma, there must be a cap,

:55:32. > :55:37.mustn't there? I'm sure he won't face that increase all in year one.

:55:38. > :55:41.Although the point being is even with the transition, you know,

:55:42. > :55:46.you're going to have a lot of small businesses who haven't been prepared

:55:47. > :55:49.for this, that even, you know, a 5% increase is going to hit and then

:55:50. > :55:57.you have to think well, that's year one. Year two, year three, year

:55:58. > :56:00.four, year five, for any small businesses any increase is tough

:56:01. > :56:03.because there are lots of other costs for small businesses with the

:56:04. > :56:07.national Living Wage and apprentice levy. Pamela, hello, nursery in

:56:08. > :56:13.Bolton. What difference is this going to make come April for you? My

:56:14. > :56:21.current rateable value is ?26500 and I pay ?13500. It is going up by

:56:22. > :56:29.?42250. Wow. It means, yes, it will be about ?24,000. But not this year,

:56:30. > :56:32.or definitely this year? Well, I'm quite surprised when they are saying

:56:33. > :56:36.about the transitional relief and you will end up paying it in four

:56:37. > :56:44.years, you are still going to pay it in four years. We're a nursery. In

:56:45. > :56:49.Bolton. The nursery rates go between ?25 a square meter to ?120 a square

:56:50. > :56:54.meter which is my nursery. It's massive. We're regulated by Ofsted.

:56:55. > :56:59.At the moment, the Government are bringing in the 30 hours of funding

:57:00. > :57:05.which they are saying is free. They're actually paying us ?4 an

:57:06. > :57:08.hour to educate children. I have got a minute left of the programme and

:57:09. > :57:13.I've got three people to talk to. So I will apologise now. Joel, whether

:57:14. > :57:19.it is in four years time, it is a hit, is that your belief? It means

:57:20. > :57:25.we can't grow. We might have to let a staff member go. I mean, we can't

:57:26. > :57:30.support new designers and you know for us in Shoreditch it means we're

:57:31. > :57:34.being punished for a value of property going higher and higher and

:57:35. > :57:37.we don't even own the property which is sad. Elaine, you've got a rate

:57:38. > :57:45.cut coming, is that right? Yeah, that's right. Happy days for you?

:57:46. > :57:51.Well, yeah. But with the transitional relief, we won't see

:57:52. > :57:57.that in the first year. Understood. For the first few years that's down.

:57:58. > :58:01.The stance I've always had is I believe it is an outdated tax. I

:58:02. > :58:06.think everybody that's been on your programme this morning has shown

:58:07. > :58:13.that they are small businesses and the business rates just don't seem

:58:14. > :58:18.to reflect the turnover or the profits that these small businesses

:58:19. > :58:24.actually have. Let me bring in Rita, sorry, because you're agreeing with

:58:25. > :58:28.Elaine there, Rita? I feel like it's an outdated tax. Why are you

:58:29. > :58:32.complaining because your rates are staying the same? You're right,

:58:33. > :58:35.they're staying the same, so that's great, but at the same time it is

:58:36. > :58:39.like why are we having to pay this anyway? As a small business... Why

:58:40. > :58:43.are you having to pay it at all? As a small business, we don't want to

:58:44. > :58:48.stay a small business forever. We want to hire more people, but if we

:58:49. > :58:51.have the costs, why do we have to pay it anyway? I understand as you

:58:52. > :58:55.grow, but as a small business I feel like there should be a limit. I

:58:56. > :58:58.would love to have given you more time. I wish you all the best with

:58:59. > :59:00.your businesses. Thank you for coming on the programme.

:59:01. > :59:01.We're back