29/11/2011 Look East - East

Welcome to Look East on the day the Chancellor sought to give the

region's economy a shot in the arm. Part of our most important trade

route, the A14, could become a toll road. I know what her important

road that is for the local economy and local people, and I am pleased

that, thanks in part to the support of the local Member of Parliament,

we have been able to give it the go-ahead. Live reaction to the

Chancellor's statement. Plus, the region braces itself for tomorrow's

public sector strike. We have a county by county report.

In other news: read all about it as the press's role at the UK's newest

printing press. Good evening. Experts are divided

tonight over whether the Chancellor has done enough to kick-start the

region's economy. George Osborne has given the green light to two

big transport projects, including improvements to the A14. But,

thousands of public sector workers must endure a further erosion of

their income to help pay for it. The Chancellor's Autumn Statement

will affect just about all of us. Here in the East, the region's

busiest trunk route, the A14, is to be upgraded with almost immediate

effect. Perhaps controversially, drivers could be charged a toll to

use it. Further in the future, there is an ambitious plan to build

a new high-speed rail link running through Cambridge, Milton Keynes

and Oxford. To help pay for it, workers in the public sector are to

have their pay capped at 1% - a decision which is certain to add

fuel to tomorrow's big strike. In a moment, Mike Cartwright with a

reaction to the A14 announcement, but let's start at Westminster with

our political Correspondent Andrew Sinclair.

The Autumn Statement never used to be a big deal, but in recent years

it has become a kind of mini-budget, and this one is no exception. This

actually makes quite grim reading, in fact. Talk of low growth, public

sector pay cuts, and even public sector pay caps. They have also had

to bring forward the retirement age to 67, 10 years earlier than they

had planned. There is also quite a lot of positive stuff in this for

our region - projects which have been awaiting funding for ages have

been given the go-ahead, and a lot of that work will start within the

year. It has been clear for the last week

that the A14 would be today's big story. �20 million will be spent

bringing about what the Chancellor called immediate improvements to

the Cambridge or stretch. million will buy quite a lot. The

detailed plans have not been joined up, but everyone knows does donjons

a badly designed. There is a whole range of things that everyone will

know about. Those can be fixed. There will also be a study into

whether a toll road should be built in Cambridge. It will report on

this by the spring. In Northamptonshire, �110 million to

widen the kettling bypass, and a new link road for Corby. The work

will also start in the new year. The local MP told the Chancellor it

was a vote of confidence in the area. The Chancellor said it was

long overdue. I know what important road that is for the local economy,

for the local people, and I am pleased that, thanks in part to the

support of the local Member of Parliament, we have been able to

give it the go-ahead. In three years' time there will be �120

million for improving the M25 through Hertfordshire, and work

will start them on completing the rail line that an advert, the first

stage in a proper East West Link. am thrilled that the Chancellor has

seen the value of the project and accelerated its development, which

I think will bring many thousands of new jobs to the region.

Friis of fuel duty will be welcomed across the region. Airlines will be

unhappy that air passenger duty is going up. Staying with airports, a

pledge today to look at every option for increasing capacity in

the Nat -- south-east. A second runway at Stansted could soon be

back on the agenda. The Chancellor also announced more

money for super-fast broadband, for improving mobile phone reception,

for research and development. Some of that money might come away. Even

in these straitened times, there is still quite a bit to cheer about.

So, a year after plans to upgrade the A14 were shelved, tonight they

are very much back on the drawing board. Let's get the details now

from Mike Cartwright. Over there in the dark Ages a wet,

busy, A14. Not exactly a driver's dream. People I spoke to Today said

it is a road you can't rely on. There is no certainty of arriving

on time. They welcome the improvements, but a toll road,

people I spoke to, are not so sold on that idea.

For many motorists, it is the bane of their lives. The A14 - last year,

plans to improve it broke down. Today, the Chancellor gave them a

jump-start. Just over �130 million will be spent improving junctions

729 at Kettering, and �20 million to upgrade an interchange at

Huntingdon. Somewhere along the route, a toll road. Something in

this village that will come as -- has caused concern. For people who

use it on a day-to-day basis, it seems unreasonable to charge them

for using it all the time. A money is tight when you are a pensioner.

So you will find another route? it is too expensive, yes. I think a

toll road will increase traffic through the area. People will take

alternative routes. The M6 toll road near Birmingham opened eight

years ago, but business leaders their say it has not lived up to

its promise. The businesses were optimistic when it was built that

it would relieve a lot of congestion on the roads. It is a

big piece of infrastructure that was built, so there was a lot of

optimism surrounding it at the time. But there has been a significant

level of disappointment that the balance has not been struck between

price and time savings. Meanwhile, here over the years there had been

several plans to improve this road. This time, businesses hope it will

finally happened. I very much hope that this is not a new dawn of

false hope because we have been here so many times be hot -- before,

when we have going to have studies and looking at alternative ways to

ease the congestion on the A14. So far, nothing has come to fruition.

Today, we had the big announcement. In weeks to come, the detail. And

the new road? At least 10 years ago -- away.

Joining us now is Richard Tanner Clough from the CBI. Thank you for

joining us. Can a toll road really work here? I think it can, if you

look at what the A14 serves, it serves the ports in the east of the

country, to the Midlands, which many of the distribution hubs of

major companies are based, so I do think it could work. The idea is

that private money will fund it. Where will it come from? UK-based

companies have got about �900 billion on their balance sheets

that they are looking to invest in steady forms of investment, and I

think a toll road would dig those boxes. Do you have any idea of what

form it would take? Realistically we are looking at another loan. The

original scheme was going to cost �1.4 billion, and that is not going

to happen. I suspect we will get an extra lane with some kind of

numberplate recognition that will ritually charge drivers to use that

lane. Is this money enough? there ever enough when it comes to

roads? We could spend and cannot do demand of money, but I think �20

million for the two Cambridge judges will have benefits quite

quickly. There will be a lot of people on that road tonight

watching developments with a lot of interest.

Late in the programme we will speak live to two of our region's MPs,

getting their reaction to the Autumn Statement.

Moving on to the public sector strike which is planned for

tomorrow. Is estimated that more than 1000 schools across the region

will be closed. The action is also affecting a wide range of services

including hospitals, local councils and public transport. Let's look at

how tomorrow's strike will affect where you live.

Starting in Essex, Richard Daniel is in Chelmsford. He won Essex

tonight, there is little doubt that tomorrow's strike will hit schools

hardest. Out of 550 state schools in the county, tonight only 25 have

confirmed that they will be fully opened tomorrow. It is expected

that hundreds could close, and many others will only be partially open

to certain year groups. Like many schools in Essex,

tomorrow this school will be shut, forcing parents to make alternative

plans. My wife has had to take a day of work. It is not great.

Negotiations are still ongoing. I don't understand. I am sympathetic

at the moment, but if it goes on, then I might not be so sympathetic.

The school had no choice but to close. He it is the people who

suffer most at the end of the day is the children. That is very

regrettable. I just hope that they can get together and resolve this

dispute. One day off school will have some damage, but there will be

irreparable damage by this government if they don't give

teachers proper pensions. Elsewhere at Essex Police, control room staff,

detention officers and Police Community Support Officers could

work out for -- walkout. The force insists lives will not be put at

risk. Where the gaps appear, where police staff take action, we will

draft in to our logistics co- ordination Centre people to come

into the control room who can operate the machinery and take

those calls. Stansted Airport said it will be open as normal tomorrow.

The UK Border Agency today would not be interviewed on how it plans

to cope with the 17,000 arrivals expected, should its staff walkout.

The fact is, until tomorrow, no one knows what the full impact of this

strike will be. People have been very concerned

that used may become further entrenched in this dispute. To keep

up on what is going on, the full picture across Essex, tune in

tomorrow morning to the breakfast show from 6am.

Next up, Norfolk. A now seems that over 200 schools

will be closed in this county tomorrow. It could be more. Check

the County Council website for the very latest. As for hospitals, a

mixed picture, but one group of workers is planning to support the

action by working normally. Richard Davy is one of the

maintenance team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.

He and his colleagues are coming to the end of a month of moustache

running to raise funds and boost awareness of men's conditions like

prostates and could -- testicular cancer. Bob Barrett is another

member of the team, they are members of the unite Union and have

decided to work normally and donate their pay to charity. Because this

is a hospital and it is people's lives at risk, we have to be here.

It is very special to work in a hospital. We get good relationships

with the patience. We don't want to put anything at risk, really. We

can't shut anything down or stop work because this is an ongoing

operation. We are lucky to have such dedicated staff and the

hospital. All staff are concerned that patient services run as normal

and we care about the level of care that we offer. That is why the

staff want to come and, despite sharing some form of support for

the strike. The hospital says there has no plans to cancel clinics or

operations tomorrow. The Norfolk and Norwich hospital says it is

doing everything possible to maintain services, although some

appointments and non-emergency operations are being rearranged. At

the other hospital, it says it is confident it can run at least a

Bank Holiday Service. Patients will The union Unison says there will be

picket lines outside ambulance stations, but they will respond to

emergency calls. For the full picture tomorrow, tune into Chris

Goreham on BBC Radio Norfolk from 6:30am.

That just leaves Suffolk. Our reporter is in Ipswich for us to my.

30,000 public sector workers will walk out in Suffolk alone. They

halt the destruction will get their message across.

-- the hope. We want the Government to see that what they are doing is

wrong and how strongly people feel about this. Workers are taking

strike action for they have been balloted. We are also organising a

march and rally tomorrow. So Suffolk County Council says most

of their services will not be affected, although education will

be happy -- hardest hit. It is expected 150 schools will be caused

or partially closed. The advice is to check the county council website.

Management at hospitals say they cannot rule out disruption. These

two women have worked for the NHS for a total of nearly 70 years.

They appreciate the strike might cause disruption to patients, but

they say they're standing up for their rights. We have not taken

this decision lightly at all. The impact it will have on the a

hospital, we know it will have an impact. And other areas that are

coming out on strike as well, it will have an impact. If the

Government don't sit up and take notice of us now, I don't think

they ever are well. The Crown Court in Ipswich will

just have two out of four courts sitting. The county council say

they are aware of what will be happening across the county. You

can get the latest picture on your local BBC radio station.

We will have full coverage of the public sector strike in the

programme tomorrow. Coverage begins on BBC local radio stations at

breakfast time with updates throughout the day. If you're

affected, either taking part in the strike or your plans have been

disrupted, get in touch with us. Tomorrow's walkout by public sector

workers will be the biggest one-day strike for a generation. Many of

the strikers belonged to the union Unison. Sasha Pearce is the

regional manager and joins us now. The Director General of the Chamber

of Commerce said today that the strike was irresponsible and

reckless and that trade unionists are living and a bubble -- living

in a bobble. What did you say to that? He needs to look at the

people who are taking part in the action. These are nurses, local

council workers, classroom assistants. These are people who

feel strongly about proposals to change their pensions. They are not

political people. Our members have made it clear that the one to take

this strike action. The Chamber of Commerce are saying that things are

inevitable. Really, is striking the way to go about it, especially when

you're talking about health workers? Firstly, the changes are

not inevitable. They have to save money. The public service pension

schemes went through a process three years ago where they were

reviewed, future proved -- protected for the future and

examined closely. The Government is not doing this just because it

wants to hurt public sector workers. They feel that something has to

give in the long term? That may be the case, but does it have to come

from the people who provide the services that we rely upon in civil

society? Could it not come from the bankers that appeared as in this

mess? A lot of people are going out on strike, but actually the ballot

turnout was relatively small. Only 25% of people voted. Is it really

people striking because they want to or just because the union has

said the issue and? Everyone has a free choice as to whether or not

they go out on strike. The democratic decision is that we are

calling on our members to strike. We are finding that quite at few

more people than those who voted will be taking action. Do you think

there could be more strikes? Dave Prentis has said possibly in the

New Year? I don't think we can rule it out. Unless the Government

listened to the public tomorrow and make a proper move. Thank you very

much. Ever since the banking crisis

started, small businesses have complained they can't get bank

loans to help them grow. It is a real problem in the east, which has

a higher number of smaller enterprises. Today, the Government

announced a plan to free up lending called credit easing. As our

Business Correspondent reports, small firms in the region are keen

to give it a go. This manufacturing company in

Norfolk is doing well despite all the problems with the economy. The

honour ask for a �50,000 loan to buy a second-hand machine. Even

though he has never missed a payment on banking facilities, he

was turned down. In the end, he bought a cheaper machine with his

own savings. I don't want to go to the banks. I would much rather deal

with someone direct in the Government to help me. These

machines are rolled and been replaced. They want manufacturing

back, but the nitty-gritty is that we need money to come through now.

We need to buy this new equipment. Many firms have had a rocky

relationships with banks since the credit crunch struck. This concrete

manufacturing firm had extra charges imposed on the business

buy-backs several years ago. The bosses say that life was made more

difficult. When the sun is out, banks are happy to lend you the

umbrella. When it starts raining, they take your umbrella away. That

is disappointing. We're trying to bring up -- to build-up long-term

relationships with all of our suppliers. The banks say they are

prepared to lend, but many firms are lacking in confidence.

credit easing plans give confidence to business to come forward and see

investment and seed to grow, that has to be something that is

important and good for. Getting credit flowing to small business is

critical. The bigger issue is whether companies will demand it

quite as much as the Government hopes in such a sluggish economy.

Saw, has our region does Welt -- done well out of today's statement

or not? We're joined by the MP for Bury St Edmunds and the Labour MP

for Luton South, Gavin Shuker. David, firstly, you said that we

wanted an adrenalin shot in the arm to the economy. This will not do

the business, surely? Well, I think, if you look at the infrastructure,

George Osborne has find money which has not been spent in other parts

of the Budget. He wants to get pension funds to invest in the

roads and the trains for long-term investment. As well as broad band.

Finding it difficult -- I am finding it to see why you don't

think this is a shot in the arm that is welcome. I personally would

have liked more tax reductions for small businesses, but you can't

have everything. I think what was announced today was a sensible

start. This will help economic growth. You talk about tax

reductions. You mentioned the possibility of a cut in VAT. The

Labour Party warned that as well. It seems like the right of the Tory

party and Labour are coming together on that? No, I did not see

a VAT cut. I said some people mention it but it would never

happen. I said that there could be a cut in national insurance

contributions from employers. With all the extra spending that we're

going to see, such as the work on the A14 in our region and more on

rail, we need -- I expect the money to be well spent. Gavin Shuker,

David Rutley is right that there is some positive in the region for as.

We always welcome extra spending for the region. The real problem is

the extra spending today was additional on to borrowing. George

Osborne has been pursuing a plan that frankly has not fit for

purpose. We looking at a situation now where they will not hit the

deficit reduction targets. No matter how little money comes into

the region, it will be dwarfed by the massive extra borrowing that

this Government is doing. We mentioned the VAT plan and the

National Insurance holiday and we want young people back into work.

This announcement today does nothing for jobs or growth. There

needs to be savings and there is not enough money to go round. What

would Labour do that would be any better? We need a credible plan for

jobs and growth. This Government came forward 18 months ago with a

plan. George Osborne said it was credible. The numbers today show

that it is not. An extra �158 billion borrowed. Growth is down

and unemployment is up. What is Labour's credible plan? We have a

five-point plan for jobs and growth. Very basic things. Reducing the

rate of VAT back to 17. 5%. Taxing bankers properly so young people

can build homes and get work. It is not rocket science. George Osborne

is in a position per he has backed into a political corner and won't

admit that his masterplan is not working. We need a plan B Ford jobs

and growth. Thank you, both. -- a and growth. Thank you, both. -- a

plan for jobs and growth. There has been a cold front

sweeping across the region today. You can see heavy bursts of rain on

the rate -- on the radar tart. Also some strong dusty winds. That has

brought much cooler era behind it. Temperatures potentially dropping

by five degrees. It will feel chilly overnight. Clear skies to

start the night with a little cloud rolling and towards the second half

of the night. Some showers possible. We should be free of a ground frost

by Don. It is a bright and sunny start to the day tomorrow. Plenty

of sunshine through the morning. Fairly chilly, though. Still a

moderate to fresh south-westerly wind. Through the afternoon, it

stays dry before the spells of sunshine. Then you will see another

band of rain waiting to present itself in the west of the region by

the end of the day. Enter the next five days, this is how it looks.

Unsettled on Thursday with outbreaks of rain. Still a brisk

breeze. Much cooler on Friday with potentially a top temperature of

potentially a top temperature of seven degrees. Looking unsettled

for the weekend. A reminder of our main news: the

Chancellor George Osborne has announced a range of packages to

help kick-start the economy. They include plans to upgrade their a 14.

And thousands of public sector workers across the region are

expected to take part in a day of strike action tomorrow. Let's

rejoin our Political Editor of West minster.

The Chancellor had little money to play with today. The strategy was

to use that little money to invest in businesses and projects which

can create jobs and boost the economy. A lot is riding on the

infrastructure projects in a region. The A14 is interesting.

Conservatives would like it to be at all road. Lib Dems are asking if

enough people will use its. What are people down there are

saying about the strike tomorrow? Mood is hardening. Ministers were

saying this would be a flash-in- the-pan up until last week. Now