:00:00. > :00:07.As the battle for ballots gets underway
:00:08. > :00:10.we ask what the key issues will be for voters here.
:00:11. > :00:16.The police and fire service looking to save cash and cut crime.
:00:17. > :00:18.And a cloudier forecast for tomorrow.
:00:19. > :00:32.With the General Election date now firmly set,
:00:33. > :00:34.the region's businesses have been laying out their priorities
:00:35. > :00:39.for whoever is elected to lead the next government.
:00:40. > :00:44.comes two weeks before our local elections
:00:45. > :00:47.and almost twelve months after the referendum decision
:00:48. > :00:53.So what will be the main election issues be for voters here?
:00:54. > :00:56.Kate Bradbrook has this reaction from
:00:57. > :01:01.Making sheet metal, this Stevenage-based
:01:02. > :01:09.for Airbus and while the space programme here continues to make
:01:10. > :01:12.history, events at Westminster today are what businesses in our region
:01:13. > :01:16.A general election on the 8th of June a certainty.
:01:17. > :01:25.Now the whole country has to think who they want in power.
:01:26. > :01:28.The economy could suffer because it is the unknown and people
:01:29. > :01:31.don't want to spend money, they hold onto their funds.
:01:32. > :01:34.30 miles up the A1 in Huntington, a shock for this engineering firm
:01:35. > :01:37.making crash barriers and test dummies used in the car industry.
:01:38. > :01:48.The question for them, how the election will affect Brexit.
:01:49. > :01:52.This is going to be a golden opportunity for the government,
:01:53. > :01:57.having thought and listened to business, to make
:01:58. > :02:02.the right choice and make the right decision and,
:02:03. > :02:09.yes, we are leaving but we are not abandoning Europe.
:02:10. > :02:16.This afternoon, the Commons overwhelmingly backed Theresa May's
:02:17. > :02:32.A lot of them like me voted for Brexit to leave the EU.
:02:33. > :02:37.What we are saying in my party is that it is time to get
:02:38. > :02:41.on with that process and give the Prime Minister a stronger hand.
:02:42. > :02:46.With her slim majority she has a group of 30 Tory MPs who are very
:02:47. > :02:53.firm on Brexit who are able to hold her over a barrel.
:02:54. > :02:57.If she comes back with a majority over 100 plus, she will have
:02:58. > :03:00.legions of lobby fodder to allow her to implement whatever
:03:01. > :03:08.For Labour in our region other issues need to be addressed.
:03:09. > :03:11.I want the kind of Brexit that is going to do deliver
:03:12. > :03:16.But there are many other areas, welfare, the NHS,
:03:17. > :03:21.All of these are areas where the Tories are failing
:03:22. > :03:24.From Westminster to the Chatteris countryside.
:03:25. > :03:28.This family have farmed across Fenland for generations.
:03:29. > :03:31.They hope the election will bring stability whoever wins.
:03:32. > :03:34.We need a level playing field with the rest of the world,
:03:35. > :03:37.the rest of Europe, all our competitors.
:03:38. > :03:40.We don't need a lot of intervention, just to get on with our job.
:03:41. > :03:45.Meanwhile, in Wisbech, there are strong views
:03:46. > :03:47.on what the government needs to tackle.
:03:48. > :03:51.I think the election should really be a bit more about the lack
:03:52. > :03:55.of funding in the NHS and the lack of funding of the community
:03:56. > :04:00.I think the majority is going to be about Brexit.
:04:01. > :04:06.And the economy, there's always going to be that, and the NHS.
:04:07. > :04:10.I'd like to see more jobs and a better living wage.
:04:11. > :04:13.Seven weeks to go and the clock is now ticking for all sides
:04:14. > :04:21.Our Political Correspondent Andrew Sinclair
:04:22. > :04:23.has been following today's events at Westminster
:04:24. > :04:39.Officially, not until after the local elections but in reality, it's
:04:40. > :04:45.already getting underway. Expect a range of big-name visits to our
:04:46. > :04:49.region, particularly the key battle ground of Cambridge. Expect a raft
:04:50. > :04:59.of government spending announcements over the next few weeks. Previously,
:05:00. > :05:03.this has been at the centre of the election battle but this time it
:05:04. > :05:14.appears to be in the Midlands so will be left out of it a little bit.
:05:15. > :05:19.The Conservatives in their manifesto will have pledged to open up new
:05:20. > :05:23.grammar schools and probably to increase science and research
:05:24. > :05:31.funding. Labour are talking about fair taxation. Bobby some form of
:05:32. > :05:37.increase for some people. A lot of people think this election is about
:05:38. > :05:41.Brexit. For some it will be. Where the parties stand on other key
:05:42. > :05:43.policies will matter a lot to the voters and that's why those
:05:44. > :05:46.manifestos will be very important. A new approach to how our emergency
:05:47. > :05:48.services work together From today,
:05:49. > :05:54.Police officers will be based in community fire stations
:05:55. > :05:57.in Bedford and Ampthill. The force says it will help
:05:58. > :05:59.with closer working between And means officers can be based
:06:00. > :06:04.within the community. Here at Bedford fire station,
:06:05. > :06:07.you'd expect to find Ed, one of 75 firefighters based here,
:06:08. > :06:14.but he'll be joined by Paul and seven other police officers
:06:15. > :06:17.all part of a national drive We have much better and closer
:06:18. > :06:25.relationship if we are co-located. As well as police, a voluntary
:06:26. > :06:29.search and rescue group and a road victims' charity will be based here,
:06:30. > :06:31.keeping costs down. We are already paying
:06:32. > :06:33.for the fire station. Those organisations joining us
:06:34. > :06:39.will pay for their part of it to offset our costs to make sure
:06:40. > :06:42.we are not increasing costs. It is claimed there will be huge
:06:43. > :06:53.benefits in reducing crime. One of the most important things
:06:54. > :06:59.we have here is our crime prevention and reduction staff coming together
:07:00. > :07:03.and we can look at some of the work we are doing and share that
:07:04. > :07:06.with our colleagues. Here in Ampthill, there was a police
:07:07. > :07:11.station but it closed two years ago. From today, two police officers
:07:12. > :07:13.will be permanently based There will be no front desk
:07:14. > :07:20.facilities for the public but it does mean that officers will no
:07:21. > :07:22.longer face a 20-minute Alongside that, there are plans
:07:23. > :07:28.for police to move into four more Next month sees the start
:07:29. > :07:37.of a new chapter When they elect
:07:38. > :07:41.their first ever mayor. The region has been
:07:42. > :07:43.given extra powers under a new
:07:44. > :07:47.?800 million pound devolution deal. will be transferred away
:07:48. > :07:53.from Whitehall to the new mayor. There are seven candidates
:07:54. > :07:56.and over the next few days they'll be telling us
:07:57. > :07:58.why they should be elected. Tonight we hear from
:07:59. > :08:01.the UKIP candidate who says he'll prioritise local
:08:02. > :08:05.peopleFor local homes. Our political reporter
:08:06. > :08:09.Mousumi Bakshi put Paul Bullen in
:08:10. > :08:12.the mayoral hot-seat. I'm Paul Bullen, I'm running
:08:13. > :08:16.for the UK Independence Party and if I'm elected as mayor,
:08:17. > :08:19.I will bring direct democracy back What would be the one big new idea
:08:20. > :08:25.that Paul Bullen would bring It's not a new idea but what I would
:08:26. > :08:30.like to see is a unitary authority. I think that the local people should
:08:31. > :08:34.have their say on what happens locally and I will very much be
:08:35. > :08:39.open to talking to people. You're running to become mayor
:08:40. > :08:44.of Cambridge, you are obviously Where is your favourite
:08:45. > :08:48.place to go here? I think
:08:49. > :08:51.my favourite place is St Ives. It's a very quaint market town,
:08:52. > :08:53.it has a very picturesque river setting and it has everything
:08:54. > :08:56.there that you could want. Can you tell us how much money has
:08:57. > :08:59.been put aside for affordable Under the Devo deal the government
:09:00. > :09:06.have guaranteed 170 Million, 70 million of which will be
:09:07. > :09:08.going to the Cambridge city and the rest will be spent
:09:09. > :09:11.by the mayor in the rest Because I'm a realist,
:09:12. > :09:17.I'm honest, I will tell them I will not promise the people
:09:18. > :09:23.of Cambridge anything What I do promise them is that
:09:24. > :09:28.I will do the very best and if I make a promise I will keep
:09:29. > :09:32.to the promise and I will deliver Tell us one thing that people
:09:33. > :09:38.might not know about you. One thing that people
:09:39. > :09:40.might not know about me. Probably where I come from,
:09:41. > :09:44.which is Liverpool. What sets you apart
:09:45. > :09:46.from all the other candidates? If I am elected as mayor,
:09:47. > :09:50.I don't care what central government want me to do because what I will do
:09:51. > :09:53.is what I think is best for the people of Cambridgeshire
:09:54. > :09:56.and Peterborough and what the people of Cambridgeshire
:09:57. > :10:01.and Peterborough want. Tomorrow night we're broadcasting
:10:02. > :10:04.a special programme called A Mayor for Cambridgeshire
:10:05. > :10:09.and Peterborough, BBC1 at 10.45. That's all from the late team
:10:10. > :10:13.here's the weather with Alex. Under chilly skies,
:10:14. > :10:18.some low temperatures already across the region and the risk
:10:19. > :10:23.of a frost as temperatures drop close to freezing
:10:24. > :10:25.but by the end of the night, more cloud coming in from the North,
:10:26. > :10:28.that will mean those So, by the time we start tomorrow,
:10:29. > :10:32.more like around six or 7 degrees. So, tomorrow's pressure pattern,
:10:33. > :10:34.high pressure still holding on. This weather front coming down
:10:35. > :10:37.from the North and that's going Actually, whether cloud
:10:38. > :10:41.is at its thickest, it's possible that we could see some light
:10:42. > :10:43.rain or drizzle. Despite that cloud cover, though,
:10:44. > :10:45.temperatures still climbing into the teens and we could record
:10:46. > :10:47.highs of perhaps 14-15 And, although there will be
:10:48. > :10:52.some bits and pieces of light rain and drizzle,
:10:53. > :10:55.it does look like there will be The National weather's coming up
:10:56. > :10:59.but here's the Outlook. Brighter skies for Friday,
:11:00. > :11:04.colder at the weekend. similar story across the UK. Thomas
:11:05. > :11:14.matter has that story. Good evening, before we get to the
:11:15. > :11:21.forecast, I want to show you a map which depicts how dry it has been
:11:22. > :11:25.during the course of April. Brown is below average rainfall, blue is
:11:26. > :11:29.above average. You can see how Brown the map is. Some areas in the south,
:11:30. > :11:37.some counties have only seen a few percent so far in April. Not
:11:38. > :11:38.necessarily a good thing at all. The rest of the week, not an awful