08/03/2017 Spotlight

Health and social care managers are tonight

assessing the likely impact of new government

money to help ease the

In today's budget, the Chancellor announced an

extra ?2 billion nationally over the next three years.

It saying that is easing the pressure on our

hospitals, but how much of a difference will it make?

Well, I'm joined now by our health correspondent Jenny Walrond.

Jenny, what kind of reaction have we seen

Only a couple of weeks ago, the councils in the

south-west were criticising the government for not giving them

enough funding to address what they described

Today, some of them said that there were clues that the government

has listened to their concerns but warned that

a long-term solution is

required, and we're likely to find out what that

long-term solution is

likely to be later in the year when the government its proposals in a

green paper, which is a consultation document.

We've also heard today from Sarah Wallace an MP who is a

She said that she's been assured that this is new funding,

it's not being raided from other budgets, but ?2 billion over three

Well, one think tank, the Local Government Information Unit,

And briefly, Jenny, any other big announcements

Well, the Chancellor has promised an extra ?100 million to put more

GPs in accident and emergency department

to ease the pressure for next winter.

That's something that's already happening in some of our

hospitals, and also ?325 million for sustainability

Now, these are the reorganisations of health services

that have been causing a loss of anxiety in

closure of commutable hospital beds, the possible loss of some services

such as maternity, and this funding will go to set up different

services, things such as services that care for you in your own home.

Jenny, we'll have to leave it there, thank you.

Elsewhere the budget brought some relief

But there'll be hikes in National Insurance

Our business correspondent Neil Gallagher is live

in Tavistock for us tonight. Neil.

I reckon if you had to pick a proper south west market

town to do business in, you might well choose

But even here it's a low wage economy built around small

businesses with a lot of self employment.

So the raise in National Insurance Contributions for self employed

FSB locally described it as a good way to put people off

West Devon is one of those places that feels it's in danger

Some previous chancellors have had more to say about our transport

links here than Phillip Hammond did, and that point wasn't

lost on one customer of the Cornish,

who represents the business community.

As you say, lots about north and Midlands, lots about Wales,

Scotland and Ireland, nothing about the south-west at all, and given

that we had assurances previously, we were really hoping to get those

firmed up in terms of some commitment to both rail and road.

Lots of rises in business rates had been looming.

Today the Chancellor said small and medium sized pubs would get

a ?1,000 discount on the rates they were expecting...

Going forward, I see there needs to be a

full review of the way business rates are dished out, really,

because it's quite archaic, especially businesses by gas on the

high Street which have got bricks and mortar, they're going to be

severely punished in comparison to the big guys in the new digital age.

Somewhere that had been fearing some of the biggest rises in business

Today the Chancellor's moves to soften these seemed

We have to pass on so much of the price increases

to our customers, or absorb the price rises ourselves.

It's a great day, but there is still that need

for long-term reform for

the feature to ensure that doesn't happen in the future.

The current business rates just tax business

whether a customer walks through the door or not,

and I think everybody would say it's fairer to tax on

profits, and that makes it more competitive and investment strategy

for businesses rather than just having big rises just for actually

existing, and opening your door on day one.

One final thought from St Austell brewery who own this pub:

2p on a pint: "extremely disappointing

"a real body blow" to the industry.

And from Tavistock to Westminster, where our political editor

Martyn Oates has been following today's announcements.

We've got used to little lists of goodies for the south-west being

This time I think the only two specific

references were one to the

Exeter mathematics school, and the news that the Plymouth MP Oliver

Colville will be the government's official representative for the

Mayflower 400 centenary celebrations.

And I'm joined now by both of the favoured duo, Oliver

Colville, and the Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw.

Oliver Colville, to begin with, a lot of people have made the

point today that there was nothing in the budget today with your other

hat on as the leader of the group of MPs campaigning for better rail

We've been having serious conversations with

ministers, and it's quite clear that the government is very much

committed to improving the railways, and indeed at a recent meeting they

made it quite clear as well that we are

starting to do work on the

Dawlish line in a roundabout 2019, and then they'll look at what they

can do as far as the Tavistock line concerned probably some little while

The top priority is most certainly going to be sorting out

that Dawlish line, that we don't ever again

see our economy west of

Exeter being mucked around in the way in which it was when that

Ben Bradshaw, the government is moving to deliver on

Oh, it seems to me that Mrs May has quietly dropped those

grandiose promises that were made by George Osborne and David Cameron

We all remember what they were, big in

the structure investment in the south-west

we are halfway through the parliament is now and we've seen

The governments does seem to have listened

and delivered help both on

social care and help with the business rates increase.

Yes, I'm pleased about what they said on

business rate and social care, although I think the social care is

a sticking plaster, it's not a long-term solution,

it doesn't make up for the big cats we've already

suffered, and of course another broken election promise on

increasing national insurance contributions will be self-employed.

Oliver, that's really interesting, isn't it, for a Conservative

You'll know that lots of Conservative backbenchers are cross

about this increase in national insurance contributions for small

businesses and small business constituencies are one which

traditionally the Conservative Party looks to.

It most certainly is, it is a very important one and

especially in my constituency there is a large amount of small

I think we need to remember two things, though, one is

that people who are repaying their money through PAYE, they need to be

treated on a level playing field I would argue, with the small

Secondly, we will have to see the debates that are taking

the announcement get made during the Budget Statement, but we

do need to see how this is now going to develop

number of people who are speaking very firmly on that issue.

Are you suggesting that you might be opposed to it and the government

No, no, all I'm just saying is that we need to

have a conversation about it, that's a bit of a priority.

To ensure that this government actually does

OK, Oliver Colville, Ben Bradshaw, thank you both very much.

The background of this of course politically in the south-west is

that all of the MPs, bar Ben Bradshaw,

are Conservative MPs, and

as they seem to like reminding us they know that there will be public

pressure on them to deliver as a lobbying force in Westminster.

Onto other news now, and campaigners from the south west have been

protesting in London today over changes to women's pension age.

They say they've had up to six years added on,

with little or no notice, and are calling on the Government

They claim the changes to the state pension scheme amount

Police searching for a 26-year-old missing woman in North Devon have

Lauren Phillips' car was last seen in Woolacombe almost two weeks ago.

Devon Councillors are threatening to refer plans to close 71

Community Hospital beds to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

They want health commissioners to assure them it's good

for the local health service and that the consultation

Investigators think plastic packaging accidentally left

on a sauna heater caused a major fire in Exeter.

The Riverside Leisure Centre was severely damaged in the fire

It's not known how long the centre will remain closed.

Let's take a look at the weather now - here's David.

Hello, good evening. Missed and low cloud causing a few problems for us

at the moment, quite extensive and pretty poor visibility out there. It

may be that tomorrow the drizzle and Mr Will clear, steadily to the

south, mainly affecting the English Channel posts, and the more western

parts of Cornwall with somewhat brighter conditions nudging in from

the north but for tonight and tomorrow, the Hill and coastal fog

is quite thick, and if it is causing problem is on our roads it would be

for updates. This weather front for updates. This weather front

straight across Cornwall for the middle of the day, and by the middle

day on Friday as lot of moist air but it has moved away but I am able

there will be bricks on the cloud on Friday. Showers overnight surmising

that drizzle and missed and low cloud as I mentioned, poor

visibility and a miles 10-11 degrees minimum damage. Tomorrow, along the

south coast the drizzle probably continues but further north there is

a good chance of some breaks in the cloud, but where that happens we

will get some pretty good stab at it,. Always very misty and rather

cloudy for the more western parts of Cornwall. On Friday we start the day

similarly, lots of cloud of mist, but it will brighten up and by the

afternoon clouds holes developed to let the sunshine income of 13 to 14

the top temperature. Showers possible on Saturday and Sunday, but

turning fresher at the same time. Having at night.

Lots more online - breakfast bulletins start from 6.25 tomorrow.

Good night though, from all of us here.

outlook, staying mild and Nick has the bigger picture across the UK.

Hello. Spring is in the air with temperatures reaching 14 or 15 in a

few spots today as they will again over the next few days. Very

pleasant in the sun. The daffodils were loving that in York. More

places under blue sky tomorrow and dry. Tonight heavy showers moving

across Scotland on strong to gale force winds, some may clip Northern

Ireland. It's a mild night in southern England and South Wales but

damp and drizzly, misty with coastal and hill fog elsewhere. Temperatures

in between and dry: This damp weather hangs on from parts of the

Channel Islands, to Cornwall. Elsewhere, it's getting brighter in

South Wales and southern England. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland

some sunny spells around from the word go. The