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00:00There's been a number of pinch points for councils across the country.
00:04The first one is the interest rates, how the inflation went up significantly,
00:10which really impacted on councils because the Tories lost control of the economy.
00:15The second one has been around homelessness and the housing crisis
00:19because the Tories failed to build the houses we need,
00:22but they also promised to end Section 21 no-fault evictions.
00:25They've not done either of those two things,
00:27and that's been a pressure point in councils.
00:30And then our longer-term funding settlements,
00:32so they can plan and invest for the future.
00:34One-year settlements do not help local authorities as well,
00:38so our local growth plans, along with stabilising the economy locally and local services,
00:45will mean that we will have better services
00:47and we'll be able to support the local businesses here
00:50so that we can get that regeneration in areas like the M&S building.
00:54Because at the moment, the confidence in Britain's economy has been evaporated
00:59because of the chaos of the Tories over the last number of years.
01:03And one big road scheme over there is the Arsenal Bypass.
01:08The successive governments have promised it.
01:10No skater put on the ground.
01:12The Tories have said they're going to use HST funding to continue it.
01:16Will your government be the one that finally gets work started?
01:19Well, if the money is there and it's earmarked,
01:21then that's obviously something that we would look at.
01:23But I'm not going to sit here and talk about individual projects
01:27when I've not even seen that.
01:29I've not been in government.
01:30I haven't seen the funding that they keep promising people.
01:34I've not seen whether that money is there or not.
01:36But obviously, we do want to see investment in local areas.
01:39And I'm pretty certain that Rosie, as the Labour MP for here,
01:43would be banging down the door of Rachel and of Lou Haig, of Lou,
01:47the Transport Secretary, to ensure that that investment,
01:50if the money is there and it's been earmarked, is spent in this area.
01:54That's the thing here, though.
01:55We need investment into our infrastructure and catering.
01:58And that's something that comes up on the Tories so regularly,
02:01whether we're talking about investment with NHS appointments
02:04or the road infrastructure.
02:06It was really disappointing to see North Northamptonshire
02:09miss that planning application and that development be delayed further
02:13because I know that people are waiting for it.
02:16They were promised it and it hasn't come.
02:19So, yeah, it was disappointing to see the council miss that.
02:21And just lastly, Rachel Reeves last week, you this week,
02:24seems like a friendly kitchen sink at Kettering.
02:26Do you have a message for Philip Hollibone, who's been here for 19 years as the MP?
02:30Look, I think that, you know, I don't see how he can stand on the record
02:35of the last 14 years of the Conservatives.
02:37They've really let people down here in Kettering and across the UK.
02:41And people are desperate for change.
02:44And they've had 14 years and 14 years of broken promises
02:48where, you know, Rishi Sunak says we've turned a corner.
02:51Well, I say to the people of Kettering, do you feel better off?
02:54It's a real scandal that for the first time in generations
02:59that people, we're going to leave the next generation worse off
03:02than the generation before.
03:04Me and Keir don't accept that.
03:06And it's the Tories that fail people.
03:08I say to people in Kettering, give us a chance.
03:10Rosie knows what the challenges people face here in Kettering.
03:14And we will do everything we can to do the hard yards,
03:17to turn things around, to get that growth
03:20and that support for our public services.
03:23And we cannot continue with the chaos and the decline
03:26that we've had under the Conservatives.
03:28We think our country's best years are ahead of us.
03:31But we need a government that matches the ambitions of the British people.