Jeremy Hunt

that they went to the local area, that they not only slashed their equivalent of council tax, but when broadband arrived, they had free broadband, and they still have free broadband in this area.

So, you know, they've actually had a trade-off there, and the local people are quite happy, and they see it's worked.

And so this is the kind of thing we could easily sort out here.

Well, look...

What's stopping us?

I think the truth is that we've gone in the wrong direction.

We've thought the issue, what we need to do is to have elected mayors.

I think they're good.

But you need to give elected mayors the power to transform their areas.

And that means tax raising effectively.

It means tax raising, but it also means receiving the taxes that are generated by new businesses that they are allowed to take root in their areas.

I totally get what you're saying, Steph.

And you're worried that the kind of the places that are a bit behind could get left even further behind.

Yes.

What I would say is that's basically what's happened in this country.

I mean, if you take Middlesbrough, somewhere very close to your own heart,

If they decide what they really need in Middlesbrough is a new ring road or a new rail station, right now they have to get down to London, bang on the Treasury door.

Beg the Chancellor for money.

The Chancellor's got all these pressures that Robert and I were talking about earlier.

And it never happens or it takes an age for it to happen.