Eco unfriendly?

Allister Craddock
Politics Show East Midlands

A row has erupted over plans to build a third Eco Town in the East Midlands

The Politics Show hears from the Mayor of an East Midlands town who is incensed that plans for an eco-town have been submitted to the Government only days before the initial public consultation closes.

The proposal, from Crown Estates, Defence Estates and Nottingham LLP, was only revealed on Wednesday 25 June 2008.

They plan to build between 5,000 and 6,000 houses on the former RAF site at Newton near Bingham.

Councillor George Davidson, Mayor of Bingham, says it is outrageous that the first consultation deadline closes on Monday 30 June 2008.

He is angry too with Rushcliffe Borough Council who, according to the Department, broadly support the plan.

So how can Bingham residents make their views count when they are faced with such a tight deadline?

Some may argue that a disused RAF site is an ideal location for an eco-town.

But can a town the size of Bingham cope with such a development?

Councillor Davidson joins Marie Ashby in the studio along with the cabinet member for planning in Rushcliffe, Councillor Dave Bell.

The Newton site is one of fifteen locations on a Government eco-town shortlist.

Ten will be chosen. The final decision will be made in October 2008.

All in your genes?

An academic calls for tighter controls on companies who sell genetic tests.

The East Midlands Politics Show looks at growing fears over the marketing of genetic tests.

Stuart Hogarth from Loughborough University is calling for genetic tests to be independently verified before they are allowed to come on the market.

The latest scientific developments mean that it is now possible to establish cases in which people are at risk of developing a serious illness. So not surprisingly, more and more people are paying for genetic tests.

But Stuart Hogarth tells Robin Powell that the European Union judges most tests "low risk" and that there are no checks to see whether they work.

He says many tests cannot provide a definitive answer, yet some companies are marketing genetic kits as if they are 100 per cent accurate.

Robin also speaks to a director of a Nottinghamshire company that sells tests to consumers through the internet. The company insists that it is responsible with its marketing and that it has its own system of self-regulation.

Are you happy to leave it to companies to police themselves? Would you take one of these tests? Or is it time for the government to regulate the industry in all our interests?

The Human Genetics Commission advises the government on medical issues in this field. In 2003, and again last year, it produced reports warning of the dangers of misleading claims in genetic testing.

It too is calling for the industry to be regulated. And is meeting on Monday 30 June 2008 to discuss drawing up a Code of Practice for the industry.

Stubbing out Smoking

Patricia Hewitt talks about her time as Health Secretary

In the third of our special interviews with former Health Secretaries on our patch, Patricia Hewitt, tells our political editor, John Hess, that she believes the ban on smoking in public places is her greatest achievement.

It is hard to believe, given the huge public support for it now, that the ban came in for so much flak before it became law.

And she says, with an ageing population, it is time we all took more responsibility for our own health.

Catch up with what former Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell said about the NHS and its future

Last week, the MP for Charnwood, Stephen Dorrell, who was Health Secretary under John Major, criticised the extent to which the Government is wedded to targets.

But Patricia Hewitt will have none of it.

And she dismisses suggestions that the growth in hospital-acquired infections is a result of increased pressure for beds to meet those targets.

She insists: "It's down to the quality of hospital management to treat their patients fast, but also safely."

Catch up with what Kenneth Clarke said on the East Midlands Politics Show

Find out too how she is adamant that there's an increasing role for the private sector.

It was Kenneth Clarke, a member of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet, who launched our series of special interviews with former health secretaries who represent East Midlands constituencies.

He maintained that he was the architect of many of the Blair government's health reforms.

And he also had plenty of advice for the current government. For a start, he said, they should drop their plans for poly clinics.

Join Jon Sopel and Marie Ashby on the Politics Show for the East Midlands - Sundays at 12:00 BST on BBC One.

Ring us with your views on 0500 900 900 or email on the form below.

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