Newsnight's Michael Crick interviews Nick Clegg in Solihull as Solihull MP Lorely Burt looks on.
Yet The Lib Dem leader acknowledged it was a “controversial time” for the party but hoped its arguments for the need for spending cuts would win over voters.
Click the headline or link below to read the rest of this story and listen to the interview.
He spoke during a visit to engineering and design firm Arup, at Blythe Valley Business Park.
Solihull Lib Dems narrowly hold power in Westminster and on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
It won control of the council from the Conservatives through a coalition with Labour following elections last May. On May 5, 17 councillors out of 51 are up for election.
And Lib Dem Solihull MP Lorely beat the Tories in 2005 by 279 votes, 0.5 per cent and last year by 0.3 per cent, 175 votes.
Mr Clegg told The Silhillian: “Of course what I would hope is that we will not only hold onto seats but we will gain seats.”
Yet he said he was “not ignorant of the difficulties we are facing”.
He said: “This is a very difficult time for the country, it’s a challenging time for the Government and it’s clearly a controversial time for the party.”
The party is “dealing with a set of circumstances which are not of our choosing” he said. Recent polls have seen its support plummet.
Solihull council is cutting costs by 10 per cent with day centre fees set to rise, mobile library visits cut back and cuts to social services.
Mr Clegg said: “I didn’t come into Government to advocate cuts.
“But what I do know is that, at the end of the day, you have to wipe the slate clean to allow our children and grandchildren to enjoy the kind of public services which we have enjoyed.”
He said: “What we are saying is ‘yes this is difficult but it’s better to get it over and done with as quickly as possible so we can then move on.”
The Silhillian asked Mr Clegg whether the coalition should have changed health policy to prevent the loss of doctor-led maternity services from Solihull Hospital.
Doctor-led births were removed without consultation by health chiefs in January 2010. A consultation later took place and a decision will be made on May 25.
He said: “I think what angered so many people locally, beyond the merits of the case itself, was the way it was done so secretly and without any consultation.”
He said: “There are constantly challenges and changes in the NHS under whichever Government.
“They key thing though is to make sure that local people are properly involved.”
Earlier, Mr Clegg held a Q&A with Arup employees, below.
The Government’s involvement in Libya featured regularly, with Mr Clegg questioned on why ministers did not back action in other repressive regimes and arms sales to Libya.
He said of arms sales: “Because of the very very changed circumstances in North Africa and the Middle East, we have a responsibility to review how that export system works.”
Export licenses could be revoked, he said, but added that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had in recent years “appeared stable”.
This brought an angry response from the questioner, who said: “I would argue that Gaddafi’s never appeared stable.”
There was laughter when Mr Clegg, who famously signed a pre-election pledge not to hike tuition fees and later did just that, was asked whether he had signed a pledge on sustainable building standards.
He said: “I’ve learnt to sign pledges with some caution.”
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