I think I've foudn what I was looking for. If i used the method suggested here the multitrim button didnt remove the part of my clip that was not needed.
For example, I dont want to actually cut a clip into more sections but simply not use a the start, end or both. In the pop out trimmer you can select a start and end point from the clip. The multitrim doesnt seem to do that.
If you select both the audio and video track, right click and select "Link Video and Audio" then it seems to make the tracks act as one which is what I want to do.
I have to say my preference would be for this behaviour to be by default with the option of unlinking the audio track should I want to.