A FUTURE FAIR FOR ALL

A FUTURE FAIR FOR ALL

Issue
On Saturday the Prime Minister set out the clear choice for voters at the coming election. Key points
In the months ahead, the British people will make a big choice about the kind of future we want for Britain. A choice between creating a future that is fair for all, or a change that puts the recovery at risk, threatens public services and makes life tougher for families.
Labour will create a new age of aspiration - a future fair for all.
We must secure the recovery - not put it at risk.
We must support new industries and future jobs.
We must protect frontline services - not cut them.
We must stand up for the many - not the few.
The Tories threaten an age of austerity - a change you can't afford.

SECURING THE RECOVERY
Faced with a global recession and the worst financial crisis in 60 years, the British people were not prepared to let the recession take its course - and neither were we. We chose to fight back with bold action to protect homes, jobs and businesses.
The action we have taken together is working - the rates of job losses, business failures and home repossessions have been a lot lower than in the Tory recession of the 1990s.
Now we must maintain support and lock in recovery. It would be a huge mistake to cut support now and put the recovery at risk.
Labour will continue supporting families and businesses, strengthening the recovery and promoting jobs. When growth is secured, we will halve the deficit over four years and we will do it fairly. The Tories are a change you can't afford:
The Tory plan for immediate cuts would choke off the recovery - leading to a decade of low growth and austerity.
The Tories have shown where their real priorities lie by committing to an inheritance tax cut which would give £200,000 to each of the 3,000 richest estates in the country.

PROTECTING FRONTLINE SERVICES
Labour will protect frontline services. We will give guarantees of high standards to everyone - not just the few.
In the NHS we will create legally binding guarantees for all patients including one-week cancer diagnosis. And we will create a new National Care Service with free personal care for the elderly with highest needs. As a starting-point, we will offer free personal care at home for those with the highest needs.
In education our plans will see us give every child the guarantee of a good education. We will offer catch-up tuition so that all children leave primary school secure in the 3Rs, and a right to a sixth-form, college or apprenticeship place for school leavers. Parents will be offered guarantees of a good school, with good discipline properly enforced, and we will introduce school report cards giving parents full information on their choice of local schools - including other parents' views.The Tories are a change you can't afford:
The Tories would scrap Labour's two-week cancer referral guarantee; the 18-week treatment guarantee; and the four-hour A&E waiting time guarantee. They offer gambles not guarantees for millions of people across Britain.
Tory plans would take money from existing schools to create new cut price schools, often in rented office blocks and without proper sports facilities.

STANDING UP FOR THE MANY
Labour will help families to balance work and family life, give their children the best start in life, and feel safe and secure on their streets and in their neighbourhoods
With Labour there will be a Sure Start centre in every community - 3,500 will be open by March this year. And free entitlement to a nursery place for every three and four-year-old will be extended to 15 hours a week - up from 12.5 hours this year - with 10 hours a week for 65,000 two year olds by 2012.
Labour will continue to support the police force, protecting frontline policing and giving new guarantees on response times and a pledge that your neighbourhood policing team spends at least 80 per cent of its time on the beat in your community.
Too often a few problem families can cause havoc in our communities, so we will increase the number of families given intensive, hard-edged support.
Every time a young person breaches an ASBO, an order will be put on them and their parents. If it's broken there will be tough sanctions against the parents.
We will crack down on alcohol-related disorder, including giving councils the power to ban 24-hour drinking.
A firm but fair system for immigration. Our Australian-style Points-Based System will ensure that only those with the skills that we need to build a stronger economy can come here.The Tories are a change you can't afford:
The Tories' plans would mean cutting the Child Trust Fund, Child Tax Credits and Sure Start for families on middle and modest incomes.
The Tories would make it harder for the Police to use DNA evidence to catch and convict criminals, including suspected murderers and rapists - putting the public at greater risk.

NEW INDUSTRIES, FUTURE JOBS
Following the global economic downturn, we know that the economy needs to be re-balanced. As the world changes we will need to compete in new sectors which will grow rapidly in the years ahead.
Labour is investing £5 billion to help people back into work. We will guarantee a job or training place for all 18-24 year olds out of work for six months.
Labour will support industries where we have key technology strengths such as advanced manufacturing, low carbon, life sciences and the creative and digital industries to create jobs and opportunities for British industry.
We believe there is an active role for government to ensure that UK manufacturing succeeds in the future. The Strategic Investment Fund, worth £950 million, is already providing investment in advanced industrial projects. We need to build on this success. The Tories are a change you can't afford:
The Conservatives refuse to support Labour's £5 billion investment in helping people back to work. They offer a gamble - not a guarantee - to young people out of work.
The Tories have shown time and time again that they have no credible plan for growth, refusing to set out how they would build a stable economy. Their incoherent proposals would threaten business and jobs across the UK - they really are a change that people across Britain just can't afford.

BUDGET LETTER TO ADVERTISER

Dear editor,

Thank you for publishing a council response on your website to last week’s article (February 4) about the children’s services budget.

We did provide a council statement to this story which unfortunately missed your print deadlines.

For those readers who may not have chance to see this online, I include it again here.

I trust you will help to inform residents by making this available in your paper also.

"We do have an overspend in this year's budget which we will manage effectively so that it does not affect crucial services next year.

"A big part of this has come from the duty of placing children with special needs in the most appropriate provision.

"These placements can be more expensive than the government funding we get each year which means overspends are hard to avoid, but necessary in the best interests of the children of this city."

Your story also noted that cuts to youth workers were being made and I’d like to reassure readers that there are absolutely no plans, in no shape or form, to cut these posts now or in the future.

Yours
Councillor John Warmisham
Salford City Council’s leader member for children’s services