Thursday, 30 April, 2009
 | Lancashire elections |
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Burnley’s voters have an historic role to play on 4th June when they get the chance to through Labour out of County Hall. I recognise that for many it will be a big thing to vote for a Conservative council for the first time in 28 years, but more people across Lancashire are voting Conservative – many of them for the first time.
This Labour Council has been in power for too long and has lost touch. They are good at chasing government targets, ticking boxes and talking jargon, but they’ve forgotten about the quality of our roads, opportunities for the young and helping local people through the recession.
Is it really a good idea to spend £850,000 on newspapers promoting themselves, recruit a chief executive on £150,000 a year, and employing 110 people in their own policy unit?
Is it really a good idea to cut the budgets for night care in homes for the elderly, respite care for disabled children, and local bus services?
The Conservatives will put an end to this waste and return Lancashire to common-sense, competent management.
The Liberal Democrats can’t win in Lancashire. Last time round, they only won 1% of the vote across the county.
Only a vote for the Conservatives on 4 June can bring about the change that Lancashire needs.
Thursday, 23 April, 2009
| Comfortable Labour fails Burnley |
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The latest official figures show that the number of job seekers in Burnley has risen by 86% over the last year. There are now 2,508 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Burnley compared to 1,342 in March 2008, and there are now 11.7 people chasing every one job centre vacancy in Burnley, compared to 2.8 a year earlier.
Over the next two years, the Government will borrow £348bn – more than all governments up to 1997; the national debt will double again to £1.4 trillion; every baby will now be born owing £22,500 and interest costs now total £43bn a year – more than the schools budget.
Labour plans cuts in capital spending after the election which will see £2.3bn off the NHS capital budget next year, £0.6bn off the Schools department capital budget next year and £0.3bn off Universities and Skills capital budget next year.
Labour views Burnley as “its safe territory,” but the truth is that “comfortable Labour” simply hasn’t delivered for Burnley and Padiham. Unemployment is far higher now than it was when Labour came to power.
Only Conservatives can tackle Labour’s debt crisis and deliver economic change for Britain. It’s time for change.
Thursday, 16 April, 2009
| Green technology - seizing the moment |
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British firms currently have less than a five per cent share of the global market for green goods and services. That’s less than France, Germany, Japan and the United States. Labour keeps talking about creating a low-carbon economy but, as usual, has done next to nothing to deliver.
Today Conservatives set out measures that the Government could introduce at the 2009 Budget to unleash at least £30 billion of private sector investment, and lay the foundations for a stable, competitive and low carbon recovery - including £6,500 to improve the energy efficiency of every home in Britain and a national recharging network for electric vehicles.
Burnley needs to be part of this revolution and we need to make sure the town is well placed to attract this investment before it goes somewhere else.
Labour’s inaction has messed up Burnley before. Let’s not let them do it again.
Richard
Monday, 13 April, 2009
| Housing is important |
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Under Labour the number of new homes being built has fallen to its lowest level since World War II; the number of households on local authority waiting lists for social housing in England has risen by 800,000 since 1997; and 75,000 homes are forecast to be repossessed in 2009.
This week Conservatives have unveiled our plans for an overhaul of housing policy, which would have a positive effect on housing across Burnley.
We’re proposing a policy to promote opportunity and social mobility, rather than reinforcing welfare dependency. And ours is a compassionate housing policy that recognises the need to house the vulnerable and tackle the soaring waiting lists under Labour.
Our proposals include offering all tenants with a record of five years’ good tenant behaviour a 10% equity share in their social rented property that can be cashed-in when they want to move up the housing ladder. This will give tenants a direct financial stake in the state of their neighbourhood, and rewards law-abiding citizens who pay their rent on time, keep their garden tidy, and ensure their children stay out of trouble.
We’ll also introduce a comprehensive national mobility scheme for good tenants who wish to move to other social sector properties, and we’ll pilot a scheme to allow good social tenants to demand that their social landlord sell their current property and use the proceeds, minus transaction costs, to buy (and thereby bring into the social rented sector) another property of their choice – anywhere in England.
And we’ll cut waiting lists by relaxing the rules that prevent thousands of habitable empty properties being used to house those on local authority waiting lists. 238 people are currently on the waiting lists in Burnley.
Richard
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