Complacent Ministers Must Wake Up to Jobs Emergency

New unemployment statistics confirmed that we’re facing an unemployment emergency in Britain.

Unemployment has now soared to the highest level for a generation and long term youth unemployment has more than doubled since January last year.

Those of us who watch this closely see what’s going wrong. Tax rises and spending cuts that go too far and too fast have choked off the recovery. Result? No jobs and growth or prospect of them.

The Tory-led Government is now set to borrow £158 billion more than planned – because more people are out of work claiming benefit rather than paying tax. Result? An economic plan that’s backfired and a deficit headache that won’t go away.

The new work programmes they boasted about are yet to have an impact. Result? Higher youth unemployment returning and a benefit bill we simply can’t afford.

The Government claimed last month that the labour market is ‘stabilising’. This shows how clearly out of touch they are with ordinary people.

Complacent ministers need to wake up to the jobs crisis they're responsible for and take urgent action now.

Labour's Plan for Jobs

This is a really worrying time for families and businesses. Many people are struggling with higher food prices and gas and electricity bills.

They are worried about their jobs and their children’s futures.

The Tory-led Government are cutting too far and too fast and risk choking off economic recovery. Unemployment is rising again and is currently at the highest level in 17 years. One in five young people are out of work and now more women are unemployed than at any time since 1988. We need to act now to show the Tory-led Government that there is another way.

Labour has set out a clear five-point plan for jobs, to help struggling families and support small businesses. Our jobs plan includes:

1. A £2 billion tax on bank bonuses to fund 100,000 jobs for young people and build 25,000 affordable homes

2. Bringing forward long-term investment projects, like new school buildings

3. Temporarily reversing the VAT rise – a £450 boost for families with children

4. A one year cut in VAT to 5% on home improvements and repairs to help small businesses

5. A tax break for every small firm which takes on extra workers

Drop The Bill

Put the NHS first

The Government is planning the biggest re-organisation of the NHS since it began in 1948.

It is unnecessary, unwanted, wasteful and damaging – and threatens to end the NHS as we know it.

Only last year, the Government promised people they wouldn’t do it. Many thousands of people have already called on the Government to stop.

But they are ploughing on, ignoring public and professional opinion, out of touch with Britain.

We need to make the Government listen before it's too late.

Please sign Labour's petition at http://www.dropthebill.com/

Save Our High Streets

I'm calling on the Tory-led Government to back jobs and growth and take action to Save Our High Street in Bolton. High street shops are continuing to struggle while the Government stands by and does nothing.

Slow retail sales and the recent wave of high street failures have been exacerbated by the Government’s VAT hike and its failure to back Labour’s plan to give local people a real say over the future of their high street.

Over 20% of shops in Bolton stand empty, while retail sales remain sluggish with a monthly increase in volume of 0.7% in June following a 1.4% fall in May. According to the Office of National Statistics this week, “the underlying pattern in the monthly retail sales growth rate was flat.”

Labour is calling for the Government to implement its four point plan to Save Our High Streets;

1. Cut VAT - introduce a temporary cut in VAT from 20% to 17.5%, to give struggling retailers a boost and put £450 back into each family’s pocket.

2. Give local people the power to put the heart back into the high street. By amending the Localism Bill, Labour would give communities a real say in developing a plan for their local shops.

3. Repeat Labour’s empty shops initiative, enabling councils to pursue innovative uses for empty shops and reinvigorate high-streets, such as using vacant units for cultural, community or learning services, rather than leaving them empty. We would fund a £5 million programme as part of the £200 million allocated to regional growth from a repeat of the bank bonus tax.

4. Promote a fair playing field on the High Street by putting a competition test into the planning system.


The Tory-led Government has opposed Labour’s plan to cut VAT to give our high street a boost and has failed to back Labour’s call to give local people a greater say over their high street.

The Tories opposed Labour’s plan to give local people a real say over the future of their High Street.

I want the Government to take action so we can put the heart back in the high street.”

I held a ‘Meet Your MP’ event on Market Street, Little Lever, on Saturday 30th July from 10.30am – 11.30am to speak to local residents about Labour’s campaign.

Labour’s petition to protect the NHS

I'm backing Labour’s new national campaign to protect the National Health Service.

Since the General Election, the British public has seen David Cameron break promise after promise on the NHS despite promising that it was a top priority.”

Labour’s petition to protect frontline services, launched today, calls on David Cameron to keep his promises to:

• Protect frontline NHS services;

• Stop precious NHS money being wasted on a big top-down reorganisation, which is putting the NHS at risk; and

• Provide the real increase he promised in NHS funding

The Conservative Party launched a similar petition in November 2009, but have backtracked since the General Election. Labour is calling on people from across the country to sign-up and send David Cameron and the Tory-led Government a message that they must keep their promises.

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, launching Labour’s petition to protect the NHS, said:

“David Cameron promised to protect the NHS. He pledged to give the NHS a real rise in funding and stop top-down reorganisations that get in the way of patient care.

“But he’s scrapped Labour’s waiting time guarantees for hospital treatments and GP appointments, and he’s cutting frontline staff while wasting £2 billion on a reckless reorganisation.

“His plans for heath will open all parts of the NHS to free market competition and rip the “N” out of the NHS.

“When it comes to improving the nation’s health, all we have seen from David Cameron so far is broken promise after broken promise.

“People saw big improvements with Labour but they’re now seeing the NHS go backwards again under the Tories.

“So Labour is calling on David Cameron to keep his NHS promises. We’re launching a petition – at http://www.labouremail.org.uk/emails/ln/28073/2/15/3458/90a08077f443b476994ee76cf856dd2f/ – so the public can hold David Cameron to his promise to protect the NHS and stop the Tories’ damaging changes.”

Campaigning against police cuts

I was in Farnworth town centre at the weekend, campaigning against cuts made by the Tory/Lib Dem Government to Greater Manchester Police's budget which could mean the loss of 1387 front line police officers.

Many thanks to everyone who signed my petition against the cuts.

You can see more here or sign Labour's online petition here

Wrong Cuts, Wrong Time

Greater Manchester Police have announced 1,387 police officer jobs will be axed due to LibDem-Tory Government spending cuts.

At the General Election local Lib Dems promised more police officers. Now in Government they are cutting them.

This is not what you voted for. Greater Manchester deserves better.

Join Labour's campaign and sign the petition to help oppose cuts to Greater Manchester Police:

http://www.999wrongcutswrongtime.com/

Or join me in Farnworth town centre (near Asda) on Saturday 4th December at 1.00pm to sign the petition and oppose the cuts