A Budget To Fuel Growth

Yesterday the Chancellor, George Osborne, set out his 2nd budget with plans to reform the economy, to create jobs and support families.

This Budget will put fuel back in the tank of Britain's economy.


Help for families:

- An immediate cut in fuel duty by 1 pence per litre and a delay of April's inflation rise in duty to next January. This means fuel duty is 6 pence lower than it would be under Labour. We are paying for this by putting up taxes on the oil companies while the oil price is high to create a Fair Fuel Stabiliser.
- An increase in the personal allowance from £6,500 to £8,100 over the next two years. This will mean £326 extra for working people and it will lift over a million low paid people out of tax altogether.
- £250 million to help 10,000 first time buyers get on the housing ladder.
- A freeze in Air Passenger Duty this year.
- Money for councils so virtually every council in England will freeze council tax next month.
- A new scheme to allow Gift Aid to be claimed on the contents of charities' collecting tins and street buckets, and support for largest donations with radical reforms to Inheritance Tax - if you leave 10 per cent or more of your estate to charity, then the Government will take 10 per cent off your inheritance tax bill.
- As well as helping in the short term we need to reform our economy to create growth and jobs in the future. The hard truth is that Britain has lost ground in the world economy.

Under Labour manufacturing halved, and growth depended on unsustainable public spending, debt and financial services. We need a new model of growth based on investment, manufacturing and exports - a Britain that makes things again. This Budget started that process, with measures that include:

- An additional 1p cut in corporation tax. In April this year corporation tax will fall from 28% to 26%. It will continue to fall by 1% in each of the following three years reaching 23%. Britain will be competitive again.
- Doubling Entrepreneurs Relief to £10m and sweeping changes to the generosity, simplicity and reach of the Enterprise Investment Scheme, with an increase in the income tax relief available from 20% to 30%.
- An extension of the small business rate relief holiday for another year.
- An additional £100m for new science facilities and more generous tax credits for small business research and development.
- 21 new Enterprise Zones with business rate cuts and new broadband to promote growth across the country.
- A review of the revenue raised by the temporary 50p rate of income tax
- 50,000 additional apprenticeships and 100,000 work placements for young people.
- £3bn for a Green Investment Bank, which will generate an additional £15 billion in private sector investment in green projects and low carbon energy.

Fluoride Decision Must Be A Local One

I am appalled at the arrogance of bureaucrats at the Strategic Health Authority. This unelected Quango is set to be abolished in April 2012, yet it still intends to push through its plans to add fluoride to our local water supply.

These sorts of controversial decisions should be taken locally and not by unaccountable bureaucrats. In April next year the SHA is being scrapped and decisions like fluoride will pass to local authorities. This makes their decision to push ahead even more perverse.

I am objecting to this in the strongest possible terms. They should put the decision on hold and then local people can decide the issue in due course.

Union Militants Will Damage Southampton

The union bosses say that they will mount a legal challenge against Southampton City Council over terms and condition changes and that they will hold crippling strikes. What is it really they are hoping to achieve?

By making these changes the council is ensuring that front line services are protected as best they can be. That’s why in Southampton all our leisure centres, our libraries and sure start centres will stay open, and why we will keep important services like weekly bin collections and can invest more in safeguarding vulnerable children. Compulsory job losses are being kept to the absolute minimum.

There simply isn’t the money there to fund the pay rises that the union bosses are demanding and at the same time properly protect our front line services.

So if the unions succeed, what are the consequences? Southampton will go the way of Labour Manchester, with cuts to services and the closure of libraries and sure start centres and the like. Cuts to services will also mean the loss of hundreds of council jobs. Council tax will go through the roof.

Throughout the process the union bosses made it crystal clear that they weren’t interested in reaching an agreement. They offered no solutions and even went as far as stopping the Labour Party producing an alternative set of budget proposals for the city.

They want a fight pure and simple. They know if they win the cuts they will cause to front line services and the job losses that will mean. They don’t care because for the union militants this is purely about partisan politics.

Shame on them! And shame on our Labour councillors and Labour MPs for backing them!

Council Leader Says 'No Thanks!'

The Daily Echo front page today carries the story that Conservative Council Leader, Royston Smith has vowed to oppose the proposed Power Station in the Western Docks. This is a tremendous boost for the campaign to stop the Helius application.

No to Power Station!

As your local ward councillors, Brian Parnell, Michael Ball, and I will do all we can to fight the proposed Helius power station in the Western Docks.

The Conservatives on the city council will be objecting to Helius, the city council’s planning department and the Infrastructure Planning Commission (the decision makers).

We will be raising residents’ concerns of about:

- The size and mass of the proposed building and its impact on the community
- Noise levels
- Air quality
- Pollution
- The fuel source
- Traffic consequences during both construction and operation

We will also do everything we can to raise awareness in the local community.

If would like to speak with us about this issue or any other matter please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Backing the Have a Heart Campaign

This afternoon I am visiting Southampton General Hospital to see the work being done at the specialist children's heart centre.

Despite being rated as the 2nd highest performing of 11 centres in England, it is under threat from closure, with the number of such centres around the country being reduced.

A consultation is now taking place and I have written to the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley urging him put pressure on the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts to keep this excellent facility.

UPDATE 14/03/11 - Visit to the unit was extremely productive. We managed to have some very detailed dicussions with some of the surgeons and staff. We also saw the excellent work being done to support families by the charity Wessex Heartbeat.

Cllr Leader Royston Smith and I have pledged to lobby the Prime Minister to support the unit and the great work being done there.

Funding Boost for Local Children

The Coalition government is keeping its promise to spend more on schools and to target extra funding towards the most deprived parts of the country.

The details of the funding settlement for Southampton schools has now been announced. On average Southampton schools will receive an extra 3.4% in funding in this coming year and this includes more than £2.7m extra in the form of the new Pupil Premium.

The Pupil Premium means that extra funding is targeted to support children who receive Free School Meals and to children whose parents serve in the Armed Forces.

This is fantastic news for Freemantle Ward with many local schools set to benefit from the Pupil Premium:

Banister Infant School + £13,760
Foundry Lane Primary School + £32,650
Freemantle C Of E Infant School + £10,750
St Mark'S C Of E Junior School + £37,840
Regents Park Community College + £80,380

Locally Conservative Councillors are protecting funding for the city’s Sure Start Centres so that, despite the tough financial times we ensure that all these valuable facilities remain assessable for local families.

Meetings Regarding Proposed Power Station

The Infrastructure Planning Commission is holding two further consultation meeting regarding the application by Helius for a bio mass power station in the Western Docks.

Please get in touch if you want to raise anything with Brian, Michael or me on this matter.

Labour Are To Blame For Britain's Debts

Labour are very keen to blame the banks for the country’s financial problems.

Whilst the banks have a great deal to answer, for we shouldn’t forget that Gordon Brown’s reckless spending and borrowing from 2001 onwards is for the most part the reason for the Britain’s huge debts and budget deficit.

Despite this apalling legacy Labour still refuse to apologise.

There is no apology for the longest recession amongst the world’s biggest economies.

There is no apology for the deepest economic contraction in Britain’s history.

And there is no apology for the biggest deficit in the developed world.