In the wake of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spending Round announcement for 2015/16, many local Crawley residents will be wondering what it all means for them.
With the Conservative three year council tax freeze pledge delivered; with a £3 billion budget for greater joined up social and health care for the elderly; and with the Government’s welfare cap and reformed jobseeker claimant qualification criteria (such as the ability to speak English) – this Government is taking the necessary tough but fair steps to help and support hard working people.
In addition, key barometers of activity in the construction and services sector by financial data compilers, Markit, have helped pave the way for the UK’s growth rate to be upgraded. With the infrastructure improvement budget set to increase by £10 billion to support the largest road investment in over fifty years and congestion easing measures such as at Three Bridges and Gatwick rail stations and along the M23, Great Britain’s ailing, Victorian infrastructure is receiving the investment that it desperately needs to cater for the twenty first century.
The impact from these signs of recovery is that Crawley’s unemployment rate has fallen to 3.2 percent – now lower than at the start of the financial crisis in 2008 – and more young people are receiving jobs and apprenticeships than they were at the end of Labour’s tenure in government.
When this Government came into power it had to address one of the biggest economic crises since the Second World War. While it is never straightforward, Great Britain is moving out of intensive care – from rescue to recovery. This latest Spending Round sets out how the country will secure that recovery.
It shows how the Government will continue to cut the deficit. It prioritises investment in infrastructure to equip Great Britain to compete in the global race, and it ensures fairness for people who work hard and want to get on by further reforming welfare and capping welfare spending.
By protecting spending on schools and health, capping welfare and cutting waste in Whitehall, Conservatives are delivering for the hardworking people.
Henry Smith MP