Labour: Freezing energy bills until 2017

A 2015 Labour government will freeze gas and electricity bills until 2017.

Having listened to residents and small businesses up and down the UK, Labour know that energy cost have hit people by an average of £300 per year under this failed coalition government. Hard working individuals, families and businesses need a break from the above inflation rises being dished out by the big six energy companies and Labour will also cut business rates for smaller business to help them through tough times. These polices have been welcomed by the Essex businesses I have spoken to and I look forward to their implementation in 2015.  In fact three of the big six energy companies are already offering price fixing deals on the back of the announcement and while Eric Pickles takes a scaremongering approach stating power shortage fears were a “genuine threat”, Michael Gove said voters should take such scare stories “with a pinch of salt”. The Tories do not know whether to back or attack this policy showing once again that they put party politics above the needs of the UK’s citizens. Alongside scrapping the bedroom tax, wrap around care for all primary school children and 25 hours of free nursery care for working families, Labour is once again leading the way in helping us out of this coalition mess.

Even the Tories hate the Tories!

Over the summer months I have spoken to many residents in Basildon and heard how people feel that basic services are suffering under the local Tory council and the Conservatives running Essex County Council. I have to agree and it seems I'm not the only one. Even the Basildon Tories are fed up with how the borough's residents are being treated.

In an incredible attack on Tory run Essex County Council by Basildon Conservatives, Tory Cllrs. Phil Turner and David Abrahall have their say below:

Cllr. Turner claims the decision-makers at Essex County Council are biased towards the north of the county and have ‘scant regard’ for the well-being of Basildon residents. 

Cllr Abrahall added: “Once again Essex County Council has demonstrated that it has no consideration for the people of Basildon" and branded Basildon ‘the dumping ground of the county’.

Even the Tories hate the Tories!

 

Full story from the yellow advertiser here.........

http://www.basildon-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=31531&headline=%E2%80%98Let%E2%80%99s+go+it+alone%E2%80%99

10 Lib Dem Fails

A great piece by Harriet Harman MP for the Huffington Post regarding broken Lib Dem promises:

"The Liberal Democrats will do a lot of talking at their conference in Glasgow this week, so it's worth remembering the single most important truth about them: Nick Clegg has repeatedly said one thing and then done another. Time after time Nick Clegg has tried to distance himself from the failures of David Cameron's government but the truth is he has ditched his principles and voted in Parliament with the Tories all the way.

Here's a top 10:

1. Tuition Fees Nick Clegg campaigned on a promise to scrap tuition fees if they got into power, and every Liberal Democrat MP pledged to vote against future tuition fee increases. But once in government, Nick Clegg and his MPs voted to treble tuition fees to £9,000,

2. VAT Nick Clegg campaigned against what he called a "TORY VAT BOMBSHELL" during the election. But it was a bombshell he helped the Tories drop - voting to increase VAT to 20%.

3. Tax Cut for Millionaires Nick Clegg promised "fairer taxes in tough times", but he didn't deliver them. Instead, he backed a Tory cut in the top rate of tax, giving 13,000 millionaires a tax cut worth an average £100,000 while millions are paying more.

4. Living Standards Nick Clegg says that "thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the government has been helping people get through these difficult times with measures to make life fairer and easier". The reality is that, with Liberal Democrats in government, things are getting harder - with wages down £1,500 since the election and a million young people out of work.

5. NHS Nick Clegg and his party backed David Cameron's top-down NHS reorganisation from the start. It was passed thanks to Lib Dem votes, and they share responsibility for wasting £3billion on a top-down NHS reorganisation while more people wait longer in A&Es and over 5,000 nurses are cut. 6. Mansion Tax In opposition, the Liberal Democrats said they backed a mansion tax. Even after they went into coalition with the Tories, Nick Clegg said "The Mansion Tax is right, it makes sense and the Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for it. We're going to stick to our guns". Did he stick to his guns? Of course not. When given the chance to stand up for their own principles and vote for a mansion tax, Liberal Democrat MPs voted against it.

7. Constitutional Reform Nick Clegg said his constitutional reform programme would be "the biggest shake-up of our democracy since the Great Reform Act of 1832". It wasn't. He abandoned Lords reform after Conservative MPs refused to back it, and he failed to deliver reform of the voting system.

8. Sure Start In May 2010, Nick Clegg promised to protect Sure Start and told voters that "Difficult decisions are going to have to be made in public spending, but Sure Start is one of the best things the last government has done and I want all these centres to stay open". But in Government, the Liberal Democrats have backed cuts to Sure Start - and 558 centres have shut so far.

9. Police In the Liberal Democrat manifesto, Nick Clegg promised to put 3,000 more police on the beat. But in Government they backed Tory plans to cut more than 15,000 police officers.

10. Special Advisers In opposition, the Liberal Democrats said that special advisers "are political jobs, and should, therefore, be funded by political parties". They changed their tune when they got into Government. Nick Clegg alone has sixteen Special Advisers - paid for at the taxpayers' expense.

 

So whatever Nick Clegg says this weekend, the truth is the Liberal Democrats have not been a brake on the Tories during their time in Coalition. They have voted for the Government's policies in Parliament and must be held to account for these decisions."

Follow Harriet Harman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/HarrietHarman http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/harriet-harman/10-broken-lib-dem-promise_b_3925441.html

Tory spin is far from the SBET reality

While the complacent Tory led government delivers figures stating that unemployment is down this month the reality for residents in South Basildon and East Thurrock (SBET) is far from optimistic. People claiming JSA in the constituency over the past 12 months has only fallen by 1% (5 people) while claimants of Job Seekers Allowance for over 12 months, aged 24 and under, has trebled in the East of England under this government. This is a far cry from the picture being painted by the Tories who are looking after their own wealthy chums while many people need the support of food banks to feed their families. A rise in youth unemployment and yet another rise in long term unemployment is happening because there is simply not enough work to go round and the proof is a record high in the number of part-time workers looking for full-time jobs. These are the real facts: Real wages fell yet again by £12 a week, Unemployment went up across half of Britain, The youth jobless rate rose by 9,400 and long term unemployment rose yet again. There's now been an incredible rise of 364,000 part time workers looking for full time jobs since the election. We need a recovery for all so Labour will to help to make work pay by introducing a lower 10p starting rate of tax, paid for by a mansion tax, and to repeat the tax on bank bonuses to pay for a compulsory jobs guarantee for young people. Times are tough and we all need to play our part but while Cameron, Clegg and the better off in society are protected from their own austerity measures, the imbalance is clear for all to see. I am campaigning for a level playing field for all citizens in South Basildon and East Thurrock and fighting against a Tory/Lib Dem government that has turned its back on those who most need our help.

Labour Action on Regional Infrastruture

Labour take the lead on transport infrastructure.

Maria Eagle MP

This week (Tuesday 3rd September) I met with shadow Secretary of State for transport Maria Eagle MP and Thurrock parliamentary candidate for Labour Polly Billington to discuss transport infrastructure in our prospective constituencies including the Lower Thames Crossing, airport options and the ports soon to be dominated by DP World in East Thurrock.

While we wait to hear if the Conservatives will be making a decision on the current options for the Lower Thames Crossing this side of the next general election, Labour have committed to an independent National Infrastructure Commission as proposed by Sir John Armitt which would be appointed on a cross-party basis to identify and monitor our long-term infrastructure needs.

I am confident that a Labour government will get a strong grip on the needs of the area (and the country) regarding our transport infrastructure and I will make sure that residents of South Basildon & East Thurrock are treated with understanding and respect throughout the process.

We have heard subsequently that the Secretary of State for Transport has said that an extension to the consultation process would damage the area for longer than necessary. This is of real concern as Labour feel that the scope of the options in this current consultation is too narrow and a rush to make a decision now could damage the lives of many residents across the Thurrock area including Orsett village who would bear the brunt of a decision to commit to Option C.

I will continue to work with and support all groups involved in raising these issue at every level of government including the Thames Action Group and the WELCOM Forum which are both doing a great job in supporting residents in East Thurrock to speak up and make their views known prior to a decision being made that would change the constituency for ever.

Putting housing centre stage: why Labour is saying Yes to Homes

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to Labour's Shadow Housing Minister Jack Dromey MP about some exciting new housing policy ideas and will be meeting him later in the year to discuss the detail. Labour are supporting the Yes to Homes campaign and I am delighted to add my voice to the many who have signed up to support. The government must listen to the IMF's call for investment to secure a sustainable recovery. If the £10bn infrastructure boost they recommend was invested in housing, we could build 400,000 affordable homes, create 600,000 jobs and apprenticeships and strengthen our economy for the long-term.

Jack Dromey calls on councillors to say Yes to Homes. 

He said: “Britain is gripped by the biggest housing crisis in a generation.  Millions locked out of home ownership, spiralling waiting lists for social tenants, rising homelessness and soaring rents and a lack of security in the private rented sector.
The fundamental problem – as the National Housing Federation’s ‘Yes to Homes’ campaign is right to say – is we are not building enough homes."

More here… http://www.yestohomes.co.uk/ideas/opinion/item/48-why-labour-is-saying-yes-to-homes#.Uijs3p3n_cs

Yes to Homes is organised by National Housing Federation. They believe that everyone should have the home they need at a price they can afford.

Find out more about Yes to Homes here… rhttp://www.yestohomes.co.uk/ice of

Labour on Syria

The seriousness of the issues surrounding the safety of those living under the Assad regime in Syria deserves our complete attention. Every effort must be made to save innocent lives. Below Ed Miliband marks out the steps that must be adhered to if and military action is to be taken against this barbaric regime.  Ed Miliband: "Like everyone, I have been horrified by the pictures of men, women and children gasping for breath in Syria. In Parliament just now, I laid out my plan for how Britain should respond. My position is clear: any action that our country supports must be legal, legitimate and effective. Our country must not make the same mistakes that happened ten years ago. Our desperate desire to help stop this suffering in Syria must not lead us to rushed or wrong decisions. If we are to ask yet more of the most exceptional of our country's men and women -- those in our forces -- it must be on the basis of a decision that has complete moral authority. Here are the five steps we must take before coming to such a decision: 1) We must let the UN weapons inspectors do their work and report to the UN Security Council; 2) There must be compelling and internationally-recognised evidence that the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical weapons attacks; 3) The UN Security Council should debate and vote on the weapons inspectors' findings and other evidence. This is the highest forum of the world's most important multilateral body and we must take it seriously; 4) There should be a clear legal basis in international law for taking military action to protect the Syrian people; 5) Any military action must be time limited, it must have precise and achievable objectives and it must have regard for the consequences of the future impact on the region. I will use the full force of my position as leader of the Labour Party to ensure that Britain works fully with international institutions when we respond to outrages like those we have seen in Syria. We must work together for a world in which there is peace and security for all people, and we must also acknowledge that stability will not and cannot be achieved by military means alone."