A new direction for Bury South

The latest Government figures published this week show that truancy is now at its highest level for at least ten years. The figures were published after it emerged the Government have dropped their target to cut truancy following a steady rise since 1997.  They have now decided to scrap the targets altogether following the latest set of Public Sector Agreement (PSA) targets – quietly slipped out after the Comprehensive Spending Review two weeks ago even though the Government admits it is crucial to tackling youth crime and drug and alcohol abuse.

The increase in truancy contributes to all sorts of other problems such as alcohol and drug abuse and youth crime, all of which are already on the increase. One concern that was told to me is that a large majority of truants are actually off school with their parents’ knowledge.  This is another example of Government’s failure to get a grip on a serious issue which is only contributing to the poor levels some of our children leave school with and this is a Government which wants to raise the school leaving age to 18. 

One solution back in 2003 when our Bury South MP was then Education Minister was to fine parents £100 and in 2002 the former Education Secretary David Blunkett promised to reduce truancy by a third but by 2004 it was already cut to a still unrealised target of10%.  Rather than education, education, education it is more like failure, failure, failure.

Carefully kept away from the recent Pre-Budget Report but released quietly last week by the Treasury is the fact that the upper  level at which full National Insurance at 11% is paid is to rise costing each tax payer this affects around £500 per year.  This has of course been instigated to pay for the so called tax cut in income tax to 20% although removing the lower rate of 10% has only penalised low income families also.  The pity is that not only will this increase in national insurance not fund the very purpose that it was set up to provide for such as the national health and pensions but it is just to cover the cost of the so called tax reduction at the lower end.  As someone who works for a charity I know that we will suffer by the reduction of income tax down 2% as we will only be able to claim the tax back via Gift Aid at this rate.  With a Government allegedly keen to work with and encourage the voluntary sector I wonder what they will do to help charities!  We are always told to read the small print but in the case of this Labour Government it seems more necessary than ever!

  

So Sir Menzies Campbell, Leader of the Liberal Democrat party has resigned.  All sorts of rumours why are being banded about but it is clear to me with the Conservatives moving more to the centre ground and the Liberals falling rapidly in the polls this country is quickly returning to a 2 Party country again and no room for the Liberal Democrats.  With the polls the way they were at the weekend it really is a shame Gordon ‘bottled it!’

Yesterday David Nuttall, PPC for Bury North,  and I were delighted to accompany William Hague MP around Bury Market where we met with many of the traders and shoppers from across the North West.    He was greatly impressed with the size of the market and the variety of products available.  After tasting champagne chocolates and black pudding he settled down for a coffee before getting the metrolink tram back into Manchester City Centre for lunch.   As well as all the press reporters and photographers he was asked some tough questions from shoppers and traders alike ranging from the national health service, what we will do for pensioners and when he will next be on ‘Have I got News for You!’  Hopefully it will not be too long before he is back in Bury.

Gordon Brown thinks he is clever – let us think there is an election about to happen, then let us announce SOME of our policies and then a week later steal them for himself.   Today’s announcements by Alistair Darling were no surprise I wouldn’t have thought to anyone what the real surprise will be is if they actually  happen and how effectively they will be administered – it is one thing copying but it is another copying and not getting caught out by doing so!  Apparently this is being called a ‘Magpie’ budget well they do say ‘one for sorrow’! 

Oh well after weeks of allowing election fever to run wild during 3 Party conferences Gordon Brown decided to announce that there will be no election this November – well we say announce he invited Andrew Marr to interview him and then it was leaked to the press so no formal announcement actually.  So it looks like it will be at least another 18 months before Gordon Brown goes to the country to ask the electorate for a mandate to govern.