Our PPC, Andrew Skudder, and his team have been out and about in Horsham meeting the electorate, discussing Labour's successes and listening to what more people want from the Labour Government.Andrew is keen to point out the benefits of having a Labour Government and this is what he had to say on the subject recently:
For those of us steeped in Labour Movement History and Tradition the last 12 years have been the very best years of our political lives, starting with that most exciting of days May 1st 1997.
It is easy for us to recall the differences having a Government on our side has made to our communities as a whole, but 12 years on from the country most emphatically turning from Blue to Red, we thought we should go back out to the people of Horsham and remind them of the differences the Labour Government has made.
During the late winter and early spring period we delivered a leaflet highlighting the many changes the Labour Government has made and the effect these have had on all of us.
We also went door to door asking what changes had made the biggest impact and what more people would like to see in the future.
As a quick reminder here are just a few things that Labour has done
For Horsham’s workers
- Introduced the National Minimum Wage and raised it to £5.73 (before 1997 it was common to see jobs advertised at £2.50 an hour)
- Dads now get paternity leave of 2 weeks for the first time.
- All full time workers now have a right to 24 days paid holiday.
- Improved rights for agency workers
For Horsham’s Health
- Labour has trebled NHS funding since 1997.
- There are 38,000 more doctors and 80,000 more nurses, so improving services in our local hospital.
- By the end of this year most patients will be treated within 18 weeks of their GP referral – most waits are already shorter than this.
- NHS Direct offering free convenient patient advice.
For Education in Horsham
- Record levels of literacy and numeracy in schools.
- Funding for every pupil has doubled.
- Record number of students in higher education.
For Horsham’s Children
- Delivered three new children’s centres locally.
- Free nursery places for every three and four-year-olds.
- Introduced child tax credit giving more money to parents.
- Child benefit up 26 per cent since 1997.
For Horshams Older residents
- Free eye test for over 60s.
- Free off peak local bus travel for over-60s.£200 winter fuel payment to pensioners & up to £300 for over-80s.
- Free TV licences for over-75s
- I hope you agree that this is a record to be proud of and I invite you to fill out the survey on line on the back of the leaflet and let us know what is important to you.
Andrew Skudder
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
You can read a copy of the whole leaflet here.