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 DAY CENTRE SAVED! |
After pressure from Hilary Benn, Centre users and local activists the Council have now agreed to keep the Centre open. Everyone concerned is highly delighted with this news. ...
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| IMPROVED SATS RESULTS |
Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 results for Leeds’ pupils continue to improve. In 1996 only 56% of Year 6 primary children reached Level 4 or better; in 2008, 81% reached Level 4 or better. For Ke...
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| NEWS FROM LABOUR |
| Report reveals Tories' threat to families |
A new report shows that George Osborne's plans are badly flawed and would mean taking child tax credits away from couples earning over £31,000 per year A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has shown that families on modest and middle incomes would have to lose out to make Conservative plans add up. Research by the independent think tank was originally cited by George Osborne as confirmation that his plan to cut child tax credits would only mean ending support for families on incomes over £50,000. However, the IFS’ Green Budget report released this week spells out that in order to reach the £400 million in savings that George Osborne said his plan would raise the Tories would actually need to cut support to modest and middle income couples earning over £16,000 each. When announced at last year’s Conservative Conference it was claimed that the plan would only hit those earning over £50,000. In January when George Osborne’s sums were called into question by Treasury data, the Conservatives reaffirmed their plan in a dossier stating; “Our estimates that this policy would save £400m were verified by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies”. However those claims have been dealt a blow this week with the IFS claiming the actual saving would be far less. With tax credits making a real difference to thousands of families, the reality that George Osborne’s plans would mean parents couples earning over £31,000 would lose out will come...
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| Conservatives risk to the recovery |
A new report shows how the Conservatives' plans for immediate cuts could damage the economic recovery, as well as hitting families hard. Warnings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the National Institute for Social Research (NIESR) call into question Tory plans to cut spending in 2010. Child tax credits and Trust Funds are amongst programmes set to be cut, hitting families hard and threatening the economic recovery. Speaking to The Politics Show in January, David Cameron laid out conservative spending plans saying; “I think it is right to make a start in reducing some of those public spending programmes in 2010, this year.” However, speaking to Radio 4 today, Ray Barrell, Director of Forecasting, NIESR said “There’s no need to cut spending now… what we should do is to have a fiscal expansion now and a fiscal contraction in the future”. The warnings on Conservative policy have been raised by today’s publication of the IFS Green Budget which argues against spending cuts this year. The report follows repeated warnings from leading economists on the danger of immediate spending cuts. Speaking to the Financial Times in January, John Hawksworth of PricewaterhouseCoopers said; “premature monetary or fiscal tightening (i.e. anytime before 2011 on any scale) would be risky” Today's report underlines how the Conservatives’ economic plans would put the recovery at risk and shows that the Tories’ approach would hit families and businesses today. Following the disarray in their position over recent weeks, today’s fresh concerns from economic...
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| Stars launch poverty campaign: GlobalPovertyPromise.com |
Davina McCall, Mariella Frostrup, Annie Lennox, Richard Wilson and Meera Syal are among the big names launching a new poverty campaign today, the fifth anniversary of Nelson Mandela's Make Poverty History speech in Trafalgar Square. In a campaign video released today, the celebrities invite people to show their support for a new law that would commit the UK to spend 0.7% of national income on development assistance, by signing up to www.GlobalPovertyPromise.com The celebrities use the video to highlight how small 0.7% is - yet how much of a difference it will make to lives in the developing world. Mariella Frostrup said: "40 years ago the UK made a promise to the world's poor - to spend just 0.7% of our national income on helping poor countries develop. We now have a chance to make that promise a reality, not just for today but for future generations. "GlobalPovertyPromise.com is our opportunity to show that we keep our promises, even during difficult times. Whether it's helping Haiti through a disaster or participating in the long term development of Africa the British public has a proud tradition of looking out for those less fortunate, let's keep it up." Five years ago Nelson Mandela's speech in London ahead of the Gleneagles summit launched the Make Poverty History campaign. Today the Department for International Development is publishing an update of the progress the UK has made against the targets set. Douglas Alexander MP, Labour's International Development Secretary, has encouraged...
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| Women's Land Army |
The surviving members of the Women’s Land Army and the Women’s Timber Corps, known colloquially as the Land Girls and Lumber Jills, are to receive a badge in recognition of their wartime service. ...
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| GP Services |
There’s been a lot of coverage on the issue of access to GP services. General satisfaction with GPs is high, but last year’s GP patient survey showed that nearly six and a half million patients we...
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| Here to Help |
Working for Leeds Central My job as MP for Leeds Central is to help all my constituents, whether they voted for me or not. If you have a problem that you think I can help you with, please do ...
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| What my constituents say |
What my constituents say
“Hilary believes strongly that everyone should get a chance to share in Leeds’ economic succes. Unemployment is down and schemes like the New Deal have benef...
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After pressure from Hilary Benn, Centre users and local activists the Council have now agreed to keep the Centre open. Everyone concerned is highly delighted with this news. ...
