A Year of Opportunity
January 12, 2012 12:11 PM
In North Devon Journal
In North Devon Journal
In 2011, the main focus for the Liberal Democrats in government was dealing with the economic crisis that we had been left with. 12 months on, that task remains the number one priority for the Coalition and my wider party.
Whilst it was a difficult year, 2011 was also one where we were able to make a real difference in people's lives. It was the year that we cut taxes for over 20 million people as well as lifting nearly a million low paid workers out of paying income tax altogether.
We were also able to guarantee pensioners a decent increase in their pension, and our triple-lock guarantee will mean that older people will never see rise in their pensions of only a few pence again.
A million children now are getting a fairer start in life, with extra support at school through our Pupil Premium and free early years education for toddlers.
Despite the gloomiest predictions from media to the Mayans, 2012 promises to be a year of opportunity.
We have the great chance that the Olympics will bring to our country, and whilst we may not be hosting events during the Games in July, we're very lucky in North Devon to be able to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay through our towns and we should be doing all we can to persuade visitors to come and see what we have to offer.
There will also be many events and opportunities for people to get involved in their local communities, particularly when we celebrate the Queen's Jubilee in June (not to mention the extra Bank Holiday we'll get to commemorate it!)
This year will be just as busy in Westminster too, with plenty of Liberal Democrat policies being enacted. We will see the launch of the world's first Green Investment Bank putting millions into green jobs and growth and we will take further steps to make our tax system fairer too.
We'll be offering help to our young people through the youth contract, which will get every young person out of work earning or learning and we'll be creating more apprenticeships than this country has ever had before. As a Party we will be pushing for the government to take further steps to make our tax system fairer too.
As always, please do not hesitate to get in contact with myself or anyone in my office if there's something that you think I should be aware of or that I can help with; and best wishes for a successful 2012.
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