The Conservatives have big economic plans for Coventry and the Midlands
We plan to create another 300,000 jobs, adding £34 billion to the local economy – giving you the people of Coventry the financial security that you deserve.
Jobs, growth and a better future – that’s what our long-term economic plan for the Midlands is all about.
Last year Britain grew faster than any major economy. We want this recovery to be truly national, with every part of our country benefitting.
Our six-point plan for the Midlands aims to create 300,000 jobs and add £34 billion to the local economy – giving financial security to hardworking families.
Our plan aims to:
1. Raise the long term growth rate of the Midlands to at least the forecast long term growth rate of the whole UK – adding an extra £34 billion to the Midlands economy in real terms by 2030, equivalent to over £3,000 per person
2. Create 300,000 extra jobs in the Midlands by backing the core strengths of the local economy like advanced manufacturing and engineering
3. Put skills at the heart of the economic revival of the Midlands, working with local businesses and the Local Enterprise Partnership on a radical new matching service for local working people and increasing skilled apprenticeships. The government is devolving power over skills, which is currently centred in Whitehall, to the Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships in the Midlands, on the condition that different areas combine together to produce a strong joint plan
4. Deliver £5.2 billion of investment into new transport infrastructure in the Midlands, upgrading the motorways to four lanes, delivering faster north-south rail connections and east-west links, and make the most of the economic opportunities of HS2
5. Back science and innovation in the Midlands, focussing on the plan for local universities to develop an Energy Research Accelerator and support new technology in the world-leading automotive sector
6. Improve the quality of life in the Midlands by regenerating run-down estates, investing in the county towns, supporting the construction of 30,000 new homes and making improvements to local education so 150,000 more pupils attend outstanding schools.
Under Labour, our economy was in crisis – in the Midlands and across the country. But with our plan for infrastructure, businesses and jobs, we’re helping build a stronger economy and a better future for the people of the Midlands.
Labour are anti-business, have no plan, and would cost jobs. That’s the verdict of Britain’s business leaders:
1. Sir Stuart Rose, former boss of Marks & Spencer, says Labour ‘lacks a clear and credible plan’. He also says that Labour’s ‘business-bashing’ would lead to ‘shuttered shop fronts, empty high streets and lengthening dole queues’. On Labour’s plans to raise Corporation Tax, Sir Stuart says it would ‘see British jobs being lost overseas’ (Daily Mail, 3 Feb 2015).
2. Stefano Pessina, boss of Boots, says a Labour government would be a ‘catastrophe’ and ‘not helpful for business, not helpful for the country’ (Telegraph, 31 Jan 2015).
3. Marcus Bowman, President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, says Labour’s policy agenda ‘amounts to more tax, more spending and more regulation’, and that ‘this is not an economic strategy but a political one’ (UK Chamber of Shipping, 2 Feb 2015).
4. Simon Walker, Director General of the Institute of Directors, says Labour’s policies are a ‘disappointment’ and that Ed Miliband ‘seems to have abandoned all understanding of the way markets work’ (Telegraph, 2 Feb 2015).
Businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. They bring investment, and create the jobs that give security to hardworking families.
But it’s clear that Labour are anti-business and have no plan for the economy. They want to hit businesses with higher taxes, which would cost jobs and make families more insecure.
Only the Conservatives have a long-term economic plan that’s backing businesses, creating jobs and helping hardworking families.
So let’s keep working through the plan and secure a better future for Britain.
