In the news items below, you can read about some of the things Chloe has been up as your MP and since she was first chosen to be the candidate for the Norwich North constituency in January 2008.
If you want to read about her very latest campaigns, click here.
Data released today by the Office for National Statistics has shown that the total number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance during December has decreased by 15,200 with the claimant count now standing at 1.61 million.
Despite this, there have still been small increases in the number of claimants in part of the Eastern Region. In Norfolk the claimant count has risen by 2% from 18,013 to 18,381 people and in Norwich the claimant count has risen by 0.1% from 4,352 claimants in November to 4,360 last month. This is a 22% increase in claimants since December 2008.
Commenting on today's Labour Market Statistics Chloe Smith, Member of the Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee and MP for Norwich North said:
"It's good news that unemployment and the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance is going down in the nation overall. However, Norfolk and Norwich are still suffering job cuts and redundancies. This is terrible for people who are going through these difficult circumstances. We must not be forgotten."
Data Chloe has received this month from DWP on the number of young people not in employment or full time education shows that since 1997 an additional 28,000 16-25 year olds in the East of England are now not in employment or full time education. Significantly, the proportion of young people not in employment or full time education was at this high rate in 2007, before the impacts of the recession struck.
Ministers admitted that in 1997, 80 000 young people were in this category in the East of England. In 2007 this was 108 000; in 2008 104 000; and in 2009 108 000. Overall over 20% of young people in the UK are not in employment or full time education.
Chloe added:
"It is important to note that many of those suffering are young people who are struggling to get into work or education. This is a disgrace and demonstrates just how this government is failing to handle youth unemployment nationally, regionally and locally.
"To move out of recession, local firms need a strong helping hand to help create new jobs and expand their business. A Conservative government will remove the obstacles in the way of new firms and stop the taxman kicking local firms when they're down.
"The message from Labour is ‘don't start a business, don't buy your home, don't try and leave money to your children, don't try and get on'. They've made it so difficult to employ people, so difficult to start a business. We can't go on like this, and it's time for change."
To find out if Chloe is your MP, click here.
In the by-election on 23rd July 2009, local people elected Chloe Smith to be the new Conservative MP for Norwich North.
Chloe has been a longstanding campaigner for our community. For instance, even before she was our MP she was active against the closure of the NHS walk-in centre at Thorpe St. Andrew, fighting for justice following the Greyhound Opening homes scandal, working to improve the quality of council housing, and pushing the councils to address road problems.
Now, Chloe is proud to have been your hardworking local MP since last July's by-election. She has spoken out in Westminster for Norwich North, and worked tirelessly for local people here at home. As your MP she has pushed for better roads and rail, decent local services, help for our troops and much more.
A Norfolk girl, Chloe lives in Norwich and enjoys cycling and playing badminton at a city club in her spare time. Chloe passionately enjoys the arts.
She is an active charity volunteer, having set out to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in 2006 for the British Heart Foundation and Leukaemia Research and having completed fundraising challenges for local charities such as John Grooms Court. She is Patron of YMCA Norfolk and the Inspire Hands-On Science Centre in Norwich, as well as Honorary Vice President of the Norfolk and Norwich Novi Sad Association. She is a school governor of a primary school in the city.
Chloe formerly worked for a leading international firm which advises private businesses, government departments and public bodies.
