A Plan for Norwich North

I blogged recently about the six point plan I’ve set out – that’s the goals I want to achieve for Norwich North in the next five years. I’ve worked hard to tackle the problems we face in Norwich since I’ve been elected but there is so much more to be done if we want Norwich to continue to prosper. Today I’m going to talk in more detail about jobs, schools and transport – crucial things in our local economy.

Full employment in Norwich

Now, unemployment is down by around a half in Norwich. That’s linked to a wider trend that has seen 200,000 more jobs created in the East of England in the last five years. In government, the Conservatives have brought unemployment down so that there are now 2 million more jobs across the country.

That means security for so many thousands more families. Young people are part of it – 3,200 youngsters in Norwich North alone have started an apprenticeship with this government.

And in Norwich the project that I founded, Norwich For Jobs, has been able to help young people into work faster than youth unemployment has come down nationally in the same period. In other words, what we’ve done locally has made an additional difference to what has happened nationally.

What happens in the economy isn’t an accident – it comes about from choices that your government takes on your behalf. It comes from having voted for a Conservative MP able to go to Parliament and support that programme – as well as get results at home.

So what next? I want to see work in Norwich for every person that can. That’s what I’d call full employment. The Prime Minister has set out a plan for 250,000 more jobs for the East of England and I will work hard to make sure that Norwich is a magnet for them.

I’ll take Norwich For Jobs to the next level: we want to help young people with disabilities or other health conditions into work too.

How will I do that, as a local MP? I’ll continue what Norwich For Jobs has demonstrated works: engage local employers to consider what opportunities they can offer; connect people with those opportunities; and focus the community on a common goal, measuring results all the time.

I will also continue to speak up in Parliament as I have done for people of all ages going into work too because everyone has experience to offer.

How will the Conservative Party in government do what it promises? By getting the conditions right for business to create jobs as part of our long term economic plan.

By the way, when people are working hard, Conservatives believe they should pay less tax because individuals make better decisions about the money in their pocket than the state does. We have cut taxes for around 39,000 of the lowest earning people in Norwich North in this Parliament, and have set out plans to do more.

And how do we make Norwich a magnet for more jobs in general?...

...We need to secure better transport for our city and county

I have won significant investment in our railway, while helping get the A11 dualled and A47 upgraded, but there is so much more to do.

You can read here the work I’ve co-chaired about our rail links. The report and its backing detail shows clearly how these improvements can bring 8,200 jobs to Norwich. I like a bit of detail as much as I like getting on with things – that’s just the kind of person I am. Before I was elected, I worked in business as a management consultant. So if you re-elect me, you know that I will stay on the case and get these promises delivered.

I decided when I was elected that rail was one of the things I would focus on. First, I brought together four counties at the levels of 40 MPs and all the relevant local councils to sign up to a common East Anglian Rail Prospectus. This made Westminster sit up and take notice of East Anglia and the Chancellor then asked me to lead the work that culminated in the Taskforce Report about the Norwich-London mainline.

As a result of my work, the Chancellor has agreed to £500m of improvement works and new carriages for our line. So I’ve won that investment for the Norwich economy, but it has to be delivered.

How will these improvements be delivered? The track works get done in the Network Rail works programme between now and 2024, and the new carriages come in the next franchise deal from 2016.

 

Take note – if a Labour government was elected now, they would tear this work up.That’s because they want to renationalise the railways. That would mean having to re-write some technical aspects of the law and that would take around a year. That in turn means that the competition for the new franchise, which has just been opened, could not conclude and there would be no new carriages. It’s as simple as that for East Anglian rail: a vote for Labour delays and destroys the investment that thousands of passengers want. This is not party politicking, these are the legal facts of life.

And what about the people to take the jobs? We need the best schools to give Norwich children the best start in life.

Children in Norfolk still don’t get the education they deserve. I went to a Norfolk comprehensive myself and I want opportunity and ambition for all young people in our county. In particular, I want every Norwich North school to be rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by 2020.

That refers to the Ofsted ratings scale. Here is what the schools are like in Norwich North already: not good enough. As the Telegraph says, this kind of data empowers parents and also students themselves. Why on earth should we settle in Norwich North for most pupils - six out of ten - getting a just satisfactory education or one that requires improvement?

There will be a Conservative manifesto commitment to give all children a good start in life, regardless of where they are from. David Cameron has said: "As parents we're hardwired to want the best for our kids. No one wants their child to go to a failing school - and no one wants to them to go to a coasting school either. So this party is clear. Just enough is not good enough. That means no more sink schools - and no more 'bog standard' schools either.” He has also taken on the arguments about spending on schools too, which the Guardian lays out.

Now, how will the Conservative Party in government deliver all this? We are committing to:

A good primary school place for every child with zero tolerance for failure.

Turn every failing and coasting secondary school into an academy, and deliver free schools for parents and communities that want them.

Support teachers to make Britain the best country in the world for developing maths, science and computing skills.

Create three million new apprenticeships and make sure there is no cap on university places, so we have aspiration for all.

Guarantee a place on National Citizen Service for every teenager who wants it.

The Importance of Norwich North

Read more about how we are securing a better future by means of the best schools and skills. I’m a Conservative because I care about where a person is going, not where they’ve come from. To me, education is about the most important element in such social mobility, followed by the state of the jobs market. I became a Conservative MP so I could do something about both. I want young people to be ready for the world – and the world is a pretty competitive place nowadays.

So how will I, as a local MP, help bring this about? Locally, I’ve already joined forces with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, New Anglia LEP, Inspired Youth and so many more great local organisations through Norwich For Jobs to help schools help young people succeed and be ready. I’ll do more of that and work with the new Careers and Enterprise Company too to bring opportunities to Norwich North children too. I know from my time serving as a school governor in Norfolk and Norwich schools that making links for children with businesses nearby in the community is a basic task of inspiration.

And finally, when you trust me with your vote as your representative, I go to Parliament and cast my vote in turn for what was in our manifesto. So you will find me supporting all those measures for high standards in schools and finding ways to support local schools, teachers, parents, students and the community to apply them.

So that’s the plan...

... and I’ll write more later on about its other three items: a strong NHS, good homes, and keeping our wonderful area a great place to live, work, bring up a family and retire.

To help me deliver this plan for Norwich, I’d like to know what you think. Please tell me which of the things in my plan are most important to you and your family. Your views really will help me secure a better future for Norwich North – for you.

If you wish to support me in my election campaign, please do so by visiting my election site on ElectChloe2015.com . Thank you for reading.