The south west needs MPs who will stand up for our region but we also need politicians in Westminster who will take our concerns seriously. Thats why I was so pleased to welcome Ed Balls to Plymouth this week. As Labours Shadow Chancellor a lot of the decisions we will need the next Government to take will cross his desk. Alison Seabeck and myself have long argued that the Government has not prioritised our rail line sufficiently. Hot air and press releases aplenty have come from the Department for Transport but we havent had any real commitment to provide an alternative rail line. Ed Balls was clear about the rail line, he said it takes too long to get to Plymouth and Cornwall and a Labour Government would change the priority of the work and focus on a southerly route avoiding Dawlish not a northerly route via Okehampton. He laid out plans to create a south west powerhouse built on better transport, more people in work and higher wages - which is exactly what we need. Its not just in transport where the south west is missing millions compared to other regions, public health spending is another. A Labour Government would look again at how money is distributed ensuring that resources flow to areas of greatest need and that means the south west and Plymouth. It simply cannot be right that a person in Plymouth is worth £47 a head in terms of public health spending and someone in Portsmouth £25 more. Our Tory MP has done nothing about this but I will. Plymouth is my home, it is where I was born and where I live and so what happens to my city really matters. Thanks to Ed Balls to visiting Plymouth, and Cornwall and Exeter too. Its good to know the next Chancellor of the Exchequer has our back. plymouthherald.co.uk/Political-big-guns-visit-Plymouth-general/story-25912147-detail/story.html
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 09:12:07 +0000
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