This government was elected to deliver change.
After 14 years of broken promises, people doubt – understandably – that politics can make a difference to their lives. I hear it time and time again when I’m out doing my street surgeries and public meetings. That’s why we’re doing things differently.
Before the General Election we set out a series of long-term missions. These are economic growth, an NHS fit for the future, safer streets, becoming a clean energy superpower, and making sure every child has the opportunities they deserve.
By setting out these long term goals, the government stands a better chance of delivering the priorities of people here in West Cumbria and across Britain.
With the terrible inheritance of crumbling public services and crippled public finances, the government has had to make some early difficult decisions. Things in the UK have been in such a mess for so long that it will take some time to fix the foundations in order to achieve these missions. Beware politicians telling you that there’s an easy fix to a complex problem!
So we’ve set some ambitious but achievable targets for this parliament that you can hold the government accountable for through me as your MP.
Most important is to increase living standards. After the cost-of-living crisis, people need more money in their pocket. Hard work needs to be rewarded – people should earn enough money to live, save and enjoy life too.
We’re going to build thousands more homes across Cumbria to end the housing crisis that has left thousands stuck on waiting lists for social housing, too few homes available for private rent and locked too many out of home ownership. And we’ll build the infrastructure we need. Here that means clean energy developments and upgrades to our railway and roads.
We’ll end hospital backlogs and ensure 92% of patients in England wait no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment. And we’ll put police back on the beat, with 13,000 additional officers. We’ll lay out what these numbers mean for our area in the new year.
We’ll also give children the best start in life, with a record proportion of five-year-olds in England ready to learn when they start school. I know from my former career as a teacher how important investment in those early years is to a child’s development and I don’t want any child in West Cumbria left behind.
Finally, we’ll secure home-grown energy. We’ll keep bills down, improve energy independence and create good jobs, with at least 95% Clean Power by 2030. I want to make Britain’s Energy Coast a reality, with new nuclear, wind and solar projects.
These are the government’s priorities between now and the next election. Delivering them will make a meaningful change for people across our area.
Josh MacAlister MP 