As we begin 2011 the Coalition Government is determined to continue with its good work in clearing up the mess left by the previous Labour regime. We will continue to have two parties working together for the good of the county as a whole.
The Government has shown great energy and drive in its efforts to provide the country with the radical reforming policies it needs to tackle Britain’s problems. After the election last year the Government inherited a deficit which cost this country £120 million a day in interest payments alone. Your money was paying off the country’s debt and not being used to provide us all with the public services we need. This was unacceptable.
We had to deal with this problem immediately, and decisively, but simply reducing expenditure was not going to solve the problem. There was a pressing need for a root and branch examination of how government spends taxpayers money. We had to ensure money was being spent sensibly and correctly. To this end we have outlined our reforms for the welfare system. The present system is simply unsustainable. The Government wants to ensure that it is always better off in work than out of work. The Government wants to ensure that hard-working people here in Rugby, and across the country, will be able to get on in life without seeing the rewards of their efforts sustaining the lifestyles of those unwilling to work, and contribute, themselves.
The Government has also reviewed defence spending whilst always keeping in mind the vital necessity of restoring pride in our military and keeping the British people safe from harm. The moves are designed to reduce waste and get value for your money.
The controls on expenditure will mean challenges for everyone and we are all in this together but where changes will affect individuals transitionary arrangements are being put in place to make certain that hardship is avoided.
The New Year will bring positive changes to Rugby. Local schools will start to benefit from the freedoms provided by the Academies policy; health providers and local authorities will be presented with new powers handed down to them through the localism agenda and decisions will be made at a local level by those who know Rugby inside out to ensure that the right decisions for the town are made at all times.
I am approaching 2011 with a positive frame of mind for both Rugby and the country as a whole. We have made a positive start to get this country back onto an even keel but there is still much to be done. We are building the foundations of our future prosperity and will restore Britain’s standing in the world and rejuvenate the people’s pride in our great country.