Liberal DemocratLocal elections 2012: delivering for the East of England

a tax cut for 2.4 million people on low and middle incomes

creating jobs through the Regional Growth Fund and building infrastructure

£96 million to support disadvantaged children

apprenticeship for nearly 40,000 people so far

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Liberal Democrats in the East of England are doing all we can to support hardworkingfamilies across the region in these difficult times. Our MPs, peers, MEP, councillors andcampaigners are working hard together to do all we can to deliver jobs and growth forthe people of the East of England.

We are getting on with the difficult job of cleaning up the economic mess left by Labour.We are rebalancing the UK economy away from bankers and the city and towardssustainable jobs across the country. No longer should reckless financial speculators inthe City of London be able to hold the country ransom when their gambles don’t payoff. That is why under my leadership the Regional Growth Fund has delivered £113m ofinvestment to the South East and East of England which will create more than 11,000jobs in the East England region. And we are also working to improve the infrastructureacross the region which is why we are supporting investment in broadband internet andcapital investment in science and research.

In the East of England the difference we are making in coalition government for hard-working families is clear. Thanks to us 108,000 low income earners in the region nolonger pay any income tax at all and 2.4m people across the East of England have got a£45 a month tax cut since Labour left office. And this year schools across the East ofEngland get additional money through the Pupil Premium, which will increase next year.At the same time we have introduced record numbers of Apprenticeships across thecountry, including 40,000 here in the East of England.

This manifesto shows what we have delivered and what we will be delivering. Ourcommitment to community politics means we work tirelessly for local people - we arenot beholden to either big business or the trade unions. Instead Liberal Democrats inWestminster and in local communities across the region are dedicated to doing what isright for the country and right for local people.

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Thanks to Liberal Democrats, more than amillion of the lowest paid people have beenlifted out of paying tax across the country and25m more have received a tax cut. This is partof the Liberal Democrat commitment that noone should be paying any tax over the first£10,000 they earn.

From April, nearly 108,000 people in the Eastof England will have been lifted out of payingtax altogether and almost 2.4m basic rate taxpayers will receive a £130 tax cut.

Liberal Democrats will not stop there: in April2013, the Income Tax threshold will be raisedto £9,205 bringing the total tax cut for basicrate tax payers to £546.

In the East of England, that means that a totalof 183,000 people will have been lifted outpaying Income Tax and another 2.2m will getanother tax cut.

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“That little bit extra a month makes all the difference”Struan Campbell, university staff member

Every child deserves a fair start in life. It is toooften the case that someone’s familybackground means they do less well than theirmore well-off classmates.

Liberal Democrats are investing an extra£1.25bn in your schools this year. This willdouble to £2.5bn a year by 2014.

In the East of England, this means that schoolswill get a total £95.7m this year to supportaround 163,000 pupils from disadvantagedbackgrounds.

This money is making a real differencebecause schools can spend it in the way theybelieve is best for their children: reducing classsizes, hiring additional teaching assistants orgetting better IT equipment to help those whoare struggling.

The Pupil Premium will not just help individualsbut by targeting help at those who need itmost, it will allow whole classes to moveforward faster together.

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Young people’s skills in the work place havebeen neglected until recently. In a balancedeconomy, we must ensure that people can getthe skills necessary in the way that best suitsthem and meets the demands of employers.

That is why Liberal Democrats have beenoverseeing a record expansion in apprenticesin the East of England: last year alone, nearly40,000 people across the region were learningand earning on an apprenticeship – up 68% onLabour’s record.

We’re not stopping there, with a commitmentto an additional 250,000 apprentices nationallyby 2015.

University Technical Colleges will be openingacross the country with one expected to openin Bedfordshire this year. They will give 14 to19-year old students the skills and knowledgeneeded to be successful in the workplaces byintegrating technical, practical and academicteaching.

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East of England

Liberal Democrats arecommitted to investing injobs and growth in the Eastof England, to help create asustainable regionaleconomy by investingdirectly and by leveragingprivate sector investmentwith public funds as well asby creating the rightconditions for growth.

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Regional Growth FundThe RGF is designed to rebalance the economy away from the City of London and funds privatesector projects in areas where there is currently a heavy reliance on public sector jobs.

So far, the RGF has funded a number of projects across the East of England, creating over 10,000jobs in new businesses and the supply chain across the region.

Liberal Democrats realise more needs to be done. That is why the national investment in the RGFhas increased by £1bn to £2.4bn. The third round of investment will be announced later in 2012.

Infrastructure investmentLiberal Democrats know from our experience in local government that jobs are only created whenthe conditions are right. That is why we are committed to ensuring the right environment is inplace: that means lower corporation tax, money from the Growing Places Fund and putting extramoney in investing in infrastructure.

Overall, the Coalition will invest £10bn into schools, science, broadband, new roads and railways.In the East of England, that means money to fund:

� A14 in Cambridgeshire - £20m immediate investment and a shortlist of options has beenidentified to improve road safety on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge.

� New Lower Thames Crossing

� A11 Fiveways

� M1 J10-13 completion 2013

� M1 Junction 10a improvement

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� Funding to improve broadband provision will go to Bedfordshire (£1m), Cambridgeshire(£6.75m), Essex (£6.46m), Hertfordshire (£1.11m), Lincolnshire (£14.3m), Suffolk (£11.68m)and Norfolk (£15m)

� Part of the £150 million Mobile Infrastructure Project will be used to deliver improved mobilephone coverage to households and along a number of busy A-roads with poor coverage,including the A143 between Great Yarmouth and Haverhill.

� Continuing investment in the £14.5 billion Crossrail project, with services operational from2018.

� Continuing investment in the Thameslink Programme, of around £6 billion in infrastructureand new trains

� Additional funding for smart ticketing, investment in improving local transport through theBetter Bus Areas and the Green Bus Fund, which includes improvements in Bedford(£200,000), Cambridgeshire (£1.72m), Norfolk (£2.58m) and Southend (£1.58m)

� £70m of investment to support science and research in the East of England: £44m for theBabraham Research Campus and £26m for the Norwich Research Park

� The London Gateway will be going ahead with £200bn of largely private investment

� Under the Get Britain Building fund £40m will be invested in the East of England, deliveringnearly 1,200 homes. This will also support over 2,300 jobs in construction and related sectorslocally.

� The Growing Places Fund will provide £500m nationally to address projects that havestalled and to address infrastructure constraints, promoting economic growth and thedelivery of jobs and houses

� South East Midlands (£13.1m)

� Greater Cambridge & Greater Peterborough (£15.8m)

� Hertfordshire (£15.3m)

� New Anglia (£17.9m)

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Liberal Democrats know that our drive for amore sustainable economy is an opportunity tocut fuel bills, increasing our energy security byending the UK’s reliance on fuel imports fromvolatile countries and create green jobs.

Private companies have already invested£301m in the East of England thanks to thepositive framework Liberal Democrats havecreated for green investment, creating jobsand technical knowledge with furtherinvestment to come in the near future. Thisranges from a cabling to biomass plants. The New Anglia LEP has been made a Green

Economy Pathfinder, which will demonstratehow businesses in the region can drive newmarkets for environmental goods and services,and support the switch to a low carboneconomy.

Liberal Democrats have introduced the GreenDeal. Starting from the autumn of 2012, thisflagship programme will be unique in the worldand mean that all homes and businesses willbe insulated with no upfront investment fromconsumers and business owners.

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