I’ve been testing Labour’s five-point plan for Welsh prosperity – on the doorstep

Last Updated: April 19, 2016By
The campaigner: This Writer, canvassing for Labour in Rhayader, Powys - where not one resident we met was going to vote Conservative.

The campaigner: This Writer, canvassing for Labour in Rhayader, Powys – where not one resident we met was going to vote Conservative.

Yesterday I had to deal with an irate woman who tried to tear into me over Welsh Labour’s promise to deliver 30 hours a week of free childcare for working parents of three- and four-year-olds.

She considered it a sign of the laziness of current parents, and of Labour’s willingness to give people “anything they want”.

She didn’t know that the Welsh Conservatives have also pledged to provide the same support to working parents.

Not only that but in Powys, where the county council has decided it is changing the point at which children must attend school to the latest date possible in an effort to save money, this service could be vital for parents who simply need the money.

I tried to explain to this lady that George Osborne’s idea of a living wage isn’t actually enough for people to survive without claiming benefits, so the extra burden of paying for childcare could break the bank for young parents, but she didn’t want to listen.

Fortunately, she was one of the few.

The majority have welcomed Labour’s integrated plan to make sure the Welsh people have every opportunity to succeed in their ambitions.

See, the plan for high-quality apprenticeships means more people will be trained in the jobs Wales needs, and should therefore be retained by the employers who trained them up, or may set up in business on their own.

The cut in business rates means small and start-up businesses will be more secure, and will have a longer period in which to get established – while the Welsh Development Bank will provide funding and advice, enabling success.

Add in the free childcare offer and you can see that these are all elements of a coherent plan. And it will work.

More and more people in Wales are agreeing on that.

In government, Welsh Labour has used every tool at our disposal to bring jobs, investment and prosperity to Wales. ‘Better jobs, closer to home’ is the call from our communities, and it is one we look to meet today as we publish our manifesto for the Assembly elections on May 5th. It is our plan for prosperity in Wales, and has a strong focus on jobs, skills and supporting business.

Now is the time to build on the record levels of inward investment and rapidly falling unemployment – we will seize this opportunity to build on our achievements of the past five years and develop a stronger, more connected and united Wales.

The plan we launch today is a plan for prosperity and success for Wales and for families right across Wales. A plan to make Wales stronger and create opportunities for everyone.

Our plan for prosperity involves the creation of 100,000 all-age apprentices, tax cuts for small businesses, a new development bank for Wales, fast broadband for every property in the country – and the UK’s most ambitious childcare offer for working parents. Along with our continued focus on schools standards and skills, this is a comprehensive package that will give extra impetus to our economy.

Welsh Labour will be here for women returning to work after having children; for young people entering the workplace for the first time and for small businesses who are the backbone of our economy.

This is a plan to get the country moving by helping people into work and creating opportunities for work.

Our aim is clear – more and better jobs, closer to home. Together we can make Wales a more prosperous place so we can all share the benefits.

Welsh Labour’s plan for prosperity:

Create 100,000 all-age apprenticeships. These will be high-quality apprenticeships to ensure major projects have access to the skills they need. We will develop the earning-and-learning approach so more apprentices learn in the workplace.

Provide 30 hours-a-week of free child care, 48 weeks of the year for working parents of three and four-year-olds. Our ambitious pledge, which goes further than child care offered in England or Scotland, is for parents who are working 16 hours a week or more.

Fast broadband to every property in Wales. By 2017, we will have enabled 96% of properties to connect to superfast broadband but we are committed to giving every property a fast, reliable broadband connection.

Tax cuts for all small businesses. We will cut the amount of business rates paid by small businesses right across Wales.

A Welsh development bank. The development bank will provide funding to micro, small and medium enterprises in Wales to create jobs and provide advice to businesses, which are looking to grow and prosper.

Source: Carwyn Jones: Here’s our five point plan for prosperity in Wales | LabourList

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8 Comments

  1. Stu April 19, 2016 at 1:33 am - Reply

    Keep up the good work Mike.
    You can’t convince everyone, like the old farming saying goes –
    “You can’t educate Pork, only cure it !”

  2. paulrutherford8 April 19, 2016 at 12:39 pm - Reply

    I’ve got a rosette like that!!!

  3. Florence April 19, 2016 at 1:08 pm - Reply

    Yes, keep up the good work. Unfortunately, in our parts, the ONLY thing people want to talk about is the local hospital and loss of services. ATM the best I can do is show that Labour have put an additional £250 million in health and education, but I am left with having to do negative campaigning, which is a bad thing, about the other’s plans for education and health, and that some plans for “1000 extra doctors” is simply not possible with the UK wide recruitment problem (before we get to any funding problems).

    But it is good to hear the support is holding strong in your area.

    • Mike Sivier April 19, 2016 at 2:43 pm - Reply

      Support has been very low for many years. It is building now, though.

      • Stu April 19, 2016 at 10:20 pm - Reply

        If it helps, My home town in Scotland was the typical “Put a Monkey up and as long as it’s Labour it will win”
        They are now SNP through and through so hope always exists..

        • Mike Sivier April 28, 2016 at 2:56 pm - Reply

          But now you could put a monkey up and as long is it’s SNP it will win, so you’re in no better situation.

  4. Barry Davies April 19, 2016 at 3:48 pm - Reply

    I don’t envy your work at all just delivering leaflets is hard enough having to respond to people with no understanding is not easy that is when they even bother to respond, but thought labour were still strong in wales anyway.

    • Mike Sivier April 28, 2016 at 2:59 pm - Reply

      Labour is strong in Wales, but not as strong in Mid Wales as elsewhere. We have a lot of Liberal Democrats – yes, really – around 33 per cent of the turnout is Conservative – they’re told to go out and vote Tory, and that’s what they do – and a large proportion vote Liberal Democrat tactically because they think it’ll keep the Tory out. That didn’t work so well for them last year, so I’m hoping they’ll have learned their lesson.

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