Through cuts in local taxes for Crawley families and firms; the scrapping of wasteful, unnecessary quangos; greater support for homeowners; common sense planning controls; an attack on political correctness; and the devolution of powers to local residents – this Government has helped empower local communities to tackle nonsensical Whitehall bureaucracy and to facilitate local decision-making processes.
Having scrapped Labour’s plans for an expensive and intrusive council tax revaluation, which would have meant soaring tax bills for hard-working families and pensioners; a new bin taxes on family homes; and a ports tax by helping to prevent unfair retrospective business rates – this Government has supported local families and businesses with a three year council tax freeze and cut business rates for small firms and shops by doubling their rate relief from 2010 to 2014.
The Government has supported homeowners by keeping the cost of mortgages low thanks to reducing the deficit by a third deficit, which is crucial as just a one per cent rise in market interest rates represents £1,000 extra on every family’s mortgage bill.
By increasing ‘Right to Buy’ scheme discounts to £75,000, abolishing expensive and pointless red tape of Home Information Packs and supporting home ownership and shared ownership schemes through the FirstBuy scheme and new Help to Buy scheme, this Government is helping support the next generation onto the housing ladder whilst securing the additional funding needed to invest in the construction of new affordable homes which had been allowed to fall to their lowest number since the 1920s under the last government.
I am especially proud of the Government’s commitment to our brave and dedicated service personnel by prioritising members of the Armed Forces for social housing and first-time buyer schemes.
Common sense planning controls mean that councils have new powers to resist unwanted garden grabbing, to tackle unauthorised traveller sites and to protect the Green Belt and valuable local green spaces.
By backing British values and identity – flying the United Kingdom’s national and traditional county flags; supported teaching the English language rather than translating documents into foreign languages; and ceasing to appease non-violent extremists – the Government is taking the necessary steps to restore community identity our local neighbourhoods.