Pot Hole Repair in Hounslow

In response to the abnormal damage to roads caused by the severe weather this winter, it was announced in the Budget last week that the Government has allocated a further £100 million to Local Highway Authorities to repair pot holes and other damage to roads. This is in addition to the £100 million already announced earlier this year. This £200 million of additional funding to Local Authorities is possible because of the savings the Department for Transport is making on its budget for 2010/11. The funding has been allocated based on the Department for Transport's existing formula, which takes into account road length and condition. Hounslow has been allocated £321,467. To promote greater transparency and accountability to local communities, all local highway authorities have already agreed to publish information on their website by 30 September 2011 showing how this additional money has been spent. I am delighted that the Department for Transport has been able to make such significant savings and that they are passing these savings directly on to the public. The maintenance of roads is an issue that local residents feel strongly about and I look forward to Hounslow Council using these funds to make a real difference to our local roads. I have written to the Chief Executive of Hounslow Council asking for clarification on where and when these funds will be spent.

An Empty Budget

It was incredible this week that the Chancellor announced such a weak and empty budget.

With all the problems that we have right now as a country, there was no sign in this budget of a new vision to boost our economy. We were the last economy out of the recession and we are now facing real issues. The Government is constantly borrowing more money ...but you do not build an economy through continual borrowing. The budget showed that Labour have no plans for how to get us out of this huge deficit problem and what needs to be done to support businesses going forward.

What we need right now is strong leadership and a strong vision. The only Party offering this is the Conservatives under David Cameron.

Labour is hitting those who can least afford it

This Governement just goes from bad to worse.

The latest scandal, is that the 10p tax rise will hit the lowest paid in our country, including nurses, soldiers, some pensioners and receptionists. Despite Gordon Brown's claim that no-one will lose out, the Treasury has confirmed that 5.3 million families - an average of 8,000 people in Brentford & Isleworth - will pay more tax and be worse off.

George Osborne MP and his team will push hard on this one and call on the Chancellor to re-open the tax con package from the 2007 Budget and help those who are hit. The Government claims that this would cost £8 billion, but according to the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, helping the 5.3 million people who lose out here, would only cost £700 million - which is a relatively small sum compared to the £20 billion of tax changes in the total package.

I am strongly opposed to tax rises which are uniquely targeted at the poorest. These are the people we should be helping the most.