GORDON HENDERSON MP

18th April 2010

Gordon welcomes Conservative manifesto

Big government, high taxes and politicians up in Whitehall won’t solve Britain’s problems, Gordon Henderson, said this week as he welcomed David Cameron’s impressive blueprint for a Conservative Government. Its key message is that everyone across Sittingbourne and Sheppey should get together and get involved to solve Westminster’s broken politics, fix Britain’s broken society and get our area’s economy moving.

The Conservative plans include:

1. Supporting new entrepreneurs, helping the unemployed back into work, and stopping Labour’s new jobs tax.

2. Letting public sector workers set up co-operatives to improve the services they provide.

3. Giving voters the right to sack MPs found guilty of serious wrong-doing.

4. Allowing parents and local community groups to open up and run new schools to raise standards.

5. Helping first-time buyers own their own home through a permanent reduction in stamp duty for homes up to £250,000, and giving social tenants across Sittingbourne and Sheppey an equity stake in their home for being good neighbours, to help them get a foot on the housing ladder.

6. Empowering local residents to stop high council tax rises.

7. Giving a locally elected representative responsibility for police budgets and strategies for Kent police, so that people’s priorities for tackling crime come first.

8. Letting local people save valued community services like local pubs, parks or post offices from closure, and help supporter groups buy into football clubs.

9. Showing how Whitehall, Kent County Council and Swale Borough Council spend your money, by publishing detailed figures on spending and contracts online for all to see.

Mr Henderson said:

“We won’t get Sittingbourne and Sheppey’s economy moving with Gordon Brown’s jobs tax – we need to help local firms create jobs. We won’t solve our social problems with more big government from Labour – we need to build a Big Society where families are strong and our communities are safe. And we’ll never change politics if we leave it all to Westminster politicians – we need to give people across Sittingbourne and Sheppey real power and control over their lives.

“At this election, local residents face a choice: five more years of Gordon Brown’s tired government making things worse, or Conservatives who will get the country moving.”