Support for business

Read Anne Marie’s views in her weekly column; an advertisement sponsored by Conservative supporters.

More support for business – means more jobs

I want to make Teignbridge one of the best places to set up and grow a business. With every new business, comes new jobs, and that is what we desperately need. But we need to give business a helping hand. Right now most businesses feel strangled by red tape and hard hit by ever increasing taxes. They can’t invest and grow to create jobs because the very banks Labour bailed out won’t lend. Under a Conservative government that would change.

Lower taxes on business

One of the worst taxes is National Insurance – and Labour are planning to increase it! Conservatives are the only party that would roll back the most damaging part of that rise and do it in such a way that the least well off would see the biggest benefit. We will reverse Labour’s planned increase in small company corporation tax, from 22p in the coming year back to 20p as well as reducing the main rate of Corporation Tax to 25p.

Less regulation

We live in a world of regulators telling us what to do – and paying for the privilege! During the first term of a Conservative government, all regulators will be re-assessed and given fixed terms at the end of which they would be forced to justify their existence. The South West Regional Development Agency would find its planning role cut for starters. Every time a new regulation is brought in, another regulation with the same cost must be extinguished – plus an extra 5 per cent of the net regulatory burden. And my eye is very firmly set on bringing back a bit of common sense to Health and Safety regulation!

Getting people back to work

We will introduce a Work for Yourself programme to help people become self employed, working with proven specialist organisations like the Prince’s Trust and the Bright Ideas Trust . Right now you have to be unemployed for at least a year before you can get any help - that is no way to get Britain working again!

My promise to promote Teignbridge

If, when this month is out, I become your next Member of Parliament, I will do my utmost to promote Teignbridge as, not just a place to visit, but a place to do business.. I believe we have the potential to be a regional leader in business and my aim - is to make that happen.

Out and About

As ever a busy time. I visited Mike Stevens, Teignbridge Team Leader for Devon Youth Centre at the Junction in Newton Abbot. Youngsters are quite literally given a second chance - and it works!

In Teignmouth I visited the White House and Croft Lodge. I was delighted to see such a broad ranging offering in dementia care from the memory café, the daily Woodway Club, to the full time residential care provision.

And then I visited the Fire Station at Teignmouth one evening to talk about my petition to properly and fairly fund our fire service and to hear first hand what we could do to help the firemen do an even better job. There were lots of very good ideas!