Labour’s key achievements since 1997

email:  stephenladymanmp@souththanetlabour.org.uk

Economy

 

· Steered the UK through the global recession, prevented the collapse of the banking system and are credited by experts as having ‘shown the world’ how to deal with the crisis

· Nearly 1.5 million people helped into work by the New Deal

· Introduced the National Minimum Wage - now at £5.80 an hour

 

Health

 

· Over 85,000 more nurses, over 32,000 more doctors

· 157 new hospitals built or on the way - largest ever hospital building programme

· 662,000 more operations a year compared to 1997. Heart ops up 93%

· Waiting list down by nearly 388,000 since March 1997.

· Virtually nobody waiting over 6 months, compared to 284,000 in 1997

 

Crime

 

· Down 35% overall; burglary down 53%; car crime down 46%; and violent crime down 34% (BCS)

· Record police numbers – up by more than 14,000 since 97 – plus 7,800 CSO's

· Over 7,350 ASBOs and nearly 300,000 PNDs issued

 

Education

 

· Doubled per pupil spending from £2,500 to well over £5,000

· 36,400 more teachers and over 287,000 more support staff

· Best ever primary, GCSE and A level results

· 46 Academies open with 200 by 2010. Improving at twice national average and are over-subscribed.

 

Transport:

 

· The equivalent of £260m per week spent on transport – up 43% since 2003

· More rail journeys than at any time since the 1940s

· Bus use is increasing year on year for the first time in decades

 

By contrast – the Tory record in power:

 

· Unemployment doubled, national debt doubled

· Interest rates were at 15% for a whole year

· The number of children growing up in poverty trebled

· 20% of pupils got no GCSEs

· Teacher numbers fell by 50,000

· Waiting lists rose by 400,000

· 60,000 general and acute beds were lost

· Crime doubled and convictions fell by a third

· Violent crime went up by 170%, robbery went up by 400%

· Police numbers fell every year from 1993

South Thanet delivery since 1997