I have actively sought to listen to the people of Derby.  I’ve disagreed with many of you but the vast majority speak the kind of sensible common sense that this country needs.

 On the back of that process I’ve decided that, if you elect me, I will focus every fibre of my being on delivering the following pledges:

 1.  I’m going to focus on boosting enterprise. 

Derby has a heritage of private sector excellence.  Big companies ranging from Rolls Royce to Toyota to Egg employ thousands of hard working tax payers.  We need more of that, not just for the city, but for the country too. 

 On top of this, a myriad of entrepreneurs run restaurants, shops and growing technology companies from our city.  These guys also need all the recognition and support the government can offer.  What I’ve heard is that Labour has forgotten them for too long.  To amend this, if you elect me I will:

 -          Campaign to have corporation tax cut

-          Campaign to abolish taxes on the first ten jobs created by new businesses

-          Support my party as we strive to reduce Labour’s new tax rise on jobs

-          Work tirelessly to see regulations on business reduced to help businessmen focus on running their company instead of filling-in government forms

2.  I’m going to help families.

I hear lots of concern about the kids in our city.  Gangs, anti-social behaviour and youth unemployment are all damaging our young generation.  The government can only do so much to manage this.  The very best way to deal with young people’s problems is for parents to be able to provide a safe and loving environment in which kids get the support and advice they need as they set out on life.  This is why family is so important to me and my party.  Supportive families provide a huge social benefit for all of us.  For too long PC-obsessed Labour have made it harder and harder for couples that want to raise their children together to get on.  To reverse this I will:

-          Support my party as it strives to get marriage recognised in the tax and benefits system

-          Campaign to provide extra health visitors for young families in Derby

-          Campaign to have the basic state pension raised

-          Work with housing associations to dramatically improve Derby’s housing stock

-          Work with central and local government to improve the activities available to young people in our City

3.  I’m going to make sure we manage immigration better.

I believe that controlled and well managed immigration is good for the economy.  When my Great-Grandfather came to this country he brought with him a business, qualifications and eventually job opportunities for British workers.  This is the kind of migration that uses the standard of living we enjoy in this country and turns it into an economic asset by attracting talented people from across the world.  We need to make sure this is maintained.  However, migration that is not managed or controlled can be immensely damaging to the fabric of our society.  This is the situation we’ve had under Labour for the last 13 years.  Under Gordon Brown’s government immigration has tripled.   To reverse this I will work hard to support my party as it tries to achieve the following things:

-          Creating an annual limit on non-EU immigration

-          Putting transitional controls on new EU migrants

-          Creating a National Border Force

-          Closing the student visa loopholes

4.  I’m going to protect front-line public services

Labour has invested huge amounts of your money into public services.  However, because they don’t have what it takes to deliver real reform, most of it has been wasted on managers, tick-box processes and IT systems that don’t work.  As we strive to reduce Gordon Brown’s deficit we’ve got to purge this waste out of the system.  It will be a hard and painful thing to do but if it’s done properly we can do more with less.  To make it happen I pledge to:

-          Support a Conservative government as it slashes the amount of reports Derby City Council has to send to Whitehall.

-          Give teachers more powers of discipline in schools so that ill-discipline can be dealt with there and then, not via long-winded and time consuming bureaucratic procedures

-          Increase spending on the NHS every year but help our medical staff focus on patients not the demands of managers

-          Work hard to ensure that, as soon as it is elected, a  Conservative government places a moratorium on new government IT spend

5.  I want Council Tax frozen in Derby for the next two years

Under labour the average council tax bill has risen by over 100%.  We’ve got to stop this.   For the economy to prosper and for businesses to start working again, we need to stop taking so much money out of people’s pay packets.   A Conservative council in Derby working with a Conservative government in Westminster will freeze council tax for the next two years.  We’ll do this by:

-          Cut waste out of the syetm at Derby City Council and keep our budget increase down to no more than 2.5%

-          A Conservative government in Westminster will then cut spend on advertising and consultants and pass the savings on to councils like ours so that they don’t have to increase council tax

I hope this is a clear statement of my priorities.  There’s loads more important stuff that I will work hard to achieve but these are the things you’ve told me you really want me to focus on.  If you think I’ve got it wrong then let me know.  All my contact details are on this site and I genuinely want to hear your views.