Liberal Democrats are already making Ealing fairer

In Ealing, voters will make their choice on who should represent them on May 7th.

Councillor Gary Malcolm

Liberal Democrats in government have successfully turned around the poor state of the economy - where we were shedding over 1,000 jobs a day when we took over from Labour - into the fastest growing economy in the G8.

We have a sound platform to continue the good work that the Liberal Democrats have done as part of the coalition government.

Ealing has seen investment to improve many core services. We have delivered:

• £45 million to Ealing schools, since 2010, to benefit the most disadvantaged children.
• Free school meals for 13,400 children in Ealing in school years Reception, 1, and 2.
• Almost 8,000 apprenticeships giving our youngest members of Ealing a greater future.
• 5,500 more residents in Ealing in work, compared to 2010.
• A £900 income tax cut for over 150,000 Ealing residents, taking 22,000 of them out of tax altogether – something the Conservatives said back in 2010 wouldn’t be possible!
• A £950 cash increase for 38,000 pensioners in Ealing, compared to 2010.
• Tax-free early years education or weekly childcare for 10,500 Ealing families.
• Waiting limits for mental health treatment for the first time.
• Equal marriage – allowing same-sex couples the right to marry here in Ealing Town Hall - something Labour said they had a principled objection to only a few years ago.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Jon Ball has been visiting residents in Ealing, and they say they are looking forward to voting Liberal Democrat because of the £8 billion a year we will invest in the NHS, something that not one of the other parties have pledged to match.

Housing in many areas including Southall and Acton needs improving. Our policy to introduce a ‘Rent to Own’ scheme will allow young people to buy their own home without needing a deposit, by ‘buying’ a share in their homes by paying their rent.

We will cut bus fares by two-thirds for 21,600 16 - 21 year-olds people in Ealing.

We will also give a £250 respite bonus every year to 3,570 full time carers in Ealing.

We will require that all children should be taught by a qualified teacher: currently 115 teachers in Ealing are unqualified.

Ealing Labour have failed: rather than invest in our shared future like the Liberal Democrats, they have closed day centre after day centre, making life worse for vulnerable groups like the elderly and those with disabilities.

The Liberal Democrats have made Ealing a fairer place already. A vote for the Liberal Democrats on May 7 and will help us all go further.

How Lib Dems in government are helping Ealing

Since the formation of the Coalition a number of policies have led to improvements for those living in Ealing.

The Liberal Democrat part of the coalition government has had an impact by ensuring fairness whilst turning around the economy from what we were left in 2010.

To help redress some of the inequalities in our society the Liberal Democrat idea of a Pupil Premium was introduced. This gives schools extra money if pupils’ families are most in need of assistance. For the 2013/14 year, Ealing benefits by £12.4 million. This will give our local schools a great chance to provide additional educational services for those who are most in need. The Southfield Primary School gained about £145,000 and this was welcomed.

Speaking at a rally about local hospitals

Many residents I have spoken to in Acton have said the last couple of years have been difficult with the state of the economy, but they welcome the raising of the tax threshold so that thousands of residents in Ealing no longer have to pay income tax. This Liberal Democrat policy (from our 2010 manifesto) is something we are very proud of.

This policy puts cash directly into working people's pockets, and benefits all lower income people.

In Acton and Southall we have seen the proliferation of betting shops. Fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Jon Ball spoke about this problem at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Glasgow recently. He has called for changes in the law to allow the numbers of new betting shops to be better controlled and is hopeful that the coalition government will now legislate to give Councils like Ealing these powers.

Since 2010, over a million people have started apprenticeships, with thousands created in Ealing alone. Not everyone wishes to pursue a university education and so the positive work on increasing apprenticeships since 2010 needs to be continued.

Apprenticeships for those under 25 has given work experience and improves their prospects of getting a job. There will help our younger members of society in Ealing develop their potential.

Although we have fewer MP’s than the Conservatives at Westminster, we are pursuing our liberal beliefs and are able to curb some of the more extreme conservative ideas. It is not easy in a coalition, but it does demonstrate that coalition governments can work and bring real benefits to our area.