Local News Stories For Todmorden

Jim Knight MP Enters Calderdale Cuts Debate

The Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform has thrown his weight behind Labour’s Steph Booth following a recent debate on spending cuts.

Speaking after Mrs Booth had clashed with her Conservative opponent at last week’s General Election debate in Hipperholme, Jim Knight MP said she had been right to resist the Tories’ demand for immediate and deep cuts.

“I want to reinforce the message the Labour Candidate, Steph Booth, has been telling me about Calder Valley,” he said. “I know it’s been a tough time with the recession in terms of employment and it’s really important the Government is investing in places like Calder Valley to reduce the problem of unemployment.

“In the previous recession [of 1992] when the Tories were in power they said unemployment was a price worth paying. Action taken by this government has ensured there are around 3,000 fewer job losses than in that recession.

“The Government’s Future Jobs Fund has also helped to reduce the impact. We’ve got 150 young people here who have been able to start work for at least six months on a minimum wage. This obviously brings a benefit to the Calder Valley community.”

The Future Jobs Fund – which is creating 170,000 jobs for 18-24 year olds across the UK – is one of many schemes the Conservatives have promised to axe. When asked last week about who we should trust with the economy, the Conservative candidate repeated Shadow Chancellor George Osborne’s assurance that the Tories would cut spending faster and deeper than Labour.

Labour’s Steph Booth has said this would be disastrous for our region. She pointed to former Bank of England member David Blanchflower’s warning that Osborne’s plans could push national unemployment up to five million.

“Calderdale has been assessed as one of 10 areas in the country most vulnerable to the effects of the recession,” she said. “Craig Whittaker knows this, so why is he vigorously pushing for massive cuts now when our economy is in such a fragile state?”

Looking at the prospect of Britain sustaining an economic recovery throughout 2010, Jim Knight added that it would be dangerous to remove Government support at this time.

“Now as we secure a recovery we must make sure we carry on this investment, working with local people and with businesses,” he said. “We need an active Government, not a Government whose first choice is cuts. The first priority has to be jobs.”

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See Also: Tory cost cuts ‘threat to recovery’