As 2013 drew to a close there was encouraging news of the UK economy further ‘turning the corner’ with employment at over 30 million, an historic high, and our GDP growth greater than the US or EU.
The past year also saw crime and unemployment down as well as an income tax cut for about 25 million people, approximately 43,000 in Crawley. But there is much more which needs to be achieved in 2014 to ensure the recovery gains greater pace and we will only further achieve this is we continue the course started in mid-2010 of now being financially responsible as a nation.
The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) uses an internationally recognised means of determining the national unemployment rate, however, because this is survey based there is insufficient data available at a constituency level to ensure its reliability. For this reason Members of Parliament from across the House of Commons and journalists rely on the ONS’s Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) data which is recognised throughout the country as the most accurate means of determining constituency based unemployment rates.
This is a vitally important as we look forward into the New Year because we must fight back against the voices that say ‘Crawley isn’t achieving’: whether it be Sussex UKIP recently insulting our town by calling it an “urban mega sprawl”; or Labour in Crawley telling our young people they aren’t succeeding, claiming that our economy isn’t recovering and fostering an atmosphere of disillusionment.
Crawley deserves the confidence to know that it is achieving: with youth unemployment having more than halved to 3.1 percent since 2010, young people are getting work; with business confidence high, Crawley’s entrepreneurs are investing in business ventures and employing more staff; with the Government’s reforms ensuring that a greater proportion of business rates raised across our town, local residents will benefit from local business growth.
As we look ahead, it is important that through that transition into 2014 we recognise our town’s hard earned triumphs from the previous year to venture forward into the New Year with the confidence to continue our achievements.