As the MP for Bournemouth East, one of my priorities is to continue supporting local businesses and work to increase local job opportunities. This includes tourism which is one of the biggest employment sectors in Bournemouth.
During my time as MP for Bournemouth East from 2005, I have taken steps to encourage the growth of the digital sector in Bournemouth - meeting both local start ups and large multinational firms - as well as pushing for further investment in areas such as Boscombe. I also founded 'Conurbation 2050', a forum to share ideas and promote discussion about the future of the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch conurbation. The group is made up of business people, entrepreneurs, artists and people with interest in the development of the conurbation.
I am also keen to ensure that job opportunities in Bournemouth East continue to increaseand in the last Parliament alone, the number of local residents claiming Job Seekers' Allowance has decreased by almost 500 claimants.
I believe that the Conservatives are the best party to continue Britain's economic recovery, the fastest eocnomic recovery in Europe. Since the 2010 election, the Conservative-led coalition has managed to achieve some fantastic economic results, including;
- Employment up by almost 2 million since 2010. That's 2 million more people with the security of bringing home a regular pay packet each month. 3/4 of this has been full-time employment
- A record number of women now in work - up 851,000 since the last election
- Youth unemployment down by over 180,000 in the last year. I would like to see further improvements in youth employment opportunities, particularly in Bournemouth East, and I am therefore pleased that the Government has increased the numbers of apprenticeship places for young people by over 2.2 million places since 2010
- Cutting Corporation Tax to the joint lowest level in the G20, backing the local businesses that are working to create private sector jobs, and cutting the jobs tax so that one third of all employers pay no jobs tax at all
- Cutting income tax for 26 million people by increasing the tax-free Personal Allowance
I want to work for even further improvements to Bournemouth's economy, protecting and enhancing our tourism sector, pushing for further digital investment, and ensuring that young people have opportunities for an apprenticeship if they want one. I also want to continue further work on the Conurbation to bring together various areas of the public and private sectors and discuss areas where improvements can be made for local businesses.
