Hannah's Work

Business

Small firms in Exeter need help in face of credit crunch. Hannah Foster has suggested a practical series of measures needed to stop local firms going under.

Hannah Foster, Prospective Conservative MP for Exeter backed new Conservative proposals to help struggling local firms in Exeter suffering from the credit crunch and economic downturn.

Many small businesses have either had their overdrafts withdrawn or their interest rates hiked above 15%. Problems have been made worse by HM Revenue and Customs? aggressive behaviour which can drive small businesses over the edge with tax demands.

Conservatives are calling for:

• Small and medium-sized businesses to be allowed to defer their VAT bills, for up to six months. A typical firm could save £12,000 a year as a result, and improve its cash flow which is so vital.
• Employers National Insurance to be cut by one per cent for all businesses with fewer than five employees. A small business with four employees and an annual wage bill of £150,000 would save more than £100 a month. Gordon Brown, when Chancellor, increased the rate of National Insurance, hitting businesses and jobs.
• Small business corporation tax rate to be cut from 22p to 20p.
• Action to raise awareness of small business rate relief to encourage more firms to claim it, and so save up to £1,100 a year in business rates.

Conservatives themselves are taking the initiative to help small firms, by launching an online tool for businesses to see if they are eligible for small business rate relief. The website is available at:
www.conservatives.com/smallshops/

Mrs Foster said:
Small shops and businesses in Exeter are facing tough times because of the credit crunch. These firms are the lifeblood of our community and local economy. A responsible government would do more to help them. But Gordon Brown is not standing up for their interests.

Conservatives are calling for a council tax freeze for local residents, and a package of measures to help local firms, including cutting their business taxes and helping their cash flow. Action is needed to save jobs and businesses during these very difficult economic times.
 
 
 

Upper GI Unit

 
For many months Hannah has raised concerns about the move of the Upper GI Cancer Unit from the RD&E to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. Exeter's Unit has pioneered specialist procedures, particularly the minimally invasive procedure (MIO) - in which Exeter is a world leader.

This move has been flawed from the start. Hannah discovered in November 2007 that there was plans to move Exeter's unit, it looked like the decision had been made behind closed doors. After pressure from Hannah and others the PCT said there would be a consultation with the public. Hannah believes that process was badly flawed. Meetings were badly publicised, some were cancelled and they seemed to only focus on patient transport issues not the move itself. Hannah, like many others is not against the move if it is right for patients to have a better specialist cancer service. However this should only happen if the MIO procedure and the associated research is protected.

The whole situation has given Hannah real concerns on how pressure is being used by the PCT on staff in our hospitals and their lack of transparency with the public and media.

On 19th November the Devon Health & Adult Services Overview and Scrutiny committee voted for the move to be referred to the Secretary of State by passing the motion:

Hannah congratulated the committee on doing it's job. They felt let down by the PCT's failure to ensure that the concerns on protecting MIO and patient support concerns had been addressed.

Hannah is now working with MPs to focus attention on the issue in Westminster. Do get in touch and keep an eye on this page for further information.

If you want to raise your concerns at Westminster you can write to the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS

See linked stories

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Government-rule-cancer-unit-plan/arti...

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Public-inquiry-wanted-relocation-canc...

http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/Cancer-Pressure-mounts-in...

http://www.exeterconservatives.org.uk/index.php?sectionid=3&pagenumber=5...
 
 
 

Rebuilding our broken economy

 
Gordon Brown said he’d abolished boom and bust, but he’s given us the longest and deepest recession since records began. He said we were the best-placed country to deal with the global downturn, but we’re still in recession whileour major competitors are in recovery. He says only he can lead Britain to recovery, but his policies have failed and he has no serious plan for our economic future.

We desperately need a change of direction. A Conservative government will take three key steps to rebuild our broken economy:

• First, we still face a financial crisis. So we need to get banks lending again. For nearly a year, we have been calling for a National Loan Guarantee Scheme to underwrite bank lending to businesses, to save businesses and protect jobs. And we think that instead of paying our significant cash bonuses, retail banks should be rebuilding their balance sheets so they can start lending to businesses again.
• Second, we face a debt crisis. To restore investor confidence, we need a credible plan to get the £175 billion annual deficit under control. That means taking the tough choices in public spending we have set out, such as a one-year public sector pay freeze except for the lowest paid.
• Third, we face a jobs crisis. So we need a plan for growth. We will abolish all tax on jobs created by new companies for two years; we will introduce a radical new programme for everyone who is unemployed so we can Get Britain Working again; and we will create a high-skill economy by building a new generation of technical schools, creating 100,000 new apprenticeships, and funding 10,000 extra university places.

Britain has the resources, people, ingenuity and ideas to get us out of recession. We just need a government that will help, not stand in the way.