A fairer, more prosperous Britain

by | Mar 27, 2002 | Articles, Section: Article | 0 comments

Our mission is a Britain in which everyone has the chance to make the most of their potential. That means keeping the economy strong, rebuilding strong public services around the consumer, and building Britain as a society of strong communities in which people are given opportunity to put something back in. It’s tough, it takes time, and it takes leadership. And though huge challenges remain, there are signs of real progress.

Our first task was to put the economy on a sound footing, because nothing we plan for Britain can happen without that essential base. Low mortgages, low inflation and a million more people in work are evidence of progress. Now we must maintain economic strength and stability so that all parts of the country, and all people, benefit.

Strong foundations have been laid. In our second term, we can build rapidly upon them, with investment in doctors, nurses, teachers and police. Alongside the investment, there must be real reform so that these essential public servants are freed to do their job even better.

We said it would be schools and hospitals first, and mending our NHS is a tough challenge. But if we set our doctors and nurses free, give them the money and power they need, and see through the reform programme in the ten-year plan, we will see steady year-by-year improvement in healthcare.

We face the hard challenge of restoring law and order to our communities and instilling a sense of values and respect for others. That’s why being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime remains the right approach. We are extending opportunity and we are continuing to combat poverty, but we expect people to put something back in return and help rebuild a sense of community in Britain.

We are redesigning each of our public services around the modern day needs of the consumer, the pupil, the patient, the passenger, the victim of crime. Redesigning them, too, around four key principles: national standards and accountability; devolution of power and resources to the frontline; flexibility; and choice.

In keeping our economy strong, in rebuilding our public services around these principles, in rebuilding a sense of society, we are implementing our plans to make Britain a fairer and more prosperous nation in which everyone, not just a few, can succeed. Education Education was, is and will always be, our number one priority because it is the route to giving everyone the chance to fulfil their potential and to Britain being prosperous and successful in the modern world.

The legacy: decades of under-investment with the majority neglected

  • In 1997, nearly half of all eleven year-olds were failing to learn the basics in maths and English.
  • Primary class sizes had risen every year from 1988. By 1997 almost half a million five to seven year-olds were in class sizes over 30.
  • Hundreds of thousands of children were learning in crumbling classrooms.

The story so far: getting the basics right

  • Maths and English tests results are up by more than 20 percent.
  •  England has some of the highest performing fifteen year-olds in the world, according to the international PESA study.
  • Ofsted are reporting standards up.
  • Class sizes are below 30 for infants.
  • Eight hundred failing schools have been turned round since 1997.
  •  There are 12,500 more teachers than 1997.
  • More young people are going to university.

The vision: better secondary schools based on higher standards, good behaviour and more choice with 50 percent going onto higher education

  •  Achieve higher standards at fourteen and sixteen, leading to university, apprenticeship or work-based training for all.
  • Crackdown on unruly behaviour, taking the side of teachers and the vast majority of responsible children and parents.
  • More choice of schools, with a strong set of values and commitment to excellence, new City Academies and 2,000 more specialist schools.

Health

The NHS treats one million patients every 36 hours and the overwhelming majority get good treatment. But the pressures are enormous, there are too many delays and the challenge must be to bring all health services up to the standards of the best. That means investment across the board. It’s a tough challenge. It will take time and sustained investment, but thanks to the hard work of staff, the NHS is on the road to recovery.

The legacy: decades of cuts and under-investment

  • The internal market piled up redtape and wasted money.
  • Tax cuts for the wealthy were put before investment in the NHS.
  • Hospital beds were cut by 40,000.
  • Waiting lists went up by 400,000.
  • Nurse training places were cut.

The story so far: stopping the rot

  • We got rid of the internal market that pitted doctor against doctor. 
  • We put in place the ten-year plan, including high national standards.
  • We laid the foundations for a record sustained rise in health spending.  There are 31,000 extra nurses, 9,000 more doctors.
  • Twelve new hospitals are already open, 56 are on the way.
  • There has been the first increase in hospital bed numbers since 1971.
  • There are 40 new walk-in centres and NHS Direct.
  • More than 500 extra cancer consultants.

The vision: a proud NHS with motivated staff freed to design services around the needs of patients

  • Treating staff better by easing their workload, paying them more, and allowing them to work more flexibly.
  • Treating patients better so they no longer have to fight the system. Primary Care Trusts offering better GP services.
  • Faster access to A&E and waiting times for operations cut to six months.
  • Quicker and better cancer and heart care.

Crime

The government wants to build communities with a shared sense of values and mutual respect. We have a plan to cut crime and make our streets safer. Burglary and car crime are down, but we have a real problem with street robbery and violent crime. With police numbers at record levels we are now targeting persistent offenders, drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour. And we are reforming the criminal justice system, helping the victim rather than the villain.

The legacy: crime doubled

  • Violent crime up 168 percent.
  • Police numbers down.
  • The number of convictions down by a third.
  • Crime increased faster than in any other major western country.

The story so far: overall crime down

  • Overall levels of crime fell 22 percent from 1997 to 2001, according to the British Crime Survey. •
  • Car crime is down 35 percent and burglary down 24 percent. •
  • We have the highest ever numbers of police. •
  • We’ve halved the time it takes to deal with persistent young offenders, as promised. •
  • The chance of becoming a victim of crime is now at its lowest for 20 years.

The vision: safer streets and stronger communities

We have a plan to tackle the recent upsurge in violent crime and street robbery, much of it related to mobile phones. We are giving the police extra powers to deal with anti-social behaviour. We are devolving power and resources to officers on the frontline to help them catch more criminals and drive up conviction and detection rates. We are introducing a major programme of reform to the criminal justice system to make the courts more efficient, make sentences fit the crime and change the rules of evidence so that persistent criminals don’t get away with it. On asylum, we offer safety for those who deserve it, fast action for those who don’t.

Transport

The government has a ten-year plan for transport. In many ways, it’s the toughest public service nut to crack because of decades of chronic under-funding and the breaking up of the rail network. The plan will treble public money going into public transport alongside necessary private sector investment. Our aim is that everyone should enjoy faster, more reliable journeys, whichever form of transport they use.

The legacy: botched privatisation and under-investment

  • The botched railways privatisation broke up the network.
  • Billions were wasted selling off British Rail at a knock-down price.
  • By May 1997, Railtrack was £700 million behind on its investment and maintenance programme.
  • No new trains came into service for two years.
  • Under-investment crippled railways and the tube. The story so far: the beginning of expansion
  • There are 1,700 more train services everyday.
  • Seventeen new stations have been opened, over 2,000 old stations improved.
  • 3,200 new trains and carriages, worth £3 billion, have been ordered.
  •  Bus use in England is up by 52 million journeys since 1998-9.
  • There are 34,500 new buses in Britain since January 97.
  • Nine new rail lines have been given the go-ahead.

The vision: a rebuilt, reliable rail network at the heart of a proper integrated transport strategy We have a long way to go until Britain has the modern transport system it needs. But the Strategic Rail Authority’s strategic plan published in January was the first long-term plan for the expansion of the railway for almost 50 years. It will reduce the number of franchises, allow a huge expansion and set tough targets for improving punctuality, safety and comfort. We will also proceed with plans to modernise the tube.

Submit a Comment