Building Britain's Future
Issue- The Prime Minister has today published a plan for Building Britain's Future.
- Building Britain's Future is a radical vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society for all.
-
Our plan is based on three clear priorities:
- Putting Britain firmly on the path to recovery and seizing future opportunities for economic growth.
- Building on the improvements made in schools, hospitals and policing and modernising our national infrastructure.
- Cleaning up politics and renewing our democracy.
- Since 1997, we have demonstrated that strong, active government works. Leading from the front has helped us to drive up standards of health care and education; to cut crime and poverty; and to harness Britain's economic potential.
- These successes - and others - have transformed the country over the past decade, making it a better place to live for everyone. It is a record of which this government can be proud.
- But all these achievements must now be entrenched and built on to meet the immediate challenges which now face us. The global downturn has threatened our jobs and homes, while the MPs' expenses scandal has corroded trust in our democracy. Each crisis was born out of power being in the hands of a narrow, irresponsible few.
- So we are determined to work harder on behalf of the people of Britain and drive forward the reforms needed to ensure they are served by strong, accountable and responsible institutions - all underpinned by the British value of fairness.
- Tough choices must be made to achieve our goals and so we have decided to prioritise where taxpayers' money is directed to ensure the best results for the immediate needs of the country. And we will not waver in taking on those vested interests intent on preserving the failed systems of the status quo.
- In the coming months we will build on this plan by setting out more details in key areas, including: transport, infrastructure, financial services, social care, climate change and energy, life sciences and constitutional reform.
- We will Build Britain's Future by putting Britain on the path to recovery and securing growth and jobs; by building on our improvements in public services; and by cleaning up politics and renewing our democracy.
Growth and jobs - Getting Britain back to work
- In the last two recessions tens of thousands of young people were written off to become a generation lost to work. We will not make that mistake again. From January every young person under 25 who has been out of work for a year will receive a guaranteed job, work experience or training place. In return, they will also have the obligation to accept that guaranteed offer.
- From September we will make a clear pledge to all school-leavers that every 16 and 17 year old will receive an offer of a school or college place or an apprenticeship.
- New industries will bring new jobs. So there is a new, more active industrial policy to drive growth and create the high value jobs of the future. We will establish a new ?£ 150 million Innovation Fund which will over time lever up to ?£ 1 billion of private sector funding.
- By switching spending priorities, we will target investment worth ?£ 1.5 billion over the next two years to deliver 20,000 new affordable homes, creating 45,000 jobs in the construction and related sectors.
- Patients will get enforceable entitlements to the highest standards of health care, including hospital treatment within 18 weeks, access to a cancer specialist within two weeks and free health-checks on the NHS for people aged 40-74.
- Parents will be guaranteed an education individually tailored to their child, including a personal tutor for every pupil at secondary school, with catch up tuition, including one-to-one, for all those who need it.
- We will give local people more power to keep their neighbourhoods safe, including the right to hold the police to account at monthly beat meetings, to have a say on CCTV and a vote on how offenders pay back the community.
- We need to entrench the progress and improvements made over the last 12 years. Our fresh approach will involve a shift in emphasis from targets and standards for providers to rights and entitlements for parents, patients and communities.
- We have already started the process with new legislation to create an independent regulator for Parliamentary standards and to rebuild trust further we want a Code of Conduct for MPs.
- Further reforms of the House of Lords will finally remove the hereditary principle, provide for the disqualification of those convicted of a serious criminal offence and allow peers to resign.
- A draft Bill will be brought forward for a smaller, democratically-constituted second chamber.
Return to Top of page