Antony Little for Norwich South

The two Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for Norwich have accused the Chancellor of producing a “tax con which will lead to a borrowing bombshell” and have called on the Government for more time to debate the proposals contained in the Pre-Budget Report.

Antony Little, who is the Conservatives’ spokesman for Norwich South, and Chloe Smith, Tory PPC for Norwich North, made their comments after the Chancellor delivered his statement to the House of Commons yesterday afternoon.

Cllr Little said: “This is a massive Tax Bombshell Budget aimed at the pockets of Britain’s families. With one hand the Chancellor is giving us a temporary £20 billion tax cut but will still take almost £40 billion in permanent tax rises. Each household will be hit by another £1,500.

“There will be £20 billion on National Insurance, £10 billion on income tax, £5 billion on alcohol and cigarettes and £2 billion on pensions. By 2012/13 anyone earning over £20,000 will be paying more tax.

“Those losing out from Labour’s Tax Bombshell Budget will include most teachers, journalists, social workers, police officers, paramedics, firemen, office managers and professionals

“In one move, the Chancellor has managed to double the national debt to more than £1 trillion and will be borrowing more than at any time in our history. Britain will be paying off Gordon Brown’s debts for many decades to come.”

Miss Smith said: “It’s what the Chancellor didn’t say that’s really vital. Borrowing next year will be the highest as a proportion of GDP on record, as will national debt. In fact the Government is borrowing more than the entire debt inherited from all previous Governments put together.

“Even worse is an extra £100 billion buried in the small print as tax receipts over the next Parliament. The Chancellor has also cut the NHS budget by £1.4 billion in 2010/11.

“This Pre-Budget statement is also bad news for business. Corporation tax rises, business rate relief and income shifting tax rises have not been cancelled but are actually deferred by 12 months. There is a £2.8 billion tax rise on businesses through NIC tax rises and no costing help for businesses. Furthermore, the much-publicised temporary VAT cut of 2.5% will cost firms £300 million to implement.”

“The Government’s growth forecasts are much more optimistic than those of independent forecasters. If the recession is in line with external forecasters, and therefore worse than Treasury forecasts, borrowing will be catastrophically higher.”

Both Cllr Little and Miss Smith have also called for more time to debate the wide-ranging measures announced in the Chancellor’s speech.

Miss Smith said: “This has been the most widely-anticipated and important Pre-Budget statement for many years. It is astonishing that no time has been allocated to debate these measures in full because the House of Commons is shutting shop for a week.

“This is an unacceptable state of affairs. The Government should hold a debate in Parliament before the House rises.”

Cllr Little added: “However the Prime Minister decides to present it, the Pre-Budget Report is still a Christmas tax bombshell and he is trying to secure his future by mortgaging yours. The public are not fools. They will spot the difference between a tax cut and tax con.”

Urgent new measures are needed to help families and pensioners across Norwich who are facing soaring energy bills and are struggling to make ends meet, according to the Conservatives’ Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South.Antony Little, who is also Conservative group leader at City Hall, made his comments after reports showed that the average gas and electricity bill in East Anglia has now soared to £1,273 a year, despite the fact that crude oil is significantly cheaper than it was only a few months ago.

According to Age Concern, one in five families are now estimated to live in fuel poverty, there are more winter deaths in Britain than in colder European countries’ such as Finland’ Denmark and Austria.

Cllr Little said that the Conservatives had launched a series of proposals to tackle fuel poverty, which would cut the fuel bills of the poorest households by introducing tough new rules that make it illegal for energy companies to charge over the odds on pre-payment meters.

He said: “With gas and electricity bills at record highs, families across Norwich face their toughest winter for years. Without immediate help, many will have to choose between staying warm and going into debt.

“It is completely unacceptable that the most vulnerable people on pre-payment meters should be targeted by the energy companies to pay more than their fair share. That should be banned at once.

“Every customer should have the right to be told what the cheapest tariff is, instead of paying more because they are baffled by the complexity of what energy companies offer.

“The Government must end its dithering and act immediately to save the poorest from spending this winter worrying whether they can afford to keep warm.”

The two Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for Norwich have attacked the Chancellor’s statement calling it a “tax con which will lead to a borrowing bombshell”.

Antony Little, Tory PPC for Norwich South, and Chloe Smith, who is the Conservatives’ spokesman for Norwich North, made their comments after the Chancellor delivered his Pre-Budget Report.

Cllr Little said: “The Prime Minister failed to fix the roof when the sun was shining.  He claimed that he ended boom and bust but actually left the British economy the least well prepared in the world to deal with the downturn. Now Gordon Brown has made it clear that he is going to add to Britain’s borrowing problem with an unfunded tax con which will create a borrowing bombshell.

“However the Chancellor decides to present it, today’s PBR is still a Christmas tax bombshell and he is trying to secure his future by mortgaging yours. The public are not fools. They will spot the difference between a tax cut and tax con.”

Miss Smith said: “The Conservatives would instead establish a credible fiscal framework and introduce a tough new forward-looking mandate for the public finances. This would be policed by an independent Office for Budget Responsibility that would make the budget forecasts and hold governments to account.

“We are also calling for greater spending restraint. We would reduce the growth rate of spending in 2010-11 below the levels currently forecast by Labour.  So there is a clear choice between tax cons now and tax rises later with Labour, or fiscal responsibility with funded and permanent tax cuts from the Conservatives.”

The Government has failed to get costs under control and left passengers facing ever increasing fares, according to Antony Little, Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South.

Cllr Little’s comments were made after the news that rail fares are to increase by as much as 6pc in the New Year and that around 300 staff are to be laid off by National Express East Anglia, which is based in Norwich.

He said: “After eleven years in charge of our railways, Labour have totally failed to get costs under control and left passengers facing ever increasing fares. At a time when families are feeling the pinch, it is even more important to ensure passengers get value for money.

“But under Labour, not only are passengers paying more, but they have to put up with extreme overcrowding.  The most packed trains are running at over 170 per cent capacity. This state of affairs is inexcusable.”

The Conservatives’ Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South has warned the Government that their proposals to tackle human trafficking and prostitution will not protect the most vulnerable victims.

Antony Little, who is also Tory group leader at City Hall, made his comments after the Home Secretary announced a new raft of laws making kerb crawling and pimping a criminal offence.

Cllr Little said: “In the last year alone, the Metropolitan Police’s human trafficking unit has been axed, and convictions for trafficking for sexual exploitation fell by 40 per cent. If the Government was really serious about tackling human trafficking it should create a dedicated Border Police Force.

“It must also address the reasons why so many women find themselves working in prostitution.  Family breakdown, drug and alcohol abuse and poor education all play their part.

“The Government must look at preventative measures, not just reach for more legislation. ”Rather than creating new laws, the Home Secretary should focus on enforcing the existing laws.”

Three areas around Norwich are proposed to have a permanent 20mph speed limit – and the city council wants to know what residents think.

A consultation, starting on Monday (24 November), is to assess what people living in the three areas – one made up of streets around Vauxhall Street and Newmarket Street, another around Knowland Grove, Marlpit Lane, Jex Road and Hellesdon Road, and the last including streets around  Borrowdale Drive – think of the plan.

Councillor Antony Little, Conservative group leader at City Hall, has welcomed the plans but also warned that the new speed limits will need to be enforced.

He said: “Despite many areas across Norwich needing great attention to stop speeding cars, simply putting up new signs is not enough. The new 20mph zones will need to be rigorously enforced to ensure that motorists stay within the letter of the law. That is the only way this scheme will work to make our roads safer for everyone.

“I urge all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians and everyone else who lives and works in these areas to get in touch with the Council and make their views known.”

The consultation survey can be completed online from Monday at www.norwich.gov.uk/20mph or leaflets are available from the council on request. It will be sent out to all homes and businesses in the proposed areas. The closing date is 15 December.

For further information log on to www.norwich.gov.uk/20mph, call 0844 980 3333, email 20mph@norwich.gov.uk, or write to Norwich City Council Transportation Department, City Hall, St Peters Street, Norwich, NR1 2NH.

City leaders have unveiled plans to sell off historic Earlham Hall so it can be turned into an enterprise centre.

The proposals have been welcomed by Antony Little, Conservative PPC for Norwich South and group leader at City Hall, who said that development would be a significant boost to the Norwich economy.

He said: “The Norwich Conservatives completely support these plans to transform Earlham Hall into an exciting centre for business and enterprise, and are glad to see cooperation between the UEA and the wider Norwich community.

“However we hope that the Hall’s historic façade remains intact and that public access to Earlham Park will continue to be available for people to enjoy during the development work and once the new centre is completed.”

Today’s announcement that work to dual a Norwich to London trunk road will be brought forward to 2010 has been welcomed by businesses, transport bosses and MPs across the region.

Commenting on the announcement was Conservative Councillor Antony Little, who proposed the motion to dual the A11 in a recent Norwich City Council Meeting.

Cllr Little said: “I am pleased that the Department for Transport has finally given the green light for these exciting plans. Once this work is complete, the new-look A11 will increase the efficient transportation of goods and people, providing tremendous benefits for the local economy and tourism throughout the whole of Norfolk.

“Improving the transport infrastructure of the county is really is the best possible decision and is also extremely good news for the people of Norfolk.”

The Conservatives would reverse the 24-hour drinking laws and replace it with increased local discretion for licensing, according to the Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South.

Antony Little was speaking out after a report published by the Home Affairs Select Committee showed that alcohol-related crime has placed a massive burden on police resources and diverts officers from tackling other types of crime.

In 2007, nearly half of all victims of violent crime reported by the British Crime Survey believed their attacker to be under the influence of alcohol. There was also a 22% increase in offences committed between 3am and 6am in the first full year of 24-hour drinking.

Last Monday saw the Carnage pub crawl take place in Norwich, with over 1,500 people descending on the city centre. Emergency services were put on alert and diverted resources to ensure it proceeded without any major crises.

Cllr Little said: “This report is a shocking indictment of Labour’s reckless approach to extended licensing. The Government introduced 24-hour drinking without thinking it through and the consequences have been more alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder.

“A Conservative government would get rid of this top-down approach to 24-hour drinking and ensure that laws passed to deal with alcohol-induced crime are actually enforced. Furthermore we would also slash police red tape, allowing police officers to be deployed onto the streets to deal with drunken violence.”

A leading city councillor has welcomed the decision to save the Post Office Card Account saying that local Post Offices would no longer be under the immediate threat of closure.

Antony Little, who is also the Conservatives’ Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South, hailed yesterday’s decision as a triumph for campaigners who have fought to save the Post Office Card Account.

The Card Account currently distributes benefits to 4.3 million claimants and faced possible competition for a private company to take it over.

Cllr Little said: “This has been a humiliating U-turn for the Government. The whole tender process for the Post office Card Account has been a waste of time and money, and has been extremely destabilising for post offices in Norwich which are struggling to survive.

“If the Government is cancelling the tender, why on earth did it set up a competition in the first place?”