Antony Little for Norwich South

The Government is undermining NHS staff by forcing them to accept top-down targets instead of responding to emergency calls, according to the Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South.Antony Little, who is also Conservative group leader at City Hall, said that despite NHS staff working flat out to try and maintain a first class service for patients during the difficult winter months, “Ministerial incompetence” had tied their hands.

A growing number of ambulance services say the cold start to the month and outbreaks of illness have created unprecedented levels of calls. Ambulance services say this has put pressure on hospital beds, often slowing down ambulances needing to offload patients and move on to attend new emergency calls.

Cllr Little said: “Labour’s top-down targets distort priorities and are forcing ambulances to queue outside hospitals rather than respond to emergency calls. I urge people to dial 999 only in a genuine emergency.

“Is it any wonder if hospitals are struggling to cope when Labour have closed down local Accident and Emergency Departments at the same time as hospitals report increases in the number of patients they are treating?”

A project by transport officials to increase efficiency and cut administration expenses has wasted taxpayers’ money because the budget has ballooned dramatically, according to the Conservatives’ Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South.Antony Little, who is also Tory group leader at City Hall and a councillor for Bowthorpe ward, made his comments after it was revealed that the project’s initial budget of £57m had actually soared to £81 million and was set to make further losses.

Cllr Little said: “It is scandalous that at a time when Labour mismanagement has put our public finances in such a disastrous mess that the they are instructing civil servants to pour taxpayers’ money down the drain.

“Gordon Brown’s claim that he is going to cut down on Government waste is wholly undermined by disasters like this. Hard-working taxpayers will be incensed that a project that was supposed to save money will actually cost them £81 million, money that would have been far better spent on much-needed transport improvements that Labour have promised so many times and failed to deliver.

“This is incompetence that taxpayers and commuters cannot afford at this very difficult time for our economy.”

A 200-year old chestnut tree has fallen onto a main route into Norwich today. Newmarket Road was completely blocked which caused massive tailbacks around the ring road and the bypass.The tree crashed from a garden to the road at about 1.30pm and has completely destroyed fence panels from a garden on the corner of Upton Road. No pedestrians or cars were in the area when it fell.

One of the witnesses was Antony Little, Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South, who was out campaigning in Eaton with local Conservative activists.

He said: “We were out delivering leaflets in the Upton Road area when we saw the traffic coming to a standstill on Newmarket Road. The police arrived soon after and began to direct vehicles away from the tree initially with some help from my campaign team.

“It’s incredibly fortunate that there were no fatalities. It could have been so easy for the tree to have crushed a bus, severely injuring passengers and pedestrians alike.

“I was also very impressed with the quick and decisive response from the police as they diverted motorists away from the obstruction and managed to get the traffic moving again.”

The 24-hour drinking laws are pointless and should be scrapped, according to a leading City Councillor.

Councillor Antony Little, who is also the Conservatives’ Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South, made his comments after figures were released showing that only two establishments in Norwich had applied for 24-hour licences but had eventually decided not to use them.

There are 190,000 licensed premises in the UK but only 6,300 have applied for 24-hour drinking licences. Licences have been granted to 640 pubs and clubs across the country, including the two establishments in Norwich which have traditional hours of drinking.

Cllr Little discovered these figures after attending a meeting of the Norwich City Council Licensing Committee last night.

He said: “This is a classic piece of Labour legislation as it is an unnecessary and impracticable gimmick designed to win short-term popularity. However people are not fooled that easily. There has been little, if no, demand for 24-hour drinking and the picture in Norwich certainly reflects the unease felt towards this.

“The Conservatives have made a clear commitment to scrap this wholly unnecessary law. Not only would this allow the market to decide whether punters actually want to drink round the clock but it also sends a signal that we are serious bout tackling alcohol-related problems.”

An historic move is set to be made at one school in the county after governors voted unanimously to turn it into a trust school.At a meeting held last night, the governors of the Hewett School in Hall Road voted in favour of changing the category of the school from that of community to Foundation Trust.

The announcement was welcomed by Antony Little, Conservative group leader at City Hall, who said that funding from the foundation status charitable trust would help improve the pupils’ education whilst increasing local accountability between parents and the school.

Cllr Little said: “I fully support this decision to turn the Hewett School into a Foundation Trust school. There will be huge benefits for pupils and parents alike and it is a move in the right direction. I hope that this is the beginning of a success story for the Hewett School and that more schools in Norfolk follow suit.”

The two Conservatives hoping to win both Norwich Parliamentary seats have accused the Prime Minister of using today’s Queen’s Speech to help bolster his short-term political prospects whilst failing to provide a solution to ensure the long-term future of this country.Antony Little, Tory spokesman for Norwich South, and Chloe Smith, who is the Norwich North Conservative PPC, made their comments after the Queen outlined the Government’s legislative programme for the forthcoming Parliamentary session.

Cllr Little said: “The real problem with this Queen’s Speech is that Gordon Brown has failed to recognise that the world has changed. There are no long-term programmes to reform the public sector to get better value for money or to mend our broken society and reduce the demands on the state.

“This was a golden opportunity for the Prime Minister to seize the initiative and provide the leadership this Government has lacked for such a long time. Unfortunately this Queen’s Speech can be seen as a missed opportunity to get Britain back on track in these difficult economic times.

“Labour has taken us to the brink of financial and social bankruptcy. Largely responsible for the collapse of the economy, and clueless on the collapse of our society, Gordon Brown is yesterday’s man with yesterday’s ideas and no big vision for Britain.”

Miss Smith said: “Only a Conservative government can give our country the long-term change it really needs.

“After all, the best ideas in this Queen’s Speech are Conservative ideas, such as plans for an NHS Constitution, a points system for immigration, and the direct elections for police accountability. All of these ideas have been taken from previous Conservative manifestos and policy documents. Without the Conservative substance, there would be nothing significant in this Queen’s Speech.

“It is clear for all to see that this Queen’s Speech is another missed opportunity from a failing Labour Government and yet more proof that a Conservative government is required to give our country the long-term change it really needs.”

The privacy and liberties of ordinary people have been undermined by the disproportionate use of surveillance powers by town halls, according to the Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South.Antony Little, who is also Tory group leader at City Hall said that a huge amount of taxpayers’ money was being wasted on bankrolling an army of “town hall spies”.

Councils are currently able to spy on the public using the anti-terror law of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Cllr Little said: “Labour is claiming that they are considering new guidance, but in reality they are planning to extend, not cut back, the use of town hall surveillance.

“Under Conservative plans councils will have to obtain the approval of magistrates before any surveillance and elected councillors would become directly responsible for authorising officials to use these powers.

“Conservatives will protect the rights of law-abiding citizens from Labour’s growing surveillance state and change the law to end this abuse of state powers.”

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.”