Free schools announcement: David Cameron's speech
The Prime Minister spoke at the Green School, Isleworth on jobs, money, homes, schools and savings and announced 49 new free schools.
Introduction
For the last 5 years this government has been working through a long-term economic plan to turn Britain around. That plan is working.
You can see it in the economic figures, with growth up, the deficit halved and new industries thriving.
But statistics don바카라 사이트檛 pay the bills and government graphs don바카라 사이트檛 buy school uniforms. Plans and policies only work if they actually help families.
That바카라 사이트檚 why my number 1 goal is to turn this long-term economic plan into a plan for you. I don바카라 사이트檛 just want people to hear about Britain바카라 사이트檚 economic success on the news or see it in the papers. I want them to feel it in their lives. And that is beginning to happen.
You can see it in your payslip 바카라 사이트� with taxes cut and wages rising, at the till 바카라 사이트� with inflation at a record low, at the pump 바카라 사이트� with fuel duty frozen and in your savings 바카라 사이트� with more control over your own money.
But for some families, those old questions still swirl around:
- Is my job safe?
- Can we afford to get by?
- Will we be able to buy a home?
- Can we afford childcare?
- Are our children going to have the skills they need?
- Will our earnings and our savings see us through?
It all comes back to security 바카라 사이트� that바카라 사이트檚 what matters to families more than anything. That바카라 사이트檚 why next week바카라 사이트檚 Budget is built for, designed around and centred on Britain바카라 사이트檚 families.
For the mum who is up and out the door before 6am. The dad who gets home from work when everyone is fast asleep. The children who are hoping for a holiday at the seaside this year. We want families like this to feel secure.
As you build a life together you want that life to feel solid 바카라 사이트� built to last. And for me there are 5 foundation stones that families바카라 사이트� security is built on: jobs, money, homes, schools and savings.
Let me take each in turn.
Jobs
The cornerstone of families바카라 사이트� security is work. Everything rests on whether parents are bringing home a pay packet.
Today there are 1.85 million more people in work than there were in 2010. That hasn바카라 사이트檛 just changed 1.85 million lives.
It바카라 사이트檚 changed the lives of all those children who see their mum or dad going off to work with pride each morning, and of all those parents who can sleep a little easier knowing they have a steady income coming in.
For every single day we바카라 사이트檝e been in office, 1,000 people have read those vital words: 바카라 사이트淥ffer of employment바카라 사이트�.
Of course, there are doubters.
They doubt that the jobs we바카라 사이트檙e creating are sufficient to support families but over the last year, three-quarters of new jobs were full time.
They doubt that they바카라 사이트檙e being created outside London but last year jobs were created fastest not in the South East but the North East.
They doubt that they바카라 사이트檙e decent jobs, but jobs are being created in industries of the future 바카라 사이트� with 1 million roles being advertised last year in the digital technology sector alone.
They doubt all this will help young people but in the last year we had a bigger rise in youth employment than the rest of the EU combined.
The doubters are wrong; our plan is right 바카라 사이트� and it바카라 사이트檚 giving families the security they need.
After 5 years, we have seen more people in work than at any point in British history.
So our ambitions for the future are unashamedly high. We won바카라 사이트檛 just go for more employment; we바카라 사이트檒l go for full employment: a job for everyone who wants one.
And there바카라 사이트檚 only one genuine way to do that. It바카라 사이트檚 the same way we helped create all these jobs.
And that바카라 사이트檚 by backing business helping them to grow, expand, take on new staff 바카라 사이트� and yes, take on apprentices. We바카라 사이트檝e already created 2 million [Political content removed].
Why will we do all this? Because businesses create jobs and a job is the first 바카라 사이트� and the most important 바카라 사이트� foundation stone in building a family바카라 사이트檚 security.
Money
The second foundation stone for families바카라 사이트� security is having more money in their pockets.
For too long, family budgets seemed to be under attack from every angle.
Parents felt hammered at the till, ripped off at the petrol pump and clobbered by the taxman.
The gas, water and electric; the car insurance and home insurance the road tax, council tax, phone bill, food bill, mortgage. It felt like an endless assault on family finances 바카라 사이트� and families were left with a feeling we all dread: insecurity.
Our goal in government is to ease that burden so families don바카라 사이트檛 just get by in life; they can get on in life 바카라 사이트� and do all the things they want to do.
That starts with something simple: keeping more of the money you earn.
Thanks to our income tax cuts, there are 26 million people saving an average of 拢825 a year in tax from April.
Think about that: parents with potentially an extra 拢1,600 in the kitty looking to the summer and thinking 바카라 사이트測es, we can book that holiday바카라 사이트�, or looking to Christmas without the same fear of the cost.
Then there바카라 사이트檚 the fuel duty freeze 바카라 사이트� saving the average motorist at least 拢135 a year. The married tax allowance 바카라 사이트� saving couples up to 拢212 a year. The fact that wages are rising and inflation is low.
All this has happened because of the difficult decisions we바카라 사이트檝e taken on our economy.
One of families바카라 사이트� biggest outgoings 바카라 사이트� and therefore biggest worries 바카라 사이트� is the cost of childcare.
Most spend, on average, over a quarter of their income on childcare. That바카라 사이트檚 right 바카라 사이트� more than a quarter of what they바카라 사이트檝e got coming in going straight back out. This is not just an issue for women or parents. It바카라 사이트檚 a national issue.
So we바카라 사이트檝e acted, increasing the number of free childcare hours for 3- and 4-year-olds, introducing 15 free hours for the 40% most disadvantaged 2-year-olds and in the next Parliament perhaps the most transformative change to childcare in decades 바카라 사이트� making it tax free, saving up to 拢2,000 per child, per year.
More money in parents바카라 사이트� pockets. Less worry for families. That바카라 사이트檚 what our long-term economic plan is delivering 바카라 사이트� security for all.
Homes
The third foundation stone is a home of your own.
Your home is the ultimate symbol of security. It바카라 사이트檚 a place of stability, protecting your family 바카라 사이트� a place to feel safe, to make memories together. Too many people have been denied that security.
I think of all the people in their 20s and 30s still living with their parents, desperately saving for their own place, the couple who want a child but can바카라 사이트檛 afford to upsize, the families stuck in the renting rut, never able to properly settle down.
We바카라 사이트檙e turning this around, meeting every barrier to home ownership with a solution.
Problem 1 was that mortgage rates were high. By cutting the deficit, we바카라 사이트檙e keeping them low.
If you compare what people are paying now to what they would have paid with interest rates at 2010 levels, they are saving 拢155 a month.
Problem 2 is that many could afford mortgage repayments but not the initial deposit.
That pushed up the average age of a first-time buyer, without parents바카라 사이트� help, to 37 바카라 사이트� an absolute scandal in this, the country of the property-owning democracy.
So we brought in Help to Buy 바카라 사이트� to help with those deposits. And thanks to that scheme, 88,000 more people have crossed the threshold of their home 바카라 사이트� 88,000 people who have bricks and mortar to call their own.
Problem 3 was that there weren바카라 사이트檛 enough homes for people to buy.
House building fell every decade after the 60s and after the great recession, the tumbleweed rolled across deserted building sites.
So we바카라 사이트檝e released more government land and we바카라 사이트檙e lending money to get builders building. We바카라 사이트檝e reformed planning to make it easier to get permission and in the last year alone, work was started on 140,000 new homes.
And we will go further with 2 new garden cities 바카라 사이트� in Ebbsfleet and Bicester and with 200,000 Starter Homes 바카라 사이트� discounted new-builds for first-time buyers under 40, so more children have a bedroom to call their own, more parents can finally decorate their living room as they want it and more families have stability and security 바카라 사이트� a place to make memories and build their lives together.
Schools
The fourth foundation stone may be the most crucial for families 바카라 사이트� and that바카라 사이트檚 education.
The schools they go to, the skills they get 바카라 사이트� they바카라 사이트檙e your child바카라 사이트檚 ticket to success.
In the past, our education system has failed too many children. We are turning that around.
We바카라 사이트檝e spent 拢5 billion on new school places. We바카라 사이트檝e got discipline back in the classroom. We바카라 사이트檝e got high standards back on the curriculum. We are making sure more pupils take traditional, academic subjects.
But the biggest change we바카라 사이트檝e made 바카라 사이트� something that is radically changing the way education is delivered 바카라 사이트� is opening 4,200 academies and 255 free schools.
Sponsored academies are failing schools taken over by independent sponsors 바카라 사이트� many of them successful academy chains, like Harris, with a track record of turning schools around.
Converter academies are successful schools that have chosen to benefit from the freedom from local authority control, taking full control of their budget and making the decisions that matter.
Free Schools are brand new schools, set up by groups of parents, or charities, or teachers, or bodies, including other schools, that have a passion for delivering great education.
All of them are creating more good school places for our children. What these schools have achieved is, frankly, remarkable. They바카라 사이트檙e more likely to be good or outstanding.
In fact, free schools are twice as likely to be judged 바카라 사이트榦utstanding바카라 사이트� as other schools inspected at the same time. And, remember, they바카라 사이트檝e only been going for a couple of years at most.
As Policy Exchange said this week, free schools don바카라 사이트檛 just raise the performance of their own pupils 바카라 사이트� they raise standards in surrounding schools in the area too.
Academies are more likely to improve their results at GCSE.
And today, 1 million more children across the country are in schools that the inspectors 바카라 사이트� Ofsted 바카라 사이트� say are 바카라 사이트済ood바카라 사이트� or 바카라 사이트渙utstanding바카라 사이트�.
We바카라 사이트檙e declaring war on illiteracy and innumeracy too, so no child leaves school unable to read or write.
We바카라 사이트檙e going to make Britain 바카라 사이트� the country of Alan Turing, of Stephen Hawking 바카라 사이트� the best place in the world to learn maths, science and computing.
And yes 바카라 사이트� we바카라 사이트檙e going to dramatically expand the free schools programme.
Today I바카라 사이트檓 announcing 49 new ones.
Find out more about free schools announced today.
New schools like:
- the Boxing Academy in Hackney 바카라 사이트� based on discipline and teamwork
- the Green School for Boys here in Isleworth 바카라 사이트� part of the same trust as this brilliant girls바카라 사이트� school
- Floreat Education바카라 사이트檚 latest schools in Southall and Alperton in London 바카라 사이트� which focus on character as well as academia
We바카라 사이트檝e got Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish ethos schools opening up schools that extend the school day, schools that will benefit from the expertise of Sunderland FC and Microsoft schools that cater for those with special needs, armed forces families, children who have been excluded.
They바카라 사이트檙e going to provide thousands of good school places for children the length and breadth of the country.
And they바카라 사이트檙e all part of this 바카라 사이트� the most successful schools programme in recent British history.
Savings
The fifth and final foundation for families바카라 사이트� security is this: savings.
Everyone who pays into a savings account, who pays into a pension, who goes to the bank to top up their ISA, is doing it for the same reason: security.
So if they hit hard times, they바카라 사이트檝e got something to fall back on, so when they get older, they바카라 사이트檝e got something extra to get by on.
For too long, we바카라 사이트檝e had a system that punished that prudence.
People would be unfairly taxed for drawing down their private pension. Their pension pot would be taxed far too much when they died. That was completely wrong.
So we are introducing a new culture of saving. Over-55s will have access to their pension pots 4 weeks from today.
The punitive tax on passing your pension on 바카라 사이트� it바카라 사이트檚 gone.
It바카라 사이트檚 easier to switch bank accounts to get a better rate. You can put not just 拢5,000 a year in a cash ISA but 拢15,000. And our are yielding a rate of 4 per cent.
All this is sending out the clearest message to families: If you바카라 사이트檙e thinking of your future security 바카라 사이트� we바카라 사이트檙e right behind you.
Conclusion
My motto in life is 바카라 사이트渇amily first바카라 사이트�. I apply it to my own life and to my politics.
At their best, families are resilient 바카라 사이트� tight-knit units which can weather anything. And if you doubt it, just think of what your family has gone through over the years and how you바카라 사이트檝e come through it together.
But at the same time families are vulnerable 바카라 사이트� vulnerable to shocks, vulnerable to financial pressure. Job losses or money worries can tear them apart.
I believe financial security for families is one of government바카라 사이트檚 foremost duties.
It바카라 사이트檚 what I바카라 사이트檓 in politics to deliver 바카라 사이트� a better life for you and your children. Every time I champion an economic success, it바카라 사이트檚 because it바카라 사이트檚 been a success for families.
When I celebrate the reopening of a brick factory, it바카라 사이트檚 not because I love bricks: it바카라 사이트檚 because I love to see all those staff doing their jobs with pride, knowing they바카라 사이트檙e going home to their families with a wage.
Every time I celebrate the opening of a free school, it바카라 사이트檚 not because I love cutting ribbons or taking selfies with the students 바카라 사이트� it바카라 사이트檚 because I바카라 사이트檓 so glad, so relieved that more parents can, like me, share the peace of mind you feel when your child is getting a great education.
Every single part of this has only been possible because we got a grip on our economy.
If we hadn바카라 사이트檛 got our finances in order there would have been no tax cuts, no new school places, no help for savers, no Help to Buy 바카라 사이트� no record job creation.
In other words, families바카라 사이트� security is dependent on a strong economy. Say goodbye to economic stability 바카라 사이트� and you say goodbye to your family바카라 사이트檚 security.
That바카라 사이트檚 why it바카라 사이트檚 more important than ever to stick to our long-term economic plan.
That바카라 사이트檚 what next week바카라 사이트檚 Budget is all about.
And that바카라 사이트檚 what I am determined to deliver.