AS the first 1,000 days of the Labour Government pass, it is timely that the achievements of almost three years in power are put into context.

Clearly there is much more still to do to bring about the stronger, fairer, more successful Britain that we all want, but there can be no doubt that real progress has been made.

After 1,000 days under the Labour Government, unemployment is now at a 20-year low with an extra 700,000 jobs being created, long-term youth unemployment is down by more than 60 per cent and by October last year more than 170,000 young people had secured jobs through the New Deal.

The Tories, after a 1,000 days, had set the pattern for the deterioration of front-line public services.

Contrast this with the Labour Government's commitment to its number one election priority: education.

While the issue of equitable funding for Bury and other authorities, penalised by the current mechanism for allocating monies by central government, is still to be resolved, there can be no doubt that education remains at the heart of the political agenda! The benefits of reducing infant class sizes, tackling the massive backlog of repairs created by years of Tory under-funding, and a sustained investment over the coming years of more than £19 billion nationally is already having a positive effect here in Bury. There can be no doubt as to the Government's determination that we should all strive to give our children the best possible education, as has been the ethos here in Bury for many years.

The Tories have called Labour's spending on education "reckless" yet, as we all know, the proportion of GNP being spent on education actually needs to be increased still further if we are to build a strong skills-based economy so that our children and grandchildren can succeed in the ever more competitive global market of the future.

So, real, tangible benefits can be seen here in Bury as the positive effects of increased funding and a real sense of purpose are starting to translate into smaller class sizes, and better conditions in schools as we tackle the backlog of repairs.

Much still remains to be done but there can be no doubt that Labour's first 1,000 days have given us all much to be positive about.

COUNCILLOR ANDREA HUGHES,

cabinet member for lifelong learning.

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