The National Citizen Service in Hertfordshire

It’s good to hear news that, during the February half-term, 220 young people participated in the National Citizen Service with Youth Connexions Hertfordshire. As a strong supporter of the NCS, seeing that these young people have spent 6,600 hours volunteering on social action projects to help their local areas is very encouraging. The NCS aims to provide 16- and 17-year-olds with the skills needed for work, life, and the transition to adulthood, and I’m delighted that so many young people are taking full advantage of it.

The NCS’s programmes with Youth Connexions Hertfordshire continue throughout 2015 with opportunities for another 1,000 young people. I urge young people across North East Hertfordshire to get involved with this excellent scheme.

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Recent arson attacks in Letchworth

I am concerned by the recent arson attacks against vehicles in Letchworth Garden City. There were over ten such attacks in January and February and they are completely unacceptable. There have also been some van break-ins reported. As I told the local press, the idiots committing these offences are putting themselves and others in danger, and I am glad that we are seeing an increase in police patrols in Letchworth to deal with the situation. Our police are a great local asset and they are working hard to solve these crimes and keep our streets safe.

We must remember that, even with these recent problems, North East Hertfordshire remains a low-crime area. I appeal to local people to report any suspicious circumstances to the authorities.

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Recent low inflation rates

There has been some encouraging news on the inflation rate recently and it is important to examine the benefits that this will bring to our economy. The CPI inflation rate fell to a record low of 0.3% in January, helped especially by lower food and oil prices. This downward trend looks set to continue with the possibility of negative inflation coming briefly in the Spring, according to the Governor of the Bank of England. Mr Carney also said that the falling oil price was “unambiguously good” for the economy and motorists have seen petrol prices fall by more than 8p per litre.

All this will have positive effects on the British economy, with the Bank of England predicting growth this year of 2.6% which have led to forecasts of strong wage growth this year.

This is good for hardworking people across the country. Falling prices and rising wages means that more and more pressure is being lifted from family budgets, and this should support growth in consumer spending.

The recovery is, of course, not complete, but these figures are another sign that the Long-term Economic Plan is working. The deficit is down by a half, a thousand jobs have been created for every day that this Government has been in office, and now, low inflation and increasing wages are making life easier for families up and down the country. Britain should stay the course.

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