Peter Aldous has warned of a Government plan to leave Suffolk County Council with a massive bill to pay for new social care plans.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in Waveney warned of a Government plan to leave Suffolk County Council with a massive bill to pay for new social care plans. Analysis has revealed that Gordon Brown's unfunded plans for free personal care at home could put £26 a year on the average Council Tax bill, on top of other local pressures. This is due to an estimated £580 million black hole left by the Government.

Senior councillors in Suffolk have warned that Gordon Brown’s plans are “unclear, unfunded and are likely to have a significant impact on existing local services, including possible cuts and rises in Council Tax.”

Town Hall experts at the Local Government Association have added that “this is clearly a new burden” on councils, whilst Social Services directors from across the country have asserted that Gordon Brown has “significantly underestimated the true costs involved” v On top of the Council Tax hike, there is also the threat of an additional £20,000 “Death Tax” by Gordon Brown to pay for his new National Care Service proposals.

Peter Aldous said: - “Everybody wants to give older people more support in there old age, especially the most vulnerable. That is why the Conservatives will introduce a voluntary Home Protection Scheme to allow people, for a one off £8000 payment, to make sure that they never have to sell their home to pay for residential care.”

“However Labour’s plans to extend free personal care and to introduce a National Care Service are in chaos. Labour Ministers in Whitehall are considering levying a compulsory death tax of up to £20,000 on every person in England and now it looks like that they will put another £26 a year on Council Tax in Waveney. Gordon Brown needs to come clean about who will pay the price for his plans.”

Peter Aldous has warned of a Government plan to leave Suffolk County Council with a massive bill to pay for new social care plans.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in Waveney warned of a Government plan to leave Suffolk County Council with a massive bill to pay for new social care plans. Analysis has revealed that Gordon Brown's unfunded plans for free personal care at home could put £26 a year on the average Council Tax bill, on top of other local pressures. This is due to an estimated £580 million black hole left by the Government.

Senior councillors in Suffolk have warned that Gordon Brown’s plans are “unclear, unfunded and are likely to have a significant impact on existing local services, including possible cuts and rises in Council Tax.”

Town Hall experts at the Local Government Association have added that “this is clearly a new burden” on councils, whilst Social Services directors from across the country have asserted that Gordon Brown has “significantly underestimated the true costs involved” v On top of the Council Tax hike, there is also the threat of an additional £20,000 “Death Tax” by Gordon Brown to pay for his new National Care Service proposals.

Peter Aldous said: - “Everybody wants to give older people more support in there old age, especially the most vulnerable. That is why the Conservatives will introduce a voluntary Home Protection Scheme to allow people, for a one off £8000 payment, to make sure that they never have to sell their home to pay for residential care.”

“However Labour’s plans to extend free personal care and to introduce a National Care Service are in chaos. Labour Ministers in Whitehall are considering levying a compulsory death tax of up to £20,000 on every person in England and now it looks like that they will put another £26 a year on Council Tax in Waveney. Gordon Brown needs to come clean about who will pay the price for his plans.”

Peter Aldous has expressed his concern about new figures which have revealed the soaring use of court orders and bailiffs to collect Council Tax.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in Waveney, has expressed his concern about new figures which have revealed the soaring use of court orders and bailiffs to collect Council Tax. Council Tax bills have more than doubled across the country under Labour. In Waveney, bills have risen by 126% since 1997 thanks to Labour Ministers.

New statistics show that 1.4 million households had bailiffs knocking at their door for unpaid Council Tax last year - up nearly 70% since 1997. Another 1517 people were made bankrupt by the courts for their personal Council Tax debts.

Whitehall guidance issued by John Prescott in 2004 encourages the use of bailiffs by town halls. It even recommends that in-house town hall bailiffs remove the official council branding from their bailiff demands.

New official figures also reveal that a record 3.1 million households, of which 2,636 were in Waveney are now in severe Council Tax difficulties and face liability orders for unpaid Council Tax. Liability orders allow councils to seize money from wage packets/benefits or commence bailiff proceedings.

Conservatives have pledged to work with councils such as Waveney and Suffolk to freeze Council Tax bills in England and to provide additional central funding to keep bills down for the next two years. Scotland has already benefited from a Council Tax freeze making bills almost £300 a year less on a comparable home north of the border. Labour Ministers have ruled out introducing such a policy in England.

Peter Aldous said “Thanks to Gordon Brown doubling Council Tax bills, a record number of families in Waveney and across the country are struggling to make ends meet. More people now face the threat of menacing bailiffs knocking at their door. This is a crisis of Labour’s own making. “

“The fact that Labour Ministers have blocked a Council Tax freeze for England shows how out of touch Gordon Brown is with the plight of hard working families and pensioners. Only a Conservative Government will work with Suffolk and Waveney Councils to help fund a Council Tax freeze and to bring real help to low and middle income families. Only Conservatives can deliver the change our country needs.”

Peter Aldous has expressed his concern about new figures which have revealed the soaring use of court orders and bailiffs to collect Council Tax.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in Waveney, has expressed his concern about new figures which have revealed the soaring use of court orders and bailiffs to collect Council Tax. Council Tax bills have more than doubled across the country under Labour. In Waveney, bills have risen by 126% since 1997 thanks to Labour Ministers.

New statistics show that 1.4 million households had bailiffs knocking at their door for unpaid Council Tax last year - up nearly 70% since 1997. Another 1517 people were made bankrupt by the courts for their personal Council Tax debts.

Whitehall guidance issued by John Prescott in 2004 encourages the use of bailiffs by town halls. It even recommends that in-house town hall bailiffs remove the official council branding from their bailiff demands.

New official figures also reveal that a record 3.1 million households, of which 2,636 were in Waveney are now in severe Council Tax difficulties and face liability orders for unpaid Council Tax. Liability orders allow councils to seize money from wage packets/benefits or commence bailiff proceedings.

Conservatives have pledged to work with councils such as Waveney and Suffolk to freeze Council Tax bills in England and to provide additional central funding to keep bills down for the next two years. Scotland has already benefited from a Council Tax freeze making bills almost £300 a year less on a comparable home north of the border. Labour Ministers have ruled out introducing such a policy in England.

Peter Aldous said “Thanks to Gordon Brown doubling Council Tax bills, a record number of families in Waveney and across the country are struggling to make ends meet. More people now face the threat of menacing bailiffs knocking at their door. This is a crisis of Labour’s own making. “

“The fact that Labour Ministers have blocked a Council Tax freeze for England shows how out of touch Gordon Brown is with the plight of hard working families and pensioners. Only a Conservative Government will work with Suffolk and Waveney Councils to help fund a Council Tax freeze and to bring real help to low and middle income families. Only Conservatives can deliver the change our country needs.”

Conservative Proposals to Create a Renaissance in Seaside Towns

The Conservatives have produced a Plan for the regeneration of coastal towns. The Plan entitled "No Longer the End of the Line" outlines how seaside towns have been let down over the past decade and outlines how the Conservatives intend to end this damaging sidelining.

The majority of coastal towns across Britain have lower levels of employment, higher levels of benefit claimants, poorer health records and worse transport links than comparable inland towns.

The policy proposals in the comprehensive action plan include:

• 400,000 apprenticeships and training places across the country - over 2 years - and a £2000 bonus for each apprenticeship at a small or medium sized enterprise.


• A £100 million fund to support young people across the country who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS)


• A shake up of the Common Fisheries Policy to give Lowestoft fishermen a greater say over the future of their industry and to promote the hook and line fishing that they carry out.


• The introduction of new tax breaks for local firms, including local business rate discounts, lower corporation tax on small firms and waiving National Insurance on new firms that create new jobs.


• Providing coastal councils such as Suffolk County Council and Waveney District Council a “Fair Funding” settlement that takes account of the large numbers of both elderly and vulnerable residents and also visitors.

Peter Aldous said:

“This plan is particularly welcome at the current time, following the recent news concerning SLP and Jeld Wen. These proposals will help bring jobs to Lowestoft. This action plan is proof that Conservatives want to reinvigorate our coastal towns, so that they are not just places for a great day out, but are also successful and attractive places to live and work The Conservatives will ensure that our coastal towns are no longer the end of the line”.

'No longer the end of the line: Our plan for coastal towns' | Click here to download

Peter Aldous has given his backing to the Conservatives new "Community Right to Buy" plans that would allow not for profit community groups across Waveney to take over the running of struggling local facilities, from post offices to pubs to parks.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Waveney, has given his backing to the Conservatives new "Community Right to Buy" plans that would allow not for profit community groups across Waveney to take over the running of struggling local facilities, from post offices to pubs to parks.

A feature of the past decade has been the alarming rate at which community facilities such as pubs and post offices have closed. This has had a disastrous effect on local communities, with both the loss of jobs and the loss of vital services to the most needy.

Pubs, which are over taxed and over regulated, continue to close at an alarming rate and Waveney has lost over a third of its post offices since 1999 (from 28 down to 18).

The Conservatives, recognising the vital role that such facilities provide, have set out proposals that will give people in Waveney the powers to protect community assets from closure and to take over the running of public buildings and community assets.

Under the Conservatives proposals:

• Community groups such as schools, churches or voluntary groups will be able to bid to take over the running of publicly owned community assets, if they can manage them more efficiently and effectively than the state.
• When a state owned community asset faces closure or being sold, voluntary groups will have a right of first refusal to buy that asset for a fair price and maintain it for community use. The new rights to community ownership will cover assets owned by central government and quangos, not just town halls.
• The radical "Community Right to Buy" will also allow community groups a first refusal to take over and run vital commercially- owned community assets when they shut down - for example, those post office, pubs and shops whose continued survival is of genuine importance to the local community.

Peter Aldous said: - "Under Labour, local neighbourhoods in Waveney and across the country have lost too many essential local services and facilities. Gordon Brown's Government has closed post offices and driven local pubs into the ground. People feel powerless to stop their communities losing access to vital services and facilities. Therefore the Conservatives will give bold new powers to people in Waveney to protect and improve vital community assets and preserve the social fabric of our neighbourhoods.

Conservative Proposals to Create a Renaissance in Seaside Towns

The Conservatives have produced a Plan for the regeneration of coastal towns. The Plan entitled "No Longer the End of the Line" outlines how seaside towns have been let down over the past decade and outlines how the Conservatives intend to end this damaging sidelining.

The majority of coastal towns across Britain have lower levels of employment, higher levels of benefit claimants, poorer health records and worse transport links than comparable inland towns.

The policy proposals in the comprehensive action plan include:

• 400,000 apprenticeships and training places across the country - over 2 years - and a £2000 bonus for each apprenticeship at a small or medium sized enterprise.


• A £100 million fund to support young people across the country who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS)


• A shake up of the Common Fisheries Policy to give Lowestoft fishermen a greater say over the future of their industry and to promote the hook and line fishing that they carry out.


• The introduction of new tax breaks for local firms, including local business rate discounts, lower corporation tax on small firms and waiving National Insurance on new firms that create new jobs.


• Providing coastal councils such as Suffolk County Council and Waveney District Council a “Fair Funding” settlement that takes account of the large numbers of both elderly and vulnerable residents and also visitors.

Peter Aldous said:

“This plan is particularly welcome at the current time, following the recent news concerning SLP and Jeld Wen. These proposals will help bring jobs to Lowestoft. This action plan is proof that Conservatives want to reinvigorate our coastal towns, so that they are not just places for a great day out, but are also successful and attractive places to live and work The Conservatives will ensure that our coastal towns are no longer the end of the line”.

'No longer the end of the line: Our plan for coastal towns' | Click here to download

Peter Aldous has given his backing to the Conservatives new "Community Right to Buy" plans that would allow not for profit community groups across Waveney to take over the running of struggling local facilities, from post offices to pubs to parks.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Waveney, has given his backing to the Conservatives new "Community Right to Buy" plans that would allow not for profit community groups across Waveney to take over the running of struggling local facilities, from post offices to pubs to parks.

A feature of the past decade has been the alarming rate at which community facilities such as pubs and post offices have closed. This has had a disastrous effect on local communities, with both the loss of jobs and the loss of vital services to the most needy.

Pubs, which are over taxed and over regulated, continue to close at an alarming rate and Waveney has lost over a third of its post offices since 1999 (from 28 down to 18).

The Conservatives, recognising the vital role that such facilities provide, have set out proposals that will give people in Waveney the powers to protect community assets from closure and to take over the running of public buildings and community assets.

Under the Conservatives proposals:

• Community groups such as schools, churches or voluntary groups will be able to bid to take over the running of publicly owned community assets, if they can manage them more efficiently and effectively than the state.
• When a state owned community asset faces closure or being sold, voluntary groups will have a right of first refusal to buy that asset for a fair price and maintain it for community use. The new rights to community ownership will cover assets owned by central government and quangos, not just town halls.
• The radical "Community Right to Buy" will also allow community groups a first refusal to take over and run vital commercially- owned community assets when they shut down - for example, those post office, pubs and shops whose continued survival is of genuine importance to the local community.

Peter Aldous said: - "Under Labour, local neighbourhoods in Waveney and across the country have lost too many essential local services and facilities. Gordon Brown's Government has closed post offices and driven local pubs into the ground. People feel powerless to stop their communities losing access to vital services and facilities. Therefore the Conservatives will give bold new powers to people in Waveney to protect and improve vital community assets and preserve the social fabric of our neighbourhoods.

Peter Aldous attended the North Suffolk Fibromyalgia Support Group's Christmas Party in Beccles.

Fibromyalgia [FM] is a disorder characterised by chronic pain, debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance and joint stiffness. It is seen in about 2% of the general population, affecting more women than men. Although neither degenerative nor fatal, the chronic pain is pervasive and persistent, with there being no accepted cure.

Peter commented:

"I was very pleased to attend the Christmas Party to find out more about FM. It is important to raise the profile of this "invisible illness", so that it can be more readily diagnosed with effective NHS treatment being more readily available throughout the country."