Queen’s Speech Welcomed by Wrexham Conservatives
Yesterday, the Queen’s speech set out the government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead.
Its centrepiece was a change to our pensions system that will give those in Wrexham who work hard and do the right thing more security in their retirement. The speech also included measures to help Wrexham families with the cost of childcare and to protect workers from exploitation. It also paves the way for the biggest investment in roads since the 1970s, further measures to tackle serious crime and to fight modern slavery.
Commenting, Wrexham Conservatives said: “This Queen’s Speech marks the next big step in our long-term economic plan. Its aim: to secure the recovery for our country.
“We want a Britain that pays its way in the world, has a stronger, more competitive economy and gives the hardworking people of Wrexham peace of mind for the future.
“This builds on what our long-term economic plan has delivered so far, however there is still a long way to go.
“Only by sticking to our plan will we secure a better and brighter future for Britain and for Wrexham.”
Amongst the measures announced were:
Help for families:
Finding affordable childcare is one of the biggest challenges for parents and guardians. So we’re going to help working families with their childcare costs - with tax-free support of up to £2,000 a year for each child.
We’re also increasing the personal tax allowance to £10,500, cutting income tax for over 25 million people , and fuel duty is being frozen for the rest of this Parliament.
More security in retirement:
If you’ve worked hard and saved for your pension pot, you should be free to decide what to do with your money. So we’re giving people with defined contribution pensions complete control over how they access their pension:
· Those who want an annuity will still be able to purchase one
·
· Those who want greater control of their finances in the short term can take a greater amount as a lump sum
·
· Those who don’t want either an annuity or to withdraw everything in one go will be able to keep their pension invested and access it over time
We’re also making important changes to workplace pensions to give employees more certainty about their income in retirement.
Better protection for workers:
We’re banning “zero hours” contracts where they prevent workers taking jobs elsewhere - and raising the maximum fine to £2,000 per employee for employers who pay less than the minimum wage.
Support for small business and enterprise to create more jobs:
Because we have taken difficult, long-term decisions, we are able to put extra investment into our roads and railways to improve our infrastructure and help businesses grow and create jobs.
This includes the biggest investment in roads since the 1970s - and in rail since Victorian times.
We’re also making it easier for small businesses to start, grow and employ people.