News - Justin Tomlinson

Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 21st March

Mar 23, 2014

The Budget set out by the Chancellor on Wednesday focused on building a resilient economy, supporting the makers, doers and savers. We are continuing to cut taxes for hard-working people. Following on from last week’s 4th Council Tax freeze we are raising the Personal Allowance to £10,500 in 2015/16. This is a tax cut for 25.4m people; a typical basic rate tax payer will pay £800 less per year and we will have lifted the lowest earning 3.2m out of paying any income tax. Supporting busines...

Justin Praises Chancellor For Positive Action In Budget

Mar 19, 2014

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson, has welcomed the Chancellor's Budget commitment to help makers, doers and savers in Swindon. The Budget is part of the Government's long-term economic plan to give economic security to the families of Britain. The single biggest risk would be to abandon the plan and listen to Labour’s calls to borrow more, spend more and put up taxes. That would put families’ economic security at risk. During the Budget, the Chancellor pledged to increase the Personal Allowanc...

Justin Welcomes New Tax-Free Childcare Announcment

Mar 19, 2014

Justin Tomlinson MP has welcomed a major new childcare package unveiled by the Prime Minister today which will help 310,000 families in the South-West. The Governments’ new Tax-Free Childcare scheme will provide 20 per cent support on childcare costs up to £10,000 per year for each child via a new simple online system. The limit had previously been set at £6,000. This now means support of up to £2,000 per child per year. In addition, to help more families move off of benefits and into employment...

Local MPs Welcome Announcement Of 3,000 More Seats A Day On Trains To & From Swindon

Mar 18, 2014

Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland have welcomed First Great Western's confirmation that they will be increasing standard class capacity on High Speed Trains by converting first class carriages. The move, a joint investment of around £13 million with the Department for Transport, will provide additional standard class capacity and allow First Great Western to refresh it's trains operating between Swindon and London. The partnership between First Great Western and Government will ...

Justin Praises Swindon College Students During Money Skills Week

Mar 18, 2014

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson, has praised students at Swindon College who participated in a fashion show with a difference. As part of the Barclays Money Skills Week students showed that it is possible to look good without breaking the bank by understanding the value of purchases and how to find the best deal. The College has held a number of events during the week, and each student was given £30 and sent out to buy themselves a smart outfit from anywhere they wanted, whether it be a high...

Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 14th March

Mar 18, 2014

On Wednesday it was ‘International Maths Day’ an important time to reflect as the OECD calls numeracy “the best protection against unemployment, low wages, and poor health” - because the ability to command and manipulate numbers makes you more employable. I have previously spoken passionately in Parliament about our poor adult numeracy and literacy rates, which are amongst the lowest in the world. Figures published show that 17m adults in England alone only have the equivalent of primary school...

Swindon MPs & Council Leader Welcome School Funding Boost For Town

Mar 17, 2014

Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland as well as Borough Council Leader, David Renard, have welcomed the Government’s announcement that schools in Swindon will receive an additional £2.9 million in extra funding in 2015/16 to address a historic unfairness in the way school funding is allocated. The new amount equates to a 2.5 per cent rise on the current amount, which is an increase of £101 to £4,102 per pupil. The rise is bigger than for other nearby authorities, with Reading getting...

Justin Continues Fight For EU Referendum

Mar 14, 2014

Ed Miliband has this week effectively confirmed that if Labour are in government after the next election they will not give the British people a say on our membership of the European Union. This admission shows that the only way to get an in-out referendum on Britain’s EU membership is by electing a Conservative government. Only the Conservatives can deliver real change in Europe. Justin has tirelessly campaigned for the people of Swindon to have a clear In-Out referendum on Europe. Nobody under...

Justin Launches New All-Party Group To Improve Maths & Numeracy Education

Mar 14, 2014

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson joined television personality, Johnny Ball, and Michael Steer, the maths teacher from Educating Yorkshire (Channel 4), to celebrate World Maths Day by launching a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Maths and Numeracy in Westminster. Government figures show that nearly half of the working-age population have only the numeracy skills expected of children at primary school, while recent OECD skills surveys have revealed the UK lagging significantly behin...

Justin Praises Outset Swindon During Open Day

Mar 14, 2014

Local MP, Justin Tomlinson, has praised the hard work and determination of staff at Outset Swindon during an Open Day hosted by the service. Outset is totally free programme that helps people living in Swindon to start their own business. It offers a range of options including information sessions, one-to-one support, business start-up workshops and help with accessing finance. During the visit, Justin praised the hard work of the Outset team and learned more about the hundreds of people from ac...