Whilst Labour has failed on the economy and the Conservatives' first priority is helping people who are already at the top, the Liberal Democrats are the only party that believes in fairness. We've formulated policies to help make the UK a fairer place to live and work. If you'd like to know how this will directly affect you, read on!

Help in the recession

Are you… looking to pay less tax?

If so, good news! By closing tax loopholes exploited by the very rich, the Liberal Democrats' tax plan will cut £700 off the tax bill of middle and low income earners, taking millions of low paid workers out of tax altogether

Are you… a parent?

By spending an extra £2.5 billion on schools, targeting the children who most need help, we plan to cut the average primary school class size to 20 and the average secondary school class size to just 16 and provide a fairer start for all our children.

Are you… looking for work?

We will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs around a £3.5 billion green stimulus and job creation plan in our first year of government, fully funded through cutbacks elsewhere.

Are you… affected by crime?

The ID scheme will be scrapped and through the money saved, we will recruit 3,000 more police officers, not only creating more jobs within the UK but bolstering our security.

Are you… a student?

We will scrap tuition fees and eliminate fee debt altogether over 6 years.

Are you… in the Services?

By cutting back the number of bureaucrats, we will give a pay rise to our brave Service men and women, including raising the pay of our lowest paid soldiers by around £6,000 a year.

Are you… a pensioner?

We will uprate the basic State Pension in line with earnings immediately so that you do not fall further behind when the economy starts to grow again.

Are you… a local business person?

Work has begun on a new multi-million pound Business Incubation Centre at the Colchester Business Park which will offer flexible premises, facilities, support and advice to new businesses, ensuring that Colchester's entrepreneurs can thrive and new jobs are created.

Are you… looking at taking up an apprenticeship?

The Lib Dem-led Borough has secured over half a million pounds in funding from the Future Jobs Fund to support 88 new apprenticeships in Colchester, giving young people the chance to start their careers in local businesses and develop their skills.

Through these simple and well-thought out policies, we will build a Britain based on a more stable economy, job creation and tax cuts meaning a change that works for you.

If you're suffering the effects of the recession, why not arrange an advice surgery with Bob?