On Sunday afternoon, I was pleased to attend and support an event at the Burleys Wood care home in Furnace Green, where I am the local Borough and County Councillor. One of the elderly residents was an avid rider of Harley Davidson motorcycles when she was younger and she had dearly wanted to see one again. The care home put out an appeal and a truly fantastic group of bikers, some from as far as Reading, came along with their Harley Davidsons to help out. They also offered passenger rides on the bikes for £5 a time, to go towards the Burleys Wood social fund.
As well the huge generosity of the bikers who gave up their Sunday afternoon to make the wish of an elderly lady come true, the one thing that really struck me was the wonderful care and affection that the car home staff clearly have for their residents, which was very noticeable when they were bringing them outside to see the classic motorbikes. Working in care can be very challenging but also uniquely rewarding. I have nothing but admiration for people who work in care and I strongly believe they are deserving of pay that reflects the nature of the work that they do.
This is why I am delighted that in the very first budget for nearly two decades from a Conservative-majority government, that the Chancellor George Osborne announced the introduction of the National Living Wage from April 2016. The National Living Wage will start at £7.20 from next April and rise to £9 an hour by 2020 and is expected to boost the wages of six million workers.
By 2020, someone is currently aged over 20 who is working 35 hours a week and earning the 2015 minimum wage of £6.70, will see their wages go up by around £4,000 a year. When you add this to the previous large increases in the personal tax-free allowance, which will continue rising to £12,500 by 2020, it is very clear that only the Conservatives are determined to ensure that it always pays to be in work.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
30th September 2015