I welcome you to your new position, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to make my maiden speech during this important debate on poverty.

It is a great honour to serve as the Member of Parliament for Leicester West. My constituency has a proud history, as part of an open and diverse city that has welcomed people, commerce and ideas. In Roman times, Fosse Way, which still runs through Leicester West, was one of the main routes across Britain. This road helped to bring trade to my constituency in wool and leather during the middle ages, and later in textiles, hosiery and shoemaking-industries for which Leicester was long and rightly famed.

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So…this is it! Today is polling day and its your chance to vote for a better future for your family, your community, and your country.

It’s a big decision, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. I believe Labour is the right choice for people in Leicester West. We are the only party that will stand up for this area, and be on your side.

Labour will:

• Bring more and better local jobs here, by investing in skills, transport and IT, and supporting modern manufacturing.
• Give children a flying start in life, with more time off for new dads and a toddler tax credit.
• Help children in all our schools, with incentives to bring the best teachers here and one-to-one tuition for children who are falling behind.
• Make all our communities safe, with tough action on anti-social behaviour and more activities for young people in the evenings and at weekends.
• End the post-code lottery of care for older people through a new National Care Service, and re-link the state pension with earnings.

Click here to watch a short video about why people in this area are voting Labour.

So, exercise your democratic right, make sure your voice is heard, and vote.

Vote for a better, fairer future. Vote Labour on May 6th.

PS Don’t forget:

• Polling stations are open from 7am – 10pm.
• You don’t need your polling card, just your name and address.
• If you’ve forgotten to post your Postal Vote, you can take it with you to the polling station.
• Ring 0116 253 7374 if you don’t know where your polling station is or if you need a lift.

I know lots of people haven’t made up their minds about how to vote at the general election on May 6th, and many others might not vote at all because they’re fed up with politics and politicians.

But this election matters. It’s about the future of local jobs and businesses; it’s about how we continue to improve our local schools and NHS; and it’s about ensuring all our communities are decent, safe places to live in.

Labour’s manifesto – launched today – doesn’t make big new spending commitments, and people wouldn’t believe us if we did! But it does set out real, practical proposals that will make life easier and fairer for people living in Leicester West. Here are just a few of the highlights:

More and better jobs
• Tackling unemployment by guaranteeing a job, education or training place for every young person who has been unemployed for over 6 months, and guaranteeing work for people who are over 25 years old and have been unemployed for more than 2 years.
• Growing the jobs of the future by investing in skills, science, our transport infrastructure and IT broadband for all.

Help for families
• The minimum wage rising at least in line with average earnings; a new Toddler Tax Credit of £4 a week from 2012 whether parents choose to stay at home or work; increasing paternity pay from 2 to 4 weeks; the right to choose a GP in your area offering evening and weekend opening; expanding free nursery places for 2 year olds and increasing investment in Sure Start
• Improving education by making sure struggling schools get extra help from Heads and teachers from excellent schools; giving ‘golden handcuffs’ to attract the best teachers to the most challenging schools; and guaranteeing personal tuition for every child at primary school who is falling behind.
• Improving local housing by building more council homes, giving more help to homeowners and first-time buyers, and improving rights for people who rent from private landlords.

Better care for older people
• A new National Care Service to end the postcode lottery of social care, starting with free personal care at home for those with the greatest needs, and a cap on the costs of residential care.
• Re-linking the state pension to earnings by 2012 and keeping winter fuel payments at the higher rate this year of £250 for every household with someone over 60, and £400 for every household with someone over 80.

Making all our communities safe
• Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour including through a guaranteed response to ASB complaints within 24 hours, Community Payback schemes, banning irresponsible drinks promotions, and doubling the availability of organised youth activities on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Giving people more opportunities to hold their local police to account and set priorities in their area, through monthly beat meetings, online crime maps and online report cards on police performance.

You can read the full manifesto by clicking here.

The fact that people are living longer is something we should celebrate. But our ageing population also brings challenges – for families, businesses, public services and public attitudes towards the way older people are seen and treated.

I’m proud of Labour’s record in Leicester West:

• Winter Fuel Payments of £250 for every household with someone over 60 years old, and £400 for every household with someone over 80 years old;
• free TV licenses for the over 75s worth £142 a year;
• free bus passes; and
• free swimming in leisure centres.

Local community resources, like the Tudor Centre in Mowmacre, also provide much needed support for older people through things like regular lunch clubs and bingo evenings.

The improvements in our local hospitals, which older people are much more likely to use, have also made a huge difference. The maximum wait for an operation is now 18 weeks – with average waits much shorter – compared with up to 18 months for cataract operations and hip replacements under the Tories.

Yet I know from first hand experience that too many older people still aren’t treated with dignity and respect by some of our public services. Older people and their carers are often worried about asking for help and scared that if they stop being able to cope, they’ll end up having to sell their home to pay for long term care.

I want to see much more progress on shifting the focus of NHS and social care services towards prevention and early intervention, so that we help older people stay healthy and living independently for longer. A really important challenge is building on the Government’s National Dementia Strategy to make much faster and bigger improvements in dementia care.

I’m also championing Labour’s plans for a new National Care Service, to go alongside the National Health Service, to help make sure all older people get the care and support they need. Labour’s recent pledge to offer free personal care at home for older people with the greatest needs is a small, but crucial step towards achieving this goal.