In just two weeks time will be National Apprenticeship Week, a national week to raise awareness about the positive impact apprentices are having on the economy, and on increasing employment, including increasing employment for young people.

The local Lib Dem team has been celebrating the news that 2 million apprenticeships have been created during the current parliament, thanks to the Lib Dems in Government.

Across Bury this means that:
– 8,150 apprentships have been provided during the current parliament
– 190 local businesses in Bury have received the £1,500 apprentiship grant from the Government.

The Office of National Statistics reported that the level people in work is at a record of high of 73.2 per cent and average earnings including bonuses increased by 2.1 per cent in the quarter, compared with the previous year.

In Bury that means 1800 more jobs than in 2010.

National Apprenticeship Week 2015 is all about:
– getting more small businesses to take on apprentices
– promoting the range and breadth of apprenticeships on offer, including those at Higher level and within blue chip companies.9

Find out more about opportunities as an employee and and as an employer at the National Apprenticeship Week website here.

An Election Appeal page has now been set up by Bury Lib Dems.

The aim of our fundraising campaign is to make sure that every person in Bury has a chance to hear from our Liberal Democrats and our Prospective Parliamentary Candidates, Richard Baum (Bury North) and Paul Ankers (Bury South).

On the 7th May voters across Bury will go to the polls not only in local elections, but to elect two MPs to represent the town at a national level for the next 5 years.

We’re asking for your support to make sure that every household in Bury can get an election address from the Lib Dem team during this election.

Unlike the Conservatives we don’t have the support of big businesses. And unlike Labour we don’t have our bills paid by the trade unions. We rely on local donations to help us campaign in Bury.

Please Click here to access our election appeal page.

Growth in the UK is the highest among G7 countries from 2013 to 2014, according to the latest report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has welcomed the fact that today’s OECD report sets out that the best way to secure the recovery in the next Parliament is to finish the job of deficit reduction and to do so fairly by selective tax increases on the wealthy.

Danny said:

“There’s a famous saying that in life ‘the past is the best guide to the future’ and that is true in economic matters too. That’s why we are committed to offering that same balanced approach in the next Parliament as we have had in this Parliament, as endorsed today by the OECD.

“This report confirms that the UK economy is returning to health and highlights the vital role of key Liberal Democrat policies in the turn around. Our dramatic increases in the personal allowance, the greening of the economy, the focus on infrastructure, and putting the financial sector back on an even keel are just a few examples of where Liberal Democrat thinking has been central to the economic turnaround.

Our commitment to continue the same balanced approach in the next Parliament is in stark contrast to the Conservatives who are abandoning fairness and the centre ground. By urging years of cuts for cuts sake, by unfairly finishing the job of balancing the books on the backs of the least well off and undermining our position in Europe they will put this hard won recovery at risk”.

With the country on the right track, a lurch to the right with the Tories or to the left with Labour has never posed a greater danger to our economic recovery.