change SOCIETY MAKE BRITAIN THE MOST FAMILYFRIENDLY COUNTRY IN EUROPE
Make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe We will make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe. We will support families in the tax and benefits system, extend flexible working and improve parental leave. We will help parents cope with the commercialisation of childhood and give families more control over their lives. We will support and improve Sure Start, and introduce a new universal health visiting service. We will give targeted help to disadvantaged and dysfunctional families.
Reform tax and benefits to help families and pensioners
Strong families are the bedrock of a strong society. They provide the stability and love we need to flourish as human beings, and the relationships they foster are the foundation on which society is built. The warmth of a child’s parenting is as important to their life chances as the wealth of their upbringing.
Today, Labour’s tax and benefits system rewards couples who split up. A Conservative government will end the couple penalty for all couples in the tax credit system as we make savings from our welfare reform plans. We will recognise marriage and civil partnerships in the tax system in the next Parliament. This will send an important signal that we value couples and the commitment that people make when they get married.
Labour’s complacent attitude to commitment has done untold harm, and their narrow approach ignores the importance of strengthening the relationships between all family members – children, parents, grandparents and the wider family. As a result, Britain is one of the least family-friendly countries in the world.
To help Britain’s families further, a Conservative government will freeze council tax for two years, in partnership with local councils. This will be paid for by reducing spending on government consultants and advertising, and could save families and pensioners up to £219 over two years on a Band D bill. We will also scrap Labour’s plans for an expensive and intrusive council tax revaluation.
This will change with a Conservative government. We will help families with all the pressures they face: the lack of time, money worries, the impact of work, concerns about schools and crime, preventing unhealthy influences, poor housing. We will not be neutral on this. Britain’s families will get our full backing across all our policies.
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