George Osborne's 100 day West Midlands plan

The Chancellor unveiled no fewer than 18 projects that would get the go-ahead in the region in the opening days of the next parliament in his biggest attempt yet to woo voters across the Black Country and Staffordshire.

After touring Westley Plastics in Cradley Heath yesterday, Mr Osborne unveiled plans to repeat the jobs success story of the i54 business park in South Staffordshire which created 1,400 posts at Jaguar Land Rover and hundreds of others, with new incentives for companies in Walsall, Dudley, and Wolverhampton in so-called 'enterprise zones'.

He also vowed to meet with Black Country council leaders to start talks about creating a West Midlands combined authority which would see more powers handed to councillors from the Government.

He described it as a 'golden opportunity' and said it would give people greater control over the decision that affect their lives.

He told the Express & Star: "I'm keen straight after the election to sit down with the West Midlands authorities to work out how we can transfer much greater control on transport, skills, and potentially health care here. We have been able to do that in Manchester working across the political divide. I think there is a real golden opportunity for the West Midlands, and the Black Country in particular, to give local people an opportunity to have their say on the real issues they care about and we can start that work on May 8.

"I'm not trying to impose this solution on anyone. It is for local people and their representatives to come together and talk to us about their proposals. But I'm a great believer that we need a new model of economic growth in this country which we are developing now. Unlike the last Labour government, we are not putting all our bets on the City of London 100 miles to the south of here, what we do is build up our manufacturing here in the Black Country, have a more balanced economy, and see companies like this great one here, growing, expanding, and taking people on which is fantastic to see happening.

"We have set out a specific plan for the people of the West Midlands to create the jobs, the apprentices, the enterprise zones, and to make sure the transport infrastructure investment is going in.

"This is about whether you trust people to have greater control of their lives. That is a very Conservative instinct - to want to give people more control of their lives and not to have national government in London dictating everything. I think this is working in Manchester and there is no reason why it can't in the West Midlands."

Mr Osborne was making his fourth visit to the region since the campaign and again put on the hi-vis jacket as he was put to work on the workshop floor.

Westley Plastics employs 43 workers and has taken on six in the last six months. Bosses say the company has benefited from tax cuts on research and development and that they hope to invest £100,000 on new machinery this year and another £100,000 the year after.

The West Midlands is a key battleground between the Conservatives and the Labour. In 2010 Labour lost 14 seats and the Conservatives gained 15.

This time he joined his party's candidate James Morris who is defending the Halesowen and Rowley Regis seat with a 2,023 majority. His main rival is Labour's Stephanie Peacock, who is a former teacher.

The pledges made yesterday by the Chancellor include £5.2bn for improvements to the M6, M42, M5, M42, M40, electrifying the railway between the West Midlands, Derby and Bristol, freezing rail fairs and giving the go-ahead for HS2 the £50bn high-speed rail line which will stop at Birmingham and cut through 45 miles of rural Staffordshire.

He also promised new laws to create 350,000 new apprenticeships in the West Midlands, bringing new positions to replace school bosses at schools that fail to perform with 100,000 new primary school places created at schools rated 'good' by Ofsted.

There will also be 30 free hours of child care for 140,000 three and four year-olds in the region, and £60m for energy research at six Midland universities.

He said the extension of Right to Buy would allow 245,000 housing association tenants to become homeowners, and that 2.4m people in the West Midlands would pay no income tax at all by making those working 30 hours on the minimum wage exempt from tax.

He said: "It's a specific plan so people know come May 8, David Cameron, myself, and the Conservative team will be back at work delivering apprenticeships, signing off infrastructure projects, legislating for extra free child care. We are excited and ambitious of what we can achieve here and now we have a very clear timetable.

"We know our plan has worked in terms of creating jobs and it will continue in the future. All of that will be at risk if there is a weak Ed Miliband in Number 10 on life support from the SNP. Let's be clear, if the SNP have the decisive say the West Midlands and the Black Country will not get a look in. Transport projects will be cancelled and the instability of that government will lead to jobs being lost, incomes being cut, interest rates increasing, it's a real choice.

"Here is the West Midlands, the choice is increasingly clear. In areas like this in Cradley Heath and the Black Country, you won't get a look in under Labour propped up by the SNP. Great MPs like James Morris, who has got people off the dole queues and into work with his jobs fairs and put Halesowen and Rowley Regis on the map in Westminster, will be part of a Conservative government bringing stability, security and creating jobs."

Westley Plastics chairman Tom Westley said: "I try to stay apolitical but in my humble opinion the Conservatives are the only ones who will support businesses."