Conference Diary: NHS has to have the 'time to care' when we need it
Ed Miliband has given his last big conference speech before next year's general election and took the opportunity to set out Labour's vision for Britain, writes Dudley North MP Ian Austin.
I think it's important that the people running the Labour party are listening to people in the Black Country even if the government isn't.
That's why I was really pleased to hear Ed address so many issues that local people have raised with me.
Over the last couple of months I have spoken to hundreds of people about Russells Hall Hospital and more than nine in 10 said they were concerned about the effect that the hospital's £12 million deficit could have on services and waiting times.
I shared the results of that survey with Ed Miliband and he announced that Labour would bring in a new 'time to care' fund to make sure the NHS always has the time to provide the care we all rely on.
That's funding for 20,000 more doctors, 8,000 more GPs, more midwives and care workers paid for by a 'mansion tax' on the most expensive properties to help hospitals like Russells Hall that have been hit hard under the Tories.
It was the same story with lots of other issues that come up all the time when I meet local residents.
Ed set out plans to have as many people in apprenticeships as going to university, to build 200,000 new homes every year, to push the minimum wage up to £8 an hour, to tackle zero-hours contracts and to make sure that everyone is able to get a GP appointment within 48 hours.
Only Labour is listening to people in Dudley and proposing these policies to make them better off.
We also heard from local woman Stephanie Peacock, not a politician from Westminster, who made a brilliant speech.
Steph is Labour's candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis. I know people say that politicians are all the same, but she's been working hard to knock on doors and listen to local people.
