This is a talking point published in the Hereford Times on October 3.

Dan Powell, deputy mayor of Hereford

SINCE the new Labour Government took control of Number 10 some of its first policy ideas and ‘hard’ choices have not been in everyone’s best interests.

Sir Keir Starmer’s first big vote was to take away the winter fuel allowance for pensioners just as prices are predicted to rise, a move that hardly looks after our ageing population.

Labour will argue that they have put safeguards in, but we all know there will be pensioners out there who will fall between the cracks.

Many budgeted for this money thinking it help them through a cold winter, suddenly losing this will cause many hardships and some may freeze this winter.

The Government then decided to attack pubs and any smokers who frequent them, with the idea to introduce a ban on smoking in pub gardens.

As a recent report in the Hereford Times highlighted, this hard-to-police policy may make a serious dent in the already struggling cashflows of our public houses.

All the while households across Herefordshire are saving as much as they can in preparation for next month’s Budget.

It is hardly the progressive ‘change’ Labour and its candidates were crowing about only a few months ago.

No wonder a You Gov Poll for The Times finds that one in seven Labour voters already regret their decision to vote for them, only a few months on.

Sir Keir needs to be bold with his roadmap back to prosperity, this is no time to be timid.

Large investments in housing, restarting HS2, proper investment in our NHS and social care are paramount. All the while we must be looking to fix our broken ties with Europe.

We believe that without these fundamental changes our country cannot recover from the years of Tory decline.

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What are your thoughts?

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Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

In Herefordshire we need to start bringing similar investment opportunities back by opening up land for employment opportunities, investing in new homes suitable for the needs of local people, allowing our traffic to flow freely by investing in a bypass and improving local connections with ideas such as Pontrilas railway station.

Locally as well as nationally we need to plan for our future, we need less doom and gloom.

We must say no to the Nimbys and get Herefordshire and our country progressing back on the right track.