Labour has a proud record in the region.  A record which is not only backed up by the experiences of people on the ground, but also by the statistics. . . 

Health

There are now 1,362 more consultants.

9,446 more qualified nurses,

and 569 more GPs in the region since Labour took charge in 1997.

In 1997 38,057 people waited for more than 13 weeks for inpatient treatment, now 3,661 do.

12,968 people waited for more than 26 weeks, in January 2009 1person did.

Education

There are 28,700 more free early education places taken up by three and four year olds in the region.

In 1997 40.2% achieved 5+ A*-C GCSEs, now 64.1% do.

There are 13,150 more teaching assistants across the region.

There are 3,770 more teachers across the region.

In real terms the funding per pupil has increased by 43%.

 Welfare

The national minimum wage now stands at £5.73 for the over 22s.

As of April 1^st 2009 full-time workers will be entitled to a minimum of 28 days annual leave.  In the West Midlands alone this will benefit 500,000 people.

 Surestart

There are now 323 Sure Start children’s centres in the West Midlands region.

 Police/Crime

There are now 1,821 more police officers in the region than 10 years ago.

There are also 1,362 new Police Community Support Officers to aid with neighbourhood policing.

There are now 14,006 police officers in the region, in 1997 there were 10,060 in March 1998 from a combination of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands forces.