THIS election is about is how we go about making Newport East and Wales a better place.

After more than a decade in power, Labour has failed Wales.

Our economy has fallen further behind the rest of the UK and one recent study suggests that it now lies behind some of the eastern European nations. Wales can do better.

Welsh Conservatives are pledging to abolish business rates for 73 percent of small businesses.

A further boost to the economy will come from our freeze on Severn Bridge car tolls. We need to work together to help small businesses to grow and create jobs.

The UK Government is helping with rail electrification and rolling out high speed broadband.

In recent years, Welsh students have fallen behind their English counterparts in both GCSE and A-Level results.

Welsh Conservatives would fund schools directly, avoiding local government administrative costs and allowing head teachers and school governors to decide on spending priorities.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, NHS funding has been ringfenced.

In Wales, only the Welsh Conservatives are making this commitment.

Wewill protect the area’s flood plains by introducing a formal blue belt designation.

In Newport, we will hold a referendum for people to decide if they want a directly-elected mayor.

Labour has tried to focus this election on Westminster politics rather than defend its own record in Wales.

I accept that some unpopular decisions have had to be taken by David Cameron’s government, but responsible leadership was needed to bring public spending under control.

Labour spent more money than the Exchequer brought in every single year since 2000 – long before the recession hit.

Labour’s legacy to the UK is interest payments on the national debt of £120 million every DAY.

To put that figure in context, the UK spends £90 million per day on schooling and £35 million on policing.

At the last Assembly election just 1,883 votes separated three parties in Newport East.

There is a real opportunity to elect a newvoice for this constituency.

From Newport to Caldicot I have been working hard, campaigning on a platform to rebuild our economy and help make Newport East cleaner, greener and safer.

I ask you to join me in this aim.