This election offers voters a clear choice: re-elect a visionless Labour government that has turned its back on its most loyal supporters or give Plaid Cymru the opportunity to implement exciting policies that will address the most pressing problems we face.

This region has suffered as a result of poverty which has led to an increase in crime.

Plaid Cymru wants more community sentencing so that punishment benefits the whole community.

The region will also benefit from extra police on the beat - 500 more across Wales. Plaid Cymru will create a National Citizen's Service, allowing young people to take part in community projects.

People in the region have been thrown on the scrap heap by London-based governments. Plaid Cymru will cut business taxes and rates to help small and medium sized enterprises create new jobs.

Plaid will create a National Health Service fit for the 21st Century. We will open Wellbeing Centres across the region where a range of professionals will provide healthcare, including mental health support, GP services and education to prevent illnesses.

By re-regulating the transport system Plaid Cymru will ensure that bus routes run where people want them, not where the most profit can be made.

We will establish a National Transport Authority which will increase and improve rail services. Such improvements in the transport infrastructure will go a long way in facilitating new job opportunities.

As part of our plans to modernise the education system we will give 14-year-olds a choice of academic and vocational courses, all of equal value.

Plaid will give a laptop to every eleven year old with the latest educational software, equipping our young people with skills for the 21st Century.

We will also ensure that more young people from the region can receive higher education by relieving their student debt burden.

Under Labour our pensioners have been particularly let down. Recent revelations show one of their first decisions on taking power was to tax pension funds despite warnings about the dire consequences of doing so.

As a result, many pensioners have been left without enough to live on and, at the same time, facing massive increases in their Council Tax bills.

Plaid can do little about the scandalous raiding of the pension funds but we will halt further increases in Council Tax for the elderly in Wales.