With the new Government now in place, this week we heard Queen Elizabeth deliver her annual speech to Parliament presenting the Government’s legislative plans for the year ahead, to a Conservative Government for the first time in 20 years. Many of the 26 proposed new bills have already been seen in the Conservatives pre-election Manifesto. However the key question is what will affect you, the worker? • A five year freeze on Income Tax, VAT and NI • Personal allowance is due to rise, to be in line with National Minimum Wage, directly benefiting 30 million workers. • By 2017 working parents will be able to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week for three and four year olds. • 1.3 million housing association tenants will be given the opportunity to buy their homes in ‘The Right To Buy’ scheme. • £10 billion is planned to be cut from business red tape, to help small businesses, with further plans to create millions of job and new apprenticeship opportunities. • Working age benefits will be frozen including Tax Credit and Child Benefit, with a new benefit cap of £23,000 • Immigration Bill will make the UK less attractive in an aim to control immigration, with a specific offence brought in to target illegal workers. • Boost funding with the Health Sector by 2020, with the aim to create ‘a truly seven-day NHS’, recruiting 5,000 new GPs The clear message that the Government continues to promote even in the Queen’s Speech is helping the ‘Working People’.