Birmingham Selly Oak Constituency

PPC - Erin Crawford

Biography:

A Bit About Me: I am a born and bred Brummie; I come proudly from a working-class family who have worked hard to provide stability and opportunity. I think family values should be at the heart of decision making as government decisions affect all our families. I am 21 years old and I am studying Accountancy and Finance at University whilst holding down a job. Since I was 16, I have been working in hospitality and retail and greatly understand what it is like to work a real job. It’s gruelling! It’s why I believe firmly we should make work pay!

I have always been disappointed with those in office who have absolutely zero clue what it is like in the real world, who have never experienced hard-ship or had to work the daily grind to make ends meet. I came to the conclusion that no one really represents me or the working class, so I thought why not me?

I hope many of you can relate and feel a similar conviction. I hope to advocate for the following things and hope you too might feel as I do!

Self-Sustainability: As a nation we have a history of paving the way in innovation and manufacturing. It seems we have forgotten our roots! We have become overly reliant on letting other countries provide for us in terms of energy, fuel and food. I think it is vital to support our British farmers and source locally. This would cut importing costs and provide jobs nationally. It would also lower our carbon footprint as we wouldn’t ferry produce over from overseas! It is essential we invest in ourselves!

Energy: Can you believe we rely on foreign powers for our energy? I can’t! Our energy bills are utterly through the roof. Families shouldn’t have to choose between eating and heating their homes. Reform UK would utilise our own gas and oil resources, which would reduce our reliance on foreign energy and drive prices down. This would also help create more jobs within the UK. A win-win situation, something that can be and therefore must be achieved!

BBC Licensing: Why should we be forced to pay for their endeavours? We aren’t mandated to pay for Netflix… its optional. Other channels fund themselves via advertising, why can’t the BBC? They are not an essential service and should not be treated as such.

Tax: Hold on don’t run away yet! I know it’s the subject everybody loves to hate, however it affects all of us. Both how it is spent and how much comes out of our pockets. Fun fact: did you know last year the government racked in a whopping £788.6 BILLION! (just check the UK Gov website) With such a huge quantity of money so much could be done to improve our public sectors!

In April 2020 minimum wage was just £8.72 p/h, whereas in April 2024 minimum wage has risen to £11.44. Minimum wage has risen by 31.2% in the last 4 years; however the Tax-free band is still at £12,570.00 meaning whilst it looks like more money is being received… it isn’t. Effectively we are just paying more taxes. I would strongly advocate for the policy to raise the tax-free threshold to £20,000 and proportionately expand the tax bands. The average salary in the UK is £33,000. Having £20,000 tax exempt would save the average Brit roughly £2000 per year!

PS I am always open to suggestions and ideas please feel free to get in touch.

Let’s all make society just that little bit better!