29/04/2010 – We will keep Future Fund Jobs Tories promise
The Conservative Party pledge that they will not get rid of the £1bn Future jobs Fund after Acevo expressed concern that the party would scrap the scheme if they get into power.
Two weeks ago the chief executives body asked the 3 main political parties to clarify their position on the scheme, which has created 70,000 jobs in the voluntary sector. The fund pays employers to hire young people on at least the minimum wage for six months.
Theresa May, shadow work and pensions secretary, wrote to Acevo on Wednesday stating that her party has "no plans to change existing Future Jobs Fund commitments". However she did not commit to extending the scheme after funding runs in March 2011 instead saying that the Tories will review the fund to see if it has long term sustainability.
The Labour party say they will extend the fund until 2012 while the Liberal Democrats would honour existing funding commitments until 2011.
The Conservative Party's silence on its plans for the fund had prompted concerns that they might regard it as an easy target for immediate cuts.