THE BUDGET: Thanks to your efforts and enterprise, Swindon is looking to the future with a new confidence.

This is, of course, due to the success and hard work of local firms and Evening Advertiser readers.

And in yesterday's Budget, I was able to show our country was reaping the rewards.

Britain is now the most stable of the advanced economies and has enjoyed the longest period of sustained growth for 200 years.

And this stability and strength has allowed our country to tackle poverty and the chronic under-investment in public services.

This investment has delivered an extra 160 teachers for local schools and an additional 1,000 nurses for the NHS in this region.

Delays for hospital treatment have fallen. School buildings are being modernised.

But we are also determined to secure value for money for tax-payers by ensuring investment is matched with reform through our public services.

So yesterday I announced steps to achieve efficiency gains by directing resources away from unnecessary backroom staff to front-line services.

We are also going to move 20,000 civil servants from Whitehall to the regions to help improve services, cut costs and boost local economies.

These reforms means we can do more to help young and old.

Yesterday I announced we would increase spending on education and skills each year across the country so investment will have risen by an additional £8.5 billion by 2008.

I recognise that council tax hits older pensioners hard, so I am increasing the winter fuel allowance by £100 to £300 per household for pensioners 70 or over.

Gordon Brown