The Labour Government has given us more nurses and doctors, shorter waiting lists, a better NHS across Britain.

In 1948 it was Labour that created the National Health Service and it is Labour in government today that is investing in and reforming the NHS to create a health service fit for the needs of 21st century Britain. Our starting point for all that we want to achieve is our belief in a publicly funded NHS, free at the point of need and accessible to all, irrespective of their ability to pay.

Labour is committed to boosting the numbers of nurses and doctors working in the NHS to deliver a faster, more convenient service for patients. There are now 85,000 more nurses and 32,000 more doctors working in the NHS.

Darlington is in County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority, where the number of nurses increased by 1,559 and the number of doctors by 283 between 1997 and 2007. The number of NHS consultants rose by 187 in the same period.

More teachers, higher standards, better schools
Since 1997 there has been remarkable progress in education. There are now more teachers in schools than at any point in the last 20 years – over 36,000 more than in 1997 and 274,000 more support staff and teaching assistants. In Darlington Local Education Authority alone, which covers Darlington, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained  schools increased by 30 between 1997 and 2007. In September 2007 the total number of teachers in Darlington Local Education Authority stood at 750.

Throughout England, standards are up with real improvements at every age level. We are working with parents and teachers to provide the best start for every child; with free, part-time early education for every three and four year-old whose parents want it; and in disadvantaged neighbourhoods we are bringing children's services together within the Sure Start programme.

In our primary schools, the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have dramatically improved the quality of teaching and raised standards across the board; and schools in the most deprived areas have seen the greatest improvement in performance. Our secondary schools are better too: not only are young people achieving some of the best ever results at 14, 16 and 18, but over 60 per cent of 15 year old pupils now achieve five or more good GCSEs (grade A*-C).

More police, lower crime, safer communities
People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. At the heart of Labour's approach is the drive for stability and security. Individual liberty, civil society and economic enterprise can only flourish in stable, orderly and strong communities and that is why civil renewal is at the heart of Labour's approach.

Labour is the first government in 50 years with crime lower at the end of its first term than when it took office. Crime is down 35 per cent since 1997 and the chance of being a victim of crime is at its lowest for 20 years. Burglaries are down by 53 per cent, car crime by 46 per cent and violent crime by 34 per cent.

Latest figures show record police numbers in England and Wales - up over 14,000 since Labour came to office in 1997. And we've introduced over 4,000 police Community Support Officers to help in tackling low-level crime and anti-social behaviour.

In Durham police force area the number of police officers increased by 225 since 1997. The total number of police officers in Durham police force area now stands at 1,635 (2007).

Record number of people in work
Our aim is to have, by the end of the decade, a higher proportion of people in work than ever before, as we move towards our goal of full employment in every region. Since 1997, unemployment has been reduced sharply in every region of the UK to a near 30 year low. More people are in work than ever before, that's over 3.0 million more than when Labour came to office. For the first time ever, Britain now enjoys the lowest unemployment rate of any of the major industrialised countries.

In Darlington unemployment (measured by claimant count) fell by 53 per cent between 1997 and 2004. Since its inception the New Deal has helped many people into work in Darlington:

1,870 young people had been helped into work by the New Deal for Young People (by March 2007);

560 people by the New Deal for Over-25s (by March 2004);

260 people by the New Deal for Over-50s (by March 2003);and

750 by the New Deal for Lone Parents (by March 2004).

The number of people unemployed for more than one year also fell by 980 - 80 per cent between 1997 and 2004.

More for pensioners, tackling poverty, sharing in prosperity
Labour wants all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement. Our first priority was to provide a boost in the incomes of the poorest pensioners and make sure that people who have worked hard share in the country's rising prosperity.

In Darlington, 15,940 pensioners receive the full basic state pension worth £90.70 for singles or £145.05 for couples (2007). 17,725 pensioners benefit from the Winter Fuel Allowance, worth at least £200, and up to £300 for those over 80. In addition, Labour introduced free TV licenses for over 75s, free eye tests and reduced the Tories' VAT on fuel from eight per cent to five per cent. The poorest pensioners are now significantly better off.

Our next challenge is to address the group of pensioners who've managed to save something for their retirement but who - until now - have found that it is knocked straight off their benefit entitlement, leaving them no better off than those who have not saved at all. We introduced the Pension Credit to reward saving. 6,780 pensioner households in Darlington are now benefiting from Pension Credit, with the as average award of at least £124.05 a week.

More for families, free nursery places, abolishing child poverty
Labour is helping all hard working families and our goal is to end child poverty.
We are making work pay, even for those families in low income jobs. In Darlington alone, the Child and Working Tax Credit awards are helping 11,100 hard working families (figures from January 2007).

We have also boosted support for families with young children. In 1997, there was no guarantee of early years child care for parents. Since then, 450,000 more child-care places have been created. Now every three and four year-old is now guaranteed a free part-time nursery place - in Darlington Local Education Authority alone 2,400 free nursery education places for three and four year-olds were taken up in 2003. In addition, 2,200 new Sure Start children centres are providing high quality early education, childcare, health, family support and help into employment for poorer families.

We are committed to halving child poverty within ten years on the way to abolishing it in a generation. In 1997, Labour inherited one of the highest rates of child poverty in Europe - with one in three children living in poverty. Our mission to abolish child poverty is grounded both in our determination to secure social justice, and to tackle the problems that the social exclusion of children builds up for the long term.

This information is from publicly available sources.