I would like to endorse heartily Adrian Kibbler's toast in last week's paper to a healthy economy in 2013, (Advertiser, December 27), but I am not sure his remedy is wise.

We are all keen to encourage growth, but returning to the last adminstration's recipe of uncontrolled spending is not attractive.

That is what landed us in such huge debt to start with.

This Conservative-led coalition has cut the deficit by a quarter. In just two years it has created 1,200,000 private jobs, to compensate for the 600,000 public sector jobs lost, so that unemployment is falling and there are more people in work than ever before. Contrast that with Labour's record, over the preceding 10 years, of creating 600,000 private sector jobs and 1,500,000 public sector jobs.

Adrian calls for more investment in infrastructure, manufacturing, training and education.

The Government is doing just that. In 2012 Worcestershire will benefit from an further £3.2 million for road maintenance.

Manufacturing will benefit from the cut in Corporation Tax to 21 per cent, compared with Germany's 38 per cent and France's 35 per cent. In 2012 there were 1,000,000 apprenticeships started, two and a half times as many as in 2010. And in education, the academies programme has revitalised a complacent sector of society that saw our performance plummeting in the international league tables.

So I am happy to wish all Tenbury residents a prosperous new year.

Coun Ken Pollock, Tenbury Division, Worcester County Council