David Cameron's £1bn ‘all-out mission' to save economy

 The Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday

AN ?all-out mission? to get the economy moving was pledged by David Cameron yesterday as the Government unveiled nearly ?1billion of funding designed to save or create 200,000 jobs.

The high-profile announcement came on the eve of figures out today which are widely expected to reveal Britain?s recovery remains weak.

Experts expect the Office for National Statistics to reveal only a slight ?improvement in growth during the three months to the end of ?September.

The Prime Minister warned yesterday that the eurozone crisis was having a ?chilling effect? on global growth.

But he said: ??In spite of the difficulties, I am confident that we can both resolve the crises at hand and come through them with an economy that is stronger and ?fundamentally fairer.??

The Government has already raised the pension age and cut corporation tax to get things moving. Now it is focused on the ?infrastructure deficit?.

Condemning red tape and planning rules for hampering projects, Mr Cameron vowed: ?This autumn the Government is on an all-out mission to unblock the system and get projects underway.??

He made the pledge as he gave the green light to two power plants, at ?Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire and Thorpe Marsh, South Yorkshire, which will ?create 1,000 construction jobs.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg later named 119 projects which had ?successfully bid for a share of ?950million of state funding. The money, from the second round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), would ?jump start growth and create jobs that last in the places that really need it?, he said.

The programme would see the ?private sector inject at least ?5 for every ?1 the taxpayer puts in. It would create 37,000 jobs while ?creating 164,000.

The successful bidders were chosen by an independent panel chaired by Tory former Deputy PM Lord Heseltine. Companies set to benefit include ?Forgemasters in Sheffield, where Mr Clegg is a Lib Dem MP. It has been offered up to ?36million from the RGF.Others include car makers Bentley in Crewe, which said the ?3million grant would safeguard more than 200 jobs.Labour regional growth spokesman Gordon Marsden said: ?It will take more than warm words from the Deputy Prime Minister to persuade businesses up and down the country that this ?Government has what it takes to kick-start growth when the economy has flat-lined since last autumn.? ?Meanwhile, families will be able to pay their council tax in 12 monthly instalments instead of 10 larger payments to help balance their ?budgets, under proposals ?published yesterday by Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles.

Other ?plans include councils encouraging people to pay by direct debit and have e-bills rather than paper bills.