I was surprised to receive a Liberal Democrat leaflet which claims that Cornwall's "relatively low unemployment," "new and improved schools" and other positive local changes are things that the Liberal Democrats "made happen."

Liberal Democrat MPs voted against Labour's New Deal, the policy which has enabled almost 10,000 people who were unemployed to find jobs in Cornwall during the last ten years.

And only last year, local MPs Matthew Taylor and Julia Goldsworthy - indeed, all five Cornish MPs - voted against Labour's Education Bill.

Most parents welcome the changes Labour is introducing to improve opportunities for children and young people with no help from the Liberal Democrats: raising state school funding to the private school average of £8,000-a-year for every child; better school meals meeting higher nutritional standards; extra help for children of low income families; local authorities having a responsibility to provide young people with places to go and things to do outside of school hours.

Labour's changes are already making a real difference. In Truro alone, they are helping to support the creation of new purpose-built children's and community centres in Trelander and Malpas, and at Archbishop Benson, Tregolls and Bosvigo primary schools.

Charlotte MacKenzie, Cornwall Terrace, Truro