Starting today, The Northern Echo is launching a new series giving people of the North-East and North Yorkshire the chance to write their own manifesto ahead of the General Election on June 8. What would you do if you were Prime Minister? In no more than 300 words, tell us what your vision for Britain would be and send it to newsdesk@nne.co.uk. Please make sure you include your name, where you live, a photo of you, and a contact telephone number.

The first manifesto is written by Ashleigh Reid, 37, a mother-of-three from Tow Law, County Durham

The key issues for me are education, childcare, social inclusion, housing and the environment. One of the first things I would do is abolish all exams for children under the age of 15.

Some children perform well in exams but others don’t and to be categorised from such a young age can damage their confidence and future academic performance.

There are other ways of assessing children and helping them to reach their potential and these should be explored. I would also raise the school starting age to five as I believe younger children benefit from a less formal setting.

Childcare is also very important. A lot of families fall into the squeezed middle, where they are not quite poor enough to receive benefits and not rich enough to live comfortably. Instead, every day is a struggle to make ends meet.

Providing free childcare is so important to help families improve their living standards and to help women return to work. At one point 80 per cent of my wage was going on childcare. I worked out I was receiving £1 an hour - what is the incentive?

I am actively involved in our local community centre. These buildings are vital for communities and they shouldn't have to claw and beg for funding.

Community centres provide a place for people to come together, learn new things and make friends. They play a crucial role in tackling social isolation and the physical and mental health issues it can cause.

This leads me to my next point, housing. As well as building new council houses, I believe local authorities should be given a budget to buy houses put up for sale privately.

I don’t think vulnerable and disadvantaged people should all be lumped together on a council estate, they should be integrated into communities.

Finally, I would like to talk about the environment. I strongly believe green spaces, nature reserves and trees within and around urban areas should be protected.

They provide places for children to play and for people to exercise and walk their dogs, as well as being habitats for wildlife.

New houses should be built on brownfield sites.