This week started at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester where I was able to introduce the competition we have organised to promote start up businesses from across the country. From talking to the businesses involved with the ‘Start-up Hub’ there is a strong importance attached to Government helping to ensure good quality business infrastructure, particularly broadband, access to finance and flexible work space. This also underlines the value of the work locally of Shepway Council to provide some financial support to the local infrastructure to help businesses grow and create jobs. In his speech to the conference, the Chancellor George Osborne highlighted how the government will be introducing new measures to support lending to small businesses and the importance of cutting back on unnecessary regulation and red tape that is expensive and time consuming for firms to comply with. He also announced that there would be extra financial support to help local authorities to freeze the council tax rate again next year.
Last Friday I joined a question at answer session organised by the Age Concern centres in Hythe and Lyminge. The meeting was held at the impressive new Summer Court residential home, just off Stade Street in Hythe. We covered a wide range of subjects from nuclear power at Dungeness to NHS reforms. Age Concern is part of the national charity Age UK, and has for a long time led excellent work in the community to assist people in later life. I hope that the reforms of the NHS which went through the House of Commons in September will mean that there is a greater recognition of the role that charities and community organisations can play in supporting public health. I know that the cost and inconvenience of travel to receive hospital treatment is a frequent concern, and particularly for older people. In our community it would be better if more NHS treatment could be delivered through local health centres, charities like the Paula Carr Trust and even private hospitals like St Saviours, instead of requiring people to make the journey to Ashford or Canterbury. The NHS Reform Bill will allow local GPs to manage the commissioning of the care for their patients. This means there will be more local decision making and the potential for a more local service, which can be both better for patients and better value for money for the health service.
Last Wednesday I was invited to speak to the Channel Rotary club at their monthly dinner at the Burlington Hotel in Folkestone. It is always a pleasure to be asked to support local groups like the Rotary and the Lions who do so much work in the community raising money for good causes.
It was also a great pleasure last week to be able to welcome pupils and teachers from Mundella Primary school in Folkestone for a tour of the House of Commons. As ever please let me know if you would like to arrange a visit for your school.