This week I called a special House of Commons debate to support the case of the Hythe Bay fishermen against the possible introduction of restrictions in their fishing waters along our coast. This follows the petition we presented to 10 Downing Street earlier this month, which was signed by over 1,000 residents. I am also working to secure a meeting with the Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, to come and talk with the local fishermen, so that he can hear from them directly the impact that restrictions to fishing in Hythe Bay would have on their livelihoods.
The concern about these potential restrictions, which could prevent all commercial fishing within certain designated areas, are as a result of the consultation being led by the Department for the Environment into establishing marine conservation zones around the coast of the United Kingdom. I believe that we have a strong case to make against the proposals in this consultation as Hythe Bay is already a success story in terms of conservation. There is evidence to demonstrate that the sea life to be found in the sand and sea bed is thriving, and the fishermen themselves have managed the stocks of fish and shell fish in a sustainable way. This is after all in their own interests, as their livelihoods depend on it.
Fishing is not only an important part of our local economy; it is part of our culture and heritage too. Hythe Bay cannot be allowed to become the victim of some badly thought through environmental experiment; there is too much at stake to allow this to happen. The results of the consultation are expected later this year, and we will continue to press our case to maintain the current rules and guidelines for fishing in the bay.
On Tuesday I was able to take advantage of another House of Commons debate on the UK City of Culture 2017 programme to back the bid from East Kent. Our bid was submitted last month, and if successful will go through to the final round of judging in September. The current city of culture, Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland has seen its visitor numbers double this year, as well as receiving additional media exposure worth over one hundred million pounds. There is no doubt that winning the right to be the host UK City of Culture will give a huge boost to both our local cultural scene, as well as to the economy. You can back the bid online at their website www.eastkent2017.co.uk
Last Wednesday I was also delighted to support a special event at Parliament organised by Visit Kent and Taste of Kent to promote the great variety and quality of food and drink produce from the county. Kent has a great reputation as the Garden of England, and this is important to promoting the products made by individual businesses, and also supports the increasingly important tourism industry linked to food. I’m sure as well that the Folkestone Fish Festival on 22nd and 23rd June this year will prove to be a popular attraction.