This week in parliament has been about a big choice for the country of
two paths that we could follow. Do we plan now to overcome the huge
problem of government debt and borrowing, which means that we are
spending more on interest repayments than we are on providing
healthcare. Or do we put off these decisions, let the debt and
repayments grow and hope for the best. Hard though the decisions may
need to be, I believe that we must deal with this debt problem now,
and not leave its terrible and rising costs to future generations.
Many people will remember when in the 1970s Britain had to be bailed
out by the International Monetary Fund, and spending cuts were forced
on the country. An experience that Greece had just been through, and
other countries may yet face.
The public spending savings spread over the next four years will mean
that areas of Government are being asked to make the same kind of
efficiencies that people who work in the private sector regard as
standard practice. That does not of course mean that they are easy to
make, and we must be careful at the local level to ensure that where
savings are being made, that they are the right savings to make.
Getting down the country’s debts is an important part of our long term
recovery but so to is getting more jobs and growth into the economy.
Nationally confidence is returning and locally unemployment is
falling, but I believe that we have to be real champions for
investment into our local economy. This means pressing the case for a
new power station at Dungeness, which can bring thousands of jobs and
tens of millions of pounds to the area. This week we had news from the
Government that Natural England’s objection to building a new power
station because it will disturb the shingle habitats at Dungeness is
holding this up, but I was encouraged to read that the Department for
Energy still considers it to be a ‘credible’ site.
We are fortunate to have the investment led by Roger De Haan into
Folkestone, and the regeneration plans from the Harbour company. Over
the last few years we have seen the opening of the University
Centre,the Quarterhouse and the growth of business activity in the
creative quarter. This year 41 people have renewed their leases in the
Creative Quarter and an additional 32 properties have been let. Sadly,
some businesses have left, but there is more coming in than going out.
For the Triennial Arts Festival next summer we will see the opening of
the new restaurant on the harbour side, and the completion of the
renovation of further business properties. I hope that we will see
progress as well with the new plan from Sir Terry Farrell for the
Folkestone seafront.
We must also be prepared across the District, to look at opportunities
to bring in investment, attract more businesses to start up and grow,
and consider what benefits the whole community can get from sensible
development. The Government will soon be introducing measures that
will give councils extra funding for local services if they allow new
housing to be built, and also for attracting in new businesses. This
extra money can pay for new public amenities, investment that it may
be hard to find from other quarters in the coming years.