On Monday night we voted in the House of Commons to approve the
measures contained in the Budget, which was probably one of the most
significant for 30 years. The country has run out of money, and one
pound in every four that the last Government was spending had been
borrowed. We all know that you cannot go on spending more than you
earn, eventually you have to have a plan to pay the money back or be
swallowed up by a mountain of debt. This is an issue that has recently
severely affected countries like Greece and Ireland, and we have to
act now to avoid a crisis of confidence in Britain.
The Budget also contained measures to reduce taxes on jobs and
businesses, to help strengthen the economy, and a plan to reduce
income tax for the low paid, taking some out of it all together. We
have also re-linked the state pension to average earnings, rather than
prices, which should mean that there is a greater year on year
increase in its value.
There are also targets to reduce government spending and more will be
published on this later in the year. In the debate on the Budget
though I was able to speak about the issue to rising welfare benefit
costs. In Folkestone and Hythe the number of people receiving out of
work benefits has increased by a third since 1997, and the disability
living allowance is paid to twice as many people now as then. We need
to carefully examine how we can reduce these costs and get more people
who can work, into gainful employment.
Speaking in the House of Commons in the last week I was also able to
raise the importance of investment to maintain the sea defences along
our coast; reducing the level of bureaucracy that is affecting the
local police; and in a debate on nuclear energy I kept up the pressure
for a new power station to be built at Dungeness.
Last Friday, I accepted the invitation of the Channel Chamber of
Commerce to become their new President. The Chamber does important
work to support the local business community and I was delighted to
accept this position. I also announced that I will be holding a new,
monthly constituency business surgery at their offices, starting on
Friday 3rd September.
Earlier that day I met with Simon Batty the Manager of Morrison’s
supermarket in Folkestone, to have a tour of the store and discuss his
plans for the business. I then met the staff, parents and children of
the new Caterpillars Children Centre, in Chart Road, in the Morehall
area of Folkestone, for its official opening and open day.
On Sunday I joined the Mayor of New Romney, Cllr Alan Snoad, and other
Town Councillors and local representatives for the annual New Romney
Town Service, at St Nicholas’s Church. The service was also supported
by some excellent playing from the band of the local Sea Cadets.