The collapse of the House of Fraser group, with its 59 department stores around the country, including in Maidstone and at the Bluewater shopping centre near Dartford, is about more than the failure of a business. Instead, it seems to signify another major step in the changing nature of our shopping habits and town centres. […]
I think the time has come to revisit the Prime Minister’s Lancaster House speech. Not Theresa May’s in 2017, setting out the UK’s negotiating objectives for leaving the European Union, but Margaret Thatcher’s in 1988, making the case to business leaders for Britain to join the Single Market. She explained to her audience that, “Europe […]
The government has presented its position paper for the next phase of the Brexit negotiations, and although this was agreed by the Cabinet at Chequers last Friday, it is still the subject of hot debate. However you voted in the referendum, and whatever your position on the current negotiations, I think that most people believe […]
On Monday, having worked alongside Gareth Thomas (former Welsh international rugby captain) and his campaign, I will present to the House of Commons a Bill that seeks to amend and extend the Football Offences Act 1991 to include homophobic abuse. In recent years, both Gareth and the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, which […]
On Friday last week I visited the Kent Wildlife Trust at New Romney to discuss their work on the Fifth Continent project. This landscape partnership will facilitate the restoration and enhancement of the Marsh’s natural heritage by restoring habitats and increasing biodiversity. The project is also investigating local archaeological heritage, including excavating St Martin’s Field […]
Data Protection and Privacy Policy This document outlines how Damian Collins Member of Parliament for Folkestone & Hythe processes and manages personal data and: • Identifies the data controller. • Provides the lawful basis for processing personal data. • Outlines the scope of personal data held and processed. • Outlines the scope of the special […]
The updated framework masterplan for the Otterpool Park garden town development was published before Easter and can be viewed on the website www.otterpoolpark.org. This scheme is an opportunity to provide needed new housing to our area, and in particular to create more affordable homes for people to rent and buy. The development will bring investment […]
Last Tuesday the Department for Health and Social Care, and Health Education England announced that it had approved the joint bid by the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University to create Kent’s first ever medical school. This new facility will bring together the existing centres at the two universities with our local healthcare […]
Happy New Year. I hope that 2018 can be a year of peace, prosperity and progress for our community, and the country as a whole. In this, my first column of the year, I would like to thank everyone at Border Force and our emergency services, who have worked over the Christmas period, and in […]
In the early New Year, Shepway District Council expects to bring forward the formal planning application for the development at Princes Parade in Hythe. As most readers know, the plan is for a mixed used development including a new swimming pool, new homes, and leisure and recreational space on the seafront. There is certainly no doubt […]