I have commissioned a short film to showcase the recently reopened Harbour Arm in Folkestone. It is a fantastic new public space where people from the town love to come and spend time, eat amazing local food and enjoy live entertainment. It is a great symbol of Folkestone's rebirth and continued regeneration and a glimpse into the […]
I recently visited NIC Instruments Limited, in Gladstone Road, Folkestone, and met with the Managing Director, Steve Wisbey and members of his team. NIC is a family run business that has been based in the town for over forty years. The firm originally specialised in medical equipment, but is now a world leader in the […]
The announcement from the Folkestone Harbour company that it is about to commence the next stage in the redevelopment of the town’s seafront is excellent news for the whole district. Following substantial investment from Roger De Haan and over £5million in funding that we have secured from the government, work will start on some of […]
Last week was English Tourism week and on the Friday I met with Sandra Matthews-Marsh, the chief executive of Visit Kent, to discuss the importance of this vital industry to our county. Tourism is one of our largest employers, and accounts for around 12% of all jobs in Kent. Whilst visitors from the rest of […]
On 4th August 2014, we marked the centenary of out break of the First World War when Prince Harry visited Folkestone to unveil the Step Short memorial arch. This is dedicated to the memory of all who served in that conflict, and in particular to the millions of soldiers from around the world, who made […]
On Monday morning this week the French authorities started to clear the south side of the camp of temporary shelters, known as the Calais Jungle. People living in the camp are being encouraged to take up accommodation from the French authorities, and priority is being given to children and women. France is also offering refugees […]
This week the former Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, Rob Whiteman, warned that Kent could receive an additional 50,000 asylum seekers a year if Britain were to leave the European Union. His comments came after the Prime Minister stated that outside of the EU, there was a real risk that France would cancel […]
Last week I met with David Statham the Managing Director of Southeastern trains to discuss the disruption to services caused by the closure of the Folkestone to Dover line. This line will be out of action for many months until work is completed to rebuild the seawall and viaduct carrying the railway. The consequences of […]
On Friday last week I was delighted to be able to help present a large number of football kits, donated by the charity Kit Aid, to support the Folkestone based organisation, Green Kordofan. Green Kordofan was started in 2011 by Raga Gibreel, and champions sport for development to support the people of South Kordofan, who […]
Over the last week I have been in contact with many people across the District regarding the proposed lorry parking scheme for the M20 motorway near to Stanford. Given the massive disturbance caused by Operation Stack last summer, there are many people who say we should get on and build the lorry park straightaway, whilst […]