The Army Reserve, the new name for the Territorial Army, will play an increasingly important role in supporting our armed forces in the years ahead. There is currently a recruitment drive that will see the Army Reserve double in size from 15,000 to 30,000. For many soldiers leaving the army, including former Gurkhas, joining the […]
The future of nuclear energy at Dungeness received a boost last week, as EDF made a firm commitment to support the ten year life extension of the power station to 2028. This would safeguard for another decade the hundreds of jobs at Dungeness B power station, and the many others that are linked to it. […]
We have endured the largest amount of rainfall in living memory, and the pressure that this places on our flood defences has continued. Last Friday I organised a meeting with the Environment Agency and the Romney Marsh Area Internal Drainage Board to discuss the local response to the floods and to see what else could […]
We are currently experiencing the highest level of rainfall in east Kent since 1910, and the evidence of it is there for all to see. Whilst we have not experienced the terrible flooding seen in Somerset and the West Country, there are flood warnings in place for the Nailbourne and Little Stour between Lyminge and […]
Lydd Airport returns to the news this week as the anti airport campaigners, including the RSPB take their case to the high court to try and overturn the planning application, that was granted to allow the limited expansion of the runway and facilities available to passengers. I have supported the controlled expansion of the airport, […]
Happy New Year for 2014. I hope you have had an enjoyable break over Christmas and are looking forward to the year ahead. Despite the very mixed weather we had a wonderful sunny winter day on Boxing Day, which was perfect for the numerous sporting events taking place across the district. As in previous years, […]
Kent County Council confirmed last week that all of the children’s centres in Shepway are to remain open, following their consultation on the future of this service. This is excellent news for the three centres which had been threatened with closure; Folkestone Early Years, The Village in Folkestone and New Romney. I believe that this […]
Winter is well on the way and with the colder weather we are all more aware about the cost of heating our home. At the Folkestone business to business event earlier in the year I met local representatives from The Utility Warehouse which specialises helping its customers to find the cheapest tariffs for energy bills, […]
Building and refurbishing more good quality homes to rent and buy, at all price levels, has to be one of our top priorities. We need more homes in the Shepway area to meet local demand, and this pressure will only grow with so many people currently looking to move into the district. The high speed […]
Over the last few weeks we have continued to see very positive signs of growth returning to the economy. The latest figures for unemployment in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency showed the biggest monthly fall in September for over three years. In the last twelve months unemployment has fallen by 20% and the overall rate […]