Storm St Jude struck the Kent coast on Monday morning, as predicted by the Met Office with a force of over 70 mph. It was thankfully not as strong as the great storm of 1987, but the expectation and preparation for its arrival were much better. In 1987 there was famously no notice, but with […]
This week the government announced that it had reached a deal with EDF energy to allow the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. This is excellent news for the country and I hope it will prove to be so for Dungeness in the future. The decision to go ahead […]
The greatest investment we can make in the future of our community is in the quality of education we provide for our young people. The creation of a new Academy school in Folkestone providing an integrated education for students aged from 3 to 18 is a statement to the ambition people have for the town […]
Maria Miller, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, invited me to speak to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this week about our work in Folkestone to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014. The government rightly recognises that this anniversary is an important time for […]
It was great to see so many people attending the Folkestone Jobs fair at The Quarterhouse in Tontine Street, last week. People were queuing to enter at 10am and we had a busy stream of visitors throughout the day. We believe that over 600 jobseekers visited the fair, and the employers I spoke to during […]
For many families the arrival of September is a very important time of the year. Hundreds of children will be having their much anticipated first day at school. For others there will be the transition to the bigger world of secondary school with all its challenges and opportunities. I would like to wish everyone who […]
Romney Marsh has traditionally been regarded as one of the more high risk flood areas in the country. In the past this had made it harder for people to get home insurance, although a number of local firms who have a good understanding of the risk levels have helped many residents to solve this problem. […]
Recent proposals for new large wind turbines at Snave on Romney Marsh, and previously at Sellindge have rightly been controversial. These wind turbines would dominate the landscape; changing its character and impacting on the lives of local residents. If there is a future for wind energy in Kent it should be offshore, in large farms […]
The Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon MP, has confirmed that he will be coming to Folkestone and Hythe to meet with local businesses and the fishermen, who are affected by the marine conservation zone proposals for Hythe Bay. This will be the first time that a Fisheries Minister has visited our area officially for many years. […]
Last week the government approved the planning applications that will allow for the controlled expansion of Lydd Airport. This is excellent news and will I believe provide a considerable boost to the economy of Romney Marsh, creating new jobs and attracting businesses to locate in this area. You can look at the success of other […]