The economic shock of the coronavirus is affecting many local businesses, and particularly those that work in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors. Whilst there have been government schemes to support both jobs and businesses that have been unable to trade as a consequence of the COVID lockdown, we need to look at what more […]
The beginning of September marks the start of the new school year, and few can have been as eagerly anticipated as this one. COVID-19 has disrupted our lives and the education of our children for most of the last sixth months, and its vital that students get back into the classroom, so they can continue […]
Nearly nineteen years ago, on 15th September 2001 I watched along with a group of friends the Last Night of the Proms, broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall to giant screens in London’s Hyde Park. This was just four days after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the decision was correctly […]
August has always been an anxious month for students waiting for the results of public examinations like A levels, GCSEs and B-TECs. I still remember the feeling going into school to collect my grades. It’s not just a matter of personal pride to see the work that has been put in over the previous years […]
This week the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, announced that the Royal Navy would be deployed in the Channel, and RAF planes used to increase and improve monitoring of migrant boats seeking to reach the UK from the French coast. The fine weather and calm seas of the last few days have led to an increase […]
This week the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced over £3.5million in new funding to support the creation of the Romney Marsh Employment Hub. This will be a new business centre on the Marsh which will support the creation of 700 new jobs. It will be delivered by the government’s new ‘Getting […]
It’s great to see how so many local hospitality businesses have adapted to the new social distancing rules, following the lifting of the coronavirus lockdown measures. Many residents and visitors are also keen to take advantage of the chance to get out and about and enjoy what our towns have to offer. Last Friday I […]
The latest Government figures provide a clear picture of just how vital the support package announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has been for our local economy. Up to 30 June 2020, 13,300 jobs had been furloughed through the Government's Job Retention Scheme in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency, which was 29% of all […]
Last weekend we saw the largest number of migrants, in a single day, complete an illegal crossing of the English Channel. One hundred and eighty people arrived on the Kent coast, but a further two hundred were detained by the French police whilst attempting to make the crossing. It is not acceptable for this situation […]
Over the last week we have seen businesses in the hospitality sector re-open their doors, albeit within social distancing guidelines. It's really important that people respect these rules, in order that the coronavirus infection rate doesn’t start to rise again, as it's doing in some parts of the United States of America. This would make […]