I was very disturbed to hear that yesterday the Banksy artwork on the wall of Palace Amusements in Folkestone was removed at the request of the Godden family who own the building. It is their intention that the artwork should be sold at private auction. The Godden family have raised concerns about the maintenance of […]
Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport joined me in Folkestone last week for a guided tour of the Triennial Arts exhibition, with Roger De Haan and the Creative Foundation’s chief executive, Alastair Upton. We visited a number of the most popular works including the new Payers Park by the London […]
My motivation for getting involved in politics was to use the position of being Member of Parliament to work to help everyone have the chance to achieve what they want to in life. At the last general election four years ago, the greatest threat to the opportunities people wanted to pursue was the weak state of the […]
On Wednesday morning this week I met with Greg Dyke the Chairman of the Football Association, to discuss his new report on investment in grassroots sport in England. In particular he is calling for more investment in all weather artificial pitches and for councils who no longer wish to maintain local sporting facilities to transfer them […]
When the internationally renowned artist Banksy recently placed one of his works (worth an estimated £400,000) on a wall at Clacton on Sea it was scrubbed off by the council. Yet the appearance of one of his distinctive paintings in Folkestone produced an entirely different response. Banksy's painting near Payers Park, was instantly protected by the council. People […]
I was shocked to be told last week that 130 people currently being held in the asylum system were being placed in the Grand Burstin hotel in Folkestone. Like Shepway Council I had not been given any notice of this decision until after it had been made and the people concerned were already on their way […]
Like most residents I was extremely concerned to be told on Tuesday afternoon that 130 people currently being held in the asylum system were on their way to Folkestone and would be staying at the Grand Burstin hotel. Along with the chief executive of Shepway District Council I have sought information from the Home Office […]
Last Sunday was Battle of Britain Sunday and I attended the service of remembrance at St Stephen’s church at Lympne organised by the Royal Air Forces Association. The church is just a stones throw from the former Lympne aerodrome, which would have been a buzz with furious activity in that summer 74 years ago. In […]
Prince Harry’s visit to Folkestone to open the Step Short, First World War centenary memorial arch, was a day that the whole town and district could be proud of. It was highly appropriate as well that the parade of soldiers on that day from our local infantry regiment, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, was […]
The scenes of thousands of migrants camping in Calais and trying to gain illegal access to the port and a passage into the UK are truly disturbing. It is a humanitarian tragedy as well as a considerable policing and security challenge. First and foremost, our responsibility is to ensure that we protect our borders. Under […]