There was good news last week for the Folkestone economy with The Workshop creative business centre opening its doors in Tontine Street, and applications opening up for places at the Doug Richard 'School for Creative Start-ups' which will be based at the Creative Foundation. Last Friday I was given a tour around The Workshop, the unmistakably […]
The nation is gripped by the excitement that comes with a royal baby; a new prince and a future king. The arrival of a first child is an exciting time for any parents, and wish them all well. The new Prince is third in line to the throne and if his great grandmother, grandfather and […]
This weekend we had glorious weather for the Kent Agricultural Show at Detling; a great contrast to the heavy rain of twelve months ago. I attended the show on Friday, when the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson was also there as guest of honour. One of my favourite areas […]
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. […]
Last week we received renewed hope for a long term solution to Operation Stack. £72million has been set aside by the Government to fund the development of a new motorway junction ‘10a’ for the M20. This was announced last week at part of a major investment in our national infrastructure. When I previously organised a […]
The first Folkestone Fish Fest was scheduled for last weekend, and I had been looking forward to opening it on the Saturday morning. Sadly the wind and rain intervened, and what may have been good weather for fish, was a disaster for the stall holders and musicians who were booked to perform, which led to […]
Defence Ministers confirmed this week that despite further announcements of redundancies in the armed forces, the Gurkhas will continue to play a vital role Britain’s military operations. This is an issue we have pressed continuously through the largest review of our defence requirements since the early 1990s. We are all proud of the outstanding commitment […]
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 Queen this week celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of her coronation and I was honoured on Tuesday to be invited to attend the special thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey, to mark her life's work in the service of our nation. The Queen's reign has been a model of duty and dedication to the service of […]
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. […]