Having a long term plan for our economy, does not just mean getting the decisions right today on investment and cutting taxes, but also thinking ahead about the infrastructure we will need in the future. We are seeing a real benefit today from the High Speed Rail service from Kent to London, and the Folkestone and Hythe constituency probably benefits from this more than any other. Since 2010, just after the start of the high speed service, we have seen the fastest fall in unemployment in Kent and wages rising considerably faster than the national average.
This week the government made further announcements on infrastructure investment for Kent through the Local Growth Plan. This funding will be delivered through the South East of England local enterprise partnership and supports our economic development for the future. The total investment for the South East through the Local Growth Plan will total £442 million. For our area this includes investment to start work on a new motorway junction 10A on the M20. This will relieve the congestion at junction 10 and could also be helpful in providing relief parking to ease the pressures caused by Operation Stack. This investment, plus the expansion of lorry parking at the junction 11 services and at the Channel Tunnel terminal would give us enough capacity to cope with most of the pressures that can be caused by a temporary closure of the tunnel or port of Dover.
The announcement on the Local Growth Plan investment for the South East includes a series of transport schemes to ease congestion across the county and more information on these is available at the South East LEP’s website www.southeastlep.com. There is also support for housing development, including a loan to bring forward investment in the Martello Lakes development at Nickolls Quarry to the west of Hythe. The Folkestone seafront development will bring a massive boost to the economy of the town and that will also benefit the whole of Shepway. The Government announced on Monday that the South East LEP will also come forward with detailed proposals to support this development.
On Saturday last week I was honoured to be asked to speak at the Armed Forces Day parade in Hythe. Each year on Armed Forces Day, we remember the sacrifices that are being made today by our armed forces around the world, and also those from previous conflicts. As this year marks the seventieth anniversary of the D-Day landings and the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, Armed Forces Day has a particular poignancy. On Monday I attended the opening of the Folkestone and the Great War exhibition at the Sassoon Gallery at the Folkestone library. This excellent exhibition gives a detailed examination of life in Folkestone during the war illustrated by many photographs, posters and artefacts. The exhibition has been organised by Step Short and the Local History Society and Camera Club and will be open until 21st September. I hope you get the chance to pay a visit both to this and the National Army Museum’s First World War exhibition at Folkestone town hall.