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 father all enjoy long and happy reigns it could easily be the 2060s before he sits on the throne himself. It poses the natural question of what Britain will be like at that time. Certainly, the Royal family continues to enjoy enormous support thanks to the qualities of service and dedication exemplified by The Queen and the ease and relative informality of the younger members of the family. Our gift to the Prince should be to ensure that by the time he becomes our King, that Britain continues to be a forward looking, creative and ambitious country, that provides freedom and opportunity for its people and champions democracy and economic development around the world.
We are now seeing real progress with economic growth both locally and nationally. Unemployment is continuing to fall, and is now lower than it was in May 2010. New business starts are on the up and existing firms, particularly now in the construction and house building sectors are reporting growing interest and activity. I want to make sure that we are doing all we can locally to make the most of this and I was delighted to take part an event in New Romney on Tuesday to promote the new 'Marsh Million' fund to support smaller firms and start-up businesses.
The Government's £35million Regional Growth Fund for East Kent, is already providing assistance to businesses in the area with loans given to support job creation worth £10,000 and above. The new 'Marsh Million' fund will provide loans worth between £2,500 and £10,000 to companies in the Romney Marsh area. This £1million backed fund has been created by Kent County Council, and Magnox, the company which is leading the decommissioning of Dungeness A power station. There has also been financial support from Shepway and Ashford councils. The fund is open for bids from sole traders up to smaller companies employing fewer than 50 people. You can find out more and send an expression of interest in the fund through its website www.marshmillion.co.uk
As well as encouraging new businesses we also need to safeguard the interests of our traditional industries. Last week, the Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon accepted by invitation to come to Folkestone and Hythe to meet local trawlermen to discuss the government's consultation on the creation of a marine conservation zone for Hythe Bay. The fishermen made their case powerfully that our coastal waters are already a conservation success story and that there should be no further restrictions on the local fishing industry. The result of the consultation will be known in September and we have done everything we can to make sure our case has been well made and heard by the people who will be taking the decisions.