This week the Prime Minister announced major new plans to secure the future funding of the National Health Service. Under the government’s proposals, NHS funding will grow on average by 3.4 percent in real terms each year. By 2023 the NHS England budget will increase by £20.5 billion in real terms compared with today. This […]
This week marks the start of the Highways England consultation on the permanent solution to Operation Stack. Following the chaos caused in the summer of 2015, when Operation Stack was in force on 32 days, I along with the other Kent MPs secured from the government a commitment to fund a £250 million lorry park […]
On Friday last week I visited the Kent Wildlife Trust at New Romney to discuss their work on the Fifth Continent project. This landscape partnership will facilitate the restoration and enhancement of the Marsh’s natural heritage by restoring habitats and increasing biodiversity. The project is also investigating local archaeological heritage, including excavating St Martin’s Field […]
In many ways, data, the trail of information that we add to every time we use the internet, is the new oil of the modern economy. Although we can’t always see it, it powers everything that is done online, from sharing pictures with friends, to paying bills and looking up what’s on during a bank […]
The Department for Transport has this week provided an update on its plans to create a long term solution to Operation Stack and address the need for more overnight lorry parking in Kent, and across the South East of England. The previous lorry parking scheme proposed for the M20 close to junction 11, was withdrawn […]
On Wednesday this week the House of Commons debates the final stages of the Data Protection Bill. The purpose of the Bill is to introduce the new general data protection regulations [GDPR], giving people more power over how their data is used. These new rules have implications for businesses and organisations that hold personal data […]
The redevelopment of the Folkestone seafront took a further step forward last week, with Folkestone and Hythe District Council approving some adjustments that had been requested to the outline planning permission. The changes asked for by the developer see an in increase in height of some buildings, in order to create more public space across […]
The educational landscape of Folkestone and Cheriton will change in September with the opening of the new Turner Free School, the successor to Pent Valley Technology College. Last Friday I met with Jo Saxton the chief executive of Turner Schools, who are responsible for the launch of the new free school, as well as running […]
Last weekend British forces, acting alongside our American and French allies, completed a series of surgical missile strikes against military targets of the regime of President Assad of Syria. This action was taken in response to an attack by the forces by the Syrian government on the city of Douma, to the north east of […]
Our local fishing industry is not just part of the heritage of our area, but significant to life on the Kent coast today. As well as creating jobs for local families, many of whom have sent generations out to fish in Hythe Bay, it also supplies restaurants, food wholesalers, and supports tourism and the visitor […]