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Welcome to my September newsletter, with updates of what I have been up to as your MP to support the residents of East Thanet. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by clicking here – please do share the link with your friends and family. If there is anything you think I should know, or anything you think I could help you with, please get in touch by clicking here. |
Parliament closes during August, which gave me the chance to spend the summer in Thanet – not just enjoying our wonderful seaside towns but allowing me time to invite local residents to coffee mornings across our constituency. These gatherings in Salmestone, Dane Valley, Newington, Northwood, and central Broadstairs brought together local residents, the police, and Labour councillors to discuss issues like housing, public services, and the benefits system. It was really great to meet with constituents and discuss the issues impacting them firsthand.
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Discussing action to tackle dementia at Labour Party Conference. |
Labour values, British values |
Labour Party Conference was an important moment for the Prime Minister to set out his vision for Britain after a difficult year, so I welcome that he chose to focus his speech on the values that make our country such a brilliant place to live – values like tolerance, respect, equality, and fairness. As the Prime Minister said, there is a big difference between the pride in our flag that we all share, and the examples of racist graffiti or violence we have seen this year.
I was proud to hear him say that under Labour Britain will always be a place where communities like ours work together to tackle the problems we are facing, and where everyone has the opportunity to work hard and get on in life. |
Important new announcements made at Labour conference |
Free breakfast clubs will be expanded to 2,000 more primary schools, saving parents £400 a year, and every primary school will be guaranteed to have a library. Maintenance grants will be reintroduced for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, every out-of-work young person will be guaranteed paid work if they have been out of education, training or employment for 18 months to get them onto the career ladder, and the government will massively expand access to apprenticeships. NHS Online will be launched, delivering millions of additional online appointments and services to cut waiting times. A new hit squad will hunt Covid fraudsters and get our money back. Energy bills will be slashed at hundreds of schools and hospitals, through the installation of new solar panels. Fracking will be banned, and a new Clean Energy Jobs Plan will set out a pathway to create 400,000 new jobs in the sector by 2030. A new ‘Hillsborough Law’ will be passed so that people will not be ignored when seeking justice.
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Speaking at my Coastal Communities conference event to call for the government to do more to support coastal towns like ours in East Thanet. |
Championing coastal communities at Labour Party Conference |
My big focus at Labour conference was championing coastal communities as the Chair of the Labour coastal group of MPs. I held an event promoting my call for a ‘Coastal Challenge’ to get more funding into areas like East Thanet for skills training, apprenticeships, and non-graduate jobs so that we can deliver prosperity for everyone living at the coast. You can watch a video of what I got up to by clicking here. |
£1.5 million Pride in Place funding for Thanet |
I’m delighted that Thanet will be receiving £1.5 million in additional government funding as part of Labour’s Pride in Place programme. The money is part of a government scheme to transform left-behind towns across the country, and will also hand communities new powers to seize boarded-up shops, create new spaces for young people, save derelict pubs and libraries, and block gambling and vape shops on their high streets.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of other recent investments in Thanet, including £20 million in funding to regenerate Ramsgate, a summer funding boost for town centre policing, and millions for local schools and the NHS. I’m really pleased that after years of cuts Labour is investing in our community again. |
Meeting with the rail minister earlier this year with other Kent Labour MPs to call for Eurostar services to Ashford to resume. |
Championing better transport |
Challenging Reform UK in Kent |
Reform promised voters in Thanet they would keep taxes low by slashing alleged waste at Kent County Council. I have already been investigating dubious claims of savings made by Reform in Kent – such as their lie that they have saved £40 million by cancelling energy efficiency upgrades – but it has now become clear that they have made almost no meaningful savings and as a result Kent council tax is likely to rise by 5%. Unfortunately, taxpayers in Kent will end up paying the price for Reform making a promise they had no plan to fulfil. You can hear me talking about this on BBC Radio Kent by clicking here.
I was also appalled that Reform invited an anti-vax conspiracy theorist to give a keynote address at their conference, and it’s even worse that Reform’s leader in Kent said she agreed – without evidence – that vaccines could cause breast cancer and weren’t safe for children. I won’t stop standing up for science and challenging Reform on their false claims about vaccines and climate change. |
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Visiting the Stagecoach depot at Westwood. |
I have visited some fantastic local organisations and initiatives this month, including: I spent time over the summer showing friends and family around East Thanet, including time at Broadstairs Folk Week, Margate Pride, and a trip to Dreamland. I met up with residents Christine, Jackie and Barry to hear about accessibility issues for people with disabilities in Broadstairs, including the lift and quality of our roads and walkways. I visited Dane Court Grammar School, meeting teachers and finding out about the school. I was also grilled by the student leadership team about the issues that are important to them. I was thrilled to be able to present an award at the Kent Integrated Care Alliance Awards in Maidstone, celebrating excellence in social care.
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At the Kent Integrated Care Alliance Awards in Maidstone. |
This month me and my team have been able to assist many residents to resolve issues that they’ve been experiencing. I assisted several constituents to arrange maintenance and clear up of public areas that have overgrown, ensuring a more pleasant and accessible environment. I arranged inspections of drainage by Kent County Council and Southern water to avoid flooding on the roads. I worked with several residents to communicate with their housing providers and arrange pest control across several properties. I helped to get answers for several residents awaiting decisions from the Home Office and the DWP on benefits and visa issues.
I’m always happy to support residents. If you think I could be of assistance, please get in touch by clicking here and I will see what I can do to help. |
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