A Thanet Jobs Fair, Ramsgate regeneration, listed properties and stroke services

Lots of constituency events dominated my early October diary, some hugely successful, some frustrating and some truly enjoyable.

I hosted, with Sir Roger Gale and local JobCentres another Jobs, Skills and Apprenticeship Fair. This time in the ‘Hall by the Sea’ within Dreamland. It was well received by the 1,000 attendees. We gathered a huge number of local and Kent based employers. Many of these employers had jobs and apprenticeship opportunities on offer now but many are struggling to find candidates for the opportunities available which always seems curious when Thanet perpetually lags behind employment rates in comparison to South East norms. I know that jobs are out there, many are on our doorstep. If help is needed, my office is always available to signpost constituents in the right direction.

I held my regular Ramsgate Regeneration Alliance (RRA) meeting. We enjoyed the expansive update from Vattenfall about their forthcoming application to extend their offshore wind farm under a Development Consent Order. Some additional new jobs will be created in Ramsgate as a result of any successful application. The application means extensive local consultation that you can be a part of. The frustrating element of the RRA meeting was that we have ground-hog day agenda items that are seemingly insoluble and appear each time for discussion. Ramsgate commercial port is one of these, but Golden Sands/Pleasurama similarly remains as one of those significant pieces of the Ramsgate jigsaw that remains unsolved. We had a lively discussion about public conveniences, and rightly so. A recent blockage at the height of the season and ‘out of order’ status was caused by somebody attempting to flush a sizeable nappy, so many inconveniences are caused by irresponsible behaviour. A similar couldn’t care less attitude is at the root of litter problems throughout the Isle. Litter doesn’t make itself. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the many volunteers and groups who regularly litter pick areas to complement the council’s own work.

A visit to the Shell Grotto in Margate was long overdue and truly fascinating.

I held another Listed Property owners forum in Sandwich, with the invite extended to all South Thanet listed property owners. A great day of advice available from professionals, and it gave me an opportunity to hold a four hour surgery with residents. Frustrations remain with the planning system making listed property works expensive due to application fees, pettifogging rules and then any works, often bespoke, costing more than ‘off the shelf’ solutions available to those in newer properties not caught by listing or conservation zone restrictions.

Finally, I have been working extensively on the issue of stroke services across Kent, with the preferred proposal for East Kent being a Hyper Acute Unit (HASU) in Ashford, not at the QEQM. I had the opportunity of speaking at a recent public rally held outside the hospital. My advice to campaigners is that we stick to the subject of stroke services and not allow the debate to descend into a political rant which is a sure way of ensuring that nobody listens.

The end of the article – and no mention of Brexit. There, I’ve gone and done it!

Craig wins reprieve for patients of New Street Dental Practice in Sandwich

Craig Mackinlay MP has been assured by NHS England that the dental service in New Street, Sandwich, will not come to an end in March 2019 and will continue until such time as a permanent solution is found.

The South Thanet MP today received the assurance after pressing the Director of Commissioning Operations at NHS England South, Felicity Cox, on the matter last month.

The dental needs assessment has now been completed and NHS England have identified a number of areas across Kent, Surrey and Sussex where they are planning to procure new practices or increases to existing ones, including Thanet. NHS England will undertake a wider consultation in the next few weeks and put forward proposals to the Kent Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for discussion. Following this they will look to more widely engage with local communities to ensure they are able to provide feedback on the proposals before commencing procurement.

Previously, Craig raised the closure of Church Hill Dental Surgery in Ramsgate at Prime Minister’s Questions days before the five year contract between NHS England (South East) and Kent Community NHS Foundation Trust ended on 31 March this year. The practice served 8,000 patients, but no replacement was put in place.

Craig Mackinlay MP commented:

CM1 at human and financial costs of drug addiction debate.jpg

“The feedback I am receiving from my constituents suggests that NHS England’s efforts to address the inadequate dental provision in Ramsgate in particular, and South Thanet more generally, are falling far below the expectations local people need, want and deserve.

“Until today, and specifically in respect of the contract for the New Street Dental Practice in Sandwich which was due to expire in March 2019, we had received no information as to the steps that have been taken to ensure the contract is either renewed, or, failing that, that adequate alternative provision is put in place.

 “Therefore, this temporary reprieve for the service in Sandwich is welcome, but our fight to reverse the lack of NHS dentistry locally continues.”

Craig attends opening of £160m Biomass Plant in Discovery Park, Sandwich

Craig Mackinlay MP has attended the opening of a new £160m Biomass Plant in Discovery Park near Sandwich in Kent, one of Europe’s leading Science and Technology hubs.

CM at Biomass Plant opening4 Sept18.jpg

The Biomass Plant will use locally sourced wood fuel to generate sustainable heat and power for Discovery Park and up to 50,000 households. This will significantly reduce energy costs, the local area’s carbon footprint and add to the UK’s energy security by providing a constant base-load of energy provision. South Thanet is at the forefront of new renewable energy technology with its unique mix of offshore wind, solar and biogas with no other UK constituency with this mix of energy generation. The development has also provided a boost to the local economy, with 400 full time jobs during the construction phase and plans for 30 permanent jobs established at the site for the plant’s lifetime of 20 years.

Craig Mackinlay MP commented:

“I cannot stress enough how important and beneficial this Biomass Plant will be, not just for my South Thanet constituency, but for the whole of East Kent, thanks to the investment. 

“As well as meeting Discovery Park’s needs, the Plant will be able to produce power for tens of thousands of homes and deliver CO2 savings of approximately 100,000 tonnes every year. This is in addition to the jobs and economic benefits it will provide to Kent.

“Sandwich is a very welcome home for the Plant.”

Brexit, a new £160m biomass power station, cyber security and this Friday's Jobs Fair

With Party conference season in full flow, I write this on the first formal day of the Conservative Party conference. Doubtless the agenda will be dominated by Brexit, which to many, including myself as a long-standing supporter of it, seems to be a never ending saga of twists and turns when most people, no matter what their referendum preference are simply saying to me ‘just get on with it’. I support a SuperCanada arrangement of free trade, zero tariffs, mutual recognition of perfectly good standards across food, goods and services. Add to this sensible co-operation on security and data then this truly satisfies the mantra of ‘free trade and friendship’ which most people would see as the sensible outcome. After the shameful spectacle of the Salzburg summit, the EU have shown themselves once more as elitist, remote from the electorate, behaving like an aloof oligarchy of old. The treatment of our PM was shameful and insults us all as a nation.

The Labour conference was muddled on Brexit despite their 2017 manifesto commitment, with vague offers of a further referendum and offers of loads more ‘free stuff’ with no plan as to how to pay for it. The experience of Venezuela should be a signpost as to the failure of Socialism. Capitalism is not perfect but the global experience of it is its unique ability to have raised a billion people out of poverty in less than a generation.

There is much to be cheerful about locally. I had the great privilege of being part of the opening of the new £160m biomass power station at the Discovery Park site. It has been under construction, quietly and without fuss for two years and creates 30 permanent local jobs. Funded by Danish pension funds (therein is a lesson as to how other countries commit pension investments into long-term, stable cash flow returns) the project is technologically simple – burning sustainable coppiced wood from across the South East, some 240,000 tons of it per year that would otherwise be little used, allowing new growth in farmed woodlands. This adds to the unique renewable energy technology in South Thanet alongside our offshore wind, solar farms and biogas generation. I’m not always the biggest fan of renewables, primarily due to unit cost, reliability and taxpayer subsidy in a global market, but energy security is important, and this new plant offers that in a sustainable way.

I attended the Thanet and East Kent Chamber of commerce business breakfast. This is a hugely successful business group offering support to existing businesses and encouragement to new across East Kent. The presentation was on Cyber security both business and personal. Lots of free information and support out there on how to keep personal and business data safe. This is a growth area for crime across banking, intellectual property and sheer devilment by the hackers. Keep safe.

This Friday (5th) I am hosting, with DWP, another Jobs Fair. This time in the ‘Hall by the Sea’ in Dreamland. We have a huge number of local and national employers on hand to guide and help. Thanet has a higher than the South East average rate of unemployment; this is another initiative to try to put that right. All are welcome to attend between 10.30am and 4pm.

Craig calls on local community groups to apply for the Aviva Community Fund

Craig Mackinlay MP is encouraging all community groups in South Thanet to apply for funding via the Aviva Community Fund, which launched last week.

CM Civic Voice1.jpg

The Aviva Community Fund awards funding of up to £25,000 for local community projects across a range of categories such as skills for life, health & wellbeing and community support. Last year Aviva had almost 600 winners, and this year they have even more awards up for grabs.

Applications can be made until 12 noon on 9 October via this link, with winners announced early next year.

You can find more information about how to apply on Aviva’s website, via this link: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/campaign/getinvolved

Craig Mackinlay MP commented:

“Last year there were 3 winners of the Aviva Community Fund in Thanet alone, and so I am delighted to once again urge all community groups and charities in South Thanet to apply. It is an excellent initiative, with funding of up to £25,000 available for a variety of community projects, and so even one successful application could have a real impact on the lives of people in the local area.”