When a ship is sinking, we must send out the lifeboats, not argue about who steered the ship into the iceberg. At Prime Minister's Question Time yesterday (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7659180.stm), I pledged my support for the moves being taken by the Government. Vince Cable and I have been clear that we must do whatever is necessary to halt the downward spiral of the British economy.
It is terrible state of affairs if a politician thinks the opinion of the people they represent is foolish. 1100 people (so far) have decided Cllr Linda Oliver's continuing absence is wrong and have asked her, and her Hythe Town Councillor husband, to stand down. Official figures show Cllr Mrs Oliver is still in receipt of her allowance - about £3500pa!
The Liberal Democrats are urging ministers to clear up the uncertainty"about hundreds of millions of pounds councils invested in Iceland's banks. Kent County Council is reported by the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7659783.stm) to have up to £50m in Iceland-based banks including Landbanksi or Heritable, which was run by Landbanksi.
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Folkestone & Hythe, Neil Matthews, joined Folkestone Councillors Dhan Gurung, Lynne Beaumont, Tim Prater and Peter Carroll in welcoming the former Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, to Shepway on Tuesday afternoon.
Shepway's parking strategy where parking permit areas were to be introduced initially in central Folkestone and then across Cheriton, East Folkestone, Hythe and the rest of Shepway could be doomed. In a recent Shepway Council Scrutiny meeting, Conservative Shepway Finance Chief David Monk revealed that in recent discussion, Kent County Council had said that they would seek to take all income from parking charges, which would mean the scheme could not be introduced.
The approval of a new ferry service from Dover to Boulogne to start from July 2009 has been welcomed by Neil Matthews, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Folkestone and Hythe and formerly a Marine Engineer including on cross-Channel routes.
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Folkestone & Hythe Neil Matthews has strongly welcomed news that the RSPB have come out against Lydd Airport expansion plans, saying "Lydd remains one of the most inappropriate and dangerous locations to run a large airport".
Councillor Lynne Beaumont has been informed that Shepway Standards Committee have decided to take no further action on a complaint received from Mr T Philpott, saying that the complaint was "too trivial to warrant further action, was malicious, politically motivated or tit-for-tat and not serious."
Harbour Councillor Emily Sanger is now listed on Shepway Council web site as an "Independent" (www.shepway.gov.uk/content/view/200239/1748/). Emily announced that she was joining the Conservative Party in July.
Are you looking for a new, exciting challenge? Do you want to make new friends, feel part of a team and give something back to your community? Then answer Hythe fire station's plea and become a retained firefighter!
An article in the Sunday Express has pointed at Folkestone and Cheriton as the "perfect template" for how immigrant minorities should assimilate and contribute to a local community, with the areas mix of serving and retired Nepalese soldiers and their families.
The people of Hythe, and particularly those of Hythe West, have been completely vindicated in wanting their petition to be acted upon by the Conservative District Council. They asked for the absent Cllrs Mr & Mrs Oliver to stand down, as they don't feel they can be properly represented from 180 miles away.
