The Folkestone and Hythe Extra has confirmed that two wards at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone are earmarked are earmarked for closure. The Shepway Primary Care Trust which runs the hospital is suggesting the closure of the Fitton and Edinburgh wards and the transfer of the services they provide to Dover.
Lib Dem campaigner Peter Carroll visited Folkestone Fire Station on Friday to see at first hand the work of the Fire Service in Folkestone. During the visit, Station Officer Barry Douglas and Watch Commander Vic Thurgood explained the extent of the fire prevention work carried out by the Brigade and demonstrated the new technology and equipment used in Fire & Rescue situations.
The Folkestone based 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles have not been included in a series of mergers and battalion reductions announced by Minister for Defence Geoff Hoon in a statement to Parliament today. Despite fears that the Gurkhas were amongst those facing cuts, the announcement seems to safeguard the future of the batallion.
Speaking out against the proposed cuts to the Armed Forces, Peter Carroll said "The Armed Forces are being terribly over stretched. The idea of cuts is totally inappropriate. The Army is having trouble recruiting and the Gurkhas are playing a vital role in today's Army."
Lib Dem Spokesman Peter Carroll has today urged local people to join the campaign to keep the services offered by the Royal Victoria Hospital here in Folkestone.
Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour have once again been big issues in my Postbag. There are a number of communities across Shepway who are suffering persistent and recurring anti-social behaviour. In some of the cases progress has been made. By working together, the Police, Council, Social Services and other agencies have focused a lot of attention of these cases. This is good news. However, in order to work properly, this 'multi-agency' working needs a lot of time and resources, particularly from the Police. My view is that the Police need more Officers who can be assigned to these types of situations so that more cases can get the attention they deserve.
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