Enjoy the summer safely

Thanks to the huge sacrifices made by people, life is beginning to return to some form of normality.
 
Pubs are open, cricket is back, and some may even be able to enjoy a summer holiday.
 
But the threat of coronavirus has not gone away.
 
We’re seeing an increase of the virus in some parts of Europe. This has led to quarantine measures being introduced for people returning from Spain – which I know has caused a lot of frustration – but it’s absolutely necessary to keep people in this country safe.
 
And the risks are not just from abroad. There are signs that the virus might be on the rise in some parts of the UK, which sadly means we've had to delay the lifting of further lockdown measures planned for this month.

Keeping up hand washing, maintaining social distancing, and following the guidance is just as important as it was at the start of the pandemic.
 
We have been through so much as a country in the past few months. So many people have made sacrifices. We cannot afford to throw that away now.
 
We’re continuing to make good progress in tackling the virus – we have capacity to test 300,000 people per day, our NHS intensive care capacity has been massively expanded, and we’ve got two of the world’s leading coronavirus vaccine programmes here in the UK.

We remain committed to honouring the promises made in the election last year. We’re getting more money for our schools and police in Kent, a huge investment in greener transport, and we’re increasing pay for millions of people.
 
I want to see us use this moment to build a fairer, greener, and stronger country.

More money for Kent's schools

Our schools are due to get a 5.5% increase in funding next year.

This is another step to getting fairer funding for Kent’s schools, which have for years received less money than schools in other parts of the country.

Under the National Funding Formula, schools in Faversham and Mid Kent will see their allocation increase to over £55 million next year. Minimum per pupil funding levels will mean that every primary school will receive at least £4,000 per pupil, and every secondary school at least £5,150 per pupil.

I’m pleased the Government’s commitment to level up school funding is benefiting pupils here in Kent.

11,000 jobs protected in Faversham and Mid Kent

Stats from HMRC show 11,000 people in Faversham and Mid Kent have benefited from the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

A further 4,400 people in the constituency have made claims worth over £14 million as part of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

In total, over 15,000 people in Faversham and Mid Kent have benefited from schemes to support jobs and incomes during coronavirus.

While thousands of people have benefited from support, I know some businesses are falling through the cracks. I’ve been raising individual cases with local councils and colleagues in Government to get support to as many people and businesses as possible.

Eat Out to Help Out

To support the hospitality sector, the Chancellor has announced a new scheme to help make eating out more affordable. This is on top of a 15% cut in VAT for the sector.

The Eat Out to Help Out Scheme will give people at participating restaurants: 

• a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner)

• every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 3 and 31 August

• as many times as you like

Over 72,000 outlets across the country have signed up to scheme. Use the postcode search to find a place near you.

Securing a green recovery from coronavirus

We're determined to build back better from coronavirus.

The Chancellor's Summer Statement included a £3 billion green investment package that could help support around 140,000 green jobs, upgrade buildings and reduce emissions.

Most of this funding will be used to improve the energy efficiency of homes and public buildings – including the Green Homes Grant, which will provide vouchers worth up to £5,000 to improve home insulation from September.

Funding for better insulation was something I discussed in a virtual lobby with a number of constituents on 30 June as part of the Climate Coalition’s ‘The Time is Now’ campaign.

New creek bridge would bring a boost to the town

I met the Transport Minister, Kelly Tolhurst, to stress the importance of a new bridge to Faversham.

We’ve been waiting for a new Faversham creek bridge for a long time.

As our shops and businesses recover from coronavirus, we need to be encouraging people back into Faversham safely. Getting a new bridge would be a huge boost to the town after these difficult few months.

I’m pleased to have the Minister's support for trying to secure funding for a new bridge from Peel Ports, the harbour authority. This is another important step to getting a functioning bridge over the creek again.

We’re getting safer streets in Faversham

After years of campaigning, I’m pleased that a town-wide 20mph speed zone in Faversham will soon become a reality.

The trial scheme is one of several projects benefiting from a new £1.6 million fund awarded to Kent County Council as part of the Government’s £2 billion active travel fund.

The benefits of a lower speed limit are clear - safer roads, cleaner air, and better quality of life.

Lower speeds will also help make Faversham a better place to walk and cycle, with very little impact on journey times for other road users.

Work on new signs and road markings is due to be finished by the middle of September.

Flexible train fares needed more than ever

I’ve joined other Kent MPs in calling on Southeastern to introduce flexible season tickets.

A change to the season ticket model is long overdue. As more people work flexibly, we need a better season ticket model more than ever.

Great Western Railways has introduced a new “three days in seven” season ticket and another ticket that allows travel on any 12 days in a month. We need something similar here in Kent.

As we get back to some degree of normal life, flexible working is one way to help maintain social distancing on public transport and in workplaces.

Read the letter to Southeastern here.

A251 must not become lorry rat run

I’ve told Ministers that plans for a new lorry park at Ashford must not lead to more lorries using this key A-road.

I completely understand the concerns of local residents who fear more HGVs will come thundering along this road to reach the proposed new customs centre at Ashford.

I’m calling for a robust plan to prevent this road becoming a lorry rat run. I’ve secured a meeting with the Minister responsible to press for a solution.

It’s vital that we keep Kent’s roads moving and avoid encouraging more lorries to use roads that are completely unsuitable for HGVs.

Kent’s carers go the extra mile

As Care Minister, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of the most amazing people who’ve been providing frontline care during this difficult time – including here in Kent.
 
Care providers have worked incredibly hard to provide high quality care during this pandemic. I know this has been a particular challenge in care homes, where staff have made huge personal sacrifices to keep people safe.
 
Thanks to the hard work of carers, 71 per cent of care homes in Kent have managed to remain coronavirus free throughout the last few months.
 
Read my full article in the next edition of the Downs Mail which comes out on 6 August.

Please remember to keep following the guidance - stay alert to help control the virus and save lives.

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