Kent Messenger Columns

Every week I write a column in the Dartford Messenger, archived articles can be found here

• Grammar Schools in Kent

  Date: Wed 1st August 2012
  The Education Chief at Kent County Council has rightly called for more grammar schools to be created in other counties as it emerged that 2,156 out of 11,085 candidates for the Eleven Plus were from outside of the county. In addition an Independent Schools expert has discovered that 197 children fr... more >

• Summer Weather

  Date: Wed 25th July 2012
  At long last it seems that summer has arrived. After the wettest ever spring we at least have this week’s sunshine to enjoy. The unusual weather has brought enormous challenges for the Government and the utility companies.  Last week I met with the water companies that cover Dartford to ... more >

• Olympics

  Date: Thu 19th July 2012
  Seven years ago it was announced that London was to host the 2012 Olympic games and now those games are about to begin.   Security issues are currently dominating the news around the games but if the Olympics are successful then that issue will fade and hopefully they will be remembered fo... more >

• House of Lords Reform

  Date: Wed 11th July 2012
  For the first time since I became an MP I have voted against a three line whip and my party line. I am a loyal supporter of the Conservative Party, and of the Coalition Government but I simply could not support the House of Lords Reform Bill which would effectively abolish the House of Lords in all... more >

• Afghanistan

  Date: Tue 3rd July 2012
  This week we received the terrible news that three more of our soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. This time, a rogue Afghan Policeman shot dead three of our troops in Helmand Province in a so called ‘green on blue’ attack. This brings to twenty eight the number of British Personnel kil... more >

• Charity Cricket Festival

  Date: Tue 26th June 2012
    On Sunday 1st July, I will be hosting my annual charity cricket game at Hesketh Park.  This involves a team of local public figures in a match against Dartford Cricket Club.  This year’s event will be raising funds for the Arrow Riding Centre in Darenth as well as for Dartfor... more >

• Southeastern Trains U-Turn

  Date: Tue 19th June 2012
  It is not often that rail commuters receive good news.  However, there is reason to celebrate for Longfield rail commuters this week.  Following the conclusion of a consultation exercise by Southeastern, they have announced that they will not be cutting services that stop at Longfield.&nbs...; more >

• Mary Portas Pilot Town

  Date: Tue 12th June 2012
    Grant Shapps, the Minister for Housing and Planning, recently announced that Dartford was successful in its bid to be a Mary Portas pilot town.  No less than 370 other towns applied for this status, showing just how sought after this assistance is. Locally some people have commented un... more >

• The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

  Date: Tue 29th May 2012
    The Jubilee celebrations for the forthcoming weekend are now gathering pace. On Sunday, Dartford Borough Council organised the Great Big Jubilee Kids Day Out in Central Park and many more celebrations are planned in the area. It’s great to see the growing number of Union flags bei... more >

• SEN Education

  Date: Tue 22nd May 2012
  In Dartford we are fortunate to have a wide variety of schools that cater for everyone, from the most academically gifted to students that require more support.  However although much improved in recent years, SEN education still has far to go in some respects. I recently met with the British ... more >

• Southeastern Trains

  Date: Tue 15th May 2012
  Southeastern Trains have recently published a consultation that proposes reducing the number of off peak services that use Longfield Station. This would have the effect of reducing the number of trains that stop at the station each hour from three to just two. This proposal has to be ratified by the... more >

• London Elections

  Date: Tue 8th May 2012
   Boris Johnson was last week crowned as the Mayor of London having defeated his long term adversary Ken Livingstone once again. As a Conservative, I was naturally delighted at this result and pleased that the Capital will never be run by Ken Livingstone again. This year will of course be an ext... more >

• Hospital Staff

  Date: Tue 1st May 2012
   Recently, I raised the issue of hospital staff numbers in Parliament and am extremely pleased to confirm that the number of doctors, nurses and midwives working within the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust have risen significantly since 2007.   In 2007 there were 90 midwives working ... more >

• Olympic Trading Hours

  Date: Mon 23rd April 2012
   Next week the Government is introducing the Sunday Trading (London Olympic and Paralympic Games) Bill to Parliament which proposes to suspend temporarily the Sunday Trading laws in England and Wales from Sunday 22 July to Sunday 9 September only. Sunday Trading will not be extended beyond thes... more >

• Adoption Action Plan

  Date: Tue 17th April 2012
   I have recently raised the issue of adoption in Parliament and was shocked by the low number of looked after children who are eligible for adoption successfully being adopted in Kent in recent years. In 2007 just 90 looked after children in Kent were adopted, by 2011 this number had fallen to... more >

• Grammar Schools in Kent to be allowed to expand for the first time in fifty years

  Date: Mon 2nd April 2012
   Last week Kent County Council voted to allow an annexe to a Grammar School to be built for the first time in fifty years. This will allow for a new Grammar School in Sevenoaks as a satellite to one of the existing schools in the County. This is great news for the local area. As a former Dartf... more >

• Organ Donation

  Date: Tue 27th March 2012
   In Kent during the last five years, some 46 people in Kent died whilst waiting on the organ transport list.  I recently raised the issue of organ donation in Parliament and the answers that I received have made me really think about this issue. Like most people, I didn’t consider t... more >

• Victim Support

  Date: Tue 20th March 2012
   Last Friday I met with Victim Support to hear about the excellent work they are carrying out to assist victims of crime in Dartford and across Kent.  Victim Support is a national charity which provides help and practical support for victims and witness of crime helping through the crimina... more >

• Smart Card Technology to be extended

  Date: Mon 12th March 2012
    Last Thursday Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced in Parliament that smart card technology systems will be extended outside of London to give more passengers the kind of benefits that travellers in the Capital already enjoy with Oyster Cards.  During the statement Justine Gre... more >

• Clare's Law

  Date: Tue 6th March 2012
   On Monday Home Secretary Theresa May MP announced that the Government will be piloting ‘Clare’s Law’ in four areas in England.  Clare’s Law is named after Clare Wood, a young woman who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend who had a history of violence against a number ... more >