Putting us at the Head of the Queue not left at the end of the Line:

Laura welcomes Conservative Policies for Coastal Towns

“We all recognise that costal towns, particularly here in East Kent, are very different from communities and towns just 15 miles inland, and for these to thrive we need policies that focus directly on our needs. I am very pleased to welcome such a comprehensive range of policies from the Conservative Party that aim to address those needs and offer real change for South Thanet and Sandwich,” said Laura.

OUR JOBS
With unemployment rising month - on - month in Thanet and Sandwich, we need to develop policies to help people back into work through initiatives that will specifically assist us in this area:

TOURISM: We want to support local tourism more and in keeping with our policy on encouraging local decision making, we would encourage councils to form Local Tourism Partnerships and produce tourism development plans. Visit England could then provide funding for large scale tourism projects proposed by these partnerships.

GREEN COLLAR JOBS: We propose to use £50 million to establish a network of large scale Marine Energy Parks, and we will also lay DC cables to support the development of offshore wind farms. Thanet is already recognised as an area that could qualify for Marine Energy Park status.

INSHORE FISHERIES: We need to reverse Labour’s centralising approach to fisheries policy that has alienated fishermen and failed to address our dwindling fish stocks. There must be a fundamental shake-up to encourage sustainable practices, give local communities a greater say over the future of their fishing industry and bring to an end to the scandal of fish discards – with fish being regularly dumped back into the sea.

This is in addition to the wider policies for getting people back into work that include:
APPRENTICESHIPS: Creating 400,000 apprenticeships, college and training places over two years.
NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE: Introducing a National Citizen Service for 16 year olds to provide a compelling and challenging programme that will help teach young people about their responsibilities in society and provide a focus for participating in community service.
TAX BREAKS FOR NEW FIRMS: Introducing new tax breaks for local firms - including local business rate discounts, lower corporation tax on small firms, and waiving National Insurance on new firms which create jobs.

OUR TAXES

We will cancel Labour’s plans after the general election for an expensive and intrusive council tax revaluation in England which would put a premium on our sea views.


OUR OLDER PEOPLE
We will help elderly homeowners protect their home from being sold to pay for residential care costs through the payment of a one off £8,000 insurance premium upon retirement. In seaside towns that have a much higher percentage of older residents than our inland neighbours, this will make a difference to the lives of many in our communities.


OUR ENVIRONMENT

CENTRAL HOUSING TARGETS SCRAPPED: We would abolish the unsuccessful regional planning system and the counterproductive regional housing targets – under the Conservatives local people would once again be in charge of delivering the housing they need.

RIGHT TO BUY: We will legislate to provide a ‘Community Right to Buy’ for threatened community assets.

GREEN TRANSPORT: As part of commitment to green transport we will require all electricity network operators to provide electric car charging points

HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE: We would also undertake negotiations with insurers to ensure as many householders and property owners as possible who live near the coast have access to flood insurance.

SEASIDE HERITAGE AND THE PUBLIC REALM: We would allow privately owned, listed seaside-heritage attractions, such as piers, to apply for Lottery funding.

It is also vital that the ‘public realm’ of our seaside resorts is maintained and enhanced, not only to attract visitors, but also to make them pleasant and attractive places to live all year round. Despite the challenges of maintaining these properties it is important we acknowledge them as assets which attract visitors, provide a focus for events, and offer a quality of townscape difficult to replicate in modern developments. They are also valuable icons in publicising and attracting visitors to these towns, and must be maintained and cherished.


OUR STREETS AND CRIME

ALCOHOL SALES: We would seek to impose significant tax increases on strong alcohol which contributes to violence and disorder on our streets, such as alcopops, strong beer and strong cider.
We would ban retailers from selling alcohol below cost price and would give local councils and the police new powers to restrict the large number of late licences awarded to shops, takeaways and other venues.

POLICING: We need to give the police more power to impose law and order in coastal towns. Under Labour, policemen and women spend too much time behind their desks doing paperwork instead of out on our streets tackling crime. We would scrap the form filling that goes with ‘stop and search’ powers and cut the paperwork associated with carrying out routine surveillance.

“Labour has ignored and marginalised our coastal towns like Thanet and Sandwich, and this must change. This action plan is proof that Conservatives want to reinvigorate our coastal towns, so that they are not just places for a great day out, but are also successful and attractive places to live and work. Conservatives will ensure that our coastal towns are no longer left at ‘the end of the line’.”