The Future for East Kent - More attention and hopefully some more support

Since the general election, Thanet has commanded a great deal of attention from central Government.  For the first time in decades this new government understands that not all parts of the South East are paved with gold.  

Now with a greater knowledge of the specific challenges facing coastal towns, Thanet is receiving some real benefits. It will receive a share of the annual £23 million pound grants for charities in seaside towns which was launched in Ramsgate by our Treasury Minister.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, and the Science Minister, David Willets, personally announced the creation of the Enterprise Zone on the Pfizer Site  - one of only 21 in the country - that will help all of East Kent. And we received news that BT is to fund the roll-out of super-fast broadband in Thanet. All these developments present us with a real opportunity to regenerate East Kent and build a stronger Thanet and Sandwich economy.

But the real icing on the cake would come from benefiting from the Regional Growth Fund. The fund is aimed at stimulating economies in areas that need to grow their private sector employment opportunities – East Kent most certainly should be considered. Michael Heseltine visited Thanet to outline some of the benefits a few months ago.  

Over the last few months, in partnership with Kent County Council, I have been campaigning hard for us to benefit from this fund.It is crucial that we kick start Thanet and Sandwich’s economy with more jobs in the private sector. Our young people need local job opportunities so they can build a strong future for them and their families. Despite challenging financial times, we have delivered a number of victories in the last y! ear for Thanet and Sandwich. So maybe, just maybe, our hard work will pay off and we will benefit from this jobs fund. Fingers crossed!