You may also have heard very recently that the Home Office contacted the District Council last Thursday afternoon (10th September) to explain they had plans, previously never mentioned or discussed, to house a migrant processing centre at Napier Barracks.

I am incredulous that they can have failed to consult, or even notify of plans to open such a centre, and yet are planning on doing so on Monday 21st September.

At an online extraordinary meeting of Folkestone and Hythe Council on 16th September, the Council considered the adoption of the Local Plan.

The motion passed 17 for, 12 against and 1 abstention.

Although this is an important document to the Council, and a tool to limit uncontrolled development in the area, I was not able to support it, and neither did my colleague Gary Fuller. Essentially as part of the plan a number of sites are indentified and listed as suitable for development under certain criteria. One of those listed was Princes Parade, and on that site, and some others, we have a fundamental opposition to the development of the site. I voted against the Plan at Cabinet, and I did so again at Full Council.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an extension of the Government's furlough scheme until the jobs market is "ready to bounce back" in the wake of "staggering job losses" across the country.

With 7.5% of people now relying on Universal Credit in Folkestone and Hythe, the Party claims that extending furlough would help "stop this crisis getting even worse" and protect jobs for the future.

Ahead of the Government's motion on the Local Government Boundary Commission, Liberal Democrat Local Government spokesperson Tim Farron said:

"The Chair of the Local Government Boundary Commissions looks like they're going to have a lot on their plate. Just last week the Tories proposed abolishing nearly every council and replacing them with larger, less accountable, 'super-councils.'

The new law, aimed at stamping out protests that have racked Hong Kong for the past year, can "prevent, stop and punish any acts or activities" that severely endanger national security." Such charges are often used in mainland China to silence dissidents and other political opponents. It has already been used to silence people.

***Suspended until September 2020***

A regular meet-up on the first Wednesday of every morth for Liberal Democrat members, supporters and the Lib Dem curious in the Folkestone and Hythe area!

Simply come along for a social drink and a chat: no speeches, no leaflet delivery. It's a "buy your own" event (sorry!) but come along and say hello to our Councillors, campaigners, members and friends.

On Thursday, I asked F&HDC Cabinet Member for Housing David Godfrey and his Housing Team to clarify the current position on Fire Risk Assessments in Folkestone & Hythe District Council's blocks of flats, and how the the remedial work that those inspecitions have flagged up, are going.

In an email update this evening, Councillors have been told:

Following the decision of Folkestone and Hythe District Council (and the other three partner Councils) to close East Kent Housing and return to direct control of their own housing stock, work has been progressing fast.

The Council will be taking back direct control from 1 October, and in the run-up and ongoing has started publishing a stakeholders bulletin with progress.