Dear All,
After a sunny day here in the bay it is time for my latest update.
This week may have appeared to be a dramatic one in the media, but the atmosphere in Parliament has been calmer than it might appear as the Commons met from Monday to Thursday for discussions on a range of issues. More on some of these below, including on the Town Deal Delegation who went to see Lord Henley.
My week started last Saturday with a trip to Okehampton for the meeting to decide whether Torbay Resident Alison Hernandez should be re-selected for the Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Elections in May 2020. Alison spoke about the work she has been doing over the last two years, including the recent decision to block a proposed merger with Dorset which would have seen our Council Tax raised, whilst Dorset’s would have fallen. Alison succeed in the vote and I look forward to continuing to work with her ahead of the election.
On Saturday afternoon I headed for Torquay Boys Grammar School to see the work on display at Torbay Art Fair, where the works of a master artist were displayed alongside those of the next generation of creative talent. More on this below.
Sunday evening saw me head back to London, but not before I got to experience yet another reminder as to why work to secure the long-term resilience of the Dawlish Coastal Railway is so vital. The wet weather had created a sink hole in the track just outside Teignmouth, stopping all services. A drive to Exeter St David’s meant I managed to make my journey, but resolving this constant uncertainty during winter months about whether trains will be running is becoming more urgent.
I deliberately focus my time at Westminster on Parliament and the main chamber. Yet I also dedicate some of my time there to the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces. It held two events this week, the first a Breakfast Briefing with General Sir Chris Deverell, the Commander Joint Forces Command and the second was the graduation ceremony for the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme 2018 where the Chief of the Defence Staff spoke. Both speeches were on a “Chatham House” basis, giving a chance for more candid conversations with those present than a public forum might allow.
I returned home to the bay yesterday in time for today’s Topping Out Ceremony (Top Right) for the new £17m Hi-Tech Skills Centre at South Devon College in Paignton. This centre will give local businesses and students some of the best facilities for technical skills training in the country, helping meet key skills gaps. I also met with students who recently beat thousands of others to achieve a top ranking in a national digital skills contest.
This afternoon I joined a large congregation of mourners for a memorial service for Jenny Green at Upton Vale Baptist Church. Jenny was a good friend of Hazel and I, who will be known by many across the bay from the time she and her husband Andrew spent at Upton Vale Baptist when he was the Minister there.
This week’s update is below and includes:
Town Deal For Torbay, £828K Boost For Social Care Funding, 30 Seconds, Tourism Question on Brexit, PATH Needs a New Home, Changing Places Toilet, Flu Vaccine Reminder, Abbey Sands Palms, Middle Level Bill, Nightingale Park Debate, Housing Land Debate, Kev’s Column: Town Deal and finally……..Skip That Call.
Town Deal For Torbay,
As mentioned above on Monday a delegation from Torbay Together headed to London for a meeting I arranged with Lord Henley.
Lord Henley is the Minister in the Business and Enterprise Department who recently signed off the Town Deal for Grimsby which will see millions invested in the town to tackle a range of economic and social issues. When a previous delegation met with the Minister for Coastal Communities it was suggested we look carefully at this idea for our bay and see how it could be adapted.
The presentation made by the Torbay Together team covered a range of subjects including the start of work on major projects such as Torwood Street, the Bay’s ambitions for developing a “Silicon Bay” cluster of tech companies and tackling the issues which lead to a higher number of children ending up in the care of Torbay Council.
In response the Minister asked a range of questions and encouraged us to continue working on our ideas to improve the bay. Whilst a date has not been set for a round of Town Deals by Government the creation of one from Grimsby shows this is a model the Government is interested in, hence I will be keeping up my lobbying for one.
I followed the meeting on Monday with a question in parliament the next day. You can read my question and the answer given by clicking
here.
£828K Boost For Social Care Funding,
The Government announced on Wednesday how much additional funding local authorities in England will receive to ease pressures on social care services over winter, including a £828,580 funding boost for Torbay Council.
The money is part of an overall package of £240 million announced for the social care system, giving councils a significant boost to prevent people from going into hospital unnecessarily and getting them home as soon as they are ready. This funding will ease pressure on the health system and follows the announcement of £340K to support emergency care at Torbay Hospital this winter.
The money will pay for home care packages to help patients get out of hospital quicker, reablement packages to help patients carry out everyday tasks and regain mobility and build confidence. The funding will also provide some necessary home adaptations.
30 Seconds,
Each year the main opposition party is allocated several days where they can decide what is debated in the House of Commons.
This week they made the welcome choice to allocate some of their time for a debate on Social Care Funding. Whilst there was inevitably some party-political bickering overall the contributions were constructive, with several backbenchers on both sides referring to a report from a cross party committee suggesting a mixed approach to providing the long-term funding needed.
Given the importance of this issue for Torbay I was keen to take part and put into speak. As time drew on in the debate and the end approached it looked like I would not get called, yet just before the front benches were due to be called I was finally given the floor, with just 30 seconds of speaking time left.
You can listen to what is likely to be my shortest ever speech in the House of Commons on the parliament website by clicking
here.
Tourism Question on Brexit,
Monday saw the Prime Minister give a statement to the House of Commons on the current state of the Brexit Negotiations.
As update readers would expect there were many issues raised from all sides of the house, with many questions on the key issue of Northern Ireland’s border with the Republic of Ireland.
I was called near the end and decided to raise the issue of tourism which had not been brought up already during the exchanges. You can read my question and the Prime Minister’s response by clicking
here. which included a reference to Jacob Rees Mogg’s visit last weekend, which from speaking with him I know he took in the good heart it was meant.
PATH Needs a New Home,
News work will shortly begin on regeneration of Roebuck House, Torquay is welcome yet brings with it the urgent need to relocate PATH a charity assisting those in need which is based there.
I visited yesterday to see the facility they have developed and to discuss what reaction they have had from the council to attempts for them to relocate. The deal they are on means they do not need to pay rent, but the buildings owner only needs to serve a very short notice period on them.
I agreed to raise this matter with Torbay Council urgently in the hope a solution can be found.
Changing Places Toilet,
Paignton sea front has now become one of the most accessible tourist places in the country following the opening of a Changing Places facility.
The Festival Apollo toilet facility, which is behind the Vue Cinema and close to the Geopark, also includes a disabled and unisex toilet along with a baby changing unit. There is a designated parking space nearby for the facility.
Changing Places support people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as those with other physical disabilities. This includes those with spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis who often need extra equipment and space to allow them to use the toilet safely and comfortably.
Torbay Council, who worked closely with Torbay MENCAP, has ensured this new facility is appropriate for everyone to use. Thanks also go to the Rotary Clubs of Paignton and Preston for contributing to the building costs.
The Changing places facility will be accessed by a door coded system, with the code being available on request from Healthmatic, the company who operates toilets on behalf of Torbay Council. The unisex/disabled toilet will be a pay to enter system, which will be set at 30p.
Flu Vaccine Reminder,
With nursery and school terms well underway, parents and guardians of children aged two and three, are encouraged not to put off getting the free flu vaccination for their children.
In Torbay, children aged two and three years old can visit their GP for the nasal spray vaccination; while school nurses are running clinics for children in years Reception, one, two, three, four and five. The child-friendly nasal spray, delivers a painless squirt into each nostril.
The Flu is not just a bad cold, it can have serious health effects for young children and can even be deadly. So make sure you either visit your GP when offered nasal spray vaccine (for pre-school children) or complete the consent form so your child can have vaccine at school (for four to seven year olds).
You can find full details on our local NHS website by clicking
here.
Abbey Sands Palms,
Palm Trees have been in the news again this week after work started to remove four from outside Abbey Sands.
The palm trees at Abbey Sands will be replaced with cloud pruned olive trees. A challenging growing environment has meant the palms have not thrived. All the understorey planting will also be removed. One of the surviving palms will to be transferred to a nursery for replanting.
I am advised the work is being undertaken by Balfour Beatty. Torbay Council has not been responsible for the upkeep of the beds but on completion of the works, the local authority will take over the maintenance.
You can read more on Devon Live by clicking
here.
Middle Level Bill,
Over the last two years I have been sponsoring a Private Bill to reform the regulation of a large waterway in East Anglia.
Private Bills are pieces of legislation which only cover specific people or areas, rather than the whole nation. Many seek to reform antiquated pieces of legislation which would not be placed into Primary Law today or where the powers needed by a body cannot be created in any other way. An MP will be sought to sponsor the bill, normally one who does not have a personal interest which would conflict.
Private Bills go through the same process as other legislation, except for a bill committee where petitions can be considered. On Tuesday the Middle Level Bill reached its final stage, consideration of Lords Amendments.
With several amendments and undertakings to cover I spoke for 24 minutes, then at the end of the debate formally moved the Lords Amendments be accepted. The only thing left is for Royal Assent to be granted. You can listen to my speech by clicking
here.
Nightingale Park Debate,
Last night Torbay’s Councillors debated the future of Nightingale Park following the announcement by Torquay United of plans to build a new stadium there.
Whilst the debate was not specifically about whether to approve selling land for the stadium or not, it was significant in the policy set by Councillors for the use of the land would impact this project significantly.
From speaking with Councillors today my understanding is they voted, on a cross-party basis, to look at only allowing grass roots sporting facilities there. This would not support the plan for a mixed-use development as envisaged by Torquay United.
Housing Land Debate,
A further debate at yesterday’s Council meeting was whether a compulsory purchase order should be used to acquire land from the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust (TCCT).
Earlier this year Torbay Council received nearly £4m of funding from the Government to release land for three housing schemes in Paignton. One is in the Town Centre, two on land owned by the TCCT. The funding must be used before a deadline of March 2020 and 30% of the development must be for rent to those on the housing list.
The proposal for a compulsory purchase order was defeated, but I understand a deal will be agreed for the sites to be released for housing. I am advised they had already been identified in the local plan for this purpose.
Kev’s Column: Town Deal
Every fortnight I write a “Kev’s Column” for the Herald Express and you can read this week’s edition by following the link below:
https://www.kevinjfoster.com/news/kevs-column-town-deal
and finally……..Skip That Call.
Ending on a lighter note earlier today Torquay United Boss Gary Johnson got an unexpected invitation to appear on BBC Radio Cornwall.
Gary would obviously be keen to talk about the club’s recent form so happily accepted. He went on air and the Presenter asked what the problem was………with his skip company!!!!!! In a comical moment of mistaken identity a stunned Gary and Presenter Laurence Reed realise, live on air, they have called the wrong person.
You can listen to the classic moment on the BBC website by clicking
here.
That is all for this week and enjoy your weekend.
Best wishes,
Kevin
