I hadn’t realised how time consuming membership of the Work and Pensions Select Committee would be. We are now finalising our work on pension age equalisation and I know our report will be of interest to WASPI women (Women Against State Pension Inequality); work continues on Auto-enrolment pensions, an area that will affect all employers, and employees. I receive many concerns from smaller employers that the system is complex, and will add to business costs, particularly at a time when the National Living Wage comes in over the next few years, all valid concerns and I know to be causing worry amongst local farmers. Also the committee continues its enquiries into Bereavement benefits, in-work progression, Universal Credit and “intergenerational fairness” in the benefits system.
Following my Prime Minister’s Question the work of the Ramsgate Regeneration Alliance is advancing with a visit of the Coastal Communities Minister Mark Francois in a couple of weeks’ time. This is great news and our opportunity to show the Minister a number of cash-stalled projects and to share our vision of what Ramsgate can become. I also intend for him to visit Cliftonville whilst he is down.
I have become somewhat of an expert on communication masts over recent weeks, with two applications now in their early stages. If Richborough was gold-bearing land, it would be renamed Klondike. Richborough is on the most perfect geodesic path (straight line) between London and Frankfurt for such microwave data masts for city trading. There may be an argument, if backed up with appropriate community benefit (which in cash terms would need to be hugely substantial) for one mast, but most certainly not two. One mast would apparently be all that is needed to facilitate the data use requirements of all potential financial trading institutions in the City of London. My worries remain from a visual amenity point of view, but as importantly from the potential conflict that a 1,000ft mast would have on a re-vitalised Manston airport, and helicopter search and rescue operations that could return.
Two very positive events I was pleased to have been a part of were the Thanet Skip2BFit challenge which saw 500 primary and junior pupils take part at Ramsgate Leisure Centre. Local founder John McCormack has created one of the most innovative and low cost means of addressing fitness levels and obesity across all age groups, with his fitness programme being taken up nationwide. The next event that brought community groups together was the “Clean for the Queen” campaign over last weekend. Clean-ups were organised by the “A Better Cliftonville” group and the Ramsgate Society. My clean-up “patch” was Westcliff Arcade in Ramsgate, now looking weed and litter free. There was a commitment by all to continue the work which is great news.