Building a Britain everyone can be part of

The gap between rich and poor has been increasing. For me changing this and building a Britain that everyone can be part of is a key reason I got involved in public life.

Gordon Brown’s Government has taken people for granted and let them down. He doesn’t understand what it’s like to live on a low income when the cost of living is rising. That’s why he raised taxes for the least well-off when he cut them for the wealthier. His boasts about crime show how out of touch he is. Anti-social behaviour and alcohol fuelled crime are real problems for our area - and violent crime is a real worry. Just go out in Dover town centre on a Saturday evening . . .

David Cameron's Conservatives want to help the least well-off. That’s why we are putting forward ideas to heal our broken society and proposals to help needy pensioners. Locally, the Conservatives are spearheading the regeneration of Dover and Deal. The road upgrades we are proposing will also help to create more jobs. A few months ago, I began talks to build up links with the massive Chinese city of Fuzhou to get more investment locally - yet Dover Labour voted that down so they have gone elsewhere. What a waste and a terrible missed opportunity!

Nationally and locally Labour are just not helping us. We deserve better.

Crime fighters!

Conservative-controlled Dover District Council has had great success in fighting crime in partnership with Kent Police. The Council’s Anti-social Behaviour Unit is working to crackdown on crime. A key priority is to provide more things for our young people to do. More things for younger people to do is a priority to help cut crime.

But they can't do it all on their own. They need the support of Central Government. So David Cameron and the Conservatives have launched a long-term Crime Action Plan. The key measures are:

• Make families stronger - keeping families together so children have a stable upbringing


• Support teachers to teach children the need for respect and bringing more good schools into deprived communities - for example, the Astor Federation has turned the failing St Radigunds School into the successful White Cliffs Primary


• Help young people to come off welfare and into work - Work brings responsibility, dignity, money and respect - making people less likely to commit crime


• A National Citizens Service - where all 16-year-olds can go on a six-week programme to develop the confidence and skills to contribute to society


• Tough enforcement and prison sentences for young people caught carrying illegal knives, whilst also working to rehabilitate young offenders.

Community safety day and Pencester Park

With PCSO Phillips, Cllr Jan Tranter (Lab) and Cllr Nigel Collor (Con) and many others, I supported the community safety day at Pencester Park. This was back in the Summer of 07, when the evenings were still light.It was a fun time. People told me about being woken up in the middle of the night, intimidation, getting beaten up and house breaking. More community respect and Police powers will do much for safety and security in Dover. Seems clear to me that we should support the Police with zero tolerance policing powers and get more police on our streets.

Dover Labour Mayor joins Conservatives

Following the publication of his "Breakdown Britain" report in the Summer of 2007, Iain Duncan Smith (right) visited Dover. Iain met with residents of Buckland and St Radigunds, touring the Triangle Centre in St Radigunds and meeting with representatives of Buckland Together.

Mr Duncan Smith also met with Ken Tranter (left), former Labour Mayor of Dover, and welcomed him to the Conservative Party. Also pictured is Susan Wilson who runs the Triangle Centre.

The DoverForum reported - "Former and recent Labour Mayor, Ken Tranter, caused something of a local furore last week when he turned his back on all things socialist and joined the Conservative Party. This was quite a shock in some quarters, and has caused consternation of earth shattering shockwave proportions amongst the local political elite."