howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Latest from Charlie.
Steel barriers in the middle of the carriageway. Thousands of cones weaving one way then the other. Speeds limited to 50mph. This is today’s reality of the main route to the Channel Ports. The M20 has become the nation’s slowest motorway. Residents are furious – and rightly so. Operation Stack’s replacement scheme Operation Brock started on March 25. This contraflow system between Junctions 8 and 9 London-bound was intended to allow traffic to flow in both directions should there be delays at Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover. That was the intention. The reality has been yet another large section of the M20 with a reduced speed limit, joining most of the rest of the motorway where traffic flows at a snail’s pace. Junction 10 has a 50mph limit because of roadworks to complete the new Junction 10A. Meanwhile Junctions 3 to 5 is being changed to become a so called “smart motorway”. Both projects aren’t due to be completed until 2020.
In the meantime, Kent drivers face long delays. And a speeding ticket if they even just slightly exceed the limit. With the new revenue-raising average speed cameras, motorists need to be sure to keep to a crawl for miles at a time. Maybe that’s fine for those with expensive cars with cruise control, but it’s not so easy for everyone else. Yet again, this underlines why we need more investment in Kent’s roads. Not Brock. Nor smart motorways. We need serious investment in wider roads and more capacity. Starting with dualling the A2. By 2030, freight traffic at Dover is projected to rise by 40%. A single carriageway A2 is simply inadequate. There needs to be investment in off-motorway lorry parking too. Lorry parking that the Department for Transport was meant to build long ago. Kent MPs spent a long time convincing the Department for Transport to provide money for the Stanford lorry park – now we need to get that important project back on track.
Investment in our roads has been put off by successive governments. It is needed now more than ever. That’s why I will continue to work with my fellow Kent MP to make the case to secure the investment we need. I recently led a call by all of East Kent’s MPs and council leaders for the A2 dualling to be urgently taken forward. I am meeting the roads minister again in the coming weeks to press our case. Real investment in Kent’s roads is long overdue. Better roads to the Channel Ports is not simply a priority for our community – it is a national priority too. A smoother flow across the English Channel with fewer delays will benefit our trade and our economy. That’s why I am fighting tirelessly to ensure we get a better deal – with more investment in our roads
Paul M- Registered: 1 Feb 2016
- Posts: 393
That's the first time in months he hasn't mentioned the £500 million pound investment he has arranged for us all in Dover and Deal.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Courtesy of the Telegraph.
Expense claims breakdown
Charlie Elphicke's biggest expense in 2017/18 was staffing, for which £146,748.24 was claimed.
Charlie Elphicke spend
Average spend (London)
Average spend (UK)
Accommodation
£11,233.92
£8,204.59
£22,101.65
Travel / Subsistence
£5,541.30
£2,522.50
£4,824.80
Office
£16,439.52
£14,069.23
£21,460.49
Staffing
£115,445.02
£112,390.25
£146,748.24
Other
Dover Pilot- Registered: 28 Jul 2018
- Posts: 333
£41,540 on travel and subsistence? That's more than most peoples yearly wage.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,658
Dover Pilot wrote:£41,540 on travel and subsistence? That's more than most peoples yearly wage.
First class travel is not cheap and I doubt that a fish and chip meal is the norm.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 745- Registered: 27 Mar 2012
- Posts: 3,370
Mays deal isn't leaving, its nothing but a surrender document and all them that put their names to it will eventually get hung out
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
what ever keith. lol
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Many people commute to London and pay the high fares because of their standard of living and uture prospects depend on it but don't expect but don't expect it to be sudsidised.
Paul M likes this
Reginald Barrington- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,206
howard mcsweeney1 wrote:Many people commute to London and pay the high fares because of their standard of living and uture prospects depend on it but don't expect but don't expect it to be sudsidised.
And luckily for Charlie he doesn't have to pay the high fares, they come as a perk of the job so why wouldn't he use them?
Arte et Marte
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,681
Charlie regularly uses Southeastern High Speed - I suspect the bulk of the the ludicrously large sum is cabs etc around the constituency & to & from parliament, hotels for late sittings in the house and decent grub (as Jan says I suspect he doesnt settle for a burger or takeaway fish & chips)
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Reginald Barrington wrote:And luckily for Charlie he doesn't have to pay the high fares, they come as a perk of the job so why wouldn't he use them?
Those expenses are intended for members who would find it impractical/impossible to get to and from the Commons in a single day.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
howard mcsweeney1 wrote:Those expenses are intended for members who would find it impractical/impossible to get to and from the Commons in a single day.
I suppose dover has been moved to outer mogolia.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,658
I defy anyone to disagree with Charlie's latest waffle....
"The system should support parents - not get in their way
Teagan Appleby, nine-years-old and from Aylesham, is wheelchair-bound and can suffer up to 300 seizures a day. Little Teagan was born with the rare condition Isodicentric 15, a severe form of epilepsy. Last year she required life-saving treatment five times in just eight days.
Teagan’s mum Emma tried everything to ease her nine-year-old daughter’s pain. The one thing she couldn’t try was cannabis oil – despite NHS trials showing it could dramatically reduce epileptic seizures. The alternative suggested by doctors was Teagan having risky procedures on her brain.
Understandably, Emma has been fighting to get a licence granted for Teagan to get cannabis oil treatment. Of course cannabis is a banned drug for recreational use. Yet so too is heroin. That does not stop us using it for medical treatment as morphine. Should we licence the use of medicinal cannabis to help people who are suffering like Teagan? That was the key question in a Parliamentary debate this week where I spoke in support of Teagan and why we should be brave enough to use new medicines if they will work.
This isn’t about legalising cannabis for recreational use. This is about medicine that can help children in severe pain. That’s why I urged the Home Secretary to intervene in Teagan’s case – and welcome that he did so. Last October he announced cannabis could be medically-prescribed by specialist consultants. Yet Teagan's treatment was still delayed, firstly due to restrictive guidelines drawn up by the NHS, and then due to supply issues.
I have visited Emma and Teagan at their home in Aylesham. Teagan is so charming. Things had definitely improved but Teagan was still suffering seizures during her sleep. Emma then started fighting to get the stronger, THC form of cannabis treatment approved, to see if that could put a stop to the seizures altogether. She went to mainland Europe but it was seized on her return.
After a battle we got it returned to her and a prescription was issued. Emma tells me Teagan’s condition has improved greatly. She now goes whole days without seizures – something that was extremely rare before. She can now walk short distances too.
Yet the battle is not over. Her doctor has issued a fresh prescription. But Teagan is still waiting for NHS funding for the treatment. Meanwhile she faces forking out thousands more to import the product from abroad.
Parents should not have to fight so hard for something as fundamental as their kids’ health. They should be supported and helped.
That’s why I have been determined to help and been speaking up for the family in Parliament. I will do everything I can to make sure the system does not stand in Emma and Teagan’s way. Teagan must be given every chance for a better life."
Pablo likes this
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,658
Latest waffle.
"Why I'm backing Boris for PM
Since the referendum we’ve worked tirelessly to make sure the Government is ready on day one for Brexit – deal or no deal. Because nowhere are preparations more needed than at the Dover frontline.
Not only is it a sensible precaution, it is the best way of securing a good deal for our country. European leaders needed to know we mean business and are prepared to walk away if need be.
The current Prime Minister could have done so much more. Especially investing in technology to ensure smooth trade at the border, as well as greater investment in our roads – like widening the A2 and building the lorry parks we have long needed. This would have given us a world-leading border well suited to the free-trading, global economic powerhouse we want to become.
That’s why I was one of the first to call for fresh leadership. And my belief is that whoever the next Prime Minister is – they must believe in Brexit, believe in Britain and be willing to ramp up the preparations so we are fully ready for every eventuality at the end of October.
In recent weeks I met Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay at the Port of Dover. He told me how the Government is now looking to “enhance” plans at the border. I told him that enhancement is not enough – we must act now to make sure we will be fully ready on day one, deal or no deal.
I also made clear there is no need for hold-ups at Dover or Calais – as long as we make full use of the Transit Convention. Already used by many non-EU countries, it allows traders to cross borders without being delayed by customs declarations or import duties. We just need HMRC and the Treasury to get themselves properly organised so we are ready to take full advantage.
It’s great we already work closely with the French on passport controls, with our border officers working on the other side of the Channel. This should be extended to cover checks on food and any other trade checks that may be needed. We also need to ramp up pre-assessment, trusted trader schemes, a single Government department to be responsible for the border – all the things in the reports I wrote with industry experts over two years ago.
Because while there may only be a few months, we can be ready to leave at the end of October. This nightmare has gone on long enough. It needs to end on Halloween so that we can fully enjoy our freedom on All Saints Day, November 1.
That’s why we need politicians who will match the political courage shown by British people in 2016. They believed in better. They believed in the global Britain we can build together. Now is the time to make that change and ensure we leave the EU and move on. That’s why I will be backing Boris Johnson to be our next Prime Minister."
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Button- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 2,907
"I also made clear there is no need for hold-ups at Dover or Calais – as long as we make full use of the Transit Convention. Already used by many non-EU countries, it allows traders to cross borders without being delayed by customs declarations or import duties."
Strewth, so something did sink in! Can't see "meat" checks being juxtaposed though.
(Not my real name.)
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
ok in theroy button,unless france is in lock down
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,658
His latest, I am astonished that Alkham can not get broadband I assume they must still be on dial-up....
"Time for better broadband
Decent broadband has become an essential tool of modern life. Whether it’s keeping in touch with friends, entertainment in the evenings, doing homework, or building a business – we rely on it to get by.
That’s why I have long been campaigning for better broadband in Dover and Deal – particularly in the villages where speeds can be painfully slow. In Lydden and Temple Ewell people endured internet speeds of less than two megabytes per second – ten times slower than parts of Dover itself. They were endlessly given excuses.
Yet I kept pressing Openreach to make the necessary investment. Eventually they installed a street cabinet with new fibres in Canterbury Road. Yet Openreach’s approach – as it so often is – was more dial-up than super-fast.
We have started to see improvements across our community. Official figures last year showed 92.6% of our homes can access superfast broadband, compared to the 91.4% national average. Just 2.1% are unable to receive at least 10 megabytes per second, compared to 3% nationally. Or so they say.
Because there are still too many people who can’t access decent broadband. Take the year 11 student from Hougham who contacted me. Her internet can drop below 0.6mbps, meaning she struggles to complete her homework, particularly in maths, science and languages. She is dyslexic, so she needs to download extra aids like large font versions of her work.
The stories are similar elsewhere. Residents in Alkham tell me they can’t access broadband at all – and have been quoted £180,000 to get it installed. Someone in Tilmanstone told me the figure they had been quoted for full fibre broadband was £283,000.
It cannot be right that people in these areas are so cut off from the modern world. Indeed, as a nation we are falling behind. In Spain 85% of households have full fibre-optic broadband. In Portugal it’s over 90%. In the UK the figure is a pitiful 7%.
This is another reason I am backing Boris Johnson’s campaign to be our next Prime Minister. This week he pledged to deliver full-fibre broadband to every home in the land. To reboot “left-behind” Britain with a turbo-charged broadband revolution, targeting the three million homes and businesses in rural areas that are the most difficult to cover.
As Boris says, it will cost money – yet the productivity gains are immense. Every pound invested in full fibre broadband will lead to economic gains worth many times the outlay. Everything from NHS scans to business transactions will become far quicker.
And villages across Dover and Deal will be fully connected to the modern world. For too long we’ve put up with appallingly low speeds. For too long our towns and regions have been left behind in favour of the big cities.
It’s time to end the digital divide. It’s time to unite our country and make the United Kingdom a real powerhouse of investment and innovation. "
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,577
Of course with all of this new modern world we will come up against the NOT IN MY BACKYARD brigade, when companies attempt to put up gear in their area to get mobile use etc.
Everyone want this facility, but these masts need to go somewhere,
This is balanced against, Are they safe enough to live close to?
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
only if you wear a tin foil hat and clock keith.
Neil Moors- Registered: 3 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,232
I am astonished to read this. If we are going to succeed post Brexit, this sort of thing needs to be addressed pretty quickly!