Having been awarded another opportunity to question the Prime Minister at PMQs, I sought to understand further the role and scope of the recently announced Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission.
This Commission is going to directly shape our area for the next 34 years and so it is only right that we, as residents of the region, understand what benefits will be brought to our community. Given our important transport links to the Continent and South East ports, the North Kent region is hugely important to the wider economy. It is therefore only right that we receive our fair share of the Government’s plans for national infrastructure and economic development.
I was therefore pleased to learn from the Prime Minister that the Commission’s focus will be around skills and infrastructure. While much of the detail is still to be decided, it is vital our region’s infrastructure is acknowledged and addressed. This particularly involves our road network and the lack of a strategy to both deal with the increased congestion and how our businesses can harness their potential and access the wider country and beyond.
As a lifelong resident of North Kent with great hopes for our community’s future, this will be an area that remains high on my agenda over the course of this parliament and I hope to be able to provide positive updates as the Commission gains momentum.
The transcript of my question to the Prime Minister and those of the rest of PMQs can be viewed here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-06-15/debates/16061533000024…