A21 BREAKTHROUGH

At a meeting with Tunbridge Wells MP, Greg Clark, this morning, Roads Minister Mike Penning placed the A21 Tonbridge to Pembury dualling scheme on a list of six projects nationwide being readied for construction from 2015 when the next round of funds is expected to become available.

The Minister also gave the go ahead to the Public Inquiry on the dualling scheme which local campaigners have been calling for. The A21 scheme is the only one of the six for which the Public Inquiry has been given permission to begin, putting this crucial scheme at the head of the list.

Speaking after the meeting in Westminster this morning, which was also attended by Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter, Greg Clark said:

"This is superb news. Not only has the Minister said that the A21 dualling is one of six schemes in the country to be prepared for investment from 2015, but he also confirmed to me that the Public Inquiry can go ahead without further delay.

"The whole community has been fighting so hard to get the A21 dualled and I am delighted that the Minister has listened to our arguments.

"I hope we can get through the Public Inquiry quickly so that it will be all systems go when the next round of money is released in 2015.

"As with the campaign for the new Pembury Hospital, I will take nothing for granted until I see construction start at long last, but this is a massive boost to our cause."

Greg says "Disappearance of grot spot should kick-start town centre renaissance"

As one of Tunbridge Wells' worst grot spots disappears for good with the re-opening of the new Morrisons store, MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark, called for the rest of the town centre to be put under the spotlight.

Following the official opening of the Morrisons store, MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark, said:

"I firstly want to congratulate all the staff at Morrisons who have transformed this grot spot into an attractive building and worked so hard to get it ready for opening day.

"I also want to thank the whole community for campaigning so hard to get the store re-opened. Particular credit must go to the local Tunbridge Wells Twitter and Facebook users, and to councillors who gathered signatures from over 4,000 households in central Tunbridge Wells. It just goes to show how much can be achieved when a community works together.

"It is important that Morrisons recognises that it is part of the town centre community and that a successful town centre is in everyone's interests. We have some superb independent traders in the town centre like Sankeys fishmongers, Rooks and Speaights butchers. I hope that more people shopping in the town centre will provide more customers for them.

"Finally, word should go out to the owners of the cinema site as to how forceful people power in Tunbridge Wells can be. We are all fed up with years of dereliction on this site – it is a real eye-sore - and the time has come for the new owners to make progress and to work with the public rather than behind closed doors."

Photo showing before and after development of new Morrisons store

Commenting on the local campaign to remove this grot spot, Greg Clark said:

"People in Tunbridge Wells were outraged that Morrisons had kept this prime site boarded-up over the last 5 years, blighting the town. Its boarded up doors and windows directly opposite the railway station has been a bleak and depressing sight for visitors arriving at our beautiful town as well as an eyesore for any resident using the station. The building had become a grot spot – regularly attracting graffiti and the car park has been periodically a focus for criminality.

"Enough was enough last year when a competitor supermarket asked the Borough Council if they could bring the vacant site into use but Morrisons refused to surrender its lease. I called for a face-to-face meeting with Morrison's Chief Executive in August which resulted in him re-thinking his position, and a local petition got over 4,000 signatures which added weight to the campaign. The local on-line Twitter and Facebook community also played an invaluable role putting pressure on Morrisons to change its mind and in September, the company finally relented and announced that it would re-open a store by Easter 2012.

"By working together, the local community has been able to transform one of the grottiest parts of town into a very attractive area and just shows what people power can achieve."

Greg calls meeting to discuss services for homeless people

Greg called a meeting to discuss services for homeless people in Tunbridge Wells.

Greg said:

"Many people are concerned about the closure of the premises currently used by The Soup Bowl. This combined with the success of the Tunbridge Wells Churches' Winter Shelter has provided a good opportunity to review services for homeless people in the town.

"I called a meeting with representatives from the Borough Council, churches of all denominations in Tunbridge Wells and one of the key charities working with homeless people in Kent, Porchlight, to look at the different options. The Bishop of Rochester, who has a particular interest in homelessness, also attended.

"It is not an easy issue to resolve but through our discussions it is very clear to me that there is the experience, goodwill and enthusiasm to work together to find a solution.

"A Steering Group is going to be set up to look at the possibility of appointing a small team to provide continuing support for homeless people in Tunbridge Wells. Rough sleepers often have complex problems which only persistent and continuous professional support can help resolve. I think this would be a great way forward."

Greg opens new activity centre for elderly in Hawkhurst

Greg opened a new activity centre for elderly people at Grove Mills in Hawkhurst.  The Weald Rural Activities Partnership (WRAP) has been set up by four charities: the Hawkhurst Community Hospital League of Friends, the WRVS, Alzheimer's Society and Sound Architect.  The centre will provide lots of different activities for local people including computer courses.

Greg visits new Make Ready Ambulance Station in Paddock Wood

Greg visited the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust's new Make Ready Centre in Paddock Wood.

All ambulances from the area now start and end their shifts at the centre where they are cleaned, restocked and maintained by specialist staff. This enables ambulance crews to spend more time looking after patients.

Greg said: "It was fascinating to see the way each ambulance is kept in a constantly–ready condition, with disinfected and restocked at the end of each shift. I know that the centralisation of the service in Paddock Wood caused concern, for some, but now that it is operational I hope that it will improve availability and improve times."

Urgent transport review to look at A21

The Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, has announced that, as part of the £1.5 billion programme of investment in major transport schemes, the Department for Transport will be looking at the A21 in relation to the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road scheme.

The Secretary of State for Transport said:

"We recognise the critically important role that transport improvements could play in the regeneration of the Bexhill-Hastings area and the economic case underpinning the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road, though we are also aware of concerns regarding the proposed scheme, including its environmental impact.

"Before we take a final decision on the scheme we want to be sure that it offers the best approach for regenerating the area and also to consider other transport options to achieve this, including local trunk roads such as the A21, A259 and local rail. We also want to consider whether further environmental mitigation measures could be deployed to address the impacts of the proposed Bexhill-Hastings scheme.

"Over the next three months the Department will work alongside the scheme's promoters and other local and regional partners to gather further evidence on the optimal solution for the area. We would intend to make a decision swiftly thereafter."

Greg meets winner of his Christmas Card competition

Greg visited Pembury Primary School to meet the winner of his Christmas Card competition, Ally Taylor.

Greg commented: "I thought it would be lovely to ask children from local primary schools to design my Christmas card this year. I had a great response which made choosing the winning design very difficult, but in the end I couldn't resist the imaginative Three Kings which Ally Taylor painted as it brought a smile to my face. It was great to be able to meet Ally in person."

Greg presents award to Calverley Hill Hostel

Greg visited Calverley Hill Hostel in Tunbridge Wells, which provides supported housing for vulnerable young women, to present them with a Community in Focus Award on behalf of Faith Action. Community in Focus Awards recognise organisations that provide examples of excellent, innovative and inspirational services which make a real difference to people's lives.

Commenting on his visit, Greg said: "I am really impressed by the work that Calverley Hill Hostel does in turning around the lives of young women – they certainly deserve this award."

Innovative offer to get A21 dualling scheme underway

MPs and local authorities representing the whole length of the A21 corridor have written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, with an innovative offer to get the A21 Tonbridge to Pembury dualling scheme underway again.

Kent County Council, East Sussex County Council and other local authorities have offered to:

• Fully underwrite the costs of the currently stalled public inquiry, enabling it to recommence quickly without using central government funds. This will ensure that the project is ready to go once funding is available. 
•  Guarantee the local delivery of the project for £70m. The cost of the scheme has been estimated by the Highways Agency to be £120m. Kent County Council has re-assessed the costs and says that the project can be completed for less than £70m. This represents a saving of over £50m.

Greg Clark commented:

"There are lots of very good reasons why the dualling of the A21 needs to get underway. First and foremost of these has to be road safety - there have been a number of fatal accidents along this stretch of road recently so the sooner it is dualled, the better.

"However, the economic benefits are also considerable. This construction project would be an important boost to the local economy at a much needed time. Getting on with the A21 dualling scheme, rather than keeping it on hold, would have significant growth prospects all along the route of the A21."

"This offer means that when the funding does become available, the A21 dualling scheme should be very well placed to start without any further delay."

See today's report in The Kent & Sussex Courier:

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Councils-offer-fund-inquiry-A21-dualling/story-13952712-detail/story.html

North Farm to get some traffic improvements before Christmas

The working group, set up to consider traffic issues at the North Farm Industrial Estate, met at the Town Hall. Chaired by Greg, the meeting was attended by representatives from the business community, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent County Council.

Kent Highways confirmed that short term measures (as identified in the North Farm traffic study) that could help relieve the traffic problems at North Farm are being implemented and it was anticipated that they would be in place before Christmas. These include:

• capacity improvements at the Great Lodge/Longfield Road junction
• carrying out changes to traffic signal phases
• install CCTV cameras at the Great Lodge/Longfield Road and Kingstanding Way/Longfield Road junctions
• implement 'Keep Clear' markings at the Knights Park/Longfield Road junction (west bound carriageway)
• implement 'Keep Clear' markings at the Dowding Way/Longfield Road roundabout adjacent to Dowding Way entry

Commenting on the meeting, Greg said:

"The congestion at North Farm gets worse. The transformation of North Farm will come with the dualling of the A21, but I believe it is right to take action now rather than wait for the main show. Everything that can be done to improve the situation must be done. That's why I convened this group of Tunbridge Wells and Kent Councillors and officers and businesses in North Farm and I'm pleased that some improvements will be made in time for what will no doubt be a busy Christmas."

 Borough Councillor Brian Ransley, Planning and Transportation Portfolio Holder said:

"This was a constructive meeting and it was very apparent that we all share the desire to work together to find solutions for North Farm.

"The cost of the short term measures will be met from section106 funding from development in Longfield Road, while consideration is still being given to the medium and long-term solutions.

"I was able to emphasise how seriously the borough council views the traffic issues at North Farm. The council's Cabinet is determined that a more radical solution to the traffic problem at North Farm should be sought as soon as possible, and will campaign vigorously to ensure that this problem get priority attention from Kent County Council and other involved agencies."

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is going to be inviting all the businesses at North Farm to an information session at the end of the month where they can hear about the work the Council and KCC are undertaking and how they can assist in addressing the current congestion issues.

Opening of Hope Butler Suite at new hospital

Greg opened a bereavement suite for the parents of stillborn children and those who die shortly after birth at the new Tunbridge Wells hospital.

The suite, which has a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, is in memory of Hope Butler, who died 16 years ago at the former Pembury Hospital.  Hope's mother, Emily, also spoke at the opening and is pictured here with Greg.

The hospital has worked closely with Tunbridge Wells Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Charity) Group to develop this new facility which is the first bereavement suite in the country to be included in a new hospital from the planning stage.

MPs raise concerns about rail fares with Southeastern

MPs representing constituencies along the Hastings Line, including Greg, wrote the following letter to the Managing Director of Southeastern to raise concerns about rail fare increases:

01 November 2011

Charles Horton

Managing Director

Southeastern

Friars Bridge Court

41-45 Blackfriars Road

London

SE1 8PG

Dear Charles

We are writing on behalf of the A21 Reference Group to raise concerns about fare increases for rail passengers using the Hastings to London line. The A21 Reference Group comprises all the Kent and East Sussex MPs covering the A21 between the M25 and Hastings, Council Leaders and Chief Executives.

Rail passengers in our area have suffered substantial increases in their rail fares over the last few years, the cumulative effect of which has been crippling.

We are sure you will have seen the petition and campaign that the local newspaper, The Kent & Sussex Courier, has been running demonstrating just how important this issue is to local people.

Our constituents have told us that after this year's double digit fare increases for many, a further round next year, at a time when many commuters have their pay frozen or reduced, brings them to breaking point.

We are aware that your franchise agreement allows you to increase any particular fare by an extra 5% above the average, but we ask you to exercise your discretion not to penalise in such an excessive way commuters at this difficult time.

Yours sincerely

Rt Hon Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells

Gregory Barker, MP for Bexhill and Battle

Michael Fallon, MP for Sevenoaks

Amber Rudd, MP for Hastings & Rye

Rt Hon Sir John Stanley, MP for Tonbridge & Malling

The A21 Reference Group also comprises representatives from:

East Sussex County Council

Kent County Council

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council

Rother District Council

Hastings Borough Council

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Sevenoaks District Council

Wealden District Council

Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Ground breaking celebration at Skinners' Kent Academy

Greg was presented with an apple tree by Skinners' Kent Acdemy when he attended their ground breaking event marking the start of work on their new state-of-the-art school building.

 Greg said:

 "This is a ground breaking academy, transforming the educational landscape of Tunbridge Wells.  I'm really impressed by how much has already been achieved over the last couple of years and, when the new school building opens its doors in 2013, it will allow the Academy to achieve even more."

Visit to Little Court Nursing Home

Greg visited Little Court Nursing Home in Speldhurst to see their new nine bed extension.

Morrisons to re-open its store by next Easter

A great local campaign victory - thank you to everyone that took part.

Greg visits Ashurst's new Sports Ground

Greg was given a tour of the new Sports Ground in Ashurst by members of the Ashurst and Blackham Sports Association.  The Ground is already being used by football and stoolball teams, and it is hoped that it will eventually provide a wide range of sporting activities.

Greg presented with speed limit petition in Capel

During a visit to Capel Primary School, Greg was presented with a petition from local residents which calls for a speed limit reduction along the B2017 road, outside the School.  Earlier this year, one of the pupils was hit by a car walking to school.

Greg will send this petition to Kent County Council on behalf of all the 674 signatories.

A joint statement issued by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Morrisons plc and Greg Clark MP

The Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and officers met with property executives at Morrisons on Tuesday (Aug 23rd) to discuss the unoccupied Morrisons site in the town.

Following the meeting, which took place in the Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Councillor Bob Atwood said:

"I am very pleased that following our intervention Morrisons asked to have a meeting with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and that Greg Clark could join us.

"In my view the meeting was constructive and we were able to find a sensible way forward.

"I am happy to accept Morrisons' assurances that they will hold discussions on the possible future use of the site. At this juncture the expectation is that these discussions will be concluded by late September and a further announcement will follow.

"Personally I will be delighted if our meeting sees the beginning of the end of the saga of the empty store."

Terry Hartwell, Property Director for Morrisons, said:

"We have met with the Leader and officers of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Greg Clark MP and we all have been listening to the strong views of the people of Tunbridge Wells about this store. We had a constructive meeting and we pledged to work together to determine a future for this store.

"It has taken longer than we would have liked but we are committed to finding a swift resolution that is also in the best interests of Tunbridge Wells. We expect to provide a further update by late September."

Greg Clark, who last week, met Morrisons' Chief Executive Dalton Philips at the company's Bradford HQ said:

"I am grateful to Morrisons for having come to Tunbridge Wells so soon after my meeting in Bradford with them last week.

"The meeting gave me hope that the years of blight at the site will come to an end. Bob Atwood and I were very clear that the people of Tunbridge Wells have run out of patience with this grot spot.

"Morrisons recognised this and will now engage in intensive work during the next few weeks to make a full proposal to bring the site back into use quickly and to improve the car park.

"I look forward to this being published, and, in the meantime, Bob Atwood and I will keep the pressure on Morrisons to, at last, redeem their reputation in Tunbridge Wells."

Greg meets with Morrisons' Chief Executive

Commenting on his meeting with Morrisons' Chief Executive Dalton Philips at the company's Bradford Headquarters on Thursday 18 August, MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark, said:

"It was a frank and forthright meeting. I told Dalton Philips that people in Tunbridge Wells are outraged that Morrisons have kept this prime site boarded-up over the last 5 years, blighting the town, rather than allow a competitor to revive it.

"As a company, Morrisons makes much of its commitment to "being a good neighbour and an active part of the community". But the acid test of whether these values are more than warm just words is when the clear interest of the community does not coincide with the narrow commercial advantage to the company. By keeping its competitors out and the store abandoned, Morrisons revealed that it would put its own commercial tactics ahead of the wellbeing of a community.

"If they are to salvage their reputation locally and convince people that they are a 'good neighbour' and 'an active part of the community', I believe that there are two responsible courses open to Morrisons:

1. To give a binding commitment to re-open an attractive store themselves within months.

2. To allow Waitrose to move in and re-open the store.

"Patience has run out with the company and there is a great suspicion of being strung along, so a decision needs to be made quickly.

"I felt that Mr Philips and his colleagues listened carefully to all the points that I made and I offered to facilitate any meeting they needed with the Borough Council, but they now need to put the community first."

Reply from Morrisons

Disappointing reply from Morrisons, so Greg has asked for a face-to-face meeting with its Chief Executive, Dalton Philips.

Click here to see Morrisons' letter

My letter to Morrisons' Chief Executive calling on him to unblock the reopening of their disused Tunbridge Wells store

"I'm writing to express my deep concern about what I understand to be the position that Morrisons have taken regarding the vacant Tunbridge Wells store. In doing so I should make clear that I am writing as the constituency MP for Tunbridge Wells rather than in my ministerial capacity.

Since Morrisons closed its Tunbridge Wells store in 2006 the empty site has been a blight on our town. Not only have residents been deprived of a building that was designed to meet their needs, but its boarded up doors and windows directly opposite the railway station has been a bleak and depressing sight for visitors arriving at our beautiful town as well as an eyesore for any resident using the station.

The building has become a grot spot – regularly attracting graffiti and the car park has been periodically a focus for criminality.

I understand from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council that one of your competitor supermarkets, Waitrose, has agreed to bring the vacant site back into use and, with the freeholder, to invest in improving its appearance. Everyone in Tunbridge Wells considers this to be wonderful news.

And yet, I am told, Morrisons have now decided not to surrender its lease but instead to keep the store closed in the state that it is in.

If this is true, it would be an appalling blow to the town. It is one thing for the company to abandon the town, it's quite another to stand in the way of others to clear up the mess left behind.

It would reflect very badly on Morrisons' reputation locally and it would also be a warning to other communities across the country of the values of the firm.

I will be grateful for your urgent assurance that these suggestions are not the case, and I would ask you and your Board to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the supermarket is reopened without delay."

Success for campaign to improve mental health services for young people in west Kent

Greg has welcomed a breakthrough in mental health services for children and young people in West Kent, after health chiefs agreed to completely overhaul the existing service. The new service will provide a single contact point which will be much simpler for people to use and should drastically reduce waiting times as well as helping them to get the right treatment.

Greg commented:

"Compared to other areas of health, mental health services don't get the attention they deserve. I was very saddened by the stories that parents and carers were telling me about the problems they had experienced trying to get the help they so desperately need. I have been actively campaigning to improve the situation here in West Kent.

"In May, local health chiefs agreed to address some of the problems within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) with a £750,000 investment targeted at some specific problems such as providing out-of-hours assessments for under-18s in the local hospitals.

"This was a step in the right direction but I have always said that there needed to be some fundamental changes to the CAMHS service and I am delighted that this is now going ahead. By next September, the CAMHS service is going to be completely redesigned so that the primary and specialist medical health services are integrated with a single contact point. This should result in people getting faster and more appropriate treatment."

Summary of Greg's campaign:

Over the last 2-3 years, Greg has become increasingly concerned about the number of parents and carers contacting him regarding the delays and difficulties they have experienced trying to access the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for their children.

Greg wanted to find out if this experience was widespread so in July 2010, he wrote to all GP practices and headteachers in his constituency to ask their views about the CAMHS service. He also wanted to get feedback from parents so he asked GPs to put posters up in their waiting rooms and schools to put details in their newsletters asking people to send him their feedback on CAMHS.

The response was considerable, with many desperate stories of how parents had tried to seek help for their children, but had to wait up to 16 months to receive treatment. Greg also met with professionals working within CAMHS and their views concurred with the experience of GPs, teachers and parents.

The three key issues that emerged from his research were:

1. The transition from CAMHS to adult services, in particular concerns about continuity of care and the gap in service for 16-18 year olds.
2. Waiting times from first referral to start of treatment and the impact of this on family life and the patient's condition.
3. The complexity and lack of co-ordination between the different CAHMS services which often meant that patients were referred inappropriately.

In October 2010, Greg called a meeting with Chief Executive of NHS West Kent, Marion Dinwoodie, to feed back the results of my research. He told her that the "CAMHS service at Tiers 2 & 3 needs to be radically transformed to provide a level of service that some other parts of the country appear to already enjoy" and she agreed to produce an action plan to address these concerns.

Greg met with NHS West Kent again in December 2010 and February 2011 to drive progress.

In May 2011, NHS West Kent agreed to invest an additional £750,000 a year to make some badly needed improvements to the CAMHS service, which was targeted at:

1. Closing the gap between the age of 17 and 18 where currently adolescent care ends but adult care doesn't begin.
2. Providing out-of-hours assessments for under-18s, 365-days a year in A&E, Medical wards and Paediatric wards at Darent Valley Hospital, Maidstone Hospital and Pembury Hospital.
3. Providing support for young people with ADHD. The service will include an experienced nurse prescriber who will run clinics in GP surgeries and visit families at home.

On 20 July 2011, the Board of NHS Kent & Medway agreed tore-commission current NHS primary and specialist CAMHS services into a Community CAMHS model.

Traffic problems at North Farm Industrial Estate

A new working group, chaired by Greg, and comprising representatives from the business community, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent Highways, met to agree on a number of options that could help relieve the traffic problems at the North Farm Industrial Estate.

The options have been developed as part of a recent study, commissioned by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent County Council, and range from short-term actions that could be completed within this financial year through to medium and longer-term schemes which might require greater funding or more investigation.

Greg commented:

"Bringing together representatives from councils, Kent Highways and other local organisations is a new model of working we tried when we were looking at the road safety problems along the A228 at Colt's Hill. It proved to be a very successful approach as local knowledge is crucial in helping to decide what might or might not work. The key difference between Colts Hill and North Farm is the amount of businesses that are directly affected by the traffic problems so it was important to actively involve representatives from the local business community.

"The problems at North Farm are never going to be resolved with a quick fix solution. The congestion is causing so much misery for both local residents and businesses alike, it's in everyone's interests to work together to try and get the traffic moving again."

The final report is expected to be published by early August.

Alzheimer's Awareness Week

Greg met local members of The Alzheimer's Society at a special tea to celebrate Alzheimer's Awareness Week.

Visit to Muffett Gears

Greg visited Muffett Gears, a highly successful engineering company based in Tunbridge Wells.  He was particularly impressed by the number of apprenticeships that Muffett Gears offer young people. 

1st July: Red letter day for rail passengers

The introduction of a new "delay-repay" compensation system for rail passengers which starts on Friday 1 July 2011 will be a "red letter day for rail passengers".

Greg Clark said:

"I am absolutely delighted that Southeastern has agreed to go ahead with this new compensation system. Rail passengers from Tunbridge Wells and High Brooms understandably feel they have had a very raw deal over the past few years so this will provide some very welcome relief.

"After the terrible problems experienced by rail passengers on the Tunbridge Wells line over the last winter, I met with the Managing Director of Southeastern, Charles Horton, in January to discuss concerns raised by constituents. The thing that most people complained about was the unfair compensation system for season ticket holders whereby they only received a 5% discount on renewal if performance targets were met.

"As these performance targets were based on the average performance across all of Southeastern's rail services, it meant that although the Tunbridge Wells lines experienced terrible delays, the better performing lines like High Speed 1 brought the average up above the trigger point for compensation.

"Passengers were understandably furious about this so I asked Southeastern's Managing Director whether he would consider changing the system to one used by many other UK rail companies called "Delay-Repay which provides immediate and automatic compensation. It's great news that they are going ahead with this on 1st July – it will be a red letter day for rail passengers."

Under the new Delay-Repay compensation system, season ticket holders will be entitled to a refund of 50% of the proportion of the fare for the journey if their overall journey is delayed by 30 minutes or more, and 100% of the single fare for delays of an hour or longer.

The new "Delay-repay" system will cover season ticket holders. Holders of daily and weekly tickets are already covered by the scheme. Compensation will be in the form of rail travel vouchers which can be offset against the cost of future season tickets.

Re-opening of Sandhurst Village Stores

Greg celebrates the opening of the newly refurbished Village Stores in Sandhurst with its owners Ann & David Johnson and Baroness Stedman-Scott. 

Visit to Mount Ephraim Care Home

Residents at Mount Ephraim Care Home were given the opportunity to ask Greg questions about topical issues during a visit to the home. 

Improving mental health services for young people

Greg welcomed a breakthrough in mental health services for children and young people, with £750,000 funding agreed to treat 1,000 more young people a year in West Kent.

He commented:

"Compared to other areas of health, mental health services are, all too often, neglected and this was certainly the case in West Kent. I was very saddened by the stories that parents and carers were telling me about the problems they were experiencing trying to get the help they so desperately needed, and I have been actively campaigning to improve the situation.

"I am delighted, therefore, that local health chiefs have finally agreed to address some of the problems within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). These improvements, which they hope will be in place by the Summer, should benefit up to 1,000 children and young people a year, and, of course, many other family members who also often indirectly affected.

"The money will do 3 things:

• Close the gap between the age of 17 and 18 where currently adolescent care ends but adult care doesn't begin.
• Provide out-of-hours assessments for under-18s, 365-days a year in A&E, Medical wards and Paediatric wards at Darent Valley Hospital, Maidstone Hospital and Pembury Hospital.
• Provide support for young people with ADHD. The service will include an experienced nurse prescriber who will run clinics in GP surgeries and visit families at home.

"There's still a lot more to be done, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. I understand that there are plans to make fundamental changes to CAMHS in the long-term and will be keeping a very close eye on how these plans progress."

Summarising his campaign, Greg said:

"Over the last 2-3 years, I have become increasingly concerned about the number of parents and carers contacting me regarding the delays and difficulties they have experienced trying to access the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for their children.

"I wanted to find out if this experience was widespread so in July 2010, I wrote to all GP practices and headteachers in my constituency to ask their views about the CAMHS service. I also wanted to get feedback from parents so I asked GPs to put posters up in their waiting rooms and schools to put details in their newsletters asking people to send me their feedback on CAMHS.

"The response was considerable, with many desperate stories of how parents had tried to seek help for their children and waiting up to 16 months to receive treatment.

"I also met with professionals working within CAMHS and their views concurred with the experience of GPs, teachers and parents.

"The three key issues that emerged from my research were:

• The transition from CAMHS to adult services, in particular concerns about continuity of care and the gap in service for 16-18 year olds.
• Waiting times from first referral to start of treatment and the impact of this on family life and the patient's condition.
• The complexity and lack of co-ordination between the different CAHMS services which often meant that patients were referred inappropriately.

"In October 2010, I called a meeting with Chief Executive of NHS West Kent, Marion Dinwoodie, to feed back the results of my research. I told her that the "CAMHS service at Tiers 2 & 3 needs to be radically transformed to provide a level of service that some other parts of the country appear to already enjoy" and she agreed to produce an action plan to address these concerns.

"I met with NHS West Kent again in December 2010 and February 2011 to drive progress and I am delighted that they have agreed to make this immediate investment which will, at last, start to address the deficiencies in this desperately important area. I understand that they are also looking to make longer-term changes to CAMHS and I will be keeping a very close eye on these plans progress."

CAMHS provides four levels of service:

Tier 1 – Services provided by GPs, teachers and social workers

Tier 2 – Services provided by mental health professionals for young people with less severe mental health difficulties

Tier 3 – Specialised services for more severe, complex or persistent disorders

Tier 4 – In-patient specialist services

Greg calls meeting on local bus services

Greg met with representatives from Arriva Southern Counties, Kent County Council and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to discuss local bus services, in particular services to the new hospital in Pembury and the withdrawal of the 285 service from Southborough to Sainsburys in Tunbridge Wells.

Greg meets with Tunbridge Wells Access Group

Greg met with members of Tunbridge Wells Access Group to talk about issues of concern to them such as reform of the Disability Living Allowance.

Victory over extra parking at new hospital

Greg is delighted to hear that planning permission has been given for an extra 100 visitor parking spaces at the new hospital in Pembury.

Back in 2009, Greg called a public meeting to discuss transport issues relating to the new hospital and visitor parking was one of the key concerns to be raised by local residents. The NHS Trust agreed with this view and asked Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for permission to increase the number of parking spaces for visitors from 250 to 350.

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Visit to Matfield & Brenchley

Greg spent the day in Matfield & Brenchley including an informal drop-in surgery at The Star Inn in Matfield and a visit to Brenchley & Matfield Primary School where he was quizzed by Year 6 pupils about his work as an MP.  Greg also had an advice surgery at Brenchley Memorial Hall.

Greg visits Paddock Wood Primary School

On a visit to Paddock Wood Primary School, Greg met its School Council to discuss their recent visit to Parliament.

Greg said:

"I really enjoyed meeting all the members of the School Council. They were clearly inspired by their recent visit to Parliament and had prepared some great questions for me."

Greg meets young designers celebrating Fairtrade fortnight

Greg met some of the schoolchildren who designed brightly-coloured bunting to mark Fairtrade fortnight in Tunbridge Wells. 

Twenty local schools were involved in creating the bunting depicting Fairtrade products.

Cost cutting KCC report re-starts stalled A21 improvements

New figures, demonstrating that the long-awaited A21dualling between Tonbridge and Pembury could be delivered at less than half the current £120m cost, were presented to Roads Minister Mike Penning at a meeting on 22 March 2011.

Following the meeting, Greg said:

"This is tremendous news and shows just what can be done with greater local control. KCC's figures would cut the cost by half and give new hope that the long awaited dualling of the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury can now be completed - and at much less cost to the public purse.

"The Minister has promised full access to Highways Agency figures and to release all the information KCC needs to complete its re-costing of this vital scheme. We will be meeting the Minister again in 6-7 weeks with a fully worked up proposal.

"I also stressed how critical it was that the Public Inquiry was re-started. The Minister understood fully that a re-costed road scheme given the go-ahead could then be delayed - and increase in price - if the Inquiry hadn't been completed. He promised to make a decision on the Inquiry as soon as possible.

"KCC is to be congratulated for its innovative approach to getting the job done."

KCC Leader Paul Carter commented:

"Working with leading construction companies, we've proved it may be possible to cut the £120m cost of the A21 improvements by half. This is a major breakthrough and I believe this scheme could forge a new model for lower cost, local delivery of vital construction schemes.

"The Minister has today given us a unique opportunity to prove our case. Over the next 6 weeks we will have full access to Highways Agency figures and officials to develop a fully-costed proposal that could at last offer hope to local businesses and local people gridlocked on the A21.

"I've long believed that new roads and public buildings could be built at much less cost if we had greater local control. I now aim to prove it!"

New compensation system for rail passengers

Commenting on the announcement that Southeastern is introducing a new compensation system for passengers and that its franchise is to be continued to 2014, Greg said: 

"The good news is that Southeastern is going to scrap the current useless compensation system and replace it with a system that gives refunds for actual delays and cancellations suffered each day. This so-called Delay Repay system will be in place by the summer. I put this idea to the Managing Director of Southeastern, Charles Horton, when I met him in January so I am absolutely delighted that they are going ahead with it. It is a much fairer system and makes Southeastern much more accountable. The old compensation system, which was based on the average performance across all of Southeastern's rail services, was, I believe, fundamentally flawed and completely frustrating for passengers. If someone has experienced a bad service they should be able to get immediate and automatic compensation.

"Given the problems that rail passengers have had to face over the last few years, I can certainly understand people's concerns about giving Southeastern a two-year extension to their current franchise. However, there is going to be a much longer-term franchise let from 2014. I can understand that to get a different company in to cover an interim period of just 24 months would be very difficult. The rail minister, Theresa Villiers, has assured me that the new contract will put customer service at the forefront and performance targets will be much tougher."

Greg visits Tunbridge Wells' Missions Fayre

Greg visited the Tunbridge Wells' Mission Fayre where over 30 different organisations, including Street Pastors, Tunbridge Wells Community Centre for Debt Advice and the Number One Community Trust, came to talk to people about their work.

Visit to Gallard's Almshouses

As part of Greg's visit to Southborough, he was given a tour of Gallard's Almshouses where he met many of the residents.  He was also shown plans for a major redevelopment of the homes by the Trustees. 

The existing homes are very small and outdated.  They are also not well suited for disabled access.  The project, which is due to start later this month, will provide much improved accomodation.

Southborough drop-in surgery

The manager of Cafe Bliss, Elaine Lawrence, welcomes Greg before he starts his drop-in advice surgery at the cafe.

Cafe Bliss is a thriving community cafe which opened for business in April 2010 by the Better Living In Southborough Society (BLISS).

Greg visits St James' Junior School

A group of Year 5 pupils at St James' Junior School in Tunbridge Wells practised their debating skills for a project on global warming during Greg's visit to their school. 

Southeastern confirms no discounts for season ticket holders

The University of Sheffield has just published its independent audit of Southeastern's performance data which showed that 82.04% of trains ran on time – just 0.04% above the threshold that would have triggered a 5% reduction in season ticket prices.

The University's report confirms that Southeastern's figures are accurate which means that rail passengers will not be entitled to any discount.

Greg commented:

"I think the current compensation system – which is based on the average punctuality of all mainline services provided by Southeastern across Kent and Sussex - is fundamentally flawed. It is ridiculous to base performance on the basis of how well all lines are doing as the High Speed One services are much more reliable. If you just took the results from the Hastings line, the trigger for compensation would certainly have been met.

"The whole system needs to be changed. The fact that the High Speed rail service is used to calculate whether compensation is paid is particularly galling for residents in West Kent as we are not only having to pay extra for a service we don't use, but including High Speed One is also preventing us from being compensated for the poor performance we have experienced."

Visit to Capel & Five Oak Green

Greg spent a day in Capel and Five Oak Green, including a drop-in surgery at Five Oak Green Post Office and a visit to Capel Primary School.

Improving winter rail services

Greg, and fellow Kent MPs, met with Network Rail's Kent Route Director, Dave Ward, at the House of Commons to discuss the problems caused by severe winter weather on Kent's rail services.

Mr Ward outlined the reasons for the poor performance and then explained how changed software systems, the use of anti-icing trains, selective conductor rail heating and other changes would lead to an improved winter performance in the future.

Mr Ward also explained the weaknesses in the existing communications systems that led to such poor information being provided to passengers throughout the period of snow and ice. Network Rail hopes that the introduction of a "Passenger Information During Disruption" system may allow for an improved service in the future although concerns were expressed about the existing computer programme which is not able to react quickly enough to developing weather or other critical conditions.

Greg commented:

"It is clear that Network Rail is taking action to ensure that the chaotic scenes from last winter are not repeated. However, there are some fundamental issues such as the computerised passenger information system which still needs to be fully addressed."

Voluntary Action Within Kent (VAWK) Conference

Speaking at VAWK's annual conference at the newly-opened auditorium at K College (formerly West Kent College) in Tonbridge, Greg talked about the new rights for voluntary groups which will be established by the Localism Bill, which Greg is currently taking through parliament. 

Traffic congestion at the North Farm Industrial Estate

Greg met with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's new Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation, Brian Ransley, plus representatives from Kent County Council and the Highways Agency, to discuss the worsening problem of traffic congestion in and around the North Farm Industrial Estate.

Greg said:

"Local residents are completely fed-up with being stuck in traffic jams around North Farm and I wanted to take the opportunity to discuss ways to help relieve the problem with the new Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways, and other key organisations.

"We all agreed that action shouldn't wait for dualling of the A21 to begin. We agree that a comprehensive list of potential improvements should be prepared which can happen in the short and medium, term. Both Cllr Ransley and I agreed that this work needs to be carried out as a matter of urgency and we will meet again, along with representatives from the business community, in a few months time to look at the results of the study and decide next steps."

Greg discusses flood prevention measures in Lamberhurst

Greg met with representatives from the Environment Agency and Lamberhurst Parish Council to discuss progress on a flood protection initiative for local residents.

Greg said:

"Lamberhurst has suffered a number of serious floods in recent years so it was important to try and find ways of protecting people's houses. By working closely together, the Environment Agency and the local community have come up with a scheme which everyone is happy with.

Rather than building enormous concrete flood walls along the river which would ruin the look of the village, the community decided that they would prefer to install flood protection measures like pump and flood resistant gates in each home at risk ."

Greg visits Goudhurst & Kilndown Primary School

During a visit to Goudhurst & Kilndown Primary School, Greg was quizzed by Year 6 pupils about what it's like being an MP, Greg's Ministerial duties and some current political issues like University tuition fees.

Greg holds inaugural surgery in Kilndown's new Village Hall

Greg joined the Vice-Chairman of Goudhurst Parish Council, Peter Rolington, the Chairman of the Village Hall Committee, Ray Lovell and architect, Julian Mamlock, to look round Kilndown's brand new Village Hall before he held his advice surgery there.

Greg said:

"I must congratulate everyone who worked so hard on getting the new Village Hall built. It's amazing what the community has achieved – the Hall is a fantastic resource which I'm sure will be well used. I'll certainly be back to hold another advice surgery here."

New Tunbridge Wells Hospital

Greg visited the new £225m hospital in Pembury for a sneak preview just before it opened its doors to its very first patients.

Greg said:

"The new hospital is stunning – with state-of-the-art medical facilities and 100% single rooms it is going to be one of the best hospitals in Britain. The community fought hard to get this new hospital built and it just goes to show what can be achieved when everyone pulls together."

Dire winter rail services

Greg met the Managing Director of Southeastern, Charles Horton, to discuss the severe weather last month which caused terrible disruption to rail services, and the recent outrageous increase in fares.

Commenting on the increase in rail fares, Greg said:

"The fare increase of 11.8% suffered by my constituents is appalling. It is grossly unfair to expect people here to pay such a swingeing increase – Southeastern should have allocated the increase fairly across all areas."

Christmas Card Competition 2010

Greg visited Broomhill Bank School whose pupils were invited to design his Christmas Card this year.

Greg said:

"I decided to ask one of my local schools, Broomhill Bank School, to design my Christmas Card this year. It's a school for children with special educational needs which has just been officially rated as "outstanding".

"It was enormously difficult to choose a winner as all the entries were so brilliant. We had everything from galloping reindeer and smiley snowmen through to crackling log fires and snowy wintry scenes. But a fantastic Christmassy picture of the House of Commons, including stockings hanging from the bottom of Westminster Bridge, was a real Christmas cracker and won first prize!"