Every fortnight Kevin writes a "Kev's Column" for the Torbay Weekly and you can read the latest edition (Published on Thursday 7th April 2022) below:
Rail
The Rail Minister, Wendy Morton, took the train to Dawlish on Friday to announce another funding boost for Brunel’s iconic Coastal Railway.
She confirmed a further £32 million of funding to add vital netting and fencing along the coastal route, this will prevent storm debris from reaching the railway, increasing service reliability, whilst protecting passengers and safeguarding access to the network for residents. This latest round of funding follows on from 3 earlier phases of work, taking the total to more than £150 million.
Travelling along the coastal route is a highlight of any journey to our region, although the chance to get some sea spray directly, which some enjoyed, has been lost after the (sensible) move to not have opening windows on the more modern express trains.
It is great to see our region’s vital coastal link getting sustained funding for improvements, when for so many years prior to the 2014 storm our region’s rail network was often left in the siding when it came to national investment programmes.
Energy
Another area needing major investment is our energy infrastructure.
Whilst very little gas used in the UK comes from Russia, Putin’s attack on Ukraine has driven up prices and shown the need to create resilience within our own supply. For example, £160 million is being invested in offshore wind. There is also a new ambition for 1GW, of the new 40GW generating capacity by 2030, to come from floating offshore wind, a new technology allowing wind farms to be built further out to sea in deeper waters, boosting capacity even further.
Yet alongside this investment in renewables, we also need to increase our nuclear energy. When first elected I supported giving the go ahead to Hinkley Point C, which was much debated at the time as the first major new nuclear power station in a generation, now halfway through its construction it appears an obvious decision to have made.
Similarly, whilst we will transition away from fossil fuels, the reality is many in our community will still be reliant on gas for their heating for some time to come. It is now all too obvious what it means for local people when supply is constrained and prices driven up as a result. This means creating domestic supply to support a fairer transition is part of heading to net zero, not in competition with it.
There are no simple or short-term solutions to our energy needs, the core is recognising it needs a mix of investment in different areas of supply, not just thinking one will provide the entire solution.
Surgery Times
My next surgeries are on: Friday 8th April 10am till 12noon at The Windmill Centre, Pendennis Rd, Torquay TQ2 7QR and Saturday 23rd April 11am till 1pm at Paignton Library, Great Western Rd, Paignton TQ4 5AG, UK.
For an appointment you can either email me at [email protected] or leave a message on 01803 214989, surgeries are for personal queries from residents they would like me to help them with, such as housing or welfare, rather than a wider policy debate. There are also drop-in sessions at my office 5-7 East St, Torquay, TQ2 5SD between 10am & 1pm Monday to Friday where a member of my team will be available to help with any queries.
