Every fortnight Kevin writes a "Kev's Column" for the Torbay Weekly and you can read the latest edition (Published on Thursday 1st June 2023) below:
Remembrance
80 years ago, enemy aircraft came to attack Torquay.
Their attack was brief, yet at its end 45 people were dead, including 21 children and their Sunday School teachers killed when a bomb struck the Parish Church in St Marychurch. The pilot who dropped the bomb died shortly afterwards; his aircraft having been struck by anti-aircraft fire.
The raid was one of the so called “tip and run” attacks, part of desperate Nazi efforts to strike at Britain as the war turned decisively towards the Allies. Events to commemorate the 80th anniversary were fitting reminders of the saddest day in Torbay’s history and the price paid for our freedoms.
Net Migration
The annual net migration figure published last week was the highest recorded.
Visa routes for Ukraine and Hong Kong, plus the growth of International Student numbers & recruitment by Health and Social Care Employers to a range of roles, especially qualified Nurses, Care Workers and allied medical professionals, all pushed the number up. The end of free movement in 2020 also means those coming to live, work or study in the UK from the EU must apply for visas, so the number doing so is now clearly recorded. In the past migration via free movement was regularly underestimated as there was no central register of those doing so.
In terms of reducing net migration in future, the largest unknown is the circumstances affecting Ukraine. If Putin’s forces are defeated this summer and the war ended, many Ukrainians would return home, reducing the net migration number significantly.
Changes relating to dependents of students arriving in the UK on visas to study Post Graduate courses, were the right response to an unprecedented growth in the number doing so in recent years. The Government must also clearly link immigration policy to a wider UK Labour Market Strategy. This includes updating salary thresholds & removing the 20% discount to ensure recruitment via immigration must be done based on the UK labour market rate for the job.
Short Term Holiday Lets,
I led a debate in Parliament on Short-Term Holiday Lets and the Planning System.
An appropriate level of short-term holiday lets creates choice and attracts visitors, by providing different options for accommodation. Yet seeing families evicted from their homes to create holiday accommodation is unacceptable.
Requiring planning permission for conversion of homes into holiday lets would give local communities an opportunity to decide what is the right balance in their area. This would still allow new short-term lets where appropriate but avoid over concentration in some areas, whilst protecting the availability of family homes, including for those who work within the tourism sector itself.
Surgery Times
My next surgeries are on: Saturday 3rd June 10am till 12noon at St Martin’s Church, Barton Hill Road, Torquay, TQ2 8JA and Saturday 10th June 11am till 1pm at The Acorn Centre, Lummaton Cross, Torquay TQ2 8ET
Surgeries are for personal queries from residents they would like me to help them with. For an appointment you can either email me at [email protected] or leave a message on 01803 214989. 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.
