Every fortnight Kevin writes a "Kev's Column" for the Herald Express. This week's edition is copied below:
Guarantee On Coastal Railway
The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, was in Dawlish last week to see for himself the famous railway and the work done to secure it since 2014.
He was asked a number of times about whether the government will guarantee the long term resilience of the line. I am pleased to say he made clear the government will not allow the line to become unusable and that doing nothing is not an option.
The Peninsula Rail Taskforce will issue its report on the long term future for our railway network later this year, which could include plans to rebuild the line on a causeway away from the crumbling cliffs that cause many delays.
This report will need to set out clearly how we can deliver real improvements with a structured plan that we can all get behind to deal with the decades of under investment in our rail network.
Sale of Annuities,
There has been a lot of coverage of the government’s decision not to proceed with plans to allow the sale of annuities (pensions).
I know some were hoping to take advantage of such a change to cash in their pension, particularly if the deal they were originally sold was not the best given well known issues with the annuity market. Yet the evidence gathered so far indicates that few financial institutions would look to buy them meaning a fair price is unlikely to be offered, potentially resulting in the pensioners concerned losing out again.
A secure annuity is meant to represent the bedrock of financial security in retirement, it is therefore vital changes are only made if there is a genuine chance of a fair deal being offered in exchange for them.
Turing’s Law
It seems almost impossible to imagine that 50 years ago being gay was a “crime” that could see a man hauled before the courts and sent to prison.
For many this not only meant punishment, but the loss of future opportunities as the conviction has stayed on their record for decades, despite decriminalisation in 1967.
Last week I attended a House of Commons debate on “Turing’s Law”, named in honour of the great World War 2 codebreaker, Alan Turing. Three years ago he was formally pardoned for the convictions he received in the 1950’s for being a gay man. At the time he was forced to undergo chemical castration as the only alternative to prison, something that is widely believed to have led to his later suicide. It was a shameful way to treat a man who had literally helped save this country from the Nazis.
Since Alan Turing’s pardon there have been calls for a wider scheme to pardon and clear the records of those men convicted under laws that have now been abolished, with two proposals before parliament to do this. One is a Government backed proposal contained in a bill that is currently being debated by the House of Lords. The other a private member’s bill introduced by an SNP MP. Both proposals make clear that no-one will be pardoned for behaviour that is still a criminal offence, even if the specific offence they were convicted of has been abolished.
The bill will not proceed, but the Government’s plan will almost certainly become law later this year giving thousands of men the formal recognition that they were guilty of no crime other than being who they are.
New Life For Winner Street
Despite being at the heart of Paignton’s historic centre Winner Street has struggled in recent years.
I was therefore delighted on Saturday to visit two new businesses opening on the street. Flat & Fancy, a new furniture store, and Purple Valley Design which sells a range of wool and craft materials, plus traditional toys. This followed the opening of a new Solicitors’ Practice in the street recently.
It is great to see this historic part of our bay coming back to life.
Homelessness Prevention
The announcement that the Government will spend £40m on a new homelessness prevention programme was welcome news.
The programme includes £20 million for local authorities to pilot new initiatives to tackle homelessness in their area, £10 million for targeted support for those at imminent risk of sleeping rough or those new to the streets and £10 million in Social Impact Bonds to help long-term rough sleepers with the most complex needs.
The law in relation to those facing homelessness also needs urgent reform. I will therefore be in parliament on Friday to support the Homelessness Reduction Bill introduced by my colleague Bob Blackman and backed by several charities.
Surgery Times,
My next surgeries are on Saturday 29th October from 11am till 1pm at Paignton Library and Information Centre and Friday 4th November from 3pm till 5pm at the Windmill Centre, Pendennis Road, Torquay.
Just call 01803 214 989 or e-mail me at kevin@kevinjfoster.com to book a slot. You can drop in, but appointments are recommended to avoid a long wait.
My team also run drop in surgery sessions Mon to Friday 10am -1pm at 5-7 East St, Torquay.