With the consultation on the Local Plan now live, I have been meeting with residents to listen to their concerns. You can find more details below.
As readers will know, I have long campaigned to protect our Green Belt – and I remain horrified by the Government’s determination to concrete over it under the misleading banner of so-called “Grey Belt.” The Prime Minister promised that “Grey Belt” would mean ugly, disused land. But, the reality is that it threatens the beautiful local green spaces that define our community and quality of life. I’ll continue to stand with residents, parish councils, and community groups – making formal representations and pressing Ministers to rethink this damaging policy.
If you want to get involved, please do consider responding to the Sevenoaks District Council consultation, and signing the national petition calling for the Government to reconsider its definition of the “Grey Belt”: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725558.
This month, many of you have also been in touch with me to voice your shock – which I share - at the decision by the Government to suddenly change the funding formula for the International Baccalaureate (IB) from next September.
This funding is vital to cover the extra teaching time the IB requires, and without it, many local schools now face real challenges in delivering the programme effectively.
To add insult to injury, this decision was taken without consultation or an impact assessment, and was announced during the Parliament conference recess - just the latest example of Government cutting funding to education programmes, trying to avoid scrutiny, and lowering standards for our children.
Locally the impacts are huge. Tonbridge Grammar School has already announced it will no longer offer the IB from next year as a result of the change. Dartford Grammar School - the largest IB provider in the country - has raised serious concerns about how the withdrawal of funding will impact over 600 pupils, and many students and parents from Knole Academy have been in touch to share their worries. Pupils have already committed to the IB curriculum, and the cuts risk disrupting their education at a crucial stage. It is unacceptable.
I have written to the Secretary of State calling for the Government to ensure schools can continue offering it, and provide stability for students who have already committed to this path. I await her reply. In the meantime, I will continue to press the Government on this issue and fight for local schools and their pupils whose education and futures are at stake.
If there is anything I can do to support you and your family, please do not hesitate to get in touch at: [email protected].
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Below is a snapshot of what I have been working on. If there is anything I can do to support you, please get in touch.
- Earlier this week, I met with concerned Hextable residents, alongside District Councillor and Deputy Chairman of Hextable Parish Council Chrissy Hudson and two fellow parish councillors to discuss the proposals for the village put forward in the Local Plan. As it stands, almost 1,000 new homes are being proposed which would increase the size of Hextable by over 50%. Residents rightly fear that this would risk the village merging with both Swanley and London and are worried about the lack of infrastructure to support such a large-scale development.
- Following a public meeting in Kemsing on the Local Plan consultation — which was attended by more than 200 residents — I took the opportunity to visit some of the proposed sites in the village and speak directly with residents. What impressed me most was the quiet determination of everyone involved to stand up for their village – and I will do all I can to support them.
- I have also visited Dunton Green, with Chairman Freda England, along with the parish clerk Tracy Godden, to discuss the expanse of land between Dunton Green and Otford Road being put forward in the Local Plan for 1,500 homes. I spoke with some of the residents in Wickens Meadow Park, Rye Lane who will be affected by the proposal, and will continue to fight so we can protect our much-loved green spaces across our community.
- Following the fantastic turnout and lively debate at my Sevenoaks panel on smartphones in schools, next week I will be bringing the conversation to Swanley for local parents and teachers. The event will take place at St Bartholomew’s Primary School, Swanley, on Tuesday 4th November, 6.00–7.30pm, and will feature a discussion with experts and school leaders, as well as a chance for you to ask your questions. If you are a local parent or teacher and would like to attend, please register here. I look forward to seeing you there.
- I was really pleased to join Go Ahead to mark the start of their contract to operate the #477 service between Orpington and Dartford. This is in addition to the service between Swanley and Dartford provided by Go Coach, and will mean during core hours there will be 3 buses an hour between Swanley, Hextable, Wilmington and Dartford. This is great news for local passengers, and I know will be a relief for those who use the service regularly. I would also like to say a huge thank you to the brilliant Conservative Cllr Michael Horwood and Swanley Town Council leader for arranging with Go Ahead and Go Coach that day tickets can be used across both services. Go Ahead already know my next ambition: to see the service extended back to Darent Valley Hospital and Bluewater, but in order for us to make this case, we need people on the bus!
- Engaging young people in democracy and voting is so important, and it was great to team up with The Electoral Commission and take part in one of their sessions at Knole Academy in Sevenoaks. It was inspiring to see so many young people genuinely interested in how our democracy works and I really enjoyed answering their thoughtful and interesting questions.
- To mark British Beauty Week, I visited The Hart Spa in Sevenoaks, run by the brilliant Paula Sharpe and her wonderful team. Paula opened the business back in 1998, and since then it has become a real High Street favourite – winning multiple awards and providing excellent service to customers. With 86% of beauty businesses owned by women, it’s also a great example of female entrepreneurship at its best. It was a pleasure to celebrate their success – and a reminder that whether it’s local businesses, community groups, or charities, it’s our local people who make our towns and villages such special places to live.
- Over the last month, my Reporting Back leaflet for 2025 should have been delivered to every home across Sevenoaks, Swanley and the Dartford Villages. It provides an update on my work since the General Election, as well as my plans for the coming 12 months. If you are still yet to receive once, please do email my office on [email protected] and we can share an electronic version with you. On the reverse of the leaflet there is also a chance for you to share your feedback or concerns with me, so do please fill this in if there is anything I can help with locally.
- The love of books and reading is so important, and I was delighted, alongside Swanley Mayor Keith Mitchell, to formally open the new library at the Horizon Primary Academy. It was great to meet teacher and librarian Michelle Sutherland, whose drive and determination to create this welcoming new library and reading space for pupils was key to getting the project off the ground and securing the vital support of volunteers and donations from staff, families, the PTA, and the wider local community. I also had the opportunity to meet the brilliant Head, Claire Milton, and was shown around by the school councillors, who did a fantastic job. It was wonderful to see how much pride everyone takes in their school and how committed they are to inspiring a lifelong love of reading.
- At the start of the school year, Trinity School in Sevenoaks introduced a smartphone ban – with all pupils required to place their smartphones in a pouches kept by the school during the school day. It was great on a recent visit to speak with Headteacher Matt Pawson and pupils to hear about the positive impact this change is already having – particularly at break times, where children are now chatting and playing together rather than scrolling through their screens. A huge well done to Matt and his team. I very much hope more schools will follow Trinity’s lead.
- You may recall that I recently wrote to Kent County Council regarding the delayed opening of the new Special Free School, due to be built in Swanley, which had been approved by the previous Conservative Secretary of State for Education. It is now clear from Kent County Council’s response that the hold-up is in fact with the the Department for Education, who despite claiming that supporting children with Special Educational Needs is their priority, are in fact yet to progress the matter. This inaction is unacceptable, and it leaves parents in limbo. This month I have therefore written to the Secretary of State for Education to seek a cast-iron guarantee that they will not renege on the promise to open this school, and to demand they engage with Kent County Council to set out clear timeline for opening — ideally by 2027, and certainly no later than 2028. Anything less would be a betrayal to the children who desperately need these places.
- I had the pleasure of visiting Parkwood Hall in Swanley, and meeting its inspirational Head, Simon Collins. Parkwood Hall is a specialist day school for children and young people aged 8–19 with moderate to severe learning difficulties and autism, and it was highly informative to speak with Simon about some of the challenges they are facing and the pressing need for more SEN places locally. It was brilliant to hear about their plans to expand from 120 pupils to 192 by 2031, and I will continue to do all I can to support the school and their families.
- I met with local District Councillor Alan White and Lisa Johnson, Clerk to Horton Kirby & South Darenth Parish Council, to discuss the eight months of roadworks by SGN to upgrade the gas network – which initially are taking place in Horton Kirby – before then moving to Sutton-at-Hone. There had not been enough advance notice of these works for the local community – particularly given the significant disruption they will cause to residents and the #414 bus route, so I contacted SGN and asked them to engage directly with the Parish Council and local councillors. I also asked Arriva to work with SGN and the local community to keep the bus service running as reliably as possible – which they’ve agreed to do. For residents without a car, this service is a lifeline, and every effort must be made to minimise disruption. I continue to stay closely involved and will work with local councillors to ensure that disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.
- Finally, there is just three days left to enter my Christmas Card competition. The competition is open to all local children up to 11-years-old, and once again, The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks has kindly donated prizes for the winner and runners-up. If you know someone who may like to enter, please download the entry form here. Good luck!
