Thirteen young Conservative Party supporters braved the dismal weather to attend the launch in the surroundings of historic Medway, in the shadow of Rochester’s Cathedral and Castle.

Greeting Ms Crouch was the Chairman of the new branch, Joe Armitage, who thanked everyone for their attendance and said that he looked forward to campaigning and socialising with everyone over the coming months.

For more information, please visit www.medwayconservativefuture.co.uk.

Six firemen and nine cadets perished in front of a crowd of hundreds at the Gillingham Park Fete when a traditional display by the firemen went horribly wrong after the fire was lit prematurely.

The memorial was funded by Medway Council after a campaign by the relative of one of the cadets, Lori Oschefski, who lives in Canada.

Proudly, and emotionally, Lori stood beside the Mayor of Medway, Councillor Ted Baker, as they unveiled the memorial at the Park Avenue entrance to Gillingham Park.

The ceremony began with a parade by members of the Kent Fire & Rescue service, Medway Towns Sea Cadets, 5th Gillingham Scouts and Chatham Royal Naval Association, with a salute taken by the Mayor.

Cllr Baker then said a few words before Lori’s passionate speech, talking about all the victims and their incredible stories.

It followed a private service for relatives at Woodlands Road Cemetery, led by Reverend Jonathan Jennings, the Vicar of St Augustine’s Church.

Lori launched the campaign last Spring, with a Facebook group, petition and website, and it soon caught the attention of the local media.

Medway Council was planning to renovate Gillingham Park to mimic its Edwardian glory, and approved some of the funding to be used for the memorial which was unveiled today.

The lives lost on 11th July 1929

The Children

Scout Reginald Henry Lewis Barrett, 13
Cadet David Stanley Brunning, 12
Cadet Eric Edward Cheesman,12
Leslie George Neale, 13
Cadet Leonard Charles Searles, 10
Cadet & Scout Ivor Douglas Weston Sinden, 11
Scout William Herbert Jack Spinks, 13
Robert Dennis Usher, 14
Scout Leonard Gordon Winn, 13

The Men

Fireman Francis Bull Cokayne, 53
Royal George Mitchell, 37
Fireman Albert Joseph Nicholls, 56
Fireman Arthur John Tabrett, 45
Petty Officer John Thomas Nutton, 37
Frederick Arthur Worrall, 30

It couldn’t have happened without…

The Mayor and Mayoress of Medway, Councillor Ted and Mrs Sylvia Baker

Medway Council

Christopher Valdus, Greenspace Development Manager, Medway Council

Clare Lanes, Greenspace Development Officer, Medway Council

Susan Harding, Senior Events Officer, Medway Council

Lori Oschefski, Reasearcher & Campaign Leader. Her research of, and commitment to, this historical event and subsequent campaigning for recognition of the victims and the placement of a memorial has been instrumental in bringing to fruition today’s event.

Elaine Nutton, Event Planner & Family Coordinator, Niece of John Thomas Nutton. Special thanks for all her hard work and commitment in making this day possible.

The family members of the victims for their support and contributions.

And also sincere thanks to the following

North Kent Group Kent Fire & Rescue Service
The 5th Gillingham Scouts
Kent Family History Society Medway Branch
Gillingham Library
John Sullican
Colin Haggart
Mark Phillips
John Meakins
Brent Wigley
David Lawrence
Ian Spreadborough
Alan William Collins
Hazel Smith (Plewis family)The Kent Fire & Rescue Service Museum
Medway Towns Sea Cadets Unit
Fire Service Preservation Group
Reverent Jonathan Jennings
Royal Engineers Museum
Cancer Research UK Volunteers
Bill Wigley
Geoff Gillion
Christine Sandman
Robert Wilkinson
Philip MacDougall
Gayle Oschefski
Linda Bridge
Chris Ford

Well it’s day one, I suppose. I say that because it’s currently 22:30 here in Benidorm and I have not yet slept since I woke up yesterday at about 10:00 BST. But I can assure you I got my second wind as soon as I was reminded just how beautiful this country is.

Gatwick Airport is not a fun place to be at 01:00 – and neither are the people. When I approached Thomson’s check-in desk, I asked when they they would be opening for Alicante (the flight was not until 06:20 and it was not obvious). “What do you think I am doing here?” came the short reply from a woman clearly annoyed that I had interrupted her rading. In hindsight, I should have taken her name to complain, but I was too tired and hungry.

Looking forward to eating, we were saddened to learn that the departure lounge would not open until about 03:00, so back outside I toddled for a last cigarette or three.

I do not wish to dwell on the negatives as I have not long arrived here in Benidorm, so I will not talk about the farce once the lounge opened (most of the shops and eateeries were still closed, and for sometime after) or the flight, so I will skip to the moment we arrived at the 4-star Hotel Levante Club in Benidorm’s Av. Severo Ochoa.

“Room 1902,” the receptionist told us as she gave us our keys. “It is a very good room!” We believed her, but as it was 12:30, it wasn’t ready for us. So, instead, we took a seat outside with a drink and waited for lunch.

The swimming pool, though whe could not go in until we had settled in to our room, was bigger that it looked on any photograph we had seen before arriving. And, as a hotel “exclusivo +16 a?os”, it was quiet.

Sat, armed with a cigarette and a vodka and coke, I was relaxed already.

I am usually apprehensive about food menus – as most people who have eaten with me will know, I am a very fussy eater! So it was with slight trepidation that I walked in to the restaurant. Instantly, the view before me blew me away.

There were three buffet areas – one for the main meats (and sauces and chips) and two with extras (ravioli, vegetables, pat?, etc.). It was self-service: as much as you liked as long as it was eaten in the restaurant. And, as soon as you sat at a table, a waitress appeared almost from nowhere to take your drink order. We skipped dessert and returned to the poolside patio until our room was ready.

Room 1902, it would appear, was so numbered because it was on the 19th floor. Entering the lift, we discovered that the said 19th floor was, in fact, the top floor. And the said room 1902 was almost dead-centre at the top of the hotel. One step on to the balcony and:

?Dios m?o! That’s a long way down…

Accuse me of being soppy all you like, but I fell in love with mi Espa?a bonita all over again when I stepped on to the balcony. Then, after a couple of quick photographs, it was a quick change to enjoy the pool before dinner.

D?a 2: More food, speaking Spanish and thoughts from back home… Read it here on Alan W Collins soon!

Councillor Rodney Chambers, the Leader of Medway Council, has been honoured by the Queen.

The Conservative councillor, who has run the Council for eleven years, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

Cllr Chambers has represented both the old and new Hempstead and Wigmore wards since Medway Council was formed in 1998 and became leader of a minority Conservative administration in 2000.

The Conservatives won a majority administration in 2003, since when Cllr Chambers has seen his Conservative Group grow at consecutive elections in 2007 and last month, winning 35 of a possible 55 council seats.

Also honoured after contributions to Medway is the Chief Executive of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, Bill Ferris, who has also been awarded an OBE.

Mr Ferris, who lives in Headcorn, is often seen at partnership meetings for the Chatham World Heritage bid and plays an active role in helping to organise the annual Armed Forces Day celebrations at Chatham Dockyard, where the first national event took place in 2009 before then Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Queen’s representative the Duke of Gloucester.

Sue Groves, of Chatham, was awarded an MBE for her work as an Interventions Caseworker at HM Revenue and Custom’s Small Medium Enterprise Team in London, as was Anne Wade, for services to the community in Rochester.

Professor Jan Pahl, of the University of Kent at Canterbury, was awarded a CBE for services to Social Science, whilst the Lord Lieutenant of Kent Allan Willett CMG was awarded the Royal Victorian Order.

The full birthday honours list can be found on the Daily Telegraph’s website.

Veteran Conservative Councillor Ted Baker will be Mayor of Medway for 2011/2012, after being chosen by the ruling Conservative Group.

Cllr Baker (pictured above), who was re-elected in Rochester West last week with almost 200 extra votes, will be officially elected Mayor at Medway Council’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, 25th May, along with his Deputy Mayor, Cuxton and Halling Cllr Ray Maisey.

Cllr Baker was Mayor of Medway in 2002/2003 and Deputy Mayor of Medway in 2008/2009, and will be accompanied by his wife Sylvia as Mayoress.

Cllrs Baker and Maisey (picture left) will take the chains of office from present Mayor, Cllr David Brake, and Deputy Mayor, Cllr Vaughan Hewett.

The new Mayor was announced following the first Medway Conservative Group meeting since last Thursday’s local election, which saw Cllr Rodney Chambers and Cllr Alan Jarrett re-elected Leader and Deputy Leader of the group.

It was also announced that, following Ken Bamber’s failure to be elected in Strood South, Cllr Barry Kemp will take over as the Group’s Chief Whip.

Meanwhile, Labour have confirmed that Cllr Paul Godwin will continue as their Group Leader, though, in a surprising move, Cllr Vince Maple replaces Cllr Glyn Griffiths as Deputy Leader. Cllr Julie Shaw will be their Group Whip.

And the Liberal Democrats have announced that Cllr Geoff Juby and Cllr Sheila Kearney will continue as their Group’s Leader and Deputy, after their disappointing results last week, with Cllr Diana Smith as Group Whip.

I took a drive up to Fairview Avenue this morning, and, following yesterday’s crash, expected to see signs of an accident in the Wigmore road.

Fortunately, there were none. However, there was one rather strange sight, though no one is quite sure whether it is related to the incident or not.

I am told that the photograph I published yesterday morning was forwarded to Medway Council last night, with a question as to why they (the businesses) had been ignored in voicing their concerns when, clearly, they had been right.

No reply had been received when I last contacted one of the businesses.

However, quite strangely and seemingly inexplicably, this morning the traffic lights that had caused so many problems during the public consultation were switched off (as you can see in the photograph above).

Is this a?coincidence, or is someone at the Council scared that the accident was caused by the traffic lights? It is something that, for now, I can only speculate one…

Meanwhile, I have submitted a Freedom of Information request relating to the original consultation, so, hopefully, I will be able to bring you some more on this later on.

Rehman Chishti, Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham, spoke in Parliament this week to support Christians living in Pakistan.

Mr Chishti, who was elected as a Conservative MP last May, raised the question on Tuesday, during the Church Commissioner’s questions, following the assassination of the?Governor?of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer.

“What representations the Church Commissioners have made in support of Christians in Pakistan,” Mr Chishti asked the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Tony Baldry, who responded:

“It is a sad and terrible fact that Christian minorities who have lived peacefully in Muslim countries for generations are finding themselves subject to increasingly violent persecution.

“Churches have recently been attacked in Egypt, Iraq and Nigeria, and the assassination in Pakistan of Salmaan Taseer for defending a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death was particularly horrible.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Bishop of Lahore and, indeed, the Christian community as a whole in Pakistan are working hard to foster inter-faith collaboration in Pakistan during this time of difficulty.”

Mr Chishti then followed up with a supplementary question. “Will my hon. Friend join me in paying tribute to the former assassinated Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, for the work that he did on this particular issue?

“Will my hon. Friend ensure that representations are made to the Government of Pakistan to ensure that the excellent work of Governor Taseer can continue?”

Mr Baldry responded by saying that “Salmaan Taseer was an incredibly brave man and his death is a tragedy for Pakistan.

“We would all do well to remember the words of Jinnah, the father of Pakistan, who said in terms that ‘you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship’.

“What I suspect every Member of this House hopes for is that there shall be freedom of religion throughout the world, and I am sure that, as a Chamber, we will continue to campaign for that wherever we have the opportunity.”

Mr Chishti was born in Pakistan and spent the first six years of his life there before his family moved to Gillingham.

Despite his Muslim background, he has supported worshippers of all faiths in the constituency since he was selected as the Conservatives’ parliamentary candidate in 2007, and has spoken several times in support of citizens of his native Pakistan.

Medway’s Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services has promised that the Council will continue to support Medway’s 19 Sure Start Children’s Centres.

Councillor Les Wicks, who represents Strood Rural Ward on the Council, reassured residents that the centres were safe following last month’s government announcement that the scheme would be fully funded in the local government settlement.

Sure Start Centres provide invaluable help and support to young families, bringing together a number of support services aimed at children up to the age of four and their families. Medway has 19 centres serving up to 800 children.

Concerns had been raised after the Sure Start funding was moved to a new Early Intervention Grant, but Cllr Wicks confirmed that the ?6.9 million funding for the centres was secured.

Cllr Wicks said that “there have been some false rumours that funding for Sure Start is to be cut [so] I would like to reassure all our residents that this valued service will be retained in Medway.

“Medway?s Sure Start centres play an important role in early intervention and providing a wide range of support services for young children and their families, particularly in more deprived areas.

“The government has confirmed that the funding is secure and we will continue to fully support this vital service.”

More information on Medway’s Sure Start Children’s Centres can be found on Medway Council’s website.

The Conservative?backbencher, who was first elected in May, said that she was not in principle opposed to tuition fees, but pointed out that, for example, if the number of students at the Universities at Medway rises to 10,000 in 2012 as expected, then that one intake alone could rack up a debt of ?270m, if fees were all ?9,ooo per year, and “a quarter of which will never be paid back and picked up by the taxpayer”.

Miss Crouch said “I have, after much consideration and discussion with Ministers, decided not to vote for the Government?s proposals to treble tuition fees.

“Once upon a time I was opposed to tuition fees but their introduction by the last Labour Government fundamentally altered the way higher education is funded and therefore the debate on whether higher education should be free is over. The debate today is what the fee should be and I personally do not agree with the cap being raised to ?9000, especially as it is a fee that will be inflationary so will continue to rise over time.

“To put this in a local perspective, in 2012, the number of students attending the Universities at Medway is estimated to rise to 10,000; if each student is charged 9K per annum for their course, graduates from Chatham Maritime will owe ?270million worth of tuition fee debt, a quarter of which will never be paid back and picked up by the taxpayer.

“The Government is due to conduct a review of higher education next year which will look at the size of the university sector, alternatives to HE such as further education and vocational education. In my view it would have been better to conduct that review first and decide what the tuition fee structure should be after. In many respects today?s vote is like making the icing for a cake that has not yet been baked.

“Since I don?t disagree with tuition fees, nor do I necessarily agree with increasing fees per se, I have decided to abstain rather than vote against. ”

Carrying the comments on his KentOnline blog, the Kent Meseenger‘s political editor Paul Francis said that “it is refreshing to see one of our newly-elected MPs prepared to stand up for what they believe in, regardless of whether you agree with her case or not.

“She may take some flak from the Whips. She may have irritated ministers. But at least she hasn’t just parroted the party line and as Ann Widdecombe demonstrated, the public rather likes politicians who speak their mind and are prepared to say what they believe.

“Parliament needs more independent voices and fewer political careerists.”

The debate has already begun in the House of Commons today, and Sky News are running rolling coverage of the debate inside the chamber, and the reaction outside the chamber.

It is not presently clear how Medway’s other MPs will vote, although Medway Council last month resolved to write to all three and urge them to vote against the proposals.

Update @ 18:50

According to the Financial Times, Tracey Crouch did indeed abstain and Mark Reckless (Rochester and Strood) voted against the proposals. There were only six Tory rebels and two abstentions, meaning Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) supported the proposals to raise fees up to a maximum of ?9,000 – a vote that was won by 323 to 302 votes.

Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless has been nominated for an award in the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT,?MP Web Awards.

Mr Reckless, who was recently voted 43rd in the Total Politics Top 100 Conservative Blogs poll, and 11th in the Top 30 MP Blogs poll, will be up against 25 other MPs in the ‘social media’ category.

‘I am delighted that the work I have been doing to raise the profile of the constituency is being recognised further afield,’ Mr Reckless said after being nominated. ‘Like most politicians I realise we need to do more in terms of engaging with the public using social media such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, as well as by more traditional means.

‘I certainly think younger voters particularly appreciate being able to engage with their representatives using new and developing social technologies.’

The nominations will be scrutinised by a panel of judges, including the Daily Mail‘s Quentin Letts, Government Computing editor Mark Say, Rachel Gibson, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, and Youth Parliament member Matthew Windle.

The judges will be looking for sites that successfully engage, excite, provide information and encourage two-way communication between MPs and their constituents, before deciding on a winning MP.

‘There are some great colleagues shortlisted for this award so I won?t be holding my breath,’ Mr Reckless continued,?’but being nominated so early in my Parliamentary career is very welcome and it is something I hope to build on. Plus, it can be great fun and doesn?t have to cost the taxpayer a penny!’

The awards ceremony will take place next Monday, 15th November, in the House of Commons, and will be hosted by Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, who is Chairman of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.