The Coalition Government continues battling to reduce the record deficit they inherited and pursuing policies to help nurture the recovery.
The Government also make announcements every day that can affect people’s lives, one recent one was by the Education Department who have reviewed the school admissions policy. The impact is that Grammar Schools will be able to expand beyond the limit that has been set. That means from 2018 both Poole and Parkstone Grammars can substantially increase the number of pupils they educate providing they meet the standard for entry. This will have a major impact on the prospects for children born in the Borough in the last few years.
In my capacity as Chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee we have changed the regulations to make it easier for Credit Unions like the local Coastal Credit Union to operate. This is important as credit unions are vital in the battle against loan sharks that prey on some of our poorer residents.
I have also taken a delegation to see the Immigration Officer from local language schools. We all believe in firm immigration but recent changes to the accreditation of language schools have made life difficult for them to operate.
Many locals act as host families or teach in the local schools and are concerned that this area remains a vibrant area for the teaching of English to foreign students.