Open Letter: Future Depends on Skilled Employment in the Town

Dear Sirs,

It would be a delight to see a government department based in Charter House, as it would provide A significant regeneration to Ashford as a whole.

One of the reasons Ashford has not succeeded with regeneration is due to issues with employment resources. Although we live within close proximity of four universities, the job market is very limited in Ashford, and the choice is to commute to another town or indeed to London, or take lower paid, unskilled work in some of the larger corporations in the town.

If Ashford town centre were to attract a larger population of NRS Social Grades C1 and above, including clerical, managerial and professional labour, we would see significant change in the infrastructure within the town centre. Currently there is no “cafe culture” or “restaurant culture” that is so prevalent in nearby cities such as Canterbury.

They would also be able to spend more money in Ashford's large selection of shopping emporiums, invest in the vast amount of housing that is being built and hopefully join the campaigns for more schools, more medical facilities and better community resources.

With a government department here, we would also see a rise in other businesses choosing to locate in Ashford in order to make the most of the talent that would inevitably be here. In addition to this there would be likely to be businesses that support government departments, such as out-contracted stationers, They would also provide additional employment opportunities that would raise the ambition of current residents and bring talented and qualified residents to the area.

Kind regards,

Kelly-Marie Blundell
Ashford Liberal Democrats
Kennington