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Everyone will have been shocked and saddened to see the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London. I have written to the Mayor of London to express our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and that our thoughts are with those injured in this dreadful fire.

While we do not have any high rise blocks of flats within our own housing stock, we do have a number of blocks, as well as maisonettes and sheltered housing schemes, in Ashford.

The appropriate safety procedures and policies are up to date, in place and being fully adhered to.

All the Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) for our own housing stock have been updated this year and we have no outstanding priority actions. The FRAs are reviewed every two years unless something significant changes and every block has a Fire Action Plan which is communicated to residents with notices posted at every exit.

I can advise that we have been in contact with colleagues at Kent Fire and Rescue Service and have made a commitment to review all buildings in Ashford over five storeys and we will obviously take note of the investigation into this tragic incident and act upon any specific recommendations.

Positive stories about Ashford town centre just keep on coming. Confidence and optimism in the local economy is growing, businesses appear to be thriving and the town centre offer is evolving.

But please don’t just take my word for it, let’s look at the facts. Ashford’s vacancy rate (for empty shop units) is at a new alltime low of just 8.8%, below the national average, and nearly 60% of shops in the town centre are thriving independents, double the number of independent businesses found in town centres nationally.

Park Mall continues to welcome new faces including Jane’s Boutique, who have relocated, East Kent Mobility, who have previously traded in Bybrook Barn garden centre and Timeless, which is selling unique homewares, while one Ashford’s General Market fruit and veg traders have opened on the barrow in the revamped shopping centre. To top it all, we have welcomed the Kentish Express, too.

To compliment this, the new Ashford College will open in September, while the commercial quarter building is coming up before our eyes and work will soon start in earnest on the new Elwick Place Cinema complex.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Ashford MP Damian Green on his election success and his appointment as First Secretary of State. I’d also like to welcome Cllr Simon Howard-Smith, the new council member for the Bockhanger Ward and Charles Suddards, the new joint member for Victoria Ward.