Dear Mr Botley, I thank you for your letter of the 9th April.

The 1st May elections are for District Councils and as such I firmly believe that the important issues for the local public are those within the specific purviews of Shepway District Council. Particularly those services in dire need of improvement and for which local ratepayers are charged. The National issues which you raise are are covered by Liberal Democrat party policies and I am certain that these are widely known by yourself and your national organisation.

Dungeness All options should be considered (in line with the Local Plan)

Renewable Energy Wide local impact consultations required.

GM Foods Our National Policy well known

Emergency Plans Yes, and as currently planned.

Operation Stack Requires EU intervention to remove the cause in France (occasional bad weather excepted!).

Cycling County and Regional initiatives. All local budget shares to be rigorously sought.

Recycling Within current priorities for budget funding - not quite. Make facilities more local and visible to provide 'trigger' memory to the public.