I was saddened by the troubles at Aylesford Newsprint and the loss of skilled jobs. I reported extensively on the planning and construction of the £250 million mill in 1994 and 1995.

It was a joint venture of Swedish company SCA Graphic Paper – long established in Aylesford – and the Minoroc natural resources group.

Designed to reduce landfill, it was the most modern newsprint recycling plant in Europe.

Ramsay Hampton, then managing director of SCA Aylesford, said at the time: “It’s good for Aylesford, good for Kent, good for the UK.”

He added that Kent had clinched the deal because of its good industrial relations and skilled workforce.

Those were heady days for a mill with access to tonnes of old newspapers and magazines for conversion into 100% recycled newsprint used by many newspaper publishers, including the KM Group.

But times change. Newspaper buying declined as readers switched to digital. Many blue recycling banks have gone. The trend of local councils to co-mingle recyclable rubbish along with beer cans and empty bottles contaminated newsprint.

It’s another dent in Kent’s once flourishing paper industry.

More building apprenticeships needed

Building industry students are entering a sector that faces a dramatic skills shortage over the next few years as older workers retire.

Employers debated this issue at a Constructing Excellence Kent event this month.

While students at our colleges are aware of this looming skills gap, the industry has not been good at promoting this fact.Many young people just don’t know what’s out there.

More employers, especially the smaller ones, need to offer apprenticeships. There needs to be better promotion of careers, especially to schools.

Constructing Excellence has made a start with its Construction 186 social media campaign but it’s not enough.

I know it’s not as sexy as football or fashion but house building and engineering is where the action will be over the next few years.

Unless we produce more skilled tradesmen and women – and the industry needs more women – the country will continue to rely on skilled people from overseas.

That will scupper any immigration targets promised by populist politicians ahead of the general election.

Boxes ticked but a little too upbeat

Lucky George gave a robust, confident performance in his final budget before polling day.

Lucky in that he can trumpet economic recovery that owes as much to wider circumstances as to any of his measures over the past five years.

But he ticked a lot of boxes, pleasing the grey vote by freeing up annuity rules, savers by scrapping tax on interest and businesses by pledging a review of punitive business rates.

But he hacked off those like Ed Miliband – a surprisingly effective response from him I thought – calling for more explicit commitment to the NHS and other public spending.

I felt George was too upbeat on jobs. Yes, unemployment has fallen but not in Kent these past two months and I’m doubtful about his claim that 80% of new jobs are skilled.

Many are in retail and catering, often with uncertain hours, low paid and with no career prospects. Too many young people, including graduates, still find it so hard to get any job, let alone one that will provide the resources to invest in a Help to Buy ISA.

Breakfast networking such a great idea

Gravesham deserves a pat on the back for its regular business network breakfast.

It’s good to find a council in these austere times backing businesses and encouraging them to explore trade opportunities.

I hope it can be maintained as a sign that Gravesham is very much open for business.

With so many huge projects in the pipeline – like London Paramount and Ebbsfleet Garden City – businesses could hardly find a better location with so much potential.

No wonder several big name firms have opened offices in the area.