Sep 2025

Monthly resident update

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Hi Reader

News from Vikki Slade MP – September 2025 Issue

This monthly newsletter is designed to keep you in touch with what I’m doing for Mid Dorset and North Poole.

Parliament returned at the start of September for two weeks before breaking again for Party Conference season. I've used this time to get out and about within the constituency and meet with as many constituents as possible!

If you’d like to get involved—whether by coming along to an event, signing a petition, or joining me on the campaign trail—I’ve included links to make it easy. And if that’s not for you, that’s fine too.

I hope you enjoy the read, and feel free to share it with a friend or neighbour!

Please don’t reply directly to this newsletter – contact vikki.slade.mp@parliament.uk

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In this edition:

• Digital ID Cards
• Walking the Beat with Dorset Police
• Campaigning for SEND and Neurodivergence support
• The Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth
• In Parliament – from Gaza to Warm Homes
• Out and About in the Constituency

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📱 Digital ID Cards

You may have seen reports that Labour wants to introduce mandatory ID cards. I want to be absolutely clear: as a Liberal Democrat, I strongly oppose this.

Mandatory ID—whether physical or digital—doesn’t feel very British. It’s unnecessary, unworkable, and illiberal. It won’t stop small boats, it won’t stop illegal employment, and it risks infringing on our freedoms.

I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues will do everything we can to stop this plan.

✍️ You can support our petition here: [Sign the Petition]

🚌 Walking the Beat with Dorset Police

This month, I joined Dorset Police for a day to see first-hand the challenges they face and how I can best support their work.

I spent the morning in Wimborne where we checked in on vulnerable residents, talked to businesses about shoplifting and provided reassurance to the community. I then spent time in the Poole Police HQ learning more about county lines and drug crimes, and finding out about their use of SmartWater tagging of illegally used ebikes and escooters. Later, I spent time on Canford Heath where we patrolled for drug use and officers shared some of the issues they face with anti-social behaviour around some parts of the community.

I came away with an even greater admiration for their professionalism and compassion, and I will continue to press in Parliament for Dorset Police to have the resources and support they deserve.

🧩 Campaigning for SEND and Neurodivergence Support

As many of you know, supporting children and young people with SEND and neurodivergence is one of my biggest priorities, and this month I continued to raise these issues in Parliament.

• I spoke about how the SEND crisis is robbing children of a fair education, exhausting families, and pushing teachers to breaking point. Councils are overwhelmed, NHS delays are forcing parents into debt, and too often private providers are profiting while children miss out. – [Read here]
• In a Westminster Hall debate, I shared my first-hand experience and called for better support to help neurodivergent people into employment. The right help must begin in schools, without it, children are being set up to fail. – [Read here]
• I co-signed Adam Dance MP’s Neurodivergence Screening and Teacher Training Bill, which would:
  • Define neurodivergence in law
  • Provide universal screening for primary-age children
  • Require proper teacher training – [More on the Bill here]

This is a broken system, and I will continue to fight for change.

🐝 The Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth

It was a real honour to welcome colleagues from across the country to the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth.

Highlights included:

• Opening the Conference with my friend and leader of BCP, Cllr Millie Earl
• Leading the marching band with Sir Ed Davey through Bournemouth’s Central Gardens
• Hosting a roundtable on hospitality with Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper
• Launching the Lib Dem Rally (and cheering on my dog Todd’s stage debut!)
• Considering the issues facing young people in a group coordinated by the YMCA

But first and foremost, Conference is about policy. As Liberal Democrats, every party member has the ability to vote on what we choose to take forward in Parliament. Over four days, we discussed the wars in Ukraine and Palestine, debated environmental renewal, women’s rights to education, and agreed on a set of priorities to take back to our communities.

🏛️In Parliament

Representing your concerns in Westminster is one of my most important responsibilities. This month, I’ve:

• Pressed the Government once again on Gaza, demanding urgent action to help bring about peace – [Watch here]
• Called for greater wildfire resilience in Dorset and across the UK, and met with Chief Fire Officer Andy Cole to discuss how Government can better support our Fire Services – [Watch here]
• Challenged the Government on hospitality, arguing that the sector should not just be saved but celebrated. Since the Budget, more than 80,000 jobs have been lost, and cuts to business rate relief are leaving many businesses uncertain about the future – [Watch here]
• Met with Minister McCluskey from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, alongside my colleague Tom Gordon MP, to discuss the Warm Homes Plan and the problems caused by spray foam insulation. We secured commitments on stronger consumer protections and a pledge to act on spray foam concerns.

You can view more of my speeches and questions on my [website] or by searching my name in [Hansard].

🚗Out and about

I travel widely across the constituency attending events and visits, here are a few highlights from August.

🪖 Met with veterans in Poole for a wide-ranging discussion covering Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the nuclear deterrent, and MoD housing.

🧑‍⚕️ Visited Colehill Pharmacy. After hearing reports it might be closing, I met with the landlord and pharmacy to discuss the situation. I want to reassure residents that there is no indication the pharmacy is under threat—both parties are working together on a solution, and the landlord is committed to making this happen. Alongside local ward councillors, I’m confident this matter will be resolved very soon.

🎥 Joined other southern MPs on BBC Politics South, where we covered a wide range of topics — from housing and immigration to the all-important question of what animal best represents the Lib Dems (I went with a bee 🐝!). You can catch the full episode on my website [here].

Round-up of some of my other activities