Oct 2025

Monthly resident update

Hi Reader

News from Vikki Slade MP – October 2025

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

It’s been a busy month, both in Parliament and across the constituency, from championing local pubs and tackling bike theft to pushing the Government for fairer childcare and better support for our military families.

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 please 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:

• Pub of the Year 2025
• Bakers Arms Roundabout Update
• Improving MOD Housing
• Tackling Bike Theft in Dorset
• In Parliament
• Out and About in the Constituency

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📱 Pub of the Year 2025

Pubs are the heart of our communities, places where people come together, friendships are made, and local life thrives. That’s why I launched Mid Dorset and North Poole’s Pub of the Year 2025!

This is our chance to celebrate the brilliant pubs, landlords, and teams that make our area such a great place to live, while also highlighting the challenges the industry faces.

In our constituency alone, 54 pubs and two breweries support 1,675 jobs and contribute £52 million to the local economy, yet many are struggling with rising costs and closures. Across the UK, we’re losing around one pub a day. This needs to stop.

Through this award, I hope to showcase both their incredible contribution and the urgent need for Government action to support them.

🗳️ Nominations close Friday 28th November

To vote follow the link to my website — all the information you need to vote is on the main page [Here]

🚗 Bakers Arms Roundabout Update

After years of campaigning for improvements, I’m pleased to report that recent works at the Bakers Arms Roundabout are making a real difference.

Despite the heavy rainfall we saw on some weekends this month, the roundabout stayed open, and traffic flowed freely, a big improvement compared with past flooding.

There’s still more to do, and we’ve yet to see how it will cope over a full winter, but I’ll continue to push for lasting solutions.

🏠 Decent Homes for Military Families

After years of Liberal Democrat campaigning, the Government has finally agreed to make military family housing subject to the Decent Homes Standard, a huge win for service families.

For too long, families have been forced to live in damp, mouldy, and overcrowded homes. Ministers had repeatedly resisted calls to improve standards, but after sustained pressure from the Liberal Democrats, they’ve now conceded.

As someone with family members who have served, and having joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, I was proud to back this change during the Renters’ Rights Bill debate in September:

“The Government say that most MOD homes already meet the standard—fine, then what is the harm in giving these families the legal right to decent housing? If the homes are good, the law will confirm it.”

This is an important step forward and one that will finally give military families the safe, decent homes they deserve.

🚴 Tackling Bike Theft in Dorset

New data from Dorset Police revealed that just 17 criminals were charged out of 793 reported bike thefts last year, meaning over 97% of cases went unsolved.

Bike theft is fast becoming “effectively decriminalised,” and I’ve been calling for action. After hearing from a resident whose £12,000 worth of bikes were stolen with no follow-up despite clear evidence, I challenged the police and Government to do more.

I’m now supporting a national Operation Bike Bait initiative, which would help police use GPS tracking, sting operations, and better data sharing to catch offenders.

“For many people, a bike is their main way to get to work, take children to school, or stay active. Police need the right tools — and Government support — to tackle this rising problem.”

Locally, I’ll be co-hosting a community bike marking event on Saturday 29th November, 9–11am, at Merley Community Centre (Harrier Drive, Merley, BH21 1XE) and you’re warmly invited to come along! It’s a great chance to get your bike security-marked and learn more about local theft prevention work.

🏛️In Parliament

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

• Joined the Devolution Bill Committee, scrutinising the legislation line by line to ensure it delivers real local empowerment. [Watch here] to find out what a Bill Committee is, and why it’s a crucial part of the law-making process.
• Raised concerns about Labour’s childcare changes, after my constituent Seb saw his costs rise by £500 despite promises of free hours. [Watch here]
• Called for urgent reform of the DVLA, after hearing from residents losing their right to drive while waiting months for medical assessments to be processed. [Watch here]
• Urged the Government to support our hospitality industry by introducing a lower rate for Employer National Insurance Contributions. [Watch here]
• Voted with Liberal Democrat colleagues to defend the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights, defeating Nigel Farage’s reckless attempt to pull us out. [Read here]

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

🚗Out and about

It’s always a pleasure to spend time with residents and local organisations. A few highlights in October:

🚌 Hopped aboard the Citizens Advice Bus in East Dorset, meeting the brilliant advisers who help people every day with debt, housing, benefits, and employment issues.

💪 Joined the CAFOD Gaza Crisis event at David Lloyd Poole, helping raise funds for humanitarian aid, together we lifted the equivalent weight of five Hercules planes filled with supplies.

🥫 Visited Corfe Mullen Food Bank, meeting dedicated volunteers who support families through tough times. Food banks shouldn’t be needed in Britain, but while they are, they deserve our gratitude and support.

Round-up of some of my other activities