Monthly resident update

Hi Reader

I was delighted to start the new year by signing the lease for our new constituency office. Until now my team have been working from rented rooms across the area and now they have a permanent home in our office in Wimborne.

Whilst having a base is really key for the team, it does not change my approach to surgeries or meetings. I absolutely love holding those sessions in all corners of the constituency, it really gives me the opportunity to speak to people in their own surroundings and see for myself, the issues they face on a daily basis.

Auto Tree Protection

In September 2023, a firm of developers sent a team into a one acre site in Corfe Mullen for 14 hours, with chainsaws, to clear the are of all traces of woodland, including valuable wildlife habitats, despite knowing it would be unpopular locally.

I have continually supported local residents and recently had the opportunity to raise the issue in Parliament saying "The neighbours raised the alarm that the trees were going to be taken down, they flagged it with the council, but they didn't see a problem.

“Just a week later, developers brought chainsaws and destroyed every bit of nature on the site.”

I pressed the Minister for action asking for them to commit to bringing forward legislation to auto protect trees above a particular size or age in their planning reforms, so developers can no longer get away with this type of environmental vandalism.

The minister promised to look into the case in more detail once he had the full detail, which I will provide to him.

Wareham Railway Crossing

I have lived in Dorset for 25 years, and for more than half that time, I have been aware of, and campaigned for, a solution to the ongoing issue of the Wareham Railway Crossing. Whether working alongside Dame Annette Brooke, supporting my council colleagues, or more recently as a Member of Parliament, I have remained committed to securing a permanent, practical resolution.

From my first meeting with the Leader and Chief Executive of Dorset Council, I made it clear that the community expects the ground-level crossing to remain open, with automated gates providing a safer and more efficient solution. I have also convened meetings with Network Rail and South Western Railway to reinforce this message.

The root of the problem dates back to the 1970s when the then county council, failed to secure a right of way for pedestrians and cyclists after vehicular access was removed during the construction of the Wareham Bypass. As it stands, the crossing operates under a lease set to expire in 2038—meaning time is running out to implement a long-term solution.

This crossing is far more than just a convenience—it is a vital link for the town. The railway effectively divides Wareham in two, and the route is essential for schoolchildren (as all schools are on the south side), as well as for commuters, shoppers, and visitors. Closing it would not only cause significant disruption but could also raise serious legal concerns under equalities law.

This issue matters deeply to the people of Wareham, which is why I have raised it at in the House of Commons and secured a meeting with the rail minister later this month. With the upcoming launch of Great British Railways, the government has promised a “new era for the railways,” where every part of the industry is motivated to deliver for passengers. When I meet the Minister, I will make the case that their responsibility must extend beyond passengers, to the wider community, that relies on this vital crossing.

If we are serious about reducing congestion, improving our environment, and boosting productivity in Dorset, we must invest in our rail infrastructure. With South Western Railways set to be the first to be renationalised in the coming months, we have a real opportunity to fix this issue once and for all. I am determined to see it through.

So I was really pleased that after all this time, I was able to secure a commitment for the meeting with the Rail Minister. That meeting is scheduled for later in February and I will report back to the residents on any progress made.

Barkers Arms flooding must be taken seriously

The ongoing issue of the flooding at the Bakers Arms Roundabout in Lytchett Minster has frustrated constituents for many years.

Every time we have major storm or sustained rainfall, the A35 at the Bakers Arms roundabout becomes impassible, trapping the people of the Purbecks and the town of Wareham onto the Isle of Purbeck

It is simply not acceptable that this has been allowed to carry on for so many years while the local authority and the previous MP have done nothing to raise the issue with the Government.

Despite the previous MP for the area actively campaigning on the issue, it transpires that nothing has been done to engage with this issue at Governmental level.

I posed a question to the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings her officials had with the then Honourable Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole on flooding at Bakers Arms Roundabout on the A35 during the last Parliament? Her answer was clear; "The Department has no record of meetings on this matter during the last Parliament."

In Parliament last month, I asked what the Minister was doing to bring together the Department for Transport, the Environment Agency, Highways

England and the Local Authorities to plan for main routes to be prioritised for permanent flooding solutions.

The Minister agreed that this was an important issue and that ‘it might be one of the actions we look at in the flood resilience task force.’

My promise to the residents of the area is that I will do everything I can to ensure that this matter does get to the task force and I will continue to raise this issue at every opportunity in an effort to find a solution.

Wimborne Salvation Army

I also had the pleasure of meeting with Major Denise from Wimborne Salvation Army. We spoke about the the vital support they offer to the community in Wimborne through the variety of services and support groups they run.

As a keen community champion myself I look forward to working together in the future.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial day was marken in Westminster not only by a debate in the House, but also an incredibly moving Parliamentary ceremony.

During the debate, I relayed a story about my son Isaac and how he approached a World War II tea at school, the full speech can be seen by clicking here.

I told that story because as the living memory of the holocaust reduces, it's more important than ever that each of us keeps it alive through our own annual acts of remembrance, and in calling out anti-semitism and all acts of discrimination and hate against groups because of their faith, nationality or identity.

12 years ago, I visited Israel and Palestine as part of the Liberal Democrat delegation, during which we made a trip to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.

The experience stays with me for many reasons, but the thing that struck me hardest was what came well before the death camps like Auschwitz.

I was also able to attend the Holocaust Memorial events in Wimborne Minster and at the Lighthouse in Poole,

Both events continued to remind us of not only of the horrors of war, but of what came before.

At time of rising anti-semitism and Islamophobia, many UK communities are feeling vulnerable with hostility and suspicion of others rising.

The Home Office's own statistics revealed the number of religious based hate crimes recording in the year to March 24 has rocketed, something they've directly attributed to a spike in anti-jewish hate.

We've also seen inconsistent responses from the Police to language and behaviours that may well be anti-semitic or viewed as hate crimes.

So I call on the Government to ensure that the police have the resources and most importantly the training they need to effectively and swiftly respond to anti-semitic hate crimes and provide funding for security organisations like the community safety trust.

Parliamentary speeches

I speak on many issues in both Parliament and within Westminster Hall debates and all my speeches can be seen on my website.

Wherever possible, I try to raise residents issues directly with Ministers. I also speak on issues that are key to both the Constituency and the Country in my role as Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Housing Communities and Local Government.

Funding for Devolution

Many councils have undergone significant reorganisation in recent years, including BCP, and the costs of that are always being underestimated.

Although transformation leads to lower long-term revenue costs, we know councils everywhere are teetering on the edge, so finding funds to pay for the reorganisation, transformation and redundancies will be problematic.

Devolution to Mayoral authorities add an extra complication.

I asked the Minister to confirm that funding from central Government will be provided to fully cover both devolution and Local Government Reorganisation.

Unfortunately, the response I received avoided the issue stating that 'in terms of investment to support LGR or Devolution, of course that will follow a bit later'. I will continue to press for adequate funding to be made available so council services do not have to be cut to fund the reorganisation.

Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act

We debated the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act in the Chamber and it gave me the opportunity to not only insist that we do everything we can to ensure that Sara Sharif is the last child to be killed by the people who should have looked after her, but also to look at the Schools element of the Bill in some detail.

I was sorely disappointed that the Bill lacks anything to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.

There is no requirement for schools to be inclusive of such children, and nothing about the need for teachers to be trained in Autism or social and emotional health.

On previous occasions, I have challenged the Minister on these issues and I've been told to wait for this bill, but if this was an Ofsted judgment, it would be 'requires improvement'.

Looking at Home Education, I have asked that the Minister would confirm it will not be possible for a school to refer a family to Social Services simply because they choose to opt out.

There are more aspects to this debate than I can cover here, but I will continue to press Government for the best version of this Bill possible.

The ongoing fight to reform Business Rates

I have often spoken about the need for Business Rate reform and that this was one of the main reasons I got into politics in the first place.

Recently, I recently proposed a new Clause One for the Non-Domestic Rating Bill.

High Streets are trying to redefine themselves, moving from the heart of goods purchasing to literal shop windows as they struggle to compete again online competitors who don't have their overheads, but it would be wrong to think that the solution is to try to return to the perfect high street of the past, as if such a thing exists.

It is dangerous and self-defeating to be caught up in a toxic nostalgia trying to reclaim the past as some kind of perfect place. Parliament must create legislation that supports the society of tomorrow

The Lib Dems welcome the proposal to permanently reduce the business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure, and we do acknowledge that the financial situation they've been left in by the previous government would make the 75% discount difficult to maintain, but any discount is worthless if these businesses trying to stabilise following a COVID pandemic, the energy crisis and the shift to online cashless purchasing, don't even make it through the next year.

We would also like to see manufacturing businesses added to the lower multiplier.

The UK has rich history of manufacturing excellence, and the Barclays made in Britain report found that British made products held an important influence over consumer's decision to purchase, with customers perceiving them to be high quality, reliable and internationally respected.

The Made in Britain tag was found to be worth additional 3.5 billion pounds a year to our UK exporters. Which is why we believe that the lower multiplier should also apply to manufacturing businesses.

We need to give them a shot in the arm to ensure that they can compete on the world stage.

The threats by President Trump to put tariff on UK products, our continued isolation from our neighbours through an inadequate Brexit deal, and the rapid growth of economies like China and India represent a real threat to local manufacturing.

This Bill is fair start, and some businesses will feel it's better than the abyss that might otherwise have been, but the Government could have and should have taken different decisions to protect those businesses facing additional costs in just few weeks time.

We are often asked, how would we pay for it?

I welcome that discussion, as there have been many proposals in our manifesto from taxing big banks to asking gambling companies to pay their fair share.

We need proper reform so that businesses of the mid 21st centuries can weather the storms ahead.

The clause did not pass in this iteration but it will continue it's journey as the Lib Dems in the Lords will resurrect it.

Wimborne Hospital

I visited St Mary’s Maternity Unit in Wimborne Hospital. It was the perfect opportunity hear about the future of maternity services in Dorset in the new BEACH Building. Unit meA great chance to share her personal memories of the unit with colleagues, as well as find out about the future of our maternity services in the new BEACH (Births, Emergency, And Critical care, children’s Health) Building in UHD Bournemouth

I was also able to share some personal stories and show my daughter, Molly, where she was born.

Although Molly was born there, my other 3 were home births. Only 2% of births take place in the home so I feel fortunate to have been able to have this experience.

Out and about

One of the privileges I have is to meet residents of all ages and from all walks of life. My visits around the constituency really are the highlight of my month. If you follow me on Social Media, you will see a brief round up every week that include just some of the visits I make.

Here are just two of the many visits I made in January:

Carey's Secret Garden

This secret garden is 3.5 acres just outside Wareham, it was untouched for more than 40 years, but is now flourishing once again.

There are so many reasons to pay it a visit that I can't do it justice here so please take a look at their website. But one thing I found particularly interesting was this section of the Berlin Wall (see photo above).

On my visit I met groups working with migrants from the Bibby Stockholm which seemed quite ironic with this backdrop of former conflict and division.

Wareham Front Room

I had a great to visit to the Community Front Room in Wareham. They provide mental health support in the Purbeck area.

It was fascinating to learn more about the service, take a look around this great facility run by Bournemouth Churches Housing Association and commissioned by Dorset Healthcare and discuss mental health generally with the team.

Community Front Rooms (CFRs) are open to anyone over 18 who needs face-to-face support. They are there for you if you are struggling to cope and feel you are approaching a crisis point. You can read more here.

Round-up of some of my other activities

Asked the Minister what he was doing to ensure patients with rare and complex cases could access consistent and co-ordinated care.
Spoke up for charities that are severely impacted by the rise in Employers National Insurance, causing redundancies and reduction of key services.
Visited Wimborne food bank to meet volunteers and understand how their work is changing
Joined the Chief Nurse and Midwife at Poole Hospital in advance of the service moving to the new Beach building in April
Discussed community governance issues with Dorset Association of Town and Parish Councils
Visited a Watercress farm near Bere Regis to learn more about this incredible foodstuff and their innovative work
Wrote to the Secretary of State to ask for a meeting about inclusive education practices for children with special needs
Met families affected by damp in their homes in Lytchett Matravers
Raised concerns with Ministers about restoration costs and VAT changes on historic churches including Shapwick and Lytchett Minster
Spoke in the house to ask the Minister what he was doing to progress Palestinian Statehood.
Spoke in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools debate, to improve safegaurding of children at risk and support for children with SEND.
Dropped in on Samaritans event to discuss the importance of finding time to catch up and check in

Met with Katie Cure from Poole Grammar, chosen for the Teacher Parliament Ambassador Programme
Canvassed Park Home residents in Corfe Mullen to discuss community issues
Had a 1-to-1 briefing with Age UK to better understand what more I can do to support our elderly constituents
Spoke in the Westminster Hall Debate on Government support for EHCPs. Championing SEND children and their right to a happy childhood
Attended and supported my colleague Roz Savage's Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill
Attended the Great British Wildlife Restoration event, pledging my ongoing support for protecting our wildlife
⁠Met the King and Queen at a Buckingham Palace reception for newly elected Members of Parliament
Learned more about the RSPCA campaign for better food labelling on animal welfare
Attended a briefing on the impact of Assisted Dying legislation in Australia
⁠Travelled to Scotland with the Armed Forces Scheme visiting the Submarine base and learning about the country's nuclear deterrent
Supported Parliamentary debates on the Water (Special Measures) Bill and Aid in Gaza
Visited Lytchett Youth Hall to meet volunteers and see their tree planting efforts
Met with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to learn about the shocking waits children in care are currently experiencing in the constituency
Raised individual cases of concern within the constituency with the Secretary of State for Education

My Resident Surgeries

I run a number of surgeries each month at various locations across Mid Dorset & North Poole.

To attend, I'm afraid you do need an appointment so if you want to come and speak to me, please email me on vikki.slade.mp@parliament.uk and my team be in touch.

That's it for this month! I'll keep in touch with updates on all things MDNP.

Regards