It seems our West Dorset MP is opposed to a National Park for Dorset and East Devon, despite all the advantages a national park would bring. Chris Loder has arrived at his decision without consulting the acknowledged experts, the leaders of the Dorset National park team, and he has ignored the team’s invitations to meet. The issue of possible NP status and how much of rural Dorset should be included has huge implications for our county, and should be the focus of widespread public debate, so that political leaders represent the views of their constituents, rather than expressing the views of their political cronies.
Sadly, I believe our MP has misunderstood in a fundamental way what national parks are all about. A Dorset National Park, with its duty to care for our unique environment and heritage, promote health and wellbeing, and foster the economic and social wellbeing of communities, would partner not compete with the Dorset Council. It would bring additional resources and expertise, helping to secure a thriving, sustainable future for Dorset s communities and economy; caring for Dorset s environment and heritage; improving health & wellbeing; and helping us all to address the climate and ecological emergencies. National Parks are core funded by the central government and so are not a charge on residents or businesses.
I wrote this column on Tuesday, just before the Budget which I will comment on next week, but rest assured that in the run up to the Budget, I have continued to make representations to the Treasury to make sure that our community here in Dorset is prioritised. I spoke with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce on Zoom last week and I was glad to learn that there are many employment opportunities at the moment. If you are looking for a new job, do email: weymouth@frontlinerecruitment.co.uk. Last week, I spoke with the West Dorset Environmental Alliance and, earlier this week, I met with a group of national charities that support my campaign against single use plastics. We must leave our environment in a better state than we found it – this was and is an election manifesto commitment I was proud to stand on and continue to do all I can.