MPs

Going local would help ease supply chain problems

Many farmers and local suppliers, not just in West Dorset, but across the country, have felt held to ransom by vast supermarkets. For example, some of our farmers have been threatened with having their milk contracts torn up by one supermarket if they refused to sell their calves to that chain. And farmers often must provide their accounts so the supermarket can decide the profit margin the farmer can make with no room whatsoever for negotiation. At the Conservative conference last week, I contributed to the policy debate on the future of English farming where I was able to express my hope that the current supply chain situation we are seeing will change because it is not resilient. I’ve advocated a much more diverse and local supply approach and one that reduces miles-travelled, one that offers more consumer choice and one that is fairer to suppliers and HGV drivers. I believe the supply chain issues we are seeing are because of heavily centralised delivery structures and we now must grasp this nettle and private sector businesses that have made hundreds of millions in profit should change it rather than blame the government. I argued if lorry drivers were directly employed, had better terms and conditions and facilities, along with fairer prices for the farmers – a more robust local system would result, in better choice and value for the consumer, because I no longer think that that our farmers are in a free-market economy. What I believe has happened to the supply chain network is that huge companies have screwed down a centralised supply chain network and it’s starting to break. I’m a conservative and proud of it, but corporate greed at the expense of supply chain resilience and a free market must be challenged, especially when it harms our rural communities and providers. When farmers receive less for their meat or milk, we know that this is not passed on to the consumer. When HGV driving employees are made redundant in favour of a cheap agency staff providers to drive lorries, where does that saving go? The answer is in the record profits that supermarkets like Tesco have announced just recently. Not the farmer, nor the 24/7 truck drivers and that is why we have a problem with the HGV network. I believe the current situation should prompt industry to ensure a more diverse and resilient supply chain and that their suppliers and lorry drivers are fairly treated, and despite what you may have read elsewhere last week, that is what I am contributing to this debate.

MP for West Dorset Chris Loder

Advertorial Feature

THE EMPORIUM AND THE BOUTIQUE

The Emporium and The Boutique in Sturminster Newton are rapidly becoming browsing destinations for shoppers from the local area for good value pre-loved items and quality clothes

Together the two shops are known as the Community Chest and have been supporting the town behind the scenes by paying for the town website, insurance for charitable events and for Bib the Bike, and publicity, but also buying things the public can see, notably the parasols at the seating area, the colourful photos on the windows of the empty former Barclays Bank, troughs for the fl owers around town, putting up the town’s small Christmas trees last Christmas and are about to put a defi brillator on the front of The Emporium. Says Cheryl – “nothing is wasted…. What we cannot sell we recycle. So please keep those donations coming in”

“We welcome the clothes and goods you no longer need but which we can turn into money to be spent on the town. Says the Manager Cheryl Basten “

The Emporium, Market Square, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1AS Tel: 07946 021 374 Email: comcheststur@gmail.com

MPs’ round-up County has its part to play in Global Britain ambition

The Prime Minister was in New York last month, embarking on an essential mission of climate diplomacy ahead of Britainhosting of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in just a few weeks time. It is tremendous to see the UK playing a leading role on the world stage. As a country, just in the past year or so we have hosted the G7 summit and developed a covid-19 vaccine for the world, meanwhile new trade deals are being signed at pace. We are stepping-up to ambition of ‘Global Britain’ we hear so much about, promoting democracy, peaceand human rights. But what we don’t hear so much about, is global Somerset… When I was last in America, I remember being offered Cheddar cheese in just about every sandwich shop and burger bar I sampled. Of course, this wasn’t proper Cheddar – the floppy orange specimen on offer was a mere shadow of the genuine article. But the point remains that Somerset-inspired cheese is known and enjoyed around the globe. And I can attest that there are no better role models for the world of cheese than those produced by the many farms in Somerton and Frome –Longmans, Godminster, Keen's, Montgomery, Barber's, Wyke Farms; to name just a few. Somerset is certainly known for its delicious food, but our county hasn’t always played host to good cooking. King Alfred famously burnt the cakes of the lady who gave him shelter on the Somerset Levels, only to be chastised by the woman who did not realise she was hosting a King. While this story may be apocryphal, what happened next is historical fact. Alfred – the only English monarch in to be given the epithet “the Great” – rallied his armies near King Alfred’s Tower near Stourhead and went on to defeat the Viking Great Army. Undeniably, this set-in motion a chain of events that would lead to a unified England, which would influence centuries of British, European and World history to follow. And as Alfred’s armies were mustering, is not at all unlikely that they trampled over the long, thin stetch of land whichnow goes by the name of the A303. As history marches on, we have recently broken new ground (quite literally) with the start of works to dual the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester. Congestion on the A303 has been an exacerbating issue for us here, more so than ever this summer.

Somerton & From MP David Warburton

Restoring and improving trust in our police

Anyone harvesting and storing apples will know that one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel. The taint of ‘poison’ spreads through them infecting and affecting all. And so it is with so many walks of life. A rogue politician, clergyman, medic, teacher weakens public respect and confidence while sapping the energy of their peers. Many of us will have grown up with the advice from parents – ‘if you’re ever lost; find a policeman’. Policing is delivered by consent in our country. We call them, not for semantic reasons, a police service rather a police force. The contract of consent is a finally balanced one. It has evolved over the decades. It is consent built on trust. Faith that the police are there to protect us, uphold the Rule of Law and abide by the rules themselves. We are tremendously well served here in Dorset. All my engagements with the police have been professional, cordial and helpful. When I have sought to raise an issue on behalf of a constituent they have been responsive and engaged. Our rural part of the county needs as much attention as the urban areas. I am encouraged by the approach coming from our new Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable. Gillingham is enduring a spate of break-ins at the moment and local councillors and I are meeting with the commissioner and police to discuss the situation and resolve it. This is how the policing contract should work. The police, rather like Caesar’s Wife, need to be beyond reproach. The horrific case of Sarah Everard and her murderer Wayne Couzens has thrown a glaring light on that need. The ancient, classical question: “quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” (who will guard the guards themselves) has a terrible relevance. To consider for even a nanosecond that to run to those we trust if in need or trouble might see us career into the arms of someone who will harm us is chilling. ‘Lessons will be learned’ is no longer acceptable. An urgent root and branch review of monitoring and assessment of serving police officers seems long overdue. The somewhat relaxed approach to these public safety impacting issues cannot continue. It is tempting to think – this is just a Metropolitan Police issue. The public at large, and women in particular, are justified to feel a loss of faith. The public should not have to ask to see a warrant card. Should not have to check if body cams are being worn. Members of the public should not feel even a tingle of a need to ask ‘is everything ok’. No one should ever feel the need to ask themselves – is this officer doing their job or setting up their own crime. No one should have to ask – am I safe with the Police. But, and this is important, it’s not just the public who are worried; the police are too. One officer said to me ‘people are looking at us differently now. There’s a sense of distance between us’. The urgent task is to eradicate that distance. I’m not so naïve as to think that no rotten apple will enter the police. What we need to know is that internal, and externally reviewable, proactive governance, supervision and assessment processes are in place to identify and remove those of concern. I will be working with our local Dorset Police to make sure trust is not just restored but improved. We are at a critical moment for the principle of policing by consent.

MP for North Dorset Simon Hoare