MPs’ Round-Up

New Stour & Avon, July 30, 2021 MPs’ round-up My role as a teller really counts in the House

Many people have asked me about my work as a whip in the Chamber of the House of Commons. One of my jobs is to undertake the role of “teller”. Tellers are the people who count the votes when a vote (a division) is called. Two MPs are chosen from each side to be tellers, with one from each side in each division lobby to ensure an accurate count. The Speaker announces the names of the tellers at the beginning of the vote, shortly after the exit doors to the lobbies are closed. The tellers’ votes are not included in the count for or against the motion, but are recorded on the side of the vote that they agree with. If no one is willing to be a teller, then the vote automatically goes to the other side. It is surprising, but this does happen from time to time perhaps most often when a vote is called unexpectedly. The division bell sounds across the Palace of Westminster, and MPs have eight minutes to get into the division lobby before Mr Speaker calls, “Lock the doors!” If you are late, even by a few seconds, the door will be locked against you and you cannot vote. After the MPs have been counted out of each division lobby, the Tellers return to the House floor to announce the result to the Speaker, and if you ever watch Parliament TV (parliamentlive.tv/Commons) you can see this process happening. In “normal” times, the four tellers all walk into the chamber, with the “winning” side standing on the Speaker’s left. This is why the MPs can know the result of a vote before the actual announcement of the voting numbers. For especially close votes, you can sometimes hear a roar in the House when the tellers take their places for the announcement – indicating the result. For covid-related reasons, currently only one teller announces the result, so we have not seen this for a while. Since the 2019 election, I have been a teller 50 times, out of 297 votes. As a whip I have been in the Chamber of the House of Commons almost every day that the House has sat throughout the pandemic. You may have seen that during the pandemic we have been operating on a hybrid system in parliament, with some MPs being in the Chamber in person, and others appearing virtually, from their constituencies, their offices, or even their living rooms. MPs have also been able to have proxies, and most MPs have been on a proxy for several months. Proxy votes are relatively new, and were first introduced for new parents – for MPs on maternity, paternity or adoption leave. When the pandemic began, and most MPs were asked to work from home, proxy votes were expanded and allowed for all MPs. Like many families, we had to self-isolate for 10 days in July, but thanks to the proxy system my votes were still counted.

MP for Mid Dorset Michael Tomlinson

Government has avoided scrutiny from MPs for long enough

When a full House of Commons returns on September 6, MPs will be fighting to restore Parliament’s proper role in our national life. The Johnson administration has invested heavily in its ‘Parliamentary bypass’ project. By making new policy announcements at press conferences it avoids scrutiny from the people’s elected representatives. By enacting law by decree, there is no opportunity for proper debate or the making of amendments. The Government has exploited the ‘zombie Parliament’ with impunity. That must end in September. The sense of impotence among backbench MPs is palpable. Our constituents need answers in the face of conflicting and chaotic policies such as the Track and Trace ‘pingdemic’, the traffic light scheme for holidays, vaccine passports and face coverings. The Government’s refusal to share vital information caused deep frustration during the debate on compulsory vaccination for care workers. Initially we were told that an impact assessment was available which would include the number of care home employees who would face dismissal without compensation. During the debate, however, the Minister refused to say what had happened to that impact assessment. Had it been suppressed? The minister used the mantra that ‘The impact assessment is being worked on’ leaving open the interpretation that the reference was to a new assessment with the old one having been ditched. This dissembling boiled over into a vote in which 36 Conservatives showed their exasperation by voting against the regulations. I was a Teller for the Noes. My scepticism was reinforced by the subsequent failure of the Minister to answer my follow-up question about ‘the date on which work on the assessment a) began and b) is due to completed’.

n There is rising anger from constituents about the poor service being provided by the DVLA. Those seeking their first provisional driving licence or renewal of a vocational one are subject to delays of six to ten weeks. As their applications cannot be done online these delays are impacting the life chances of young people and those who drive for a living. The cause is ‘industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services union’ which is ‘designed to have maximum negative impact on members of the public’. How callous is that? This latest manifestation of monopoly exploitation of the weak and vulnerable by public sector trades unions is unacceptable.

n Many businesses and constituents in Christchurch, including visitors to the popular Monday market, were affected by the interruption of internet services last month. Cash once again became ‘king’. The Minister responsible has told me that the incident was reported by BT to Ofcom which will now decide what further investigation is needed. It is, however, another reminder of our dependence upon the internet.

Christchurch & East Dorset: Chris Chope

Dorset’s dustcarts and waste recycling vehicles are at the forefront of a new campaign to help people suffering domestic abuse. From the middle of this month, they’ll be carrying ads to signpost the help available for anyone who is being abused physically or mentally in their own home. The banners displayed on the council’s vehicles, including waste and recycling trucks and mini buses, are carrying the following messages – that controlling behaviour is domestic abuse, that it’s not okay for people’s partners to threaten or hurt them, and that people should be treated with respect. And the reason these innocuous vehicles have been chosen is simple –they enable important messages to be taken into the centre of communities, right outside properties where abuse may be taking place. The help and advice will be offered by the You First organisation, whose operations director Tonia Redvers said: “These banners are wonderful because they help get information out into the heart of our communities, where people can take a discreet picture of the number, use it for themselves or pass on to a family member or friend, where safe to do so.” The banners advise anyone experiencing difficulty in their relationship that confidential advice and help is always available. The campaign’s launch came just days after police were bracing for a rise in domestic abuse, following the end of the Euro 2020 football tournament, and with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 finally becoming law. The Act aims to promote awareness, protect and support people experiencing domestic abuse, transform the justice response and improve performance. As part of the new Act, Dorset Council is set to receive an additional £650,000 from the government to fund its new duty to provide support for victims and their children, including safe accommodation. And it couldn’t be more needed. Between 2011 and 2016 there were 12 domestic homicides in Dorset. Seven victims were female, five were male, three involved children murdering their parents and one involved a parent murdering a child. There were 3,923 reports of violent domestic abuse from 2015-2016, with 1,775 of those coming from the Dorset Council area. Dorset councillor Mollie Rennie, who leads on domestic abuse work, said: “Over the past 18 months, our relationships have been hugely important. However, for some people, sadly, home has not been the safest place. “If you are feeling unsafe or frightened because someone in your home is hurting you, either physically or mentally, it’s not your fault. Confidential advice and support are always there for you, whatever your age or gender.” Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety Graham Carr-Jones, said the aim of the banner campaign was to let Dorset residents struggling at home know that support is always available, and how to access it. “Our partners at You First are there for you, whatever your age and no matter what time of day it is,” he said. “They work with men, women and children to reduce harm and increase safety. Their specialist team offers community and accommodation-based services and give expert advice, information and emotional support to ensure safety and build the confidence to move on.” However, all those involved in the campaign have urged people who are in or who are witnessing other people in immediate danger from domestic abuse to immediately dial 999. Dorset Police’s lead on the force’s vulnerability programme Julie Howe said: “Domestic abuse takes many forms and can happen to anyone. We will listen, we will support you, and we will safeguard you.”

n The You First domestic abuse helpline can be contacted on 0800 032 5204, 24 hours a day, or search online for ‘DVA help Dorset’. Calls are free but the number may show up on some itemised phone bills.

CAMPAIGN: Katie Bielec, a Dorset Volunteer Ambassador, and Cllr Graham Carr-Jones in front of a new banner New banner bid to consign domestic violence to the bin

By Faith Eckersall

newsdesk@stourandavon.net People’s lives are being ‘ruined’ by anti-social behaviour and they are confused about who is responsible for tackling it, Dorset’s Crime Commissioner claims. Launching a new, county-wide drive to stamp out the antisocial behaviour, David Sidwick said: “I’ve spoken to so many people across the county who have told me how their lives have been ruined by persistent nuisance. It’s also important people realise that many anti-social behaviour problems are the responsibility of different agencies such as local authorities, and I’ll be working with all of these agencies to make sure we get this message across more clearly.” Mr Sidwick, who says he is making ASB a central plank of his forthcoming police and crime plan, was speaking at the launch of Operation Relentless, an initiative by Dorset Police to tackle the anti-social behaviour that ‘traditionally increases’ over the summer months. Superintendent Alan Setchell, the force’s anti-social behaviour lead, said: “We know from speaking to our communities and from public surveys that anti-social behaviour is an ongoing issue and remains a real concern to residents and businesses. “It’s a very visible form of disruption in our communities and is closely linked to how safe people feel. When it is persistent it can have a significant impact on people’s lives.” He said the force had a number of operations underway to tackle anti-social behaviour in hotspot areas, including a new Multi-Agency Command Centre that co-ordinates summer resilience staff to hotspot areas across the BCP area and in Dorset County. Operation Relentless had been introduced to allow police to provide a clear and consistent message that they take reports of anti-social behaviour seriously and it is not acceptable. He called on people to help police by reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour involving loud, abusive, rowdy or intimidating alcohol-related behaviour, drug misuse and intimidating gangs of people. “We know that there is not one simple solution to all the issues anti-social behaviour can cause,” he said. “Each policing area throughout Dorset has its own dedicated plan to tackle such activity and officers continue to work closely with the respective local authority to identify and reduce incidents.” n You can report anti-social behaviour at dorset.police.uk or by calling Dorset Police on 101. As always in an emergency where life is at risk or a crime is being committed, dial 999.

STAMPING IT OUT: Dorset’s Crime Commissioner David Sidwick

Residents given opportunity to have say on parish future

Colehill residents have a unique chance to shape their parish’s future by taking part in a household survey for the new Neighbourhood Plan. The survey will help identify the key planning priorities which the Neighbourhood Plan should focus on, said Councillor Leslie Gibson. “It only takes 10 minutes to complete and will seek to understand what residents currently like about the area and anything that might need changing, including any additional recreational or community facilities required,” she added. Since the 2011 Localism Act, producing a local plan has been a requirement for authorities. “Once a draft plan is produced it is independently examined and then subject to a local referendum,” said Cllr Gibson. “If approved, the plan then has legal force and will sit alongside the Dorset Council Local Plan.” Across Dorset, 28 areas have so far completed Neighbourhood Plans, and a further 25 are currently in production. It aims to lay out a vision for how those living or working in Colehill want to see the area develop, by setting policies on such things as house design, environmental standards for new housing, protection for greenspaces, and support for new local infrastructure such as safe cycle ways and footpaths. Paper copies of the survey are being delivered to every household in Colehill, with responses required by August 14. More information from neighbourhoodPlan @colehill.gov.uk.

7th Aug, 6pm: Church of St John the Baptist, Plush, Dorset 27th-28th Aug, 7:30pm: The Ancient Technology Centre, Damerham Road, Cranborne, Dorset, BH21 5RP Tickets £12/10. Available on the door, or visit https://linktr.ee/oldschoolplayerstheatre

If you’ve ever wanted to make like James Bond for the day, by driving an Aston Martin Vantage to the limit round the famous Silverstone racetrack, now’s your chance. The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation is offering one person the opportunity to drive the high powered, 4.0-litre twinturbocharged V8 engine car at the home of British Motorsport for just £1. The JTYAF Aston Martin Driving Experience raffle will see the lucky winner receive instruction from professionals and then try out the thrilling circuit. All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the JTYAF which supports deserving local young people to achieve their ambitions. The charity was set up by the parents of Royal Marine Lieutenant John Thornton of Ferndown, after he died in Afghanistan in March 2008. A spokesman for the charity said: “Young people are experiencing many challenges in these uncertain and difficult times, and they need our support now more than ever before.” The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over, although the driver must be over 21 years of age and the closing date is Thursday September 9. n Tickets can be purchased online at jtyaf.org/shop/ aston-martin-drivingexperience-raffle-tickets.

All change at Rotary as new president Jan takes charge

Wimborne Rotary scored a first by holding its 2020 presidential handover outdoors – because the club was still under covid restrictions. Club members gathered at Pamphill, where outgoing president Neil Hutchinson, handed the chain of office to Jan Baseley, and welcomed her as the new president. Also confirmed were president elect Ron Franks, and junior vice-president Graham West. On taking office, Jan told members: “During the past 15 months all the usual activities of the club have effectively had to be suspended. “We have been unable to meet face-to-face, with no social activities and no charitable fundraising.” She acknowledged the part played by Zoom meetings and regular newsletters and said the club anticipated that normal activity would resume shortly. “We are always keen to hear from people who may be interested in joining Wimborne Rotary,” she added.

ROTARY HANDOVER: President elect Ron Franks, president Jan Baseley, outgoing president Neil Hutchinson and vice-president Graham West

Hospice welcomes £6,400 NFU donation

NFU Mutual Wessex has donated £6,400 to the LewisManning Hospice. The donation follows two others, to Salisbury Foodbank and Julia’s House Children’s Hospice earlier this year. The money comes from a national £2 million ‘Agency Giving Fund’ launched by NFU Mutual head office. Claire Warren, Trust Fundraiser at LewisManning Hospice Care, said “Thank you to NFU Mutual Wessex for this extraordinary grant which will help LewisManning Hospice Care to provide extraordinary hospice care services to the people of East Dorset and Purbeck. Our virtual day hospice gives our patients access to our specialist palliative care team from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Using handheld tablets provided by LewisManning, patients connect with our nursing staff and other patients.” Senior day hospice nurse Mandy Harris said: “The purpose of these sessions is to promote a sense of wellbeing and a positive approach to living with a life-limiting illness, as well as to alleviate the feeling of loneliness that patients may be experiencing and giving clinical advice and support.” Steven Bartlett, senior partner at NFU Mutual Wessex, said: “Covid-19 continues to have a huge impact on everybody, including our customers and their local communities. “Lewis-Manning Hospice Care has been making a wonderful difference to our community during these challenging times, and we feel extremely proud to hear how our support has made an impact.” NFU Mutual, the UK’s leading rural insurer, announced this £2million fund in February to help local frontline charities during 2021. This follows £1million of support delivered by NFU Mutual’s Agency Giving Fund in 2020, which helped charities across many sectors to keep their life-changing services going throughout the pandemic.

Meet our Diamond Member of the Year 2021 Gillian Head. She’s lost an incredible six stone and has been at her target weight for three years. She joined the Corfe Mullen Slimming World group in February 2017 after her doctor told her to lose weight. Gillian said that she needed to have a hip operation and the doctor said: “You are clinically obese and I cannot do anything until you lose weight.” She was so upset and hurt by this. No one had ever called her obese – in fact the word itself was quite a shock. After speaking with her daughter, at the age of 78 Gillian joined Slimming World. She said that first day before she arrived, she was petrified, a bag or nerves and was feeling very embarrassed about her weight. Gillian was worried that everyone would judge her but as soon as she walked into the room, she immediately felt welcome. She sat down with the consultant Zoe who introduced herself and ran through everything and instantly Gillian felt like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She didn’t feel alone any more and knew that this was the best place to get the support she needed to lose weight. Week after week she stayed to the group image therapy session and loved making new friends and learning new recipe ideas. Gillian says that the group feels like extended family and everyone has a genuine interest in how they are doing and offering support and encouragement to each other. Gillian went on to lose six stone after achieving her target 15 months after joining in May 2018. She’s now 82 and says she has never felt younger. She really enjoys gardening and no longer gets out of breath. Gillian has tried many diets over the years including the grapefruit diet but this was the first time she had ever tried Slimming World. She joined wearing a size 24 and over the following year dropped an incredible 10 dress sizes and now comfortably wears a size 14. Gillian’s advice to anyone thinking about losing weight is to join a Slimming World group and get support from fellow minded people. She only wishes she joined sooner… Gillian attends Zoe Mole’s Slimming World group in Corfe Mullen every Wednesday.

THEN AND NOW: Gillian Head

TUESDAYS 9am, 10.30am, 4pm, 5.30pm & 7pm

Wimborne New Venue from Tue 20th July Community Learning and Resource Centre (Venue in King Street Car Park) Louise 07902 566149

THURSDAY EVENINGS Colehill

St Michaels Church Centre, Colehill Lane Karen 07795 820310

WEDNESDAY MORNINGS, SATURDAY MORNINGS Colehill

The Reef (Next to St Michaels School) Lucy 07749 983274

WEDNESDAYS 9am, 11am, 3.30pm, 5.30pm & 7pm Corfe Mullen

St Nicholas Church, Wareham Road Zoe 07866 444488

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON & EVENING, THURSDAY MORNINGS West Moors

Pinehurt Community Church, Pinehurst Road Karen 07795 820310

MONDAY MORNINGS Fordingbridge

Fordingbridge Town Hall, High Street Clare 07779 029015

MONDAY EVENINGS Fordingbridge

Avonway Community Centre, Shaftesbury Street Clare 07779 029015

WEDNESDAY MORNINGS Blandford

The Corn Exchange, Market Place Tracey 07776 309982

FRIDAY MORNINGS Broadstone

Conservative Club, Tudor Road Tracey 07776 309982

MATCH OF THEIR DAY: Georgia Matthew, back row second from left, and on her left is coach David Staddon, along with Verwood First School’s Oak Base, the reception year It’s all kicking off for school’s young footballers

Children at Verwood First School and Nursery, recently inspired by the European football championships, showed off their skills to coaches from AFC Bournemouth. The reception year were put through their paces by staff from the club’s Community Sports Trust. Verwood First School is part of Wimborne Academy Trust (WAT), which produced England’s Ben White and Chelsea FC’s Tino Anjorin. Georgia Matthew, early years lead at Verwood First School, said: “The children really enjoyed it. “They worked on their skills and played a game. The coaches were great and really encouraged them. “Those who weren’t hugely into football are now much more interested. And who knows, in the future one of these children might be pulling on the England shirt.” David Staddon, one of the coaches, said: “The club’s community trust reaches 4,000 people a week – from two-year-olds to 99-year-olds. “We love working with Reception children as they clearly love being outside running around. “Their enthusiasm is infectious and we hope to get around more of Wimborne Academy Trust’s schools.”

Council meetings set to continue online

By Nicci Brown

After ceasing the virtual streaming of meetings of Dorset Council committees on July 19 in line with government guidelines which enabled meetings to be held in person, Dorset Council has agreed that cabinet and committee meetings held between now and the end of September will take place informally and online, due to increasing covid-19 rates across Dorset. Council leader Spencer Flower said: “While we do want to be able to get back to conducting council meetings in person, we have duty of care to our members, employees and any members of the public who often take part. “With cases of covid-19 increasing as they are, we feel it would be safer to continue with virtual informal meetings for the next couple of months and then review the situation again in mid-September.” But there continues to be a possibility that live streaming will continue once the usual face-to-face meetings are resumed. Service managers for communications & engagement and democratic & electoral services have reported a lot more public questions for committee meetings while they have been held virtually, and good viewing numbers on their YouTube channel. “From our point of view, having the meetings livestreamed has definitely increased public engagement.” “Figures for the numbers viewing meetings show a large increase on the numbers that we used to see in our committee rooms. They are not an entirely accurate reflection as we can’t tell if someone logs out and then logs back in or if the numbers are all different individuals. “We weren’t webcasting before the pandemic so we don’t have comparable figures but there have been a lot of “clicks” on our committee recordings and because of this success it is our plan to add webcasting to our committee meetings when we can meet in person.” Cabinet meetings and area planning committee meetings particularly reveal a high level of engagement in the first few months with 139 views of Cabinet in May last year and an average of over 30 since, and average of over 70 viewing the first two virtual western & southern area planning meeting, and 30-40 viewing northern and eastern area meetings.

Road safety campaigners in East Dorset claim they ‘feel abandoned’ and pedestrians are ‘living in fear’ as they battle to have the speed limit lowered on a ‘dangerous’ 40mph road. But Dorset Council and the county’s police see no reason for reducing the limit from 40mph to 30mph on the stretch between Wimborne and Ferndown. Who’s right? Residents started their campaign to lower Stapehill Road’s speed limit four years ago, after what they say were a number of accidents and near misses on the carriageway, which sees 5,000 vehicle movements every day. According to Stapehill Road’s Neighbourhood Watch and Community Speedwatch co-ordinator, David Frankl, a former Highways Engineer, the road has numerous problems. “The carriageway averages between 4.8 – 5.3 metres wide, has no pavement and a number of bends,” he says. “There are no footpaths and pedestrians live in fear of walking down the road as cars will not slow down to pass and a number of people have been hit by passing vehicles Horses are scared by cars racing past.” He claims the road is so dangerous that one resident has taken to driving their teenage children to the bus stop, rather than letting them walk, because he ‘fears for their safety’. “We need a lower speed limit and some way of getting pedestrians off the road,” says Mr Frankl. He claims residents fear that the problem is getting worse, as the number of new developments increase in the Wimborne and Ferndown area. “It’s a narrow road, a rat run between Ham Lane and Wimborne Road West with no footpaths,” he says. Three years ago, a 1,131signature petition was handed to Dorset Council in a bid to have the speed limit reduced. Signatories claimed that: “Stapehill Road falls into the Department for Transport classification of a ‘village’ where there are more than 20 residences within a 600-metre length of road and where the speed limit is recommended to be 30 mph. “Stapehill Road is 1,709 metres in length with a total of 33 properties distributed over both sides of the road,” said the petition. “There are over 20 residential dwellings, as well as additional businesses and a care home within 600 metres of its length, thereby classifying it as a ‘village’.” The campaign group said non-motorised users such as pedestrians, dog walkers, cyclists, horse riders, and mobility scooter users were in danger because ‘there is little or no room to accommodate them when there are two opposing oncoming vehicles or when they are near a bend where the visibility is limited.’ They claimed this deterred people from using the road to access local facilities including the local Old Thatch pub, the bus stop, the church, Knoll Gardens and inhibited the development of a village ‘community’. However, Dorset Police said at the time that it would not support a reduction ‘due to the lack of statistical data that is normally used to support applications.’ “On two visits to the area by the road camera safety team over a period of 30 minutes and 90 minutes per sessions, there were only two offences, which would suggest that traffic is travelling at or below the current restriction,” said the force. “It is possible that if the limit was reduced, motorists may look for overtaking opportunities and potentially come into conflict with manoeuvring vehicles.” Mr Frankl claims that campaigners feel ‘abandoned’ but hopes there may be a way forward, if money could be obtained from the Transforming Cities Fund, which has seen Dorset and BCP Councils jointly receive £79 million to spend on new facilities including 78 kilometres of new walking and cycling routes in the area. “We understand there are proposals for a cycle way along Ham Lane to Canford Bottom roundabout and then along Wimborne Road east and west so we have asked if it could come down our road instead,” says Mr Frankl. He has started a new petition to this effect, asking for a simple pathway ‘not a pavement’ to be constructed along Stapehill Road and reducing the speed limit to: “allow safer passage for cyclists, as well as other non-motorised vulnerable road users and residents leaving their driveways.” So far, 33 people have signed. A spokesman for Dorset Council said it was aware of the concerns raised by residents of Stapehill Road and had reviewed them extensively in recent years. “The existing 40mph limit remains, on balance, appropriate, and it is understood that this view is shared by our colleagues at Dorset Police,” said a spokesman. “Whilst the concerns raised have not been addressed in the way requested, they have been considered and reviewed at length. Consultation on the Transforming Cities Fund schemes remains in progress and the views of Stapehill Road residents will be reviewed accordingly.” You can sign the petition by going to change.org and searching for Stapehill Road.

SLOW DOWN PLEA: Vehicles pass very close together along Stapehill Road, with pedestrians fearing for their own safety Campaigners face uphill battle in bid to cut speed limit