THE budget for social care for adults and children in the Dorset Council area was £172m in this financial year – equivalent to nearly 70 per cent of the revenue generated through the Council Tax we pay; and yet there is still a need for further provision in certain areas.

Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) families in West Dorset tell me they experience a lack of specialist support and education close to home. Travelling outside Dorset to access this support not only makes their daily lives more challenging but considerably adds to the cost to taxpayers.

I have raised this issue with Dorset Council and with ministers and that’s why the purchase of the St Mary’s School site near Shaftesbury, set in 55 acres and with outstanding facilities, is such welcome news. Dorset Council has now opened a public consultation on its preferred option to transform this building for the benefit of SEND education across Dorset; local people are invited to complete a short survey on this and you will find more details on my website at www.chrisloder.co.uk/SEND

In other education news, I’m pleased plans are moving forward for the £3.5 million University Centre and Rural Business Development Hub at Kingston Maurward College which has a long history in helping young people further their careers in agriculture, business and the military. This is a significant boost for education and follows my speech in the House of Commons last July on ‘building back better’ after the COVID crisis, made in response to the Chancellor’s House of Commons statement; in which I called for the Government to invest in West Dorset’s economy as a priority. The Government listened and last year awarded £11.8 million to Dorset, to stimulate economic recovery and Dorset LEP is now working to ensure these projects receive maximum benefit.

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Chris Loder

MP for West Dorset