THE first tranche of the bus improvement funding has taken place this week, as part of a £7 billion package to revitalise and bolster the bus service provision across the UK outside of London.

It is highly disappointing that rural Dorset was not included in this first tranche, although Bournemouth and Poole has been included. The rural heart of our region is in urgent need of investment to improve our bus services. The current state of bus service provision here in West Dorset is simply not acceptable.

In my determination to make progress on this issue, I have already requested an urgent meeting with the Buses Minister to address this. ‘Levelling Up’ is a fantastic idea and I wholeheartedly support it in its aims. However, it is my job to make sure that the Government seriously reconsiders these allocational decisions when it comes to rural counties like Dorset. Not just for buses but other provisions too, and I am continuing to lead that discussion for Dorset.

The protest through Dorchester on Saturday last week sets out very clearly the extent of dissatisfaction with the proposal to build 4,000 houses on the edge of our county town which I also do not support. I have been working hard to get the council to re-think this plan and am working with the Leader of the Council to achieve progress on it.

In Bridport, Dorchester, Sherborne and villages across West Dorset, we have a broad range of Community Land Trusts and housing projects in various stages of progression. With the pressures we experience, it is more important than ever that we prioritise these sorts of schemes that help ease the financial burden that accommodation places on people. I have written recently to the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to outline the importance of these community schemes and to emphasise the need for greater priority now that the Community Housing Fund has finished.

Chris Loder

West Dorset MP