Thank you to those who got in touch following my interest in the last issue in Multi Academy Trusts.
Road safety has always been a serious concern of mine since being elected. One of my best friends from primary school died in a car accident a few years ago and since then I set up the A Roads Taskforce two years ago. We have sadly seen a number of tragic road incidents in the last few months, I have expanded the working group to encompass all road safety issues on our roads in West Dorset. I held the first meeting of this taskforce in Bridport last week, and would be happy to hear any additional road safety concerns or insights you may have concerning West Dorset.
Talking of roads, the repair work to the A30 at Kitt Hill in Sherborne is making good progress, and I’m hoping that for the next issue, the work will be completed or very nearly completed.
It was great to meet so many people over the last few weeks, not only at my drop-in surgery in Yetminster last Saturday, but at the opening of Nether Compton village hall and the state-of-the-art Cam Vale community hall at Longburton a few weeks before that.
Two weeks ago, the Chancellor read his new Budget. What he has made clear is that our economy has been far more resilient than many had expected. Indeed, many had predicted a recession early this year, which the Chancellor has fended off with diligence and care. This did not, however, preclude some very important announcements for investment from happening. In fact, West Dorset will benefit significantly from the news.
Firstly, the Chancellor announced a multi-million-pound package for pothole repairs. Of that, Dorset will receive £2.9 million. Secondly, Jeremy Hunt announced 30 hours of free childcare a week for children aged from nine months to four years old. For those commuting to work by car, fuel duty will remain frozen to keep prices down as much as possible. The Energy Price Guarantee will also be kept at £2,500 until July 2023.
Pubs across West Dorset will be granted a much more level playing field through the freeze on draught beer. This coincides with a rise in alcohol duty for products sold in supermarkets, making it on average 11p cheaper for a pint in your local pub than it would be in a supermarket.
Our economy is 97% small and very small business in West Dorset. I want taxes to be as low as possible to boost our economy and to more than return to post-covid levels. I petitioned the Chancellor to ring fence our small businesses from 25% corporation tax rate and that is what he has delivered with the £250,000 profit being the threshold. My preference is that we continue a policy of lower taxation and while I consider these protections for small businesses a positive step, I will continue to make the case for tax reduction.