On Friday last week, Dorset was announced as a successful recipient of almost £2.1 million of funding as part of the Rural Prosperity Fund. While Dorset is already receiving about £6 million through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this is a separate package that provides a ‘top-up’ for rural communities like in West Dorset. Many of which, as I have argued since my election, need the ‘levelling up’ focus as much as in cities.

The Rural Prosperity Fund will provide a much-needed boost for improving digital infrastructure and productivity, job creation and the resilience of communities.

This follows on from the announcement last week of a £64,000 injection from the ‘Frequently Flooded Allowance’ to target the Upper River Piddle catchment area. Flooding from this has often affected properties in Puddletown and the surrounding area, so I am very pleased to see my escalation of these issues has materialised into getting the support we need to tackle this long term problem.

The Government has also announced a new plan to tackle anti-social behaviour. These moves encompass so many issues – littering and flytipping, drugs, vandalism and nuisance tenants are just some of the main examples of what is being grappled.

Last year, I met the Home Secretary to share your concerns relating to these issues and put forward the key demands for what we need in West Dorset – more policing presence, more action on county lines drug dealing and more power to deal with nuisance tenants involved in this behaviour that is affecting the lives of so many in their communities.

Under this new plan, Dorset especially has been chosen as one of 11 locations to pilot a new ‘Instant Justice’ programme, where offenders who have littered, flytipped or vandalised property will be made to clean up their mess within 48 hours of being caught. Drug testing capacity for police forces across the country will also be ramped up, with increased policing presence in areas most affected by anti-social behaviour.

On Tuesday this week, I also welcomed the launch of the Government’s action plan for delivering a sustainable, resilient and environmentally friendly supply of water, including tackling of sewage pollution.

Water companies will now speed up their infrastructure upgrades to reduce sewage discharges, nutrient pollution and increase water resilience. This includes creating a new Water Restoration Fund, using money from water company fines and penalties to support local groups and projects.

The fundamental reality of the sewage issue is that the Government is the first to properly shine a spotlight on this issue by ramping up water monitoring and smoking out the malpractice of many of these water companies. While the opposition has, disingenuously, tried to portray this as apathy on the part of the Government, this could not be further from the truth and the reality is that no other government has done as much to restore our rivers and coastal waters as much as we are now.