ON Thursday, June 29, I was at the count for the result of the Sherborne West by-election for Dorset Council. The Conservative candidate, Rebecca Burns, came a very close second. As a local person from Sherborne who genuinely holds dear the interests and values of the town, I know that Rebecca will continue to champion the causes to help make Sherborne a better place.

Since my last column, I’ve met with the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, to discuss the ongoing poor performance of the West of England line. The line, which traverses the Blackmore Vale, deserves greater attention. In particular, I raised with the Minister the performance of the line’s operators – South Western Railway and Great Western Railway – and the need for better services to and from West Dorset.

I was also interviewed by BBC Radio Solent last week to discuss accessibility improvements at Dorchester South Station. The county town’s station is an embarrassment and needs significant improvement. Alongside Network Rail, South Western Railway has submitted an ‘Access for All’ bid to the Department for Transport, and a decision will be made in due course.

A few Fridays ago, I also attended a summit of farmers and representatives of the National Farmers’ Union at a farming summit in Thorncombe, hosted by first-generation dairy farmers.

I am keen to see farming and agriculture on the national curriculum so that all children understand where food comes from and have raised this with Education officials this week.

As a tenant beef farmer’s son, I was fortunate to grow up with an enriched understanding of how food was produced and where it was sourced from. However, many young children today don’t have this basic knowledge or understanding.

In other news, it may surprise you to know that 51% of properties in West Dorset are without access to the gas grid – the highest proportion in the county. The unique infrastructure of the constituency and the sparsity of settlements means many households have no choice but to use alternative fuels, such as heating oil, LPG or kiln-dried logs.

In some of the more rural areas, including the Chalk Valleys and the Marshwood Vale, more than 95% of properties do not have access to mains gas, which puts us in a unique position of rural need.

Pending consultation, the Government’s current proposal is to phase out the installation of high carbon fossil fuel heating systems from 2026. I have some reservations about this approach, in that it needs to be better reflective of rural needs.

The rural voice and lifestyle risks being disproportionately affected and for me to better represent your views, I would welcome your feedback on rural energy and the Government’s current proposals and what you’d like to see. You can submit your feedback on my website at www.chrisloder.co.uk/ruralenergy

CHRIS LODER
Conservative MP for West Dorset