Karl Wallace has been elected to serve Bridport as a County Councillor. Already a District, Town and Parish Councillor, Karl lives with his family in Bothenhampton and works as an Accident and Emergency nurse at Bridport Community Hospital.

Congratulating Karl, Sue Farrant, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset, said, “The people of Bridport have shown that they value the work done locally by the Liberal Democrat team. By electing Karl as a County Councillor they have ensured that Bridport now has a very active champion at County Hall.”

West Dorset’s Liberal Democrats are celebrating after the County Council election results. In many other places, including neighbouring Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire, the Conservatives have gained from the volatile national situation and the collapse of the Labour party. Here West Dorset we have won three County Council seats and made the Conservatives fight hard for every vote in the other divisions.

We have strengthened our position and are ready for the general election campaign that must come within the next eleven months.

Congratulations to:

• Councillor Richard Biggs and Councillor Trevor Jones who beat off stiff opposition to retain their Dorchester seats
• Councillor Karl Wallace who won Bridport from the Conservatives in a tremendous victory.

The full results are available at the Dorset County Council web site.

Bridport Liberal Democrats have chosen local campaigner Focus Team member Harry Britton to fight the Town Council by election on 2nd April.

Harry lives in Bridport with his wife Jill. An active member of the Bridport Environment Group, Harry is campaigning to preserve the New Zealand Site (behind South Street carpark) as a “green lung” for Bridport.

Harry, who has a degree in Zoology and Aquatic Biology from London university, says “I am pleased that the Bridport Environment Group won a Lottery Grant to save this important riverside area for both the wildlife and local residents to share. I was very concerned when bats, badgers and otters were disturbed when part of the land was cleared last year for housing development. I will be monitoring the site for signs of their return”.

Sticking Up For Bridport

Harry says “I want decisions about Bridport to be made by people who live here. Not by people in remote offices in Dorchester. We know what is best for Bridport. Lib Dems have been fighting for Bridport for decades. I am proud to join such a campaigning team”.

Volunteer work for the community

Harry is a helper at the WRVS “Meals on Wheels” service and is an escort on the coach for the Thursday Luncheon Club at the United Church. Harry says “I am keen to preserve Bridport’s strong community spirit, which contributes so much to the town’s vibrancy and resilience in these difficult times.”

Bridport Lib Dems are backing the Friends of Mountjoy’s campaign to build a new school in Bridport. At their last Council meeting, Bridport Lib Dem Town Councillors unanimously rejected the county’s plans to move the school to Beaminster and urged them to look again at sites in Bridport.

Lib Dems have been campaigning to restore the cats’ eyes and road markings which were - incredibly - removed during the resurfacing of the Coast Road. At last the County Council has seen sense and has agreed to do it. Highways Chair Sarah Williams has asked for Bridport to be represented on the Panel which makes these decisions. She said “If we had had a strong voice from Bridport, commonsense might have prevailed”.

Liberal Democrats at West Dorset District Council are campaigning for planning authorities to grant permission for more energy micro-generation such as photo-voltaic panels to be allowed on listed buildings. Planners at West Dorset have rejected a number of recent applications in the area on grounds that the “Overall modern appearance forms a visually incongruous feature harmful to the historic character of the buildings.”

Bridport Councillors Ros Kayes and Dave Rickard, along with local Solicitor & Chair of the Chamber of Trade Mike Harvey, are campaigning for change.

“Adequate insulation is one of the most effective ways of reducing energy consumption and I therefore want to see West Dorset increasing insulation grants,” said Cllr Ros Kayes. “But we are also going to have to change planning rules as we have so many buildings of historic character and 70% of the landscape is designated AONB. To continue to refuse this equipment in conservation areas long-term is environmental folly.”

Over 1000 signatures were collected by Karl Wallace and the Lib Dem team for the petition against the proposed Post Office closure at West Bay. We are now awaiting the official decision regarding the future of this essential local service. Karl says ‘We have campaigned hard right from the beginning to try and prevent the loss of this vital resource.’

Local residents of West Bay have increasingly been suffering from ‘boy racers’ using their car park in the evening’s.

“Up to 30-40 cars have been racing around this quiet area at night and it’s been getting worse,” says Cllr Karl Wallace. “A while ago I was contacted by local residents and businesses who have just had enough. I have taken up the problem with the Police and the District Council. Recently I have been promised that a barrier will be installed to close the car park in the evening. Hopefully this should end the problem once and for all.”

“The staff at Mountjoy School have been dong an excellent job under nearly impossible conditions for many years,” says Bridport Councillor Karl Wallace.

“The buildings are in an appalling condition and have been heavily criticised in Ofsted reports year after year.”

“I am pressing the County Council to stop their delays and get on and provide a new school. How about the old Medical Centre in North Allington - wouldn’t that be a good site for a new Mountjoy School - or what about a new building at the Colfox School site?” added Karl.

Liberal Democrat run Bridport Town Council is set to become only the third town in England to sign the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change.

Chair of the Environment and Social Wellbeing Committee, Councillor Dave Rickard says, “We are using new powers under The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act to raise awareness of the challenges that climate change and fuel poverty will inevitably impact on our communities and for future generations.”

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