A key policy at the last General Election for the Lib Dems was to bring in a ‘Pupil Premium’ to help children from poorer backgrounds get a better education.

Last autumn Liberal Democrats in government were able to announce that every school would get £488 a year per pupil who was eligible for free school meals.

Across West Dorset that means £617,002 of new funding available to local schools.

“So, in spite of the harsh economic climate and public sector cuts, most of our schools will be better off,” says County Councillor Trevor Jones. “This is just the start. The Pupil Premium will more than treble by 2015.” This is an effective example of Liberal Democrats making a real difference in government!

What the Pupil Premium will mean this year:

Full details are contained in the attached spreadsheet PUPIL-PREMIUM-ALLOCATIONS-TO-SCHOOLS-2011-12.xls.

Cllr Ros Kayes and Cllr Dave Rickard at Bridport Magistrates Court

For the last 18 months Lib Dem-run Bridport Town Council has been supporting a pioneering project to bring local restorative justice to our community, by way of Community Justice Panels (CJPs).

The idea was introduced by Cllr. Dave Rickard who saw a successful pilot working wonders in Somerset. With support of Cllr. Ros Kayes they developed the project through the Town Council, using its new powers of Social Wellbeing.

Supported by the District Council, Magna and Raglan Housing Associations together with the Police, a steering group has successfully supported the training of ten local volunteer facilitators. Under police supervision they have already dealt with over a dozen cases.

Restorative Justice brings wrongdoers together with the victim in a conference to see the harm they have caused. This enables them to recognise the consequences of their behaviour, with the victim being able to explain the impact and repercussions of their crime. Both victim and wrongdoer then agree a course of action to make amends for their behaviour.

It is now clear that where CJPs are used they greatly reduce re-offending rates. This increases public confidence in the justice system because it is delivered locally and is more transparent.

CJPs also increase victim satisfaction in getting relatively swift reparation and closure and it saves police time and money by keeping low level crime out of the criminal justice system.

It meets many of the criteria for the Coalition Government’s ‘localism’ agenda and is proving so successful that the steering group and the police are now looking to roll it out across West Dorset and eventually the whole of Dorset.

Yet another good Liberal Democrat community idea put into practice.

	to a 10% cut in the District’s Council Tax
	to keeping open Day Care Centres
	to saving School Crossing Patrols
	to building more Affordable Homes
	to keeping open local libraries

West Dorset Liberal Democrats can afford to do all this by:

• cancelling Conservative plans to spend £10 million on new Council Offices, £6 million on a new Dorchester Library and up to £4 million on a new Dorchester Park & Ride
• using some of the £50 million in investments that the Conservative Council has built up ‘for a rainy day’ and
• merging local councils, as they have done in Cornwall and Wiltshire recently, which independent experts have estimated will save £20 million

“On May 5th either the Liberal Democrats will be in control of West Dorset District Council, the new Council Offices will be cancelled and local services will be saved or the Conservatives will be back again, the Offices will be built and the cuts will go ahead. No other result is possible here.”

Dr Sue Farrant chairs the Bridport Public Meeting on WDDC proposed new offices

The second public meeting to discuss West Dorset District Council’s plans for a brand new headquarters at the Charles Street site in Dorchester attracted an audience of 80 people at Bridport Town Hall last night.

Dr Sue Farrant, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for the West Dorset constituency, chaired the meeting and opened proceedings with introductory remarks and the agenda for the evening.

Councillor Paul Sample JP, former Leader of Salisbury District Council, spoke to the public about the parallels between his experience in Salisbury and the present situation in West Dorset.

Cllr Sample said assurances were made to him by the Council that the Salisbury project would ultimately save money, increase efficiency and enable the Council to retain staff.

From the outset of the project to today, the cost has soared from £5 million to somewhere near £20 million.

Cllr Sample urged the community of West Dorset to rally together and do what it takes to force the Council to scrap the plan. The people of Wiltshire were incensed by what happened, but it was too late for them to stop the project from going ahead.

Cllr Sample said: “The Salisbury Council Leaders and Officers brought local government into disrepute and paid for it with their jobs. I hope the people of West Dorset will stand up and be counted. Learn from the Salisbury experience and turf them out and turf their plans out.”

The floor was then opened up to the public to raise any issues and ask questions, which were answered by Cllr Stella Jones, leader of the Liberal Democrat Councillors.

Issues covered included the environmental benefits of the plan and had there been a proper audit on the new or existing site. The costs just don’t stack up and is the legality of the procurement process sound under European Law? There is plenty of office space in the Dorchester area to rent, especially in Poundbury, so why not use that instead? One person stated that this was a ‘frivolous waste of money’ at this time of economic hardship.

There was anger for a second time that the Council Leader Cllr Robert Gould and the Chief Executive David Clarke refused to attend the meeting or allowed other Conservative Council Officers to come. People were ‘deeply offended’ by their absence and the arrogance they have displayed by not giving the public a proper consultation period.

In a strongly worded letter to Cllr Gould this morning, Sue Farrant said: “As at the Dorchester meeting, there was considerable anger in Bridport about your refusal to attend, made worse by your refusal to allow WDDC officers to come either. The feeling of the meeting was that you should be willing to face Council Tax payers and justify the case for the new offices and to do otherwise is both undemocratic and arrogant.”

One member at the meeting called for a motion asking for the resignation of Robert Gould. It was seconded and carried unanimously.

The meeting was concluded with the question to the audience, ‘Are you in favour of the proposed plan as it currently stands?’ In a show of hands, the response was unanimously ‘against’ the motion.

Paddy Ashdown, Dr Sue Farrant talk to Katie about her work

Dr Sue Farrant, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for West Dorset, visited the Arts Centre in Bridport this week to view an exhibition organised by Rethink, the national mental health charity.

Accompanied by former Liberal Democrat leader, Paddy Ashdown, Sue Farrant viewed a gallery of self-portraits painted by people affected by mental health issues. The exhibition was named ‘Rethink Parliament’ and enabled the participants to explore the themes of Parliament and what politics means to them.

A charity which is very close to her heart and one that she champions, Sue met with a couple of the artists, Katie Dare and David Russell, and spoke to them about their experiences.

Sue Farrant said: “Meeting Katie and David today was such a delight. It is marvellous to see what Rethink is doing for people and giving them the opportunity of a better quality of life. It is invaluable work that needs as much support as we can give it.”

Pauline Sparks, Services Manager for Dorset, welcomed the opportunity to meet Sue. She said: “It is encouraging that the candidates have signed the Rethink pledge to champion mental health in the next Parliament should they be elected. Mental illness is an issue that still has a great deal of stigma attached to it.

“We need politicians of all parties to be willing and vocal about standing up for mental health services, especially in a climate of spending cuts where they can often seem like a soft target, despite serving some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

Rethink service users and carers will be working with international artist Rachel Gadsden in 16 workshops in England up until July 2010. The portraits produced by contributors will become part of a digital exhibition available to view on Parliamentary Outreach, Rethink and Disability Arts Online websites.

Sue Farrant congratulating Cllr Karl Wallace on his election

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.”

Cllr Richard Biggs

Cllr Trevor Jones

Cllr Karl Wallace

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.

Harry Britton

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.”

Harry Britton and Cllr Karl Wallace collecting signatures with the “Keep Mountjoy in Bridport” petition.

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.