Cllrs. Tony Lyall, Stella Jones, Trevor Jones and Tim Harries are celebrating with residents of St. George’s Road and neighbouring streets after their successful campaign to stop the location of a new dump in the area because it would have been too close to local houses.

Cllrs. Martin Graham, Susie Hosford, Robin Potter and Stella Jones of the Borough Gardens Panel are pleased that work on the Gardens is on schedule to be finished this year.

On Saturday July 22nd the Riverside Reserve is to become an officially designated Local Nature Reserve. On the day there will be events such as guided tours, rubbish clearance and tree planting. We are also setting up a ‘Friends of the Reserve’ group. LNR status will help us to run the area better for wildlife and local community use.

As a result of the lead taken by Lib Dem-run Dorchester Town Council a new CCTV scheme is due to be switched on this summer.

A total of 14 cameras will cover most of the main shopping areas and major car parks. This will help to combat vehicle crime as well as reduce vandalism and increase the security of shoppers and local businesses.

Nearly 500 people have signed the Lib Dem petition to “Save our NHS Dentists”. A total of 5 dental practices across West Dorset have now either completely stopped taking NHS patients or have drastically restricted their lists. This is a direct result of changes to the dental contract imposed by the Government.

We are completely opposed to this backdoor privatisation of dentistry and believe that patients interests must be put first. One piece of good news, however, is that a new NHS practice has opened in Princes Street. Already over 2,000 people have registered with them which shows just how needed they are.

Cllrs Andy Canning and Kate Hebditch are the Chair & Vice-Chair of the Heritage Committee which is backing a plan to improve the Millstream. The first stage will involve completely relaying the footpath between Hangmans Cottage and Friary Lane, repairing the bank along this stretch, adding picnic areas and building shallow banks into the river to help encourage wildlife.

In future years there will be additional shallow banks, improved seating and more litter bins along the rest of the river.

This year there is a real problem with there not being enough places at some of Dorchester’s schools. “More children than ever before have not been able to send their child to their first choice of school. I have even heard of some younger siblings not being able to find a place at a school where their older brother or sister are attending” says Cllr Molly Rennie.

The current system of school allocations is failing too many local children. We are urging the County Council and the Government to look again at school allocations and work towards finding a better system.

West Dorset Liberal Democrat office staff got into the campaign spirit on Sunday by taking part in a local Fun Run staged by the local charity fundraising organization Dorchester Lions Club. “Being part of a team running for an election is great fun,” said breathless team member Penny Jones, “but nothing could prepare us for a five-mile race up Maiden Castle! We did all make it to the finish line though - and collected funds for a very important cause, our Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.”

The three-strong team “Birds of Liberty” were raising funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, a vital service in West Dorset that is kept airborne only by public donations.

Justine McGuinness, Liberal Democrat candidate for marginal West Dorset, yesterday visited Footprints a faith based community project aimed at halving re-offending in North Square, Dorchester, and met Anthony Sherman who runs the project and former offend Justine McGuinness said:

“I was impressed with work and aims of the Footprints Project. They want reduce the number of victims of crime by halving re-offending rates.

“With over half of prisoners re-offending, it is time to make prison work. It is high time that re-offending rates were tackled and that is why projects like Footprint should be supported. We must get people of out the cycle of re-offending, if we are serious about tackling crime.”

West Dorset’s Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson, Justine McGuinness welcomed Baroness Diana Maddock and Rt Hon Alan Beith MP to Dorchester on Friday 11 February, where they were the guest of honour at a packed Dorset Liberal Democrats Dinner. Alan Beith MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed told the audience: “At the forthcoming elections we must remind people that the Liberal Democrats stand for freedom.” He commented on the growth of and increasing support for the Liberal Democrats.

Also at the dinner was Annette Brook MP for Mid Dorset and Poole North and the Liberal Democrat Dorset County Councillors, led by Cllr Gil Streets MBE.