14th February 2008 - Andrew McLean
Local Councillors and campaigners handing over some of the 1,400 signatures on the petition to save our day care centres.
The campaign to save day care centres across Dorset from closure has succeeded in saving all but one of them.
We would like to thank over fourteen hundred local residents across West Dorset who signed the petitions against closure.
“This huge public response shows how badly people need local care services for our elderly and disabled residents. It helped to force the Conservative-run County Council to make a U-turn,” said Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Sue Farrant.
Even before this round of cuts, the County’s care services were awarded just one star by the independent Commission for Social Care Inspection. That makes them amongst the worst in the country. This is simply not good enough. Care services must be given a higher priority at County Hall. Especially as the number of elderly residents continues to grow.
Liberal Democrats value local services and will carry on leading the campaigns against these cuts. The Conservatives in County Hall are spending £750,000 on consultants this year and want to spend millions on new IT projects. They are out of touch with the needs of local people and have the wrong priorities for Dorset. Liberal Democrats believe the County Council exists to serve local people.
“We are particularly delighted that Beaminster’s day care centre has been saved,” added local councillors Janet Page and Caroline Payne.
3rd January 2008 - Andrew McLean
Lyme Regis residents campaigning against plans to cut opening times by six and a half hours a week!
As well as closing Day Care Centres the Conservative-run County Council has announced plans to cut the opening hours of EVERY LIBRARY!
One that is particularly hard hit is Lyme Regis. At present the library is open for twenty six and a half hours a week but the County Council wants to cut this by a total of six and a half hours to reduce it to just twenty hours!
“They want to close our library for nearly a quarter of the time that it’s currently open for,” says local campaigner Chris Savory. “This is a disaster for all library users.”
“To make matters worse the new opening hours are different every day which will make it harder to remember when the library is open,” added Chris. “These proposals can only lead to confusion and even fewer people using the library. Maybe that’s what they want and then they can make even bigger cuts!”
Lib Dem Councillors have pledged to lead the fight against all of these proposed cuts.
“Two years ago the Conservatives attempted to close 13 libraries altogether,” added Chris Savory. “The Lib Dems and local campaigners led a massive campaign of opposition and we won. We will repeat this and stop these cuts again.”
2nd January 2008 - Andrew McLean
Lib Dem County Councillors, carers and staff protesting outside County Hall against the proposals to close Day Care Centres across the county.
Lib Dem Councillors are battling to save local Day Care Centres and other vital care services from closure.
“This is the second round of cuts in just over two years,” said Dorchester Councillor Richard Biggs. “In 2006 the County Council withdrew free home care and day care centre support for many who are in need. This latest round of cuts will hit the vulnerable and their carers even more.”
These cuts are designed to save just £600,000 - but the County Council has already spent £750,000 on consultants this year alone!
“The Conservatives who run County Hall have got the wrong priorities,” added Bridport Councillor Karl Wallace. “They are wasting too much on consultants and bureaucracy instead of saving front-line services. The result is that those who are in need will suffer.”
15th December 2007 - Andrew McLean
Sue Farrant, Cllr Robin Legg and campaigner Jan Palmer are uniting to back the Trustees in their campaign to stop the sale of Sherborne House.
Sherborne Liberal Democrats have condemned plans to sell Sherborne House as shortsighted and not in the interests of the town.
“The Trustees should be given the chance to create a regional arts centre that we can all be proud of,” said Cllr Robin Legg. “Selling off this important historic building shows an appalling lack of vision by the County Council.”
15th December 2007 - Andrew McLean
Beaminster Councillors
Janet Page and
Caroline Payne discussing the need to keep St. Mary’s Day Care Centre open with local resident and centre user, Mr Albert Dawe.
Dorset County Council chose the season of goodwill to announce that they want to close Beaminster’s Day Centre.
Beaminster is the hub for a large rural area providing a range of valuable services - including St. Mary’s Day Care Centre. People come from miles around to use this service.
St. Mary’s is welcoming and safe, where people find a friendly caring face and familiar staff who can give them the attention that they need. They also have a cooked lunch. For some it is their only chance for a social life and to engage in activities that stimulate the mind and body.
Local Councillor Caroline Payne said, “I have been contacted by several people who use the Day Care Centre. They all spoke of the kindness of the carers and the pleasure of being with their friends in a safe and friendly environment. Someone from Hursey welcomed the opportunity to play Scrabble and the chance to be sociable. The Centre had helped her to ‘get her smile back’ and regain her confidence.”
“I believe that closing Day Care Centres will prove to be a false economy. Without their tonic many elderly people’s health will go downhill. This will cost the NHS far more in the end as well as ruining the final years of their lives.”
22nd October 2007 - Andrew McLean
Sue Farrant with the Mayor of Bridport,
Cllr Geoff Ackerman. Cllr Ackerman is an Associate Member of the Burma Star Association and a member of the Royal British Legion.
Dr Sue Farrant, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset, has launched a petition demanding fairer treatment for service personnel and their families.
The Mayor of Bridport, Cllr Geoff Ackerman, was the first person to sign the petition, which calls on the government to honour the Military Covenant.
Sue Farrant was delighted with the response from the public in Bridport on Saturday morning. “We collected dozens of signatures very quickly,” she said. “People in West Dorset have a strong sense of fairness and they know that the current health and welfare services and the levels of compensation for serious injury are not fair. The Royal British Legion is doing a tremendous job with its campaign and Liberal Democrats are pleased to be able to support them in this way.”
You can sign the petition on-line here.
7th October 2007 - Andrew McLean
Sue Farrant with Mr Frank Smith, who enlisted into the Dorchester Regiment at The Keep on 16 October 1952.
Dr Sue Farrant, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset, has been asked to contribute to an investigation into service personnel’s welfare issues. The work is being led by Nick Harvey, MP for North Devon and the Lib Dem Shadow Defence Secretary.
Sue, once an Army officer herself, has been a specialist in housing management for fifteen years. She told the recent Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton about the very poor conditions she had seen at first hand when she led a review of service family housing in Germany, Gibraltar and Cyprus in 2004.
“Many service families overseas are living in conditions which would be considered totally unacceptable by any council or housing association tenant in this country,” she said during a debate on successive governments’ failure to honour the Military Covenant. “Commanding officers told me of their anger about highly skilled, highly trained men and women leaving the service because they could no longer put up with their spouses and children living in inadequate housing. What an appalling waste. What an appalling injustice.”
Sue also attended an event run by the Royal British Legion to publicise their “Honour the Covenant” campaign. “It is very sad that a campaign like this is necessary,” she said, “But I urge people to support the Royal British Legion in its efforts to get a fair deal for the people who risk their lives on behalf of the rest of us.” The Legion’s campaign website can be found at www.thecovenant.org.uk.
13th September 2007 - Andrew McLean
MP Oliver Letwin will face an experienced Lib Dem challenger when West Dorset next goes to the polls. Dr Sue Farrant was selected by local Party members in a packed Dorchester Town Hall last Saturday.
Born and bred in the Westcountry, Sue was commissioned into the Army after school, reaching the rank of acting captain within a few years. She left to go to Wye College, London University’s faculty of agriculture and related studies, where she gained an honours degree in Rural Environment Studies and went on to be awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy for her research into the role of women in the countryside.
Sue is under no illusions about the difficulties faced by people who struggle with the low wages, poor public transport and acute shortage of affordable housing in rural Dorset. “It is scandalous that one and a half thousand households are currently on the housing waiting list in West Dorset. Many, many more people will be in desperate need of affordable housing to rent or to buy but have not bothered to go on the list because they know there is no point. This situation is a direct result of Conservative policies which the Labour government has done nothing to change. We must provide more affordable housing so that we don’t lose our young people and our skilled workers to cheaper housing areas.”
An active Liberal Democrat campaigner since 1991, Sue is looking forward to fighting this highly marginal seat at the next election. “The Liberal Democrats are continuing to grow in strength in West Dorset. I look forward to building on our success last May when we gained four council seats from the Conservatives,” she said.
When not involved in politics, Sue enjoys hill walking, the visual arts and listening to jazz and classical music. She has two adult children, Ben and Bryony, who live and work in London.
4th May 2007 - Andrew McLean
The Liberal Democrats gained four additional seats on West Dorset District Council in the elections on 3rd May 2007. This brings the total number of Liberal Democrats on the Council to 16, the highest ever figure. Gains were achieved across the District, in Beaminster, Bridport South and Bothenhampton, Dorchester North and Lyme Regis.
The council now has 16 Liberal Democrats (up 4), 26 Conservatives (unchanged) and 6 Independents (down 4).
Congratulations to the following Liberal Democrats who were elected:
Beaminster
Bridport North
Bridport South and Bothenhampton
Burton Bradstock
Cam Vale
Chickerell
Dorchester East
Dorchester North
Dorchester South
Dorchester West
Lyme Regis
A full breakdown of the results is available on the District Council web site.
24th February 2007 - Andrew McLean
Beaminster Cllr Caroline Payne and Gil Streets are working together to keep our countryside safe and quiet from the threat posed by a new law to make Byways Open to All Traffic (B.O.A.T.S.)
“We don’t want to hear 4×4’s and quad bikes roaring up tiny paths disturbing local residents and wildlife and damaging ancient rights of way,” said Caroline.
