Following the Government’s announcement in December last year regarding the funds to be made to local councils for 2016/17, a large amount of disquiet has been expressed across Dorset.
In response to the situation a debate was held in Parliament in which Simon Hoare MP for North Dorset spoke. Simon made clear that he thought the settlement was lacking in fairness and would cause significant harm to Dorset services.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Simon Hoare MP said: “All we are asking for is equity and fairness—for the same rules to be applied across the piece.”
''This is a very poor and disappointing deal for my county of Dorset. My residents and councillors, and the officers who work flat out in my county and district councils, are only asking for equity and fairness. The current proposal delivers neither. It would reduce Local Government to being neither sustainable nor deliverable. In its current form, I cannot support it.”
Simon Hoare MP said: “The debate was extremely interesting as many of my Tory colleagues criticised it from their own perspectives. The most important role I have as North Dorset’s MP is to speak up for my constituents. On this crucial matter I shall continue to do so and believe that the Government will respond positively.”
The full debate and the rest of Simon’s speech can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/