One in three of us yearns to throw in the day job and set up on our own. In this month’s Letter from the Editor, Laura mulls over the realities of running your own business – who on earth would actually do it, and why do they love it? The reader’s letters are rather dominated by the reaction to the suspension of the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt story the BV ran last month.
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In politics, Simon Hoare MP’s varied March musings include championing British farming, lambing season, community advocacy and Government collaboration. Ken Huggins writes for the Green Party, and is calling for us all to protest, protest and again protest. Gary Jackson, the North Dorset Lib Dems candidate, is calling on the government to act with prudence, and urges it to do no more harm. And in his final column for the BV, Pat Osborne of North Dorset Labour is keen to point out that the county’s much-vaunted new second home tax is a pointless cash cow policy.
Lucy Nolan, Dorset’s only Accredited Pet Gundog Instructor (APGI), chats to Jenny about her work and the dogs she helps. It’s not about training gundogs for work – there’s a huge rise in working dogs being kept as pets, and as Lucy points out ‘With working breeds you must give them a job, otherwise they go self-employed!’ • Lucy runs Adhara Dog Training – https://www.adharadogtraining.co.uk/
Though there’s been TB testing at Rawston this month, James Cossins’ thoughts are fixed firmly on the national picture and finding a way forward
Rolling the fields at Rawston in the late 1960s
As ever with farming, the weather is having the upper hand here at Rawston Farm. The constant rainfall during February has meant that very little field work has been done – especially compared with last year, when February was one of the driest on record. We have carried out another TB test this month and we are very nearly clear, with just one animal to retest. Yet again fingers are crossed that in 60 days when the animal is retested, we go clear and can start selling our beef cattle at sensible values.
Lose 20% of your income It won’t have escaped most people’s attention that the NFU had their annual conference in Birmingham in February. After six years as President, Minette Batters retires from the post to be replaced by Tom Bradshaw. Minette has worked relentlessly during this period representing the farming industry to politicians, government institutions, supermarkets and many more. She has been the face of agriculture to the wider public through the difficulties such as Brexit, the COVID pandemic and the fight for British farming in the recent trade deals. I would like to extend my thanks to her for all she has done for our industry.
James Cossins at home on Rawston Farm
It was interesting that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended the conference – the last time a Prime Minster attended (Gordon Brown) it was also an election year. We have had assurances from the Government that they are fully behind us, but it appears that the current financial incentives are the opposite, with encouragement being given to leave productive land empty, to rewild and not to produce food. Maybe on poor and unproductive land this is understandable, but it should not be encouraged on good food-producing land. We only produce about 65 per cent of our nation’s food at the moment. Surely we don’t want to cut production further and rely more heavily on imported food? Often the imported foods have lower standards of production and come from unsustainable sources such as removed rainforests. With the current insecurity in the world, we shouldn’t rely on imported food.
Minette Batters has worked relentlessly for six years, representing the farming industry to politicians, government institutions and supermarkets
I have been asked recently why the English farmers are not out protesting with their tractors as farmers are across Europe. In the UK I believe the last thing we want to do is upset our customers by disrupting their daily activities. Across the channel, the European Union is trying to enforce certain measures which would make farming even more difficult than it already is. The EU want to reduce the amount of inputs that farmers can use to grow crops, meaning that the amount of food they would be able to produce would be dramatically reduced, consequently reducing their income. Closer to home, in Wales there is a proposal put forward by the Welsh government that ten per cent of farmed land be planted to trees and a further ten per cent be left as set-aside. Again this would have a dramatic effect on their incomes. The English government has produced a sustainable farming incentive scheme which rewards farmers for carrying out activities that benefit the environment. Farmers can choose from a wide range of options like hedgerow management, not putting fertiliser on grassland, not using insecticides on crops, sowing cover crops and planting unproductive parts of field with wild flowers or food for wild birds. Every farmer has the choice to enter the scheme and consequently be financially rewarded for doing so.
Well done George! Finally, congratulations to my fellow BV columnist George Hosford, who was announced as the South West regional winner of the Meurig Raymond award at the NFU conference. The prestigious annual award is presented to the member who goes above and beyond as an NFU member. George was specifically recognised for the work he does in educating the public, especially children, on where their food comes from and what farmers are doing for the environment. The judges said ‘George’s passion for education, the agricultural sector and the environment is second to none. His enthusiasm is infectious. An eternally positive voice, not scared to question and hold to account, he will ask the difficult questions in a constructive manor, holding policy makers to account and working hard to safeguard the future of the farming sector which he so clearly loves.’
£22 – signed special editions in stock now The history of the Middle Ages is typically the story of the rich and powerful – there’s barely a written note for most people’s lives. Now, cutting-edge science can give us a new understanding of the past – one more intimate and inclusive than ever before. The seven stories in Crypt are not comforting tales. We meet the victims of the St Brice’s Day Massacre. We see a society struggling to make sense of disease, disability and death, as incurable epidemics sweep through medieval Europe. We learn of a protracted battle between Church and State that led to t the destruction of the most famous tomb in England, and we come face to face with the archers who went down with Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose. ‘We are using the same techniques that we use to track diseases now. We are using the same techniques to sequence DNA – just from very, very old bones. Rather than a swab to the mouth, you take DNA from the bones. It gives you an extraordinary insight into families through time.’
The Ladder: Life Lessons from Women Who Have Scaled the Heights and Dodged the Snakes by Cathy Newman £18.99
Journalist and presenter of Channel 4 News Cathy Newman’s new book The Ladder brings together discussions between women – about work, love, growth, challenge, the big decisions and the stories of their lives. Offering inspiration and wise counsel from some of the world’s most acclaimed and influential women, this book is an insight and a trove of solidarity. It talks about change, anger, illness, imposter syndrome, self-knowledge, purpose, how to not panic in a crisis and how to stop worrying you’re boring. Amid the pages are discussions with women who have achieved extraordinary things in their fields and pursuits, from scientists like Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, activists like Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, film-makers like Waad Al-Kateab, religious leaders like Rose Hudson-Wilkin and broadcasters like Joan Bakewell.
Employ My Ability offers vocational training for students with learning disabilities and special educational needs and disabilities. One of their students, Maddie Walters, spent her work experience with us, and now writes a regular column – Ed
Bird-watching has always been popular. Across the UK, more than half a million people took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch 2023, counting and reporting on more than nine million birds! The Big Garden Birdwatch is a public survey, involving people tracking the types of birds – and how many of them – can be seen in their garden. Collectively it builds a picture of bird activity in gardens across the UK. Click here if you would like more information about how YOU can take part! Looking at this year’s results, the top three birds seen in Dorset gardens are the blue tit, the house sparrow and the starling. But rare birds are sometimes seen as well! This year in Dorset there have been confirmed sightings of the Eurasian goshawk and common chiffchaff (Siberian)! The Eurasian goshawk is a forest-dwelling hawk with pale eyebrows and orange eyes. The common chiffchaff is a very plain and dull, more brownish bird overall with pale eyebrows and dark legs. Have you seen on in your garden? If you do see a bird and don’t know what it is, this online identifier tool might help If you want to make your garden more bird-friendly here are some ideas: Put out bird food on a bird table and in feeders. Try seeds for sparrows and finches, fat balls for tits, and fruit and worms for thrushes and robins. Try to put out only what will get eaten, so there’s nothing left to go off Put out fresh water and make sure you clean feeders and tables regularly Provide safe nesting places by planting native trees and shrubs, or putting up nest boxes or a bird box. A bird box can substitute for a tree-hole and many birds will move in the autumn to get ready for winter. If bird-watching appeals to you, why not join a local bird watching group? Take a look at Dorset Bird Club on Facebook, where you can join events, talk birds – and of course report any rare sightings!
Chris Loder MP is a long-time advocate for the new Council Tax premiums on second homes to combat housing inequality in Dorset
Chris Loader
You may have seen the news last month that second homes in Dorset will be subject to a 100 per cent Council Tax premium from 1st April 2025. In addition to the Second Homes Tax, from 1st April this year, properties classified as long-term empty and unoccupied will pay a 100 per cent Council Tax premium. I have consistently campaigned for the introduction of a second homes tax; back in September, I raised the issue directly with the Chancellor. We have a particularly high concentration of second homes in West Dorset, compared with other parts of the county. This is especially so for our villages and hamlets, including those in and around Sherborne and Bridport. Recent figures suggest that there are now more than 2,000 second homes in the county, many of them unoccupied for long periods. It’s an issue that affects much of rural Britain, and it’s unfairly preventing hard-working, locally-born residents in West Dorset from getting onto the property ladder. It also risks zapping the life and character out of our rural communities. The introduction of a Second Homes Tax in West Dorset is only permissible because of the Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which I voted for at every stage in Parliament. The legislation also allows for greater localised control over the growth of short-term lets, which are an additional issue in rural areas. New regulations, aimed at addressing the rise in properties used as short-term lets, will be introduced by the summer. They include mandatory registration of short-term let properties and the introduction of a new separate class of planning terms. In addition, where there are local concerns about the over-concentration of short-term lets, Dorset Council can require a planning application for change of use of a dwelling. Taken together, these measures represent a significant step towards protecting our local communities and our way of life in rural Britain.
Over the border In other news, the topic of local government finance in our neighbour, Somerset, has once again been in the news. Many of our region’s local authorities have been setting their budgets this week. Somerset Council has proposed an increase of 4.99%in Council Tax. But we ought not to forget that the Liberal Democrat administration in Somerset only weeks ago lobbied the Government for an additional 5% increase, which would have seen an enormous hike in people’s bills in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. And it still doesn’t detract from the overall view that at all tiers – parish, town, and county – Somerset residents are facing prospective tax increases on an unprecedented level. We need to again ask why Somerset Council thinks it is acceptable for Somerset’s taxpayers to shoulder the cost. It was, after all, under the Liberal Democrats’ leadership that the black hole* in this council’s finances ballooned from £38 million to £100 million – a deficit of £62 million that’s pushed Somerset to near-bankruptcy. Tax rises have also now been confirmed for nearby Yeovil, where the Lib-Dem run town council has approved its biggest ever tax rise: a Band D home in the town faces a 90% increase and will pay an extra £130 a year. Taunton residents will also be facing an eye-watering increase, where another Lib Dem-run town council voted through a 179% increase in Council Tax – a Band D home in the county town will pay an extra £192 a year. In addition, Somerset residents in towns such as Langport, Somerton, Martock, have parish precepts within the top 50 in England, costing households as much as £325 a year… As always, I’d be most interested to know your views on these topics. You can contact me by email: [email protected] and you can keep up to date with my latest news by visiting chrisloder.co.uk or write to me at House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
Ed. note: The Conservatives ran the former Somerset County Council from 2009 to 2022.
From roadside rubbish to recycling innovations, Rupert Hardy takes a look at the seemingly neverending battle against litter in the UK
Litter on A31 at Winterborne Zelston Image: Rupert Hardy
Littering in Britain is a disgrace – and worse than in most of Europe. CPRE has been active campaigners to stop it for years. In 2008, CPRE’s then-president, Bill Bryson, launched the Stop the Drop campaign against litter and fly-tipping. Around the country, 225 groups joined the campaign, picking up more than 30,000 bags of litter. The campaign was front-page news in The Times, and millions of people watched Bill Bryson’s spin-off BBC Panorama programme, Notes from a Dirty Island. But the success was short-lived. Dorset CPRE has been involved in litter campaigning since we started the Rural Litter Initiative in 2003 – a precursor to the current Litter Free Dorset (LFD), which does a brilliant job on a limited budget, funded by Dorset Council and Wessex Water. The campaign also supports lots of voluntary groups, focusing on changing people’s behaviour and working with businesses to reduce packaging etc. However, it is an endless battle, with litter endangering our environment, our wildlife and our economy in spite of increased environmental awareness. But what is the solution?
Reducing roadside litter Roadside litter not only impacts our environment but it is costly to clear up. Litter on the A1 in east Dorset is a particular eyesore between December and spring, when the verges are cleared. Overall, litter costs UK taxpayers more than £1 billion a year. Most people say it makes them angry and frustrated, but it can also affect mental health. Why do people just throw their rubbish out of their car window? Understanding motivation is a key part of finding a solution, and educational campaigns can certainly help to reduce littering. The tougher fines introduced last year might help too, but enforcement has been limited. It doesn’t help that National Highways removed litter-free standards as a key performance indicator. The Clean Up Britain campaign is currently taking National Highways to court over its obligations. One recent idea has been Love Your Verge, a countywide collaboration between Dorset Council and LFD. The verges in Dorset host a wide range of wildlife and need protecting. The campaign promotes the council’s verge management, aimed at encouraging roadside biodiversity, partly by less frequent cutting and also by reducing littering. However, funds are limited in these days of financial cutbacks. Dorset drivers can also now use dashcam footage to report to the council incidents of rubbish being thrown from cars. A spokesman from Dorset Council said that every single report received is acted upon. All drivers around Dorset are encouraged to take action against litter thrown from vehicles by reporting incidents using the online form here.
Other litter campaigns Single-use plastic is a big problem for the environment even before it pollutes our rivers and oceans. Chemicals derived from fossil fuel production are used to make most plastics. Last year it was finally announced that a range of polluting single-use plastics, such as cutlery, would be banned from October 2023. The ban is part of the government’s latest round of policies to cut down on plastic packaging, but it could have gone further. This year LFD has a Bring Your Own campaign aimed at getting consumers to take their own cutlery, cups and lunch-boxes when visiting cafés and shops. It is going well so far, with 100 Dorset businesses already joining the campaign. One nationally-popular idea has been the award-winning Refill campaign, which aims to make refilling your water bottle as easy and cheap as possible by introducing refill points on every street. Refill is asking cafés, shops and businesses to welcome anyone to refill their water bottles with good old tap water – for free! It has been rolled out successfully along the beaches of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with the introduction of 150 refill points. Meanwhile, LFD its providing portable ashtrays made from seaweed paper in the oddly named Beach Buttholder campaign. Following some terrible heath fires in Dorset in recent years, Litter Free Dorset is working hard to stop the sale of disposable barbecues. It has had considerable success with many major retailers, including Waitrose, permanently removing them from sale.
Deposit return scheme For 15 years now, CPRE has been campaigning for a deposit return system (DRS), where a small deposit would be applied on any drinks container, which is then refunded when it is returned for recycling. We encouraged Damers First School in Dorchester to write to Michael Gove to back such a return system in 2018, and a group from the school had the opportunity to meet the Minister. The launch of a plastic bottle DRS in England was finally announced by the government last year, due to start in 2025 – but it will not include glass. That failure, which was a 2019 manifesto promise, is a major missed opportunity.
What can you do? Gillingham Litter Pickers and Hilltop Litter Pickers (Shaftesbury) are just two of the voluntary groups that organise regular litter picking in North Dorset. Lots of villages organise annual litter picks. At Ansty, it is a great community event to pick up a lorry-load of rubbish, followed by a barbecue lunch. Do join them! If you want to join or start a litter picking group, or borrow equipment, it is easy. LFD does a lot of work in this area, so see litterfreedorset.co.uk where you will find a range of resource material to get you started. Overall, there have been some wins – but there is still a lot of litter to pick!
This month Conservative and LibDem Councillors approved proposals for a 100 per cent premium on council tax for second homes. With around 5,500 households on Dorset Council’s housing register, you’d be forgiven for hoping that this might be intended to alleviate a housing emergency in Dorset caused by a failure of local housing policy from Conservative-run councils for the last 35 years. Not so. First, the policy is likely to do precious little to encourage second homeowners to free up their properties for those with more pressing housing needs – not least because second homeowners will tend to be wealthy enough to cover the additional costs of the privilege of owning a second home. But with house prices ten to 12 times a typical salary for the area, Dorset people in housing need would simply not be able to afford to buy those properties even if the increased premium were to result in a flurry of second homeowners offloading their country pads. Second, while Tory councillors also voted for 40 per cent of the revenue raised from the second home premium to be ring-fenced to support the provision of affordable housing in Dorset, in December they reaffirmed their position that they would not be investing in council housing. Dorset Councils owns no council houses and demand for social housing is met exclusively by private housing associations, so it is unclear how exactly this money might be used to support the provision of affordable housing. As such, Conservative housing policy in Dorset remains confused, insincere and totally inadequate. The 100 per cent premium on council tax for second homes is just the latest example of this. Instead of a solution, it’s a cynical ‘cash cow’ that has precious little to do with meeting housing need in Dorset, and much more to do with filling the growing funding gap for other critical frontline services that have been continually eroded by Tory cuts to local authority funding since 2010. Pat Osborne North Dorset Labour Party
We are very sad to announce the passing of Jean Oswald of Castle Cary on the 5th March 2024, aged 93.
Funeral service at St. Michael’s Church, North Cadbury on Friday 5th April 2024 at 2.00p.m.
Family flowers only please.
Donations in memory of Jean for Christian Aid may be sent c/o A. J. Wakely & Sons, The Old Police Station, Carrington Way, Wincanton, BA9 9JS. Tel: 01963 31310. Please make cheques payable to Christian Aid.
Last week saw the annual North Dorset Careers Fair at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton, run by Dorset Careers Hub. More than 700 local students attended throughout the day, with invaluable opportunities to hear from a diverse group of employers, apprenticeship and training providers, and local education organisations – the fair buzzed with energy as young people browsed potential pathways to future careers. The BV was fortunate to gain exclusive interviews with some of the key exhibitors and attendees, shedding light on their experiences and the impact of the event.
The first hall at the North Dorset Careers Fair in Sturminster Newton
Amfax is a world class test engineering system solutions provider based in Blandford, delivering automated test equipment to the aerospace, defence, rail & transport, telecoms and energy marketplaces. Samantha Stocker explained that the firm is keen to engage with young people: ‘In the UK we have a skill shortage in engineering and science. Fairs like this really help to open up opportunities and broaden the horizons of a new generation. And hopefully that carries forward, and will in turn help the company and the community. For me personally, it’s also about trying to get girls interested in the STEM subjects, it’s something I’m deeply passionate about.’
A small family building firm started in West Dorset in 1918 by Charles George Fry has grown over the last century, and C G Fry & Son is now a leading regional construction firm – the company operates throughout the south west from Hampshire to Cornwall. Sarah Pilling, Business Development Manager, explained why career fairs were so important for the firm: ‘With the skills shortages in the construction industry we are working with training providers to invest in the next generation. There is no doubt that motivated apprentices and trainees are a great prospect to create the best team members for the future, and we’re keen to make young people aware of the incredible range of careers within the industry, from academic through to trades. A lot of people think construction is just about the trades – being a plasterer, a bricklayer, a carpenter etc. But there are so many opportunities and openings; we need architects, surveyors, construction managers … For us, this is a brilliant opportunity to talk about the industry as a whole, and try and engage the next generation with the vast opportunities that are available within it.’
‘Realising that it’s not just doctors and nurses, but that they employ chefs and electricians and plumbers.’ Claire Brown from Shaftesbury School explained the benefit of young people coming and talking to an employer like the NHS
The careers fair wasn’t just about employment, however. Also present were various education establishments offering a range of opportunities beyond the standard GCSE and A level route. Sexey’s School from Bruton were present at the fair, and Director of Sixth Form John Moise explained why it was a beneficial trip for them: ‘We get to talk to students who may not consider a move for their A Levels. We’re predominantly based in South Somerset, but because we have a boarding house as well as day pupils, students from North Dorset are able to come and study with us and enjoy the benefits of the great A level results that we get. We chat to the students, talk to them about the options that they’re taking for GCSEs and help them think long term about what they might want to do, what careers they might go into. It’s literally just about broadening their horizons, perhaps explaining that you don’t have to stay where you’ve always been.’
Sexey’s Director of Sixth Form John Moise is excited to talk to a range of students: ‘It’s literally just about broadening their horizons, perhaps explaining that you don’t have to stay where you’ve always been.’
Dorset’s land-based college Kingston Maurward was also present. ‘Attending careers fairs such as this is a vital part Kingston Maurward’s work,’ said Steph Addison, Business Development and Schools Liaison. ‘It’s a great way for us to showcase further education opportunities in land-based and affiliated industries to young people in and around Dorset. Our attendance is key in ensuring land-based provision continues and thrives, meaning we can continue to fill skills gaps in rural industries.’
Steph Addison (centre) Business Development and Schools Liaison at Kingston Maurward College, says attendance at careers fairs is ‘key in ensuring land-based provision continues and thrives
Claire Brown, careers lead at Shaftesbury School, had accompanied a group of students to the fair. She agrees the success of a good careers fair is in offering a wider vision of a young person’s future: ‘Career Fairs like this are really important in terms of showing young people what their options are when they get to 16 and 18, realising the range of different opportunities that are available to them. We find it’s also a great motivational boost, often spurring a burst of ambition and aspiration. Seeing all the different options can get them really thinking about the future and what they can go on to do.
‘Some that are not aware of an apprenticeship, it’s not necessarily something that they would have considered. It’s not just about the trades, there’s so many things you can do with apprenticeships. And, again, the ones that haven’t necessarily considered university can come and have a chat with universities but also speak to different employers. Some they’ve heard the name locally, like CG Fry, but they don’t necessarily know what they do. Or they may know what they do, but they don’t consider how many different job roles are in that area, like the NHS for example. Realising that it’s not just doctors and nurses, but that they employ chefs and electricians and plumbers.’
