As I write it’s been a difficult week for West Dorset, with Storm Chandra bringing torrential rain, some areas seeing more than 55mm in a matter of hours. Coming hot off the back of two other storms in January, the ground is sodden, the sewers are overwhelmed, and there is widespread flooding. Whole villages have become islands, schools have closed, residents have been unable to get to work or to the shops. Right now we desperately need a dry spell to allow the water to dissipate.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service, along with all our emergency services, have been doing a fantastic job supporting residents during this crisis and I pay huge tribute to their hard work.
Many of you will have seen that the Fire Chief has recently announced a consultation on station closures. This is a result of the ‘long-term funding settlement’ (for long-term read three years) announced by the Government, which will result in our fire service having £1.2m less in year one than it requires. The deficit only increases in years two and three. The Fire Service strongly disputes the underlying assumptions that the Treasury used when working out Dorset & Wiltshire’s allocation, and having gone through the numbers with them I agree. This week at Treasury Questions I raised it with the Chancellor and ask that she meet with me and the Fire Service, to review the numbers. Sadly the Treasury declined, but I will be writing to her in the hope we can still secure a meeting.
This past week has shown just how vital our fire service is when crisis hits, and how important it is they have the funding they need.
Sadly, this is just another example of where Treasury funding formulas fail to reflect the reality of life in rural Britain. In a speech in Westminster Hall this week I explained how the same issue impacts children’s services. While the Government is bringing forward legislation designed to improve service provision, unless the funding formula is altered to reflect the challenges faced by rural communities, places like West Dorset will continue to receive less than their urban counterparts.
This needs to change.
Edward Morello MP
West Dorset (LibDem)
