Last year, a consultation was launched for Dorset residents to have a say in the future of their local councils.

For those that missed it, yesterday saw Prime Minister Theresa May set out the Government's 12 point negotiating objectives for Brexit.

I was delighted to recently meet with two local school groups - one from Bournemouth School and one from Park School. I was asked about local issues as well as other issues including Brexit, the crisis in Syria and Donald Trump's election in America.

When we took back Government from Labour all those years ago, Britain’s economy was on the brink of collapse. Six years on we are getting back on our feet, tackling the deficit, raising the non-taxable allowance, and creating more than 2.7 million new jobs too.

Many constituents have contacted me regarding the EU referendum and what this now means for the UK. The referendum turnout was 71.8%, with 30 million people voting.

In relation to the recent ruling regarding the referendum, the Government is disappointed by the Court’s judgement.

On Friday I had a very productive meeting with Directors from both South West Trains and AFC Bournemouth. It was great to bring the two together to discuss Pokesdown for Boscombe station and possible improvements for the future.

For anyone travelling or commuting between London and Bournemouth, the journey time can be frustrating. Despite being only around 100 miles between London and Bournemouth, the journey takes on average just under 2 hours. Some train journeys of 3 hours also still also run between the two.

Dorset Police do an incredible job to keep our community safe. They faces tough budgetary and resource pressures, yet are still able to provide the highest standards of professionalism and dedication, which earns the respect and admiration of residents and visitors alike.

Due to funding cuts and the need to make savings across the county, Dorset’s councils are considering reducing the number of councils in the county from nine to two from 2019. It is important that the views of all those who will be effected by changes are heard, before a decision on whether to restructure councils is made. 

Public consultation will be from 30th August-25th October 2016.