High street hospitality venues across Mid Dorset and North Poole face growing pressure, according to MP Vikki Slade, who says a VAT cut could offer immediate relief for local businesses. Polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats shows that more than half of people across the South West are worried about losing their local pub, while many fear the closure of bars, nightclubs, cafés and restaurants. Vikki Slade said local businesses are dealing with rising costs alongside

A DORSET MP is calling for funded school transport to be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds after concerns were raised by students at Purbeck School. Continue reading here

A BCP Green Party councillor says public services need to be brought back into public hands after a regulator found Wessex Water failed to adequately maintain and upgrade its wastewater network. Wessex Water, which provides sewage services in Dorset, has proposed an £11 million enforcement package to avoid being fined £10 million by the Ofwat. The full article can be read here