News from Westminster
People sometimes ask where their taxes are spent, and what benefit they see. Central Government has awarded Dorset and BCP Councils in the last 12 months:
- £9.5 million to end rough sleeping by 2025.
- £3.7 million for repairing potholes over the next few years.
- £2 million in Rural England Prosperity Funding to support local businesses and create jobs to grow the rural economy.
- £7.4 million to combat drug and alcohol misuse.
- £1 million to restore and protect local peatlands.
- £670,000 to help older people and those with disabilities to live safely and independently in their own homes.
- £475,000 towards mental health provision.
- £120,000 to improve air quality.
- Over £1.5 million this year for buses
- More funding for schools - both for increasing teachers’ pay, and for building improvements.
That’s just a snapshot of how some of your money is being invested in our area – on top of the household support for these difficult and unprecedented times.
Altogether, Government support subsidised around half of typical households' energy bills last winter, and over 13,000 households in Mid Dorset and North Poole were eligible for the means-tested Cost of Living Payments. If you are eligible there are more Cost-of-Living payments to come – £300 in the autumn and £299 in the spring.
I recently sent out hundreds of surveys about the cost of living, and the support that is available. Thank you to those of you who have completed one of my surveys - many people confirmed that they didn’t know about the Government’s Cost of Living website https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/ where you can find lots of information about the help that is available. Please do take a look. There is also a dedicated section of my website with lots of information about grants and help that is available. I’m really pleased that the energy cap is coming down, which means lower gas and electricity bills.
