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December 2021 December 2021
NEWS FROM WESTMINSTER

As we head towards Christmas, I’m sure many of
you are making plans to meet up with family and
celebrate Christmas together. We all hope that
socialising will continue to be easier than last
Christmas, and than it has been in the past 18
months. It is so important that we can, as much as
possible, continue as normal, not least for our
tourism and hospitality, which is so important to us
here in Dorset.
Since I was first elected, hundreds of people have
written to me asking for support for local pubs, and
to reduce the rate of beer duty on beer sold in pubs. When the Chancellor
recently announced changes to alcohol taxation there was good news. The
system is going to be much simpler, with lower taxes for lower alcohol drinks, and
drinks like fruit flavoured cider and sparkling wines. But even more importantly for
our local pubs they will have a 5% reduction in beer and cider duty, meaning
that your pint at the pub will cost less. There is also a business rate discount for
retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses, including pubs and restaurants. Small
craft producers of cider will also benefit from a new tax relief, to go alongside
the existing help for small breweries.
During the recent storms,
numerous trees came down,
and I know that this led to
disruption for many people. I
would like to thank BCP and
Dorset councils for their hard
work in clearing the roads,
and also the volunteers in
communities who worked
together to clear trees
themselves. I recently visited
Corfe Mullen library, to see the
repair work after a tree fell on
it during the storms. I chatted
to local councillors, and heard about the Dorset Council “Let’s Talk Libraries”
consultation. This is asking for your views on how our local libraries are run in the
future, and how they might best serve our communities. You can find the
consultation here https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/let-s-talk-libraries-
consultation There is a general survey, and also a survey for children aged 5-15.
Young people often ask the most challenging questions, but visiting schools is
something that I particularly enjoy. I was pleased to be quizzed recently during

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