Huge controversy in the Ashes this week as Jonny Bairstow was stumped when he thought the ball out of play. Although within the rules it seemed a keener appeal than some captains might wish to sustain and even the Prime Minister has got involved to voice an opinion on it. The Australian press haven’t been very sympathetic to put it mildly, recalling the infamous "Bodyline" series, and scenes of player abuse in the hallowed Long Room were arguaby less sporting than anything on the pitch. I think though that beneath some of the outrage lots of us love a bit of controversy in sport. Needle and rivalries can raise elite sportspeople to even greater determination. It is also brilliant to have an international dialogue about something like a wicket in the Ashes after so many sports and other hobbies were cancelled during the pandemic. Yeovil Town FC are being reinvigorated and we have the traditional weather for Wimbledon. Long may it continue.
One thing I hope doesn’t continue for much longer is the Yeovil Refresh work. Local shops have a hard enough time facing online competition without lengthy upheaval and I hope that at the very least the Council will expedite this now and have better communication with businesses. I have asked for reassurances on these points.
Having raised the issue with Government some time ago, I am pleased to see the new NHS workforce plan includes incentives to make dentists spend time treating NHS patients. It may include a “tie-in” after completing training and, although I understand the British Dental Association has concerns about this, it is increasingly clear the contract for NHS work needs to change in order to get eligible patients NHS appointments. There will be some negotiation on this, I am lobbying for more funding and local training solutions and it will take a while to filter down but I hope it will make a difference to some of our towns and villages. In the longer term the model needs to change as what can be provided technically to private patients is much higher standard if expensive and dentists understandably want to be involved in high quality health outcomes.
Earlier this week eight new laws received Royal Assent which means they are officially on the statute book. This stage doesn’t get much publicity but it’s a good example of Parliament quietly being effective. They include a ban on import and export of shark fins, cleaning up retained EU laws, protections for vulnerable tenants and regaining control of our financial services regulations and making them more competitive and growth focused.
I hope our children are enjoying the last few days of the school year and those leaving school go on to new and exciting things. Also, good luck to all the parents for the summer holidays. Let's hope we get most of the rain out of the way before the holidays start.