This week I have been in touch with lots of people in Chard about healthcare there and plans for the future. Although the staffing issues are not unique, they are also not a sign of significant wider problems and we need to work on tackling the issue there, with support from national recruitment and training programmes. I have written to the relevant Government Minister about Springmead surgery closing and suggested amongst other things that we should look at ways to make sure if there are closures then sites are available for new surgeries when GP numbers increase.
Access to NHS dentists is something I have been lobbying the Government on for some time now and structural changes are coming, as well as the recruitment and training of more dentists. I will continue to press for more NHS appointments in the area to be available as soon as possible.
I know lots of residents are concerned with the background of some new housing developments being planned for the area and would encourage the Local Authorities to be more mindful of such infrastructure when considering applications.
Somerset is running a consultation about planning and I would encourage anyone interested in that area to take part and make related points. The council has to publish a Statement of Community Involvement which sets out how they involve various groups in the planning process. A unified approach across the whole of Somerset should be a huge opportunity for strategic things to be done better, but it is essential that very local community networks such as were proposed by Conservatives operate properly within that and have real power, and I am concerned to hear the new Liberal Democrat administration plans instead to centralise decision making on the 5 old Somerset district council geographies which would certainly not live up to the promise. The consultation runs until 16th March so there isn’t much time to have your say.
Proper future engagement in planning is important for at least the following two reasons. First it has been a source of constant complaints over recent years with lengthy delays for applications, unpopular decisions and little regard for infrastructure and facilities. Whether it’s localised flooding or pressure on school places and GP appointments, poor planning is often rightly viewed by those in affected areas as being to blame.
Secondly, some very controversial decisions are being forced through by Councils elsewhere which are at best misguided and maybe more sinister. Places like Bath and Oxford are embracing a rehashed idea of 15 minute cities; the idea that you need not travel more than that time on foot or bicycle to get to anything you may need. Cities are divided up into zones, or "liveable" neighbourhoods. It may sound convenient but the general idea is you don't leave your zone. Roads are closed and fines are proposed for car users who venture into other zones. It's an idea being championed by Anne Hidalgo, the socialist Mayor of Paris, but if you would like to know more about living in a zone you can read online about Bath or Oxford or perhaps the article “Fifteen Minutes to Paradise” on the website Liberal Democrat Voice.