Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance celebrated its 25th anniversary on 21st March. In that time, they have flown more than 29,000 missions and saved countless lives. To honour this important milestone, and to show my gratitude for the dedicated service of their members, volunteers, and supporters, I have laid down an Early Day Motion in Parliament so that the whole House can recognise their hard work.
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance survives entirely thanks to the support and donations from our community. However, demand for their help now outstrips the amount they raise each year. Last year they were called out 3,000 times, compared with 800 missions in 2016. If we are to keep this vital and life-saving service, we will need to help them raise more money going forward. I will do everything I can to help.
This week also marked another milestone as I submitted my 400th written question. Being a Liberal Democrat and having campaigned hard on the issue it will come as no surprise that the question was about sewage! In this case, I asked what the Department for the Environment was doing about sewage discharge at Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Depressingly, despite what we all know about the amount of sewage in our rivers and beaches, I discovered the Environment Agency is not currently pursuing any enforcement action against the water companies in the Lyme and Charmouth area. It’s something I will be raising with the Environment Agency.
My last act before heading to the Liberal Democrat autumn conference in Harrogate was to speak in the debate on protections for coastal communities. West Dorset is proudly home to the world-famous Jurassic Coast. However, like many coastal and rural communities, we are often overlooked by London governments and suffer from gross under-funding compared with urban areas. One of the proposals we are lobbying the Government about is the appointment of a dedicated Minister for Coastal Communities to help ensure a better deal for areas such as ours, and to address the funding imbalance so that we can get the vital services we need.
Edward Morello
MP for West Dorset
