Happily for our communities, Andy Burnham has just cut two taxes. The Prime Minister is removing VAT from your electricity bills and introducing 20% business rates relief for pubs, clubs, and live music venues. And, alongside this, he’s capping bus fares at £2.
These are practical steps that will help make everyday life more affordable. They also show our town and country the government’s commitment to tackling the cost of living.
I’m working behind the scenes to bring Beaufort Community Centre back into public use.
Over the past month, with Labour town councillor Patrick Connolly and local champion Simon Adorian, I’m mapping a way forward, and there has been encouraging progress.
The council confirm they will not sell or redevelop the site; they will reopen the building as soon as they can; and the centre should return to community leadership. Now it’s mainly about bringing back lost services, getting the building open, developing new projects and ways of raising money, and finding future community leaders.
Having met again with school leaders, I’m thrilled to see their work behind the scenes, developing an opportunity for childcare and early years support. Having met with local charities interested in delivering services at the centre, I’m delighted by their ambition.
I’m representing local people’s hopes for the centre, as they have been shared directly with me in my survey. Many feel the centre’s potential has been held down for a long time and, clearly, there is an appetite to do more, especially by offering a greater variety of services.
Please share your views by filling in my survey; it will help me to ensure the centre offers services which meet your needs. If you want to attend a meeting about the centre in the future, please also register your interest in joining:
tomhayes.org.uk/beaufort-community-centre
Alongside our community centre, I’m fighting for the future of Kings Park Nursery, Swanmore Gardens pavilion and Charminster Library. These places all matter, but not merely as bricks and mortar. They matter because of the people they bring together.
That’s why I’m pleased to share more good news about our campaigning. After BCP Council planned to cut them, our patrols will be back at their school gates in September.
I know this will come as a relief to parents, pupils and the patrols who keep children safe. It’s welcome news, but we have to secure their position in the long term, and we will!
