Oliver Letwin MP

I have gradually got used to the fact that when I talk about West Dorset in Westminster, a rather far away look is likely to enter the eyes of the person at the other end of the conversation. Although it is not quite the same as talking about Timbuktu, there is an element of similarity.

But [...]

Any regular reader of this column will recall that I have previously written in it about BOATs.

I hasten to add that it is not due to any eccentric nautical concern on my part. The BOATs in question are distinctly landlocked: they are “byways open to all traffic”.

Some while back, 4 x 4 [...]

When is help not helpful?

Answer: when it is not the help you need.

Over the past 15 years, I have come across all too many cases of well-intentioned national schemes, earnestly designed to help people do one thing or another. Alas, they frequently turn out to be more trouble than they are worth.

Form filling is part [...]

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the re-launch of a residential home in a West Dorset village.  It was a very encouraging occasion – not least because this home, which had been rather outdated, was now beautifully crisp and smart, and all without losing any of its former character.

But the most remarkable [...]

As everyone knows, a lot of people in West Dorset are employed at AgustaWestland – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of helicopters. And helicopters have been much in the news lately.

It has become clear that what the experts have been saying all along was right: you can’t fight a modern war in [...]

Recently, a constituent — who will, of course, remain nameless — wrote to me to ask what could be done about the delay in receiving her pension payment.

Luckily, the problem itself is now resolved.

But, in an effort to help make sure that other constituents did not find themselves in a similar position, I put down [...]

It is surprising how often proverbs turn out to be true – and none more so than the proverbial observation that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I came across a striking example of this phenomenon when I visited one of our local Citizens Advice Bureaux the other day.

The particular [...]

I recently visited an amazing enterprise called Farming 4 Life — a farm that is being used to provide a whole new kind of experience for youngsters who are facing one kind of difficulty or another in their school careers..

The story of Farming 4 Life has been covered in the Western Gazette — and rightly [...]

Every so often, something new that comes along makes you wonder why it wasn’t there before.

This was exactly my sensation when I attend the opening of the new Children’s Centre in Bridport.

Having children is, of course, one of the great delights of life. But it can also be very hard work and very daunting [...]

One of the persistent themes of this column over the years has been food.

The fact is that, as well as being something we all care about, food (from farm to customer) is also an extremely important ingredient of West Dorset’s economy.

As I have pointed out in previous columns, we have a quite [...]