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Woodspring to become North Somerset….
A Short Introduction to Woodspring
The history of Woodspring as a Constituency is relatively short. It was created by the Boundary Commission in 1983 following the realignment of the constituencies of Weston-Super-Mare and North Somerset. The new area created between the new constituencies of Weston-Super-Mare and Wansdyke was named Woodspring.
The constituency extends between two rivers with the Avon running along the north-east edge and the Congresbury Yeo to the south. It includes the three main towns of Clevedon on the west coast, Nailsea to the south, and Portishead to the north, along with smaller surrounding villages like Backwell, Easton-in-Gordano, and Long Ashton.
Being located between the two large urban areas of Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare, many of the local towns are home to commuters although with the major redevelopment of Portishead docks and Bristol International Airport located in the constituency many new jobs are being created locally.
Changing Boundaries
Whenever the next General Election is called the constituency of Woodspring will change in both shape and in name. In 2000 a review by the Boundary Commission of England was conducted into the boundaries that make up the constituencies of Woodspring and Weston-Super-Mare. This review concluded that Wrington ward, which had been split between the two constituencies, should be entirely encompassed by Woodspring and that the constituency itself should be renamed ‘North Somerset’.
The new constituency of North Somerset will officially be made up of 23 wards: Backwell, Clevedon Central, Clevedon East, Clevedon North, Clevedon South, Clevedon Walton, Clevedon West, Clevedon Yeo, Easton-in-Gordano, Gordano, Nailsea East, Nailsea North and West, Pill, Portishead Central, Portishead Coast, Portishead East, Portishead Redcliffe Bay, Portishead South and North Weston, Portishead West, Winford, Wraxall and Long Ashton, Wrington, and Yatton.
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| Liam is a strong supporter of moves to restore Portishead's rail service. |
Local News and Issues
Expansion of Bristol International Airport
Bristol Intentional Airport’s Master Plan for the development of the airport currently aims to handle 9 million passengers by 2015 (up from 4.5 million in 2004). There are a number of concerns regarding this plan: that the impact on regional economies has not been properly studied, that the local infrastructure is inadequate to deal with the planned expansion, and the increased noise associated with more flights. Liam has said “I am not against all airport expansion, but we should expect objective data to form a part of the Government's case, as well as considerations of environmental issues and local transport infrastructure. As it stands I do not believe that BIA has made a good enough case for expansion”.
New Rail Links Needed to the Region
With a population of about 20,000 and thousands more homes currently being planned, Portishead is one of the fastest-growing towns in the country. In the House of Commons Liam said “The consequence of the growth in housing and population in Portishead, combined with inadequate transport infrastructure, has resulted in what is now probably the most overcrowded cul-de-sac in Britain. The Portishead railway action group has carried out an extensive analysis of the possibility of extending the current service to Severn Beach and on to Portishead. The proposed service could be operated without conflicting with other passenger services at key junctions, and safety margins could be maintained. The scheme delivers on all four regional transport strategy objectives. It would reduce the impact of transport on the environment, securing better access to work and creating a modern, efficient and integrated transport system. Unless the situation is dealt with comprehensively, the quality of life for many residents of an expanding Portishead will diminish unnecessarily.”
School Shortages
Local residents have been petitioning to increase the availability of school places for children in and around Long Ashton. 23 children who live in the village have been unable to get a place for 2008. Liam has been contacted by a number of residents about the issue and will be continuing to work with residents and North Somerset Council to resolve it. He has said that “ the Government sets unrealistic housing targets without giving local authorities the money to provide adequate infrastructure, including school places. Clearly, this is not going to be a one off problem and I think it is imperative that the Council tries to assess the scale of this problem in the years ahead to determine what increases in local capacity will be needed to prevent an ongoing recurrence of this year’s difficulties.”
Bovine Tuberculosis Spread
In the last 10 years the number of cattle slaughtered because of infection by Bovine Tuberculosis has risen seven-fold. The problem is projected to cost to the taxpayer approximately £300 million by 2012/13. Liam has met with many local farmers affected by TB and also with the National Farmers Union to discuss the issue. He has called for the Government to get on top of this serious disease, including the increased use of the gamma interferon test in hot spot areas and the urgent licensing of a vaccine for badgers. He said “We all want to see healthy wildlife alongside healthy cattle, but unless action begins soon the prospect of either is bleak.”
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| Liam presenting the debating trophy to Ashley Fisher and Benjamin Harris of Nailsea School |
WOODSPRING
SCHOOLS PARLIAMENTARY DEBATING COMPETITION - FINAL 14TH NOVEMBER
2008
When John Reith founded the BBC in 1922 it’s mission statement
was ‘to inform, educate and entertain’, all of these
elements were much in evidence at the final of the Woodspring
Schools Parliamentary Debating Competition. The competition was
founded in 1993 by Liam, and involves all state secondary schools
within the original Woodspring constituency boundary. In this
year’s finals, which were held at Chew Valley School, were
two teams from St Katherine’s School in Pill and a record
four teams from Nailsea School. In one of the best-fought debates
in the history of the competition, the team of Benjamin Harris
and Ashley Fisher from Nailsea School were triumphant in their
arguments against the motion ‘ This House believes that
the BBC is no longer a National Asset’.
Strong view were put forward by both sides of the ‘House’,
among the comments were “catastrophic errors would occur
if broadcasting fell into the hands of the inexperienced”,
and “the BBC readily embraced changes especially in relation
to technology”. The recent debacle involving Jonathan Ross
and Russell Brand was high on the list of evidence both for and
against the corporation, some said in the BBC’s defence
“immediate disciplinary action was taken against the perpetrators”,
the Government teams argued that the corporation did not go far
enough in it’s punishment of such highly “paid for
by the taxpayers” broadcasters. In the Opposition corner
it was argued that the BBC had a wide reaching audience, and that
this one incident did not tarnish it’s entire reputation.
Among the services championed by the Opposition were, the long
range shipping forecast, farmer’s weather, and the many
educational aspects of the BBC network. There are 51 radio stations
serving a wide variety of listeners. BBC ‘Bite-Size’
is a boon to students helping them with their studies, and that
commercial radio and television belittled the British public’s
ability to choose for themselves what breakfast cereal to eat
and which shampoo to use ‘because you are worth it!’
The Government bench quoted evidence that the BBC is not always
well received abroad, stating that the BBC has been banned in
Israel over it’s political bias. The practice of ‘hammocking’
bad programmes in between good ones to boost ratings was also
placed before the opposition, along with an endless list of repeat
programmes, fly on the wall documentaries wallowing in peoples
peculiar living and eating habits.
The much vaulted ‘Celebrity Culture’ was another argument
against the BBC, who appeared to some debaters promoted by the
BBC as a realistic way of life especially to vulnerable young
people. A poll commissioned by Ofcom found that 41% of television
viewers were against paying a licence fee, and it was argued that
the public should choose which broadcasters they support based
on the quality of programmes. On the opposition benches they argued
that too much opinion was based on television coverage, when actually
the BBC has so much more to offer that just TV programmes.
When the two sides of the ‘House’ had completed their
arguments, the audience acting as ‘backbenchers’ had
their say, followed by a vote for or against the motion. The opposition
won by an overwhelming majority against the motion.
The two winners Benjamin Harris and Ashley Fisher both aged 16
have their eyes on a place at Oxford University, Ashley to read
Chemistry and Benjamin Maths. They both credited their success
to the Nailsea teams’ debating coaches, Ms Windo and Mrs
Harris at Nailsea School. Benjamin also has a keen interest in
International Politics – maybe we should ‘watch this
space’!
The panel of judges for the final round were Jacob Rees-Mogg –
Conservative Parliamentary candidate for North East Somerset,
Nigel Ashton - Leader of North Somerset Council and Director of
Accommodation Unlimited - Peter Ellis. Norwich Union Life and
Woodspring Conservatives sponsored this years’ competition.
The winners will be given a tour of the Houses of Parliament and
be entertained for lunch with Liam at the House of Commons to
celebrate. All of the participating runners up are invited to
a tour of the Houses of Parliament, after which they will enjoy
tea at the House with Liam.
Hélène Vaughan
19th November 2008 |
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