Meeting Dorset's MPs

Last night, Jim had the pleasure of attending a brilliantly organised event at the stunning Hall & Woodhouse Brewery in Blandford. A huge thank you to Anthony Woodhouse for pulling together such an enlightening afternoon – the setting was perfect, the conversation was lively, and the topics discussed were of real importance to those of us running and supporting businesses here in Dorset.

As representatives of the Shaftesbury and District Chamber of Commerce, our Chairman Virginia Edwyn-Jones, Paul Stacey and I found the event incredibly valuable. We walked away with a lot to reflect on – and a strong sense of responsibility to share what we’ve learned with our wider membership.

That said, I’ll be honest – some of the discussion left me with more concern than comfort. Like many in the room, I hadn’t fully appreciated the impact that upcoming changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief (APR and BPR) might have on local family businesses. It’s not just farmers who are set to be affected; many small, rural enterprises could find themselves in the firing line. Perhaps I haven’t been reading the news closely enough – but this particular issue had completely passed me by.

It was disappointing that no Labour representative attended, despite clearly having been invited. If you're going to introduce sweeping policy changes that affect the backbone of rural communities, the least you can do is listen to the people impacted. That didn’t happen on this occasion – and that silence spoke volumes.

On a far more positive note, we were incredibly grateful to have two engaged and articulate MPs with us – Simon Hoare and Vikki Slade – who gave up their time to join the conversation and hear our concerns. Both brought a thoughtful, honest approach, and it was refreshing to see national issues being discussed at such a local and accessible level.

As we look ahead to Dorset Day in Parliament, events like this are a powerful reminder that our region has so much to offer – and so much to protect. Let’s keep the pressure on, keep talking, and continue shining a light on the issues that matter most to our businesses and communities.