25 Sep

A day to be proud of Bridgwater

Bridgwater takes Pride

The 24th September 2023 marked a significant event for Bridgwater – it’s very first Pride March and event.  Meg Boucher, founder of the Solidarity and Compassion Van project, was at the event.

“Walking through town today feels like an sauntering through the pages of Alice in wonderland or at times, the set of the Barbie movie. There’s an abundance of smiles, laughter, colour and an encompassing sense of pride and inclusion. As an ally of the LGBTQI+ movement, I was keen to join the Pride march. I was greeted by the one of the organisers (Bridgwater Independent Market joined forces with Taunton Pride to help us to accommodate the event) who gleefully asked if I would like to hold part of the trailing rainbow which would form the centre of the march. 
It was at this moment I felt a little anxious; I considered what the reaction might be and how it would be received by the community. “

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19 Sep

Towards an Integrated Transport Policy

Transport activists focus on the Bus-Rail link

Bridgwater Town Council Transport Forum has been endeavoring to promote better linkages between Bridgwater Railway Station and Bridgwater Bus Station. Today a major step forward took place when an important meeting was held on site which involved Cllr Mike Rigby Somerset Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Digital; Luke Farley GWR Integrated Transport Lead;  Local Transport campaigner and former Labour Councilor Glen Burrows; Cllr Mick Lerry Mayor of Bridgwater and Cllr Tim Mander Property Portfolio Holder. The main issue revolved around the design fault that means that despite a well laid our car park together with Bus Stop the ability to manoeuvre busses is very limited. However having had the opportunity to see the issues Cllr Rigby felt that with fairly minor alterations the problem could be overcome and he confirmed that integration of train and bus transport in Bridgwater was now one of Somerset Council’s top priorities.

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23 Jul

Somerset’s NHS dentist scandal

Somerset people are having great difficulty in accessing dental services, and many practices have ceased taking new patients. This scandalous lack of dental care was discussed the July meeting of Bridgwater Labour Party, with reports of desperate individuals, some in serious pain, unable to gain access an NHS dentist. Lack of access can have serious consequences for health and well-being, particularly for vulnerable members of our community. Everyone must have access to an NHS dentist. The new requirement for dental practices to regularly update the NHS “Find a Dentist” service, with details of what categories of NHS patients they are accepting is clearly not working, with lack of information from many practices. Labour Party Branch Vice Chair Cllr Tim Mander (Westover) said “It does not take 5 minutes scanning the pages of social media to see that one of the greatest challenges facing the residents of Bridgwater is accessing NHS Dental care. It is nigh impossible to register with an NHS dentist and and registering with the private sector, even if you can afford it, is getting increasingly difficult. But after 13 years of Tory austerity is it surprising that the NHS is on its knees? Unfortunately, the health of the nation is suffering and it is clear only the election of a Labour Government will see steps put in place to address these basic shortcomings.”

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19 Jul

Labour Welcomes Bridgwater Gigafactory

Mayor of Bridgwater Cllr Mick Lerry “Welcomes Green Development opportunities for local workforce”

News breaking this week suggests that finally the long awaited ‘Gigafactory’ – an electric car battery factory to be built  on the Gravity site, could bring huge investment to the Bridgwater area. Cllr Mick Lerry, Mayor of Bridgwater welcomed the news saying “Finally the Government has agreed to provide investment incentives in the Battery Plant at Gravity. This will support the Electric car industry and support many local high skilled jobs for local people. Bridgwater and Taunton College is ready to train the local workforce needed for this green development. Hopefully this will mean that Britain will catch up with other industrial economies. The huge subsidy needed to secure Tata Motors interest in the Gravity site shows the importance of Government investment for electric cars. It will now be important to make sure that local people and businesses in Bridgwater are ready to take advantage of the green investment at Gravity”.

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16 Jul

Labour and Unions Urge Engagement with Railway Ticket Office Consultation

Cllr Tim Mander campaigning at the Railway Station

The government, along with Rail Delivery Group, is proposing to close nearly all ticket offices at rail stations in England. They are carrying out a consultation survey, which we appeal to you to complete. Please use the link below to let them have your views. The consultation closes on 26th July but you can find it here. Cllr Tim Mander (Labour Westover) says “Bridgwater is a growing town and the Town Council wants to see rail services increased and improved. The station building is a fantastic asset and it’s absolutely crucial that we not only maintain but increase the ticket office opening hours. Having station staff on hand to answer queries and reassure the public and train passengers is fundamental to operating a successful and sustainable rail service. Stripping out staff and relying on passengers using online or machine ticketing excludes the vulnerable, elderly and disabled and is not the way to run a public transport system”

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