Our Member of Parliament for Poole, Robert Syms, has an additional job: he is now Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury). As a token of his holding this office, Robert received a sealed certificate from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In this new job he serves as a Government whip. We wish him all the best in the role, and remind him that we still value his local work greatly and look forward to seeing him among us in Poole just as often as possible.

The Mayor of Poole’s Pirate Boat Trip is scheduled for Thursday 11th August, 7.15 - 10.30 pm. We will start from Greenslades Boats on Poole Quay and tickets are £22 per person, which includes a fish and chip supper on board.

I am honoured and humbled to have been chosen by the Conservative Party to become its leader.  

The busy stretch of Haven Road in Canford Cliffs Village has just had a new crossing installed at the request of local residents. Conservative Canford Cliffs ward Councillor May Haines says residents are really pleased with it: "The people I have spoken to have said they feel much safer crossing the road, especially those older residents who are a little slower."

The Mayor of Poole, Conservative Councillor for Penn Hill ward Mrs Xena Dion, has officially unveiled the Poole Park Photo Mosaic to commemorate the 125th aniversary of the park. Xena: “It is a fantastic project and a celebration of our heritage. Each photo captures a precious moment in time, and it has been transformed into an artwork. People have been absolutely fascinated by it. Each time you look at it you notice something different.”

The Mayor of Poole, Conservative Councillor for Penn Hill ward Mrs Xena Dion, has officially unveiled the Poole Park Photo Mosaic to commemorate the 125th aniversary of the park. Xena: “It is a fantastic project and a celebration of our heritage. Each photo captures a precious moment in time, and it has been transformed into an artwork. People have been absolutely fascinated by it. Each time you look at it you notice something different.”

Poole has become the first town in Britain to approve a starter home development under new government policy allowing 20 per cent discounts for first-time buyers. Conservative Cllr Peter Pawlowski, chairman of the Borough of Poole planning board, which has just granted permission for the development, said: “This starter home initiative is a first not only for Poole, but for the country as a whole. More importantly, by tapping into this scheme, starter homes at a discount to market price will be provided to help first time buyers in Poole get on the housing ladder.”

Health chiefs have approved a proposal that Royal Bournemouth Hospital should be the main Accident and Emergency centre for Dorset and that Poole Hospital should be classified as an Urgent Care centre. Robert Syms, MP for Poole, has made a statement on the proposed changes.

A big thank-you is due to all our friends and volunteers for their great effort in the PPC election last week. We managed to accumulate 44,568 votes for our candidate Andrew Graham. This compares with the 31,165 votes cast for our PCC candidate Nick King in the 2012 election. We are making progress and can hope to win next time, in 2020!

Poole Conservatives wish HRH Queen Elizabeth II a very happy 90th birthday.