Campaigns
Grassroots, Evidence, and the Road Not Taken: Rethinking the Glastonbury TrainLink Debate
The Glastonbury Trainlink team were actively working to stimulate demand for bus usage, which is exactly the kind of approach we need, i.e. community grassroots driven. They also carried out valuable groundwork in community engagement, with Parishes, surveys etc. It’s not accurate to assume that a train link via Pilton village would fail. Rather, it…
Read MoreA people’s path, in pieces, while determined as a train on the track to be a Somerset Circle.
Have you ever wondered why the Strawberry Line appears in parts of Mid-Somerset in fragments — stops and starts, interrupted with gaps of busy roads? The answer is a history lesson, and a story of remarkable persistence spanning many decades. Recently I attended a packed meeting of the Pilton Village History Group, where Richard Jones…
Read MoreA Turning Point for Mental Health: Why This Weekend’s Lib Dem Policy Matters
This weekend, members passed a landmark mental health policy at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in York. For me, it marks the culmination of a year’s work as part of the working group that helped make this moment happen — and I could not be prouder. Mental health touches every one of us. It reaches…
Read MoreA Game-Changer for Rural Somerset: Why Glastonbury TrainLink Must Be in the New Transport Plan
Somerset is at a crossroads. A new Local Transport Delivery Plan (LTDP) is being finalised that will shape how people travel across our county for the next four years. For too long, rural communities have been left behind by a bus system designed around profit rather than people. That must change — and the Glastonbury…
Read MoreFrom Gallery Walls to Council Halls: Women Who Lead (for International Women’s Day, 2026)
Recently I visited the National Portrait Gallery with my daughter, one of our favourite London haunts. Watching her immerse herself in the lives and stories on the walls made me think about how many women appear in those frames—and how many more have been written out of history because we so often see only “his…
Read More174 bus “new” timetable adjusted (again) after student bus user raises concern
A young 174 bus user raised concerns with their parent about the 174 Shepton to Wells timetable changes — the parent then contacted me to report the plan would see students arriving in Wells a full hour before school and 20 minutes before the gates open. I raised the issue with Somerset Council, who negotiated…
Read MoreNHS Somerset reports back on West Mendip and Frome bed reductions and proposes 50% cuts at Crewkerne and Burnham — I remain unconvinced by the findings.
At the Adults & Health Scrutiny Committee on 26 February 2026 I challenged NHS Somerset’s initial 12‑week evaluation of the test‑and‑learn in West Mendip and Frome Community Hospitals. While shifting care into neighbourhood settings and expanding home reablement (a Somerset Council priority) has merit, the report’s headline findings leave critical gaps in data and information…
Read MoreOur voice has been heard — First Bus U‑turns on Bus Cuts to the 174
I want to thank everyone who signed the petition and those who came to our 174 bus protest on Saturday Feb 14th. Our voice has been heard — working together with bus users, Somerset Bus Partnership, Somerset Council and our MPs: Anna Sabine MP and Tessa Munt MP. Following discussions with Somerset Council, First Bus have U‑turned…
Read MoreNo notice, no way home: Has First Bus’s withdrawal of the 174 early‑evening service put jobs, childcare and community safety at risk?
First Bus’s decision to withdraw the 174 Wells–Bath service after 5pm, with almost no notice, will sever vital travel links for residents of Wells, Croscombe, Shepton Mallet, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and other communities on the route, and will have immediate, serious consequences for workers, families, young people and vulnerable people across the region. The route…
Read MoreReflections on Community and Council: A Vision for Somerset’s Future
Recently, I was asked by Somerset Council to reflect on my experiences and views regarding the incredible communities we serve and the role of the council, both now and into the future. It was a pleasure to answer these thought-provoking questions, allowing me to express my deep appreciation for our region and the inspiring work…
Read More