Gideon's MP Column

This Government’s developer-led approach to housing deserves all the criticism it gets, and I’ll continue working for local residents (and councillors) to be given back their say on planning decisions.

I’m sometimes asked why I push so hard for the building of old-fashioned council homes. Well, it’s not just because it was a Liberal Government which invented council housing (see Taunton’s picturesque Addison Grove for an example). The big challenge is the numbers who cannot afford a home.

About 170,000 children in England are having to call B&B hostels, hotel bedrooms and sofa surfing, home right now.

For all our cost-of-living challenges, the UK is still a rich country – we can afford to do better, and the work of charity Arc Taunton and my councillor colleagues is at the forefront of just that.

They’re working hard - with my support - to obtain Government funding for more short-term accommodation and Arc already provides hundreds of bedspaces across the county.

Until we have more, we will continue to see rough sleepers on our streets, but more alarmingly children without a home will remain hidden from view and just as needful of our help.

To support this work, hundreds of Tauntonians slept out and supported Arc in the Park last weekend and I'd like to thank all the Arc volunteers and the many charities and companies who took part. It was great to be there to kick off the proceedings.

Veterans who are homeless are often particularity in need of support.

Government cuts to NHS bureaucracy, therefore, must not mean that the superb, dedicated NHS outreach work to our veterans is diminished in any way. I’m working with local veterans to get Ministers’ attention to the need to keep this precious service intact.

In the current hot weather, swimming in the river continues to be a real risk for people and for dogs. My campaign for a cleaner Tone continues - those who privatised our water so many years ago should be ashamed. In the meantime, please take great care as the water isn’t always safe.

Illegal trading in our town centres – and the organised crime which lies behind it – continues to be a priority for me in Taunton and Wellington, and in Parliament.

Not only am I demanding the law is changed so that police and Trading Standards officers can close down criminal businesses more quickly and easily, I’m also looking at legislative options to go after the landlords and owners of these premises who repeatedly allow them to be occupied by dodgy businesses, fly by night companies and those who push dangerous products like vapes and counterfeit tobacco on to young and old alike.

Both Taunton and Wellington have a fabulous contingent of independent traders, shopkeepers and publicans making ends meet in a financial climate made ten times worse by this government.

It’s time the Government and Parliament showed they are on their side and that we’re not going to stand for criminality on our High Streets.

Finally, after recent press coverage, the record on funding for the new railway station at Wellington needs to be set straight.

The campaign I led – alongside many others – to have the new Government’s suspension of Wellington and other station projects reversed, has been confirmed as successful.

Network Rail have told me that "in 2024 we completed the full business case which was submitted to the Department for Transport. This business case was approved at the same time as the Government Spending Review in July 2025.

"Since then, we've been working with partners to pull our plans together and look forward to unveiling the plans in due course with the public."

Delighted to see that everything is still on track (sorry!).