THIS morning, I spoke with BBC Radio Somerset to talk about Chard Parkway.

Having previously worked closely with the Railways Minister, Wendy Morton MP, I am now eager to see who takes over the railway portfolio under this new Government.

I look forward to inviting them to meet with me and local businesses to discover the opportunities available for this project.

This evening (Wed 7 Sep – 7pm – Tatworth Memorial Hall), the first meeting of the CPSTG (Chard Parkway Resident Steering Group) will meet to engage residents and businesses with the plans, allowing an opportunity for residents to have their say on how we move forward with this campaign.

I recently met with J Roberts from Rail Future UK to discuss the statistics relating to this campaign and was astonished to find out not that the current population of Chard and Tatworth is around 17,000, but that by 2027, the population of Chard and Tatworth may reach 26,000.

This takes into account multiple factors, but mainly the amount of new homes being built. This means local councils need to get their act together.

Chard doesn’t have the amenities it needs to survive this population influx. We don’t have the right public transport.

Even if we had better buses, the population would be too big to deny us of our right to the rail. With this population, we could be looking at 500,000 journeys a year from Chard Parkway.

Earlier this week, we saw some heavy storms pass through the area. Most areas managed to withhold the rain.

For this, we must thank the hard work of the Chard Area Resilience Group. They campaigned avidly to get the drains cleared, and as a result, Chard managed to fight off the rain.

It is so fantastic to see local groups seeing the fruits of their labour. So thank you, CARG.

As well as regularly visiting local businesses and residents, a short while ago, I met with Paul from ThisIsGravity in Puriton for a tour of the land that will see the UK’s ‘Green Silicon Valley’ built (pictured).

In my role as Environment Spokesman for the Conservatives, I’m always really pleased to know how Somerset is playing its part in securing a greener future for the next generation.

If you have any problems, questions or concerns, please contact me via telephone on 07508263404, or connor.payne@somerset.gov.uk. Please phone me to find out my regular monthly surgery timetable.

Have a wonderful September.

Written by Cllr Connor Payne