European Funding And Dorset And Hampshire County Councils

EDM number 539 in 1995-96, proposed by Diana Maddock on 28/02/1996.

That this House recognises the importance of European funding to locl authorities; therefore welcomes the setting up by Dorset and Hampshire county councils and the French region of Lower Normandy of a joint office in Brussels in February last year; regrets that Conservative honourable Members have consistently criticised the setting up of this office, for example in Early Day Motion No. 474; notes the claim of Conservative honourable Members, including the honourable Members for Dorset West and Bournemouth East, in Early Day Motion No. 474, that the cost to Dorset of setting up the office was ú100,000 when in fact the total set-up and first year running costs of the office to Dorset County Council have been less than ú43,000; calls on Conservative honourable Members to recognise the inaccuracy of their claims in Early Day Motion No. 474 and to withdraw their names from it; and further calls on Dorset Conservative honourable Members to take a more positive attitude to Dorset County Council's efforts to get a better deal for Dorset from both Brussels and Westminster.

This motion has been signed by a total of 10 MPs.