South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon brings Diss Express readers up to date with some of his recent work in the community.

Last week I joined pig farmers from across the UK as they descended on Downing Street for a rally to draw national attention to the plight of the British Pig Industry.  Each week, supermarkets make around £16 million in profit from pork, but UK pig farmers are losing £3 million a week, equating to just over £20 on every pig sold.

I was delighted to be invited to be the first MP to sign a giant 16ft sausage in support of the campaign.  MPs and celebrities, including Olympian Sharron Davies MBE and pop-star Liz McClarnon also gave their support to our pig farmers. 

Pig farming makes a valuable contribution to rural economies across the UK, especially in East Anglia.  I will continue to do all I can to help pig farmers fight to protect their livelihoods.

Beccles & District M.E. support group
I visited the Beccles & District M.E. support group last week with my parliamentary colleague Peter Aldous MP. 

The group provides much-needed support to ME sufferers in Diss and the Waveney Valley.  Myalgic Encephalopathy (M.E.) is a debilitating illness which causes severe fatigue and muscle pain. Nobody really knows what causes M.E., although it is globally recognised as a neurological illness. 

Some people still think M.E. is ‘all in the mind’. Members of the group have had to fight hard to get their condition taken seriously by the authorities, and greatly value having a GP who truly understands their condition. 

The coming NHS changes should help M.E. sufferers, as GPs will have the power and the resources to ensure that their patients living with M.E. get access to proper treatment. 

If you would like to know more, please contact me on 01379 651979 and I can put you in touch with the group

Vinces Road
Anyone using Victoria Road at rush hour will know only too well that Diss has not been well served by planning decisions in the past.  

That is why I was pleased to hear that an agreement has been reached on plans to build 120 homes off Frenze Hall Lane in Diss.  The original proposals for the site were not sympathetic to Diss’s needs and South Norfolk councillors threw out those proposals because of poor design.   The solution which has now been agreed is not perfect but it is certainly an improvement on what was originally proposed. 

The decision on this site has sparked renewed interest generally in the debate on Diss’s future growth and I hope the Localism Bill will give Diss much greater power over its own future.

11 March 2011