Tessa's dismay at MP's missed opportunity to 'pylon the pressure'

4.26.40pm GMT Tue 29th Dec 2009

Photo shows Tessa talking to Jeff Fear, a local farmer, who has raised his concerns over both proposed pylon corridors during recent weeks.

Tessa Munt, the Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate, has voiced her deep disappointment that only days after promising nearly 500 local people he would do all he could to help, David Heathcoat-Amory has chosen to make a half-hearted party political point in Parliament rather than giving a national airing to the burning local issue of National Grid's plans to cover Somerset with 150 ft pylons.

Tessa said "Had I been your local MP, I would have used every opportunity available to publicise National Grid's flawed consultation process, the numerous reasons why this Company should be made to give local people a real choice backed up with real information, and I'd have demanded the Prime Minister make National Grid explain its outright dismissal of other options such as the undersea and underground routes. I'd have called on the Prime Minister and his Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, to intervene on behalf of the people of Somerset."

As one of National Grid's estimated 38,000 people whose lives would be blighted directly by the Company's proposals for Somerset, and the countless others whose lives would be affected indirectly, all - including me - must look to our MP to press for a political solution."

"Consequently, I was dismayed to learn that at the last Prime Minister's Questions of this session, of this year and of the decade, and just three days after our MP attended a second packed village meeting, having met almost 500 concerned local people, he missed a great opportunity to bring an important local issue to the attention of the national audience - preferring instead to engage in the traditional 'yah boo' politics in Westminster."

"I just cannot believe he failed to take the opportunity granted to him to hold the Government to account over its part in National Grid's appalling pylon proposals for Somerset."

With 650 MPs in the House of Commons, backbench MPs rarely get the chance to raise issues with the Prime Minister of the day during the televised weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions. In fact, the luck of the draw means the average MP will be fortunate to be called once a year.

However, our MP has been called twice in recent weeks, but has failed to use either occasion to raise important local issues. The last weekly session before Christmas was a case in point. Mr Heathcoat-Amory chose to accuse the Government of introducing a financial responsibility bill as a gimmick, asking about the punishment for MPs who don't meet the standards set. Whatever the rights and wrongs of his question, his point was, inevitably, dismissed by the Government.

Tessa finished: "Would it not therefore have been more useful to use such a rare opportunity to raise an important local issue rather than joining in the school playground politics which, along with expenses abuses, have done so much to alienate so many of us from the political process?"

If you want information about the pylons please visit http://www.pylonthepressure.co.uk and join the associated Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=217854026306&ref=nf