Poole MP accused of 'fiddling while Rome burns' on SSSI bill

Sir Robert Syms is one of 17 Tory MPs to sign a letter calling for the environment secretary to be the person to assign SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and not Natural England. 

SSSIs are a statutory designation assigned to areas of the natural world, usually because it is home to rare species, and it offers more protection that AONBs (areas of outstanding natural beauty). 

• What are your thoughts on this? Send us your views for publication to letters@bournemouthecho.co.uk

There are 139 SSSIs in Dorset including Avon Heath, Talbot Heath and Poole Harbour, because of its rare flora and fauna and its geological features.

Avon Heath country park is an SSSI

The letter – also signed by former environment secretary Therese Coffey – said there is “no reason” for SSSIs to be outsourced to an “unelected and unaccountable body”. 

But Green party councillor and parliamentary candidate for Bournemouth East Joe Salmon said the bill is a “waste of time, energy and money” which will “dangerously degrade environmental protections” while “failing to tackle” issues in farming. 

Read more: Nuffield Health appeal against hospital rejection on farm

He said: “This is fiddling while Rome burns, farmers are still waiting for the government to even acknowledge the problems caused by losing access to the markets and subsidies a shambolic Brexit took from them, let alone address them. 

“Aside from that as if it wasn't enough already our farming industry also needs to adapt to the rapidly changing climate and move towards a more sustainable plant based production model where viable."

Joe Salmon (right) with fellow ward councillor and wife Kate (Image: Richard Crease)

Steve Barclay, environment secretary

He added: “As usual politicians are wasting valuable time mucking about discussing a proposal that solves nothing.  

“I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for farmers who already have plenty of actual problems that have gone ignored by parliament for years, if not decades now, while they struggle to keep the country fed and stay in business.” 

Sir Robert and his colleagues’ letter to the environment secretary Steve Barclay said: “The intention of the bill is that Natural England would still identify sites for designation, and collate the scientific evidence, but your department would interrogate this evidence. 

“Your department would be able to scrutinise their evidence – at the moment, Natural England is acting in a quasi-judicial role over the evidence its own staff have provided – and consider wider factors, such as the economic and cultural impact of notification.” 

Sir Robert was approached for a comment by the Echo but had not responded in time for print. 

Mark Thomas, the MP behind the bill, said no protections would be lost if this power were transferred to the secretary of state.

He said: "Natural England could have easily engaged constructively with farmers and landowners to establish a more robust scientific case for designating accurately any area that justifies such a significant level of protection—it did not.

"Even at the public hearing in June last year, the chair of Natural England, its legal team and senior officials refused to accept responsibility or ownership of these failures, and pressed ahead with notification.

"It is not accountable to the farmers, to members of the Government or to members of this House."