MP John Glen answers Salisbury Journal readers' questions - from teaching to A303 traffic

Here's what he has to say in an interview with reporter Annette J Beveridge. 

So what did he think about Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s controversial fiscal announcement?

Mr Glen said: “I made a statement in the Chamber. I welcome the growth aspirations. Sustainable growth has to be the right way of tackling the challenges we face. I am concerned about the lack of measurement of the growth rate that is asserted as the goal.

“So, we need to work out how much extra economic activity we are going to have, how much more tax revenue we are going to have, because if we don’t, the markets will make it more expensive to borrow and interest rates go up and will affect mortgage holders.

“Sustainable growth has to be the right way of tackling the challenges we face. I am concerned about the lack of measurement of the growth rate that is asserted as the goal.”

The Conservative Party is often considered to be responsible with finances so is borrowing so extensively typically Conservative?

Mr Glen said: “Well, I think what we have gone through in the last few years is unprecedented. It wasn’t in our manifesto to have covid or to have Putin’s actions in Ukraine. It’s necessitated an energy support package which I think most constituents and businesses will be grateful for and I think of furlough schemes and bounce back loans that people will be grateful for.”

With economic instability, one Salisbury Journal reader queried whether the UK could learn from Norway as there is a higher income per capita.

Mr Glen said: “Norway is a much smaller country with a different set of strengths and population size and a different political system. There are always lessons we can learn from other countries, but we should be careful about just saying this country does it better, why can we not just copy that?

“Our system, history and geography, and our relationship between Wales, Scotland and Ireland is different and all these things have an effect, but I am not an expert on Norwegian economy. One of the things that may be worth exploring is the whole concept of Sovereign wealth funds may be worth exploring, but I don’t ever sit down and say we should copy X or Y country.”

Pollution and traffic congestion was another concern raised sparking the suggestion whether a bypass could be on the agenda.

Mr Glen said: “I never say never to a bypass. I have campaigned that it is a possibility. But as ever with a bypass, you have to think about the route.

“At the moment, the immediate concern is to try and find a solution for Southampton Road, and I am hopeful in the next few months, we should be able to make some progress on that. But, Dr Mark McClelland, who is the cabinet member for transport works part-time for me, so if there is any chance of getting investment through National Highways, then I am well placed to make the case.

“In the short term, that isn’t the solution, the pinch point on Southampton Road is.

“I am waiting for the much longed for study on the route between Southampton and Bristol and that is going to be published imminently. Around Salisbury, over the last 20 years, there has been a lot of development, and we have to balance the environmental impact, so let’s see what the study says and find realistic solutions.”

The Stonehenge Tunnel project has caused a great deal of controversy over the years but a recent tweet from Mr Glen to Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested his support for the project.

Mr Glen said: “My view is this, that when I initiated the Westminster Hall debate in 2012 or 2013, all options were scrutinised carefully, to look at it from seven down to two. I am very familiar with the criticisms; it is a lot of money. It should have a cut and cover and go north, some say the money should just go on the NHS, others say combine it with a Salisbury bypass and some people are committed to cycling as an alternative.

“My view is that we have a consensus between English Heritage and the National Trust, so if we are going to deal with the rat runs through Shrewton and the pressure in Wilton, and the considerable delays, the surface options wouldn’t work. The normal options would cause more disruptions with archaeology than if you go deeper.

“In all sensitive sites, there will be archaeology found. But what we are trying to do here is to combine primarily, the sensitive handling of a world heritage site addressing with the needs of 21 century living as it is, not necessarily, what we would like it to be.

“It is a very significant investment on an infrastructure, not necessarily for this constituency, but for the southwest peninsula. The investment in archaeology is to ensure it is all chronicled.

“If you are against the tunnel on principle, you deploy any argument. A lot of work has been done over the last two years to try to address some of the heritage concerns - the line of sight from the portals and the length of the tunnels.

“What we are trying to do here is to combine primarily the sensitive handling of a world heritage site addressing with the needs of life as it is, not necessarily, what we would like it to be.”

Another concern was the amount of traffic on the road and how public transport could be improved in Salisbury.

Mr Glen said: “There isn’t a single magic solution. I mean, people always say, if we had more buses, we would have fewer cars, but then, when you look at the volume of people on some of these routes, the amount of subsidy on some of these routes to sustain them, it would be very challenging.

“It is about the reliability of some of these routes, such as the routes into Bemerton Heath, and that can be met by having more drivers.

“I think we need to get more bus drivers and they (Salisbury Reds) have got some challenges in term of recruitment. Supply is the primary problem. I welcome the Prime Minister’s apparent desire to be flexible on immigration, to bring in people with specific skills to fill some of these gaps.”

One reader asked about the shortage of special needs places in Salisbury and what could be done.

Mr Glen said: “We engage with individuals about the statementing of their children and the provision generally. I have noticed often that young children are deemed to be wanting, or to need a statement and that evolves.

“I have also noticed over 12 years that more and more people are being identified with actionable needs, and I welcome the fact that there is a new provision – a significant provision being made on the Wilton Road and also, recognise Exeter house does a fantastic job. It is often about bespoke individual solutions.

“As far as possible, teachers and educationalists, want people in mainstream school with support, but this is not always possible. I also think that there are some challenges – in terms of the level of need, it needs to be a customised individual response. I work with Salisbury Mencap, where there are lots of people with enduring disabilities who find it difficult to make that transition between children and adults. That is one of the most complex areas.

 “My job in this role, is to see patterns and then I raise it, but difficult to make universal judgements and I work with counsellors of all parties to get a sense of what is happening.”

A former teacher raised a concern about the behaviour of young children spitting in schools and the lack of support for teachers.

Mr Glen said: “It is very sad to hear that. I am not sure what government can do about children spitting in school. It is a societal issue, around parenting and the interaction between parents and schools. In my opinion of schools, they work very hard to address behavioural issues and teachers are very reluctant to exclude pupils.

“Often such behaviours are things related to what is going on in a child’s life – at home, with pupils at school or undiagnosed special needs. It is very difficult to extrapolate from one, sometimes, people seasonally find some jobs very difficult.

“Throughout my time as an MP, I have seen more and more teaching assistants used to support teachers and I don’t hear concerns about budgets at the moment, so although, I am very sympathetic on an individual level, I wouldn’t say that we have had an epidemic of behavioural issues.”