First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a belated Happy New Year. I hope you all enjoyed the festive season and that you managed to stay safe and well, despite the weather.
In accordance with tradition at this time of year, I have decided to make a couple of New Year’s resolutions. As is perhaps slightly less customary however, I will be absolutely resolute in keeping to them! My new year’s resolutions for 2011 will be to do everything I possibly can to resolve any issue brought to my attention by a constituent. After eight months in the job, I have a much better idea of just what an MP can do. In addition, I will also continue to stand up for every single one of you in Parliament to the best of my ability. The protocol of how to catch the speaker’s eye is something I am now more practised in doing! I am proud to represent you all in the House of Commons and I make no apology to anyone for speaking up for our part of the country in Parliament.
Safeguarding our railway line and keeping Newton Abbot Magistrates Court open were good results, but there is so much more that needs to be done. First and foremost, we have to do more to support our local schools and businesses. We need to ensure our schools receive the investment they need, in order to give our children the best possible start in life. Our local businesses meanwhile, whether they are farms, tourism businesses, one man bands or larger organisations, need to know that everything we are doing is designed to make their lives easier and help their businesses grow. I look forward to working on both these matters in the coming year.
Then we have our sky high water bills... it is simply unacceptable to me that we all have to pay more for our water than anyone else in the country. It’s a situation that is unsustainable in my view and it must change. I know that fellow MPs across the region will continue to work together with me to make sure this important matter is right at the top of the Minister’s in-tray as we start 2011. The same can be said when it comes to our bypass and broadband services.
National Matters
Looking at some of the matters Parliament is expected to discuss in 2011, it is clear the coming twelve months promises to be another busy and eventful time. One of the more interesting national political debates we have to look forward to concerns the decision on whether we should swap the voting system we currently use to send the likes of me to Parliament, called First Past the Post, with what is known as the Alternative Vote. I do not believe that ditching our tried and tested electoral system for a more complicated, but not necessarily more proportional, one is a wise move. However, I do look forward to what promises to be an interesting debate and hearing your views on the subject.
Some of the more significant political developments we can expect to see in 2011 share the common theme of giving local residents more power on what happens in their communities. The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which had its Second Reading before Christmas, will give you the power to elect a local Police and Crime Commissioner. It will be you who decides which of the candidates have the best plan for tackling crime in our region and it will be you who makes the judgement on the Commissioner’s success or failure. The Localism Bill will give you a greater say in how your communities are run and it will allow important local matters to be put to a referendum rather than just decided upon by administrators. Our proposed Healthcare reforms meanwhile are all about empowering patients and shifting commissioning decisions into the hands of medical professionals. In future it will be our local doctors who decide what services we need from our hospitals and other medical providers. I look forward to debates on all these important changes in 2011.
Getting Together
My next surgeries will take place on the 8th January at 10.00am in the Courtenay Centre (Newton Abbot) and at 12.15pm at Kingsteignton Community Centre. I am also holding surgeries on the 22nd January at 10.00am in the Manor House (Dawlish) and 12.15pm in Teignmouth Library. Please telephone 01626 368277 if you would like to book an appointment or if you need help with an issue that cannot wait until the next surgery. Alternatively, I am holding one of my regular “Face to Face” pub events on the 21st January in Ipplepen Conservative Club at 6.30pm. Please do feel free to drop by if there is something you would like to discuss with me – or just to say hello!