As we are now past the dissolution of Parliament, I can no longer provide you with a Parliament Talk Column. I hope you have found them useful and informative. This has been part of my agenda to be as transparent as possible in what I did for you as your MP.
As I am sure you are aware, the election will take place on Thursday 4th July and for the people of Newton Aycliffe it will be for the newly formed seat of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor. I am asked why this has changed. It is because the independent Boundary Commission periodically reviews the make-up of seats and tries to ensure all MPs represent similar numbers of people. They had a target range of between 69,724 and 77,062. Sedgefield had around 65,000 and the new seat will have 71,299. Once they have identified the new boundaries, they then determine the most appropriate name and have decided upon Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor. Members of Parliament did not make these decisions.
I have had the most amazing four and a half years representing you and have had the pleasure of engaging with so many local groups. The period has had its challenges due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine and now the Middle East. I was proud of how the Government supported people and businesses through Covid with the furlough scheme and energy support and that we are now standing up for democracy in the Ukraine and finally getting closer to getting control of our borders, despite the opposition trying to frustrate us.
However, it is at a local level where you can make more of an impact and we have had the privilege of helping so many individuals that we do not publicise. We have created close to 18,000 pieces of case work and received 33,500 emails. That’s 11 cases for every single day in the job, including weekends. These have ranged from houses to scouts and charities to businesses, but they are where we can make a real difference.
I have had community surgeries across the constituency where we have discussed buses, the menopause, roundabouts, anti-social behaviour and many other subjects, too many to mention. I tried to get a Levelling Up Bid for our Town Centre, but we missed out, although some plans remain ongoing.
As I hope you have seen, I have loved being your MP. It was a privilege to be the last Member of Parliament for the Sedgefield constituency and I would like to have the opportunity to continue to amplify the voices of residents of the North East. I will therefore be standing as your Conservative candidate on Thursday 4th July and would appreciate your support to be elected as the first Member of Parliament for the Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor constituency.