Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 13th May

After months of hard work, last week saw the Swindon Borough Council elections. Without the help and support of my team we would not have had such an enthusiastic campaign and I am incredibly grateful for the support of local residents, who again put their faith in our local team of Conservative Councillors.

In North Swindon the Conservatives saw local Councillors re-elected with increasing majorities as well as new Councillors elected in their local communities. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the new Councillors elected this time. Whichever party they belong to, I wish them the best of luck with the exciting and rewarding opportunity they have been given to represent their area.

I remember when I was first elected to Swindon Borough Council back in 2000. My political career began when I first complained about an overgrown hedge at the bottom of my garden! I was told that if I wanted to make a difference in my area then I should become a Councillor. The rest as they say is history!

I also want to thank all of the local residents who engaged in the political process and voted last week. Local elections are fought on the issues that often matter most to people’s everyday lives. Whether it be local schools, transport services or quality of life issues including tackling rubbish, graffiti and dog fouling; these are the issues that matter to you. Every party has an opinion on how all of these things should be dealt with. It is up to us to persuade residents that our ideas are the best and to prove that we will work the hardest. That is why it is crucial that people engage. For those residents who did not vote last Thursday, then we as political representatives need to work harder to show you that there is something worth voting for.

Elsewhere, my new MPs office at the Northern Orbital Shopping Park is almost ready to open its doors. My vision is to create a real community hub where local charities and organisations can use the fantastic open space to hold events, free of charge. I will be the first MP in the Country to transform their office into a community space so my team and I are very excited by the prospect. We already have a number of local charities signed up to hold coffee mornings, local businesses keen to hold forums and Sport England ready to host a drop in event to help local clubs. We will also look to hold public meetings and policy forums to engage local residents. Once we are completely up and running I will be looking to hold an official opening where everybody will be welcome. Watch this space!