WILL AT WESTMINSTER: A lot to learn, but work has started

I would also like to stress that I am committed to serving the whole of Colchester, whether people voted for me or not.

Although Sir Bob and I often disagreed politically, I never doubted his dedication and hard work for our town.

I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor and thank him for his decades of public service.

As the dust settles after the General Election and a new Government is formed, we look forward to a new chapter in our great town's history.

Our town has big challenges to face up to, but together we can tackle them.

My priorities are simple. I want to get Colchester moving again.

I will support the Hospital's staff as we move out of special measures.

I will work with Essex Police and local charities to stamp out knife crime in Colchester. The hard work starts now to deliver my plan for Colchester.

My first few days in Parliament have been hectic and it has been, and will continue to be, a steep learning curve.

Last week was an induction week, learning how Parliament operates.

Although the staff in Parliament laid on a comprehensive programme, the procedures, etiquette and conventions will take weeks, if not months, to learn.

This week began with the election of the House of Commons Speaker.

All sides of the House voted for John Bercow to continue on in this role.

The rest of this week has been the swearing in of MPs, where we pledge our oath of allegiance to the Queen.

This was done in order of seniority, so I was sworn in on Wednesday.

I also visited Number 10 this week to have coffee with the Prime Minister.

This was a great opportunity to make the case for Colchester. As daunting as the challenge is, the opportunity to improve Colchester is even greater.

I have already got stuck in, researching topics in advance of tabling legislation and requesting meetings with Cabinet Members and Ministers relative to the big issues facing our town. I have also been responding to lots of constituents who have been asking my position on many policy issues, as well as starting off my first pieces of casework and arranging meetings with local charities and organisations.

Colchester now has a seat at the top table of Government and I will make sure that our town’s voice is heard loud and clear.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here