Election

It's an honour to be re-elected MP for Arundel & South Downs, and I am looking forward to representing this fantastic constituency for the next five years.  Thank you to those who voted for me, and I will continue to work hard for all.

I can see that planning will remain an issue and I have already been in touch with the new Communities and Local Government Secretary about this.  I will also join forces with other MPs to make the case against a second runway at Gatwick, which would add significantly to development pressure.

I will continue to champion localism and rural communities.  In fact I am about to start writing a book on the countryside which will focus on the threats to it.

Our roads and rail service are also on my agenda.  I will want to make sure that the A27 upgrade, which was specifically pledged in the Conservative manifesto, moves forward as soon as possible.

I am also going to go into battle over the local rail service which has been particularly poor recently and is infuriating my commuting constituents.

I will be organising a digital access summit to ensure that the digital divide is closed and that rural areas in the South Downs have access to superfast, too.

I am looking forward to a summer of constituency events.  Last Sunday I went on a sponsored walk in Arundel Park for the wonderful Snowdrop Trust, which provides at-home care for children with life threatening and terminal illnesses.

This weekend I will be attending a number of events including the 50th anniversary celebration of Brinsbury, the countryside campus of Chichester College, on Sunday.