The New Year brings with it a chance to look back on the year gone by, and what a year it has been!
Last week marked six months since my election as your MP for Hastings, Rye and the villages. It has been six months marked by huge milestones and positive steps forward, and a fair share of challenges along the way.
I got to work straight after being elected, delivering my first speech in Parliament at the end of July to highlight some of the best things about Hastings, Rye and the villages – but also the big issues we need to tackle, from Southern Water to Southern Housing.
And in the past six months, I have been tackling them head-on.
One of the first bills passed by the new Labour Government took action to clean up the water industry.
I have been shouting about Hastings, Rye and the villages in every stage of this bill, to make sure our experiences with Southern Water cannot be repeated. Our area took centre stage in the debate on this bill in Parliament, with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed MP, mentioning his formative experiences of speaking to local residents about water outages.
As for Southern Housing, I have met with their CEO several times since being elected and have urged them to move faster, do more and communicate better with my constituents. There has been much talk, but I am pushing Southern Housing into action.
Better legal rights for tenants are on their way. The Labour Government has wasted no time introducing the Renters’ Rights Bill to massively expand rights for tenants end the cruel, no-fault Section 21 evictions, which push hundreds of people in our community into homelessness every year.
I am grateful to everyone who has contacted me since my election to draw my attention to the problems they are facing. It is because of you that I am able to tell Ministers and CEOs your stories and demand better for all.
My team and I handle casework related to all sorts of issues that my constituents might be facing. From helping vulnerable adults into sheltered accommodation, to saving a community transport service by writing to the right people in government, to securing a pensioner a payout of £75,000 – it is a large part of my job that largely goes unseen.
If you ever need my help, please do not hesitate to get in touch at helen.dollimore.mp@parliament.uk or 01424 424125
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