I write this on my second day at Westminster, after winning the election by 499 votes less than five days ago. The campaign was hectic and long and there does not seem to have been any time to really catch up on my sleep and have even a moments rest. I am no stranger to the House of Commons as I have worked there in one capacity or another for almost eight years. However, it is very different going there as your MP. I have not yet been allocated an office but have been given my own ‘peg for my cloak and sword’. Police officers and Commons staff that I have been on first name terms with for years have now taken to calling me ‘Sir’ and when I challenge them on this and ask them to call me Mike as usual they explain “ Sorry more than my jobs worth, Sir”.
As I take over your MP’s regular article in this magazine I would first like to thank Tony McWalter for his work on your behalf over the last eight years. I have much to do and have already started to organise myself and the resources that I need to do the job.
On my visits to Markyate during the campaign I have already heard of many of the local concerns. Protecting your greenbelt, eliminating litter, improving the refuse collection and doing something about the dangerous and noisy A5 nearby were the most common calls for action that I heard in the village. In addition to these I am also very committed to doing all that I can to try and save Hemel’s hospital and to address the rising violent crime rates in our area. We also have a new County Councillor representing the village, David Lloyd. He is an experienced councillor and has held a cabinet post at the County Council. I am sure that you will all join me in thanking Julian Taunton, the former County Councillor for all his hard work over the years and wish him well in his retirement. I plan to work closely with your Borough and County councillors to address your issues.
If you wish to contact me please do so. I can be contacted through my website at www.penning4hemel.com, by email to mike@penning4hemel.com, by telephone on 01442 255034 or by letter at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. I will be holding a regular ‘Constituent Surgery’ each Friday from 6pm at my constituency office at Davidson House, 168 Queensway, Hemel Hempstead. To avoid possible delays you can arrange an appointment by telephoning my office on 1442 255034.
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