As I am sure you are aware an election will take place on 4th of July and for the people of Trimdon and surrounds it will be for the newly formed seat of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor. As previously being your MP for Sedgefield I will be the Conservative candidate for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor. The northern boundary of the seat is now at Deaf Hill, with the area from Thornley to Station Town transferring into the Easington constituency.
I am asked why this has changed. It is because the independent Boundary Commission periodically reviews the make-up of seats and tries to ensure all MPs represent similar numbers of people. They had a target range of between 69,724 and 77,062. Sedgefield had around 65,000 and the new seat will have 71,299. Once they have identified the new boundaries they then determine the most appropriate name and they decided upon Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor. Members of Parliament did not make these decisions. Nothing else changes, your Council remains the same etc, it is only the name and shape of the Parliamentary constituency that you are part of that has changed.
I have had the most amazing four and a half years representing you and have had the pleasure of engaging with so many local groups. The period has had its challenges due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine and now the Middle East. I was proud of how the Government supported people and businesses through Covid with the furlough scheme and energy support and that we are now standing up for democracy in the Ukraine and finally getting closer to getting control of our borders, despite the opposition trying to frustrate us.
But at a local level it is where you can make more of an impact and we have had the privilege of helping so many individuals that we do not publicise. We have created close to 18,000 pieces of case work and received 33,500 emails. That’s 11 cases for every single day in the job, including weekends. These have ranged from houses to brass bands and charities to businesses, but they are where we can make a real difference. I have had community surgeries across the Constituency, including Sedgefield, Fishburn, the Trimdons, Cornforth and Bishop Middleham where we have discussed buses, menopause, roundabouts, immigration, anti-social behaviour and many other subjects, too many to mention.
Whilst I have done my best to shout for the area in Westminster and have brought numerous ministers, including the Prime Minister to visit, these surgeries are where the real work happens. I sincerely hope to have the opportunity to continue working for you and I hope to see as many of you as possible whilst out and about on the election trail.
Paul Howell
Page added 29th May 2024
-