Over the summer my team and I have also been busy locally, including analysing more than 2,000 responses to my housing survey and writing to the Housing Secretary with the results. In the letter I set out our local red lines: that development should come with proper improvements to local services, and shouldn’t come at the expense of our beautiful countryside. If you haven’t read the letter yet you can find it here. I spent the early part of the summer calling for Operation Brock to be stood down which it then was in July, and I’m hoping that my recent letter to the Transport Secretary about ticket office closures is also successful. The Farming Minister Mark Spencer came to visit us in Graveney and talked to local growers about some of the challenges they’re facing, and the Sentencing Minister Ed Argar came to Lenham as part of our crackdown on rural crime. That crackdown has been a team effort with local councillors, farmers, and the police, and it’s such a good example of what we can achieve when we come together locally to work on a problem. That’s why this autumn I’m launching five local priorities which I want to bring people together to work on. They include helping local businesses to grow, and boosting the number of GP and dentist appointments – things I know will make life better locally. Of course, I’m not going to hit pause on my other campaigns – like getting a new swing bridge for Faversham or keeping up the fight for a Leeds/Langley relief road. But I want to see just how much progress we can make on these issues if we put our collective might together. Keep an eye out for more information in the coming weeks, and please do have a think if you can get involved in any way. Once I’m back on my feet I want us to hit the ground running! | 
