As a Member of Parliament, a lot of the work that you do is unglamorous and unseen. The day-to-day work supporting local people, reading legislation, meeting with Parliamentarians and industry to try to shift policy agenda, lobbying Government Ministers, and constant behind-the-scenes campaigning on the priorities of your constituents.
This month I am delighted to be able to tell residents in Pirton that we have had some big wins – evidence that our work is really paying off for local people.
As you may have seen, I have been campaigning hard against the plans by the Labour Mayor of London to scrap the Day Travelcard. I have heard from so many local residents – including in Pirton – about the important convenience and cost saving that this Travelcard offers, and hundreds of you backed my campaign to show the strength of feeling in Hitchin, Harpenden and the villages on this.
Well, this month I am pleased to say that the Government has stepped in to save the Day Travelcard – a fantastic win for people in our community.
I have also been campaigning to save the ticket office at Hitchin Station (and ticket offices more generally) after the rail operators announced plans to close ticket offices. Again, hundreds of you told me how important ticket offices are to local people – particular for vulnerable passengers or booking complex journeys.
Again, this month I am delighted that the Government has stepped in to tell rail operators that ticket offices should not close. I know how much this matters to you and I am very pleased with this outcome.
But no matter how many wins we get, I will never become complacent when fighting for your interests. This month I have also raised the alarm over North Herts Council’s Labour and Lib Dem Administration’s plans to miss a key deadline to review the Local Plan and ensure that the rules on local development are up to date. You can find out more and back my campaign here: www.bimafolami.co.uk/local-plan.
