JANUARY was an eventful month in Parliament. Theresa May’s Brexit deal was voted down – rightly, in my opinion, and that of the vast majority of constituents – and HM Government survived a vote of no confidence. Again, in my opinion, rightly. The EU said ‘tell us what you want’. Parliament now has. The ball is now in Brussels’ court.

Even with all this in Westminster, North East Hampshire is never out of my mind. I spent Christmas thinking about the future and am pleased to have set out my plan – our plan – to secure a better future for our constituency. This is made up of six priorities to help you live a good life.

The first of these is a new school for north Hampshire. Our children deserve the best start in life – regardless of where they live or what their families can afford. As someone who was lucky enough to get a good education locally at Hook Infants, Hook Juniors, and Robert May’s in Odiham, I am excited to promote a new secondary school to give more local children that chance. And, with the new homes planned, we are going to need one in the future – this is an example of seeking infrastructure before development.

Second, many of our retail centres are in real need of the kind of revitalisation and regeneration that I was able to drive forward for Basing View, the Leisure Park, and Top of The Town when I served as deputy leader of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. Fleet, Yateley, Hook and Bramley could all do with a revival!

Third, we need faster, longer, better trains for the many local residents who rely on our railways every day.

Fourth, it is crucial we upgrade our roads for all who use them, focusing on investment to meet demand and smarter use of the roads we already have.

Fifth, the local services that keep our area greener, cleaner and safer must be maintained and improved.

Sixth, it is vital that we see local improvements in our NHS services. Few things in life are as important as our health, which is why HM Government recently committed an extra £20 billion for the NHS. I want this felt locally in our GP surgeries and hospitals to benefit you.

I will be providing more detail on what my team and I have done and what we now need to do. But I also need your help. If you would like to feed into our plan, or get involved yourself, to get in touch or come to one of my ‘Tell Ranil’ sessions.

You’ll find all the details on my website.

Ranil Jayawardena MP