It’s been a great first full week back from Westminster so far. As much as I’ve been happy to put in the extended sittings to help our government take the first steps we need towards stability and national renewal, it’s a relief to come home and have the time I need to start work on the projects I pledged to deliver here.

The first month as MP was characterised by not just huge inbound demand (over 2,000 emails’ worth) in no small part from constituents reaching out for support, but also by tough decisions which I, to the extent could influence them at all as one of 650 MPs, took little joy in doing so. But we won the General Election with a mandate for fiscal responsibility and that is what we will deliver.

There were great things we as MPs voted for – the first steps to bring rail contracts back into public hands and voting to clean up our rivers and seas. And there were things we MPs didn’t vote for: The Winter Fuel Allowance, for instance, although it needed to be means-tested, has a low threshold for eligibility and is a balance I wish to see redressed, whether through protection of the triple lock, significantly better service in the NHS and elderly care, or the shielding of people on lower incomes from tax burdens which, under the Tories, reached historic heights. It’s also why I’ll be holding pension clinics to make sure everyone is getting the support they are entitled to — over 900,000 people who are currently eligible for pension credit are not claiming it.

This week, I’ve meetings with, amongst others, Community Pharmacy, St Austell BID, South West Water, local councillors in the Clay Country, and Network Rail about the Mid Cornwall Metro – fears of which’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. If you read something online about a project being cancelled and are unsure as to whether it’s fact or people simply making things up, you are always welcome to check with me! Just drop me an email on [email protected] if ever need a fact check or wish to attend one of my surgeries.

That said, funding for the Mid Cornwall Metro project, much like that of Newquay’s new surgery has indeed been haphazard. When the Chancellor talks about a dire “fiscal inheritance” it’s this kind of under and in some cases un-funded commitments she is talking about — the kind of patchwork policymaking that we have to put an end to.

And we will do just that — with longer-term funding settlements for local government and a plan for revitalisation which looks over the course of the Parliament.