Related Articles
I cannot quite believe that 2024 is at its end, writes Conservative MP for Exmouth and East Exeter MP David Reed.
Although it’s been incredibly busy, and stressful at times, I have loved having the opportunity to serve as our new constituency’s first member of parliament.
Most importantly though, it’s been fulfilling to push past the general election talking shop and to roll my sleeves up and get to work on the issues that matter most to us.
Before I get into the main issues that my new team and I have been working on since July, I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has been in touch from across Exmouth & Exeter East.
Having had thousands of conversations with local people in recent months, my team and I have been able to glean a clearer view of how best we can be of service to our community over the coming years.
Having put in lots of time and effort over the summer months to get set up in the constituency and in Parliament, it’s great to be able to focus and fully represent us both locally and in Westminster.
Having recruited a new local team, we have been able to fire up and scale our engagement and workload.
We have taken on thousands of pieces of local casework and helped people in their time of need.
With a large area to cover, we have conducted regular roaming surgeries across Exmouth & Exeter East.
I have met with local people and worked with them to unpick the more complex of cases in a private environment.
Getting established in Westminster has been an enjoyable challenge to confront, and I’m working hard to get to grips with parliamentary procedure, which in turn is allowing me to advocate more strongly for local and regional needs.
Having knocked on tens of thousands of doors in the year preceding the general election, it was evidently clear which local issues people wanted sorting.
Whether it be sewage infrastructure, healthcare provisions, housing, rural affairs, transport services, job opportunities, education or crime, I have got straight to work to help improve our local situation. Here are some of the main highlights:
I have been clear that the situation we find ourselves in with South West Water (SWW) is completely unacceptable and it needs to improve rapidly.
My approach since summer has been to push SWW to invest in infrastructure improvements as soon as possible, as well as demanding that they improve their communication and engagement with customers.
At a national level I have been vocal in Parliament, and I have advocated for tougher legal measures to bite down on underperforming water companies.
I’m glad that I have been selected to sit on the upcoming Water Bill committee, and I will be doing what’s needed to ensure that the proposed legislation is strong, clear and fit for purpose. If you have a view on this issue, please do get in touch with me.
Hundreds of local residents have voiced their frustrations over sub-standard property maintenance services, despite facing significant increases in their service charges.
Having spoken with several MPs, it appears that this issue is not unique to Exmouth & Exeter East. I will be meeting with them to insist that they improve their services.
I will also be looking into how legislation can be improved to ensure that we stamp out negligent practices.
Pushing for better Rail Services.
I have raised serious concerns about the significant rail disruptions affecting passengers across the South West due to the ongoing HS2 construction and the development of Old Oak Common station.
Old Oak Common, serving as an interim terminus for HS2 until its connection to Euston is completed in the early 2030s, will cause major disruption to our region.
Great Western Railway services will face frequent closures and reduced capacity on the Great Western Main Line, severely impacting connections to London and beyond.
I raised this issue directly with the Prime Minister, and I am glad that he has offered me a meeting with the rail minister.
I have also raised this with other MPs across our region so that we speak with one collective voice.
Crucially this is to ensure that contingencies are put in place to offset against disruption so that the impact to our regional economy is limited
Ongoing Campaigns.
In addition, my team and I have been working hard to represent our farming community and pushing for the Government to roll back on their harmful attack on our family farms and food producers.
We will also continue to highlight the needs of our local pensioners, and if anyone if struggling this winter due to cuts in winter fuel payments, please do get in touch and I will do all that I can to help.
We are also acutely aware of the ongoing issues with Royal Mail postal services across Exmouth & Exeter East, and the infrequency of delivery.
Thank you to everyone for getting in touch to highlight the breath of this issue.
We have met with local Royal Mail bosses, and we will be further investigating to establish what needs to be done to improve the service.
In positive news, the construction of the Dinan Way extension is imminent and the new road will release traffic pressure from Exmouth town and offer alternative routes for local people.
I’m also glad that our long campaign to have the Exeter Low Traffic Neighborhood (LTN) traffic scheme scrapped was successful.
The LTN was poorly conceived and delivered and offered no travel alternatives. The local voice was strong on this issue and I’m happy that local councils listened to concerns.
National Issues.
In Parliament, it has been very interesting to dive into national and international issues. Having spent the past 16 years of my working life across the military, national security and defence corporations, I was pleased to be appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the shadow defence team.
As we all know the international system is extremely volatile, and discussions about conflict are no longer hypothetical.
War has broken out across multiple global regions, and we must not delay increasing defence spending to meet the threats that are clearly visible.
I will be working closely with shadow defence ministers and bringing my experience to bear to ensure that our country can meet the many threats that are in front of us.
I have also been elected to the International Development Select Committee. The purpose of the committee is to scrutinise the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in respect of aid policy, and the expenditure of the Official Development Assistance across UK government departments.
I am very aware that overseas aid can be a contentious and divisive topic. However, my role is to ensure that any UK taxpayers’ money is spent responsibly, and that initiatives are in line with British values and align with our foreign policy aims.
Look Ahead – As we move into 2025, I wish you, your family and friends a very happy New Year. I’m looking forward to carrying on our work across Exmouth & Exeter East and fighting for the issues that matter most to us. As ever, if there’s anything you’d like to raise or if you need my help, please do get in touch.
