North Shropshire MP says hard work just beginning as 100-day landmark reached
Shropshire's newest MP has been reflecting on her first 100 days in the job and says protecting rural and NHS services has been her top priority.
Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem MP for North Shropshire, said that despite the landmark being reached on Saturday she had no intention of slowing down.
"Rather the opposite I’ve just started," she said.
“In the by-election I promised to be a hardworking local MP, and I’ve started as I intend to go on."
She said a new constituency office would be officially opening in Wem soon and she was recruiting a team of staff.
"I made my maiden speech and asked a question to the Prime Minister on ambulance waiting times on my first day in parliament and have secured a parliamentary debate next Thursday on ambulance waiting times in Shropshire."
“From the moment I was elected I made tackling Shropshire’s ambulance crisis one of my big priorities. The first time I ever spoke in the House of Commons was to urge the Prime Minister to do more to solve this crisis.
"Since then I’ve raised the issue with the Health Secretary and urged the Government to provide the relevant funding and at least get round the table to help understand the problems and solve this issue. Unfortunately, the Health Secretary is still refusing my requests to meet with him.
"I even bought the issue to the top of the Liberal Democrats, and helped pass the ambulances motion at conference. My party are firmly committed to doing all they can to prevent this crisis."
The former accountant became the first non-Conservative to be elected in North Shropshire after the resignation of Owen Paterson in the midst of a row over second jobs last year.
Mrs Morgan said she had voted 64 times in parliament on issues including making it easier for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK and for a windfall tax on energy company profits
"I’ve tabled two Early Day Motions one on support for the pig farming industry, and another on regulation and support for off-grid household and added my name to 17 others.
"I have spoken in parliament 11 times and submitted 19 written questions on a range of issues, such as home care services in rural areas, and levelling up funds for our towns."
In North Shropshire Mrs Morgan said she had launched online in in person constituent advice surgeries, and had started planning for a constituency summer tour
"The team and I have started work on over 1,000 individual items of casework for the residents of North Shropshire and I have attended many constituency events."
Issues that the MP has been involved in include HS2 and ongoing road safety concerns in Woore, Whitchurch Driving Centre and St Martins GP surgery, flooding, NHS briefings, support for farmers and matters important to young people.
"Communities across North Shropshire are seeing vital local services closer," she added.
"I’m keen to do everything I can to keep these services open and have used my first hundred days in Parliament to raise awareness of countless closures and urged the government to do more than simply pay lip service to levelling up communities such as North Shropshire."
