Our local campaign for the general election is well under way now with the delivery of a letter from me to local residents to let them know that I am standing again and my reason why. I have been out every day with my teams of volunteer canvassers talking to people on the doorstep.The personal response has been really warm and friendly and very supportive.

The doorstep conversations I have had with local people have reinforced my view thatpeople are worried about the NHS, the housing crisis locally and the hours they have to put in at work just to keep a roof over their heads. Thee is a lot of concern about the future for young people.

I have to say also that people are angry about the deterioration in the local environment, especially the build up of litter and dumping and the way buy to let landlords are neglecting the properties they rent out.

I am launching fresh campaigns in a number of local areas to get the council to wake up and take some action on these environmental concerns.These environmental problems reinforce all our views that this Conservative controlled council couldn’t care less about the south of the borough.