OVER these last few weeks I’ve continued my constituency summer tour, packed full of visits, events, and meetings with lots of community groups. It was a pleasure to meet so many residents at my recent ‘Brew with Ben’ session in Stoke Climsland, where I spoke to lots of new faces to answer questions and update constituents about my work. These informal events are such a great way to hear directly from you all about the issues affecting the constituency, and the campaigns you would like me to pursue in Parliament. Thank you to everyone who came along, and I hope to see many more of you at future events across North Cornwall in the coming week.

I also continued standing up for North Cornwall's fishing communities in Parliament recently, where I highlighted the completely unacceptable delays to a byelaw that would restrict larger vessels over 12 metres from fishing within six nautical miles of our coast. Local fishermen here have now been waiting three years for this to come into force, despite the clear benefits it would bring in helping to protect fish stocks and support the smaller boats that fish sustainably around our coastline. I urged both DEFRA and the Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (AIFCA) to finally get on with it, and I look forward to joining one of our local fishing boats this week out on the water to learn more about the challenges facing the industry.

Healthcare continues to be one of the biggest issues raised with me this week, and I recently spoke about the growing pressures on mental health services in rural areas like ours. I highlighted the lengthy waiting lists many people here in North Cornwall face, alongside the additional challenges that rural isolation can create for those already struggling with their mental health. Accessing timely support should not be a postcode lottery, which is why I’ll keep pressing Ministers to improve mental health provision for rural communities.

There have also been some very encouraging developments on the future of social care this week. I have campaigned alongside Liberal Democrat colleagues on this issue since before I was elected, and it is positive to see Andy Burnham’s new government signalling a real willingness to work across party lines on meaningful reform. Around one in six hospital beds is currently occupied by someone who is medically fit to leave but cannot be discharged because the social care system lacks the capacity to support them. There are still many discussions ahead, but these early indications are very welcome and I will be working constructively to help deliver the long-term reforms that patients, families and carers have been calling for.

I have also been working closely with my neighbouring MP, Ian Roome, following the announcement that births at North Devon District Hospital will be temporarily suspended because of staff shortages. This is quite a deeply concerning development for many families up at the top of my constituency who rely on the hospital for maternity services (and who are very far from other hospitals).