MATT Bishop MP has asked residents to give him time as he progresses as the new Member of Parliament for the Forest of Dean.
In an exclusive interview with The Forester, Mr Bishop talked about the issues facing the Forest of Dean, how constituents can get in contact with him, and other key points that concern Foresters.
He said: “It’s extremely busy. There’s lots of new things to learn as part of the induction process. Setting up an office is obviously something new to me starting from scratch and employing staff. It’s not a quick process. I’m acutely aware there are people out there that think the office hasn’t been opened yet, or you haven’t got your staff in yet. This is not unique to me, it’s the same for all new MPs across all parties.
“What’s interesting is the number of MPs who still don’t have offices or staff, so actually I’m doing better than some and maybe not as well as others. It has only been eight or nine weeks since we’ve been elected, people work notice periods, offices take time - so all my time is being consumed by those sorts of things as well as the usual parliamentary stuff that we see every week like PMQs and votes.”
The new MP’s office is located at 19 Pyart Court, Coleford and while constituents are welcome, there may not always be someone there. Mr Bishop and his team are still in the process of setting up, and there is currently only one member of staff as new team members work notice periods before starting their new roles.
Mr Bishop anticipates it will be the first week of October before the office is up and running as expected for drop-ins. He said there will be regular surgeries with a booking system in-place which will be advertised, and he will be out in the constituency too.
The Forest MP said he wants to address many of the biggest issues facing the area such as education, policing and health, but says one of the biggest issues to turn his attention to is the future of the Dilke Hospital, Cinderford, since its controversial closure earlier this year.
He said: “It should be a community asset building. I appreciate it’s going to cost a lot of money. Whether the group that’s been made to try to save the Dilke can get anywhere near the money that’s needed, I don’t know.
“But also not forgetting the Lydney Hospital, they’re both community hospitals, both have been closed and they’re both on the market. So, for me, it’s not just about the Dilke, albeit I appreciate the strong feeling of the Dilke.
“I’m looking to see what we can do in support. I’ve lobbied, I’ve been to the Health Secretary, I’ve been to the Minister for Health, both of those MPs in London, and asked if there is any funding we make use of to make these buildings into mental health wellbeing centres, or places to provide aftercare from hospitals - anything at all, rather than just being sold off to developers. I’ve not heard anything back, but I will support the cause, of course.”
One key concern Forest residents have voiced is the Five Acres Project, which has somewhat stalled following a review of the mounting costs. Mr Bishop told The Forester he is a supporter of the project and always has been.
He said: “As people may know, I’m a district councillor and since I’ve been a district councillor, (bearing in mind the project has been going on many years before I became a councillor), I’ve always voted for any motions to make sure it happens and to get what we want. At this late stage, I think it’s just to continue to fight the cause and make sure it’s not forgotten about. I’ve had some conversations with the district council as an MP - there are things in place to try to make sure this comes to fruition and the project gets completed in some guise.
“There may have to be some changes which have already been spoken about, but there are people out there fighting the cause and I think it’s important to continue to fight the cause - but equally, we need to protect the council’s finances and make sure we don’t bankrupt it.”
Mr Bishop also wanted to clarify why he was not at last week’s controversial vote on winter fuel payments. He said: “I didn’t abstain, I had permission to not be present for the vote as I was actually at the Gibraltar National Day celebrations. I’m part of the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) for Gibraltar and it was important to represent parliament and Great Britain and ensure that Gibraltar remains part of Great Britain.”
Mr Bishop additionally wanted to give residents a message. He said: “Thank you for voting for me. It’s a privilege to be elected and serve the people of the Forest. Just give us time, give me time. I appreciate things seem to be dragging along but it has only been eight or nine weeks.”
You can contact the MP on [email protected].
