What a week we’ve had — firstly, after much persistence, I was thrilled that the A39 through Camelford was reopened on Friday.

This came after considerable effort to get Cornwall Council to communicate effectively and explore all options to resolve the closure. This was fantastic news for local businesses and residents, and I’m very glad that Camelford is open for business once again. If you’ve time in the coming weeks, make sure you show the businesses there some support after a period of uncertainty and closures.

However, not all news was as positive. The recent announcement from the chancellor about cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance was deeply concerning. The Labour government plans to restrict these payments to only those on pension credit or other means-tested benefits, which would leave many in our area worse off, especially with energy bills still high.

I wrote to the Department for Work and Pensions to address this issue urgently, requesting a public consultation and an estimate of the impact on our over-65 population in North Cornwall. It’s an issue of utmost importance to me at the moment, and the feedback I’ve had from some of my older constituents so far has largely been of panic and worry. These are people who’ve worked all their lives, supported their families, and contributed to the economy, only to now face severe uncertainty come winter time.

On a brighter note, I secured a meeting with the Transport Secretary to discuss North Cornwall's public transport services. This will be a brilliant opportunity to address a number of issues pertaining to transport here in North Cornwall, and I’ll be raising a range of problems that constituents have already voiced to me. For those of you who have other transport-related issues, now is the time to get in touch with me, and I’d be glad to bring them before the Minister during our meeting.

Finally, just a quick reminder that I’m currently in the process of finalising my team and setting up the new office. Getting things up and running has been a challenge, but I’m certain that things will be all sorted very soon — my work as an MP has been non-stop so far, and I can only imagine it will very likely continue as it has started.