The ink is now officially dry on the contract to build a brand-new hospital in Bury St Edmunds, and I have it on good authority that it will be the first new hospital to be built under the Government’s New Hospital Programme, and that work is due to begin as early as next year. Having met with Dr Ewen Cameron, Chief Executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, I am delighted to be able to share the initial plans for the new hospital.

Dragados, an international construction company with experience delivering major new hospitals in Spain, as well as infrastructure projects in the UK, has been chosen as the project’s construction partner. The next stage of the project will be further engagement with staff, patients and residents to ensure the new hospital is designed around their future needs. I, for one, can’t wait to visit it.

During my second full year as your MP, my team and I completed 8,433 items of constituency casework, we held 15 advice surgeries, we visited 80 local businesses, charities, constituents and other local stakeholders, including 14 schools, and we held 8 “Meet Your MP” events attended by over 220 residents.

It has been the honour of my life to have spoken up for the residents of Bury St Edmunds in the chamber on 178 occasions, on topics including access to NHS dental services, end-of-life care, defence and national security, rural crime, clean energy, student loans and water ownership, and to have voted 246 times. I put questions to the Government on your behalf on 67 occasions including my first question at PMQs about the future of the NHS and the implications of proposals made by some of my parliamentary colleagues for an insurance-based system which, the PM and I both agreed, would wreck our beloved NHS.

If, like me, you are disappointed that Bury’s Post Office is slated for closure please take a moment to share your views directly to comments@postoffice.co.uk.

According to the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce 41% of organisations across Suffolk have been moderately or significantly impacted by local bank branch closures, and 42% by post office closures, which is why on the first day back after recess, I raised the importance of face to-face banking services in rural areas like ours in Parliament, particularly for residents who struggle to access online services.

After 40 years I was saddened that Gatehouse has closed. It was an honour to be able to invite Gatehouse’ CEO Amanda Bloomfield to Number 10 as a mark of my appreciation for the work she and her team have done in our community over so many years and I’d like to put on record my thanks to all the staff. Although Gatehouse has wound up its activities, I understand it will still be providing Christmas meals to those in need.