When I stood for election to be our local MP, I promised to make sure that North Cornwall’s voice was heard loud and clear in Westminster.

It is with this in mind that I have spent the first few days of this new Parliament demanding action and making sure the government knows just how strongly our communities feel about the problems we face.

I’ve submitted a series of Parliamentary Questions in the House of Commons, urging the Health Secretary to take action so people in our area can actually see an NHS dentist, to bring forward a plan to recruit and retain more GPs to make it easier for people to get an appointment, to reduce ambulance waiting times and to tackle the crisis at local A&Es.

I submitted my first motion in Parliament to raise the issue of the A39 through Camelford. With the temporary closure once again highlighting the need for an affordable and sustainable proposal to deal with traffic through the town centre, I’ve already asked the Transport Secretary to come and visit to discuss the problem with local people and businesses.

The dumping of sewage into our waterways and off our coast is something that hundreds of people raised with me. I’ve raised this issue in Parliament too - demanding the Environment Secretary outlines what he is going to do to stop this scandal once and for all. I’m also meeting with South West Water to make sure they understand the scale of local people’s anger about this. We need a tough new water industry regulator, to ban bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end and to set legally binding targets to prevent sewage dumping by 2030.

I’ve met with the NFU to discuss how we can better support our farming communities; and I’ve urged the Environment Secretary to do more to support those working in North Cornwall’s fishing industry.

The Housing Secretary has heard from me about the desperate need for genuinely affordable housing for local people in North Cornwall and I’ve asked her to adopt my ideas to make sure anyone buying a second home pays their fair share towards the community – including through an increased Council Tax rate of up to 500 per cent.

Too many families are struggling to get the help they need from overstretched and underfunded support services for young people with special education needs and disabilities. I am determined to fight for a fairer deal for local families and I’ve already asked the new Education Secretary what she can do to increase support, to give local councils and schools more funding and to reduce the time taken for local families to receive an Education, Health and Care Plan.

People expect their local MP to work hard day in day out for them and that is exactly what I’m doing as our new MP. I’ve got stuck in straight away in Parliament, pushing the government for action where it is desperately needed and fighting for a fairer deal for our community.

Ben Maguire

Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall