EXHAUSTED and exhilarated, that’s how newly elected Newton Abbot MP Martin Wrigley has described his first week in the job.
Speaking to the Mid Devon Advertiser from Lib Dem headquarters in London, Mr Wrigley said: ‘It’s been a whirlwind, it really has.’
The first few days for new MPs are spent taking part in induction training, including procedures, training and security.
He said: ‘It’s been amazing and we have this odd mix of grandeur and ceremony combined with the idea that you can really make a difference here and do things to help.’
His first job was to write to new Health Minister Wes Streeting asking for action over the NHS in Devon, Teignmouth’s proposed health and wellbeing hub where construction has not started and retaining Teignmouth Hospital.
He said the recent resignation of the chairman of NHS Devon, former MP Dr Sarah Wollaston, had been on the basis of critical finances.
‘Something needs to be done,’ he said.
Health is one of his main issues including NHS finances, GP appointments and more dentists.
He and colleagues Steve Darling MP for Torbay and Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, have already met representatives from the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Devon Partnership Trust and NHS Devon.
On Teignmouth’s health hub, Mr Wrigley said: ‘The longer it goes on, the more expensive it becomes and GPs in Teignmouth are worried about where they will go when their lease runs out.
‘None of this is unsolvable.’
He is also keen to look at helping ease the cost of living crisis and the shortage of affordable housing.
He said: ‘There is a lot of work to do.
‘Having an obligatory number of houses to build doesn’t help what is really needed which is social housing and rents people can afford to be able to live in a safe and secure place.’
His other main aim is to hold South West Water to account and to ‘get your plans together’.
He said: ‘I will not stand by and watch more and more sewage flow into our sea and I will use every influence I have to get them to take action.’