Nick's Week

Parliament has prorogued before the Queen's Speech on 4 June opens the final session before the election next year, but my constituency work continues, and of course we have been campaigning for the European elections.

On Friday I met local farmers to discuss flooding and agricultural issues, before going to Seaford College to talk to their A level politics students and meet the Headmaster and staff.

After that I met with the Chairman, Chief Executive and Director of Planning of the South Downs National Park Authority.  We discussed a number of controversial  issues, including fracking and planning.

Later I attended a drop-in event at Storrington to promote their new trial Low Emission Zone, which I hope will provide part of the solution to poor air quality in the village.

In the long term we need to upgrade the A27 to prevent rat-running through the Downland villages, and this Friday I will be attending another meeting of the A27 Action steering group at County Hall to discuss the campaign launch which is planned for next month.

In Storrington I also met with local councillors to discuss the situation following the closure of Mill Stream surgery.  I have been liaising closely with GPs and the NHS about this issue to represent my constituents' concerns.

I asked the NHS to provide more information about the reasons for closure, which they have done.   I believe we should now look forward and work for a new medical centre in Storrington to meet today's and future demands.  I am optimistic that this will happen, and I will continue to work with GPs, the NHS and local councillors to this end.

On Saturday I visited Pulborough Expo, an excellent event which brought together the many clubs, societies and voluntary groups in the village that provide services for local people.  This is the third event of this kind which I have attended this year - the others were in Steyning and Henfield - and they show how much volunteers do in our villages for so many people.

I then went to Petworth for the formal opening of The Vintage Tackroom, a great new equestrian and country clothes store, before going on to the May Fair at West Chiltington School.

On Sunday, a glorious summer's day, I went down to walk on Climping beach, and thought how lucky I was to live in West Sussex.