Report from Our MP Edward Argar

May I begin this first article of 2020 for the Syston Town News by reflecting on last year’s General Election and saying thank you- thank you to everyone that decided to vote for me and, in doing so, put their trust in me once again by returning me to Parliament as Syston’s MP. I also, importantly, want to take the opportunity to thank all those who cast their vote, regardless of who you supported. It is a huge privilege and honour to serve as your Member of Parliament- whether you voted for me or not, I am here to represent the whole community here in Charnwood and, as over the past four and a half years, I will endeavour to do that to the best of my ability. I don’t usually write about national issues in my contributions to the ‘Syston Town News’, instead focusing on local issues affecting the town, however, in view of the fact that the election took place since my last update, on this occasion, I will touch on the national picture before reverting to more local matters. For the past two and a half years Parliament had been dead-locked, unable to find a way of moving forward, but the clear and decisive result of the election means not just that that deadlock is broken, but that we can move forward as a country. As well as getting on with delivering on our pledge to get Brexit done, marked by the passage of the Withdrawal Bill last month and the UK formally leaving the EU on Friday 31st January, just as importantly we are determined to deliver on the issues that came up so often on the doorstep: continuing to support a strong economy, investing in our NHS, schools, & policing, and protecting and enhancing our environment.  But while the national is important, of course so too is the local, and the work on local issues has already begun again. Recently I, and all other Conservative MPs in Leicestershire, met with the Local Government Minister to discuss the need for fairer funding for our local councils in the county. For many years Leicestershire has not received its fair share of the local government funding pot, and a fairer share for our local councils is something I campaigned on in the recent election. It was a constructive & positive meeting, with me and the county’s other MPs emphasising the need for a fairer funding formula to support the local council services we all rely on.I was also pleased to learn that Charnwood Borough Council will see its core spending power increased by 5.8% this year, highlighting our commitment to ‘level-up’ local services across the country and representing progress in our longstanding campaign for fairer funding for our area, with Leicestershire County Council also seeing an increase in its core spending power of 7.4%. While this is good news for our area, as ever, there is still more that can be done to build on this progress, and I will continue to press for a multi-year settlement which addresses our area’s need for fairer funding in the long-term. I will keep readers updated with any further developments. If you believe I may be able to assist you with something as your local MP, or there is a community event you’d like to invite me to, please feel free as always to email me on edward.argar.mp@parliament.uk or write to me at: Edward Argar MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.