BY Sam Dixon

MP for Chester

THERE ARE many milestones a politician can reach during their political lifetime. Being elected, making your maiden speech in Parliament, holding your first constituency surgery. I have reached all of these since becoming an MP, and on Saturday (11th March) I reached another milestone: 100 days in office.

The first 100 days in office is often used to measure the national impact of a Prime Minister or President. As a backbench MP, I don’t pretend to have anywhere near that level of influence. However, I do have the promises I made during my election campaign.

I said I would stand up for Chester residents through the cost-of-living crisis so I have provided lots of help and advice with a cost-of-living support page on my website. I’ve supported residents using alternative heating sources with the rising cost of energy by sending them letters outlining the details of the Government’s Alternative Funding scheme.

To date, I have managed to help constituents receive almost £10,000 which was owed to them in compensation or entitlement.

I pledged stop sewage dumping in the River Dee so I assembled local and regional organisations to plan what we want the Groves and the Dee to look like in the mid to long term.

I pledged to make Chester a top retail and tourism destination. This week I met with Historic England and the Council to see the progress that’s been made on the Heritage Action Zone which is making sure our city gets the recognition it deserves.

I want to improve public transport in Chester which is why one of my first pieces of business in Parliament was a meeting with the Rail Minister to put forward the case to return direct train services from London to Chester. I’ve also met local bus companies to discuss how to improve services.

Finally, I have started a dialogue with Cheshire Police and will continue to work with them towards making our streets safer.

My work with constituents so far has included: more than 2,000 emails relating to casework; work on 760 individual cases, and almost 50 surgery appointments with constituents. If you want to meet with me or discuss any issues with me please email Samantha.dixon.mp@parliament.uk or call my office 01244 343229 or use my website www.samantha-dixon.co.uk.

It’s been a busy 100 days and I look forward to continuing to work hard for the people of Chester. It is a privilege to serve.