EVEN though Christmas and New Year’s celebrations seem just a short while ago, I’m already in Westminster and getting back to work to deliver for the people of Leigh.

One of my top priorities is getting my new office set up in Leigh town centre, to make sure that I’m easily accessible to my constituents, can deal with any urgent issues local people may have and get my regular advice surgeries up and running.

In the meantime, I’m accessible via email, details of which are at the bottom of this column. And I’ll do my best to get back to you as quickly as possible.

Of course, representing your voice down in Westminster as well as locally is also another important part of my new role and just before Christmas, the first vote of the new Parliament was on the Prime Minister’s new Brexit deal.

During the election campaign local people told me again and again they just wanted to see Brexit done, so we could get on with tackling important local issues.

Nearly two thirds of local people voted for Brexit, which is why I’m proud to say that I used my first vote as your MP to support Boris’s Brexit deal and respect your decision to vote to leave the EU.

Now, over the coming months, I’ll be getting to work on delivering the improvements local people tell me they want to see, starting with a railway station for Leigh.

As many of you already know, our town is one of the largest in the country without a railway station.

Restoring our link to the national rail network is vital for the regeneration of our town.

Another critical local infrastructure project our community needs is the completion of the Atherleigh Way bypass.

I am already working closely with Chris Green, MP for Bolton West and Atherton, to ensure this key project is delivered. We also need to tackle the upsurge in crime and antisocial behaviour blighting the areas near our town centre, and restore order to the streets, so residents feel safe once again.

Another important point to remember is that it isn’t just the large strategic issues that local people care about, but smaller issues that affect their everyday life, such as fly tipping, missing bins, or blocked drains.

I’ll still keep fighting to sort out those issues too, just as I did as a local councillor.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your well wishes over the last few weeks since becoming an MP and for your support during the election.

It is greatly appreciated and I will continue to do all I can to represent you both in the constituency and down in Parliament.

To get in touch with James email james.grundy.mp@parliament.uk.

People can also keep up to date with what the MP is working on by liking his Facebook page, James Grundy, MP for Leigh.