Parliament has been a tempestuous place these past few weeks, but we will soon have a change of leadership and our country can then move onward and upward.
We will shortly know the names of the two candidates who are vying to be our next Prime Minister and you will then have your opportunity to use your membership vote to decide our future. I will be in touch again about this and hopefully we will be able to meet and discuss your views over the summer before the vote takes place. No doubt West Kent Conservatives will be advising of any hustings that may be arranged over that period too.
I must say how heartened I was with the diverse list of eight candidates who each obtained the support of 20 MPs to make it to the first ballot paper. Four men, four women, and half from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Here in the Constituency my team and I continue to manage a busy in-tray, helping people with their many issues and challenges, not least the cost of living and problems with passport renewals. Helping Ukrainian families relocate to Kent in pursuit of sanctuary also continues to keep us busy, but I am pleased to report that we are having a lot of success. I must applaud all of the local families who have opened their homes to refugees in the last 3 months.
A note on our Association too – with huge thanks to outgoing Chairman Andrea Thorpe who has not only run MWCA so well for the last 5 years, but who has left the association in great shape and has passed on the baton seamlessly to our new Chairman Sally-Ann Marks. With all-out local council elections looming in 2024 under new ward boundaries, a possible General election in the same year and Parliamentary Constituency boundary changes splitting Maidstone & The Weald into two new seats, Sally-Ann will have much to do, and she has my 100% support.
I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
With best wishes,
Helen
