Summer recess is actually our busiest time

By Lisa Nandy / @lisanandy

Although most people think MPs take the summer recess off, it’s actually our busiest time. We have just four weeks in August when parliament doesn’t meet which means I can be in Wigan without distraction. For new MPs like me this is the first real chunk of time we have had since the election to get out and meet people without having to dash from event to event on Fridays and Saturdays when parliament doesn’t sit. Although you can pack a lot into two days a week, it’s always a bit artificial since many of the community events normally take place during the week and have to be rearranged if the MP needs to attend.

So far every day has brought something new. I’ve been out on the beat with the Police, visited the Heinz factory which is based in my constituency (I am now an expert in how baked beans are produced), met a spirited group of Age Concern volunteers, attended fun days, sports days, visited retirement homes and charity celebrations – the list is endless. When parliament is sitting there is hardly any chance to find out from people on the frontline how new legislation will affect them. On the doorstep and in my mailbag I’m picking up a lot of concern about the impact of the new government’s plans for the NHS so I’ve set aside time to meet with the local PCT, hospital staff, GPs and patients to see what they think. I’m also trying to find time to champion important local initiatives. Next week, for example, I’m going to visit REMPLOY which provides work for people with disabilities across the Wigan area. It’s a national organisation which does some tremendous work and in a time of economic recession it’s really important that organisations like this receive government support. I’m looking forward to pledging mine next week.

On Saturday mornings you can usually find me somewhere in Wigan with our councillors looking out for people who have a problem and listening to their concerns. Although I still do traditional surgeries, street surgeries are a great way to reach people who can’t come to you because they’re older, disabled, have young children or work long hours. Many of the concerns raised over the last few weeks have been about education reforms and the impact they’ll have on children in Wigan, so I’m hoping to do some work on this when parliament returns in September.

After just three weeks of recess I’m starting to realise a month isn’t long enough. This year is the first that parliament will sit again for the first two weeks of September and I can’t help thinking it is a mistake. It is true that we have an astonishing amount of new legislation to scrutinise but without spending a decent amount of time out of the Westminster bubble it’s hard to see how that scrutiny can be effective. Time in the constituency is often represented as time off but, as an out of London MP, I am finding it the busiest and most valuable time I have had so far. The Speaker recently floated proposals for reformof the parliamentary timetable which suggested recess should be even shorter. When we debate this in the autumn I hope we can find a better balance: to represent your community, you need to spend a decent amount of time in it.