IT has been a busy couple of weeks both in the constituency and Parliament following the summer recess.

One of the highlights was a visit Darnhall Primary School in Winsford to see the excellent learning environment and SEN provision which is in place there.

But as with many schools, space is at a premium, so I have written to Cheshire West and Chester Council as well as the Department for Education, to see what support could be made available to help the school to alleviate the pressure on its capacity.

Afterwards, I had a meeting with Avanti West Coast to discuss HS2, my rail priorities for Mid Cheshire, including an increase to services and improved accessibility at Northwich Station.

In Westminster, I met with representatives of the Post Office, raising concerns about the future of the Cledford branch in Middlewich, the importance of its disabled access before having a wider discussion about the value Post Offices and local postmasters provide to the community.

I also met with my colleague Wes Streeting MP, the Secretary of State for Health, to make the case for the Leighton Hospital rebuild project to be speeded up ahead of the review into the hospitals programme.

Both myself and Connor Naismith, the neighbouring MP for Crewe and Nantwich, are determined to drive this project forward - so watch this space.

READ MORE: Update on new hospital as MP urges Health Secretary to speed project up

My team also attended a meeting last week with community leaders and a representative of Tata in Northwich this week to discuss the noise issues that several constituents have recently contacted me about. This has been acknowledged by the company.

It was explained that the noise was caused by venting steam during a shutdown, which it is permitted to do under the terms of its Environment Agency permit, and a prevailing easterly wind which meant that the Rudheath side of the plant was more affected than the Lostock side.

Tata’s representative agreed that communication is key and that the company had fallen short on this, specifically around the duration of this latest shutdown.

Assurances were given that no further shutdowns are planned until well into next year, and that efforts would be made to improve communication to residents in future.