The election is now firmly behind us and the result is well known. Here in Wyre Forest, I was delighted to have been returned as your MP. I believe it is one of the greatest honours that anyone can have - to be chosen by a community to represent their interests in Parliament. But with that honour comes a great deal of responsibility. As I look around Wyre Forest, watching people live their lives, I see a community that needs their representatives to get things right - as do all communities. Being an MP is a practical job with responsibility and expectations of those who live here. It is not about winning an argument and then resting for 5 years.
The last five years have been about getting the country back on track and from a personal point of view, making sure that Wyre Forest's boat floated when the economic tide came in. We have been successful. Unemployment is at its lowest level ever and yet more jobs are coming to the district. But that is, to my mind, nowhere near enough. We still have lower than average household income, partly driven by higher than average part time jobs in the district. So the next five years is about making sure we get higher local household incomes, more full time opportunities if people want them, and more training for those people whose skills fail to meet the requirements of the new employers.
But simply concentrating on the economy is not enough. There are groups of people who need specific help. On my rounds during the campaign, I met many people that I would otherwise not have met. There are issues surrounding those who have disabilities, with access to local businesses and interpretation of rules on access to new builds being a problem. We have community groups who provide important services who need help and support from their MP. And we have many individuals who need specific help on a vast range of personal problems.
Delivering this is not just down to how I can use my influence. It is down to those elected to Wyre Forest District Council. My Conservative colleagues received a very clear mandate from Wyre Forest to deliver their manifesto and I will work with them to deliver this. But I will also work with all other parties - especially on the issues surrounding health provision locally.
So after the heat and fury of the election, the hard work begins.