Hustings dominated the campaign trail in Ilford North last week when I put local services for local people back at the heart of the debate.
It’s a key issue to my constituents who want to know their MP will be working hard to improve the quality of their lives in their locality.
This commitment to act on the concerns of the local people put me in the House of Commons for the first time in 2005 and as my record shows it’s where I’ve kept my focus since.
The powers that be want to see an end to accident and emergency services at King George’s Hospital in Goodmayes near Ilford, which local people and their faith leaders are opposed to.
The Conservatives are the only party committed to saving King George’s A&E from the axe. I was the only candidate to raise the issue unprompted during my address to the hustings at Ashurst Gardens last Thursday evening.
Frontline services are how the people of Ilford North, like every other constituency around the UK, experience the policies that are determined at Westminster. Parties that forget this, do so at their peril.
That’s why when the issue came before the House just before the election, I voted to save King George’s A&E. The pressure from the local campaign has finally forced the Government to stop ignoring local concerns and call the decision in for independent review.
This is just one example of the local issues that matter on the campaign trail and is one the central reasons why we have constituency-based system.
Later this week I will have the pleasure of speaking at a hustings held by Barnardo’s in Barkingside where I will put the case again and again for effective representation to protect local services.
I urge the electorate to remember that their MP is first and foremost in the House to represent their interests at national level and to hold to account those unelected individuals who run local services.
And that is my electoral promise.
Lee Scott is the Conservative MP for Ilford North. He is campaigning for re-election.
This blog is part of the JC.com's On The Campaign Trail blog for the Election 2010 where candidates in key Jewish areas have been invited to blog. Read more on our Election 2010 page