THE election is over and I find myself with the honour of being elected as Wyre Forest’s Member of Parliament. And it really is an incredible honour.

But before I say anything else in my first column for The Shuttle, I wanted to both thank, and pay tribute to, my predecessor Dr Richard Taylor.

Richard was elected to parliament nine years ago, and since then has become a much loved and well respected individual who still attracts significant electoral support.

He has worked hard for his constituents and has done so without the support of a traditional political party.

His is a hard act to follow and whilst I am delighted that I have been elected to parliament, I take no personal pleasure that in so doing I had to dislodge Richard from his seat.

I know that he can start his retirement proud of his achievements, already written up in the history textbooks as the man who brought about the “Kidderminster Effect”.

So now the job of being Wyre Forest’s MP starts in earnest.

As well as setting up an efficient office that can deliver the service Wyre Forest needs from its MP, the work to restore our economic prosperity needs to start straight away.

That is why I am contacting all the various business leaders and town centre managers and partnerships in order to start to define the progress we need to make.

It is vital that we are leading, and not following, economic recovery. Working to secure Wyre Forest’s future is paramount.

I am also meeting with the Acute Hospitals Trust on Friday with my colleagues from across the county, to help the trust deliver more services for Worcestershire and Wyre Forest.

On a practical point, many people will have open casework with Richard Taylor. Due to data protection laws there is a process of handover, but if there is anything urgent or anyone wants to bring an issue to me, I am planning to hold my first surgery on Friday the May 21. Please contact me either through the office at 01562 823820 or by e-mail at mark@wyreforestconserv atives.com And finally, thank you for your support. It is an enormous honour to have been elected as your MP. But it is also an important job and Wyre Forest is facing tough times.

This week marks the change when we look forward to tackling Wyre Forest’s current issues.

Mark Garnier Conservative MP for Wyre Forest