FOR many people, the word recess means ‘break’ – and in the USA, it can even mean play time. But that’s certainly not case when you’re an MP.

When the doors of Parliament close, my work does not stop. In fact, it just means I get to focus more intently on constituency work for the next three weeks, without needing to go to Westminster for any votes, meetings, and policy discussions.

Instead, constituents probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’ll be focusing on ramping up work already done on my three pledges.

On Revitalising Towns, it’s my priority to support our high streets and the local tourism industry, particularly in Newquay where it’s part of the high street’s lifeblood.

During recess, I will be attending a round table meeting chaired by Visit Cornwall and look forward to offering my support whenever I can – building on the extensive action plan shared following my own tourism summit. I’ll also be sharing progress on how I’m delivering that action plan, also shared with over 40 businesses in Newquay. There are a lot of items already ticked off the list which, I hope, will make a difference to the state our town in the months and years ahead.

St Austell remains a challenge – with the latest saga at Poundland symptomatic of the market failure that plights so many of our high streets and requires incumbent landlords and investors to cut their losses amidst changing return expectations. That’s why, from next week, I’ll be pushing forward with the hard yards on the town, with further steps to be announced at the opening of my new office in the high street in August. On Friday, I caught up once more with St Austell Police – ahead of 100 new officers and PCSOs supporting a ‘summer blitz’ on antisocial behaviour across both towns – and put much needed pressure on them to spread resources into those underserved smaller towns and villages. Together, we can turn the tide on antisocial behaviour and bring life back into the heart of our communities and I invite anyone who shares that vision to sign up to one of my events on regenerating towns.

On Tackling the Cornish Housing Crisis, one of the most frequent, and totally legitimate, concerns I hear is that new builds must be supported by robust infrastructure. So, I’ll be happy to get updates from the team who delivered the new A30 link road, as well as meet teams from Network Rail, and Newquay Airport. In addition, I will be visiting the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske to explore whether we could use robots and tech to take the strain off stretched staff, ahead of any increase in population.

On Creating Jobs & Prosperity, I’ll be reading the Government’s new Critical Minerals Strategy from cover to cover. As Chair of the Critical Minerals APPG, I am excited to see this roadmap for optimising a key growth sector for Cornwall – home to one of the largest sources of lithium in Cornwall. A priority for me will be progressing a plan for how we share the spoils of that industry with local communities.

It sounds like a cliché but the reality is that politics is close to being a 24/7 job. But friends, family and constituents often remind me that I should take a rest occasionally. So, on a more personal level, I’ll be taking some time to relax with, and thank, our local Labour members who play a key role in supporting my work. I will also carve out some personal time – just don’t blame me if I end up subjecting you to my rusty guitar playing, or accounts of surfing trips snatched between work commitments!