Can I help you?

As your Member of Parliament ...

What I can do ...

• Listen to your views on national issues - they are always useful to know, and can help shape Government and Liberal Democrat policy!
• Fight for a fairer deal for Truro and St Austell, and for Cornwall more widely, through representing your needs in the House of Commons, and with Government Ministers.
• Take up your difficulties locally - with benefits, housing, pensions etc. I can also help with some local issues, in collaboration with Liberal Democrat Councillors.

What I can't do ...

• Planning issues: I can raise your views with the Council, and tackle bureaucratic hold ups, but I cannot take a personal view for or against individual applications since my job is to act impartially for all my constituents - it is the job of councillors to decide for or against the planning application.
• I am also unable to offer you legal advice of any sort, since I am not a lawyer.
• I am able to take up your concerns on issues such as immigration, visa application, the Child Support Agency and the Benefits Agency. However, you may also want to contact the Local Citizen's Advice Bureau since they may be able to go through your case in detail and help you at appeal.
  
• It may also be worthwhile to contact the Local Government Ombudsman, or the Parliamentary Ombudsman, if you have a complaint with the administration of Local Council.
  If the bad administration is by an agency of National Government I can refer it to the Parliamentary ombudsman for you if I cannot get a satisfactory response myself. In either case, Ombudsmen don't deal with complaints about policy, only administration (eg red tape delays) which have affected you personally.