Alex Norris MP

I will strive to send you a newsletter like this on a Friday to keep you updated on the work I’m doing in Parliament as well as in Nottingham North, and to inform you of any interesting events taking place in the area. To help me with the latter, if you are running or know of anything that you think may be of interest to others, feel free to drop me an email at alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk and I will include it in future issues. Please also forward it onto anyone you think may be interested. Now onto business…

My first weeks in Parliament

One week after the election, I swore the Oath to officially become our Member of Parliament. This tradition originates from the Magna Carta when allegiance was given to King John. Less than a week after this, Parliament had its state opening on Wednesday 21st June, and since then I’ve been hard at work.

Most of my time has been spent trying to get my office set up and meeting all the people I’ll need to work with to the best job I can for Nottingham North, but I have also had a few forays in the chamber – call it beginner’s luck!

On 27th June I asked my first Parliamentary question of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Margot James MP. I asked her what the Government’s policy is to ensure those on zero-hours contracts can instead have secure employment.

Later the same day, I made my Maiden Speech in the House of Commons, with which I paid homage to Graham Allen and discussed the challenges facing Nottingham North that I’ll be fighting to overcome. A maiden speech is only a small part of what MP does but I was thrilled to get the chance to speak for the people of Nottingham North and I intend to keep doing it as loudly and as often as possible.

My first question can be watched here, my maiden speech can be watched here, and Wednesday’s question on cybercrime can be watched here. Have a look around my website for anything I’ve done since!

Whilst I am expected to be in Westminster providing the voice for our community it is the work locally in our constituency that I am most looking forward to. I was elected as a local person who was committed to working hard to improve the area and I intend to work that way.

I am keen to meet as many local groups as possible and surgeries will be up and running shortly. Please invite me to meet the groups you are involved in.

So far, I’ve been able to meet a number of local organisations, including charities, schools and churches, to find out what I can do to support their work. At one such meeting with Bestwood Park Church, we discussed the weekly kitchen they provide to the community, Bestop Kitchen. I’ll be visiting in recess – details can be found below!

I also attended the AGM of Bulwell Forest Garden – an asset to the community that I’ll continue to support.

What’s On

I want these emails to be as interesting as possible. That means there’ll be some politics – it’s important that I am held accountable. But I also want to offer information about what’s on locally. So if you have an event you’d like me to advertise, let me know.

For example:

Bulwell Arts Festival
All Over Bulwell
Saturday July 8th to Saturday July 15th

Further info can be found at https://www.bulwellartsfestival.com/

Bestwood Park Church’s Bestop Kitchen
Bestwood Park Church, Beckhampton Road, NG5 5NG
Every Tuesday, 12-3pm

If you would like your events advertised here, please email me at alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk.

So that’s all for now! Details of how to get in touch or to have a look at the things I’m doing are below…

All the best,

Alex

How to contact me

If you would like to contact me, please email alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk or give my Nottingham North constituency office a ring on 0115 975 2377.

If you are a constituent from Nottingham North e-mailing me regarding a casework issue you are my priority, so please ensure your message includes:

• your full name
• your full postal address, including postcode
• a contact telephone number and
• any helpful details relevant to your case such as date of birth, reference numbers etc.

Strict parliamentary protocol means I can only deal with issues on behalf of my own constituents. If you aren’t sure whether or not you live in Nottingham North, you can check who your local MP is by entering your postcode online here: findyourmp.parliament.uk.

You may also wish to write to me with your concerns. If so please send your correspondence to Alex Norris MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA. All constituents who take the time and trouble to write a personal letter will receive a reply as a matter of priority.

Other useful links

• Alex’s Website: click here.
• Alex’s Twitter: click here.
• Nottingham City Council: click here.
• Find your MP: click here.
• Register to vote: click here.
• School term dates in Nottingham: click here.

LABOUR PARTY

• If you’d like to learn more about the Labour party their website is here.
• To join the Labour Party click here.

LOCAL NEWS

• Nottingham BBC news: click here.
• East Midlands BBC news: click here.
• Nottingham Post: click here.
• Notts TV: click here.

LOCAL INFORMATION

• Benefits Information: Here’s an excellent site that allows you to find out exactly what benefits you are eligible to claim: EntitledTo
• Housing: please contact your City Council
• Problems with benefits or the Child Support Agency? The Citizens Advice Bureau and the Nottingham Welfare Rights Service can give advice. Remember to have your National Insurance number handy if you make an inquiry.
• Local schools / education matters: please contact your City Council.
• Employment rights: see Citizens Advice Bureau or the Trades Union Congress for info.
• Social services, environmental health, noise nuisance, parking, and Council Tax should all be addressed to the City Council.
• Another useful website on public services is Direct.gov.

NATIONAL LINKS

For the main Parliamentary website click here and to explore the Parliamentary education site click here.