On July 5, in the early hours of Friday morning, I was elected the new Member of Parliament for Norwich North.

It is a huge privilege and honour to become the MP and I thank everyone who put their trust in me and the Labour party to deliver. People in Norwich and across the country voted for change and it is our job and responsibility to get on and deliver it.

During the campaign, many people told me that they had lost trust in politicians and felt they were all the same. The burden is on all of us to restore that trust and after the first month in parliament and, as we return in September, I wanted to share a few reflections and updates on my first month in parliament.

Westminster can look like a very strange place from the outside with many traditions, but it is also a very welcoming place. Staff have worked around the clock helping us to set up our teams, officially swear in and navigate the many rules of the chamber.

During the campaign I set out my priorities: better health, better homes, good education, good jobs and action to tackle the biggest challenges of our time - the cost-of living and climate crisis.  

The state opening of parliament saw the King’s speech setting out the legislative programme that the Labour Government will focus on. It includes bold measures that will help many people in Norwich North and speak to those priorities.

They include setting up Great British Energy which will help lower bills, create jobs and tackle the climate crisis. I’ll be fighting to ensure we get investment in Norfolk- 44pc of the UK’s offshore wind is already produced off the cost of Norfolk and Suffolk – we can be at the heart of the clean energy transition and create thousands of green jobs.

We will also bring in measures to give control of buses to local communities and bring the railways back into public ownership.

I campaigned on buses during the election helping to make the voices of local people heard and these measures will make that even easier. We urgently need upgrades to our rail infrastructure in the East of England including to the Trowse swing bridge and to the Ely and Haughley junctions and I will continue to make the case for these investments.

Locally I’ll be fighting for action on health – to make it easier to see a GP and to tackle the dentistry crisis which makes it pretty much impossible to see an NHS dentist in Norfolk.

This was the first intervention I made in the house – asking the secretary of state Wes Streeting to meet with me and other Norfolk MPs to advance plans for a dental school at the University of East Anglia.

On homes, it is vital that we unlock progress on Anglia Square – I’ll be working with my neighbour Clive Lewis MP and the city council to secure the action needed so we can get more homes and the investment we need.  

We also must ensure that when new estates are built, they come with essential infrastructure such as schools, health facilities and transport links. The Labour government has vowed to reform the planning system and I will be working to ensure that means this infrastructure is delivered.

This summer young people in Norfolk received their exam results. I want to see every child in Norwich North receiving a good education and am determined to work with local schools, parents and children to achieve that as I set out during my campaign.

A key focus must be on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – along with other MPs I met with Bridget Phillipson the education secretary to discuss the action needed. This won’t be easy, given the financial circumstances we are in, but it is essential for our county and our children.

One message I heard loud and clear through the campaign was that people wanted politicians and political parties to work together. Norfolk is now a ‘rainbow’ county with many political parties represented and I am prepared to work with anyone who is determined to get the best outcomes for our area.

Members of Parliament are here to serve the people they represent, and a huge part of the job is responding to individual issues and problems. When you are elected as an MP, you start with no staff and no office, so I have been focussed on getting a team up and running and am working through the many emails I have received.

I promised to be accessible and visible as an MP and that is one of the reasons I have already started a programme of surgeries across the constituency starting with Sprowston, Mile Cross and Drayton.

I know, and the Labour government knows the challenges ahead are big, but we are determined to restore the hope and opportunity that we all deserve, and I am determined to stand up for Norwich North.

To get in touch with Alice Macdonald please email – alice.macdonald.mp@parliament.uk