My Woking

Following the UK Parliamentary election in May 2010, local Conservative politician, Jonathan Lord, was elected to represent the people of Woking in the Houses of Parliament. Now, 18 months on, The Woking Magazine caught up with Jonathan to find out more about his work as an MP.

How did it feel when you went to Parliament for the first time?

I had visited Parliament quite a few times in the past and worked closely with a couple of MPs. But to enter Parliament and, in particular, the chamber of the House of Commons as the elected Member of Parliament for Woking felt like a very special privilege. The Chamber itself is probably smaller than people think, but that probably makes it even noisier and more intense at Prime Minister's Question Time.

Do you have a particular seat in the Chamber?

Apart from the Speaker and the two front benches, there are no officially allocated seats. However, there is a system of `prayer cards', whereby MPs can reserve a seat by attending prayers - not unlike the way some people grab sun loungers by placing towels early in the morning! I tend to sit on one of the top rows of the Government benches at the Speaker's end of the Chamber.

What office space are you allocated?

The first few weeks were a bit of a nightmare - eight MPs to a Committee Room, and only one printer between us! The sheer quantity of post and invitations to meetings, seminars and events has to be seen to be believed. I now have an office just outside of Parliament, which was allocated to me - it's a five minute walk to and from the Commons, and if you crane your neck from the windows you can just see the tip of Big Ben.

What is an average week in Parliament like? What do you do?

Mondays to Thursdays, I am almost always in Parliament attending important debates and votes as well as working with my staff to answer the mountain of mail and emails that arrive every day.

When Parliament is not sitting on a Friday, I use this day to do my constituency surgeries and to visit local organisations and events. It's a very unusual Saturday that doesn't involve a few more attendances and speeches at local events, but I do try to keep most Sundays free for my family.

Do you live in the constituency?

Yes, I moved to Woking in February from my previous family home near Guildford. It's great to be part of the community and we feel that we've been given a really warm welcome.

What do you think is your biggest success so far?

I was the first backbencher of any party in this Parliament to get their own piece of legislation onto the Statute Book. It was a Private Members' Bill that will improve sports ground safety just in time for the Olympics. The Sports Minister very kindly called this a "remarkable achievement", but I think there was an element of beginner's luck!

What's your biggest frustration?

There are simply not enough hours in the day. However, my main aim at this stage is to try to be the best possible constituency MP for Woking. So instead of holding surgeries just at my office in the centre of town, I've also held them in places such as Morrisons supermarket and Byfleet Library. I've also held several open `Meet Your MP' events in St. Johns, Old Woking, Kingfield and Westfield, and I'm currently campaigning for the expansion of healthcare at our terrific Woking Community Hospital.

Is it still exciting?

Yes. It's a great honour to represent Woking in Parliament, but you wouldn't do this job if you didn't find it interesting and exciting. No two days are ever quite the same.

Contact your MP

If you have an issue that you would like to raise with Jonathan, you can write to him at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA, call 0207 219 6913 (Houses of Parliament) or 01483 773384 (local Conservative Party Office). Alternatively, you can email him at jonathan.lord.mp@parliament.uk If you plan to raise a particular case, please ensure that you attach all relevant documentation so he can decide how best to help you.