AS always, it’s been an incredibly busy month.

I've been all over York and Westminster fighting hard for our home city, whether it’s been around failing water companies, bus services or on bailiff reform; but I've also had the pleasure as usual of meeting so many wonderful constituents.

There’s no better place for me to start this month though, than the exciting news I’ll be taking paternity leave over the coming weeks as I’ve got a second child on the way.

My team will be on hand to continue supporting constituents in York Outer – day-to-day work will carry on much as usual, while I also enjoy making special memories with my new son, and supporting my wife Beth too.

I wanted to start with this, as a big passion project and campaign I’ve been leading on is trying to increase statutory paternity leave.

I know for many families, two weeks simply isn’t enough, and those early stages are vital moments in our children’s lives. This feels especially important after Father’s Day – which I hope many of you enjoyed with your own families in the lovely summer sunshine.

Last week, I really enjoyed going to York Pride, one of the most joyful and inclusive events in the York calendar. It was fantastic to see so many people come together to celebrate love, equality and community. A huge thanks to everyone who helped make it happen, and it was a real pleasure to meet so many wonderful people there.

As usual, I’ve also enjoyed visiting more of the wonderful schools across York Outer. This time going to Rufforth Primary and Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary. We are so lucky to have such talented children who will be the future of York – and the country. You may have also seen that the Government are now rolling out free school meals to families accessing Universal Credit from the 2026/27 academic year too, which is fantastic news.

The Chancellor, and fellow Yorkshire MP, Rachel Reeves also recently conducted her spending review, which represented some big wins for York Outer. In there was another pot of funding specifically for the electrification of the Transpennine line from York to Leeds and Manchester. I’m optimistic this is only the start of good news for our area too, with record investment in the NHS, more police on the streets amongst many other things announced.

Sticking on transport, the Bus Services Bill also went through Parliament this month. I caught up with the Minister and Secretary of State about this, and how this will benefit our buses right here in York.

I’ve been campaigning nationally for stronger regulation of rogue bailiffs, and this week the Government announced it will open a consultation on the issue. Right now, many bailiffs operate without proper oversight, something that’s led to unacceptable behaviour and real harm, particularly for vulnerable people. I’ve worked hard to push this up the agenda, so I’m really pleased to see progress being made. I also had a positive meeting with Minister Sarah Sackman KC MP to discuss the next steps.

I really enjoyed attending the City of York Council’s Lord Mayor Making – always one of York’s most special days. It was great to see the city come together to welcome Councillor Martin Rowley as our new Lord Mayor and his consort, Elizabeth. With his military service, decades as a school governor, and deep roots in York’s community life, I know he’ll be a fantastic ambassador for our city and will continue to represent Osbaldwick and Derwent diligently. I know he’ll be ably supported by his Sherriff and Sherriff’s consort, Paul and David too!

As I updated in my last article, I’m continuing to work on many campaigns in the constituency. This includes managing the situation with Celkom, and supporting road safety in Poppleton and across the constituency, all of which are moving in the right direction. I really appreciate constituents, parish councils and other organisations for raising these issues with me and for working with me to achieve positive outcomes – it really shows the power of community teamwork.

Can I also thank Portakabin, FERA, Sainsbury’s at Monks Cross and colleagues at the York Fire Station for meeting with me too. I met with Jo Coles, the Deputy Mayor for York and North Yorkshire at the Fire Station and had a briefing on the awful fire up at Strensall Common and thanked the team for all they do to keep us safe day-in-day-out.

May I also give a special shout out to Conexo Travel Haxby who have been trading for 20 years. They are an incredibly hardworking local business and immensely dedicated to bringing customers the very best holidays.

As above, I’ll be going on paternity leave very shortly, but my team will still be there to support you with anything you need. It’s the absolute privilege of my life being the MP for the place I’m proud to call home, but it’s even more special that I’m going to be a dad to a second child who I can raise here in York.

As always please do get in contact with me on:

[email protected], call me on 01904 463444 or send me post to PO Box. 894, York, YO31 6HP.