Douglas Ross has reflected on his first twelve months in office as Member of Parliament for Moray. On the 8th June 2017 he overturned a SNP majority of more than 9,000 with a swing of over 13% to become the first Conservative MP elected in Moray in over 30 years.
Commenting Douglas said: “It has always been an ambition of mine to represent my home area of Moray in the House of Commons and since getting the opportunity to do that 12 months ago I have worked as hard as possible to be Moray’s voice in Westminster and to help constituents who come to their MP for support, advice and action.
“It’s not all been smooth sailing, and I will never be able to please all of the people, all of the time, but my priority is always to get the best deal for Moray and make sure people at the highest levels in government know about our area and the support we need from the UK government.
Twelve months on Douglas has had time to look back on a hectic whirl of activity.
“While it is a huge honour to sit on the famous green benches in Westminster, my greatest satisfaction has been my work in Moray, particularly helping local people who have contacted me seeking assistance. Among the areas I have been able to help with are housing, social care and NHS treatment. I am particularly pleased that I was able to persuade the Department of Work and Pension to allow Moray residents to have their PIP assessments carried out at home rather than travelling to Inverness.
“Although Westminster has been new to me, these local concerns have not.”
Douglas believes that his ten years as a local councillor in Moray, plus twelve months as an MSP, means that he was able to hit the ground running when it came to sorting out problems for his constituents. He calculates that he has dealt with about 2,000 local cases since his election last June.
“I have been absolutely determined not to vanish into some kind of Westminster bubble. My local office on Forres High Street is very accessible and it’s encouraging for me that people see it as an open environment where they can pop to raise an issue of concern they may have. I have also been very keen to hold surgeries all over Moray. I’ve now held 75 surgeries all across Moray as well as street surgeries where I speak to local people on their doorstep and I’ve also held public meetings in Elgin and Buckie to hear directly from Moray residents about the concerns they have. It’s been a real pleasure to get out and about, there is no better way of getting close to the issues that really matter to people in Moray.”
Although Douglas has prioritised his work in his constituency, he has also enjoyed some high points at Westminster. “Securing a Westminster debate on delivery charges and an inquiry by the Scottish Affairs Committee has resulted in action by the Government on unfair charges. I was also very pleased that I and my Scottish Conservative colleagues were able to persuade the Chancellor to produce such a great budget which helped our local whisky industry and resulted in an extra £2bn for Scotland. Being an MP for the governing party makes it possible to deliver for the people of Moray.”
Other highpoints have included welcoming the Defence Secretary to RAF Lossiemouth for a turf-cutting ceremony in anticipation of the arrival of the new Poseidon maritime aircraft. “This £400m investment by the UK Government is a very significant vote of confidence in Moray. It secures the future of the base for decades and brings enormous economic benefits to Moray. Our area has a very strong armed forces tradition and it is very heartening to know that, along with Kinloss Barracks, the home of 39 Engineer Regiment, this tradition will continue for a long time yet.”
However Douglas’s choice of greatest achievement is perhaps surprising. “To my enormous surprise I was the theme of the winning act in the “Mossiefactor” recently. This was an amazing talent show performed by the pupils of Mosstowie Primary school where P5, 6 and 7 pupils did a rap about me being their MP and my hobby of being a referee. It’s not often a politician is lost for words but after this act I was rendered completely speechless!”