I often use these columns to talk about specific local issues or events and what I am doing in Westminster for North Devon but a great deal of what an MP does though is to help individual constituents with specific, sometimes personal issues. We call this casework and this year alone I and importantly my staff have closed over 400 cases already. Since I was elected there have been nearly 29,000 cases, I have signed off over 9000 letters and written countless emails to councils, ministers, businesses, and statutory authorities.
My team have helped 143 people get their driving licences, 29 with the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 71 with their passports, over 100 people with HMRC or DWP issues and over 200 with housing issues. There have sadly been many complicated and difficult cases involving children with special needs, domestic abuse and mental health. It is these, very complex cases that can take up a lot of my team’s time, which is why for most of the campaign emails I receive, I direct people to my website where there are hundreds of responses on policy issues.
If you do email me, I will log your email and note your opinion, but I logistically cannot always respond in writing to every enquiry, hence the use of my website for many issues. (https://www.selainesaxby.org.uk/campaignresponses)
I choose to respond with a letter to casework or more specific policy enquiries, especially whenmore personal, or the constituent has never or rarely contacted me before. If a matter is urgent we will respond by email, and details may be collated this way, however, given the seriousness of matters we deal with, a formal letter is my preference, which whilst my team may compile, I personally read and sign all casework letters.
Please do contact me if you have an issue or a problem with anything. I cannot promise that I can fix every pothole or resolve your housing issue. I cannot promise that you will agree with my response or indeed that of any council or minister, but I will do what I can to help or answer your questions.
People do contact me about face-to-face surgeries, and we of course do have them, but we can often resolve any problems without waiting for a meeting. I am blessed with an excellent local team in my Barnstaple office who can help very quickly, with almost any enquiry. Do, however, please email me preferably at [email protected] as we often need written permission to act on your behalf but also do feel free to phone my office on 01271 327990. Unfortunately it is not possible to come to the office without an appointment. It is sadly the case that we must take personal and office security increasingly seriously. The high profile and callous murders of my fellow MPs may make the news, but more often than not, it is staff that are the ones abused or assaulted. My colleague Peter Bone MP had his office window smashed in again recently, he was not there but his staff, who are there to help people were. We all appreciate that many of us may disagree on many things, but there is no need for this.
My team and I are here to help. Please do get in touch as wewant to help, however, if it is an issue for any of our councils, the police or any other organisation, please contact them directly first.
