THIS past year will be looked at as one of the more challenging in British political history. Having started with a majority the government ended up with a hung parliament.

That said, for most people a more significant development is the decisive move on to the next stage in Brexit negotiations which many thought would be impossible.

As Health Secretary I continue to be humbled by the extraordinary dedication of NHS frontline staff with the service under such huge pressure. We did have something to celebrate this year: an independent and respected American think tank called the Commonwealth Fund, compared the NHS to healthcare systems in the US, France, Germany, Australia and many other countries and voted us the top healthcare system in the world.

We are also now seeing significant improvements in patient safety following a number of reforms bought in after Mid Staffs.

However, winter is a particularly challenging time and all our thoughts will be with those working on the NHS frontline as they continue to do an exceptional job looking after many vulnerable people in the coldest time of the year.

Within South West Surrey, it has been another busy year. I was of course thrilled to be re-elected but am very conscious of a number of local issues that urgently need resolving. These include the need to find a solution to the issues around Haslemere Post Office, the delays in ambulance response times to more remote parts of the patch, traffic safety measures (and ultimately a relief road) for Wrecclesham, progress on Farnham town centre pedestrianisation or shared space, getting the flood defences built in Godalming and persistent frustrations with the speed of broadband in some of our villages.

All these continue to occupy my very busy constituency days alongside my regular surgeries.

I am particularly grateful to the many charities in our area who do so much to make sure no one is left alone in the festive season and I would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Jeremy Hunt MP

South West Surrey