www.phillip-lee.com

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for Bracknell,

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Your MP...

Dr Phillip Lee

www.phillip-lee.com

www.phillip-lee.com www.phillip-lee.com

Dear Constituent,

This is my fi rst Annual Report. As MP’s are accountable to the people, I believe that communicating regularly with those who elected me to Westminster is very important. I am under an obligation to explain what I have been doing, what I stand for, and why. This report is an attempt to do just that. I plan to publish one for every subsequent year that I hold elected offi ce. Unlike before 2010, it has not been taxpayer-funded. Hence, I have had to secure local private donations. This is why it has taken time to bring this fi rst annual report together.

It has been an extraordinary privilege to be your MP. Although, there is never a moment when I do not feel the pressure of work, and never enough time to do it all, I continue to relish each day that I represent your best interests. Like many MP’s, I get over a thousand communications a week, creating a huge fl ow of correspondence, meetings and casework for my staff. This can be very challenging for my offi ce; however, we all genuinely strive to deliver the very best possible service.

Some key achievements are listed opposite. These are a small portion of a much larger picture. It is important to say that they are team efforts, involving Parliamentary colleagues, local councillors and council offi cers. Furthermore, they are simply some of the visible outcomes. Underlying them is a huge programme of continuous lobbying and persuasion, making the case to central government for fairer funding of our schools, hospitals and council services. It is also important for the MP to make the case to local government. I have supported them in their impressive redevelopment plans for Bracknell and Wokingham town centres, and argued for a more sustainable approach to the local economy and environment.

None of this would be possible without the unstinting support and hard work of a large number of local people. It is impossible to list all of them here, but I would especially like to record my huge thanks to my staff in my Westminster and Bracknell offi ces; to my volunteers and supporters; to local councillors; and to the many offi cials at both councils who have helped with local casework.

I hope you appreciate reading about my work as your MP.

Best wishes,

Phillip Lee

Nationally, your Government:

• is cutting the defi cit through the toughest public spending reductions this country has seen since the War

• has introduced an immigration cap• is bringing in a welfare cap and radically reforming

welfare to make work pay• has vetoed an EU Treaty, said no to the euro and

changed the law so no new power can be passed from Westminster to Brussels without a referendum

• is committed to renewing the nuclear deterrent• has cut corporation tax to help business• has reduced the civil service to the smallest size

since WWII

Locally, we have:

• started Bracknell and Wokingham town centre regeneration

• opened a new Health Clinic at Brants Bridge in Bracknell• opened a new Bracknell & Wokingham College

I have:

• run a campaign to bring faster broadbandto Finchampstead

• lobbied to make future planning sympathetic and sustainable for local communities in Crowthorne, Finchampstead and Bracknell

• actively supported community events in Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Bracknell, Wokingham Without and Finchampstead

• managed over 20000 constituency constituents’ cases• recently supported the Mary Portas Pilot Town bid

for Bracknell

Delivering Positive Change for Britain and Bracknell Constituency

speaking in the House of Commons

with Prince Edward at the opening of the new Bracknell & Wokingham College

opening a new community facility at the Kerith Centre, Bracknell

with the Prime Minister, David Cameron in Bracknell

with the Secretary of State for Welfare & Pensions, Iain Duncan-Smith at Easthampstead Park

with the Countess of Wessex at the opening of the Brants Bridge Health Clinic in Bracknell

“M��� �h��k� on�e ag�i� ....yo� h��e �i��� u� ba�� our f�i�� i� p�li�i�i�n�!”

Mr� J.W., Bra����l�

www.phillip-lee.com www.phillip-lee.com

Key

Tax 10%

Benefits 7%

Health 25%

Education 6%

Planning 8%

Housing 26%

Pensions 18%

Numbers at a glance

Total Constituency casework letters (May 7th, 2010 – March 6th, 2012): 20,698

Breakdown of constituency letter subjects:

You will see from this report’s data that my Westminster offi ce has already dealt with thousands of constituent enquiries. It is interesting to note that around 50% of the work is covering subject areas devolved to local councils. In addition to this paperwork, I have also undertaken unannounced, monthly ‘walkabouts’, quarterly Q&A meetings, ‘pub politics’ sessions (involving me pulling a few pints!) and regular ‘face-to-face’ constituent appointments in my Bracknell offi ce.

I have a number of on-going local campaigns. In Finchampstead I am currently supporting a campaign against the installation of poly-tunnels over a beautiful landscape. In Bracknell and Wokingham boroughs I am pushing both Councils to ensure long-term sustainability of their housing plans so that the cherished, local environment is protected. Furthermore, I am working with Thames Valley Police to help set up a cadet force in Bracknell.

I have recently issued a 50-page report into the future regional provision of healthcare that directly addresses the delivery of acute and chronic care for Bracknell and Crowthorne. It was clear to me that there was a real need for a 21st century strategic vision for healthcare in the region. Although it was not my direct responsibility, I produced the report with no additional fi nancial support. For all those interested it is available to download from my website (www.phillip-lee.com).

Working Hard for all of My Constituents

pulling a pint at the Golden Retriever in Bracknell addressing a public meeting in Sandhurst

supporting Sandhurst Fitness Fun Day at Pinewood in Wokingham Without

at California Ratepayers’ Hall in Finchampstead at the New Hope Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre in Bracknell

www.phillip-lee.com www.phillip-lee.com

Since my election, I have worked hard to get to know all aspects of my constituency. By visiting schools and sports clubs, I have tried to get to meet as many local people as possible. Inspiring the next generation is of great importance to me.

I have visited many businesses, both small and large, around the whole constituency. We are very fortunate to have so many successful businesses in the area. At Westminster, I have represented a local Bracknell-based business in its battle with Google. Furthermore, I have made a submission to an American space company in an attempt to get them to base their European HQ in Bracknell. I regularly address local FSB meetings in Bracknell.

Supporting the Next Generation and Local Business

Opening the new garden at St. Michael’s CofE School in Sandhurst to commemorate their 150th anniversary

Ranelagh School, Bracknell

The Pines School, BracknellUplands School, Sandhurst

Johnson & Johnson, Crowthorne

Pilon, a successful local

construction business in BracknellAt Bracknell Refuse and Recycling

plant in Bracknell

Addressing Federation of Small Businesses in Bracknell

www.phillip-lee.com www.phillip-lee.com

And I’ve not just been working hard in the constituency. At Westminster my maiden speech celebrated what is great about our constituency. I also mentioned the great success story of the UK space industry, which has grown 10% annually for the last decade. I have also spoken in a number of debates and twice asked questions at PMQ’s, including one about the dreadful Swinley Forest fi res.

Shortly after arriving at Parliament, I was elected to serve on the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee. In addition, I serve on the Administration Committee of the Parliamentary Estate, the Medical Panel of Parliament and sit on the board of the Parliamentary Offi ce of Science & Technology (POST). Furthermore, I Chair the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Environment and am Vice-Chair of the

Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC). I see my membership of all of these groups as of direct benefi t to my constituents, as I strongly believe that what is good for Britain is good for the Bracknell constituency. Local homes and businesses require energy and are

impacted upon by changes in the environment - hence the relevance of my participation on the select committee and the environment group.

Local people do worry about unexpected geopolitical change and its impact on our country’s long-term security, most vividly seen at present with the Arab spring - hence the relevance of my involvement with CMEC. There is a widespread acceptance of the need for Britain to rebalance its economy by building a high-tech manufacturing base - hence my involvement with the space industry and POST.

London MarathonI am running the London Marathon on Sunday, April 22nd in aid of The Thames Valley Hospice and The Royal British Legion. If you would like to donate to one or both of these two worthy causes the just giving websites can be found here:

Thames Valley Hospice: www.justgiving.com/drphillipleempThe Royal British Legion:http://www.justgiving.com/DrPhillipLeeMP-RoyalBritishLegion

Working Hard at Westminster and in the Media

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35

As a GP I have to be a leader and risk-taker. Why doesn’t anyone expect the same of me in my other job... as an MP?

By PhilliP lee

I have two jobs. One involves managing significant risk and taking responsibility for my decisions. as a GP, my judgments can potentially be life-changing or, if I get them wrong, life-shortening. Profes-sional values and the system encourage me to be proactive in my work and show leadership in my case management. Undoubtedly, extensive training and experi-ence have mitigated the risk but it remains very challenging work.My other job, as a politician, should be very similar. You might think that just like being a doctor, it would involve the daily taking of demanding and responsible decisions – decisions that require initiative and the ability to go out on a limb.But you would be wrong. You might think too that being a proactive MP – rather than a reactive one – would be encouraged and rewarded. You would also be wrong.

as Conservative MP for Bracknell, I am busy drawing up a plan to replace the acute hospital serving part of my constituency with one to serve an entire region – a more sustainable position for the 21st Century.although one might think that improving healthcare for all would be applauded, the resistance to such change has been consider-able. Political ‘advice’ has been not to pursue it. among my favourite comments so far has been: ‘You’re new to politics, aren’t you?’ It is worrying that an MP suggesting any significant departure in policy is viewed as foolish and naive. Furthermore, why has taking responsibility for your political decisions become ill-advised? Why in the competitive arena of policy ideas has the con-sensus trumped the radical? and, in general, why has politics become a risk-free zone?While I was training to be a doctor, Tony Blair introduced a presen-tation-led approach to politics. To remove all risk from the process, New Labour told the electorate what they wanted to hear, rather than what they needed to be told. This is not an approach that I take with my patients. Recently, a young man came to my surgery express-ing a desire to commit suicide. I decided to begin managing the case in the community – that is, I would look after the case myself with no reference to anyone else. Compare that to a ‘challenging’ case in my MP’s office, where I invariably refer a problem on to another, often unelected, person, as I do not have the power to solve it. Risk mitigated and responsibility successfully passed. Such management behaviour has been honed by politicians. Manifes-tos have developed a similar weak-ness. Language deduced from a myriad of focus groups has been used to ‘relaunch the status quo’. Truly radical policies and, hence,

contributed to the electorate’s disengagement from politics. The more synthetic and sanitised the process became, the less ordinary people wanted to be involved. With so little real change prom-ised, was it any surprise that the public concluded that Whitehall and local government officials really ran the country?

TheY realised that the way Britain was governed had little to do with democracy. For them, voting had always been about placing trust in someone to do something. In that, it was like going to see the doctor.

No patient of mine would trust me if, in order to make a decision about their care, I left the consult-ing room and convened a focus group and then employed someone else to write the prescription. My patients expect me to show leader-ship and take professional respon-

sibility. Why should anyone expect less from me as a politician?The uncoupling of politics from risk can also be seen in some of the politicians joining the fray. Where are the colourful characters of yore, the bold men and women with successful careers prior to joining Westminster, those such as former airline pilot Norman Tebbit or pub-lishing tycoon Michael heseltine?Rather like a music talent show, the fashionable new ‘insiders’ alleg-edly look and sound the part. But when asked to develop and present policies, there is no obvious desire from either side of the political divide to seek genuine change. Where will the next political punk come from? Because I believe we need a similarly fresh approach to invigorate politics. It’s not going to come from a ‘Westminster X Fac-tor’ winner. So, what hope of some-thing really new emerging soon? Of still greater concern to me is that the removal of risk-taking from

Westminster has helped create a culture of denial in Britain. I know that a patient not accepting of his alcohol addiction invariably develops chronic disease and dies. Similarly, I fear a country in denial will continue along its unsustainable path and, ultimately, collapse. Will we deal with an ageing population or adjust to the rise of new global superpowers without taking risks? how will Britain survive a Baby-Boomer burden underwritten by an unsustainable ‘Ponzi-style’ pen-sion system? Will the NhS endure when taking responsibility for one’s actions goes unrewarded? To be blunt, we all need to get real. Ministers want businesses to take risks to create growth, while they exist in a political system virtually devoid of risk-taking itself. Clearly, Britain wants and needs risk-takers in the private sector. We need them in politics, too. It is ironic that having had this article pub-lished, it feels as if I’ve taken a risk.

An MP with a PROPER job launches a devastating attack on politicians

BOLD THINKING: Dr Phillip Lee wants politicians to have the courage to pursue new and radical ideasgenuine change are avoided. The goal was to secure votes and attain office, rather than govern boldly with a coherent plan. Instead of fostering a better Britain, a ‘public-opinion’ industry was created, the essential component of the risk-reduction process. Policies no longer came from the informed or experienced, but from focus groups and pollsters. Detached, professional politicians had cleverly outsourced the gather-ing of knowledge. The problem was, though, that polls and surveys rarely raised new issues or introduced new information.

More often than not, they simply served to confirm what everyone operating in ‘the real world’ already knew. Worse, by the time data had been analysed, it was already out of date. My fear is that this approach is now the norm at Westminster. Not only did this heavy reliance upon public-opinion analysis lead to poor leadership, I believe it also

conservative mp for bracknell and a gp in the thames valley

PHOTOSHOT

supporting local fi remen in the Chamber

speaking at the UK Space Conference

grilling witnesses on my select committee

holding a report to which I contributed the largest number of recommendations to government

BBC Radio Berkshire

The Mail on Sunday

Meridien TV

Meridien TV

The Times

The Times

www.phillip-lee.com www.phillip-lee.com

As you can see above, the constituency spans a large part of Berkshire. There are different issues affecting different parts. With such a vibrant constituency containing over 44000 homes, it is a challenge to meet everyone, so I expect that it will be a project that will take a few years to complete!

I am very pleased that the Olympic Torch is coming to Bracknell at 5.30pm on Tuesday July 10th, 2012

Over the course of the year, I.....

• undertake unannounced, monthly ‘walkabouts’ • hold quarterly Q&A meetings around the constituency, • do ‘pub politics’ sessions (involving me pulling a few pints!) in different pubs• hold regular ‘face-to-face’ constituent appointments in my Bracknell offi ce This is what some of my constituents have been saying.....

Active in the Local Community

opening a new bathroom at

Sandhurst Day Centre holding the 2012 Olympic Torchchairing the judging at the Bracknell Pride Awards Serving pints to the regulars at the

Queen’s Oak in Finchampsteadfi elding questions at a Q&A session

in Bracknell

enjoying meeting a three-legged cat on a walkabout in Bracknell!

“M��� �h��k� on�e

ag�i� ....yo� h��e

�i��� u� ba�� our

f�i�� i� p�li�i�i�n�!” Mr� J.W., Bra����l�

“Th��� yo� for your

in�����n�ion� o� ��

��h�l�. I �� �u�e yo�

�il� �e ��ea�e� t� �e�r

�ha� I h��e � da�e for ��

o��ra�io� ...... Your ��lp i�

�hi� m�� �r i� ���� �u��

�p��e�ia�e� �n� I �h���

yo� mos� �in����l�.”Mr L.S., Crow�ho��e

“MP’� �e� � �� � s�i��, �u� I �hi�� yo� h��e do�e � ��ea� j�� ���e s� �h��k� ���� �u�� .”Mr A.S., S�n�hurs�

“Th��� yo� for your

�e� �r......I �p��e�ia�e your

co��e�pon�in� �i�� �e o�

�hi� to�i� �n� �ha����r

r��e yo� h��e �e�� ���e t�

�l�� i� i�� ��n�in� �hi�

p�li��.”Mr P.V., Fin�h��ps�ea�

Contact:

phillip@phillip-lee.com

www.phillip-lee.com

Follow me on twitter:@drphillipleemp

020 7219 1270 (Parliament)01344 868 894 (Constituency)

DR PHILLIP LEE MP

DR PHILLIP LEE MP

HOUSE OF COMMONSLONDON SW1A 0AA

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