I am always impressed and immensely gratified by the generosity of spirit I find in our North Yorkshire communities.

So many people are prepared to do their bit for those less fortunate than themselves.

Rishi Sunak MP has welcomed a Post Office announcement that a relocated branch in Northallerton will be open an extra nine-and-a-half hours a week.

Amid the sound and fury in Westminster in recent days and weeks, the day to day work of Government has continued - as it must. Policy changes that may not make the front pages, but that will benefit many people are still being implemented.  

As the Minister for Local Government, I defend government's record on sustaining important council services and say the future is looking brighter as their spending powers increase.

New measures which will help councils ensure that members of the Armed Forces and veterans suffering from mental ill health are given the right priority for social housing, have been welcomed by Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.

On one of my regular busy constituency Fridays a while ago I met a group of parents at the Dales School in Morton-on-Swale, near Northallerton.

Support is growing for Rishi Sunak’s campaign to bring the Red Arrows to North Yorkshire.

The MP for Richmond is pressing for the Red Arrows aerobatic display team to be based at RAF Leeming when the team’s current base in Lincolnshire closes.

I hope you, your families and friends had great Christmas and New Year celebrations.

For my first column of 2019 I am returning to a subject dear to my heart – the small and medium-sized businesses which are the lifeblood of our local economy.

Dales School parents explain what the Changing Places campaign is about in this video and one - Andrew Newton - talks about life with his daughter Aniela.

“Aniela was born in 2007 and from birth it was known that she had suffered brain damage.

New shopping centres, stadiums and theme parks are among buildings that could be required to provide Changing Places toilets for severely disabled people, under proposals to be put forward by Local Government Minister and Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.