Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Luke held townhall-style events called ‘Meet Luke’. The aim of these events were to visit different wards on one Saturday each month, along with the local ward councillors, to talk about current issues – both nationally, locally, and ward-specific topics that people wanted to raise.

Although Luke has held regular zoom meetings throughout the pandemic on different issues such as teachers, early years, homelessness and mental health, Luke has been missing the interaction on a ward level with constituents that he formerly had.

Luke decided to pilot holding ‘Meet Luke’ virtually to enable him to connect more with the people he represents during these restrictions. The pilot of the ‘Meet Luke’ revival took place on Saturday with constituents from the Sutton and Mount Gould ward.

Invitations were sent to everyone from the ward who had contacted Luke previously, asking whether they could join Luke on zoom, and there were around 30 people on the day who made it to the event.

Luke was joined on Saturday by Councillor Mary Aspinall, and together they answered as many questions as possible – with Mary tackling local authority issues, and Luke answering more general questions on policy and government. Issues covered included face covering exemptions for disabled people, and the language used around face coverings, fly tipping and littering in the area, local anti-social behaviour, support for people with ME and concerns about a potential future increase in Airbnb rentals in the area.

It was fantastic for Luke to have this opportunity to hear more about local issues, and because of this successful pilot event, Luke will be looking to roll this out to different wards across the constituency he represents.

If you would be interested in attending one in your area, please get in touch with Luke at luke.pollard.mp@parliament.uk so he can ensure you are invited.