AFTER an action-packed first few weeks in Westminster, it is great to be able to get back to the day job of helping my constituents.

Being down in Westminster gives me the opportunity to place the issues of most importance to the people of East Renfrewshire at the heart of Government.

This has included raising directly the Glasgow City and Regional Deal with the Chancellor, the Rt. Hon Phillip Hammond MP.

The £1 billion UK Government regional deal will see East Renfrewshire receive £44 million in funding, which will pay for a new roundabout in Aurs Road and a new train station in Barrhead.

I also managed to arrange a meeting with the Minister for Digital, the Rt. Hon Matt Hancock MP.

Good broadband is vital for local businesses here in the Barrhead and Neilston areas. However, rural communities, such as Uplawmoor and Eaglesham, feel left out.

This is a matter I raised with the Minister.

The UK Government has already invested £1.7 billion to boost broadband across the UK, whilst the Government’s new £400 million Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund is expected to unlock over £1 billion of full fibre broadband connections.

Meanwhile, in Parliament itself, I was able to congratulate the great work being done by the Barrhead Men’s Shed and Barrhead Netball Club following their Awards for All grants from the National Lottery.

Despite what some may lead you to believe, the parliamentary recess is no holiday for MPs.

Since coming back from London a couple of weeks ago, I have already staged my first set of joint surgeries with Jackson Carlaw MSP and Maurice Golden MSP.

From Neilston to Eaglesham and everywhere in between, I am aiming to be in every bit of the constituency as often as possible.

I have already arranged my next set of surgeries for the end of August, which anyone is welcome to attend.

Further details of dates and times will be on my website and social media, as well as in the Barrhead News, nearer the time.

So far, my surgeries have been very well attended and I would encourage anyone with a constituency issue to come along.

Away from surgeries, myself and the Home Secretary, the Rt. Hon Amber Rudd MP, attended an inter-faith meeting at Giffnock Synagogue.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Muslim, Catholic, Church of Scotland and Jewish communities throughout East Renfrewshire and was centred around stamping out religious hate and encouraging social cohesion.

As I said in my maiden speech at the House of Commons, East Renfrewshire is the home of inclusivity and diversity. Nowhere else is this more evident than in the new Catholic-Jewish joint faith campus, which is the first of its kind.

The next few weeks are packed with meetings arranged with social groups and constituents from everywhere in East Renfrewshire.

If there’s any issue I can help with, please get in touch by calling 0141 428 3966 or sending an email to paul.masterton.mp@parliament.uk