The winter months always place an extra strain on our health service, but the last few weeks have seen Accident and Emergency departments having to cope with even higher levels of demand than in previous years.

One way to reduce the burden is through improved services elsewhere, like the Urgent Care Centre that local GPs want to set up at Chippenham Community Hospital.

Recognising the need for better acute care services, Chippenham’s three GP practices have worked together to develop these innovative plans, which would help relieve some of the pressure on the Royal United Hospital in Bath and Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

Unfortunately, the doctors’ first bid for funding for this project was rejected by the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund last year.

Undeterred, I went in to bat in support of their plan in the House of Commons last week, asking the Health Secretary to back a renewed bid.

I’m pleased to report that he has promised to look again at our proposals. As news bulletins make painfully clear, religious persecution is a growing problem across the world, reminding us of the freedoms we take for granted here.

Promoting religious freedom – from Algeria to North Korea – is something I have been pursuing in Parliament, and formed a major part of a discussion I chaired in Westminster last week with representatives from a range of churches and religious organisations, as part of our continued outreach as we develop the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

The challenge of tackling religious persecution is complex and requires both leadership and international co-operation.

Last Thursday, I presented a petition, backed by 3,750 local people, calling on Wiltshire Council to restore an hour’s free parking, which the Conservative administration scrapped in 2011.

Along with my team of local councillors, we managed to secure a review of parking charges across the county.

The huge support for our petition clearly demonstrates that local people feel the current parking charge regime is unfair and damaging to our town centres, and I hope it will make the Conservative administration bring back an hour’s free parking.

My next constituency surgery will be at Melksham Town Hall today, from 4pm to 5.30pm; and at The Pound arts centre in Corsham on Friday, January 30, from 9.30am to 11am.