Despite all the pomp and grandeur of the Palace of Westminster and the drama of the big debates and Prime Minister’s Question time it is the events that take place in the constituency that mean most to me as a Member of Parliament.

Let me give you just one example.  I am writing this column just after I have attended a dedication ceremony at Burradon Primary School.  For many years Burradon had an old Victorian school and after a long campaign it was agreed to build a new school.  We now have a wonderful, state of the art school offering top quality education and community facilities.

However, there was one very sensitive issue that needed to be dealt with – what should happen to the Roll of Honour for those 26 boys who had attended Burradon School and who had lost their lives in the First World War.

There was almost immediate agreement that it should move with the school and so this morning we gathered with the schoolchildren and veterans from the Royal British Legion to dedicate the Roll of Honour.

It was a moving ceremony.  To remember those who had given their lives to ensure the freedoms that we have today and to witness the respect that today’s children have for veterans.

At a time when so many young people get a bad press it was an indication that many children will grow up to be good citizens.  The miners of Burradon who gave £100 from the 1860 Disaster Fund to set up a school in Burradon would have been proud and justly so.

All the talk at Westminster has been about when Tony Blair will stand down as Prime Minister.  For me this is a classic example of a Westminster village story which doesn’t mean much to most people who would much rather politicians concentrated on the issues that really matter – tackling crime and anti-social behaviour; pushing forward with improvements to our schools and hospitals; ensuring that we keep a strong and growing economy and so on.  I know that over the next few months these will be exactly the topics that the Prime Minister intends to concentrate on.