They say a week is a long time in politics and that couldn’t be more true with the election only just a week or so ago.
Now that my Parliamentary office has been emptied, my pass has been deactivated, my meetings have begun on my team’s redundancies and winding down has started, I felt it would be the right time to write my final post (for now at least) with some distance from the election result.
Despite the result, I continue to feel gratitude for everyone who supported me at the election and over my four and a half years as your MP.
I never took the role as MP lightly and I continue to feel honoured to have represented this great town and country for the past 4 or so years - so I won’t be complaining, and I also won’t be finger-pointing blame either.
I am grateful to have been able to have made a positive difference to Watford, the wider region and the country during my time. That’s why I came into politics. To have been given the opportunity to deliver on every promise I made in 2019 (and much more) is an achievement I feel proud of - not just for me, but for my team too.
Those achievements included: securing my Tips Bill giving over 2 million hospitality workers the right to keep 100% of tips, gratuities and service charges; securing homelessness funding, meaning that we had a period of zero people sleeping rough in Watford; delivering on my goal of training a thousand local people in mental health first aid awareness and helping influence national guidance on mental health in the workplace; delivering and opening the new Watford Police Station; securing the £16m Levelling Up Fund for the Town Hall and Colosseum; helping to secure Zach’s Law to ban epilepsy trolling online; helping change the rules so the film industry could survive through the Pandemic - and so much more.
One of my most notable successes was securing the full funding for Watford General Hospital. Given that I am now unshackled by the rules of being an MP I can finally share that the amount secured was an envelope of funding approaching £1.2 billion (up from £400 million when I was elected). I did not say I worked day and night to secure the funding only for the purpose of winning votes - I said it because it was true. The hospital was due to begin building in 2026 and open in 2030. I truly hope this continues to be the case. I share this information because residents across Watford and West Herts need to make sure they don’t allow any delay, or reduction in ambition. The money was allocated by the treasury and was real. Any attempts by the new government to renege on this decision or downplay it would be a travesty and I pray that they stick to their election promise of fulfilling the agreement.
In saying this, I don’t intend to be sniping from the sidelines as the new MP for Watford settles into the role. I genuinely wish him well. I believe him to be a good man and despite our political differences I am confident that he cares for the town. If he is successful representing the town, then the town will be successful and that can only be good news.
I will finish with a few heartfelt thanks. I won’t mention every names or every organisation as it would be impossible to list everyone. But to everyone I have had the good fortune to encounter, please know that I am grateful to you all.
Firstly, thank you to all the incredible community groups, interfaith leaders, public sector, schools, veterans, local champions and local businesses that I met and worked with across the town. I had the privilege of volunteering with many of you, mentioning you in Parliament and for some, hosting events for you. I particularly want to note One Vision who supported me in volunteering every week during the Pandemic and helped me to know the town better than I ever could have otherwise, and have continued to play an important role ever since. I also want to mention Luther Blissett & Lauren Fox who do so much for Watford with an inspirational ‘can do’ attitude that has been a joy to be part of. Thanks too the Watford Rotary Club including Actar and the team - your work is outstanding and I will especially miss doing questions for the quiz! Everyone who helps our community makes a huge difference to our town, I for one, am incredibly grateful to have seen all your hard work first hand.
Thanks also to everyone who helped me deliver on my pledges. This ranges from the Watford chamber of commerce and @Allwyn (formerly Camelot) that helped make my mental health programme a success, to New Hope and One YMCA for helping rough sleepers get back on their feet, the leadership team at the West Herts Teaching Hospital Trust for their collaborative and unwavering work on the hospital plans, to the local Police for ensuring the new Police Station opening has been a success, and so many other local organisations who helped me on the ground to make a difference. Plus, everyone in hospitality that helped me in the fight to save our nighttime economy and inspired me to get my Tips Bill secured in law.
Thank you to the Watford Conservatives Association officers and all the volunteers and supporters who campaigned with me over the years and during the election. I never took your energy and support for granted.
Thank you to my incredible Parliamentary team (both current and former team members). I don’t know that I could have wished for a better team and the fact we delivered over 25,000 cases plus so much more together is testament to your hard work and passion to help residents, often beyond the call of duty. I will truly miss working with you.
Thank you to all the Watford residents who voted for me this election and those who voted for me in 2019 too. Your votes back then helped me to deliver all my pledges and much more which will help shape the town for years to come. I’m sorry to those who felt they couldn’t do so this time but hope you will one day return to support the Conservative Party in the future.
Last and certainly not least, thank you to my family. They have sacrificed a lot to help me focus all my attention to deliver for Watford so I look forward to spending more time with you in the coming weeks and months.
There is so much more I would love to say but know this post is already far too long.
So thank you Watford for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.
All the best.
Dean Russell
#watford
