In the current climate motorists have a long list of issues from which to choose to raise on the doorstep. Policies aimed at reducing emissions - like the changes to Vehicle Excise Duty or here in Manchester the proposals for congestion charges - are not without controversy. And massive fuel price rises concern us all.
However, the most common issue raised with me by local motorists is not any of these but parking.
Where pressure on parking is acute it can be a nightmare and puts real stress on neighbourhoods. It can lead to all sorts of problems - neighbour disputes, waste and recycling not being collected as well as frustrating inconvenience.
This week, I met with a group of residents in West Didsbury where there are real and significant parking problems. In many other parts of South Manchester parking pressures are as a result of sheer density - popular areas with no off-street parking and converted houses meaning there's simply not enough road for all the cars. In these places the solutions are more difficult, and because these places are popular is why people want to live there in the first place. It's not easy to resolve.
But in West Didsbury which contains a number of visitor 'attractions', bars, restaurants and a hospital, a residents-only parking scheme could really help.
So together with a group of local residents we're pushing for a scheme. Of course much of the detail and evidence will need to be undertaken by the council, but the situation can't continue. And by the way, a resident's scheme needn't be, and shouldn't be, at the expense of the local economy.
This is not "big picture" politics and the stuff that keeps the Westminster village busy, but these issues are ones which people care about just as much. Being out and about talking to residents and representing their views is, in my view, as important to politics as the grandstanding that takes place in Westminster.
NHS at 60
Last week I talked about the NHS at 60 and a visit I was due to have with Ivan Lewis, the health minister, to a local hospital, the Christie. I'd just like to say a very big thank you to all the staff and patients at the hospital.
The Christie is a cancer treatment centre, one of the leading cancer centre's in Europe. For families using the Christie it is likely to be one of the most difficult times in their lives. Yet the happiness and spirit there is remarkable and a real tribute to the staff who work so hard to make it that way.
