I have Parmiters’ School to thank for the excellent education they gave me. I am determined that all local children similarly get the best start in life.

I spend a lot of time visiting local schools and have seen first-hand how hard teachers, parents and pupils work. We are lucky to have many excellent schools but of course there is always more to be done.

As our communities continue to grow I know one of the biggest challenges facing us is to ensure we get the infrastructure to go alongside it. Projections show that we are going to be short of secondary school places. This is a particular problem in Radlett where primary school pupils are forced to go to dozens of different secondary schools. But there is also increasing pressure in Bushey.

Tackling this requires the combined efforts of our Borough, County and National Government. That’s why I convened a meeting of these interested parties to discuss how we can address it.

In the short term, demand for school places in Hertsmere can be met by expanding existing schools. However, in the medium to long-term, a new school will be needed. Delivering this will take a number of steps. County can provide the evidence that we need new places, the Borough will need to identify a site, and I will need to help make the case to the Department for Education.

With the Borough Council currently consulting on updating the Local Plan, this provides opportunity to address this need. We agreed to work together in the best interest of the community to ensure that a new school is delivered as part of this process.

• This article appeared in the March edition of MyRadlett and MyBushey News