Dumfries and Galloway MP Richard Arkless opened his new constituency office in Stranraer last weekend.
The office is based right in the heart of Stranraer in Charlotte Street and will offer constituents easy access to their MP.
Commenting, Richard Arkless said:
“I am very excited to now have a base in the west of my constituency and feel that this office is vital to give a loud voice to a large area of Dumfries and Galloway that often feels overlooked. I promised better representation for the West and this new office is an important part of that promise. The Stranraer office will be open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10-2pm. A open door policy will operate on these days and appointments can be made for Wednesdays.”
Mr Arkless’s main constituency office is in the High Street in Dumfries and is open to the public Monday to Friday 10-4pm. Like all MPs he also has an office in Westminster.
Mr Arkless continued:
“My office in Dumfries is the main hub for all my work – it operates full time. Kerry Willacy is my Office Manger and comes with a wealth of experience in industry and working for Joan McAlpine MSP. Thanks for Joan for letting her jump desk and work for me.”
“It’s only a jump to another desk because we actually share the Dumfries office with Aileen and Joan. This means the transfer of cases from reserved to devolved is seamless, as a result we are able to offer a much more rounded service than ever before. Sometime people don’t know if it should be the MP or the MSP they should seek help from; our set up in Dumfries means we take this worry away from our constituents.”
“Kerry is assisted in Dumfries by my Constituency Assistant Tracey Little. Kerry and Tracey are responsible for the bulk of my constituency casework. Constituents are welcome to make an appointment however I am keen to operate an open door policy. I want to be as accessible as possible so if anyone has a concern they should feel welcome to pop in and and discuss it with my team.”
“My London office is run by my Parliamentary Assistant, Anastasios Vourexakis. Anastasios assists me with all my Parliamentary duties, he makes sure I am well briefed on a wide range of issues and manages my busy diary when I am at Westminster. We work together on tabling questions and motions and he helps me enormously with all aspects of a frantic diary in Westminster. I’m proud to say I have made six speeches so far in six months, double that of my predecessor in his final year.”
Mr Arkless added:
“I am determined to get things right for for all of my constituents regardless of where they live in this vast region – so having a second constituency office in Stranraer is vital to provide the best level of service possible.”
“The opening of this office also marks my first seven months as Dumfries and Galloway MP and it seems to be the perfect time to invite feedback from any constituent who has come to me with an issue or concern that needed to be resolved. Whatever your experience has been with Team Arkless I would like to hear it. It is only through your feedback that we can get a full picture of our strengths and our weaknesses.”
“Now that the three offices are up and running I am keen to tailor the service we provide to best fit the needs of the people in the community. Your participation in this is essential so please get in touch and tell me how I can best represent you.”
If you would like to contact Richard Arkless MP you an email him at [email protected] Alternatively you can call his Dumfries office on 01387 265698 or the Stranraer office on 01776 705800.
