'The honour of a lifetime': Hemel MP reflects on a year of service and sets out 2026 vision
As 2025 draws to a close, David Taylor, Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead, has issued a New Year message to residents, reflecting on his first full year representing the town and its surrounding villages.
Since his election, Mr. Taylor and his team have focused on delivering direct support to the community, assisting with over 2,000 constituent cases and sending more than 32,000 pieces of correspondence.
These efforts have resulted in tangible wins for local families, from securing 60 water bill write-offs in the villages to personal interventions for local NHS workers and teachers to ensure they could continue serving our community.
A Year of Action
In a summary of his personal highlights from 2025, Mr. Taylor pointed to a broad range of local and national advocacy, including:
- Policing & Crime: Serving on the Crime and Policing Bill committee to strengthen over 50 new laws using local stories. He successfully lobbied the Home Secretary for more resources, with record officer numbers for Hertfordshire expected by April 2026.
- Education: Welcoming the Education Secretary to Chipperfield to discuss record per-pupil funding and the expansion of free school meals for 4,870 more local children.
- SEND & Healthcare: Successfully pushing for expedited ADHD assessments and advocating for better SEND services, including writing a report for the Department for Education (DfE) that put over 100 residents' voices front and centre of the national conversation.
- International & National Security: Visiting Ukraine during the recess to meet their Defence Minister, feeding back critical findings to the Prime Minister to bolster national security and support.
- Local Economy: Championing Maylands investment directly to the PM and bringing local small business voices to the heart of government by inviting George from TJ's Late Shop to Number 11 Downing Street.
- Worker & Renter Rights: Voting for the biggest upgrade to workers’ and renters’ rights in a generation, including the ban on "fire and rehire" and no-fault evictions—benefitting over 6,000 households in Hemel.
- Investment: Welcoming a £183.8m funding boost for Hertfordshire County Council and an 11% increase for Dacorum—a significant shift to support local frontline services.
- Cost of Living: Supporting vital relief, including £150–£300 off energy bills and scrapping the two-child cap to lift 2,660 local children out of poverty.
- Community Spirit: Celebrating local talent, including Electric Umbrella’s performance outside Number 10, and visiting over 150 local charities, schools, and businesses.
Community at the Heart
Beyond Westminster, Mr. Taylor has remained rooted in the constituency, completing over 150 local visits and holding 20+ surgeries to hear directly from residents. He paid special tribute to the “powerhouse” organisations and charities that sustain the area, including Community Action Dacorum, DENS, and the Community Fridge.
Looking Ahead to 2026
To kickstart the new year, the MP has launched his Winter Listening Survey, inviting every resident in Hemel and the Villages to help shape his priorities for 2026.
Mr Taylor said: "It is the honour of a lifetime to serve as your MP. Whether it is asking the Prime Minister questions in the Commons, visiting our brilliant local schools, or meeting with local charities, every action I take is driven by a single goal: to deliver the very best for Hemel Hempstead. As we enter 2026, I want to thank our NHS staff, teachers, emergency services, and volunteers who make this community so special."
Residents are encouraged to share their views via the Winter Listening Survey at: survey.labour.org.uk/david-taylor-mp