Since my last column the House of Commons has elected a new Speaker of the House. In the end there were ten candidates including my Walsall colleague Richard Shepherd. This was the first time that a Speaker of the House has been elected by secret ballot and the procedure took a bit of getting used to. To be successfully elected a candidate had to achieve more than 50% of the vote. Because of the large number of candidates with this election it took three rounds before we had a winner. It was a lengthy process with each round taking anywhere up to two hours. Conservative MP John Bercow was eventually elected the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons, winning 322 of the 593 votes cast. It is my hope that the new Speaker, combined with the range of changes made to the expenses system, will help to restore the public’s trust in Parliament that has been so damaged of late.

In Britain we are rightly proud of our history and the heritage that goes with it. Unfortunately much of our rich heritage, both nationally and locally, has disappeared through the neglect of previous governments. However this generation is equally to blame. According to recent figures 1 in 7 listed buildings are at risk through neglect and decay. In Walsall, Great Barr Hall has been allowed to progressively deteriorate over the years and it is now in such poor condition that English Heritage has included it in their annual Heritage at Risk Register. Whilst English Heritage has been able to invest over £65m in the last 10 years to tackle this situation we still need to do more to save our shared history and heritage. Some might say a recession is not the time to tackle such a problem, but it’s been ignored for too long and action needs to be taken before it’s too late.

I’ve just got back from Albania where I have been observing their parliamentary elections with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Over the years I have developed an enormous interest in helping to establish and sustain democratic governments throughout the world. Last week my wife, knowing my keen interest in democracy, elections and good governance, booked tickets for us to go and see a new play at the National Theatre called, you guessed it, “The Observer.” Ironically I was unable to see the play because I would be undertaking election observation work for real! It took some time before she forgave me, but she took a friend in my place.