IN just a few days’ time you’ll be heading to the polling station to vote for your local councillor, which will also decide who controls Redditch Borough Council, writes Redditch MP Rachel Maclean.

Whoever you vote for, make sure to use your vote.

National politics isn’t making life easy for local candidates right now, whichever party they represent.

We must remember that these are local elections and therefore the councillors you elect have no control over what’s going on in Parliament.

I’ve spent a lot of time on the doorstep with our fantastic Conservative candidates across Redditch. They’re out every night and weekend speaking to you about local issues and their strong record of delivery in control of Redditch Borough Council.

Local Conservative Councillors in Redditch have made a lot of progress in the past year as part of their mission to unlock the full potential of our town.

They've secured a commitment to £5 million of funding for our town centre, including a regeneration of our train station.

They're building much-needed council houses, especially bungalows, after previous Labour administrations failed to build a single council house since the 1990s.

Conservative Councillors have also taken the Arrow Valley Visitors Centre back into public control, meaning we can now invest in improving facilities at the Arrow Valley Lake.

Going forwards the local team has some strong pledges if you re-elect them to run Redditch this year. They will work closely with me as we lobby the local NHS trust to look again at the centralisation of hospital services from Redditch so that we can have the kind of services in our town that support Redditch as a great place to raise a family.

They will regenerate both Matchborough and Winyates Centre as two separate centres, and they will invest in leisure so there are more things to see and do around Redditch.

This is just the beginning; Redditch Conservatives have a lot more to offer our town if they retain control of Redditch Borough Council on Thursday, May 2. I’ll be working with them every step of the way.

Let’s not go backwards in these local elections, we must continue to move forward so we can ensure Redditch remains a great place to live, work and play.