Winning trust a key challenge for Ely and East Cambridgeshire's new MP
Charlotte Cane has been outlining some of her key aims for the area
Ely and East Cambridgeshire's new MP believes getting to know what local communities want from her will be a challenge.
Liberal Democrat Charlotte Cane has been the area's member of Parliament for under a month after winning at the General Election, as she continues to settle into her new role.
Ms Cane, who has lived in the area for 30 years, was campaigning in local communities ahead of the election and is keen to continue that work to help build confidence in her from the public.
"It's exciting, but very challenging"
"I'm very conscious I have a very significant job to do there," she told Greatest Hits Radio.
"There's no reason why I shouldn't talk to people on the doorstep outside of elections, so I intend to continue that; I'm in the process of looking up venues to set up surgeries and there will be a contact where people can make an appointment and get the ball rolling.
"It's very exciting (being an MP), but also very challenging.
"I can't say I know every single village as well as I want to know it, so getting to know the area really well and the range of issues that come up in a constituency (are key)."
Environment on the agenda
Some of the issues Ms Cane will be looking to address as an MP include the environment, both locally and nationally.
This week, she stood in support with Pippa Heylings, Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire, backing a petition to introduce the Climate and Nature Bill that would look to tackle climate and nature issues in a joint plan.
Another of the Bill's aims is to create a way for the public to get involved in climate and nature issues.
"There's some global issues like the environment, which I think is an urgent issue and matters to a lot of people in Ely and East Cambridgeshire," Ms Cane said.
Ms Cane has also voiced her opposition to the Sunnica solar farm, planned to cover 2,500 acres on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border.
New energy secretary Ed Miliband gave the go-ahead to the plans earlier this month, saying in a decision letter he "considers that the benefits of the proposed development outweigh its adverse impacts".
Ms Cane has suggested teaming up with West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy to speak to Mr Miliband about the decision, although she believes it's unlikely that will be overturned.
"The only way to overturn it is a judicial review; they don't necessarily change the end result either because all it does is send it back to him if you win (a legal challenge) to say 'reconsider'.
"He'd only been in office for about a week when he (Mr Miliband) decided to overturn the examiner's recommendation; I find that shocking.
"Green energy is important and we have to go down that route, but we can't do it at the expense of our natural environment or local communities; we have to take them with us.
A spokesperson for Sunnica said it is "immensely pleased with the Government's decision.
"Sunnica would make a nationally significant contribution towards the UK’s legal obligation to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and its ongoing energy security," they said.