As readers will know, I recently had the honour of being elected Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee by my fellow MPs across the House.

The election was keenly fought but not close, I am pleased to say, and I won by over a hundred votes. The result is that, I and my colleagues, have a clear mandate to use the Committee to improve public policy.

We have already hit the ground running.

Our first order of business will focus on renewal of the BBC Charter and licence fee settlement, issues which are proving as important and controversial as ever. But we are also dismayed at the slow progress of broadband roll-out across the country, and have announced an inquiry into this issue as well.

Both as a candidate, and as MP, I have fought long and hard for better broadband for local people in Herefordshire.

Proper digital connectivity is key both to the wellbeing of many communities and to the county’s—indeed Britain’s—economic future.

,br>The whole issue becomes doubly serious in areas such as ours where mobile services are often bad as well. That’s why I am so pleased that we can now use the Committee’s powers to push for faster and wider progress.

But the Committee’s remit also includes sport. We’ve already announced hearings into the scandals at FIFA. But more importantly for the long term in Herefordshire will be the Government’s forthcoming Green Paper on grassroots sport.

,br>I’ve made the case for the Premier League to put more money into grassroots football. But the issue goes far wider, and I suspect the Committee will want to look closely at how government and local authorities can help all sports at a local level.

There’s a vast amount to be done. Roll on September!

Jesse Norman

MP Hereford and South Herefordshire