New MP James MacCleary said his first months in office have been a “bit of a whirlwind” but he is getting his feet under the table to help constituents.

The freshly elected Lewes MP said he was already targeting “small but substantial wins” as he gathers his team to help people in his constituency.

And the former councillor added that he was now setting out to make the changes he prioritised in his election campaign while helping his young family adapt to his new job.

Speaking at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Brighton, he said: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, you start out on your own and then you have to recruit a team.

“We are really in the foothills of moving on from ten years of Conservative failure and neglect of our public services so it will take a while but I hope we get some small but substantial wins at a local level.

“Because of the parliamentary recess I’ve got lots of constituency engagement and I’ll be able to actually spend some time with my children.

“Adapting has been the biggest challenge when it comes to primary school age children but as a family we knew what we were getting into and we’ll adapt accordingly. It’s a lot of video calls and I try to do the school run as much as I can when I’m back.”

Mr MacCleary, formerly a councillor in Lewes and East Sussex, won Lewes back from incumbent Conservative MP Maria Caulfield in July at the General Election.

Since then he has targeted tackling sewage, healthcare problems and child poverty in the constituency as well as other projects such as the re-opening of Newhaven’s West Beach.

He added that he had already had meetings with bosses of South East Water and is looking for discussions with the head of NHS Sussex and Southern Water chief executive Lawrence Gosden.

Speaking about collaborating with the new raft of Lib Dem MPs, the most in the party’s history, he added that it was a “really exciting” time for the party – and leader Ed Davey.

Mr MacCleary said he had spoken to Sir Ed about his plans for Lewes and the surrounding area – but would not be joining him on any of his high-octane escapades.

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He added: “I’ve played a bit of crazy golf but I think Ed’s adventures are too high risk for someone with two young children.

“Some people pointed out the zip wire. I think there’s a bit of nervousness given recent history with politicians.”

On his plans for the constituency, Mr MacCleary said it had been “really rewarding to be able to get started on some of the things I’ve been talking about” and would continue to press the new Labour government on key issues.

This included the recent vote on the repeal of the Winter Fuel Payment, which he voted against.

He said: “I’ve had a lot of responses from constituents and it will have a big impact. They will suffer this winter, it's round the corner and energy prices are continuing to rise.

“It’s a really stress-provoking time for people. We need to give advice to more older people.”

The Lib Dem party conference took place in Brighton from September 14 to September 17.