Voice of the MP - Gillingham & Rainham
Naushabah Khan MP on the early months of representing her constituency
Editor’s note: Each month, we publish a guest column from one of Medway’s elected representatives, rotating between our MPs, council and opposition leaders, and the Police and Crime Commissioner. Today, we welcome Gillingham and Rainham MP Naushabah Khan, who talks about the early months of representing her constituency.
Voice of the MP
by Naushabah Khan, MP for Gillingham and Rainham
Being elected as the Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham is such an honour. I am incredibly proud of my local roots, and the opportunity to represent the area that I was born and raised in and still call my home feels personal. I am determined to get things done, whether that be bringing together our communities or creating new opportunities and putting our area firmly on the map.
Whilst the general election campaign last year was both exciting and tough in equal measure, it provided me with real insight into the change that is needed. Regardless of the political party they voted for, people across the constituency want to feel proud of our town centres, they want access to genuinely affordable local housing, to have real prospects for skills training and to see a thriving local economy. Essentially, they want to feel a sense of hope for the future.
Of course, such change cannot be delivered overnight, but being an MP grounded in the constituency must be part of the journey. That is why my approach is to be results-driven, open in my communication and proactive when constituents come to me with issues or problems. When cases arrive, my office is often the first point of contact people look to for support, and as such, our key priority is to ensure that we solve your issue as quickly as we possibly can. This can involve working with a variety of stakeholders, whether that be contacting relevant government departments, engaging with Medway Council, health providers or the police. Cases can vary from a signposting process to more complex, time-intensive cases, which require several layers of correspondence with different authorities. Regardless of the query, I realise how important it is that queries are solved swiftly and with efficient communication.
A key part of achieving this is having the right team of people to effectively respond to enquiries and to facilitate the often hectic schedule of an MP, and make sure it runs as smoothly as possible. This made assembling a team for my office one of my first priorities. So, fresh from the campaign, I went into the hiring process. Getting the right balance of skills and experience was vital, as my staff is divided between the constituency office and my parliamentary office in Westminster. The majority of my team share my local roots and live either in the constituency or in Medway, which is really beneficial when tackling constituent cases as they know the area well and have strong relationships with local stakeholders. It also means they are often on hand to help deliver my drop-in MP surgeries, which alternate between Gillingham and Rainham town centres on a monthly basis so that I can speak to residents from across our constituency.
However, that does not mean that there aren’t challenges. I constantly have to work with my team to review capacity and ensure we have the resources to deal with the volume of queries we receive. Since becoming your MP, my office has received nearly 2000 cases, and while we have done our best to resolve as many as possible, we do have to prioritise the most urgent. We also receive several policy-based queries, which are not always urgent in nature, but of course, those writing in do expect a response from their MP. Unfortunately, this has meant that we currently do have a backlog that we are working through and trying to address.
Alongside resident queries, my team are also working hard to support the issues I pledged to campaign on during the general election. Top of the list is the Love Gillingham initiative, which is my plan to transform Gillingham Town Centre. It is certainly a labour of love and sometimes results in my team having to manage me as I walk around single-handedly trying to police the problems I see in the High Street (possibly not the most recommended approach!). There is also a campaign to deliver a new banking hub in Rainham, which we will be launching in the first half of this year, and my focus on tackling the housing crisis across the constituency, whether that be poor quality housing, the delivery of social homes or addressing the issue of out-of-borough placements.
Perhaps the most challenging part of running an MP’s office, however, has been the fact that you effectively operate as a small business. Budgets are set centrally by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), but after that MPs are essentially personally responsible for setting up all elements of their office and its day-to-day running. The most difficult has been the process of finding a physical office in Gillingham & Rainham. It wasn’t until I started looking that I realised how limited office space can be in the area and trying to find a location that is within budget, fit for purpose, accessible and centrally located has been almost impossible. I certainly did not rule out any options, including former bank sites and even old casinos with gold ceilings and purple walls - Personally, I think we could have made it work, but was sensibly overruled! We have, however, managed to finally make some progress on a new office location – so watch this space for further updates.
While Monday to Thursday I tend to be in Parliament, Fridays are always allocated to constituency visits, and it is always the most exciting part of the week. It is a real opportunity to see first-hand what local organisations are delivering across the area, celebrate their achievements and discuss the challenges they face. In 2025 so far, I have had the opportunity to visit the great training facilities at the Royal Engineers in Brompton Barracks, see Pharmacy First’s innovative medicine dispensing machine in action, and eat delicious snacks at TickTocks café in Rainham, where I hosted my Small Business Roundtable.
Working in partnership, thinking strategically about new opportunities and, importantly, being a visible and accessible MP, is how I am seeking to approach my work. But this is not always easy, there will undoubtedly be mistakes and teething problems as I settle into my new role. Set this against the context that trust in politics is at an all-time low, there is little space to get things wrong. However, by being honest and transparent when that happens and perhaps by demystifying a little of what my job entails, I hope there can be some understanding between me and those I represent, even if there is not always agreement.
Naushabah Khan is the MP for Gillingham and Rainham.