PAUL Goodman, re-elected at 2.15 am on Friday as Conservative MP for Wycombe with a majority more than twice as large as he achieved in 2001 had his eye very much on his local role as he talked to the Bucks Free Press shortly afterwards.

"I shall take off my blue rosette and go to Westminster to represent the people of Wycombe," he said.

One of the first things he acknowledged was that the struggle to keep all women's, children's and maternity services at Wycombe Hospital was over, given that a Labour Government had been returned.

What should happen in future was to monitor it very carefully. He said the campaign over hospital services had been the main issue for him over the past four years.

He was an active member of the Save Hospital Services campaign group led by Midweek's sister paper, the Free Press, and he presented petitions in parliament and raised the subject in the Commons.

He said the subject had come up regularly on the doorstep during the election campaign, though not frequently. Mr Goodman said during the election campaign only once did anyone on the doorstep blame the Conservatives. "A much larger number blamed the Government," he said.

He said he hoped the campaign committee would meet again.

There were things that needed to be watched, for example the review of ambulance services in Thames Valley. Mr Goodman said ambulance services in Wycombe needed to increase not be cut.

A second big issue in Wycombe was council tax, especially its effect on pensioners, he said. They had seen their standard of living fall as the value of their pensions increases did not match the rises in council tax.

"It is essential that the Government funds the council with more money," he said. "We must make sure the Government pays Bucks properly. It is the only option we have."

He also warned the revaluation of people's homes could lead to council tax increases.

On education he said it was vital to raise the performance of some of the county's upper schools. He said he had no objections to upper schools becoming city academies.

But the big issue was crime and antisocial behaviour.

"My view is that the most effective short-term solution is more police on the beat. We lose police here to the Met and to other forces."

More police was a Home Office matter, he said. Community support officers (recently introduced) were all very well.

"But we need high level work with experienced officers. Community support officers do not have the powers."