Here in the Lewes Constituency, we actually turned in one of the best results in the country with, I think, the 7th highest percentage vote. And the margin of loss, both here and in Eastbourne, was small – just over 1000 in our case – so we must now rebuild with the entirely realistic aim of regaining the seat in 2020.

In the election, we dealt effectively with the Tory vote, which barely moved from the 2010 result. Sadly, we saw a significant shift of voters to Labour and Green, particularly in Lewes itself, which handed the seat to the Tories. Those on the left who wanted to punish us for the coalition have done that, but they have punished themselves even more in the process – helping to elect a Tory MP and put in place a Tory majority government.

I always knew this seat was marginal. It was after all Conservative between 1874 and 1997 and now the Prague Spring is over. It was always clear that there was a possibility that this seat would be lost. I remember reflecting on that myself making my last speech in the House of Commons, ironically on endangered species. It was preposterous for Labour to run a “we can win here” campaign, when they had never won the seat and in the end came 4th. They did not even win a single town council seat. But they doubled their vote to just under 10% and that, with the increased Green vote, was enough to allow the Tories in.

As for the Greens, I cannot object to the concept that people should be encouraged to “vote for what they believe in”, as they were urged to do, except that the consequences of that action – a Tory MP – were not spelt out to them.

I am immensely grateful to all my team for all the hours of sticking, stuffing, delivering and door knocking over the last several months – we fought a very strong campaign, relying on volunteers and public donations rather than the big money of the Conservatives, and it was one of which we can all be proud. We have also re-elected 11 Liberal Democrats to Lewes District Council – a good result given the swing nationally and one which is a testament to the strength of our local team.

The Conservatives have already announced a raft of illiberal and unjust policies which we stopped them delivering in government. Now they have a free rein to implement their manifesto in full – to savagely cut the welfare budget by £12 billion, to introduce an invasive Snoopers Charter, and to cause major disruption to our economy by holding an in/out referendum on our membership of the European Union. More than ever Britain needs a liberal voice, and I am delighted that in the 48 hours since the election, more than that in the days since the election, more than 8000 new members have joined the party. Perhaps you know someone who thinks the time is right to get involved.

For my part, however, I intend to return to being a private individual and to start the next phase of my life. I have no regrets at all, and if someone had told me in 1987 that the deal was that I would be a Councillor for 16 years, council leader for 6, an MP for 18 years, and a Minister for four and a half years, I would have said that that was a pretty good deal.

I have enjoyed myself as the Member of Parliament for the Lewes Constituency and I hope I have done my best for the constituents in this area

Lastly, can I thank the hundreds of local people who have contacted me since the election with supportive comments. It has been very touching. Thank you all.

Lib Dem health minister Norman Lamb was in Seaford yesterday to see the new paramedic service for the town which the town’s Lib Dem MP Norman Baker had successfully lobbied for, as a stopgap until a proper minor injuries unit can be provided. He was also there to have a tour of the new Horder Centre, and to back Norman Baker’s call for the now redundant Homefield Place to be used to deliver local health requirements.

Norman Lamb says: “I was impressed with the new paramedic service which is doing a great job in Seaford and congratulate my colleague Norman Baker on pushing so hard for this. What the ambulance service has started here is a model that could usefully be copied elsewhere in the country.”

Norman Baker adds: “Getting local health services in Seaford that meet the needs of the local population is my top priority for Seaford. The new paramedic service is a great step forward but there is still much more to do. In my view, the local Clinical Commissioning Group should be looking to acquire Homefield Place and running services out of there, both the avoid the need for local people to have to traipse to the DGH in Eastbourne, and also to take pressure off the doctors’ surgeries in the town.”

There is a need for the provision of temporary classrooms for the first few weeks, but the Department for Education was resisting this as numbers enrolled had not reached a threshold by some arbitrary date. Without the classrooms, the College would have had to turn away the many who had enrolled and put back the opening for a year.

Norman therefore contacted the school minister, David Laws, Department for Education and won agreement for funding to be released to enable The UTC to open on schedule while the build on their permanent building is completed.

Norman says: “It would have been terrible, and sent all the wrong signals if the opening had to be delayed, so unlocking agreement from the DfE, confirmed to me in a letter this morning, is really good news.

The team is back on track to have facilities open in time for the 2015 student intake, thanks to this funding agreement.”

Community Transport for the Lewes Area (known as CTLA), Cuckmere Buses, Bluebird Community Partnership and Hurst & Hassocks Community Bus Association are all to receive mini bus funding to support their delivery of services.

A £25 million fund was launched in November last year by the Department for Transport to purchase new minibuses for Community Transport organisations.

Norman says: “These organisations all play a vital role in supporting communities, especially where commercial bus services are not available. It is good news that their efforts have been acknowledged in providing them much needed vehicles to enable them to continue to deliver their services.

“The Department for Transport’s helpful approach is in stark contrast to the cuts mentality of the Tory-run East Sussex County Council.”

Local MP Norman Baker MP is backing a community action group who are looking at buying the recently closed Lamb Inn in Ripe.

The good village pub in Ripe has been for sale for some time. However earlier this year it was closed down for good by owner Shepherd Neame and boarded up.

Now a community action group has been formed with the aim of buying the crucial village amenity, and seeking members of the community to invest in the project.

Norman recently met with Caroline Adcock, Lib Dem Wealden District Council candidate for Ripe, and other community representatives to discuss their concerns and to hear more about the project.

Norman Said: “On average 31 pubs are closing a week. Pubs are the heart of so many rural communities

“As someone who has long campaigned for community ownership of local pubs, I was delighted to hear about the community action group and their fundraising effort to reopen the Lamb Inn and I will do anything I can in helping them to achieve this.”

Norman has been concerned about the high number of pub closures for some time and was recently awarded the prestigious “Parliamentary Beer Champion 2014 and 2015” award in recognition of his support for the brewing industry and local pubs.

Norman Baker MP with Cllr John Stockdale visiting the new homes in Lewes

Lewes Lib Dem MP Norman Baker and Lewes District Councillor John Stockdale inspected newly built houses at Lambert Place on the Malling Estate in Lewes .

Two houses have been built by KSD in Lambert Place to trail low-cost, rapid build housing in Lewes, in partnership with Lewes District Council, to be made available to people on the council housing waiting list, at lower cost rents.

These new houses also have a high energy saving rating so will help towards lower fuel bills for the tenants.

Lib Dem Councillor John Stockdale said: “This is the type if housing investment the Lib Dems have been pushing for. Affordable, sustainable and practical”

Norman Baker said: “Although “Right to Buy” benefited some, the lasting legacy has seen many more left struggling to find housing.

“It is great to see this type of partnership working to provide lower cost housing in our communities. It is a step in the right direction but two houses is just the tip of the iceberg”

The budget statement says: “People in the South East will benefit from the Government providing £100k for a further study into reopening the Lewes–Uckfield railway line”.

Norman says: “It has become clearer than ever in recent weeks that there is a need for an alternative line from the Sussex Coast to London. A reopened Lewes-Uckfield line would provide exactly that, enabling through trains to run from Seaford and Newhaven via Uckfield, and also freeing up space on the Brighton main line for more Brighton trains. It would also strengthen the resilience of the railway which at the moment is very vulnerable to problems with either the Balcombe Tunnel or Balcombe Viaduct. Yet again this weekend we have engineering works at Balcombe, forcing my constituents to travel by bus from Lewes to Three Bridges.

“I have been lobbying for the reopening of this line for over 25 years and the case gets stronger with every passing year. The coalition government, thanks to the Lib Dems, has a good record on rail expansion. Taking Lewes-Uckfield forward would be the icing on the cake

“Now it is time for everyone, including those who have advocated BML2, to get behind this study and start pulling in the same direction. We have a real chance to get this line re-opened and we need to grasp it with both hands

“I will be discussing the terms of reference of the study with the Transport Secretary shortly.”

The £75m earmarked for the A27 between Lewes and Polegate is firmly committed to local road improvements and is not dependent on the outcome of the work of the Airports Commission into Gatwick Airport. That was the clear message yesterday from Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

The Transport Secretary was meeting a delegation led by Lewes MP Norman Baker, which also included other local representatives from his constituency, namely district councillor Charles Peck, Selmeston parish Chairman David Quysner and Glynde parish councillor Johnny Denis.

The delegation took the opportunity to reaffirm the conclusions of the recent meeting of local parish councils chaired by Norman Baker, which unanimously supported a call for near-term measures to improve traffic flow, safety and access to the existing road, with particular focus on Wilmington crossroads, Selmeston and Firle.

The delegation heard from the Transport Secretary and the Highways Agency representatives that there was “a high degree of overlap” between what the local representatives were proposing and what they themselves had in mind.

Norman Baker says: “This was a good meeting, and useful to confirm that the £75m is there without any Gatwick strings. It was also good to hear that the Department for Transport is thinking along the same lines as those elected within my constituency, rather than the siren voices of those who live outside it and fail to understand the local issues.”

David Quysner, speaking on behalf of the parishes, adds: “It is really encouraging that we now have a commitment from Highways England to consult with local communities on the measures that need to be taken.”

Norman says: “It has become clearer than ever in recent weeks that there is a need for an alternative line from the Sussex Coast to London. A reopened Lewes-Uckfield line would provide exactly that, enabling through trains to run from Seaford and Newhaven via Uckfield, and also freeing up space on the Brighton main line for more Brighton trains. It would also strengthen the resilience of the railway which at the moment is very vulnerable to problems with either the Balcombe Tunnel or Balcombe Viaduct.

“I have been lobbying for this reopening for over 25 years and the case gets stronger with every passing year. The coalition government, thanks to the Lib Dems, has a good record on rail expansion. Taking Lewes-Uckfield forward would be the icing on the cake. I hope the Chancellor will heed my call in tomorrow’s Budget.”

An Action plan to improve the A259 along the south coast has been launched by local Lib Dem MP Norman Baker.

Under the plan, interventions will raise safety, improve traffic flow and help the environment.

• At Exceat Bridge, Norman wants to see traffic activated traffic lights to improve flows.
• Along the Eastbourne Road in Seaford, he is calling for a new pedestrian crossing to help pedestrians and slow traffic along the straight stretch.
• West of the town centre, Norman proposes traffic lights at the staggered junction, at Hill Rise and Marine Parade, and the reinstatement of the slip road at the turning to Bishopstone.
• In Newhaven, he has asked for changes to the ring road, so that all through traffic uses the northern section on a two-way basis, thus helping to reconnect the town centre to the south and giving relief to the houses along the southern section
• West of Newhaven towards Peacehaven, he is calling for the early creation of a proper cycle track along the abandoned section on the north of the road.

Norman says: “All these points along the road regularly generate emails and letters to me from constituents. What I am proposing is a package that will improve the road for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. I am know asking the county council, who are responsible for the road, to consult on these proposals with a view to taking action over the next 12 months”