The leader of Uttlesford District Council has written to the MPs whose constituencies fall within the area following the General Election.
Cllr Petrina Lees - who is from local party Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) - wrote to North West Essex MP Kemi Badenoch, Braintree MP James Cleverly and Harlow MP Chris Vince.
Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch was re-elected in her constituency, while Conservative James Cleverly also held his seat.
In Harlow, Chris Vince was elected for the first time, following 14 years of Conservative reign - echoing many similar results across the country.
In her letter, Cllr Lees wrote: "May I first congratulate you on your election/re-election to Parliament for seats that contain residents of the Uttlesford District.
"For Kemi, of course the district amounts to about 3/4rs of your constituents, but a much smaller (but I know equally important) proportion for James and Chris.
"For my part, I and my Residents for Uttlesford administration would like to reach out across party lines in a spirit of collegiality and cooperation – we share our residents in common and I know too that we all hold their best interests at heart in all that we do.
"We as a party did not run a candidate at the General Election, and nor did we take a side, so this should prove a solid foundation for us all to be able to put the issues first.
"Whether it is about the drive for sensitive development and more affordable housing, the provision of health and social care in a highly-rural area (which is, for example, an absolute NHS dentistry desert), the future of our natural environment such as our polluted and over-abstracted chalk streams, or any of the other policy issues that bridge the local/national divide, I commit to working in active partnership with you.
"When, until the boundary changes, the Uttlesford district fell wholly within a single parliamentary constituency, I know that Kemi met and spoke regularly with our chief executive, and that she and I would speak in the margins of local events.
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"I should like to offer myself and my cabinet colleagues to meet with you on a more organised/regular basis, whether individually or collectively as suits you best, and I’d be happy to travel to Parliament to see you if that helps in coordinating a joint meeting.
"In the first instance, I am sure you’d appreciate a briefing on our draft Local Plan, which as required by the pre-election period rules, we held off publishing until the day after the General Election, and which is set for a vote at our full council at the end of this month."
Cllr Lees informed the MPs that they can also liaise with the council's chief executive Peter Holt, and encouraged them to have a direct relationship with council officers.
She concluded: "Now is an exciting time for public services, and I look forward to a strong and positive partnership with you all – and again my many congratulations on your respective elections."
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