How well do you know your community – and what can you do to make it better?

That’s the question East Oxford’s long-standing MP Andrew Smith asks himself on his regular Sunday morning walkabouts in his constituency wards. A massive 88,000 potential voters, ethnically and culturally diverse, live within its boundaries.

“What do people talk about? Problems from their own lives: housing shortages, tenancy uncertainties, social care for elderly relatives, job prospects for their children. Holes in the road – that’s a big one.”

Smith smiled. “Maybe people raise it because its something they think I can fix, rather than bigger problems which require Government intervention.”

Friendly and avuncular, Smith has seen good and bad times. He knows not to sit back, even if in 2010, with an increase in his share of the vote of 5.5 per cent, he bucked the national trend.

“Engaging with your community: it’s something we can all do. Everyone has something to give, which will make their lives, and those of their neighbours better. Volunteering, being a school governor, a parish or local councillor, a leader of a community group, a youth worker: we need each other’s expertise to keep our communities vibrant and dynamic.”

I was curious to know how Oxford’s MPs stay close to local issues.

Smith’s previous ministerial roles may have necessitated more time in London, but whenever possible, he’s always kept the majority of his team in Oxford, as well as living most of the time in Blackbird Leys.

“Listening helps. I tell my team that all the time. The doorstep is an opportunity for a conversation – not a sales pitch for a political party,” Smith said.

Sometimes a local issue evokes a city-wide response. The threatened demolition of the much loved Oxford Stadium is of concern to shoppers in Headington, Holywell, and Marston: not just the stadium’s immediate Cowley neighbour-hood.

“It’s an issue which resonates beyond the immediate locality: it touches people who may not consider voting otherwise,” Smith said. Oxford’s challenges are considerable and complex. Smith does not shirk them. He sees meeting the city’s shortage of affordable housing as key to unlocking the economic potential within it, as well as ending the misery of so many trapped in poor housing.

We talk of the recent death of Smith’s mother, and his admiration for the resourcefulness and fortitude shown in her social care. While not wanting to “over-academise”’ the sector, Smith would like to see better training and accreditation, on a par with that received by nurses.

Education and Oxford are synonymous with excellence – but not for all. The number of school children educated privately in the city is four times the national average. Many parents are academics in the universities.

“That’s worrying, but not the whole story. It’s not like you can’t get a good education in the state sector here, and have to go private,” Smith said.

Imaginative, innovative and effective programmes such as the City of Oxford College’s Blackbird Leys campus’ proposed Career Pathway College in construction alongside electrical and motor vehicle courses show Oxford seizing the initiative.