AN MP is to increase the number of public surgeries he holds.

Greg Pope, who represents Hyndburn and Haslingden, said he will host an extra dozen surgeries a year at Oswaldtwistle Library.

He said: “I hold well over 100 advice surgeries a year in different parts of the constituency and my office deals with a large amount of constituency casework.

“I have looked afresh at how I can best make myself available to people and so from now on I will be holding extra monthly advice surgeries in Oswaldtwistle at the library.

“These will be held from 6pm on the last Friday of October and November, and then on the third Friday of each month in 2009.”