Bear with me' is the message MP Ann Cryer is giving to her Ilkley constituents as staff changes mean her office has to reduce its workload temporarily.

Mrs Cryer's office will be short staffed until May as two key members of her backroom team depart.

A spokesman for Mrs Cryer said that her personal assistant and case worker Mark Taylor, left to start his own business after seven years.

On April 4, main caseworker Jim Pressley, will leave after 11 years to be closer to his family in York. Due to his holiday entitlement, this means that he will not be available all the time until that date.

Mrs Cryer said: "Councillor Cath Rowen is, thankfully, staying on as my Diary Secretary and between us we will have to do some casework.

"But considering my now very full role in Parliament, Monday to Thursday, and a massive number of constituency engagements from Friday to Sunday, this is going to be a very difficult time."

Mrs Cryer has already appointed two excellent replacements but they cannot start until May because of notice they have to work in their present jobs.

Meanwhile, Mrs Cryer has appointed a temporary assistant to keep the Keighley office ticking over. All the staff will be working in the Keighley office as Mrs Cryer has no help in London.

Mrs Cryer said: "There may be some severe delays in my handling of cases and some, needing a great deal of research might have to wait until May.

"Please bear with us and understand our difficulties, however, there is light at the end of the tunnel and we should be back to a smooth and efficient organisation come June."

She added: "My Keighley office has become, over the years, one of the busiest MP's offices in the country, at times behaving more like a fourth emergency service rather than a MP's support system.

"We will eventually get back to the earlier position, but for a few weeks we may have to point constituents in the direction of such organisations as the Citizens Advice Bureau, Key House and Sangat Centre, whilst I get on with representing Keighley and Ilkley in the House of Commons, and in meetings and through letters to Mini-sters."