One of the aspects about being a Parliamentary Candidate, I most enjoy, is the chance to get to visit, and see the workings of various organisations, charities and voluntary groups in and around Harlow. Because I have to work in the week (earning a living!), since as a Candidate, I dont get any expenses or wages, I usually organise my community activities from Thursday onwards.
Yesterday was a full day for me, starting off with BUPA Healthcare, meeting a representative from Mitchells & Butler's, and then discussing student issues with the Academic Affairs Officer of Anglia Ruskin University. The afternoon was finished with a Campaign meeting to discuss my strategy for the next few months in the lead-up to the General Election.
The best thing about all these visits and meetings is what you learn. I feel that when each Friday comes by, I get a new education about an industry, or charity, or local issue that I often had not known about before.
For example, when visiting BUPA, just off Roydon Road I learnt that the Company is a Provident Association. Non -profit making, BUPA is responsible for 70% of people in Care homes, and makes drugs for the NHS. I was pleased to visit one of the BUPA drug centres in Harlow, near the Pinnacles, and was astonished to see the standards of hygeine, and security that takes place, before the drug is ready for their customers.
I was also pleased to see that BUPA has a good relationship with Princess Alexandra Hospital and West Essex PCT. The NHS works with BUPA to allow patients who would prefer to be at home, get out of hospital earlier, whilst being provided with a care nurse, to ensure that their needs are catered for. Many people have an image of BUPA as a private insurance company, that is just their to make profits for greedy shareholders. As I was informed yesterday, this is far from the case. Not only are all profits ploughed back into the Association for the benefit of its members, but it also works closely with the NHS.
Later I met with Alastair Scott, a senior bod, working for Mitchell & Butler's, Operators of managed Pubs in the UK. You ma ask, what has that got to do with Harlow? Well, the company owns a number of Pubs in the Constituency, including Miller & Carter (the Gatekeeper), by Potter Street (By chance I was having dinner their that evening with Vanda and a close friend - i love their steaks), and The Toby Carvery. We met in the Fish & Eels in Dobbs Weir (another M & B Pub). Over lunch we discussed various issues including the huge number of Pubs that close every day - over fifty per week. The reasons for this include the Government's smoking ban, but also the huge competitive advantage that Supermarkets have in selling cheap alcohol. We discussed the idea of a progressive beer tax - one which could be fiscally neutral, but which would mean less tax on beer, more on wine and even more on spirits. A measure such as this could really help Pubs, as Beer would be significantly cheaper.
Yesterday was a full day for me, starting off with BUPA Healthcare, meeting a representative from Mitchells & Butler's, and then discussing student issues with the Academic Affairs Officer of Anglia Ruskin University. The afternoon was finished with a Campaign meeting to discuss my strategy for the next few months in the lead-up to the General Election.
The best thing about all these visits and meetings is what you learn. I feel that when each Friday comes by, I get a new education about an industry, or charity, or local issue that I often had not known about before.
For example, when visiting BUPA, just off Roydon Road I learnt that the Company is a Provident Association. Non -profit making, BUPA is responsible for 70% of people in Care homes, and makes drugs for the NHS. I was pleased to visit one of the BUPA drug centres in Harlow, near the Pinnacles, and was astonished to see the standards of hygeine, and security that takes place, before the drug is ready for their customers.
I was also pleased to see that BUPA has a good relationship with Princess Alexandra Hospital and West Essex PCT. The NHS works with BUPA to allow patients who would prefer to be at home, get out of hospital earlier, whilst being provided with a care nurse, to ensure that their needs are catered for. Many people have an image of BUPA as a private insurance company, that is just their to make profits for greedy shareholders. As I was informed yesterday, this is far from the case. Not only are all profits ploughed back into the Association for the benefit of its members, but it also works closely with the NHS.
Later I met with Alastair Scott, a senior bod, working for Mitchell & Butler's, Operators of managed Pubs in the UK. You ma ask, what has that got to do with Harlow? Well, the company owns a number of Pubs in the Constituency, including Miller & Carter (the Gatekeeper), by Potter Street (By chance I was having dinner their that evening with Vanda and a close friend - i love their steaks), and The Toby Carvery. We met in the Fish & Eels in Dobbs Weir (another M & B Pub). Over lunch we discussed various issues including the huge number of Pubs that close every day - over fifty per week. The reasons for this include the Government's smoking ban, but also the huge competitive advantage that Supermarkets have in selling cheap alcohol. We discussed the idea of a progressive beer tax - one which could be fiscally neutral, but which would mean less tax on beer, more on wine and even more on spirits. A measure such as this could really help Pubs, as Beer would be significantly cheaper.
After discussing beer, it was on to student issues. I was pleased to meet Emma Mclendon, Academic Affairs Officer of Anglia Ruskin Students Union (ARSU). Emma is a very impressive character, studying History and Sociology, currently doing a Sabbatical for the ARSU. Apart from informing me all about the University (which I am looking forward to visiting in a few weeks time), Emma discussed the problems and financial hardships facing students because of the Government's student loan programme. If students take up the loan, they have, by the time they finish University, to pay back between £15,000-£30,000. If you imagine starting your fist job, in your early twenties, with this amount in debt, you can imagine the burden that students have when they finish Higher Education . Nevertheless, Emma recognised that there are no easy answers to this issue, because of the huge amounts of students now going to University, and the lack of resources to pay for them. We discussed the merits of a graduate tax, instead of a student loan - something that I am certainly going to look into. Anglia Ruskin students are lucky to have such a vibrant Student Union, and if all their representatives are like Emma, they could not be better looked after.
P.S. I hope to add some photos later of me at BUPA and meeting the Kitchen Manager in the Fish & Eels - a place I am going to this very evening (again!) for a meal with Vanda and my friends, Cllr Russell Perrin and his wife, Becky.
P.S. I hope to add some photos later of me at BUPA and meeting the Kitchen Manager in the Fish & Eels - a place I am going to this very evening (again!) for a meal with Vanda and my friends, Cllr Russell Perrin and his wife, Becky.
By Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com
One way to cut tuition fees would be to remove government funding from universities with soft subjects and dubious academic quality....like Anglia Ruskin.
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