Weekly newsletter – Prime Minister sends birthday wishes to Harlow

Rob with PACT Harlow

Rob at Nazeing with Mr Harwood and Cllr Richard Bassett

During the past week, I went to Harlow Sainsbury's store to help the amazing PACT Harlow with their fund-raising collection.  PACT held the collection to mark World Autism Day.

With Councillor Mark Gough, I held an open surgery in Netteswell to meet residents. Whilst we were there, we were invited to join the coffee morning by the United Reformed Church.

Various issues affecting Old Harlow were raised when I met with local councillors, particularly Gilden Way.  On the other side of the Town, I again visited the Berecroft estate in Harlow  - following the vandalism of the community area.  This has left the residents’ association with a £3,000 bill to repair the damage caused. I have pledged £100 to the appeal to help them raise funds for the rebuild and held a meeting with residents to plot a way forward.

It was good to be a special guest at Raytheon UK’s Harlow engineering facility to mark a multi-million-pound contract for the company. The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded Raytheon UK a replenishment contract for Paveway IV, the latest generation GPS precision-guided munition, as part of a £60 million contract. After I opened the conference, I walked around the factory, meeting a number of staff, many of who had worked at the company for over twenty years or more.

Prime Minister David Cameron wrote to me passing on his congratulations to Harlow on its 65^th anniversary. You can read more about this, and see his letter, here.

The Nazeing area has seen three fires in recent weeks. I will to do everything possible to help businesses affected after visiting the scenes with local Conservative Councillor Richard Bassett.  It was humbling to meet businessman Chris Harwood whose business on the former Chimes Garden Centre site in Old Nazeing Road was involved in the largest of the fires.  He has lost almost everything, yet retained a real fighting spirit.

More details are here.

If you would like to come to the House of Commons on a tour, please call my office on 020 7219 7223.

You can also keep up-to-date with my news and views by visiting my new-look website - www.roberthalfon.com and of course my Blog:  www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com