Epping Local Plan

A busy evening spent - first at a consultation in Nazeing - and then a public meeting in Roydon - organised by Alan Burgess (from Protection of the Roydon Area) and the Parish Council, to discuss the local plan.

Local residents are clearly concerned about the number of houses proposed and the suggested building on green belt land around, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering. There are other worries about infrastructure too - in that the Plan does not set out much detail regarding infrastructure development if the new houses/business areas are to be built.

The crucial fact is that the current Epping Plan is a set of proposals - it is not a fait d'accompli. It is vital that local residents send their views to Epping Council, by the time the Consultation ends on 15 October. There will be then be other rounds of consultation, reflecting responses from the villages.

Please feel free to send through me, as I am also collating responses to send to the Council - and will be sending my own submission.

More details are available HERE.

In the Villages

Harlow Constituency doesn't just include our Town,  but also the surrounding villages of Hastingwood, Matching, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering.  I often am in and around the villages meeting residents and going to community events.  I learnt much about issues affecting the villages during my five year stint as a Roydon Parish Councillor.

So, I thought it might be nice to put up a few recent photos of me involved in some recent village community activities.

You can see me with a Pepper at the Epping Cucumber Festival,  with a Cucumber (and Eleanor Laing MP for Epping) - supporting Roydon and Nazeing growers, pulling a pint at the Roydon Crusader Pub, at the Matching May Day Festival (the pic shows me with the Bar Manager of the Fox Inn & Cllr Richard Morgan), and at the Roydon Arts Festival.

Roydon Arts Festival

A lovely Saturday evening spent at the Roydon Arts Festival.   It was an amazing occasion at the Village Hall, with vast quantities of art on display all painted by local artists.

The exhibition - entirely organized by volunteers - was absolutely packed with residents.  Paintings were of all kinds, from a portrait of Winston Churchill, to some Seargent Pepper psychedelia.

It took a long time to get around to see all the pictures,  but well worth it.  

After,  I couldn't resist a quick snifter  at the Crusader Pub in Roydon High Street,  where I met some friends and was invited to pull a pint by Peter, the Landlord.  Very happy to oblige.

P.S.  The Arts Festival is open until Bank Holiday evening.

P.P.S.  The picture above shows me with one of the organisers Geoff Preston.

VIDEO: Oysterisation on Harlow Trains - it could happen

Yesterday, Harlow won a crucial first step towards Oysterisation of ticketing on our trains, when I asked Transport Secretary Justine Greening for support for my campaign for this to happen.

Her reply was positive, and she agreed to meet with me personally to see how this can be done - potentially helping tens of thousands of Harlow commuters and families, and hopefully saving them money as well.

Encouragingly, she also promised to discuss with me how Harlow could benefit from this Conservative-led Government's investment in 2,700 new carriages - helping to relieve the pressure of rush-hour.

You can watch the video above, or our full exchange was:

Robert Halfon (Harlow): I welcome the right hon. Friend’s statement and what she said about smartcards. Will she consider extending Oysterisation to outer London towns, such as Harlow, which would benefit commuters? May I also ask her to increase investment in rolling stock, when financial conditions allow, so that we can have more trains at peak times running from London to Harlow and vice versa?

Justine Greening (Transport Secretary): I am sure that my hon. Friend is aware that we earmarked £45 million in the autumn statement to enable us to extend the use of smartcards and Oysterisation further in the south-east. With regard to capacity, we are making a substantial investment with 2,700 new carriages. I would be happy to sit down with him and get his views on how his local area could benefit from that.

by Robert Halfon - Working Hard for Harlow.

A fair deal on Travellers, a fair deal for local residents

Last month in the Commons, I stepped up the pressure on travellers by asking if the villages around Harlow would be free in the future to set their own level of travellers' pitches.


I said to Rural Affairs Secretary, Caroline Spelman:
"Epping Forest has 20 per cent of all travellers pitches in the east of England, over 80 per cent of which are in Nazeing or Roydon in my constituency. Can the Minister reassure my constituents that local communities will now be free to choose how many travellers pitches they accept rather than having them imposed from Whitehall?"

Under the last Labour Government, Whitehall railroaded through new pitches, and totally ignored the wishes of local residents.

With Dale Farm in Basildon, this is continues to be a major issue for Essex.

Following my intervention, and that of a number of othet MPs and hard-pressed local Councils the Government has published new proposed planning guidance for travellers.

The new planning regime will mean the abolition of top-down regional targets with councils able to plan for traveller site provision in a "locally-led way, reflecting historic demand". 'Methodology' will be a matter for local discretion.

It also proposes:

1) Strengthening protection of the Green Belt and open countryside - Labour's guidance on pressuring councils to compulsory purchase land for traveller sites has been deleted. Stronger consideration and weight is now given to the protection of local amenity and the local environment.

2) Helping councils in planning enforcement cases - In addition, the Localism Bill also contains provisions to tackle the abuse of retrospective planning permission. In due course, we will also amend secondary legislation to strengthen councils' powers to issue stop notices.

3) Taking measures to support councils in providing suitable, authorised sites. the Government has secured £60 million of grant funding for traveller sites over the Spending Review period, and the New Homes Bonus will provide a further incentive for site provision.

This is good news and long overdue. For a long time I have been concerned about the number of traveller pitches which are located in the villages like Nazeing and Roydon.  It is time that local people should have a stronger say in where these pitches are located and how many can be allowed."

P.S.  You can see further details on my blog HERE, or the formal Government documents can be found HERE.

Harlow Community Update - Latest

Here is my latest report on my Harlow activities in recent days:

Gilden Way:  Over recent weeks, I have been contacted by a number of residents about proposed developments at Gilden Way.  I arranged on Friday, for some of these residents to meet the developers, so that they were able to question them in detail about their concerns.

Lister House Medical Centre:  I was pleased to meet the senior Dr and staff of this surgery.  It was good to discuss issues affecting the NHS, particularly the disbanding of the Primary Care Trusts and replacement by Commissioning by GPs.  Lister House is a very successful GP surgery in Harlow with 17,000 patients.  I was pleased to see just how well the surgery was run - thanks to the excellent Practice Manager and staff.

The Money Shop. I was invited to meet staff and management of this shop in Broadwalk.  I do have concerns about the high interest rates of this lending institution.  I do recognise however that The Money Shop has a better record and service than some other lending institutions - that exploit the most vulnerable in our country.  I also note that this shop, provides a number of other services including debit cards, cheque cashing and money transfer, that are perfectly acceptable.   Nevertheless, Harlow Creditsave Credit Union offers so much more for so much less - affordable loans, without the high-sky interest rates.

Roydon and Nazeing residents.  I met with village residents at Nazering village hall  to discuss the vexed problem of Nazeing and Roydon bus routes. Essex Council Officials were also in attendance. The problem is that there are no buses in Roydon at all to take people to the Doctors, and no buses in Nazeing that go to the Nazeing surgery. Local Councillors and I will be working on a solution over coming weeks.



Harlow Salvation Army (HSA) and Gateway Christian Fellowship.  It was back to HSA for a second week, this time to attend the fete, which was absolutely packed.  After I went to Gateway Christian Fellowship for their Christmas Bazaar. I left both packed with goodies of one sort or another.


Protection of Roydon Area. A lovely Saturday lunch with the Chairman of PORA, Mr Alan Burgess. Alan is also one of the foremost tree-painters in the United Kindom, and I am proud to own some of his paintings -  especially as I love looking at trees.

The Archdeacon of Harlow.  A meet with the new Archdeacon and to discuss some local issues.

Harlow Athletics Club.   To Mark Hall Sports Centre on Saturday evening to hand out certificates and medals to young atheletes.  I was there with our Paralympian Ann Wafula Strike.  Despite the cold, it was packed, and the youngsters were so very proud to get their awards.




by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

A lovely day

Not much to report today, save that I have been enjoying my 41st birthday. Time off from all current trials and tribulations - almost, as Blackberry was on hand. It has ended with a wonderful meal with Vanda at Francos in Roydon, an excellent restaurant for delicious Italian food. Franco's is an unusual place, being the former Roydon Railway Station waiting room. If you get a window table, you see the trains rushing past, as you are eating your meal.

It was good to have a day away from politics, although I have come back to watch the News, hearing of Labour Ministers offering themselves as 'taxis for hire' to lobbying companies at £5,000 a day. C'est la vie I suppose!

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Route 381

I have recently been contacted by local residents concerned about the lack of bus pick-up points around the villages - particularly in Roydon and have made representations to bus companies and local councils alike.

So it was good news today as Conservative-run Essex County Council today made a firm commitment to support local bus routes in Harlow and Epping.

Cllr Norman Hume, Cabinet Member for Highways, took the decision to spend £3.3million in 2010/11 on subsidising local bus routes, which will include route 381 between Harlow and Roydon. Commercial companies have previously refused to run the routes, as they won't make enough profit on them.

Cllr Hume's said:

"Local buses are one of the frontline services that ECC has pledged to support. Robert Halfon has explained just how important a local service the 381 bus is for Roydon, and I was pleased to announce the £3.3million today".

These are difficult economic times, but I am grateful to Cllr Hume for sticking to his guns. The 381 bus is a lifeline for rural communities around Harlow and Epping, and I am delighted that local Conservatives and our own County Councillors have rallied to protect it.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

The Expenses scandal hits Harlow

As you will see from the Herald and the Star, the MPs expenses scandal has hit Harlow this week, with the local MP, Bill Rammell, coming under the spotlight. His claims for home decoration, kitchen sinks, food, council tax and TV licence fee are claims that most seem to have irked local residents in Harlow.

My own view, was published in the Star, and I reproduce it below:

"As far as the individual items Bill has claimed for, I think it should be left to his constituents to decide whether or not they feel each purchase was an appropriate use of taxpayers’ money.

One of the most disappointing things to have come out of the recent revelations is that he classes his London house as his main residence. It is a bit rich for him to criticise me for living in Roydon instead of Harlow while at the same time deeming his main home to be in London. It’s all very well for him to say he has stopped claiming the ACA and welcomes a shake-up of the expenses system, but it’'s like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted.”

I feel aggrieved that the MP chose to attack me for living in Roydon - an essential part of the Harlow Constituency (as is Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing & Sheering) - when it has now emerged that he describes his 'main home' as being in London (probably also funded by the taxpayer). Harlow is deemed his 'second home' allowing him to make all the claims - as outlined in the local papers. Contrary, to what has been suggested, there is no 'requirement' on Ministers to make London their 'main home', and many Ministers have 'main homes' in their Constituencies.

As a Parliamentary candidate/Prospective MP, I dont get any expenses or funds from the taxpayer, or even any kind of wage, and I entirely fund my home, by myself (like most people). I live in Roydon for a few reasons, the most important being that I was able to live in a ground floor flat - at reasonable cost. My walking disability makes stairs very difficult, and this ground floor dwelling is an absolute blessing.

In previous columns on my blog, I have been at pains to mention that this expenses problem has afflicted all parties and some Conservatives have found themselves - like Mr Rammell - in very hot water. However, it is very disappointing that the Harlow MP has seemingly taken advantage of the expenses and allowances available, for all they are worth, whilst giving out an image that is somewhat 'holier than thou'.

Even a Labour Party member (Pat Roberts), has been moved to make a public statement to the Harlow Star:

"I have known Bill for many years.........what he has done may be within the law, but as an MP having been brought up in a working class town with huge social problems, he should be more aware that he should not have claimed expenses such as those for a partial makeover on his own home. MPs take a lot of credit for their success stories, they must also face up to and take the consequences when they have failed us".

Mr Rammell should publish all his expenses online, since he was an MP (as many other Parliamentarians are now doing). He should also call a Public Meeting for all his constituents, so they can question him on his expense claims, so he can justify all the decisions he has made, in the way he has spent hard-earned taxpayer's money.

P.P.S. More details of Mr Rammell's expenses can be found HERE and HERE.

P.P.S. The Liberal Democrats' statement about the MP's expenses (also in the Star), was as follows:

“Bill owes his constituents a sincere apology for the way he has spent their money over the years and I think he should pay it all back. The fact he has made these claims according to the rules is neither here nor there; he should have realised his actions were immoral and unnecessary. Why should the taxpayer foot the bill every time he decides to redecorate his home or goes to the supermarket? It’s difficult to have any faith in him as an MP when you see the way he has exploited this privileged position for his own benefit."

P.P.P.S. I have written a number of articles about the fallout from the expenses saga, and what can be done to make a difference. You can read them HERE and HERE.

By Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Wisteria Lane comes to Roydon

Look at this beautiful house in Roydon High Street. The Wisteria is spell-binding and appears every Spring. It has to be one of the most delightful views in the village. Definitely worth a visit.

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes. Enough is Enough

Visiting, the gents (alone), after an excellent lunch with David Jackman of Everything Epping Forest fame, in the Crusader Pub in Roydon yesterday, my eyes alighted on an excellent poster on the wall. As you can see, the poster highlights the unfairness of beer tax, which now accounts for a third of every pint. What is interesting, is that this picture, would not have appeared a few years ago, as most people thought that paying a bit of extra tax, was worth it, if public services were going to improve.

Now the opposite is happening. People ask again and again "we have paid all the taxes, so where has the money gone?".

As they see public services, - for the most part getting worse - and taxes higher, no wonder so many people are upset. It explains why The Taxpayers Alliance (which campaigns for taxpayer value), has more than 20,000 members. The anger about high taxes has increased, as the economy has gone down the plug-hole, unemployment has reached over two million with the Government drowning us in debt. And its not just taxes on beer. Tax on Bingo, Tax on fuel, tax on tobacco, tax on motorists, tax on business, tax on savings, tax on pensions, tax for selling houses, tax for buying houses, stealth taxes and much more tax besides. Our tax burden just rises and rises, at a time when we all have less income because of the credit crunch.

As the picture shows, the climate has changed, and everyone is fed up with waste and bad government. They want lower taxes. Expect a lot more pictures like this to pop up - in the most unlikely of places - over the coming months.

P.S. I Just found out that the Crusader Pub, earnt its name as Knights Templar from the Crusades, were given the Manor of Roydon.

Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Video and pictures showing the history of Harlow

Yesterday afternoon, having a well-earned cuppa at Cllr Lee Dangerfield's home, he showed me a wonderful You Tube video, with haunting music, that shows various pictures of Harlow as it was being built as a New Town. If I am not mistaken, I am sure this film was shown in the Harlow Library a few years back. Lee put the video on the very right side of my blog, so you can have a look at it, just by scrolling down a little.

By chance, I also came across a website which has loads of prints of Harlow through the decades. Some are for sale. Have a look HERE and HERE. I particularly like the early pictures of Broadwalk and the Market. Elsewhere on the site, there are some great old pictures of Roydon High Street too. I love looking at old photographs and these ones show so much that is unique about the past history of Harlow Constituency.




Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering.

Where's the Police?

I left Roydon Parish Council meeting this evening feeling somewhat angry. It wasn't because of anything the Councillors had done. In fact they all care deeply about Roydon Village. I was angry because I heard that the picturesque Roydon Playing Fields had been vandalised yet again. The latest act was the destruction of new rubbish bins, which cost £100 each. Despite, regular updates to the Police by local Councillors, and good knowledge of which teenagers are responsible, nothing is done. Roydon has no Community Support Officer at present and one well-meaning and hard working beat officer who covers a number of villages and is seriously overstretched.

What amazes me about the lack of Police action, is that about 18 months ago, the Essex Chief Constable came to a Parish Council meeting, accompanied by a host of local senior Police Officers. The Officers present pledged to introduce new style neighbourhood policing, with police on the beat. They said that Roydon would be well looked after by beat Policemen and Community Support Officers. As one Councillor remarked, since that meeting, the situation has got even worse, and there are less police in Roydon than ever before. I intend to write to the New Acting Chief Constable of Essex about the Playing Field problem, once I have amassed evidence from fellow Parish Councillors.

I know that most individual Police Officers are incredibly hard working and committed. Many do a wonderful job. But there is need to assuage sceptical Roydon residents that promises made, are more than hot air. There could be no better way than to demonstrate their commitment to Roydon, by dealing with these yobs once and for all and stop them from wrecking a beautiful part of the village.

Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering.

40 years and Mr Happy

I mentioned to you last week what a wonderful day I had on my birthday with Vanda in Greenwich. Well, I was lucky to have another treat this weekend. One of my good friends, Tim Montgomerie, whom I met at University (the very first person I came across), organised a wonderful 40th birthday Party last night and invited some of my closest friends.

The Party was in the New Inn Pub, Roydon, a beautiful old Pub. After drinks (or three) we sat down to Shepherds Pie, Guinness Pie and - as the picture shows - some delicious birthday cake. It was such a great evening, and as always I ate too much.

Tim and David Burrowes (an old school friend), proceeded to make some speeches about my more youthful days, perhaps revealing a little too much!! One of the nicest moments was when Vanda received a big bunch of flowers from a friend of mine who was unable to come. They are so huge, we have had to put them in a salad bowl. I shall have to buy a vase pronto!!

All in all it was such a wonderful evening and I hope to post more photos at a later point. Last night, I felt a very lucky and happy chap. Great friends, a special girlfriend, a party in a fantastic village Pub and a vocation that is a passion.

P.S. - to my friends - please note word 'amazing' is not mentioned once in this post above.

P.P.S. Thank you to all my friends- and Tim especially for an AMAZING evening.

Government force local residents to foot Tax Bill for Travellers Sites Consultation

It is incredible that the Government has landed Epping Forest District Council with a potential £100,000 bill after insisting it carried out a stand-alone public consultation exercise on gypsy and traveller sites in the district.
The district council has already revealed it is spending £50,000 on a consultant who is dealing solely with the issue of where in the district additional pitches should go so there was no need for this massive spend if the Government had let Epping Forest District Council plan for the future needs of travellers in our district as had always been their intention.
The council had said it would include the accommodation needs of the travelling community in its wider consultation arising from the more general targets for housing and employment set out in the East of England Plan.

Despite this the Government issued a directive to the council requiring it to deal separately with the gypsy and traveller issues by publishing a stand-alone plan last September.
While £50,000 is being spent on the council's consultant, the final bill is set to be much more. I reckon that the final cost could reach six figures when staffing costs and the cost of printing the consultation document are included.

The council ruled out sending a copy of the consultation document to every household in the areas where sites were being considered on the grounds of cost. Just how much would it have cost us if they had done that?

The council announced last week that its forward planning team had been highly commended in the authority's Dealing with the Public staff awards. While the team are to be praised for helping people and answering what must have been hundreds of inquiries, just how much officer time has been spent on this issue?

The Government has forced our local district council into spending tens of thousands of pounds unnecessarily. Thankfully this Conservative-led council is well-managed and despite the additional cost has been able to limit its council tax increase to the second lowest in Essex, but even so this £100,000, or whatever the final figure is, did not have to be spent if the Government had not waded in with unnecessary directives. That would have meant our council tax payers could have seen a lower increase in their council tax bills.

Opening of new Nazeing Valley Health Centre

The opening of a new building to accommodate Nazeing Valley Health Centre should bewelcomed by everyone who is a patient at the practice.
However while praising the welcome boost for healthcare in Nazeing, I can only hope that NHS West Essex will now look at improving health facilities in Roydon.
We await developments - literally - with interest!

Pubs and Watches

Its been a busy but enjoyable few days and I have had loads to do.

On Thursday night, I was invited to open the new White Horse Pub in Old Harlow. The new landlord, Graham Northcott and a number of committed partners, has taken over the pub, and in the space of three weeks - has entirely rebuilt the whole Pub. It really looks amazing and I am sure it will be a great success.

Graham said to me that it had always been his dream to open a Pub, so it was good to see a dream coming reality. Many Pubs in Harlow are having a tough time given the Recession and the Government's handling of the economy and a number have closed in recent weeks. I am sure that the White Horse will buck the trend.

I had to rush off to Roydon for a Parish Council meeting as I am a local Councillor and I arrived 30 mins late (although I had told the Chairman beforehand). As I sat down I dropped my Blackberry on the floor and it then started ringing, so my late entrance was slightly embarrassing!! At the meeting we discussed giving money to the local Citizens Advice Bureau and I am glad that a grant was given. CAB does a great job and should be supported.

On Friday I was invited to visit Rotary Watches in Westcliff-on-Sea. This is an amazing place. It is where they make and service all their watches. We should be proud that this company, which started in 1895 in Switzerland, uses the best of English craftsmanship and is based in Essex (see picture).

Then it was back to Harlow, in time to attend the Council Chairman's charity night at Harlow F.C. in aid of child Victims of Crime. The cold weather meant that attendance was low, but it was good to chat to the Simon Morgan, Harlow F.C. Chairman whilst I was there.

Saturday morning meant catching up with constituency correspondence and making telephone calls.

The afternoon and evening were pure treats. I was invited to watch Chelsea and met my childhood hero, Kerry Dixon. Even though we were rubbish against Hull, meeting Kerry helped to soothe the pain!

After I went to see the new film Benjamin Button with my girlfriend Vanda. She was really keen to watch it, before she goes back to Brazil on Thursday.

It is really weird and stars Brad Pitt who is born old and grows younger every day - and falls in love with Cate Blanchett! I suppose the moral of the film is that you can never take time for granted. I certainly didn't as the film was over 3 hours long! But we enjoyed it anyway.

Anyway, I hope to have a peaceful Sunday, as I have a big work week ahead. I hope you enjoy yours.

Welcome to my Blog

Hello everyone, welcome to my blog!

Well despite the snow, its been a busy week, although I did stay at home on Monday. When I woke up, I thought I was in Narnia and my girlfriend Vanda, (who has never seen snow before, as she is from Brazil), was quick to make a big fat snowman outside our house.

Nevertheless, being at home had its advantages. I caught up on my emails at last.
I got a remarkable one from a lady in Harlow who has started a web company called Scents-Ability which sells all sorts of scented goodies. This lady is all the more remarkable because she has suffered some illnesses, yet is determined to be a success. I know she will be.

Tomorrow night, I have been invited to open the White Horse Pub in Old Harlow ,which should be fun. It is a lovely Pub and I am sure it will be a great success. Afterwards, I have to rush off to a Roydon Parish Council. Villagers are quite worried about Government plans to build hundreds of thousands of houses over the Essex countryside and also determined to resist Government plans for extra gypsy sites.

On Friday, I am looking forward to visiting Rotary Watches. This Swiss watch company is over a 100 years old and is still run by the same Dreyfuss family that started it all those years ago. Amazingly, the company has a big factory in Essex, in Westcliff on Sea. I love watches and clocks, so it will be fascinating to see.

Finally, in this cold but beautiful snow, although many of us have fun, we should remember the homeless who have it harder than ever this time of year. I pay tribute to Patsy Dye of the Harlow Streets to Homes Centre who organised a night shelter recently. I am proud to be patron of this amazing charity.

Until next time.






Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering.