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.

My pledge to blaze-hit businesses

I have promised to do everything possible to help businesses in the Nazeing area affected by three recent fires.

Yesterday I visited the scenes with local Conservative councillor Richard Bassett, and met businessman Chris Harwood whose business on the former Chimes garden centre site in Old Nazeing Road was involved in the largest of the fires.

Tragically Mr Harwood has lost his business in the fire and faces the daunting task of rebuilding it once his insurance claim goes through.

It was important to go and visit Mr Harwood and I was shocked by what I saw. The fire has devastated his business and I will be doing all I can with Richard Bassett to help Mr Harwood and others get back on their feet.

There have been three fires in the Nazeing area recently and it is important that we ensure that the police are keeping a watchful eye on what has happened.

I wish Mr Harwood and other businesses affected by this fire all the best and hope that they are able to get their businesses operating again sooner rather than later.

Weekly newsletter: £3.5 million roads boost for Harlow

In Harlow
​I was horrified to learn about the vandalism which has taken place on the Berecroft estate in Harlow and I have launched an appeal - started with £100 from myself - to help the residents’ association raise the £3,000 needed to get the youth club back on its feet.

I will be visiting the estate again next week and intend to raise the issue in Parliament. Vandalism such as this must not be swept under the carpet, The thugs behind the damage must be caught and asked to pay for repairs. 

You can read more about the vandalism here.

News that Harlow’s roads are to benefit from a £3.5 investment is great news for local people and will be a great boost for the town as it prepares to attract thousands of new jobs as a new Enterprise Zone. You can read more about this issue here.

I had a meeting with the Care Quality Commission and a local resident whose family relative had a bad experience at a care home. I have worked with her to get her case a fair hearing, to make sure that genuine improvements are made.

On Monday I visited the Education Youth Services in Perry Road, Harlow, and later in the day welcomed a party from William Martin School for a tour of the House of Commons.

On Wednesday I attended a meeting at Osler House Surgery in Harlow.

I was delighted to be able to welcome Immigration Minister Damian Green Harlow on Thursday. (See a photo above.) I had invited the Minister to come and speak to local people, including faith leaders and Harlow College students, as immigration has been a topic often raised by people when I meet them on the doorsteps, or in emails that they send me.

As the Harlow Star has reported, the Minister explained all the good work the current Government is doing to control immigration levels and ensure that the country gets the best that it can from the people who come into this country.

On Friday I visited Science Alive at the Harlow Leisurezone and the technology day at Pitney Bowes in Harlow.

In Parliament
This week saw the launch of my search for a third apprentice to work with me in my House of Commons office. As readers will know I am a staunch supporter of apprentices and apprenticeships and was the first MP to employ an apprentice in Westminster. 

My next apprentice will be my third.

I was able to speak in the House on Tuesday during a debate on Assisted Dying. The Commons overwhelmingly supported an Amendment to the main Motion (which I had seconded). This put the emphasis on palliative care, and rejected any moves towards implementation of the guidelines set by the Department for Public Prosecution.

This means that assisted dying will NOT be supported by the law. You can read more about this issue here.

The issue of donations to political parties has been in the news this week and during a parliamentary debate I raised the point of whether members of the previous Labour government should publish details of all their dinners, breakfasts and meetings with donors over the past 15 years. What do you think? Will they agree to this?

This week also, I had the opportunity to speak in a debate about the NHS Reforms and highlighted the fact that the NHS reorganisation will abolish the strategic health authority in the eastern region, which will save £46 million a year—money that will be spent on front-line services in Harlow and elsewhere.

Finally, there was also good news for the villagers in and around Nazeing and Roydon after Planning Minister confirmed, in response to my question, that people living in those areas will NO LONGER have to carry an unshared burden regarding the number of traveller sites provided. The new planning regulations mean that local people will have a genuine say over planning decisions. You can read more about this issue 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

Our green belt is safe

New planning regulations will give local people a genuine say in planning applications in their area. This is to be welcomed.

The new Framework makes planning much simpler and more accessible - distilling over 1,300 pages of often impenetrable jargon, scattered over 44 separate documents, into a clear, readable guide of around 50 pages.

I have been a long-time campaigner for the protection of the green belt and rural areas. I have been campaigning for the safeguarding of these areas for more than ten years – and these new regulations give an unswerving commitment to conserving Britain's countryside – whether or not it is nationally designated –and it promotes the redevelopment of previously developed ‘brownfield’ land.

The new law says planning decisions should be made by local people through a local plan – informed, where desired, by neighbourhood plans designed by families in parishes or housing estates.

This is to be welcomed and means local people will have a say over how their communities will look in the years to come.

I am also particularly pleased about what the new legislation means for villagers in Nazeing and Roydon with regards to traveller sites.

Asking a question of Planning Minister Greg Clark in the House of Commons this week, I said people in Nazeing and Roydon had, under the last Government, been forced to carry an unshared burden of having traveller sites and asked whether the new proposals would put a stop to such a situation.

Mr Clark replied: “The targets will be removed. My hon. Friend’s council would need to assess what provision it needed to make locally, and that will then be a matter for the council."

FACTS: The truth about this Budget and Pensioners

There has been a lot of misinformation about the Budget, from people who want to paint a gloomy picture. But in reality, this was a Budget for the hardworking people of Harlow, for jobs, and for the vulnerable. Pensioners will be better off.

Yesterday, it was announced:

- We will see the biggest EVER rise in the state pension (£5 extra a week, from this April).

- On top of this, key pensioner benefits have been protected, such as Winter Fuel Payments, free prescriptions and eye tests, free bus travel, and free TV licences for older pensioners.

- Allowances will be simplified, but nobody will pay more tax.

- There are no cash losers as a result. And everyone is still better off as a result of the increase in the basic state pension.

- Even after the changes, half of pensioners will not pay tax next year.

- Over 5 million of the poorest pensioners are unaffected, including thousands in Harlow.

- Pensioners will also benefit from the Government's funding for local authorities to freeze their council tax for a second year. (In Harlow, Council Tax has now been frozen for a record three years in a row.)

by Robert Halfon MP - Working Hard for Harlow.

Please sign my petition for road safety on the Crooked Mile

As regular readers of my blog will know, I have launched a petition - SEE HERE - calling for road safety measures on the Crooked Mile.

The road has become an accident black-spot in recent years. Thankfully, Essex County Council is now proposing to reduce the speed limit on nearly 5,000 metres of the road to 50mph.

This is something that I have urged them to do for almost a year.

I would urge residents and motorists to sign my petition for road safety measures on the Crooked Mile, to show Essex County Council the strength of feeling about this.

I very much hope that a speed limit reduction will improve road safety.


by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Help with fuel bills

As Harlow and the villages face a cold snap, in February, many people will be worried about staying warm - especially pensioners.

Research shows that one in ten households are actually entitled to some form of help with their fuel bills.

This help is worth an average of £250 per household.

Harlow residents can call the Home Heat Helpline (0800 33 66 99), which is a free, not-for-profit phone line which provides advice to people who are struggling to pay their energy bills and keep warm.

People can also access the service online by visiting http://www.homeheathelpline.org.uk/

There are lots of services available - such as free or discounted home insulation, or an annual gas safety check.

Regular readers of my blog will know that this Conservative-led Government has protected the Winter Fuel Allowance, and made the £25 Cold Weather Payment permanent.

(This is because when Gordon Brown first introduced it, it was just a temporary measure for the 2010 election.)

Above all, I am here to help. If you live in the Harlow constituency, and believe that you or your relatives are entitled to help with your fuel bills, but aren't getting payments, please contact the Harlow Jobcentre Plus on 0845 604 3719 - or, please email me at halfon4harlow@roberthalfon.com

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Why we need cheaper petrol

Regular readers of my blog will know about my long-standing campaign for cheaper petrol and diesel in Harlow. As we get towards the 2012 Budget, I will be urging the Chancellor to freeze fuel duty - and also to look at reducing it if possible. 

Today in Parliament I made this point to the Leader of the House. Our full exchange was:

Robert Halfon (Harlow): May we have a debate on lower taxes for lower earners, given that poor motorists will be hit twice as hard as richer motorists if petrol and diesel duties rise? Can my right hon. Friend urge the Chancellor to cut petrol and diesel tax in the next Budget?

Sir George Young: I will relay to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor the bid that my hon. Friend has just made. I commend what he did with the e-petition on the issue last year, which resulted in the postponement of an increase that was due earlier this month.

I have also written to the Office of Fair Trading, in Essex, urging them to look into the fact that petrol prices in Harlow seem to be about 5p more expensive than nearby towns such as Epping, Chelmsford, and Stevenage.

You can see my full letter below:

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

GOOD NEWS: youth unemployment in Harlow is falling

Robert Halfon meeting apprentices at Harlow College.

There's been a lot of bad news on the economy, recently. But there is one silver lining in Harlow: official figures show that youth unemployment in Harlow is falling.

The Office for National Statistics figures for the town show that from November to December last year youth unemployment fell from 715 to 695. 

It's a small step in the right direction. In 2012 my number one priority is the economy, and bringing jobs back to Harlow - especially for our young people. That's why I have championed the idea of a new Apprentice School in the town, based at Harlow College.

It is also why I have personally employed Harlow apprentices in my office - first local lad Andy Huckle, and now Louis Luck. They are both Harlow College students, who earn a proper wage and study for a real qualification.

Official figures have shown a massive rise in the number of apprentices being taken on both in Harlow and nationally. You can see me meeting some of these apprentices in the photos above.

Thanks to a Conservative-led Government, in Harlow the number of apprentices has rocketed by 73 per cent - from 450 in 2009-10 to a figure of 780 for 2010-11.

This is fantastic news and clearly shows that businesses not just locally but across the country are seeing the benefits there are in having apprentices in their workplaces.

We should not be complacent but I'm glad that Harlow is an entrepreneurial town. These figures are to be welcomed and I hope to see a further fall in the months ahead.

I have tabled a parliamentary motion on youth unemployment in Harlow and believe the current situation, with the number of young people unemployed falling, strengthens the case for a University Technical College in the town.

It also shows that measures being taken by the Government to deal with youth unemployment are beginning to make significant inroads.

Robert Halfon meeting apprentices at Harlow College.

Care for the Dying

Rob with St Clare's Hospice

It is well-worth reading the full debate on Care for the Dying debate in the Commons yesterday. Please click HERE.

My full speech is below:

Robert Halfon (Harlow): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes) on securing this debate. I have known him as a good friend for nearly 30 years and his values have remained the same over that time.
I welcome this debate because I feel that we need to move the focus of the discussion away from assisted dying and towards quality of life. I became involved with this issue not by accident but through involvement with my local hospice, St Clare. It is one of the most wonderful community organisations with which I have ever had the privilege to be involved, both as a parliamentary candidate in Harlow for many years, and as its MP. St Clare is dedicated to promoting quality of life and care, and it has taught me much about the important role of palliative care and how it needs our support.

I should like to make several brief points, the first of which concerns equity of funding. St Clare hospice in Harlow receives 24% of its funding from the local PCT, although other nearby hospices in other PCTs, such as Farleigh hospice or St Francis hospice, receive around 40% of their funding from the PCTs. I welcome the figure of 40% and do not deride it, but it is important to have greater equity of funding. There is also a cliff-edge issue: 70% of charitable hospices have agreements with their local PCT that last for just one year. We need longer-term agreements, so that hospices can plan ahead.

Although we often talk about the big society, the hospice movement existed before that was even mentioned. It has pioneered the big society for many years, and 157 charitable hospices in the United Kingdom receive the bulk of their funding from private and community sources. More than 100,000 people donate their time to local hospices. St Clare hospice has 500 volunteers, and on one occasion, I was pleased to work there as a receptionist. Given what the Government are trying to accomplish in many parts of the public sector, hospices deserve more recognition for their role as part of the big society. They are models of how charitable institutions can raise extra funds, invest in services and train the community, without resources coming simply from higher taxes.

Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham): I support everything that has been said so far about doing whatever we can to preserve life. Funding has been mentioned, as have the community and voluntary sectors. Medway contains the Wisdom hospice, where £539,000 is raised annually by the voluntary and charitable sectors. That is a great example of how communities want to preserve and support palliative care.

Robert Halfon: My hon. Friend makes a good point that is exactly right; his constituency is lucky to have him serving it so well.

I want to highlight bereavement counselling services. St Clare offers such a service, and about 40% of families that become involved with it receive bereavement counselling. That is a huge extra cost for something that the hospice does not have to provide but nevertheless offers as an extra service. Hospices receive little recognition for their work on bereavement care, and a UK study has shown that such care is often overlooked. In 2010, more than half of hospital maternity units still lacked dedicated bereavement support, thus leading families to turn to their local hospices. In 2007, an Oxford university survey of bereavement care in 10 Marie Curie hospices around the country showed that, although there are some great services, such care is patchy or non-existent in other areas. That is why hospices such as St Clare that go above and beyond the call of duty in the bereavement services that they offer deserve recognition and extra financial support.

To conclude, I should like to comment on the remarks made by my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman) who is no longer in his place. I have huge respect for him, but he mentioned choice in death. The problem with assisted dying and the move towards euthanasia is that people will be pressured into making choices. That is why I am passionately against any move towards assisted dying.

Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South): I congratulate the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes) on securing this debate, and I have been listening carefully to the hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon). Is not part of the problem the fact that if this House eventually—sadly—legislates in favour of assisted dying, that would normalise the situation and mean that people and families who are vulnerable or in desperate straits may think, “That is normality; we will go down that route”? Does the hon. Gentleman agree that that is a dangerous route down which to go?

Robert Halfon: I agree passionately with the hon. Gentleman; we would be taking a hugely dangerous step were we to go down the road of assisted dying. We as a society devalue human life, whether through fiction, computer games or television, or in real life. I often wonder whether Harold Shipman would have got away with killing one patient after another if we as a society had not devalued human life in such a way. We need to move away from that in a big way and back towards dignity for the dying and strong support for palliative care.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Some pictures from today's Social Action day at Harlow College, Parkinson's Society and St Clare Hospice

Rob Halfon - working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering

Volunteering during Social Action Week

From tomorrow (Monday, September 26), I will be volunteering with a number of local charities and organisations in Harlow and the villages.

Among the visits I will be volunteering at the Harlow Foodbank, teaching at Harlow College and helping with the Nazeing Cubs Group. 

Monday, September 26 – afternoon – Nazeing Cubs Group, Perry Hill, off Middle Street, Nazeing, EN9 2LL. I will be working with the cub leaders and taking part in the activities that the group undertakes.

Tuesday, September 27 – morning - Sheering Primary School, The Street, Sheering, CM22 7LU. I will be going back to school to do Milk Duty at the school, as part of World School Milk Day, making sure all the children receive their daily intake of milk.

Wednesday, September 28 – morning - Harlow College, Velizy Avenue, Town Centre, Harlow, CM20 3LH. I will be teaching the AS Government and Politics class about how ideology of political parties has changed since the Second World War.

Wednesday, September 28 – afternoon - St Clare Hospice Centre, Hastingwood Road, Hastingwood, CM17 9JX. I will be doing a shift running reception, greeting visitors and also helping run the shop.

Thursday, September 29 – morning - Harlow Foodbank, St Mary’s Church Hal, Peldon Road, Harlow, CM19 4HT. I will work with volunteers to prepare food parcels for people in Harlow

Thursday, September 29 – afternoon - Harlow Talking Newspaper, The Talking Newspaper for the Blind, Harlow Library, The High, Harlow, CM20 1HA. I will help record the latest editions of newspapers and learn the process of how talking newspapers operate

For more information please contact Victoria Thornton on 020 7219 7223 or 07738 240183.

Nazeing Festival

Great fun. A special day for everyone in Nazeing. A tribute to the organisers. A packed event with so many stalls to choose from - including enormous offerings of food.

I helped judge the 'Nazeing Princess' competition, alongside former Eastenders star, Gillian Taylforth, who also attended last year. The new Princess will be required to hand out presents at Christmas.

P.S. As you can see from the pics, there was a vintage motor exhibition as well.
 

Travellers in Nazeing and Roydon

Today I asked Caroline Spelman, the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, if the villages around Harlow would be free in the future to set their own level of travellers' pitches.

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

With Dale Farm in Basildon, this is a big issue for Essex at the moment.

My full question was:

Robert Halfon: "Epping forest has 20% of all Travellers pitches in the east of England, over 80% 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?"

Mrs Spelman: "This is a matter principally for the Department for Communities and Local Government, which I know is striving to find a balanced solution for both the settled and the travelling communities. I have sympathy with my hon. Friend, as I also have to deal with this issue in my constituency. The abolition of regional spatial strategies puts an end to the top-down provision of sites in favour of local solutions to provide the authorised sites that the travelling community needs."


by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Localism and People Power

Over 84 per cent of traveller sites in Epping Forest are located in Nazeing and Roydon. These sites were forced through by the last Labour Government, without giving local communities a real say.

As I said to the BBC Politics Show on Sunday, this Conservative-led Government is changing all that, and giving real power to residents.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

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

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

Some more pictures from the tragic fire at Sheering Church

David Jackman, Editor of the widely read Internet local Newspaper, Everything Epping Forest.com, has sent me these pictures from the Sheering Church fire. You can see more at his website HERE. As the last picture shows, I was grateful to get a briefing from Fire Officers present, as to the extent of the damage.

Roydon Packaging - A great example of a Green Business

The packaging industry often gets a bad press green-wise, but yesterday, I went to a company that deeply cares for our environment.

I was invited to visit Roydon Packaging Factory in the Pinnacles. The company is a major manufacturer of cardboard packages to major businesses and retailers. It was an education for me to see first stage of cardboard arriving from a Mill, being moved from a fork lift truck to machine after machine, and ending up as some serious cardboard packaging.

What was great about this company, was both its employer ethic (many of the employees I met had been there for 20 plus years), but that everything it produces was environmentally sustainable. Not only was all the waste recycled, but the cardboard was all recyclable too. The Managing Director, Simon Coverdale, told me that it was now possible to track paper from a Mill, down to the very tree it had come from. He also noted that all the cardboard the company received, came from sustainable Forests.

This was a very special company, started originally in a garage in Enfield, then moving to Roydon and later to the Pinnacles. Simon, had started on the shop floor at the age of 17, working for his Father who had founded the company. It was a true example of a family run, small business, producing a great product at excellent value. I was very glad to have the opportunity to visit.

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