harlow sun - spring 2014

8/21/2019 Harlow Sun - Spring 2014

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Sun

ROBERT HALFON MPWORKING HARD FOR HARLOW

FREENewspaper for

local residents atno cost to the

taxpayer

Spring 2014

ROB HALFON MP: A CHAMPIONOF THE PEOPLE HE REPRESENTS

ENERGY BILLSPRE-APPRENTICESCHOOL

Chancellor GeorgeOsborne hailedHarlow MP Robert

Halfon a champion of thepeople he represents,following his announcementthat fuel duty would befrozen until the end of thisParliament.

Since being elected as Harlows

MP in 2010, Robert Halfon has

led a major campaign in

Parliament to halt rising fuel

prices. The Chancellor listened,

and all of the fuel duty rises,

planned by the previous Labour

Government, have been

scrapped. Fuel duty was even cut

by 1p in 2011.

This means that from next year,

fuel will be 20p a litre cheaper

than it would have been underLabours plans, saving the

average Harlow motorist 680.

FUEL 20p LOWER THAN

UNDER LABOURS PLANS

Throughout his time in the

House of Commons, Robert

Halfon has fought hard for the

people of Harlow to keep the cost

of fuel low.

The cost of fuel doesn't just affect

drivers, high fuel costs also adds to

the price of public transport and

even food. Robert Halfon has also

stood up against greedy oil

companies by calling for a full

investigation by the Office of Fair

Trading into the allegations of oil

price fixing.

The Conservative-led Coalitions

achievements on fuel duty (saving

the average motorist 11 each time

they fill up their tank) is in stark

contrast to the Labour Party, who

increased fuel duty 12 times during

their 13 years in power.

Robert has pledged to continue

his campaign for lower fuel duty,

and recently handed a petition into

Downing Street with FairFuel UK

calling for a further 3p cut.

Robert Halfon hands a petition into 10 Downing Street

calling for cheaper fuel duty

Robert Halfon meets

Eric Pickles to discuss savingHarlows youth services

YOUTHSERVICES

PROTECTED

A clipping from

The Sun newspaper

HALFON WINS BACKING

OF PM IN CAMPAIGN

AGAINST RIP OFF

CHARGES

HARLOW RECEIVES

10 MILLION FOR NEW

SCHOOL OPENING Page 3

GET IN TOUCHt:01279 311 451

e: [email protected]

w:www.roberthalfon.com

w:www.roberthalfonblog.com

www.facebook.com/RobertHalfon

www.twitter.com/halfon4harlowMP

Following a recentconsultation into thefuture of Harlows youth

services by Essex CountyCouncil, it has been announcedthat they will continue to offerthe same level of provision as

before.

All the youth centres willremain open and Essex CountyCouncil have announced anadditional 1 million offunding.

This follows a campaign byHarlow MP Rob Halfon whichinvolved meetings with EssexCounty Council, Harlow youthgroups, and Eric Pickles, Secretaryof State for Communities and LocalGovernment. Robert has paidtribute to the many young peopleand supporters in Harlow whocampaigned alongside him.

Promoted by Simon Carter on behalf of Harlow Conservatives, all of Kao Hockham House, Edinburgh Way, Harlow CM20 2NQ Printed by Mortons Media Group Ltd, of Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 6JR

Page 4

Harlow


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2|Harlow Sun

Community News

RENT IS FORHOMES, NOT

LABOURHEADLINES

Council tenants will now be expectedto pay for council newsletters toevery home in Harlow, it has emergedfollowing the release of this yearscouncil budget.

The announcement, which means fundsreceived through rent will now be used to payfor a Council magazine, is opposed by theHarlow Conservatives.

Jane Steer, Mark Hall council candidateand leading tenant representative said, The

laws on the use of rent money are very strict -council rents can only be spent on councilhouses.

There is more than enough work that needsdoing to our homes without the council stealingour money. If the Council want to save money,they can send information to tenants withtheir rent statements.

Conservatives fought hard to keep our rents inHarlow spent on our homes. Now Labour want

LABOUR LETDOWN ON WARD IMPROVEMENTS

Two years ago, theConservativesproposed a majorinvestment of 20,000

in every ward forresidents to improvetheir neighbourhoods.So now its time weasked:where is it?

In the months after Labourtook power, very little washeard of this proposal, untila decision was finally madeto consult residents on theidea.

Since then, however, verylittle else has been said.

Church Langley Cllr

Tony Hall says, Two yearson and we are stillwaiting. Is it any wonderwhy people are disillusionedwith the council?

We found the money, weput forward the initiative -but Labour didnt want to doit.

They have no ideas of theirown and clearly dont want touse anyone elses.

Conservatives councilscost you less - we frozeCouncil Tax for three yearsand proposed freezes whenLabour put it up every year.We expect to see somethingin return.

You can always rely onLabour to do nothing exceptincrease taxes."

A PROBLEM THAT KEEPS ON GROWING

Recently, Harlow residents may have noticed a new issue getting in their wayquite literally. Under the Conservatives, Harlow Council launched a twoyear programme of cutting back shrubs and grass, made possible by extrasavings made elsewhere.

Now that Labour has increased our Council Tax, Sumners and Kingsmoor Cllr NickChurchillasks why this hasnt continued, In the years that we were in control the town wasstarting to look clean and tidy. Since Labour have taken control, whats gone wrong? Sumnersand Kingsmoor is looking a mess again.

So we can rightly ask: is the grass really greener under Labour or is it simply overgrown?

Conservativecouncillors in OldHarlow are leading theopposition to aproposed M11 link alongGilden Way.

Cllr Mike Garnett said,You would need to bewearing rose-tintedspectacles if you believe thiswill solve traffic congestion.

Increasing traffic flow from13,000 vehicles a day to30,000 does not speak tome of easing trafficcongestion - quite theopposite. It will cut off OldHarlow from ChurchgateStreet.

The councillors urgedresidents to complete the

consultation on the countycouncil website and respondto Robert Halfon MPssurvey cards.

Joel Charles, OldHarlow councilcandidate added, I am yetto be convinced that theproposed options for thenew link to the M11 will

improve journey times forlocal road users or thebusiness community.

All the proposals wouldresult in is increasedcongestion at the Mark Hallroundabouts."

OLD HARLOW CONSERVATIVES

OPPOSE GILDEN WAY M11 LINK

CONSERVATIVECOUNCILS COST

YOU LESS

Conservatives on Harlow Councilproposed freezing Council Taxand protecting local services againthis year - but were defeated byLabour.

Joel Charles, Old Harlow candidatesaid, My colleagues on the council put for-

ward a fully costed amendment to Laboursbudget to protect hard working taxpayers.

Their response was to create their owncost of living crisis by doing what they knowbest - increasing taxes, increasing spendingand increasing borrowing.

Clive Souter, Great Parndon councilcandidate noted that,Conservatives atEssex County Council froze their share ofthe Council Tax again this year- and theirsis the biggest share.

Conservative group leader Cllr Andrew

Johnsonsaid at the meeting, When it is achoice between propaganda sheets and taxhikes or scrapping a magazine that oftengets dumped and freezing Council Tax, thenI know which one I am voting for.

(Left to Right) Cllr Mike Garnett, Old Harlow candidate

Joel Charles. Cllr Sue Livings, Cllr Muriel JollesOvergrown shrubs on

Harlows roads


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GIVE THE PEOPLE ANIN-OUT REFERENDUM

SAYS VICKY FORD MEP

Harlow Sun | 3 ..

In the past year, theConservative-led Coalitionnvested hugely in Harlow NHS

services.

Nearly 6 million has gone toPrincess Alexandra Hospital, withover 1 million for a new KidneyDialysis Unit and 250,000 formaternity services.

Plus, St Clares Hospice received472,000 as part of theGovernments 5.5 millionnvestment into hospices across theountry.

This funding has enabled thehospital to build a state of the art

new Short Stay A&E Ward, whichopened just a few weeks ago.

Overall, the Government isncreasing spending on the NHS ineal terms. In West Essex alone,

Government spending on the NHShas increased by 23% since 2008.

Nationally, this extra investment ispaying off, and delivering betteroutcomes for patients.

Overall, there are an extra 8,500clinical staff, and 5,700 extradoctors. MRSA rates have also beenhalved, and waiting times are lower.

Robert Halfon (centre) with Frank Bruno at the

Second Harlow Jobs Fair

The economy

is growing.Unemployment isnow lower inHarlow than itwas when Labourleft office.

This is reflectedacross the UK,where 1.6 millionnew privatesector jobs havebeen created.

There are nowmore adults in workthan ever before -

giving 30 millionpeople a pay packetevery week, and thechance to givethemselves andtheir families abetter future.

94% of the jobs

created in the lastyear were full time.

For the secondyear in a row,Robert Halfon MPorganised a jobs fairin Harlow.Hundreds of jobs

were on offer, andover two thousandHarlow residentsattended.

Also, in the year toFebruary 2014, thenumber of Harlow

residents claimingJob Seekers

Allowance fell by536 people.

The Conservative-led Government is

helping to create

jobs by scrappingemployers NationalInsurancecontributions onemployees who areunder 21, andcutting all

businesses NI billsby up to 2000.

This means that450,000 small

businesses inBritain wont have topay any NIcontributions at all -and these savings

will help businesseshire more people.

ROBERT HALFON TAKESON ENERGY COMPANIES

Robert Halfon haslaunched a campaignagainst energy companies

who rip people off when theychoose not to pay theirenergy bills by direct debit,

and has even secured thebacking of the PrimeMinister.

Harlows MP began hiscampaign after hearing that apensioner in Harlow would haveto pay an extra 63 every yearunless she started paying herenergy bills by direct debit.

Robert got in touch with herenergy company, but wassurprised to hear that 63 wasactually lower than what mostcompanies charged.

Upon looking into these fees, hefound that some companiescharged nothing at all, whilstothers billed customers up to390 more.

Robert said,Residents shouldbe able to pay how they want, andshould not be penalised if theychoose to pay by post or other non-direct methods.

HARLOW SEES FALLIN UNEMPLOYMENT

This kind of charge hits pen-sioners and the most vulnerable.It is worth remembering that 45%of people do not pay their electric-ity bills by direct debit, and 1 mil-lion people do not have bank ac-

counts.

After meeting with many of theenergy companies, as well asOfgem and EnergyUK, Robertsecured a parliamentary debate onthe issue, which was the mostsupported Backbench debate inhistory.

He has also introduced a Bill inthe House of Commons, callingfor a limit on the amount energycompanies can charge customers

who do not pay by direct debit.

Since Roberts campaign started,

the Prime Minister has asked theEnergy Secretary to investigatethese charges and First Utility,Britains seventh biggestenergy company has droppedtheir charges from 96 per

year, to a more reasonable24 per year.

The Government is also doing allit can to help people with energy

bills, including rolling backLabours costly green levies,saving families an average of 50.Plus, the Governments WarmHome Discount Scheme will pro-

vide over 2 million households,including over 600,000 vulner-able pensioners, with a 135 dis-count on their electricity bills.

CONSERVATIVES INVESTINGIN HARLOW HEALTH

Robert Halfon with PAH

staff on Christmas Day, 2013

Robert Halfon (centre) at the PAH

Emergency Department

It has been nearly 40 years since the British people last had their say onEurope. In that time, so much has changed - the countries involved, thepowers devolved and the benefits and costs of membership.

People feel that the EU is heading in a direction that they never signedup for. It is right to negotiate a fresh settlement in the EU - one that is

better for Britain - and then put the result to the British people in an in-out referendum.

Robert Halfon (left) with the

Home Heat Helpline


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4|Harlow Sun

Education in Harlowwill be getting a majorboost in September when anew pre-apprentice school,the Sir Charles KaoUniversity TechnicalCollege [UTC], opens itsdoors for the first time.

This comes after HarlowCollege and Anglia RuskinUniversity joined together

and received 10 million ofGovernment funding.

The school will offer free, firstclass, vocational training to

young people from Harlow aged14-19. Students will be able tostudy new technologies in

science, computing andmedicine, as well as gain

valuable work experience. Theywill follow GCSE and A-levelcourses alongside technicalqualifications in SmartEnvironments or MedicalTechnology.

Harlows MP Robert Halfoncampaigned strongly for thenew facility. He argued that it

will equip young Harlowsyoung people with the skills thatthey will need for a life-time ofemployment.

The Harlow UTC shows thatthe Government has a clear

commitment to apprenticeships.Evidence shows that Higher

Apprentices are 25% moreemployable than universitygraduates, and apprenticesearn, over 100,000 morethroughout their lifetime thanother employees.

Already, this Government hascreated a record 1.5 millionapprenticeships, with a 82%increase in Harlow alone.

The Harlow UTC is nowaccepting applications, [email protected] if you would like any moreinformation.

NEW TAX CUT PUTSMORE MONEY IN

HARLOW POCKETS

Robert Halfon has welcomed an extra500 of tax free pay announced byChancellor George Osborne in the 2014Budget last month, reducing the tax bills

of 39,000 Harlow residents.

FAIR IMMIGRATION,FAIR FOR TAXPAYERS

When the Labour Party was in power,immigration in to UK was out ofcontrol, with net immigration peaking at 2.2million people in 2010.

The Conservative-ledCoalition began takingaction to bringmigration numbersdown as soon as ittook office.

So far, it has cappedeconomic migration,reformed family visasand cut out thewidespread abuse ofthe student route intothe country.

It is also ensuringthat immigrants enterthe country for theright reasons and paytheir way, tougheningup the benefits systemand cracking down onillegal working andabuse of the NHS.

Overall, thisGovernment has seennet immigration fall bya third.

www.RightToBuyHarlow.com

A free service provided by Robert Halfon MP

- Sign up for details about how tobuy your council house or flat

- Up to a 60% discount on a councilHOUSE

- Up to a 70% discount for a councilFLAT

- New top discount of 75,000available!

www.RightToBuyHarlow.com

Robert Halfon (far left) at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new

University Technical College in Harlow

BRAND NEW PRE-APPRENTICESCHOOL OPENING IN HARLOW

FULL HOUSE!UNFAIR BINGO TAX IS SLASHED

T

he Chancellor of theExchequer has

protected the future ofbingo by slashing bingotax by 50% during the2014 Budget. This willmean new investment inHarlow Bingo and betterprizes.

All 54,000 of Harlows bingoplayers have been leftdelighted following theChancellors announcement.He said that he would cut thetax on bingo from 20% to 10%,allowing for bigger prizes, in-

vestment in clubs and a boostin jobs.

Robert Halfons campaignattracted the support of over50 MPs, and members of Har-low Mecca Bingo joinedRobert Halfon as he

handed in a petition, signed byover 330,000 people, to

Downing Street.

During the announcement,Chancellor George Osborne said,now that fuel duty has been fro-zen my Hon. Friend Robert Hal-fon has turned his energy andtalent into a vigorous campaignto cut bingo duty.

They want the rate cut to15%. I can go further. Bingo

duty will be halved to 10% toprotect jobs and to protectcommunities.

Responding to the announce-ment, Robert said I have beencampaigning hard on thisissue. Harlow Mecca Bingo areone of the best, if not the best,

bingo club in thecountry. The staffare incredible, themembers areunbelievable and Iam over the moonabout the cut.

Given that wehave around54,000 members,its great news.

Promoted by Simon Carter on behalf of Harlow Conservatives, all of Kao Hockham House, Edinburgh Way, Harlow CM20 2NQ.

d b d d f l l h

From April 2015 thepersonal allowancewill rise to 10,500,cutting taxes for 25million people andtake another 290,000people out of payingincome tax altogether.

Rises in the personalallowance since 2010mean that by April2015 a typical basicrate taxpayer will

be paying 805less in tax thanunder Labour.

This latest increasewill mean that an-other 400 lower earn-ers in Harlow will betaken out of incometax completely.

Speaking after the an-

nouncement, RobertHalfon said: This is a

workers budget fromthe workers party. It

will leave Harlowresidents with moreof their own money tospend and will reducethe tax bill of 39,000Harlow residents.

This Government hasa relentless focus onhelping working peo-

ple and those on a lowincome and these newmeasures mean thatfamilies will be betteroff.

The increase inpersonal allowance

will mean that peoplecan choose how tospend their ownmoney

harlow sun - spring 2014

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