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CONSERVATIVEpromises to scrapGordon Brownsplans to concreteover our villagershave been welcomedby Robert Halfonwho is alsoapplauding the Conservative plan to involvelocal people in key decisions when it comesto developing Green Belt land.

Shadow Communities Secretary CarolineSpellman made a number of guaranteesabout the Conservative policy on housing,when she visited Harlow and Nazeing lastyear. Rob said: The good news is thatConservatives are pledged to abolish all thetop down regional and national planningtargets that have imposed arbitrary housingtargets across Essex and the East of England- without any genuine local consultation. Youcannot build extra houses through centralplanning, without giving people a real say inwhat occurs.

Gordon Browns housing plans areunnecessary, undemocratic andunsustainable. Not enough is being done to

build on brownfield land, not enough hasbeen done to really involve local people inthe decision-making process. No realpledges have been made, with financialresources, to guarantee the newinfrastructure that will be a requirement ifnew housing is to be built.Rob added: Weare not saying no to any new housing. Farfrom it. We just believe it should beevolutionary and sustainable.

To contact Rob:

Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way, Harlow, Essex CM18 7BL

Tel: 01279 429251 Email: halfon4harlow@roberthalfon.com

Web: www.roberthalfon.com

Blog: www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/roberthalfon

www.twitter.com/halfon4harlow

Robert HalfonProspective Conservative MP

Delivered free by your local Conservatives toHastingwood, Matching, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering

We are being picked onover traveller pitchesTHE Epping Forest district is being pickedon over the ongoing issue of additional

traveller pitches, Robert Halfon said: EppingForest District Council is to be applauded forfighting its corner and persuading theGovernment to reduce the number but 34pitches when some other districts andboroughs have been told to provide feweradditional pitches is still too many.

He added: The Epping Forest districtalready provides a large number of pitches,with many in the Nazeing and Roydon area.This will mean the minimum number ofpitches in the district by 2011 will be 128.

The big question now is where will these34 pitches go. Months after the

consultation document was published, nodecision has been taken over where thepitches will go.

We still have huge swathes of the districtblighted by the threat of a travellerencampment. Delicate decisions still haveto be made and it would benefit the wholedistrict if these decisions could be takensooner rather than later.

The Conservatives have pledged to replacethe Human Rights Act which is used

extensively by travellers as reasons forgranting planning permissionwith a newBritish Bill of Rights which will helpauthorities deal with unauthorisedtraveller sites.

Green belt -we must save it

Village Post

Spring 2010

Stansted expansiongrounded

Plans for an extra runway at Stansted willbe scrapped by a Conservativegovernment with Robert Halfon believingthat a nine-month delay over a public inquiryinto the second runway is the final nail inthe coffin for any expansion at the airport.The expansion would increase capacityto 68m passengers by 2030.

Rob said: This delay leaves the expansionplans not just in tatters but in tiny shreds.

Expansion at Stansted is a non-starter, italways has been and the Conservativesrecognise this. Conservatives will shelveGordon Brown's plans for an extra runway.This expansion nonsense is simply blightinga huge swathe of our countryside andaffecting the quality of life for peopleaffected by the flight paths and people wholive near the airport, and in our villagesincluding Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon andSheering.

Rob fighting for speedsafety in our villages

VILLAGERS in Hastingwood and Roydon havelong suffered from speeding traffic as driverslook to avoid tailbacks on the A414/M11roundabout and a cut-through to Harlow.Thanks to the campaigning efforts of RobertHalfon, Essex County Council is to undertakea speed survey on local roads with thepossibility of introducing a reduced speedlimit and traffic calming. Rob said: Thisnews can not be too soon for people living inHastingwood who have put up with the roadsoutside their homes being used as rat-runsby cars and lorries for years. Action has beenlong-awaited and it is great the countycouncil has put in writing that it intends todo something about the problem. I havebeen fighting for something to be done for along time now, as have the residents and

local action group, so it is great to see thatall the campaigning has finally paid off.

I am also keen to see something done abouttraffic speed between Harlow and Roydon.Rob said: I would like to pay tribute to theefforts of Hastingwood Action Group led byViv Chipperfield and others who have doneso much for so long to try and do somethingabout speeding in Hastingwood Road.

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Out and Aboutwith Rob Halfon

To contact Rob:

Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way,Harlow, Essex CM18 7BLTel: 01279 429251

Email: halfon4harlow@roberthalfon.comWeb: www.roberthalfon.com

Blog: www.roberthalfon.blogspot.comwww.facebook.com/roberthalfonwww.twitter.com/halfon4harlowPromoted by Russell Perrin on behalf of Robert Halfon both of Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way,

Harlow, Essex CM18 7BL and printed by Metloc Printers Ltd., Old Station Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 4PE

Route 381

I have recently beencontacted by local residentsconcerned about the lack ofbus pick-up points aroundthe villages - particularly inRoydon - and have maderepresentations to bus companies and localcouncils alike. So it was good news whenConservative-run Essex County Council madea firm commitment to support local busroutes in Harlow and Epping.

Cllr Norman Hume, Cabinet Member for

Highways, took the decision to spend

3.3million in 2010/11 on subsidising localbus routes, which will include route 381between Harlow and Roydon. Commercialcompanies have previously refused to run theroutes, as they won't make enough profit onthem. Cllr Hume said: "Local buses are oneof the frontline services that ECC has pledgedto support. Robert Halfon has explained justhow important a local service the 381 bus isfor Roydon, and I was pleased to announcethe 3.3million today. These are difficulteconomic times, but I am grateful to Cllr Humefor sticking to his guns. The 381 bus is alifeline for rural communities around Harlowand Epping, and I am delighted that localConservatives and our own County Councillors

have rallied to protect it.

From swimming the Channelto Sheering Youth Club

Some of you will know that in Sheering, there lives a manby the name of Paul Forsey, who swam the Channel lastyear in 16 hours 8 minutes for charity. I first heard aboutthis amazing feat from Dan Lucia (boyfriend to Paul'sdaughter), who has recently joined Harlow ConservativeFuture. Well, the purpose of Paul's swim was to raisemoney for local youth groups. Not content with justraising money, Paul has set up, with the assistance of hislocal church, a great youth group in Sheering. This is ayouth club with a difference. When I visited the Club, young kids of primary school age, whootherwise might be out on the streets, were instead playing footie, games, and having abrilliant time, all under Paul's guidance. Also supervising was Carla (Paul's other daughter),who is a budding photographer, and currently studying Media at Lincoln University. The picture

shows Paul, Carla and myself just by the mini-snooker table!

Paul has a great vision for the Club, which is housed at Sheering Village Hall. He hopes to workwith the Cricket Club, to build a youth centre on the side of the pitch, just outside. I am surethat Paul's determination to provide young people of Sheering with a great venue and loads ofactivities will make it happen. I certainly will be supporting him every step of the way.

The village halls in Hastingwood, Roydon,Nazeing and Sheering would be among thevenues hit by a Government decision tointroduce new music charges.

Churches, village halls, charity shops andsports clubs across the Harlow constituency -including Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon andSheering - face a new 20 million tax fromGordon Brown'sGovernment. Andwith charity shopsaffected too by thecharges, vitalorganisations suchas St ClareHospice, which isbased in Hasting-wood and hascharity shops inEpping and Harlow, will also be affected.

In the small print of obscure new regulations,the Government is abolishing charities' andvoluntary groups' long-standing exemptionfrom music licensing rules - hitting them withunexpected new bills just for holding eventswith recorded music or for playing a radio.

To date, voluntary groups have not had topay for a so-called "PPL" performance rightslicence in order to play recorded music.The changes are being imposed by PeterMandelson's Whitehall empire.The new levywill come into effect in April 2010 once thenew regulations are ratified by Parliament.

There are many community buildings inHarlow and the villages which hold numerousevents to bring our communities togetherand to raise money for countless localcharities and causes. I have visited SheeringYouth Club which would also be affectedshould it hold discos in the future. Witheverything from discos to tea dancescovered by the regulations it is all ages, ouryoung people and senior citizens, in ourcommunities that would be affected.

I find it incredible that Gordon Brown is sointent on harming our local institutions thatdo so much to make our communities thrive.

I am glad that Conservatives are opposingthese changes and standing up for localvoluntary groups. These stealth taxes mustbe fought tooth and nail.

Now government hits village halls with stealth tax

A sad time at Sheering

I was very sad to be at Sheering Church on the night of the fire,watching brave local Fire Officers do their best to put out flamesthat threatened havoc on this ancient Medieval building.

The Tower of Sheering Church was built in 1160 and its majestyis something special. It holds a clock - a memorial clock, put inat a much later date. As I understand it, the rest of the Churchwas built in the 14th Century, with the North wing be added inthe nineteenth. I remember going to the Church, with formerConservative Leader Michael Howard, so it was a bit of a shockseeing smoke from the rooftops.

The Fire Officers fortunately saved the Church from furtherdamage and managed to preserve ancient medieval artefactsfrom ruin. Going inside the Church with a Fire Officer, it was tragic to see that a section hadbeen gutted by the fire. I felt deeply for the acting Church Vicar, church wardens and local

residents, watching and waiting to see how much damage there would be to this special placeof worship.

From what I was told, it was luck, that a lady walking her dog by the church, saw the fire andcalled emergency services. Had she not been there at that time, the whole church could havebeen destroyed. As always, we have to give our thanks the emergency services - the FireOfficers - who did all they could to keep the Church from the flames. A sad time for Sheeringvillagers nevertheless.