GORDON HENDERSON MP

 I have just been asked by a local newspaper to take part in a question and answer session. One of the questions was: “What work do you do now?”

The truth is that I spend most of my time getting round the constituency meeting local people and visiting businesses to better understand the issues that concern them. I believe that this is important preparatory work if someday I am to become an effective Member of Parliament.

Of course, I do not get paid for being a parliamentary candidate, so to help pay the mortgage I do a bit of part time management consultancy work. When I look back I sometimes wonder how I ever managed to fit in full time work in addition to my work in the community!

I have just flicked through my diary for the past couple of weeks, following a hectic period of three campaigning sessions a day during the KCC elections it has been a relatively leisurely time! Let me give you a flavour of what I have been doing:-

• Visited Sittingbourne Community Colleges with the Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling MP, to discuss law and order issues with local youngsters.
• Attended a business lunch at Hempstead House to help raise funds for our election campaign (we don’t get any money from the taxpayer!)
• Met with fellow trustees to discuss future development of the Halfway Conservative Hall.
• Took part in the Iwade village clean up (third year running I’ve helped).
• Attended a Conservative Friends of Israel lunch in London at which David Cameron was the guest speaker.
• Visited Medway Maritime Hospital to see their new scanner and to raise a number of issues raised by local residents.
• Visited Thamesteel to discuss problems facing the steel industry.
• Visited Peel Ports to discuss the impact of the current economic situation.
• Met with a member of the Kent Youth County Council.
• Met with members of the Kent and London Home Education Group.

I have also spent a lot of time solving my earache problem by helping Louise in the garden sorting out all those odd-jobs that have piled up over the past couple of months whilst we have been busy campaigning!

Added 25.06.09