I will soon announce Watford’s entry to the Tiffin Cup (which is award to the Country’s best curry house)…..

…but not before sampling a few of their fabulous dishes!

I have seen this for myself in Watford. With a local community volunteer, Helen Lynch, I paid a visit to the parade of shops on Queen’s Rd. One of the main problems I saw was that many shops had shut down and were shuttered up. When I have tried to get people interested in taking up retail units in starting up a small business, many have been reluctant for fear of been lumbered with high rent and rates and little prospect of growth.
To me this is a crying shame. Small businesses can play a huge part in alleviating youth unemployment. This is a subject very close to my heart and we have seen the level of youth unemployment in Watford more than double over the last 2 years.

However, I’m really glad to see the government already taking big steps towards helping small businesses. The announcement this week establishing the new Office for Tax Simplification will be welcome to the many thousands of business owners who have to either navigate their way through the byzantine tax code or pay huge sums to accountants to help them comprehend it. I hope this marks the beginning of a new era in which the UK is a friendlier place to start a business.

On Monday Watford MP, Richard Harrington, formally opened a local community pharmacy in Garston. Chemilab Pharmacy, owned by Mr Girish Mehta, has been refitted to reflect the modern needs of healthcare.

On the morning of Monday July 19th, Mr Harrington arrived on the Kingswood estate in Garston to cut the ribbon and was greeted by Mr Mehta. Also at the official opening were executive officers of the Local Pharmaceutical Committee, representatives from local GPs’ surgeries, members of the Kingswood Residents Association and key personnel from the local Primary Care Trust, as well as customers who provided impressive community support.

The pharmacy, which has been established in Watford for 25 years, is part of the Chemilab Limited group of pharmacies, with several branches around Watford. The revamping of Chemilab Pharmacy will provide an improved service and better facilities for local residents with a private consultation room and a greater focus on health delivery. The MD of the group, Mr Mehta, was delighted to welcome Harrington to the Kingswood estate, saying:

“I was thrilled to welcome Richard who gave up time in his busy schedule. Kingswood residents were pleased to see the local MP in the area and I was impressed by the speech he gave before officially cutting the ribbon.”

The Watford MP said:

“In the present challenging economic climate,  I am pleased to see a local business investing to improve their services for the benefit of their patients.

“This is a fantastic state-of-the-art facility that will serve the local community well.

“It is these small businesses that are able to generate employment in the area. Youth unemployment has more than doubled in the past two years and small businesses have proved most effective in countering this.”

Watford’s MP Richard Harrington is opening nominations for curry restaurants in Watford to put themselves forward as the best curry restaurant in Watford. The winner of the competition will then be put forward by Richard to the Grand Final of the nation- wide Tiffin Cup.

The Tiffin Cup competition is a national search to find the most popular South Asian restaurant in the country. One restaurant from each constituency goes head to head at the Grand Final cook-in at the Houses of Parliament. Last year, the event was presided over by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and the award was presented by the Speaker of the House, Mr John Bercow MP.

Richard said:

“I’ve eaten a lot of curry in Watford and can honestly say that these are some of the best Jalfrezis, Dhansaks and Biryanis I have ever tasted.  We have a fantastic selection of curry houses in the town and I will be backing the winner of the local competition all the way to winning the prestigious Tiffin Cup. I want to show that Watford can be Britain’s ‘Capital of Curry’.”

To nominate your favourite South Asian restaurant in the Tiffin Cup, please write to Richard at richard.harrington.mp@parliament.uk  giving the name and a short description of why you think your restaurant is the best in Watford. Nominations close midnight 26 July 2010.

 
Watford MP Richard Harrington has invited the Minister for Small Businesses to the Queens Road shopping parade in order to hear the views of local shop owners on how to better help small businesses.
 
In questions to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr Harrington told of his recent visit to the Queens Rd area with local community organiser, Helen Lynch and asked what the government can do to alleviate the heavy burden of business rates on new shops. Highlighting how high business rates were preventing new businesses taking up occupancy in the many boarded up shops in the area, Harrington invited the Minsiter for Small Businesses to come to Watford and speak to local shop owners and listen to their concerns.
 
Afterwards, Harrington said:
 
“I am very pleased that the minister will come and listen to our local small business-owners. The problem of high business rates is only one of a number of issues that are preventing new shops and businesses from opening up in the area. If we don’t encourage these businesses to open, we won’t create to enough new jobs to help tackle local unemployment.
“I’ve spoken with many local shop owners and I know that minsters will learn a lot from what people in Watford have to say.”

I am honoured to have been elected to a few high profile positions within All Party Parliamentary groups and to the presigious International Development Select Committee.

Amongst other things, I have been elected General Secretary of the All Party Kashmir Group and Vice Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Film Group which represents the best interests of the British film industry in Parliament.

The film industry is becoming an increasingly important part of the Watford economy.  If plans for the expansion of the Leavesden film studios continue to forge ahead,  Watford will become the epicentre of Britain’s film industry. It’s a privilege to be elected as Vice Chairman and I hope it will really help Watford.

I am also really pleased to be on the  International Development Select Committee. DfID is one of the only departments to have its budget ring-fenced so it is vital that it spends taxpayers’ money wisely.  People in Watford work hard and a lot of their earnings go on tax. I will be working diligently to ensure our taxes won’t go to waste!

Watford MP, Richard Harrington, called to question the ‘astonishing’ use of outside consultants by the previous government.

On Tuesday 8^th June, in questions to the Treasury in the House of Commons, Mr Harrington asked how much the government had been spending on outside consultants, revealing that over £1.57 billion went on external advisors to central government.  Harrington then asked for assurances that the present government would bring an end to wasteful spending to protect the Watford taxpayers.

To gasps in the chamber, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander,  answered Richard’s questions, informing the House:

“Records for 2007-08-the first year for which figures are available-show that spending on external consultants was £773 million in central Departments. In 2008-09 that rose to £1.1 billion for central Departments, or £1.57 billion when the whole of central Government is taken into account. Future expenditure will fall significantly as a result of the freeze on consultancy spending recently announced by the Government.”

Harrington followed up, asking:

“I thank my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for that answer, and welcome him into the job. He should note that the figures show gross profligacy and a waste of taxpayers’ money that affects everybody in the House, all my constituents in Watford, and everybody in this country. I should very much like the Chief Secretary to assure us that that disgraceful waste of money will not happen again.”

Afterwards, Mr Harrington commented that it was a sad reflection of the prevailing culture that runs through all levels of government, recalling the recent revelation of the £4.3million Watford Borough Council had spent on outside consultants in recent years.

Richard said:

“I was astonished to find out how much the government has been wasting on outside consultants. That we are in so much debt is little surprise when we are throwing money at consultants. The use of consultants needs to be reined in and only used in special circumstances. This is a lesson that our local councils would do well to learn also.”

Mr Harrington, who is a member of EMBG, agreed to become an honorary Parliamentary Advisor to the group. He said about his appointment “As a businessman myself I understand the important role business plays in our economy. It will be the small and medium sized business sector that will be the future engine of growth, so we therefore need to support them in their business endeavours.”