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Stephen McPartland said, "Postal vote ballot papers are starting to arrive locally and over half of all the votes that will be cast in the General Election will take place this weekend.  I am delighted with the massive support I have been receiving on the doorstep across the town and our surrounding villages. It is incredibly humbling so many people are stepping forward to help deliver my leaflets and display window posters.

"I am really enjoying the campaign, as I meet thousands of local people and please remember the 3 positive reasons to use your postal vote for me:

1. Investing in our Local NHS

I am proud of the NHS and proud to have secured a £150 million investment in our local health service. The Lister Hospital is being transformed with new buildings and services, making it one of the most modern and advanced facilities in the UK.

2. Investing in our children's future

I believe everyone has the right to a good education and I am delighted to have secured over £200 million investment in our local schools, housing and jobs. Schools have been rebuilt, while others are being refurbished. Young people are taking advantages of our new apprenticeships and unemployment locally, is less than half the rate Labour left behind. Help to Buy and Right to Buy are helping hundreds of local families onto the housing ladder.

3. Investing in our local Roads and Railway

I am proud to have sealed the deal in Parliament to widen our stretch of the A1(M) motorway and need your vote to deliver the project. I have secured more seats on our train services and better facilities at our stations, including the new passenger lifts at Stevenage Railway Station. A new platform is close to being agreed and direct services to Gatwick and Brighton in 2018 will ensure we are leading the economic recovery.

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Miss Hertfordshire finalist, Lauren Wood, is raising money for charity Beauty With A Purpose. She held a Knitathon and invited Stephen McPartland to see the knitting in action and join in. With the help of friends, family, work colleagues and local people, Lauren is making blankets for homeless people by sewing together hundreds of knitted granny squares.

Stephen McPartland said, "I am very impressed by Lauren's energy and enthusiasm and she has gained the support of so many people who are helping her raise money for charity. It is fantastic that she has reached the finals and I am pleased that Lauren's community spirit has been recognised."

Lauren, who works at MBDA as a qualified mechanical engineer, had never thought of entering a beauty competition and said, "I decided to join after watching a documentary with my sister about Miss Black Country. She dared me to enter Miss Hertfordshire which I did and I managed to get through. Now I am in it I want to do the best I can and hopefully raise some money for a good cause.”

Finals night is on Sunday, April 26, and Lauren is hoping to raise as much money for charity before then, by asking people to donate knitted squares, blankets, or money.  For more information and to donate visit www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for Lauren Wood.

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Labour burdened hardworking people with too much tax, and Britain’s lowest paid workers were amongst the hardest hit by Labour’s Great Recession. In contrast, we can proudly say that the modern, compassionate Conservative Party is the party of working people; for millions of workers not just the party of low tax – the party of no tax.

Stephen McPartland said, "The Prime Minister said in his party conference speech last year: 'with us, if you work 30 hours a week on minimum wage, you will pay no income tax at all. Nothing. Zero. Zilch.' I am delighted a Conservative Government will pass a new Tax Free Minimum Wage law to guarantee this.

"Over the last five years, we have cut people’s taxes wherever possible. We have raised the tax-free Personal Allowance to £10,600 from £6,475: over 26 million people are now keeping more of their hard-earned money and 3 million of the lowest paid are paying no Income Tax at all."

A Conservative Government will not increase the rates of VAT, Income Tax or National Insurance in the next Parliament. Instead, we will ease the burden of taxation by raising the tax-free Personal Allowance – the amount you can earn before you start paying tax – to £12,500. This will cut Income Tax for 30 million people and take everyone who earns less than £12,500 out of Income Tax altogether. That means by the end of the decade, one million more people on the lowest wages will be lifted out of Income Tax, and people who work for 30 hours a week on the increased National Minimum Wage will no longer pay any Income Tax at all.

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Stephen McPartland visited Roebuck Nursing Home to see first-hand the training that takes place to help staff develop crucial English and maths skills on the job and gain vocational qualifications in specific areas.

Stephen McPartland said, " I was delighted to visit Roebuck Nursing Home to meet local residents and workers and learn about how the care home is investing in its staff and supporting their development.

“I know the importance of English and maths skills in the workplace and it is great to see local businesses investing in training. I am proud of the commitment local workers and employers have in working together to continually improve the service they offer.”

The nursing home has supported a number of their workers through further training to support their roles and develop both their technical and practical skills. Roebuck Nursing Home Director, Nilufa Somani, commented, “Here at Roebuck, we value the work of our staff and want to support them in upgrading their skills to do their jobs more effectively but also to progress within our organisation.”

Training for Roebuck employees is provided by NCC Skills, who help deliver literacy and numeracy qualifications within vocational courses. NCC Skills Tutor Duncan Taborda said, “Our skills courses are geared toward the world of work. As an NCC tutor, I have seen first-hand the transformative, life-changing effect of basic skills training on employees of all ages and Roebuck Nursing Home is a great example of how this training works.”

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"Everyone who works hard deserves to be able to have a home of their own. Our long-term economic plan is helping to deliver that." David Cameron

Under the Coalition Government over 700,000 new homes have been built, more than 200,000 affordable homes have been delivered and over 204,000 families have been helped onto the housing ladder.

Stephen McPartland said, "Help to Buy and Right to Buy have already helped hundreds of local families onto the housing ladder and these commitments mean even more local people will have the opportunity to achieve their dream of a home of their own.

"I have called for a new Garden City to be built in Hertfordshire to help solve housing need. In Stevenage over a quarter of all housing is controlled by Stevenage Borough Council and Housing Associations according to Department of Communities and Local Government figures. There are 8,160 council homes and 1,990 Housing Association properties. We can create a housing revolution locally because any properties sold under Right to Buy will be replaced by new affordable homes and help us house more local people."

A Conservative Government will go even further – making sure more people can enjoy the security of home ownership:

- Building more homes that people can afford – including 200,000 new Starter Homes for first-time buyers under the age of 40.

- The new Help to Buy ISA which has a 25% bonus, up to £3,000, to help you save for a deposit.

- Extending the Right to Buy to 1.3 million tenants of housing associations.

- Creating a £1 billion fund to build 400,000 new homes on brownfield land, and protecting the Green Belt.

Only the Conservatives can help to keep mortgage rates lower through a strong economy because of our long-term economic plan.

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The General Election campaign is in full swing and in less than three weeks the country will be deciding who they would like to form the next Government.

Stephen said, "We are halfway through the campaign and I would like to thank everyone who has turned up to help for their massive support. We have contacted thousands of local people, delivered lots of leaflets and received a hugely warm welcome on the doorstep and in the town centre.

"All of the people who help in my campaign are volunteers and I am proud of their support. If you would like to help me make a difference and get involved please click here."

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Stephen McPartland's campaign for 3 hours free parking is the key to Stevenage town centre regeneration, as work on new Debenhams store begins at Roaring Meg.

Stephen McPartland has been leading the campaign for 3 hours free parking to help regenerate Stevenage town centre. Stephen raised the campaign in Parliament, which secured the backing of Ministers before the General Election began and the Government introduced new measures to protect motorists and help local shops in the new Deregulation Bill.

Stephen McPartland said, "Work has started on the new Debenhams at Roaring Meg and people are rightly concerned that many of the fashion shops in our town centre will relocate once it opens. I am campaigning for Stevenage Borough Council to match the 3 hours free parking at Roaring Meg and stop killing our town centre by ripping off local people.

"Thousands of local people have signed up to the campaign, as they are shocked that Stevenage Borough Council is taking over £3 million a year in car parking charges. It is clear that these rip off car-parking charges are preventing the regeneration of Stevenage town centre and what is even more shocking is that over a million pounds is pure profit, as the council claim it costs over £2 million to maintain the car parks, which no one believes. Sign the petition online and help me regenerate Stevenage town centre."

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Over the past five years the Conservatives have been working hard to get Britain back on its feet. By taking difficult decisions and thanks to our growing economy, we have been able to protect the NHS – providing £7.3 billion more funding since 2010.

Now we are committing that a Conservative government will provide a minimum of £8 billion more funding over the next five years to support and protect the NHS. This allows the NHS’s own plan – the Five Year Forward View – to be funded in full.

Stephen McPartland said, "I am proud of the NHS and proud to have secured over £150 million investment in our local health service. the Lister Hospital is being transformed with new buildings and services, making it one of the most modern and advanced facilities in the UK. The QEII is also being rebuilt and we are making great progress in my campaign for a satellite radiotherapy unit to be based locally."

This extra investment and support for the NHS is only possible because we have a strong and healthy economy. Only with a strong economy can we have a strong NHS.

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