Received this from a friend - Clacton & Farage

Your fact checking is second to none *Maerion, thanks so much for doing that. This interest me, because it’s such a grey area - I can see why it happens from the perspective of the incoming and outgoing MPs, but a lot of constituents in some areas must be left with their issues hanging in the air, and have to start their whole request for help again.

nanna8 I challenge you to find any part of my post " Farage bashing ".
On the contrary, I suggested that the reason for the delay might be due to his being away. My comments were regarding the duties incumbent upon the position of MP for a large number of people.
I hold my own MP to account also. I'm sorry if my interest in democracy bores you.

Casdon

Thanks very much Maerion, it’s good to understand that there’s a formal process and how it works. It doesn’t seem to mention the handover of caseload, unless I missed that?

If there is an offical handover protocol between old and new MP, it isn’t clear to me. The most important issue is confidentiality and data protection which we can see from another current discussion is not something Reform care about.

What I have found it is this:

www.parliament.uk/globalassets/about-parliament/general-election/members_standing_redacted_-1.pdf

After Parliament has been dissolved:

Casework

33. You may continue to deal with urgent, time-sensitive constituency casework but must ensure any correspondence makes clear you are not a current Member of Parliament, or working for one.

34. It is for Members to make a judgement on whether casework should be considered urgent. Urgent casework may include emergency social welfare or safeguarding cases, or ongoing cases with upcoming appeal deadlines.

39. The proper disposal and handling of casework and records you hold in your capacity as a Member must be carefully considered when you cease to be a Member of Parliament following dissolution. This includes electronic as well as hard copy information.

40. It is strongly recommended you continue to use parliamentary systems for any urgent casework. You are advised not to transfer personal data, or information that should be held securely for other reasons, from parliamentary systems onto other systems unless you are confident you are transferring it securely in line with your legal responsibilities as the controller, and that the systems you intend to use are suitably secure.

Page 28: Particularly if there is an increased likelihood of a change of Member, consider providing options for constituents with ongoing or likely to be reopened cases regarding what they want to happen to their casefile in the event that you are not returned.

Personally, I would be very unhappy at the thought of any Reform MP dealing with matters which are private and confidential. Their conduct, particularly their media and social media behaviour over these last few weeks has been shocking. They appear to act as a mob both in (as anyone who watches Parliamentlive.tv will have seen) and out of the HoC.

This is an interesting document from 2018 about MPs’ outside interests published by the Committee on Standards in Public Life

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b3b2ba340f0b645fd5921f8/CSPL_MPs__outside_interests_-_full_report.PDF

Note the graphic on page 21 reproduced here:

Presenting views through the media and furthering personal and career interests are seen as least important. I suggest the complete reverse is true of Reform and therein lies the problem.

RosiesMaw2

Well said Cossy - and perhaps more charitably than me!

I have a slight vested interest as our holiday “lodge” (static caravan!) is in St Oysth, sadly on Farage’s “patch”!

RosiesMaw2

Well said Cossy - and perhaps more charitably than me!

There is truth in what you said too, it must be very difficult to read the room from the other side of the world, and judging by the opinion polls, the national tolerance here towards Farage has plummeted since the riots.

Well said Cossy - and perhaps more charitably than me!

Farage is toxic.

nanna8

Don’t you get sick of all the Farage bashing ? It is rather boring.

It’s not boring for his constituency, parts of it are very deprived and there are lots of shabby areas and high unemployment. His area includes Pier Ward and Jaywick as well as other very affluent areas like Frinton.

He is a brand new MP, was very visible during the elections, but since seems to have time for radio and TV appearances, a quick trip to see his mate Trump and (allegedly) Hong Kong. He should be setting up his office and staff and be very visible in his area, where he doesn’t yet have a home!

Sorry if you think I’m “Farage bashing” but for someone who was literally desperate to become an MP he doesn’t seem to understand his role!

You seem quite happy to diss our Labour government (“far-left” Starmer “) from the other side of the globe, why should you object to the opinions of those of us who have to endure the ghastly man ?

Don’t you get sick of all the Farage bashing ? It is rather boring.

What a surprise 🤣. Farage is an activist and not a politician.

Our newly elected Labour MP is in the process of finding premises and taking on staff. She keeps us up to speed on Facebook and we can all speak to her on there. Obviously not about personal stuff as it isn’t private although I assume I could message her if I needed to. She’s held several public meetings on local issues already. You’d think that, having tried to be an MP so many times Farage would be raring to go wouldn’t you ?

Thanks very much Maerion, it’s good to understand that there’s a formal process and how it works. It doesn’t seem to mention the handover of caseload, unless I missed that?

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is the place to go for information on this:

www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/mps-leaving-parliament

After a general electon starting the day after Polling Day – you will have four months to wind up your parliamentary affairs, known as the “winding-up”.

If you leave Parliament before the next General Election, you will have the normal two months to wind up your parliamentary affairs.

IPSA also provides guidance on selecting & leasing a constituency office, for example:

MPs must inform IPSA immediately when a rental agreement commences, ends, or is renewed, or if there are changes to the contract, such as the rental charge or the landlord’s payment details.

So that would be one way of finding out of an MP has taken any steps to set up a constituency office; to ask IPSA.

www.ipsaonline.org.uk/guidance/selecting-and-leasing-a-constituency-office

Thanks for that keepingquiet, it sounds from what you said as though it’s usual for the premises to be returned or passed to the new MP if the MP loses.
I wonder what happens to the constituency caseload, if there is a handover process built in to the system, or if it’s down to goodwill on the parts of the outgoing and incoming MPs?

Babs03

Farage is just another character like Galloway, a publicity hound and an out and out fraud.
He pops up every so often to agitate and manipulate those who for whatever reason follow him, then absents himself again.
He is opposed to hard work and will probs never really show his face in Clacton. Those who voted for him got what they voted for - a dud.

This
Is anybody surprised?

Casdon I think it depends on individual MPs and consituencies.
Sometimes they are donated premises, but often they have to rent them. I think they 'belong' to the constituency party until the MP is voted out. They may keep using the premises in the hope the MP will be voted back in, but I suspect this is rare.
If an MP resigns then that office will just be taken over by the next candidate if they are voted in.
My MP moved her office from a crumbling old building no one could ever find into a former high street store where there is a lot of footfall. Not easy to get an appointment though, there is very tight security for obvious reasons.

I didn’t realise former MPs kept their constituency offices Maerion, wouldn’t Giles Watling have had to make his staff redundant when he lost his seat? That’s what I assumed, maybe wrongly would apply to all.

No, he wasn't. 54% of the Clacton constituency didn’t vote for him but are stuck with him for now.

I suspect part of the problem has been the falling out with Tony Mack who is a local man and was the Reform candidate for Clacton before Farage decided to parachute in at the last minute.

Nigel Farage offered Reform UK's former candidate in Clacton a "very big role" in his campaign team, a salaried job in the constituency and repayment of thousands of pounds of expenses in return for his endorsement, the BBC has been told.

Over more than six months as a Reform UK candidate he said he had spent around £6,000 of his own money on campaigning, including printing costs, merchandise and events.

"I’ve seen nothing of that [returned], absolutely nothing," he added.

tinyurl.com/54jj9rtp

Many MPs use W4MP to advertise constituency office jobs - it’s where my new MP advertised her jobs; for an office manager and two caseworkers - but I haven’t seen anything advertised for Reform.

www.w4mpjobs.org/SearchJobs.aspx?search=alljobs

Some people make the mistaken assumption that summer recess is one long holiday for MPs. It isn’t. It is precisely the time when they should be dealing with consituency matters.

Parliament was dissolved on 30 May 2024. Between that date and 4 July 2024, the people had no representation for 35 days. That’s a long time for someone with an urgent issue. It’s now 37 days since the election so potentially 72 days or ten weeks since (it seems) that constituents in Clacton have had anyone to help them.

What this person could try is to write to former Clacton MP Giles Watling to ask if there has been any handover. [email protected]. His office was at 84 Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1SP close by where Douglas Carswell used to have his office at number 61. It would make sense for Farage to have his office in the same road as that’s what consituents will be familar with. I believe Watling also had a constituency bus that he used to run mobile surgeries.

A few months ago, I had cause to ask my former MP for help with an issue with the DWP which she kindly did but the matter was ongoing. A few days after the election, I had an email from her office asking my permission under GDPR either to destroy the records she holds for me or to hand them on to her successor. I asked that they be handed over. Within a week of the election my new MP (plus DWP Secretary Liz Kendall) got in touch with DWP again and problem now solved.

Watling will also have had ongoing cases hence worth dropping a line to him so see where he and his staff are in the handover.

Our former MP was always been very conscientious in answering in full any emails, sometimes by letter. He sought and found answers to questions and, although I didn't agree with his politics (especially on Brexit), I cannot fault his commitment to his constituents. He held surgeries regularly.

He didn't get returned to Parliament this time and I hope our new MP will be as diligent.

Farage never was going to be concerned about his constituents, was he?

@keepingquiet. I forgot they had staff. I know they can appoint their own family, but it is reasonable to expect a response.

keepingquiet my MP has been Peter Kylie for a number of years.

He always answered personally and found time to knock on our door in the run up to the election to thank me for my support over the years. He didn’t need to his seat is very secure.

Since his job as science secretary his is obviously busier, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his office deals with day to day stuff.

Farage is a dud.

Sorry - on a more serious note, I think that it is important that we hold all of our elected representatives to account . They are paid to work on behalf of their constituency.
I do understand that the Honourable Member for Clacton may have been on holiday but I hope that the letter writer continues to pursue her goal of a meeting with Mr Farage.

Oh my keepingquiet - 30p Lee ...

He has staff, or should have. Most MPs don't write personal replies.
I don't know what else to offer except my sympathies for living in this constituency.
I used to live in 30pLee's constituency by thank goodness I'd gone by the time he was voted in as a Tory MP.

Could you move?

Alernatively keep a record of his attendance in HoC or at how many of his surgeries he is actually present.