In a ninety minute meeting Mark discussed a number of issues with the assembled church members, including local housing needs, the operation of the benefit system, the handling of asylum seekers and care of the elderly.
The leaders represented a number of the churches and faith groups in and around Rayleigh, including Holy Trinity Church, Rayleigh Baptist Church, Rayleigh Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Salvation Army.
Following the talks, which took place in Portcullis House, Mark took the party on a tour of the House of Commons, including a visit to the Commons Chamber, where he described the sometimes heated atmosphere at Prime Minister's Questions.
Commenting on the visit Mark Francois said:
""I am really grateful to so many of our local church leaders for finding the time to come to Westminster to give me their direct input on issues affecting our local community. We are lucky to have a very active church community in and around Rayleigh and they do much good work for local people. I was glad to hear about a number of issues from their perspective, and I hope that we can all work together in the future to make our locality an even better place in which to live.""