In a ninety minute meeting, Mark discussed a number of matters with the assembled church members, including local housing proposals and how these might affect the existing infrastructure, access to local services such as GPs and schools; the operation of the benefits system and the regulation of gambling in local betting shops.
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, Bar ‘n’ Bus and the Salvation Army.
Following the talks, which took place in Portcullis House, Mark took the party on a tour of the Houses of Parliament, which included a visit to the Commons chamber and other landmarks across the historical Westminster estate.
Commenting on the visit Mark Francois said:
"I am really grateful to 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 a lot of 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 Rayleigh an even better place to live."