During the Parliamentary recess John's Westminster office remains open
To contact John on general issues
Telephone: 0207 219 6676
Email: howelljm@parliament.uk
House of Commons London, SW1A 0AA
To contact John to book a surgery appointment and to raise other local issues
Telephone: 01491 613072
PO Box 84 Watlington
Oxfordshire, OX49 5XD
NOTES TO HELP YOU WHEN CONTACTING ME
What I can and cannot deal with
Many people think that MPs can solve all problems and have wide powers. Strictly speaking, MPs are there to help with matters for which Parliament or central Government is responsible. For other matters, such as local planning, highways, the day-to-day running of schools, refuse collection, and, housing repairs the appropriate first step is likely to be to contact your parish, district or county councillor.
The District Council is responsible for local services, including planning, housing and associated benefits, rubbish collection. environmental services, leisure services, some car parks and council tax collection.
The County Council is responsible for local services, including education, social services, transport, roads (except trunk roads and motorways), public rights of way, libraries, the fire service, culture, trading standards, bus subsidies, minerals, waste and recycling (disposal) and the environment.
What I cannot deal with includes individual planning applications, private disputes with neighbours, disputes between employee and employer, contractual issues and disuptes with retailers. I have no powers to reverse or interfere with decisions of local councils or the courts.
What I can help with includes concerns relating to the NHS, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department of Work and Pensions and other Government departments.
Your Contact Details
When contacting me please provide your full address (including postcode) and a contact number. There is a strict parliamentary protocol that MPs are only able to take up issues on behalf of their own constituents. If you are the owner of a business which operates in my constituency but you live in another constituency, you must contact the MP in the area where you live rather than where the business is located.
Details about your case
If you are asking me to take up a case for you in relation to another organisation, such as a Government department, JobCentrePlus or the Child Suppprt Agency, please make sure that you provide me with details of any reference number or contact with whom you have been dealing. Please also supply me with copies of any relevant papers.
Copies of relevant papers
My surgeries are held in village or community halls or in town council and parish council rooms. There are no facilities to take photocopies of documents in these locations so please bring with you copies of documents you wish to leave.
Contacting third parties
In some cases, and especially where information is regarded as particularly sensitive such as where it relates to medical or financial issues, we may ask you to sign a form which allows us to talk to third parties about your case and for them to talk to us.
In all but the simplest of cases and particularly where I am asked to refer constituents to organisations such as Legal Aid I will need to satisfy myself that I have the fullest and most accurate picture of your case before taking it forward. This may require asking you additional questions before taking your case up.
Local office
In a constituency as large as this there is little to be gained from spending public money on a permanent bricks-and-mortar office which, wherever located, would be inconvenient for much of the constituency. The Conservative Party office in Watlington is not, therefore, my local office in the constituency. My constituency office operates on a virtual basis with access via phone, e mail and post but not in person. If you have an issue which requires an immediate face-to-face meeting, we will come to you.
