David Ruffley is meeting Howard Estate action group members on Wednesday, 1 October to discuss ways to reduce anti-social and criminal behaviour on the estate. David contacted Clive Springett, Vice-Chairman of the Howard Estate Association of Residents and Tenants, to offer his help following newspaper reports about the problems on the estate.

The local action group has been set up in a bid to clean up the estate. Local residents want to block off alleyways at the back of their homes to stop people congregating there and using the alleyways as an escape route.

David said: 'Law and order issues are at the top of my agenda. Residents of the Howard Estate should not have to put up with the vandalism and criminal activity that is occurring at present. I am backing the residents in their initiative to block off the alleyways and generally clean up the estate. My meeting this week is a first step in achieving this. I will be encouraging residents to get up a petition to show the strength of feeling on this important issue.'