Watford's Conservative candidate pledges monthly open meetings with voters if elected

David Cameron has been suggesting to any MPs under fire over expenses that they should hold meetings with their constituents to explains themselves and engage in a dialogue.

So I am interested to hear that the Conservative candidate for Watford, Richard Harrington (pictured), is keen to embrace this spirit of public dialogue on a regular basis if elected at the general election.

He has declared that he will hold monthly meetings for his constituents as part of making the political process more accessible:

“People have a right to question the actions of their MP. Westminster has become a village closed off to the rest of the country and I want to bust open people’s access to the political process.

“By holding these meetings, people will be able to tell me what I am doing wrong and also give me a chance to explain what we are doing right. This way, I hope Watford will have a louder and wiser voice in Parliament.”

Whilst holding a regular surgery for one to one meetings is pretty standard, I'm not aware that this practice is widespread. Are some MPs already doing this or have other candidates made similar pledges?

Jonathan Isaby