The Harrow Times has asked each parliamentary candidate to list five reasons why they should become an MP at the General Election on May 7.

Here the Conservative Party’s Harrow East candidate Bob Blackman explains why you should vote for him.

1. You can take me on my record. As MP for Harrow East, I rebelled against my Government when I felt my constituents were not being best served and acted in accordance with my principles. I voted for a referendum on Europe before it became policy, against same sex marriage and against the relaxation of planning laws.

2. I’ve lived in our area for more than fifty years and in that time I've been a local councillor, represented our area on the GLA and been your MP. I care deeply about the issues that affect local residents and, in the past five years, helped out on more than 17,000 individual cases plus taken 2,000 constituents on a tour of parliament!

3. I’ve had major successes locally already, including securing £20 million of desperately needed funding for the redevelopment of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital after 30 years of unsuccessful attempts to save this world class facility, and securing £21 million for a new state of the art A&E at Northwick Park Hospital.

4. I made funding for our schools a priority, with £70 million secured and 15 local primary schools currently expanding. I also worked hard to save Whitchurch Playing Fields from a shady private consortium to ensure local schools and community groups are still able to use them.

5. There is still much more I'd like to do, like ensuring Crossrail comes to Harrow and Wealdstone station and that the high street is regenerated, working to get safer pedestrian crossings around Stanmore Broadway, fighting for desperately needed lifts at local stations, lobbying to protect pensions and all related benefits and helping local residents whose lives are being blighted by Barnet FC’s Hive, to name but a few examples. I have only just got started!