MP Bob's 250th Advice Bureau

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 12th Apr 2007

Colchester MP Bob Russell has just held his 250th Advice Bureau for residents - an average of one a fortnight over the ten years he has been the town's Member of Parliament.

Around 4,500 people have attended his Advice Bureau. Sessions generally run for four hours, with his 250th lasting six hours. His record is seven hours.

Mr Russell's Advice Bureau is held at the Liberal Democrat Party headquarters, Magdalen Hall, Wimpole Road, Colchester CO1 2DE. Appointments can be made by phoning Colchester 506600.

In addition to his Advice Bureaux, Mr Russell also deals with matters raised with him by constituents who write to him or e-mail him. His e-mail address is brooksse@parliament.uk

Mr Russell said: "Issues are many and varied, ranging for example from housing concerns to hospital appointments and from anti-social neighbour problems to child maintenance matters. You name it, I have had hundreds of different subjects raised with me.

"While I obviously am not successful on every occasion, I always do my best to seek a satisfactory outcome with the representations I make on behalf of residents to a wide range of Government departments, councils, public bodies and other organisations."

He added: "The number of people seeking my help is today probably double what it was ten years ago. And all this has to be done alongside an increasingly busy diary both in the constituency and at the House of Commons."

Liberal Democrat Mr Russell said that he generally works an 80-hour seven-day week. Every year since he was elected MP for Colchester in May 1997 he has registered the best voting attendance record of any Opposition MP in the country.