I had an interesting visit to the Northern Home Show at the Trafford Centre on Friday (14th June). I was part of a ‘Green Deal or No Deal’ panel – putting the arguments for and against the Government’s programme. It is a sobering thought that energy prices went up 6-10.8% last financial year and that [...]
Supporting Carers Week 2013
June 9, 2013 By
To celebrate the launch of Carers Week, 10-16 June 2013, I recently met with actress Lynda Bellingham in Parliament, to recognise the contribution that carers in Oldham make on a daily basis. Carers Week is an opportunity to celebrate the 6.5 million carers across the UK and raise awareness of the impact that caring has on [...]
One Nation – One Oldham East and Saddleworth: My Top 10 Priorities
June 7, 2013 By
Today I publish my One Nation – One Oldham East and Saddleworth top 10 priorities and details about how I intend to tackle some of the constituency’s most pressing issues. These priorities are the culmination of months of work, including a residents’ household survey and holding several round table discussions with local organisations and community [...]
Pressures on A&E
June 4, 2013 By
Last week, in response to the increasing pressures that the NHS and social care are facing, Labour convened a health summit chaired by Andy Burnham in Parliament. This included representatives from the Royal College of General Practitioners, the College of Emergency Medicine, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Physicians and many more. In addition there were a number [...]
Police and Crime Commissioner Public Meeting – 2nd July 2013
June 4, 2013 By
The next Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Public Meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd July 2013 in the Council Chambers, Oldham Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham, OL3 6AE. The meeting will take place from 6.30pm till 9pm and will give attendees the opportunity to hear about the newly elected Commissioner, Tony Lloyd’s plans for the [...]
The Need for Action at the G8
May 28, 2013 By
There is enough food in the world to feed everyone. But almost 1 billion people go hungry, and every year 2.3 million children die from malnutrition. We need radical change if we’re going to put a stop to this global injustice. I have been contacted by a large number of constituents ahead of this year’s G8, where [...]
Queen’s Speech – Debate on the Cost of Living
May 16, 2013 By
Last week was the State Opening of Parliament, the formal start of the parliamentary year setting out the Government’s proposed policies and legilsation. On Tuesday 14 May 2013 MPs had the opportunity to debate the Government’s proposals to tackle the cos of living. The proposed policies in the Queen’s Speech only highlighted the Government’s lack of action [...]
My ‘Be Fair-Pay on Time’ Late Payments Inquiry
April 30, 2013 By
Last week I convened a cross party inquiry to investigate the issue of late payments from the point of view of business organisations, academics, FTSE companies and, perhaps most importantly, SMEs themselves. The standard of the testimony from our witnesses at the inquiry was excellent and really gave our cross-party panel of MPs a clear, [...]
Finance Bill Debate
April 24, 2013 By
Last week I spoke during the Committee Stage of the Finance Bill, which puts into effect the Government’s Budget 2013 proposals, focussing particularly on the effect of the Chancellor’s changes to people in Oldham East and Saddleworth in terms of living standards, fuel poverty, reliance on the foodbank and child poverty. The full speech is [...]
Biggest Ever Increase in UK Foodbank Use
April 24, 2013 By
Trussell Trust foodbanks have seen the biggest rise in numbers given emergency food since the charity began in 2000. Almost 350,000 people have received at least three days emergency food from Trussell Trust foodbanks during the last 12 months, nearly 100,000 more than anticipated and close to triple the number helped in 2011-12. Unfortunately I’m [...]
