Author Archives: Jim McMahon Press

LAST WEEK I was delighted to attend the launch of Annie Kenney House at the Oasis Academy School within my constituency. I met with the inspiring youngsters who had named their House after Annie Kenney after undertaking a study of her life in their history class.

IT DOESN’T seem too long ago that we had the commons debate in Parliament, 3rd November to be exact. But despite our frustrations on the day it is clear that a fire has been well and truly lit under the votes at 16 issue. It can’t and won’t be ignored. And now it seems thereContinue reading “Votes at 16: Our democracy has always evolved and a moment comes when the mood for change is undeniable”

IN FEBRUARY we marked 100 years since women were first given the vote, and this week we celebrate International Women’s Day. We marked the day by inviting sculptor Denise Dutton to Oldham to see the site of Annie Kenney statue in Oldham town centre. Annie was a key figure in the suffragette movement, and priorContinue reading “International Women’s Day 2018”

NATIONAL apprenticeships week is a time to celebrate this excellent opportunity for young people, and the work businesses do to help. I myself started my career as an apprentice, and I owe a lot to the opportunities I was given. But it is also a time for the government to reflect on how this careerContinue reading “National Apprenticeship Week”

GETTING OUT and visiting people, projects and places across our towns is a part of the job that I particularly enjoy.  Last week I attended an event at Metconnect Ltd, a Merkle UK group company who hosted a marquee mini exhibition at their Oldham site of engineering welding, metal fabrication, machinery and technologies. There were overContinue reading “Thumbs-up to Oldham manufacturing & restoring the Oldham Gallery”

I WAS delighted and honoured to host Dame Vera Baird QC, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria in a  visit to my constituency today. Dame Baird came to show her support for the Annie Kenney Project, an inspirational role model herself I was delighted to present her with a limited edition of an Annie KenneyContinue reading “Dame Vera Baird QC backs the Annie Kenney project”

YESTERDAY I asked the Secretary of State Sajid Javid a number of questions about the latest local government finance settlement. First, does it step up to meet the scale of the challenges facing local public services in England today? Does it meet the challenge of 1.2 million older people who would have been entitled toContinue reading “Again, councils barely get the crumbs from the table”

A CENTURY ago today the vote was extended to women for the first time in Britain. Although the act stopped short of giving the vote to all women, it paved the way for universal voting rights here in 1928. The First World War was still raging across the globe when the act was passed inContinue reading “100 ago today women were first given the vote. What role did Oldham play?”