Author Archives: JimfromOldham

I secured a debate in parliament on Bus Services in Greater Manchester. I spoke about the impact of bus service reductions in Greater Manchester, the opportunities that arise through bus franchising and the need to bring about a new settlement for bus users in our City Region. Following an employee buyout GM Buses South wasContinue reading “Bus Services in Greater Manchester”

The 2016 proposal saw the north of the borough taking the strain of greenbelt development and lead to a significant overdevelopment. Under the proposals important greenbelt land which provides an important buffer between towns would have been removed, particularly between Royton and Rochdale and Royton and Oldham (towards St James’). There is little doubt thatContinue reading “Greater Manchester Spatial Framework initial view”

The traditional British pub is on the decline with as many as 18 closing a week and as many as 25% lost since 2001 alone. But beyond the headlines they still are vital public spaces to socialise, relax and feel part of a community. In Oldham West and Royton the beer and pub industry supportsContinue reading “Appreciating the value of pubs”

It’s that time of year when the Christmas decorations come down and it suddenly its back to work for millions of commuters across the country. It’s also the time of year when the travel price increases really hit the headlines, across buses, trains and trams commuters will be paying more to get to and fromContinue reading “New Year, new transport costs”

After two years of fundraising Oldham received its stunning Annie Kenney statue in Parliament Square, with the main speech by Maxine Peake. Inspiring performances and personal stories, and stand out Choir, at Gallery Oldham provided a perfect start to the day before hundreds gathering to march behind Oldham Youth Brass Band to the Old TownContinue reading “Annie Comes Home!”

Along with other local MPs, Debbie Abrahams and Angela Rayner, as well as the Communication Workers Union, I have called on Post Office Limited to halt their planned closure of the branch in Oldham Town Centre. Post Office Limited, owned by the Department for Business, Skills and Industrial Strategy, plan to close the branch andContinue reading “Oldham Post Office Closure”

Long read: Conference diary Labour Members met in Liverpool now a decade on from the financial crash which opened the door for brutal cuts to public services, and people in Oldham will feel the real impact of that more than most. We also met at a time when big issues on jobs, the economy, BrexitContinue reading “What is Labour Conference and what was my role there?”

This article originally appeared on Progress Online on 24th September 2018 Theresa May has orchestrated some excellent PR this month. In a last minute attempt to paper over some quite significant gaps in her government’s domestic agenda ahead of Tory conference, a number of half-baked housing policies have flown off the shelf. Most notably cameContinue reading “The housing crisis is a national scandal”