Positive news that the government has agreed to review HMRC’s outdated mileage rates ahead of the next budget. Long overdue after *15 years* of inaction by the previous government!

Working people shouldn’t have to pay to drive for work, it hits social care workers especially hard, taking some well below the living wage as they pay out of their own pocket to get to and from home visits. This affects millions including the self employed.

𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐍

Thanks to Unison, the RAC Foundation & The Mirror for keeping the pressure on with support in my Parliamentary interventions, letters to relevant ministers, and with my Op-ed and supporting article in The Mirror.

The old 45p a mile rate set in 2015 no way reflects the true cost of running a car or van today, with some estimates placing it at 67p, and that was before the recent spike in petrol prices.

Given the ongoing cost of living crisis, and the sudden rise in oil prices following the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East, it’s only right that mileage rates reflect the real costs people are facing every day.

Head to the link in the comments to see more

Call out the selfish dumpers.

Not a week goes by that there isn’t a mountain of household, commercial and builders waste ruining our borough. Added to the routine littering it is making our country lanes, parks and open spaces dumping grounds, its not okay and its honestly baffling that some believe its normal behaviour.

Here’s what’s proposed by the Labour government…

𝟮𝟬 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 for fly-tippers to pick up their own rubbish

Fines of 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 £𝟯𝟬𝟬

Potential for criminals to be 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴

And locally the council…

Relaunched 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton

These new proposals from this Labour government are badly needed. Too many of our countryside areas are being used as dumping grounds by rogue developers, landlords, and illegal waste firms. This crackdown is a vital step to tackle fly-tipping and protect our communities.

It is selfish, harms residents’ quality of life, and leaves taxpayers to pick up the bill. The message is clear: dump rubbish and you will be caught, made to join clean up efforts, and pay the price.

Thank you to representatives of the Catholic Diocese of Salford, Save Britains Heritage, Spark Oldham and the Hungarian community for meeting with me to see the potential of the Holy Rosary church.

The beautiful 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫-𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 was recognised for its heritage value when it received Grade II listed status in August 2022 following a successful campaign I was pleased to back.

We’re still working to bring the church back into community use and to support the work of Kim at Spark and others do even more.

I’m deeply concerned by the news of the building collapse on King Street in Oldham today.

My thoughts are with anyone affected, and I want to pay tribute to the emergency services who have responded quickly and professionally to what is a serious incident, and to those providing the emergency rest centre for residents affected.

This was a significant collapse on a busy town centre road near to bus stops and it is usually filled with young people from Oldham Sixth Form College and Oldham College neighbouring it. Its collapse could have easily killed an occupant or passerby, not least of all given the damage caused to a major gas line.

It is self-evident that the building was undergoing building work and it is legitimate to ask if this contributed to its weakening and collapse.

I’ve asked the council to clarify if there was any related prior involvement the property owner or builder and if there were concerns raised before this incident.

This is now the second building on the same King Street row which has collapsed and with it another piece of Oldham’s heritage has been lost.

We will need a full investigation into how this happened, but right now the priority must be the safety and wellbeing of residents, businesses, and those directly affected.

If you are in the area, please follow the advice of emergency services and avoid the immediate vicinity.

Big step forward for our borough as the 83 service will run 24 hours a day Thursday to Saturday, linking Manchester, Failsworth, Hollinwood, Werneth & Oldham town centre. A proper night bus to get people to work at night, home safely, and give a real boost to our night time economy.

Across the Bee Network, services are expanding fast. In the year to March 2025, distance covered grew more than twice the national average, with another 2.5 million kilometres being added.

This is only possible because Greater Manchester took back control of buses, the first place to do so in 40 years.

After Andy Burnham set out plans for a decade of good growth backed by at least £500m, taking the GM Good Growth Fund close to £2bn, we are getting on with delivering it.

£2 fares extended, free travel for the 8,000 children in temporary accommodation, and a network that is affordable, accessible, connected, and clean. Buses run in the public interest, better services for our community.

A big moment for Oldham yesterday as Tommyfield market closed its doors ahead of the new indoor market opening next week.

For generations, Tommyfield has been at the heart of our town. Our market charter dates back to 1849, serving a booming industrial Oldham and the thousands of families who built this place. That history matters, it always will.

But if we want a strong future, we have to invest in it. This investment brings our market right into the centre of town where it belongs, alongside shops, food, events, and good transport links.

But above all, it’s people that make places. Our market is our town on display, the familar faces, the characters and exchanges, the strong sense of community. And we need the community to back it and the wider town centres and its traders for them to thrive.

A new chapter is about to begin. A modern indoor market in the heart of our borough, with traders moving into a stronger, busier location, backed by new outdoor space in George Square and support to help them thrive.

Thank you to the traders who have been part of Tommyfield’s story and who will carry it forward into the next chapter.

A quick round-up of my week in down in Westminster

𝐒𝐭. 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐲

It was wonderful to spend time with friends at the Irish Embassy this week celebrating St. Patricks Day, thank you for having me.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

Labour is boosting apprenticeships with the expansion of the Youth Guarantee. I started as an apprentice & I know they work. But in 2024 only 16% of vacancies were advertised in the two months as school leavers were finishing exams. If we aligned vacancies with the moment young people were leaving school, more would benefit and not wait months on end to be settled.

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥

When we came to government, we said we’d drive a sea change in the way we approached the early years. This week’s statistics show progress: childcare costs halved, working parents now saving £8,000 a year, and the cost of a childcare place dropped back to 2005 levels. That is fighting the cost-of-living in action.

𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

It was a pleasure to meet with Ukrainian MPs visiting parliament this week with the Inter-Parliamentary Association, many of whom we met during our cross-party delegation to Kyiv a few weeks ago. I hope they got a lot from their time in parliament.

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐊 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥

By setting a new target for up to 50% of steel used in Britain to be made in Britain, Labour in government is backing homegrown industry and protecting our national security.

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫

Proud to chair the Co-op Party’s NEC this week as the government announced millions across our country are set to benefit from us widening access to affordable finance through reforms. It is excellent for our credit unions and for promoting financial inclusion, an important Co-operative Party priority.

𝐓𝐰𝐨-𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝

Here in Oldham, the two-child benefit cap affects 11,340 children, most of them in working families. The Universal Credit Act has now become law and the ending of the cap in April is set to lift almost half a million children out of poverty.

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥

Members voted this week with cross-party support to pass the Grenfell Tower Memorial Bill successfully in the Commons this week. Funding this memorial is part of our solemn duty to honour the victims of this horrendous event, keeping the promise to survivors and the bereaved.

Plenty done so far this week and plenty more to get on with back in Oldham with meetings with important local groups.

The Universal Credit Act now has been granted Royal Assent. The two child benefit cap is now gone and from next month, this new law will come into force.

This was a failed Tory experiment that punished innocent children and held too many families back. It was wrong then and it is right that a Labour government has scrapped it.

Here in Oldham, it affects 11,340 children, most of them in working families. That is around 1 in 5 children in our borough. Nationally, 1.6 million children were impacted, a million of them in working homes. Let that sink in.

This is what Labour governments do. We take action to lift children out of poverty:

Free breakfast clubs in every primary school, including 6 so far in Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton

Free school meals extended to nearly 10,000 more Oldham children

A plan to lift over half a million children out of poverty by 2030

This is not just morally right. It is economically smart. Supporting families means stronger local economies and better life chances for the next generation.

Let me be clear, ending the cap is not about luxury. Its about making sure children do not grow up in poverty. There is a false argument which sets the working poor against working poor, setting those with more than two children as undeserving. The real scandal is working families not earning enough to live a decent life.

Reform and the Tories would bring the cap back. We will not let that happen. This is our values in action and we are just getting started.