A busy and productive week in Westminster as we approach the House rising next Tuesday for the summer recess.

We started with 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, where I addressed the importance of fair funding for areas facing deprivation and reaffirmed our commitment to keeping communities central to our devolution plans.

Later, I had a productive discussion with Florence Eshalomi MP, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐂𝐋𝐆 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞, as we took stock of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill – reviewing both its contents and the road ahead. I also had constructive conversations with Shadow Secretary, David Simmons and Lib Dem spokesperson, Vikki Slade. Party-politics aside, cross-party collaboration is vital if we’re serious about building stronger, more resilient communities.

Throughout the week, I joined sector roundtables and celebration events – important moments to thank those who’ve shaped the Bill and to confirm our continued commitment to working together as it moves through Parliament.

This Bill is co-operative politics in action: developed with communities, championed by members, and now being made law. I was therefore pleased to join a 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 to discuss how we keep community voices at the heart of future amendments and work with the wider sector.

At the 𝐋𝐆𝐀 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, I spoke alongside Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Manchester Council Leader Bev Craig, reflecting on our first year in government and the growing partnership between national and local government. I also spoke at the 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐆 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐆𝐈𝐔 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭, sharing our next steps on devolution.

Thursday marked 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞, where I published written ministerial statements on the progress of each area in meeting the statutory tests and looking to what the next steps are.

Before heading back to Oldham, I closed the week by 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝. Churches are much more than places of worship – they support families, run foodbanks, and offer vital community care. Their contribution is not only valued, but essential to the fabric of local life.

Thanks to the Egyptian Room for having me, a great place to pop into for dinner between meetings in Oldham town centre.

The historic Old Town Hall being restored both with it’s heritage in tact and being put to great use for local people, is great to see.

Another great asset for our town

The Government has today confirmed that 16 and 17-year-olds will have the right to vote at the next General Election. This is not just a policy announcement – it’s the culmination of years of hard work, campaigning, and belief that young people deserve a say in the decisions that shape their lives, all starting in Oldham.

Back in 2017, working closely with Oldham Youth Council, I introduced the Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement and Education) Private Member’s Bill to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote. Although the Bill didn’t pass, I have been continually inspired by the faith, spirit and continued vigour of our young people as they seek to achieve their aim of extending the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds. And today they have won.

This moment belongs to the young people of Oldham. From writing the Bill to taking their case to Parliament, their determination has helped move this campaign from a local initiative to national policy.

I believe if you’re old enough to work or fight for our country and pay taxes, you’re entitled to have a say on how your taxes are spent. That principle has guided our campaign from day one: no taxation without representation.

I am incredibly proud that Oldham helped lead this change. From youth-led debates to parliamentary motions, this is proof that when young people organise, participate and raise their voices, real change follows.

Our new Market Hall & Events Space is almost ready to be opened to the public, meaning another part of our town centre regeneration jigsaw is almost in place.

The new indoor market hall will bring Tommyfield from the edge of town right into the heart of it, as the events space will do for the QE Hall, sitting between the shopping centre, Parliament Square & the beautiful Old Town Hall.

Not only will this drive more condensed footfall for high street businesses and market tenants, but also will have the significant advantage of being next door to new bars & restaurants, and have a closer connection to the Metrolink tram stop on Union Street.

Modernising infrastructure, tying together Parliament Square, bringing the town centre closer together, and renewing civic pride – this is what the regeneration of Oldham town centre has been all about.

The Council deserves credit for making this renewal happen, which will foster the creation of more good jobs while protecting heritage buildings & community venues – two priorities of mine for Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton at the election last year.

Thank you to all of those who have reached out over the last month to raise concerns about pavement parking.

The individual cases, recurring offences, and hotspot areas have all been chased up with the Council by my team so we can clamp down on pavement parking in Oldham, Chadderton & Royton. While this progress is encouraging, we know that wider changes are needed to truly address the scourge of pavement parking.

The Council have now confirmed with us that, in recognising the frustrations, they have now completed the process of bringing the parking enforcement team in house. This means that instead of having the enforcement done by an arms length company, it is done directly by the council to enable them to take 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, with 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – enabling them to 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 such as Union Street, Frederick Street, Broadway, and around local schools to keep communities safe.

Further measures have been confirmed locally, including: new employment opportunities from our local communities to ensure a full complement of staff; and a review of parking policies and processes to give recommendations reform in the near future.

Along with these deterrent measures to clamp down on pavement parking, Labour in government is acting to improve parking availability as a way of disincentivising pavement parking. On Friday, the government announced a 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 to protect motorists by raising standards across the private parking industry.

Through improvements to independent oversight, transparency, and accountability for poor practice by private parking operators, we are striking a balance: protecting motorists while also enabling compliant operators to run efficient, value-for-money car parks.

We know material results on local streets & roads are the ultimate goal, therefore, we will keep pushing the Council to do more and continue building the case for change at a local, regional and national level.

Every town, city, and village have untapped talent and potential, but for too long opportunity hasn’t followed. We want to change that in Government by targeting thriving places with resilient communities and giving them greater local control.

After 14 years of decline, too many places have been left behind, starved of investment and left to suffer worsening deprivation. Our Plan for Neighbourhoods is about fixing that. It’s a 10-year commitment to making sure no area is forgotten in this decade of renewal.

We’re investing up to £1.5 billion to back communities and fight deprivation at its roots – no more sticking plasters or short-term fixes. By investing in stronger social capital, evidence has shown these areas will have higher educational attainment, lower crime and faster economic growth. This is a long-term plan to transform our communities and break down barriers to opportunity.

I am very pleased Chadderton is one of the first 75 neighbourhoods set to benefit from this fund, and we will see real change here in Oldham. But this is just the start – and I want to see opportunity opened across our whole borough.

This is about rebuilding Britain from the ground up – together.

See the clip from Oral Parliamentary Questions on Monday on my Facebook page.