It was great to see local legend Maggie at Zutti & Co. once again, a staple of Yorkshire St. in Oldham Town Centre for over 40 years, thanks for having me.

High street funding has given a real boost to safety in and around Yorkshire St. with the replacement of CCTV cameras. We know retail crime and anti-social behaviour hold back high street businesses, which is why we are legislating for a standalone offence for violence against shopworkers and introducing the neighbourhood policing guarantee.

Small businesses like Zutti & Co. are the beating heart of our local economy and the people behind them are so valuable. The pride they put into their work really shines through in the quality of product and service they provide.

Completing the regeneration jigsaw with a renewed Coliseum at it’s historic home, the near completion of the New Market Hall at Spindles, the near completion of the restored Old Oldham Library, and the reopened Egyptian Room are driving footfall. For the rebuilding of Oldham and it’s civic pride, the council deserves credit for a job well done.

More widely, we should embrace our town’s position as the gateway to the Pennines and be proud of our greenery by bringing more of it into the town centre.

This week marks a huge milestone, as yesterday the 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 had its first reading in Parliament. This is the culmination of our work to deepen devolution across all of England and give back power to communities, and it has been a privilege to be the lead minister on this Bill and yesterday move it to Parliament. For many a first reading can seem underwhelming, but it represents the starting of the Bill in its passage, eventually into law, so is a massively significant step in our journey to devolution.

Ahead of the Bill’s first reading, much of the week has been spent doing lots of 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨-𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐌𝐏𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 to get into the detail of what the Bill will mean in practice, and to answer all questions surrounding it. The interest and engagement everyone has shown on the introduction of the Bill is appreciated, and we can see that this will continue in parliamentary debate as the Bill progresses.

On Tuesday, our 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 before summer recess took place. The Bill is a massive moment for co-operators as we are seeing the things we have long campaigned for, such as the 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐲, become enshrined into law. It was, therefore, a nice opportunity to reflect with other Co-operative MPs on how far we have come on our policy priorities, and look into the future of more ways we can empower local people to take control of their areas.

Outside of the Bill, it was great to respond to an 𝐒𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 on Buckinghamshire Council, Surrey County Council and Warwickshire County Council Regulations. This SI allows the conferral of housing and regeneration public authority functions to be exercised by Buckinghamshire Council, Surrey County Council, and Warwickshire County Council concurrently with the Homes and Communities Agency. A very technical debate, but very important in transferring power out of Westminster and into local communities, handing power to those with local knowledge and allow them to drive progress forward.

Participating in a 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 in Cambridgeshire was also very enjoyable. We know that to drive-up living standards far and wide we need a local government system which works for every community. Through our unitarisation reforms, we are delivering clearer lines of accountability, improved frontline public service delivery, and a more sustainable footing for local government finances.

We also announced upcoming reforms we will be making to Pension Schemes and Council Tax Collection. On the former, with over 6.7m members and assets of nearly £400bn, the Local Government Pension Scheme is already a force for good, and has so much more potential. A vital safety net in older age working people invest in. 76% of its members are women, 54% part time, and the average pension is £5,400 a year.

Parliament considered the 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 on Monday, an important moment for funds to pool and focus more investment in our regions, working alongside mayors and combined authorities, alongside other measures. Delivering for its members and the communities they live in.

On the latter, we are 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 so that it’s fair and to up to date. Proposals include: 12 month default repayment; reviewing enforcement practices and late payment fees; and updating support for carers and apprentices.

After a very busy but equally rewarding week, it has been great to be back up in Oldham and be able to be out and about in the constituency with such great weather.

Today the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has had it’s first reading and so begins the Parliamentary process.

The tight grip of Westminster on local councils has frustrated, fragmented and stifled growth across our country for far too long. Nobody knows this better than local leaders, trying to deliver change while being restrained by top-down micro-management.

Devolution fixes that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.

England has fallen behind from the rest of the world in modernising how decisions are made, but devolution prioritises people and partnership over paperwork and politics. This Bill will deliver changes including

• Community Ownership of pubs, shops and social hubs through a new Community Right to Buy meaning communities will have the first opportunity to purchase local assets when they are put up for sale.

• Community Voice in local decision making through effective neighbourhood governance giving residents more of a say.

• More Rights for Mayors as the champions of their region, with new licensing powers for rental e-bikes and new planning powers to kickstart growth.

• Efficient Public Services through ‘Strategic Authorities’ acting across larger economic geographies so that areas can work together and increase connectivity, such as integrated transport networks.

• Local Growth Plans to turbocharge economic growth in local economies and put more money in people’s pockets.

• Local Audit System to restore transparency in council’s spending and streamline the system.

• Ban Upward Only Rent Reviews (UORR) clauses in commercial leases, which pit landlords against businesses and can make rents unaffordable and cause shops to shut.

From bus tickets to health care appointments and from education to job opportunities, deepening devolution across the country means everyone in every region will have more of a say in the day-to-day issues on their doorstep.

Today is a huge day for devolution, and a huge day for communities like Oldham across the country, I’m proud to have been involved in delivering this Bill.

Thank you to the group of residents from Chadderton who came to my office last week to raise concerns on off-road biking. They have rightly had enough of this lawless behaviour where reckless bikers act with no regard for safety of themselves or of other people.

I share these concerns, which is why in April we raised issues with the Roads Policing Unit, got assurances off them about their commitment to police these issues robustly, and then raised awareness of Operation Snap and it’s online submission of incidents portal.

On the back of the group of residents meeting my team early last week, a community meeting was held with local residents, the Neighbourhood Policing Team, and the Council Community Safety Team in Chadderton with regards to off road biking & knife crime late last week.

Although I couldn’t attend myself due to parliamentary and ministerial commitments, a member of my team went on my behalf, along with Chadderton Central Labour Councillors Elaine Taylor and Naz Islam.

Unregistered & uninsured bikes plaguing the area were spoken about by residents, with some of these incidents linked to knife crime. This is unacceptable, local people deserve better.

It is encouraging that the Police and Council have reaffirmed their commitment to action, by initiating a Section 59 notice which gives powers to seize & crush bikes, and considering a Section 60 stop-and-search notice if there are issues with young people & knives, especially off the back of the tragic incident Fairway Inn.

At the election last July, one of my four priorities for local people was to create a safe place and tackling off road biking plays a big part in that so justice is maintained for criminals & victims, and so we can take back our streets.

Local people deserve to feel safe in the place they call home. We will continue to support GMP in getting these bikes off our roads, work with & meet residents personally to tackle specific cases & give local people confidence, and ensure all forms of dangerous driving & off-road biking are being clamped down on.

Royton & Chadderton are both proud towns, full of heritage, and with bright futures ahead. Both precincts play important roles in shaping & preserving the identity of our area. Therefore, we have a duty to provide a stable environment for them and protect their long-term future.

After meeting with meet with several restaurants, bars, and independent & chain stores that operate on Royton Precinct in May, we have continued to work with the Council and London & Cambridge Partnerships (LCP) to deliver a long-term solution.

We want each precinct to thrive and to get the TLC they deserve. By ending disputes over service charge increases and the condition of the deteriorating canopies in Royton, we are able to do just that.

With the Council as the freeholder and LCP as the leaseholder, productive meetings & discussions with both are taking place to come to a fair solution for them, tenants, and local people.

We have been having ongoing discussions with LCP about suspending the use of bailiffs while the service charge dispute is ongoing, and we know our Labour-led council is committed to driving footfall for our high streets & supporting small businesses to thrive. This is building on the work the government has done to deliver a 40% permanent business rate relief for retail, leisure & hospitality properties, and to introduce a standalone offence for violence against shopworkers.

Those who operate on both precincts care about Royton and Chadderton. These business owners are often local people who have sacrificed a lot & put much of their life savings into these businesses because they love where they live & have pride in their town. We understand this passion, which is why we are working hard to deliver a fair outcome for all.

There are far too many assets being lost on the high street – whether it’s the community centre, library, pub, post office – where consumers have no stake in the asset that is coming or going.

There is too much of this ‘well the market will decide, if there isn’t a market for it, it will just stay empty and that’s just the reality’. That is no where near good enough, it massively impacts on people’s confidence and security, and it massively impacts on their feelings towards politics.

We cannot afford in the first parliament to repair a decade and a half of the previous government, but we can start rebuilding the foundations and do it by working with the communities.

Co-operation; pulling together, each making a contribution and sharing the dividend is the foundation of the Co-op Party’s Community Britain campaign.

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