Labour & Co-operative | Serving the communities of Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton
This was a horrific attack on a nurse who went to work everyday for two decades to care for patients.
The trauma goes beyond the serious injuries on that day, and my thoughts are with nurse Achamma Cherian, now thankfully back at work at The Royal Oldham Hospital.
Thank you to constituents who have been in touch to raise concerns about MioCare’s proposal to close the Wellbeing Service at Chadderton Hall Park.
This is a vital service for local residents with learning disabilities and their families, providing stability, support and a sense of community.
I’ve raised this issue and will have sought clarity on the service going forward following the consultation running until the 26th February. It’s important that every effort is made to keep this service open for those who depend on it.
I’ll keep constituents updated an hope we can find a solution urgently.
I have included a statement from Cllr Barbara Brownridge as the lead member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing who has been working on this issue.
It’s National Apprenticeships Week, a chance to celebrate a route into work that changes lives.
I was proud to be an apprentice, leaving school at 16, I trained at Oldham College and learned on the job from people with decades of experience. It opened doors for me – and I know it can do the same for the next generation. I’m prouder still my two sons have followed the same path on leaving school.
1,600 people in Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton were in apprenticeships last year, and it represents a significant opportunity learn, earn and thrive.
That’s why Labour is getting on with breaking down barriers. Over-19s no longer need Level 2 English and maths to complete an apprenticeship – opening up opportunities for 10,000 more people every year, and it means those who have previously been locked out will now have this vital route to a career opened up.
Apprenticeships build real skills, lead to good jobs, and help close our national skills gap. They’re a proper alternative to the academic route and we should treat them that way.
That’s why we are putting the academic route on a level playing field to the technical route with a new target for government: 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 after leaving school.
But we need much more urgent reform. I wrote previously on the mismatch between apprentice vacancies being advertised and the school leaving timetable for young people.
Figures from the Department for Education’s Find an Apprenticeship service set this out clearly. In 2024 there were 99,380 apprenticeship vacancies advertised in England. Of these, only around 16 % (15,880) were advertised as young people were finishing their exams through to the summer half-term, between July (8,610) and August (7,270). The highest number of monthly vacancies were advertised in January (10,480) and February (11,320) – six months after young people had sat exams and left school.
Work to transform technical education isn’t just national. Mayor Andy Burnham is leading the way in our city-region with the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate, creating two equal routes at 14 – one academic and one technical.
I’ll keep championing vocational pathways because every young person deserves a fair shot, whatever route they choose, and it is the way to boost local economic growth and drive-up living standards.
A good conversation last week with Oldham Council’s Deputy Chief Executive for Health and Care last week where we spoke about the next steps to improve further local health services in our borough.
This comes off the back of some welcome news this week that our borough’s adult social care services have been rated ‘𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱’ by the Care Quality Commission. A real credit to the staff who work so hard every day.
Now it’s about building on that progress and making sure local people get the care and support they deserve. We’re not complacent and we know we’ve got more to do – I’ll keep pushing for Oldham.
A quick round-up of my week in Parliament 
The biggest positive move this week was without a doubt the vote to finally scrap the Tories two-child benefit cap. A policy that pushed children into poverty is finally going and that matters for thousands of families here in Oldham, the majority of which are working families.
In the Commons, in clearly less positive news was the unfolding of the revelations on Peter Mandelson, where I pressed the government to deliver full transparency and accountability by ensuring the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) had oversight of the disclosure process.
It was a very co-opy week as usual with meetings with the Building Society Association, Co-op Parliamentary Group to discuss community owned energy, and the Co-op NEC which I’m proud to chair.
There was plenty of more good Labour things the government were getting on with too including setting out our new Cancer Plan, with the ambition that 75% of cancer sufferers will be saved. Early diagnosis, faster treatment and better outcomes where it counts, with the biggest drop in waiting lists for 15 years.
On Thursday, I was out campaigning in Gorton & Denton ahead of the by-election later this month. Great conversations on the doorstep about the change we are making to increase in the national minimum wage, tackling energy bills, and strengthen renters’ rights – although we knew there is more to do to drive up living standards.
Plenty done so far this week and plenty more to get on with back in Oldham from meetings with important stakeholders including the council and Transport for Greater Manchester.
A decade on from the scandal of the Collective Spirit Free School, we now have something positive for the community coming.
Together with its sister school, the Manchester Creative Studio School, it was riddled with whistleblower allegations of corruption, safeguarding failures and children let down while its boss Raja Miah and his cronies lined their pockets, and he falsely dismissed the neglect as “all lies”.
A scandal hit school it was. I’m glad with the perseverance of former staff and parents we brought this to a close.
More positively, new homes to help tackle the housing crisis, including 60 affordable homes, and £2m towards community facilities is welcomed. Clearly we will work with the council, developer and the community to ensure the impact of the development works are managed thoughtfully and I’ll seek a meeting with the developer to speak about this importance of this. I know residents remain concerned about the revised changes, particularly the increased number of homes and access, and that will be reflected in the planning process itself. But for my own part I’m pleased to see things move forward.
Read more at the The Oldham Times on the proposals: https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/25825467.homes-built-site-former-schools-2m-paid/?ref=rss&fbclid=IwY2xjawPy7WxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81MTQ3NzE1NjkyMjgwNjEAAR7YjkIJvkdI5G5k6TqCJJLqm0iJ2zzW6IqpBtuhBVC54CjvxPIbcBhYHjNM5A_aem_Ovh9mE5ghR4bWn8Mgks1AQ
On Tuesday, I voted in favour of the Universal Credit Bill to abolish the two-child benefit cap.
It was wrong when the Tories brought it in, and it’s right that a Labour government is getting rid of it.
Nationally, 1.6 million children are affected by the cap. A million of them are in working families. In Oldham alone, it 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝟭𝟭,𝟯𝟰𝟬 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 across 3,160 households, the majority of whom are in work – around 1 in 5 children in our borough.
As well as scrapping the cap, we’re rolling out 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, including already at Whitegate End Primary, Richmond Academy, Westwood Academy, Northmoor Academy, St Martin’s CofE Primary, & Medlock Valley Primary.
We’re also extending 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺 this September, and all these changes together will lift more than half a million children in the country out of poverty by 2030.
This isn’t just the right thing to do; it makes economic sense. Supporting families means money spent on essentials, going straight back into local shops and local jobs. And if we want a strong economy in the future, we need to support the next generation now.
There is a false argument which sets the working poor against working poor, setting those with more than two children as undeserving. It’s a tactic as old as time. Ending the two child limit only ensures children don’t live in poverty, it’s not a luxury lifestyle. The level of working poverty is a national scandal, that so many who will benefit from ending the two child limit are in work and contributing is clear. But the argument falls; surely working people should be earning enough to live a good life in the first place.
A bigger question is why do we accept the state subsidising businesses paying low wages, often while those at the top get wealthier for a long time.
Labour governments tackle child poverty. We’ve done it before, and we are doing it again.
This vote matters, and it’s only the start.
A big thank you to everyone who’s been in touch about proposals to raise the age limit for social media to ban under-16s.
From those who have been in touch from across Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton, the overwhelming majority were in favour of protecting our young people and the ban. Parents, carers and grandparents are rightly worried about the harm social media can cause to them, and they want action.
That’s why the government’s announcement a fortnight ago of a consultation was welcome. It’s a long-overdue step. Tech companies have had years to get their act together, and time and again they’ve fallen short. Recent issues, including around Grok, show just how fast things can go wrong when regulation can’t keep up.
As I spoke about in a Westminster Hall Debate in December, the Online Safety Act is progress, but it doesn’t go far enough. Like many Labour MPs, I support looking seriously at the Australian-led approach to banning social media for under-16s, as well as eight specific actions below to clean-up social media.
Children’s safety online must come before the interests of big tech. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to share their views, I’ll keep pushing for them to be heard.
If you want to share your views, please contact me jim.mamchon.uk@parliament.uk
Jim McMahon OBE MP 