It is extremely welcome that the proposed seven-bedroom House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) on Long Lane in Chadderton has been refused by Oldham Council’s Planning Committee.

I wrote to the Council in August setting out my concerns about this application, including: the impact on the character of the area, neighbouring amenity, parking and highway safety; the relationship with the adjoining nursery; the quality of accommodation proposed; and the loss of an established commercial premises on a purpose built parade.

There is understandable local concern on the growth and concentration of HMOs across the borough, and it’s obvious the register of HMOs barely scratches the surface of the real number.

The Committee has now refused the application on highway safety grounds.

Thanks to Councillor Graham Shuttleworth and others who spoke against the application.

Very pleased to see the Government bringing forward new vocational GCSE options, this is a really important step towards putting technical and academic education on an equal footing.

These will give young people more opportunities to develop practical skills and create clear routes into apprenticeships, T Levels and further study.

I know how important that can be. I left school at 16 and became an apprentice technician, and that practical route gave me the skills and experience to build a career.

It matters for Oldham too. We need to give young people the skills of the future, tackle youth unemployment, and make sure our local economy has the workforce it needs to grow.

That is why I’ll keep pushing for wider reform of the system including more devolution of skills and for apprenticeship vacancies to line up with when young people actually leave school.

More to do, but this is a meaningful step in the right direction.

https://news.sky.com/story/teenagers-in-england-to-be-offered-new-vocational-gcses-13591233

Clean energy should mean lower bills, good jobs and stronger communities. Great British Energy’s nearly £30 million fund to support more than 1,000 community energy projects across the UK is this in action.

The Co-operative Party has championed the community ownership of energy.

Oldham is already showing what is possible, with Wrigley Head Solar Farm putting unused council land to work generating clean energy while improving the local environment.

With this scheme in place we can go further.

Finally common sense for train users. Now if your train is cancelled, you’ll automatically be able to use another operator’s service without paying again.

No more being stranded because your ticket is tied to one company or having to buy another ticket and fight for a refund.

It’s exactly the sort of small but frustrating problem that can make a real difference to people’s everyday lives and tackling these practical problems is something the new government has rightly put a focus on. Whether it’s making subscriptions easier to cancel or tackling misleading discounts, it’s about getting the basics right.

We’re already making public transport ticketing seamless and easy here in Greater Manchester.

Bee Network buses already have a £2 single hopper fare so you can get on as any buses as you need in an hour across the city-region for that price and trams are in the network too already so you can tap in and tap out across buses and trams and will be charged the cheapest fare. By 2028, services at Moston and Mills Hill are set to join the Bee Network too bringing buses, trains, trams and cycle routes together in one integrated, publicly controlled system.

That means simpler journeys, better connections and a transport network designed around the people who use it every day.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/14/cancelled-trains-rail-passengers-automatic-right-free-switch-operators

Another good week as Parliament had its final days before closing for the Party Conference recess, here’s what I’ve been up to

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝘆

I was back at the Despatch Box in the Commons to respond to an Urgent Question on the Government’s plans for an overnight visitor levy. The levy will give local leaders a new option to raise funding that can be invested in their local visitor economy and wider local priorities. This is an important issue and we need to make sure any approach works for local economies, small businesses, hospitality and visitors.

𝗟𝗚𝗔 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁

Great to join Labour leaders from across the country at the LGA Labour Leaders’ Summit to discuss the challenges facing councils and how we can make sure local government is at the heart of delivering better services and stronger communities. There’s a huge amount being asked of councils, so making sure local leaders have the powers, resources and support they need remains a big priority.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹

It was good to meet with the Leaders’ Council this week, bringing together local government leaders to discuss the priorities for the months ahead and how we continue putting devolution into practice. The principle is simple: decisions should be made as close as possible to the people they affect, with local leaders trusted to get on with the job.

𝗖𝗼-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆

I also attended a meeting of the Co-operative Party NEC meeting this week as Party Chair. It was a particularly significant meeting following Joe Fortune’s decision to step down as General Secretary of the Co-operative Party after being elected as the new General Secretary of our sister party the Labour Party.

Joe has given many years of service and I want to wish him every success in his new role. It’s a great recognition of the contribution he has made to the wider Labour & Co-operative movement.

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗼. 𝟭𝟬 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵

Before heading back to Oldham, it was great to be at No. 10 North in Manchester, bringing together work around government and the North and making sure the voices and priorities of our communities are right at the centre of those conversations.

Now back home for meetings and engagements on the issues that matter to local people, from tackling the problems caused by poorly managed HMOs, to the future of local NHS services, there is no shortage of things to get on with.

The election results delivered a council split in thirds (at least), with no party or grouping able to form a working administration. Meeting after meeting failed to resolve the impasse.

News that political group leaders in Oldham have temporarily put aside their differences to take collective responsibility for supporting the council to discharge its responsibilities is welcome. I hope it reflects an acceptance that most people in the borough want their interests to be placed above personal or political differences.

There will continue to be legitimate differences, and any arrangement should allow those differences to be expressed freely, but with responsibility.

Aside from the vital services the council delivers, including to some of the most vulnerable residents in the borough, it is also the employer of around 2,500 workers who need the organisation to be stable, lawful and able to conduct its business.

This isn’t a coalition, and it isn’t even an administration. No councillor will hold executive power, but it does formalise cross-party accountability and oversight of important decisions needed to keep the council and its business going.

And so, while these efforts might not address the obvious and unprecedented risk of not having an appointed leader and cabinet, particularly statutory roles such as a lead member for children’s services, they do show that it is at least possible to reach some consensus. I hope that consensus can be built upon.

I wish the council and its councillors, across all parties, the best in the weeks and months that follow.

Growth should mean more jobs, more investment and more opportunities for people here in the North.

That is why I welcome the Chancellor’s announcement today of a £150 million Scale Up Fund for the North of England.

We have some of the best businesses, universities, innovators and skilled workers anywhere in the country. From advanced manufacturing to technology and life sciences, places like Oldham across the North have the talent and ambition to drive Britain’s future growth.

For too long, investment has been too heavily concentrated in London and the South East. Labour is changing that, with a clear ambition for growth in every postcode and the North at the heart of our economic future.

After 14 years of Conservative failure, we are rebuilding economic stability and now turning that into investment, growth and good jobs which means our NHS so waiting lists are finally coming down, we’re cutting the deficit faster than any other G7 economy, and real wages have already increased by more under Labour than during the Conservatives’ first ten years in office.

The North has the ideas and ambition to deliver growth in every postcode. This is about making sure we have the investment to match.