John Robert Clynes, born on 27 March 1869, was a remarkable figure who transitioned from mill worker to trade unionist and senior Labour Party politician.

Serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 35 years, he led the Labour Party during its pivotal breakthrough in the 1922 general election, increasing the party’s representation from 85 to 142 MPs. Clynes went on to serve as Deputy Leader for a decade, became Minister for Food Control during World War I, and rose to the position of Home Secretary during the interwar period. He was also the Secretary of the National Gasworkers and General Labourers Union, which later evolved into today’s GMB Trade Union.

Books about JR Clynes are readily available, and a friend gifted me one on entering Parliament, sparking my interest in his early life and career. Local history fascinates me—it gives us a sense of pride, belonging, and connection to the places we call home. With that in mind, let’s trace Jack’s (as he was known) journey from a young piecer at Dowry Mill to his official residence at 11 Downing Street.

The young Clynes was baptised on 4th April 1869 at St Mary’s Church, Shaw Street. His godmother was Mary Elizabeth Parker. St Mary’s had opened in 1839 and remained in use up to 2018, serving the Catholic community for nearly 180 years. It has since been demolished.

𝟏𝟑 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭

Our story moves on to the 1871 Census, where two-year-old Jack lived at 13 Back Henshaw Street, in the modern Coldhurst ward covering the town centre, alongside his parents, Patrick and Bridget (née Scanlon), five sisters, a brother, and a cousin. This small street, made up of six houses, housed over 60 residents, including 23 who lived in the cramped cellars below. Most adults and children over the age of ten worked in Oldham’s booming cotton industry, while others found employment as labourers or domestic staff.

Nestled between Henshaw Street and Fountain Street—near Dan Fold and Priest Hill Street, near the site of the bus station and taxi rank behind what was the Snipe Inn.

During this era, Oldham showcased its industrial dominance with a skyline punctuated by towering mill chimneys and air filled with the constant hum of textile machinery. The district bustled with landmarks like the Victorian Market Hall, opened in 1855, and the adjacent Fish Market. Nearby stood pubs, mills, and the Oldham Free Library (opened in 1852, now the old Gallery) and Oldham Lyceum (1842), a testament to the town’s growing social and educational development. Expanding rapidly, Oldham added new housing, mills, and factories to meet the demands of its flourishing industries.

The area attracted workers from Lancashire, Yorkshire, and beyond, including a wave of Irish immigrant families fleeing the Great Famine (1845–1852). Among them was Patrick Clynes, who had been evicted from his tenanted land in Ireland. The famine led to the deaths of over a million people and forced another million to seek new lives elsewhere, with many settling in England’s industrial towns.

Living conditions in Oldham were tough. Families crowded into every available space, including the cellars, enduring hardships that extended to food scarcity. Meals often consisted of “bread, with butter when affordable, and lard or dripping when not; stews made from vegetables and scraps of meat, peas, and beans.” Life in these back-to-back homes was a harsh reality for many.

𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤

Patrick’s time in the mills was brief, as he began working for the Oldham Corporation as a general labourer. During the Lancashire Cotton Famine (1861–1865), Oldham, one of Lancashire’s key cotton-spinning towns, faced significant hardship. The American Civil War disrupted raw cotton supplies, causing widespread layoffs that left thousands of mill workers unemployed. In response, the Oldham Corporation launched a series of public works to provide relief, including the creation of a new public park spanning over 70 acres of recently acquired land.

Construction of the park began in 1863, and it was named Alexandra Park in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark. That same year, she married Prince Edward, who would go on to become King Edward VII.

𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥

Jack attended the local board school alongside his school age siblings, which was a financial stretch to maintain, his father who could neither read or write himself, paying “a penny or two a week each for myself and my brother and five sisters, so that we should receive the education he had missed.”

It is fair to say Jacks experience of school wasn’t a good one, he recalled; “My schoolmaster taught me nothing except a fear of birching and a hatred of formal education.”

𝟗𝟖 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭

By 1881, Patrick and Bridget moved outwards with the census record capturing the 12 year old Jack at 98 Spring Street, Waterhead with his three sisters (13,7,3), and brother (10). His older sister was working full time in a cotton mill, and Jack himself was two years into part time job working as a little piecer.

𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥

Jack’s part-time work led him to the Dowry Spinning Company at its Waterhead mill, where he laboured amidst 66,700 spindles. His day started at 6 a.m., repairing broken threads as a piecer—a critical role ensuring the spinning machines operated without interruption. After working until noon, Jack would attend school in the afternoons.

The job was fraught with dangers. Piecers navigated slippery, oil-coated floors and dimly lit spaces illuminated only by the bleak oil lamps. The relentless thunder of machinery filled the air, while the whirring jennies above posed constant hazards. Even the wooden floors added to the ordeal, with splinters piercing through his young feet as he worked tirelessly to tie broken threads together.

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲

His father had stayed on with Oldham Corporation, and on completion of the new park continued as a gravedigger at Greenacres Cemetery, just a short walk down the road. The lower number terrace properties remain on Spring Street, but the Clynes house isn’t standing today, in its place much newer properties.

𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲

Jack’s first book purchase—a dictionary—was a significant investment for the curious young boy, who used two weeks of personal pocket money left over after contributing to the family pot. For Jack, the dictionary was not just a book but sustenance for his hungry mind. His passion for learning grew during visits to Oldham’s second-hand bookshops and the reading room at the Oldham Equitable Co-operative Society.

While many frequented the reading room to scan the employment pages, Jack immersed himself in the works of Shakespeare and Dickens. In later years, when Jack rose to high office, his portrait fittingly hung in the library of the Oldham Co-op, facing a portrait of the librarian who had encouraged his pursuit of knowledge.

Jack’s fascination with reading, poetry, and language ran deep. He didn’t merely read; he absorbed and revisited the words, using them as an escape from the monotony of mill work. Books transported him to other worlds, providing a stark contrast to his challenging reality.

An especially formative experience for Jack came when he was paid by three elderly blind men to read newspapers aloud to them, likely the Oldham Chronicle, Advertiser, and Standard. These sessions often sparked lively debates, which are said to have planted the seeds of Jack’s political consciousness. The money he earned, alongside his mill wages, also allowed him to fund night classes.

By the age of 12, Jack had left school to become a full-time piecer in the mills. He later reflected on these harsh realities, writing: “On this stage, in the inconspicuous corner where Oldham stands, amidst a great fever of mill work, surrounded by poverty and disease, malnutrition and ignorance, a small boy, sullenly eager to escape from the brutal slavery of school to the merciless thraldom of the mill, was very anxious to quiet the rumblings of an empty belly by contributing to the home exchequer the few shillings a week that a ‘little Piecer’ could earn.”

It was this experience that inspired Jack to adopt the pen name “Piecer” when he began writing in local newspapers around 1885. Through his articles, he exposed the harsh working conditions in the mills and the devastating toll they took on workers “ruined by hard labour and poor working conditions.” Jack’s transformation from a reader of political and social discourse to a writer of it marked the start of his activism.

In his memoirs, he reproduced a letter that made a compelling case for working-class representation in Parliament: “If the workers want different laws, the workers also want different lawmakers… instead of forcing others to adopt their programme, it would be better for the workers to elect their own members to carry their programme out.”

From these early writings and his role in establishing the fledgling Piecers Union, Jack began speaking at meetings across Lancashire, gaining prominence among mill workers and setting the stage for his political ascent.

𝟓𝟏 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭

By 1891, Jack was living with his sister Sarah, a cotton weaver, her husband Harry Parker, an iron moulder, and their two children at 51 Stoneleigh Street. The house still stands today, appearing much as it did when Jack crossed its threshold over 130 years ago. At the time, Jack was recorded as a cotton spinner, earning significantly more than he had as a piecer—two to three times as much.

Two years later, in September 1893, Jack married Mary Elizabeth Harper of Bury at St. Anne’s Church, Greenacres. He had met Mary five years earlier, as she was the sister of his friend Harper, a fellow cotton spinner.

Jack’s union work continued, though not without challenges. He recounted instances where police broke up meetings, some attendees were imprisoned, and all the while, Jack had to manage exhausting 12-hour mill shifts to make ends meet while organising events.

Around this time, Jack became involved with the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers. Within a few years, he was appointed as the Lancashire organiser, and he credited his friendship with Will Thorne—a transformative relationship—transforming him from cotton to politics. This enduring partnership was pivotal, and Jack took pride in growing the union’s membership from 2,000 to 50,000, making it the largest district in the union at the time.

By 1897, Jack was serving as President of the Oldham Trades Council, and went on to serve as Secretary for 25 years, leading what was then the second-largest council in the country. He also represented the Trades Council on the Oldham Chamber of Commerce.

By this stage, Jack’s involvement in national politics had deepened. His role as a trade union member intersected with the efforts of the newly formed Labour Representation Committee, which had begun fielding candidates and shaping the future of working-class representation.

𝟐𝟒𝟒 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭,

By 1901, Jack and Mary were living at 244 Waterloo Street, Glodwick, with their children John and May. Jack was recorded as the Trade Union Secretary for the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers—a union that remains strong today as the GMB Trade Union, of which I’m proud to be a member.

At the turn of the century, Waterloo Street represented a step up from the overcrowded, poor-quality homes Jack had known at Back Henshaw Street. The neighbourhood, stretching from Park Road to Brompton Street, was home to professionals like teachers, accountants, clerks, and administrators, alongside skilled tradespeople. Though times were still modest with furniture assembled over months as pay allowed. Households were smaller and less cramped, and while the area remained central to the roaring mills and smoke-filled air, the nearby Alexandra Park—established thirty years earlier and by the efforts of his father and other labourers—offered a welcome respite.

That same year, Jack worked tirelessly to establish the Labour movement in Oldham, standing in his first election for the town council in the Waterhead ward. Labour fielded candidates in only four of the eight wards, but victory eluded them. Jack later stood in St. Mary’s and Clarksfield, narrowing the gap with each attempt, until Labour eventually took control of the council. By then, however, Jack had been called to greater responsibilities.

Before his calling to Manchester, Jack achieved a significant milestone: he was appointed as a Magistrate for Oldham in 1904, following extensive campaigning and lobbying efforts.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦

In 1906, Clynes was elected as the Member of Parliament for Manchester North East, representing the industrial working-class neighbourhoods of Ancoats, Miles Platting, and Newton Heath. His victory marked a significant milestone in the rapid expansion of the Labour movement, which grew from just two MPs to 29 under the Labour Representation Committee—soon to be renamed the Labour Party.

Churchill had recently defected from the Conservative Party, which had secured his original victory five years earlier in Oldham, and stood for Manchester North West, before Dundee, Epping, and finally Woodford.

A lesser-known anecdote from the 1906 election campaign involves both Churchill and Clynes, then Manchester candidates, being invited by Manchester United to kick off a football match at their home ground on Bank Street. Jack kicked off for United in the first half, while Winston took the honours for the away team in the second. United won the match, and both men were subsequently returned to Parliament.

𝟑 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝

The 1911 Census places the Clynes family at 3 Belgrave Road, where Jack was recorded as both a Trade Union Secretary and a Member of Parliament. Belgrave Road at the time was evidently a more comfortable area, with many homes, including the Clynes’, employing servants. The neighbourhood was home to mill managers, engineers, and other professionals who had more comfortable means.

Jack and Elizabeth’s family had grown, with their children John (16) and May (14) now joined by their youngest son, William (.

The house no longer stands, replaced by more modern properties. The even number two up, two down yard terraces opposite remain as they would have been at that time, but the odd numbers including No. 3 were much more substantial villas with grounds over looking Alexandra Park across what would have been the Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway line which ran parallel to Belgrave Road at this section. Some of these style villas remain at the higher odd numbers towards Honeywell Lane.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.

Clynes and his family would eventually take up official residence at No. 11 Downing Street in 1924 as Lord Privy Seal, as the residence was not taken up by the chancellor at that time. The next occupant would be Winston Churchill, serving as chancellor.

Clynes built a long and enduring political legacy. He led the Labour Party into the 1922 General Election, served a decade as Deputy Leader, and held key roles such as Minister for Food Control during the First World War, Lord Privy Seal, and Home Secretary. His contributions left an indelible mark on British politics.

While there are books that delve deeply into his political impact, it’s important to remember that his story began in Oldham. Without the foundation of his early life—the schooling (however uninspiring), the Co-op Society reading room, the mills and the relationships he forged there, the debates sparked by reading to three elderly blind men, and the working-class solidarity that grew across Lancashire’s towns as unions developed—JR Clynes might never have become the political leader he went on to be.

In recognition of his remarkable journey and contribution, he was awarded the Freeman of Oldham in 1946.

“𝐁𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬; 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

(Any inaccuracies please flag and I’ll amend – thank you)

Wishing Muslim constituents across Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton a peaceful and prosperous Eid-al-Fitr as Ramadan draws to a close.

Aside from the usual internal meetings, it was good to talk again in the Chamber during the final stages of the government’s Business Rates Bill, where we considered the amendments put forward by the House of Lords. Once past these final stages and given Royal Assent, this law will provide certainty by introducing a permanent tax cut for retail, hospitality & leisure properties to bake-in relief for the long-term.

Our high streets are more than just a place to do business, they are the backbone of communities across Britain; which is why the measures in this Bill taken together will mean that more than 1 million business properties will be protected from any inflationary increases next year.

It was great to be in East Anglia on Thursday, spending the morning in Ipswich and the afternoon in Norwich. Met with local and county council leads about the Devolution priority programme, given our plans to devolve powers and funding to Suffolk and Norfolk.

While there, it was great to meet students and see world-leading tech at the DigiTech Centre at BT’s Adastral Park in Martlesham; and also tour of Norwich Castle, a beautiful site which is a real asset to the City.

Took part in a Statutory Instrument debate on proposed changes to elections in local authorities. It is very important we are clear on what the effects are of our plans are so that concerns raised MPs can be addressed. We have been clear on our manifesto commitment to widen and deepen devolution across England, and we have moved at pace to realise the benefits of devolution to more people in more places. We are creating simpler and more clear local government structures alongside transferring power out of Westminster and to communities.

While doing so only when a high bar has been met, we have allowed for some local authorities to postpone elections so that we can help to smooth the transition process and deliver the benefits of Mayoral devolution, supported by strong and stable local government reorganisation, as quickly as possible

The Chancellor gave the government’s Spring Statement to the Commons in Wednesday, one of the two main fiscal events of the year, which set out the government’s plans in response to updated economic forecasts, which showed growth increasing year on year for this Parliament, driven in part of our work to end the housing crisis which has resulted in the highest level of housebuilding in 40 years.

Our Plan for Change is working. Real wages are up, with the National Living Wage rising by £1400. NHS spending is up, with waiting lists falling for the last 5 months in a row. Spending on education is up, with our free breakfast club programme for every primary school ready to be rolled out next month. The Employment Rights Bill is on its way to becoming law, with a once in a generation reform to rights at work to ban fire-and rehire, strengthen sick pay, and end exploitative zero-hour contracts. A local transport revolution is taking place, with the integration of Bee Network ticketing, renationalisation of rail, and an almost £1.7 billion boost for local buses, roads and trams in the North this year.

This is the change we promised and every single one of the policies were pushed through by Labour while being opposed by the Tories and Reform. In an era of global change, we will deliver security for working people and renewal for our country.

And now a later than usual return back to Oldham covering call duty rota for the Friday sitting Private Members Bills….

We need a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment and is fit for the present day. High streets are places that bring people together, foster community pride and boost economic activity in our area.

That is why, I have been working in Government to ensure we have a long term plan so that small businesses in retail, hospitality, and leisure pay lower business rates. Through the introduction of new, lower multipliers to achieve this goal, paid for by a higher multiplier on the 1% of properties valued at over £500,000, and typically large warehousing. Critically as well as supporting vital independents, we will take away the business cap which ruled out those with more than one business premises being able to benefit, and therefore safeguarding household names which draw footfall in town centres and on high streets.

We will provide certainty to high streets by making this a permanent tax cut for retail, hospitality and leisure properties. As seen during Covid, the relief to the hospitality sector helped many businesses stay afloat, and we want to continue this support in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

We have also frozen the small business rates multiplier for 2025-26. Taken together with the small business rates relief scheme, that means that more than 1 million properties will be protected from any inflationary increases next year. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝟏 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

Our high streets are the backbone of our community. But unfortunately, the change from on-the-street to online and rising operational costs, have left restaurants and shops no choice but to close. I want to see our high street thriving with enterprise, local businesses and a hub for local people, and these cash steps will work to rejuvenate our town.

Town centres are more than just a place to do business; they are a place for a community to come together – and I will continue to work in government to bring life back to our high street.

Born on this day, a remarkable Oldhamer—a historical figure who walked the terraced streets of our town, grew up under the smoke-filled skies and the relentless beat of the cotton mills, and rose to become one of the most senior figures in British politics.

His journey from 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 is one of purpose, and a deep-rooted connection to the working people of Lancashire.

We should celebrate the towns history and how it shaped the country more. This weekend, I’ll share more about his life, and how Oldham shaped him into the leader he became. Until then, here’s a challenge:

Two Oldham clues: his name has made the board of fame in Oldham’s Council Chamber, and his father helped build the ‘New Park’ as a labourer for the Oldham Corporation.

𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨!

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺.

Afsheen died peacefully at home on March 27, 2024, at the age of 45, after a courageous battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, Councillor Zahid Chauhan, the Mayor of Oldham, and their three wonderful children.

As the extended Mayoral term of office comes to a close in the coming months, it is testament to his public service that even in the most difficult circumstances he has continued to support the Borough, its people, and the many charities who do so much good work.

𝘼𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙛𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙕𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣.

Every single person in Oldham and across the country deserves to have a safe, secure place to call home. The reality, though, is that far too many are being locked out of home ownership or are struggling to find a rental property that doesn’t break the bank.

At the end of last year over 7,500 families were on the social housing register in Oldham alone, and I regularly have constituents contacting me, both through casework and on social media, about the difficulty of accessing affordable housing options. This is a crisis that needs immediate action.

That is why I welcome this weeks commitment by the Government of £2bn of funding aimed at delivering up to 18,000 new social and affordable homes across the country.

In Oldham, this funding will enable the Council to fulfil its pledge of 𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 as part of their ‘local solutions to a national crisis’, whilst also providing scope to go even further.

This new investment is not just about building homes; it’s about creating a future where hardworking people and families in Oldham can get on the housing ladder and live with the stability they deserve. This boost to affordable homes, both to buy and to rent, will put homeownership within reach and ensure that working people have the access to a decent home in the place that they are from.

This investment is also part of our broader Plan for Change — a commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes across the country, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. For Oldham, this means the future will bring real change and an end to the housing crisis.

Tackling the crisis head-on, giving people the support they need, and building the homes we desperately need to strengthen our communities right here in Oldham.

Thank you to the European Islamic Centre and all the volunteers on the night for having me at the the Community Iftar event in Oldham at the weekend and for producing such a special event yet again.

It was great to see so many people of different faiths coming together to share a meal during Ramadan.

The Unity Iftar is a brilliant initiative to celebrate diversity and inclusion, while bringing communities together in such a welcoming atmosphere.

That is what this event is all about – community. Bringing people from all backgrounds together to enjoy an evening together and find time for reflection. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I recommend attending one if you are able.