Thank you to Countryside Homes, Vistry Group, Great Places & Sigma Capital for having me yesterday at the soon-to-be-completed Hartshead View housing project on the site of the former Hill Farm estate on Fitton Hill.

While praising the work being done to provide more homes for the community, members of the local Labour team in Medlock Vale with the excellent Cllr Hussain and Cllr Nasheen.

We know more houses are needed to end the housing crisis, boost living standards, and breath life into communities. This is why the Labour government is abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions, building 1.5 million new homes and reforming the planning framework, while the Labour-led council has developed a brownfield-first approach, starting with the Oldham Town Living Development Framework.

We also know houses are not enough, which is why I prioritised decent homes for local people at the election in July. Through developments like this, Labour is creating the environment for more good-quality family homes, first-time buyer homes, and retirement homes to give local people a stake in the future; while also tackling HMOs and poor quality housing.

We want every local person to have the opportunity to stay in the area they have grown up in with a safe, secure & affordable home in a high-quality neighbourhood like this.

To best explain why the need to build decent homes is so important is the experience of a local decent working family who were made homeless by a private landlord who took advantage of ‘no fault evictions’ we are outlawing, to hike up the rent on the home they lived in for over a decade. After being moved to temporary accommodation numerous times across Greater Manchester miles away from the kids primary schools, they now have a wonderful, affordable and secure home down the road from school, friends and family. That’s the difference it makes.

I raised concerns from constituents to the developers about ongoing building issues such as road cleaning from the mud from site, and we’ve dealt with a range of issues previously as casework, such as repairs needed to grass verges, the blocking of roads, anti-social behaviour, and damages which need to be addressed. We will continue to be working closely with the Council to monitor these issues and chase-up updates from residents.

On International Women’s Day, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on Oldham’s proud history of pioneering women who have shaped our borough, our country, and beyond.

Perhaps most famously, Annie Kenney led the fight for women’s right to vote alongside her sister Jessie Kenney. Annie’s contribution to the suffrage movement is now commemorated in Parliament Square, ensuring her place in history alongside the greats.

Oldham was also home to Dame Sarah Anne Lees, a true trailblazer who became the first female councillor in the county of Lancashire and later the first female Mayor of Oldham—only the second woman in England to hold such a role. Her daughter, Marjory Lees, continued her legacy, serving as President of the Oldham Women’s Suffrage Society and championing women’s rights in her own right.

But while we celebrate our past, we also look to the present and future—and today, women continue to lead the way in Oldham and beyond.

Following last week’s Council meeting, Oldham Council is now led at the top by women: Cllr Arooj Shah as Leader of the Council, and Shelley Kipling as its new Chief Executive, alongside Deputy Leader Cllr Elaine Taylor.

On the national stage, women are driving change in local government too, with Cllr Louise Gittins serving as Chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), Cllr Bev Craig leading the Labour Group, and Joanna Killian as LGA Chief Executive.

And of the three Members of Parliament representing Oldham, two women holding senior positions in nationally:

• Lucy Powell, MP, serves as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the (King’s) Council.

• Debbie Abrahams, MP, chairs the influential Work and Pensions Select Committee.

And prior to the recent boundary changes, Angela Rayner, MP, now Deputy Prime Minister, also represented part of the borough—and, of course, she’s my government departmental boss!

In policing, Oldham’s Chief Superintendent Estelle Mathieson leads as District Commander, while Kate Green serves as Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, overseeing policing across the region.

The Royal Oldham Hospital also boasts strong female leadership, with Director of Nursing Karen Coverley and many other women playing vital roles in healthcare.

And in news and media the Oldham based Manchester Evening News is led by Editor Sarah Lester.

And beyond politics and public service, Oldham continues to produce inspirational women in sport, entertainment, and business—from Nicola White MBE, Olympic gold medalist and Freeman of the Borough of Oldham, to the many talented and driven women making a difference across all sectors.

And of course the women who lead and support my own role in my family and also in my parliamentary offices in Oldham and London, who are the best of public service and make a difference to thousands of people every year.

Happy International Women’s Day to all!

As Ministers in the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, we answered questions from MPs about our agenda for change to give power back to communities and drive up living standards far & wide; whether about reforms to planning to get national infrastructure built, plans to build more to solve the housing crisis, reforms to provide more security for renters, or local government reorganisation to allow for better delivery of frontline public services.

Took part in a “Statutory Instrument” debate on the Non-Domestic Rating Regulations 2025. It is great that so much goes on the legislative process outside of what is seen in the Commons chamber to make sure Bills put forward are properly analysed and improved before they become law. The Business Rates Bill will provide security for small businesses and put our high street shops on a level playing field with large online retailers.

Had a great time getting out of Westminster on Tuesday to meet with local council leaders and chief executives from Thurrock, Southend-on-Sea & Essex to discuss devolution in Greater Essex, along with taking a walking tour of Harlow to understand their vision for the area under the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme.

We held our third Leader’s Council in Essex with senior councillors from around the country where we focused on issues in early years, skills & employment. The Leaders’ Council brings together frontline expertise & experience to help ensure we can provide solutions & deliver on the issues that matter most to communities.

I took the opportunity on Wednesday to get staff who work in our finance, local government and devolution teams and thank them for their hard work since we came to government. We’ve hit the ground running on a programme of reform and modernisation to rebuild the foundations and I’m incredibly proud of them.

Again lots of internal meetings including those to plan the upcoming introduction of the English Devolution Bill into law, which we are obviously very excited by.

Gave the keynote speech as the Local Government Association Member Peer Conference in Manchester about the importance of localism and the need for local champions, before heading back home to Oldham on Thursday. It was great to be there now we have the opportunity to bring real and meaningful change to the sector. With Labour’s Plan for Change, we have already set out the next generation of devolution, financial stability for local government, and £1.5 billion investment into local neighbourhoods across the UK to create growth and opportunity.

Spring is here and the borough is beginning to bloom!

Good to be out in Fitton Hill earlier today for a visit to a local housing scheme, and to see the yellow petals of the daffodils are coming out.

Today the Biggest Ever Football Session returns to schools across the country!

Nationally this event provides an opportunity for schools to empower young people, especially young girls, to get involved in football. It is so important that we remember the history of women in football, particularly the countrywide ban on women’s football from 1921-1971, and reflect on how far we have come as a society since then, especially the success of the lionesses.

Educating young people is a vital step in the campaign for equal access to football. I am proud that Mills Hill Primary School, Thorp Primary School, Holy Rosary RC Primary School, Westwood Academy, St Patrick’s Primary, The Chadderton, and SS Aidan and Oswalds have all signed up to be involved.

It is great to see so many schools in my constituency are actively breaking down barriers for young girls in sports and widening opportunities. Women and girls don’t just belong in football; they are made for the game.

Pubs aren’t just places to grab a pint — they’re an essential part of our community; in bringing people together, being a key place of local pride and identity, and in boosting our local economy.

Last year alone, over 400 pubs shut their doors, bringing the total number of pubs in England and Wales to an all-time low of 38,989.

We have moved to provide financial support to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses including pubs (and of course high street shops), with an immediate 40% reduction on business rates, (subject to a £110,000 cap).

A new permanent relief coming in the following year will provide support for 99% of all pubs which have rateable value of less than the £500,000 threshold. That’s real action, long term and targeted, moving away from the year to year sticking plaster approach previously.

Too many of our pubs are unfortunately at risk of disappearing due to rising costs and developers eyeing prime locations. That is why we’re working in Government to go further by protecting these important assets.

In particular, Community Right to Buy would empower local communities by granting them the first right of refusal on valued assets such as pubs when they are put up for sale. This would allow people in our town to have a real stake in our high streets.

Locally we’ve worked to encourage protection of local pubs through the Asset of Community Value process, including the Daisyfield Inn at Bardsley.

When vital community spaces are at risk of being sold, we would give local people the first chance to own them and transfer power back to the people best suited to utilise it. Once communities have control over local assets, they cannot be easily taken away.

Head to my Facebook page to see more.

As part of our Plan for Neighbourhoods, 75 towns across the UK will receive up to £20m of funding with specialist support over the next decade to unleash their full potential, and I am delighted that Chadderton is part of that list.

Under the Tories, Chadderton was promised funding that simply did not exist alongside inflexible restrictions on how this money could be spent. Our community should not be dictated by a Government in Whitehall, but instead we should have power to decide our own priorities.

Local change is best driven by those with the biggest stake, and through the plan for neighbourhoods, local people will decide where government funding is spent in their area.

As part of the Plan for Neighbourhoods, new Neighbourhood Boards will be set up across all of the towns selected, bringing together residents, businesses and community campaigners. The board will decide how to spend the funding, choosing from options that include rejuvenating highstreets, local parks, youth clubs, cultural venues and health services. In particular, I am hoping some of this funding is directed to restoring Foxdenton Hall.

This is the start of a very exciting future for Chadderton, and I can’t wait to work together to make a neighbourhood that we are all proud of!

Investing in our future is important for building on our past, and preserving the history of markets is close to a lot of people’s hearts across the country, but especially in Oldham. Our market charter was granted in 1849 as its industrial might was booming, already at this point home to around 200 cotton mills and the many thousands who worked in them.

While the market has evolved over time, I am glad that it still remains a central point of our community. That is why I am delighted that part of the new £20million funding will be directed to supporting relocated traders from the Tommyfield market to the shopping centre, and to developing a new outdoor market in George Square.

There has been significant engagement between the councils and traders and while change can be unsettling the truth is that this investment is essential or else we face an ever declining trade when faced with low cost online retailers often seeking similar goods.

The future has to bring our market into the heart of the town sitting alongside the shopping centre, food outlets and events hall, all adding to a focus to drive footfall.

Heritage matters, and we must protect this by preserving and being proud of our market, and of course shopping in it!