During day three of this years Summer School the students participated in a visit to 𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 to learn about the vital role the police play in the community.

The students had a brilliant day talking to the team at the station, they discussed 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞, different careers and roles that are done on a daily basis that they may not have thought about before. They had a question and answer session with the 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, talking about community policing and working together within communities to deal with issues and stop crime. Finishing with a chat with the 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭, Estelle, about her role and responsibilities and the commanding officer in Oldham.

I do hope the students enjoyed this engaging day and thanks to the officers and staff who took time out of their busy days to host interactive sessions and for all the work they do to keep our communities safe.

For the second day of this year’s Summer School the students came down to Westminster.

We had a busy but rewarding day which started with a tour of Parliament, this included seeing Westminster Hall and going inside the House of Commons where the students had the opportunity to watch me answer an Urgent Question at the despatch box 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫. The students then had the opportunity to 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, which is a brilliant and unique opportunity.

We then had “Pathways in Politics” session which involved a series of talks held by guest speakers from a range of jobs within politics. Thank you to the representatives from the 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲; the 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, and 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, as well as my friend Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal.

The session ended with a talk I gave about my route through the community into politics in Oldham, some further insight into the role of an MP and what we have been doing in government over the last year. The day then finished with a Q&A with the students.

I hope you all had an insightful & enjoyable day, and have a safe trip back home!

Today marks the first day of our annual Summer School for this year in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton! Students from Oldham came to my 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 about the week ahead, the role of an MP and how my office works to help local people in Oldham.

In the afternoon, the students were welcomed into the fantastic offices at 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥. The students took part in a talk with their deputy director, a tour of the offices and showrooms and students were able to participate in a Dragon’s Den style task whereby the students had to create a strategy to market a new product.

This was a great opportunity for the students to learn about Ultimate Products which is a successful local business that has been present in Oldham for over two decades. The location of their offices being Manor Mill is also an example of how we can modernise our mills and protect our heritage in Oldham.

Thank you to the team at Ultimate Products for hosting today and for some great insight and knowledge of a local business based in Oldham which has grown into an international brand.

Labour’s Football Governance Bill has now passed through Parliament and is set to get Royal Assent and become law, delivering on another manifesto commitment from last year.

It introduces an independent football regulator, which will:

Give clubs a stable financial footing

Put fans back at the heart of the game

Take on rogue owners

This government is protecting the game and its heritage at every level. Not only will it help clubs like Latics who have just been promoted back into the Football League, it will protect the game from the grassroots and restore the connection between the game and local communities.

We know how valuable football clubs are to fans, communities and local economies. We want to secure their long-term future and avoid financial sustainability issues many clubs have suffered from over recent years at every level of the pyramid.

We want more football clubs to have stable ownership which is rooted in the community – like Latics have had since the Rothwell family came in – and not suffer financial sustainability problems and instability like Latics have had in the past before the Rothwells came in and nearby clubs like Bury FC had, which ended up in them entering administration in 2020.

With the work we have done over recent years to secure Boundary Park as an asset of community value, give it security in the long-term with the ground sharing deal between Oldham Athletic and Oldham RLFC, and launch SportsTown at Boundary park a £70 million multi-sports centre of excellence from grassroots sport for all, up to elite performance Further & Higher Education.

Labour is delivering at every level of government on a shared priority: to safeguard heritage, community venues and local sports institutions through community ownership and robust regulatory frameworks.

One of the points of concern raised by owners of restaurants, bars, and independent & chain stores that operate on Royton Precinct at the meeting we held with the leaseholder London & Cambridge Partnerships (LCP) in May was crime and antisocial behaviour on the precinct during working hours and in the night.

One important way we can create stability for the precinct, ensure it’s long-term future, and provide confidence for local people who want to shop & spend time on there is to make sure it is a safe place by having retail crime, anti-social behaviour, & burglaries properly tackled and prevented.

My constituency team has followed up specific concerns raised by tenants of the precinct but we know more action is needed more widely.

The Royton neighbourhood team have made clear to us that they are taking this problem on the precinct seriously. They have confirmed to us in response to wider concerns we raised with them that the neighbourhood team continues to respond promptly to reports of crime and anti-social behaviour, through active engagement in addressing incidents as they have arisen and working closely in partnership with relevant local agencies.

They have said they are taking a firm stance against persistent shoplifting by targeting repeat offenders in the area. Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) are being pursued where appropriate to deter further offences and protect local businesses.

This reassurance is matched by the government’s desire to take back our streets, precincts and town centres from crime by legislating for a standalone offence for violence against shopworkers, creating tougher respect orders for anti-social behaviour, and introducing the neighbourhood policing guarantee – delivering on a local priority of ours at the general election to create a safe place in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton.

The team has also confirmed that Neighbourhood Beat Officers and PCSOs are regularly patrolling the precinct, to provide reassurance, deter criminal activity, and engage with the community to gather intelligence and support.

It is great to hear the challenges associated with the night-time economy, particularly during weekends, are being taken seriously. The neighbourhood team have confirmed that they are liaising with other departments and have already increased patrols during weekend evenings to manage & reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour.

𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌, 𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔.

Local people are encouraged to report any further concerns to my team at jim.mamchon.uk@parliament.uk and the neighbourhood policing team in Royton.

Let’s make Royton Precinct even better – into an even more buzzing, vibrant & safe place to be.

A busy and productive week in Westminster as we approach the House rising next Tuesday for the summer recess.

We started with 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, where I addressed the importance of fair funding for areas facing deprivation and reaffirmed our commitment to keeping communities central to our devolution plans.

Later, I had a productive discussion with Florence Eshalomi MP, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐂𝐋𝐆 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞, as we took stock of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill – reviewing both its contents and the road ahead. I also had constructive conversations with Shadow Secretary, David Simmons and Lib Dem spokesperson, Vikki Slade. Party-politics aside, cross-party collaboration is vital if we’re serious about building stronger, more resilient communities.

Throughout the week, I joined sector roundtables and celebration events – important moments to thank those who’ve shaped the Bill and to confirm our continued commitment to working together as it moves through Parliament.

This Bill is co-operative politics in action: developed with communities, championed by members, and now being made law. I was therefore pleased to join a 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 to discuss how we keep community voices at the heart of future amendments and work with the wider sector.

At the 𝐋𝐆𝐀 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, I spoke alongside Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Manchester Council Leader Bev Craig, reflecting on our first year in government and the growing partnership between national and local government. I also spoke at the 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐆 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐆𝐈𝐔 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭, sharing our next steps on devolution.

Thursday marked 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞, where I published written ministerial statements on the progress of each area in meeting the statutory tests and looking to what the next steps are.

Before heading back to Oldham, I closed the week by 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝. Churches are much more than places of worship – they support families, run foodbanks, and offer vital community care. Their contribution is not only valued, but essential to the fabric of local life.

Thanks to the Egyptian Room for having me, a great place to pop into for dinner between meetings in Oldham town centre.

The historic Old Town Hall being restored both with it’s heritage in tact and being put to great use for local people, is great to see.

Another great asset for our town