Shockingly, 1 in 10 tradespeople can expect to have their tools stolen this year, with many of them already having been through this three times or more.

𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 £𝟖𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙊𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙖𝙢, 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚.

Over 12,600 people in Oldham are employed in skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, and construction workers. This sector is a vital component of Oldham’s economy, contributing significantly to both employment and the development of our community’s infrastructure.

On average, stolen tools cost around £2,730, van repairs cost around £1,320, and finally a cost of £1,900 through lost work and business disruption. Tool theft clearly creates a huge cost burden for tradespeople as well as disrupting vital community work.

𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚; 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮.

Currently, those convicted of tool theft would only serve a community order opposed to a sentence that considers the impact tool theft has on the loss of trade. In April, Amanda Martin MP’s Ten Minute Rule Bill will return to Parliament raising the case for tougher sentencing and shining a light on the crime that so many tradespeople routinely face.

We need tougher action on tool theft and justice for tradespeople so they have the assurance they can get on with the job.

Today, I am proud to stand in full support of the Children’s Schools and Wellbeing Bill, a vital piece of legislation that aims to improve the educational experience and overall wellbeing of our children across the country, regardless of background or circumstance.

This Bill recognises the crucial role that schools play in shaping the future of our young people, by ensuring that schools are not only places of learning, but also places of care.

We are addressing today’s climate head on; the pressures of social media, difficulties at home, and the rise in mental health problems. We have set out clear steps to improve access to mental health services in schools, provide professional development for teachers to better support students, and give parents the resources they need to support their children’s education and wellbeing at home.

This will have positive effects for the children across our borough as it will address socio-economic factors that are currently driving gaps in educational attainment. For instance, the current percentage of children in Oldham who achieve a ‘Good Level of Development’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage is around 60-65%, slightly behind the national average of around 70%.

I believe this is due to our education system being focused too heavily on academic outcomes without giving enough attention to overall development and support of our children.

I am committed to changing that and giving our young people the best environment to succeed, regardless of the challenges they face outside the classroom. I believe by addressing external factors, providing specialist care and pushing for equal opportunities, we will drive up development and close educational attainment gaps.

I am proud to vote for this Bill as it is time we put the wellbeing of our young people at the forefront of our educational priorities.

Today, the Oldham SportsTown project officially launches. As part of the Community Regeneration Partnership, the SportsTown masterplan represents a huge investment into local sports and educational pathways centred at Boundary Park.

The £70 million masterplan, which covers a frootprint the size of the Etihad Stadium, will be a multi-sports centre of excellence from grassroots sport for all the way up to elite performance Further & Higher Education sports academies.

The existing community facilities will undertake transformational growth through the new 3,000 seat stand, university centre, wellness suite, 4,000 seat multi-sport arena, outdoor 3G sports domes, and upgraded grass pitches.

Around 25,000 residents from the northern Greater Manchester will use the SportsTown facilities once per week, with 60% being Oldham residents and the majority being young people; using a non-traditional university strategy based on community family engagement through education and sport.

At the general election, I prioritised community ownership for local people in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton. The work we have done locally to secure Boundary Park as an Asset of Community Value, has created a foundation to build upon, resulting in stable ownership for Latics, a ground sharing deal between them and Oldham RLFC to secure the future of the ground, and now the launch of SportsTown in and around the venue.

The ownership of the club by the Rothwell family and the energy and dedication they have injected into the project, aided faithfully by the leadership of CEO Darren Royle has breathed new life into the club and stadium.

In addition to this fantastic scheme there are also projects to support grassroots and community sports facilities which I am determined to see get the support and funding they need. The need and demand in the community is clear, and in both AVRO FC at Limeside and West End pitches at Coldhurst there is huge opportunity we have got to get behind.

There’s a bright future ahead!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to the Irish community across Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton and the 70 million people around the world of Irish descent.

𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔.

The Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton constituency has a number of war graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with a memorial accompanying Chadderton Cemetery where 74 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 49 from the Second World War are located throughout the cemetery.

Records are held by the CWGC of each grave here and across the world.

Nearby St. Matthew’s Churchyard contains war graves of 14 service personnel from First World War and 9 from the Second World War. The archive contains correspondence including a letter from the church warden on receipt of the headstones in 1950 (and a complaint about the ‘unhelpful’ men who delivered them).

Royton St. Anne’s Churchyard contains the war graves of 14 service personnel from World War I and 5 from World War II. With Royton Cemetery home to 22 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 14 from the Second World War. The archive contains correspondence which also raises concern from then Urban District Council about the use of Portland Stone.

Hollinwood Cemetery hosts 43 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 35 Commonwealth war graves from the Second World War. Nearby St. Margaret’s Churchyard includes a single Commonwealth war grave of William Hunt Garlick who was 32 years old when died in 1921, serving in the Royal Engineers

30th Div. Signal Coy.

Outside the constituency there are also Commonwealth War Graves at Greenacres Cemetery, St Thomas Moorside, Failsworth Cemetery, Failsworth Jewish Cemetery, Waterhead Holy Trinity, Lees Cemetery, Delph, St Thomas Saddleworth, and St Chads Saddleworth and at St Gabriel’s at Middleton Junction.

The cenotaphs across the towns mark a collective memorial, but it is very powerful to see individual graves of those who didn’t return home, and the ultimate sacrifice they made for our freedom.

The CWGC maintains detailed records of war casualties. By visiting their website, you can search for individuals buried at individual cemeteries and churchyards, which may provide insights into their ranks, regiments, and backgrounds. You can find out more here https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/

It was straight to business on arriving on Monday with a host of meetings from stakeholders, commissioners and councils on a wide range of issues from devolution, reorganisation and interventions. Monday was topped with “Adjournment Debate” after evening votes on behalf of the government regarding Closure of Owens in Hastings and Town Deal funding. The specific debate secured reflected just one example of where the previous government failed to invest properly and support small businesses, leaving with boarded-up shopfronts becoming all too common on high streets.

This government is acting decisively to reverse the decline through town deals, based on local partnerships and local decision making, by putting in £20 million of funding and support for Hastings through our new Plan for Neighbourhoods – action which is being replicated in communities across the country.

Then it was onto Tuesdays Westminster Hall Debate on the effectiveness of the “Nolan Principles” in Local Government. These principles – selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership – are the least local people deserve from their representatives.

We need to make sure these values aren’t just words on paper. The public must feel that they can have confidence in their local leaders to abide by them, and we need to strengthen accountability to make sure the highest standards are upheld for councillors of every stripe. It’s also important that all councillors and officers can act without fear of bullying and harassment, which I’m afraid has been too common in some chambers.

As we move on with the devolution agenda it was to talk at the Institute for Government on support for Mayoral Combined Authorities to deliver local growth. We are determined to drive up living standards far & wide and our English Devolution White Paper sets out ambitious plans to make that happen.

With the week also taken up with many meetings and discussions on the upcoming English Devolution Bill legalisation it’s very timely!

We then had one of our regular Co-op Parliamentary Group meetings which included discussions with customer owned mutual Nationwide Building Society, who this week have announced £50 cash reward for customers, including 10,012 members in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton who we will be paying a total of £500,600.

I also took the opportunity to raise ahead the need to ensure that in the recent take over of Virgin Money we aren’t faced with branch closures without fully consulting local people, as has been too often the case with banks. As there is both a Nationwide and Virgin branch in Oldham now owned by the same building society it is very important. I was assured that there are no immediate plans for either to be affected, and they maintain their commitment to branches, and if that changes local people won’t be an afterthought.

One of the other highlights of the week was an ‘inter-ministerial group meeting’, which was a fancy way of saying we worked across government on important issues. This one was with South Yorkshire Mayor and Sheffield Council with frontline workers on our push to reform local public services so that we redirect far more investment to early intervention and prevention, rather than more expensive firefighting of issues.

We are also now working through the spending review preparations, and significant changes to how councils are funded to focus better on funding following need.

Managed to get out of Westminster to speak at the District Councils Network Annual Conference in Old Windsor where much of the focus was on plans to end the two tier system of local government (county and district councils) and redirect resources to frontline services, with fewer but more empowered and better resourced councils and councillors.

And before heading to Oldham constituency meetings it was a pleasure to meet with my Irish counterpart, Minister O’Donnell in at the consulate in Manchester – not bad timing for a visit with the St Patrick’s Day celebrations which will follow in the city over the weekend.