Today we have announced the largest ever cash boost to support councils tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness. Nationally we are investing £1 billion into homelessness services and will end homelessness once and for all.

This announcement will have a huge impact on all of Oldham, but specifically on the 650 families currently presenting as homeless to the Council and the 700 households living in temporary accommodation. Oldham Council will receive over £2 million investment to funding programmes enabling greater support and intervention for those facing hardship.

Everyone deserves to have a safe and decent home, and today’s announcement is a fantastic step towards making this happen.

Today we set out the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement that secures £69 billion for the sector, with an extra £3.7 billion for social care and a new £600 million recovery grant for areas with higher deprivation.

After years of Tory cuts and fiscal mismanagement, we are finally giving local government the respect and support they deserve. As the former leader of Oldham Council, I know all too well that this is long overdue.

This Provisional Settlement is the first step in repairing the foundations of local government, rebuilding our public services, and shifting to a fairer system for all.

Following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper, I made the case to Parliament for how this Bill will be transformative for local places and local people.

I am proud that in cooperation we will deliver a new community ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets. This shall empower local people to bring spaces back into community ownership and end the blight of empty premises on our high streets.

This is about permanently putting power back into the community, and taking back control of the place we live. Whether it is our Town Halls in Chadderton & Royton, Oldham Coliseum, or the Civic Centre – these places are the fabric of our town, and they should be protected. Community right to buy will protect this now and forever.

Fantastic Christmas stall in Oldham with many chats and treats thanks to my amazing constituency team and councillors lending a hand.

We had an opportunity to highlight the Co-operative Party campaign to end violence against shopworkers which has a lot of local support.

Very happy to continue to support REEL CIC with a donation of selection boxes to give to the children they help this Christmas time.

Charities like REEL CIC across Oldham, Chadderton and Royton do vital work all year round, which makes a real difference to people’s lives.

Over the last week, we have continued in our efforts to rebuild local government and push power away from Westminster back into local communities.

As Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, I answered parliamentary questions on behalf of the government about how this government is continuing to deliver more devolution, empower local communities, and collaborate with local councils collaboratively to achieve better outcomes.

I’d like to thank the executive of the Local Government Association for the discussions we had ahead of the English Devolution White Paper and Provisional Settlement in the coming weeks. We are moving at pace to fix the foundations and we are determined to do that in partnership.

More widely, the government set out or Plan for Change with measurable goals to achieve the five missions which were set out at the general election in July, milestones which will transform the lives of working people and local people can judge the government on.

As the Prime Minister pointed to in his speech, Labour are fixing the foundations, repairing the damage, reforming government and rebuilding Britain for the long-term.

As our first Christmas back in office approaches, working people can be confident that we are delivering the change they have been crying out for and our country deserves.