Today is Small Business Saturday and I had the pleasure of visiting some local businesses in Chadderton which boost local growth and provide good jobs for people in our borough – a priority of mine at the election in July.

Businesses like these and the people behind them are the beating heart of our local economy and the pride they put into their work really shines through.

Thanks to the changes we made in our recent Budget, small businesses are set to benefit from investment and reforms with our priority being to rejuvenate high streets and power economic growth far and wide.

Please, if possible: this Saturday, shop local.

Our Labour-led Council has worked hard recently to give support to people through the colder months that lie ahead, with targeted help for the most vulnerable.

It is great to see that the Council has secured a support package worth nearly £2.5m to be able to provide payments to people who can’t afford to heat their homes, food vouchers to families who have children eligible for free school meals over Christmas, and more resources to local community groups to help people.

On top of this, the latest figures show that more than 3,288 pensioners living in our borough currently miss out on their weekly income being topped up to £218.15 at the very least, with a huge total of £7.9 million being left unclaimed every year across Oldham by people eligible for pension credit.

The DWP deadline for applying to receive the £300 Winter Fuel Payment this winter by being in receipt of pension credit is rapidly approaching too, and I encourage all those eligible but not currently on pension credit to apply by 21st December in order to receive their Winter Fuel Payment.

Further support is available too so please do not hesitate to get in touch with my office at jim.mcmahon.mp@parliament.uk if you require assistance.

It has been another busy but productive as Minister of State as we have continued to deliver the change that working people across our country deserve, like constituents of mine in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton.

It was great to speak at the Centre for Progressive Policy conference on the importance of delivering the governments missions, delivering wider and deeper devolution, rebuilding local government and reforming public services. There is a lot to do, but working as partners in power, central and local government will transform the country for the better.

I enjoyed speaking to councillors and officers at the District Councils Network as they celebrated 50 years. I heard many great examples of local prevention and reform, growth and neighbourhood services which show the difference local government makes every day.

We are working across Local Government to drive reform and prevention as the foundation of rebuilding local public services, tackling spiralling cost and delivering better outcomes. Working alongside Georgia Gould at the Cabinet Office and colleagues in local government as it builds has been great so far.

In my role as Co-operative Party Chair, I’d like to thank co-operators who joined us for the National Executive Committee in Manchester – a look back at a great year with excitement for the year ahead. I’m very proud of the staff and members for the tireless work they do for the co-operative movement.

In the week that public ownership of our railways become law again, we are continuing to deliver our agenda of change which we set out at the general election to end the chaos we had under the Tories, rebuild our public services and drive up living standards in every corner of Britain.

Putting power back into local communities is a priority of mine and of this government.

Our government’s desire is to take power out of Westminster and give it back to local communities across Britain like Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton – while working with local councils collaboratively to achieve better outcomes for the communities they serve.

Head to my Facebook page to see more.

As the former leader of Oldham council, I know all too well that local authorities have been struggling and that the whole system needs reform. After a decade of fighting alone they know have a government on their side.

That’s why this long overdue overhaul to council funding is vital in allowing all of us to fix the foundations and plan for the long term.

We are committed to move to a fairer funding system and intend to start that immediately, moving away from an outdated approach which has seen some councils doing all that is asked and more, yet still find themselves struggling to deliver services and balance budgets.

So this statement sets out our plans to start the process of ending wildly inefficient grants and directing valuable taxpayers’ funding where need is the most.

Ultimately we need to place prevention and reform across public services at the heart of the rebuilding of local government and delivering better outcomes. We know what is needed, because councils have been telling central government for over a decade. Now they have a partner to work with them to realise it.

On Friday the 29th of November the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will receive its second reading. The bill, if passed, would allow terminally ill people with 6 months or less to live to have the option to end their own life. This will be a free vote, determined by conscience instead of by politics.

I’d like to thank constituents who have written to me about this issue. I have weighed up both sides of the debate very carefully, and after much consideration, I have decided to vote against the bill. I believe we are not yet at the stage in this country to provide the proper safeguards to protect vulnerable people at the end of their life.

Ultimately, I believe it is not the states’ role to sanction when someone should die. It is the role of the state to keep people safe, and I don’t see that this bill will do that in its current form. I am concerned that the safeguards are not yet strong enough and the criteria could shift, potentially leaving vulnerable people more at risk. Agreeing to the bill, in its current limited form, would lay the path for it to go further in the future.

We need to focus instead on reforming our health and social care system so we can make people as comfortable as possible at the end of their life. We need to fund and reform palliative care and the hospice sector, extend provisions to ensure equitable access to services, and emphasise dignity in end of life.

I recognise people in my constituency and beyond will have real experience of this and feel very strongly one way or the other. I very much appreciate the emotional and complex nature of this debate and I hope that you will understand my decision.

A very happy Lancashire Day to everyone across Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton.

I was pleased to take part in a Westminster Hall Debate today where I made special mention of this day that marks our historic ties to Lancashire.

To see more, head to the video on my Facebook page.