Weekly Ministerial Round-up

It’s been an incredibly busy and rewarding week as we have began serving the British people in the first Labour government for 14 years.

I am honoured to play my part as Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

My role includes responsibly for growing out devolution across England, local government finance, reform and standards, and many other important aspects including workforce and pensions.

The team couldn’t have made me feel more welcome and it’s a pleasure to work with our friend and neighbour – and Deputy Prime Minister – Angela Rayner, and the team she has brought together.

It’s a strong frontbench team and I’ve been inspired by the quality and dedication of the civil servants I’ve met both in London and during a visit to the departmental office in Wolverhampton, where the reception couldn’t have been warmer.

I believe strongly in shifting power away from Westminster into our regions, councils and local communities and I see huge potential to deliver our missions to change Britain.

Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton have a seat at the table and I’m determined to ensure the impact is felt across every community.

Solving Local Government Finance Problems

As a former Local Council leader, I understand how vital it is for local authorities to be properly funded so they can provide the front line and community services which many people rely on.

Our new government wants to change course from the previous 14 years under the Conservatives who cut council budgets to the bone, leaving some local authorities of every political stripe going bust over the last couple of years.

As Minister of State, I will work to repair the relationship between local and national government so that each can thrive and serve the public in the way they deserve.

This week on ITV’s Good Morning Britain I spelt out how we are going to alleviate financial pressures in local government.

Empowering our Metro Mayors

Reigniting economic growth is only possible and worthwhile if it is done in every community in every party of our country. We need wealth to be created far and wide.

As a newly appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, part of my role will be enhancing the combined authority model of devolution so that power and resources are further away from Westminster and closer to where people actually are. Decision-making power should be left to those who have skin in the game, with communities and local people taking control of their future.

However, our new government will not impose decisions on places, we want local power to be fostered from the grassroots upwards, and a national government which empowers rather than derides local government.

Our devolution agenda has already begun with the Prime Minister giving Metro Mayors a seat around the table in his first few days in office. This collaboration will make sure that local areas across the country have governments at every level which want to work together to increase prosperity and the number of good jobs.

I talked about these plans on ITV’s Good Morning Britain earlier this week.

Ending the Junior Doctor Strikes

Building an NHS fit for the future was one of Labour’s five missions for government that we put forward in our manifesto at the general election. In our first week in office, we are taking steps to achieve this mission by addressing the junior doctors strikes we inherited from the Conservatives.

The government has hit the reset button on relations between the government and junior doctors by actually getting in the room to try and come to a resolution over pay and conditions so that junior doctors can get back to doing what they want to do: carry out vital, life-saving work. In this way, Labour is already delivering for towns like Oldham across Britain.

On Tuesday, I spoke with Kay Burley on Sky News about this, along with what Labour is going to do to cut waiting lists and remodel the health service towards prevention, thereby making outcomes better for both staff and patients.

Labour’s Plans for the ‘Grey Belt’

At the general election, one of my four priorities for the people of Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton was to fight for decent homes for local people.

Our new Labour government is hitting the ground running in our first week in office with the Chancellor announcing how we are going to reform planning to ensure we build the 1.5 million new homes over this parliament we pledged to build at the general election.

We will work with communities to utilise brownfield sites and distinguish between the green belt which protects us from urban sprawl, the countryside which makes up our world-class landscapes, and the ‘grey belt’ which includes disused car parks and other areas which local people want to be developed.

Brownfield and ‘grey belt’ sites must be where we solve our housing crisis and rebuild national infrastructure to reignite sustained economic growth to boost living standards and allow us to properly fund our vital public services. By contrast, green belt land and our countryside must be protected and preserved. In this way, work will be done with communities, not done to communities.

I discussed the new government’s initial work to review the National Planning Policy Framework with Kay Burley on Sky News yesterday morning.

Oldham Coliseum to Reopen!

Oldham Coliseum will reopen in late 2025!

Oldham Coliseum being saved, with its historic site and amazing heritage, is brilliant news and a direct result of grassroots community action. The value culture and the arts have in forging relationships between people and the places where they call home is evident. I applaud those who came together to make this happen, including local people, local arts organisations and Oldham Council.

Theatres in this country have suffered not only from the impact of the economic crisis, as hard-hit families have been forced to reprioritise budgets and spend less on cultural activities, but also from reductions in central arts funding and from the squeeze on local government budgets, which local arts organisations rely on for much of their funding.

My fourth priority at the general election for the people of Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton was securing community ownership. The hard work we’ve put in to save the Coliseum with the co-operative model of ownership shows the success community ownership can bring in safeguarding our heritage and local venues.

Local investment and the co-operative model now mean local people are in charge of their community venue, giving communities a stake in the future of the Coliseum. This innovative approach across organisations in Oldham and beyond will help ensure that the Coliseum Theatre becomes stronger, more resilient and able to continue its inspirational work for generations to come.

Minister of State Appointment

I am honoured to be asked to serve as Minister of State by the Prime Minister.

I’m looking forward to working with colleagues in local government, our elected mayors, and others to deliver our ambitious plans for devolution and growth which is felt by every community in every region.

I am deeply grateful to constituents who voted Labour & Co-operative last week; returning a Labour government after 14 years in opposition and giving Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton a seat at the table.

Our borough knows more than most the urgent need to tackle head on the issues which hold our country and our communities back, and that we do it in partnership and co-operation.

That work starts now.