Thanks to the Oldham Armed Forces Breakfast Club for having me at the Veterans Christmas Dinner yesterday at The Greyhound Pub in Royton, it was a pleasure to be there and support the event.

The team with Eddy, Viv, Carl, Nigel and many others do amazing work throughout the year with many events to support our veterans. It was a shame a flu outbreak meant we weren’t joined by Broughton House who I found really inspiring when we met at the event last year and I wish them all well.

It was a wonderful chance to be in great company, and to hear words ahead of Christmas and the New Year from the Mayor of Oldham, Chadderton’s own Cllr Eddie Moores.

Today we held our annual Christmas Stall in Oldham Town Centre, which along with our donation to Spark Oldham we do in lieu of Christmas cards.

Every year we try to spread some Christmas joy & hand out cakes, mince pies, sweets, hot chocolate & hot Vimto to those enjoying their Saturday in our town centre.

Thank you to everyone who came over to say hello – I hope you liked chatting with us as much as we did with you!

There continued to be a police pressure to reassure town centre users over the past week, supported by a Section 60 (stop and search) order. I joined Sergeant Graham Craven and his officers from the GMP Oldham neighbourhood team, as they spoke to young people outside colleges and tram stations.

We were in the town centre because the chaos involving around 100 youths fighting and fireworks being thrown last Friday was completely unacceptable and deeply concerning, residents deserve better than this. Searches of young people generally confirmed that many were not engaged in concerning activity, but officers did uncover face masks and some weapons, with arrests made following the violent scene which were widely shared on social media and in the press.

Any parents of young people stopped and whose details were taken down will receive a letter informing them. It is important that all parents speak to young people at school do college about the dangers of carrying weapons, even if they wrongly believe they are doing so for self protection. The risk of serious injury or death is real, as we’ve sadly seen in Greater Manchester over the past few months.

The police response with the dispersal order that was put in place was strong, and I know the local colleges and businesses appreciated it.

The government has today confirmed that Oldham will receive investment in a new Sixth Form, to be run by Star Academies and sponsored by Eton.

The council first applied for the town to be included in the former government’s roll-out of new Sixth Forms. The incoming Labour government paused to review value for money and local need.

I have been pressing the government to reach a decision so that the council, parents, and existing providers could begin planning. I am pleased that the minister has now concluded the process.

Star Academies will be required to collaborate with other Sixth Form providers in Oldham, who have collectively provided excellent education to young people over many decades.

We know that the education system can create opportunities for young people to develop understanding, respect, and friendships beyond race and religion, lessons they will carry into adult life.

I have requested that a condition be attached to the approval to ensure the admission policy genuinely draws an intake from across the whole borough and from all backgrounds, as successfully achieved with the new Brian Clarke CoE Academy, which I was pleased to support.

Confirmation of a site will follow. I have asked the council to consider how best to accommodate other local priorities, such as the new police station and a potential wider justice centre, alongside planned housing schemes.

(Photo credits: Oldham Chronicle, September 2023)

Another busy week in Westminster and now back home with even more to get stuck into across Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

This week in the House of Commons we had a whole series of important votes on key pieces of legislation that matter to people here at home. That includes progress on the 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹, which once passed will strengthen protections at work and give people more security.

We voted on the 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 too, which, along with the new law on public ownership of rail already passed, will take forward long overdue reforms to create a railway that is more reliable, accountable and focused on passengers.

On Tuesday, I stood in the Chamber to speak about this week’s announcements about what 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗦𝗘 & 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝘆 will look like, making sure the Government is clear and accountable on how we protect children and support survivors. It was an important moment to put on record the concerns so many of you raise with me, including taking into account the impact off class on survivors & victims.

And on the subject of justice, it was great to 𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 to discuss the work we are doing to secure a new police station and custody cells, and to enlist political support for exploring the inclusion of courts. It was a very positive meeting and I hope further meetings will follow to make progress on this important local issue.

I have also been working on support for credit unions, after holding a meeting with 𝗔𝗕𝗖𝗨𝗟 (𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀) in preparation for a new year round table, and later I used my question to the Leader of the House to press the Government on supporting credit unions and the wider co-operative movement. As Chair of the Co-operative Party, I made the case that these local, member owned organisations play a vital role in providing fair finance, strengthening communities and keeping wealth rooted locally, and they deserve proper backing.

I was grateful to the union 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗔𝗖 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for meeting me this week as we discussed taking forward the issue of HMRC mileage rates for workers and the self employed. Some exciting activity planned in the coming months on this front.

On the round up of other parliamentary business; it was also good to see both the Mental Health Bill and the Planning & Infrastructure Bill complete their passage through Parliament. These are major milestones that will help deliver meaningful change.

The 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 will improve access to support and services, modernise outdated processes and strengthen patient rights. Support for those with mental health conditions has unfortunately been an area of significant concern for constituents who have contacted me.

The 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 will introduce a clearer, faster system to get good quality homes built, improve transport links and make sure local infrastructure is planned in a way that actually serves the communities it is meant to support.

And now for the best bit, back up North for engagements and events around Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton. Looking forward to catching up with more of you, hearing your concerns and making sure what we’re doing in Parliament is rooted in our local communities.

Today the Government set out the chair, the supporting panel, the terms of reference and the timelines for the inquiry. This provides much-needed clarity for all involved. Many will welcome the appointment of Baroness Longfield, and together with the panel, wish them well in the months and years ahead.

Survivors have been waiting a long time to engage with a process of this kind. It is crucial for them and for others yet to come forward that this inquiry leaves no stone unturned, is not constrained by time limits, and follows the evidence wherever it leads. I am assured that this will be the case, and that no survivor will be denied the chance to have their case examined simply because of when the abuse took place.

For Oldham this will mean the inquiry will examine the culture, approach, response and effectiveness across multiple administrations, political parties, and individual officers and members. It will provide a comprehensive assessment of what worked and what did not.

It is for the panel to determine its lines of inquiry, but I would expect it to cover, at a minimum, the formation of safeguarding responses from at least the early 2000s, if not earlier, when the threat of group-based abuse and exploitation was first identified and the Messenger Project was established, through to the development of MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs), and on to Project Phoenix and the wider Greater Manchester response, and to the present day if that’s where the evidence takes it.

Importantly, the inquiry will be established under the Inquiries Act, meaning evidence must be provided, witnesses can be compelled to give truthful testimony, and lines of inquiry can cross organisational boundaries to provide a full and accurate picture of events.

It is the responsibility of this inquiry to answer all these questions without fear or favour.

I asked the Home Secretary to confirm that the national inquiry format, with local deep dives, will ensure that cross-border offending spanning local authority and police boundaries will be fully covered and will not be allowed to fall through the net.

To see my question to the Home Secretary and her answer in full, head to the clip on my Facebook page.