OLDHAM West and Royton MP Jim McMahon has reacted to the findings of a report by EY and the Centre for Towns with regret. The joint report focuses on levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in our towns and cities, and it finds that ex-industrial towns like Oldham saw a 50% decrease in manufacturing FDI in 2018. Ex-industrial towns are disproportionately reliant on manufacturing projects, so a decline in the number of manufacturing projects attracted by the UK hits those towns harder.

Jim McMahon MP said, “This report shows that our towns need significant investment to balance the scales. Core cities across the UK continue to suck in foreign investment whilst investment in our towns continues to dry up. Despite the vast sums of money going into our cities there is little sign of this spilling over the borders into surrounding towns.”

He continued “The Core Cities programme has clearly been successful in attracting FDI to cities, whilst outlying towns and communities have seen investment flatline over the last twenty years. Trickle-down economics doesn’t work for people, it’s unrealistic to expect it to work for our towns and cities.”

“The report is entirely right in its four-point policy agenda for towns; bottom up decision-making through greater devolution, a reworking of the industrial and digital strategies to put place first, significant infrastructure investment by improving regional transport links and broadband, and an integrated towns strategy. Those four items are crucial, and they must be all be done together.”

“This is an issue we can deal with, if we devolve further and allow local people to make the decisions on industrial and digital strategies, if we invest in physical and digital infrastructure and we plan properly by incorporating economic, social and cultural aspects we can make our towns attractive. If people want to live, work and enjoy themselves in our towns they will thrive.”

This Monday marked the start of two weeks of global action by the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion.  The action the group plans to undertake will be disruptive and it’ll be annoying for commuters and the free flow of traffic, but I feel it is right to mainstream this debate and unfortunately that only happens when people’s attention is attracted.

Continue reading “Climate Emergency: Here’s the action”

Figures given to me by the House of Commons Library state that the percentage of claimants for Universal Credit in my constituency for August 2019 stands at 7.2% of our economically active population (16-64). This compares starkly nationally, with an average of 3.7% claiming Universal Credit, almost double.

 

I see this not as a failure of people in Oldham, I know our town is full to the brim of hardworking working-class people and that we are proud of what we do. However, I do see this as a failure of our Government (If we even still have one) to look after the needs of our regions and former industrial areas and its people.

 Continue reading “Oldham and Universal Credit”

The report by the New Economics Foundation and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has highlighted real and necessary concerns about funding for local services in the coming years, with a no deal Brexit and reforms meaning that funding for Local Government will reach a critical point, even surpassing the cuts from Austerity we have faced in recent years.

The report by the NEF highlights that around half of local-government funding came from central government in 2010, but by 2024-25 this will have been cut to zero, apart from a small amount of ring-fenced funding.

Continue reading “£25 Billion Shortfall in Local Government Funding”

Tory cuts to school funding have hit Oldham West and Royton pupils hard, and much greater than the regional or national average.

Information gathered by the House of Commons Library shows that per pupil funding has been cut by 8.1% in just five years, compared to 4.7% for the North West and 4.9% for England.

The real impact of that means a reduction from £5,156 to £4,736 per pupil, and although the ‘block grant’ in the constituency has remained broadly the same, standing at £93m, it took little account of increasing pupil numbers requiring more school places, and in some cases expanded and new schools. It is also the case that while Oldham West and Royton received a real terms 1.3% increase in funding it was far below the England average of 4.8%.

One of the biggest per pupil cuts are in Oasis Academy Limeside which has seen a staggering £817 reduction for each child.

Though we have been campaigning for fair funding for many years I have again wrote to the Secretary of State for Education for this to be reviewed.

I have joined with 92 MPs in backing our Sixth Form Colleges. We all know the value of a good quality education and there has been lots of activity on School Funding, but often further education doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports that education funding for 16 to 18 year olds “has seen the biggest squeeze of all stages of education for young people in recent years”. This is having a serious impact on students. 

The underinvestment in sixth form education is bad for students, bad for social mobility and bad for the economy. A central aim of the Industrial Strategy is to help young people to develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future. 

The decision by Boris Johnson to suspend parliament has rightly been met with wide ranging criticism. 
As the clock ticks to the 31st October deadline to leave the EU, and no alternative withdrawal agreement in place it is clear we are being driven to a No Deal Brexit.

It is not usual, despite claims by Johnson and his spokespeople to prorogue parliament. Though the Tories have selected a new leader there is not a new government, there has not been an election, there has not been a successful vote of no confidence.

The effect of the move isn’t just that MP’s are sent out of Parliament, but critically that *any* legislation and parliamentary business automatically falls. That means any domestic laws making its way through parliament will be dropped, and there are hundreds of important Bills https://services.parliament.uk/bills/

It is also not acceptable that the Queen is dragged into a political constitutional crisis. As monarch the Queen has always stayed above party politics, which has been a great strength and stability (especially when so much seems in chaos!).

I will never support leaving the EU without a deal and I fail to see how anyone who has read the economic impact assessments prepared by the government itself can. 
Whatever your view on Brexit do not underestimate the chaos very likely to follow.

It is the chamber of the commons; I’m sent by constituents in Oldham West and Royton and not the government. I will support any move to establish a sitting parliament, wherever and however it meets, regardless of the move to suspend our sovereign parliament.

I have written to the Foreign Secretary regarding the revocation of Article 370 by the Indian Government and the rising tensions between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir region.

In addition to my correspondence with the Foreign Secretary, I have tabled an Oral Question to be asked at the first Foreign Office Questions after Recess.

Tensions are rising and we need to make representations to the Indian Government to deescalate the current situation over Kashmir.

I am increasingly concerned about the increased tensions in the area and the movement of thousands of additional paramilitary troops into Indian-controlled Kashmir as well as reports of the use of cluster munitions on unarmed civilians.

The escalation between India and Pakistan is growing by the day, and I am concerned that this dispute could have far reaching consequences.

As a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group in Kashmir I and other members have consistently pressed for the British Government to show leadership on this issue. Even before this escalation there were clear warnings signs of oppression, marginalisation and clear human rights abuses taking place. This was highlighted in the June 2019 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report.