It was a real pleasure to attend the official opening of the Brian Clarke CE Academy in Oldham.

The opening today has been the result of many years of hard work.

Lead by the Cranmer Education Trust it has grown out of the Blue Coat School with an admissions policy designed to create a school for the whole borough; all faiths and none, and from all communities.

Testament to this is that the pupils currently attending in years 7 and 8 are drawn from 62 primary schools!

In a borough which has seen self selected segregation embedded, it is a civic and social responsibility to create more opportunities for cohesion, integration and friendships across all backgrounds, races and religions if we are to build a common bond.

And in our school system the shared dividend for all who invest in it must be excellence in attainment.

I want to thank and recognise personally the work of Julie Hollis who has been an outstanding education leader. Her passion for young people in the borough is clear. Together with the trust, governors and partners as well as its headteacher Allison Ash they are a credit to the borough.

I also want to wish Sir Brian Clarke, the Oldham born stained glass artist who gives his name to the school, a speedy recovery in hospital following an operation yesterday.

Finally, and most importantly to thank all the pupils who gave their time to welcome visitors today and the exceptional performances in song and poetry which brought more than a few to tears, they showed the very best of our wonderful borough.

High Streets are the centre of the community but too often left vacant as retail and social habits change, planning policy shifts to residential conversation, and essential facilities like banks and post offices are lost.

We’ve seen that in Oldham, Chadderton and Royton.

Labour’s plan for high streets tackles head on many of the issues and leans heavily to the Co-op Party high streets campaign asks too:

✅ 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs
✅ Guaranteed face-to-face banking in every community
✅ Replace business rates
✅ Stamp out late payments
✅ Revamp empty shops, pubs, and community spaces

On the last point ownership matters. Local people must have a stake in the future not simply be forced to be observers to decline.

We’ve made some progress in Oldham despite the challenges and loss of so many household names. It would have been hard to imagine Debenhams going bust, likewise BHS, Woolworths and so many others.

The investment to repurpose the shopping centre so bring in more workers who will spend time and hopefully money in town, bringing in the market, social spaces like the Egyptian Room (a wonderful and special place which so easily could have been lost), and a plan for our loved but tired heritage buildings is part of the response.

But a town is more than bricks and mortar, it’s about people and so more has to be done to support local people who have a small business or who would like to set up in town, the best chance to thrive by reducing operating costs, and drawing in more visitors/shoppers.

Thanks to Rob Fuller and the team at AVRO FC for taking the time to talk through plans to improve the Whitebank Road ground.

Since the move to Whitebank Road a number of years ago a great deal of effort has gone into transforming the former Oldham Town FC ground and clubhouse into a thriving community hub.

It is now home to AVRO FC, Hollinwood Juniors, Mancunian Unity FC, Oldham Athletic Women and Girls, Oldham Athletic Youth and Academy Be Inspired Football academy, and is now diversifying with the Anthony Crolla Boxing Gym.

It’s fair to say that it has been a journey to balance the needs of local residents who welcome the community facility but are impacted by issues such as parking and lighting, and it’s clear there is an ongoing commitment to work to ensure any issues are managed, and with investment minimised.

The club is now embarking on an application to the Community Ownership Fund which I have been keen to see more of its allocation brought into Oldham.

If successful it will see additional facilities for use by the local community, more onsite car parking with access directly into the ground, boundary screening, and improvements to the stand for accessibility and visual appearance, all of which will be better for the users of the ground and hopefully local residents.

Now a number of years on the ground has substantially improved, a modernised clubhouse open most days to the whole community.

There will need to be ongoing community engagement with residents nearby because the facility is a benefit to the borough which should be supported.

I wish them well with the funding application.

From the shop floor to the floor of the House of Commons!

A significant campaign win for Co-operative movement and Usdaw the trade union as the Government commits to backing our calls for assault of shop workers to be made a stand alone offence.

As well as being essential frontline workers they are tasked with enforcing laws parliament sets on age restricted sales and more. They deserve the protection of parliament in return.

We’ve been campaigning nationally in parliament at events and in the commons chamber, and locally in Oldham, including during our Christmas street stall.

The test now, beyond the commitment is to deliver the;
1). law; not watered down to a rehashed aggravating factor.
2). police; so they turn up to all violent crimes in shops.
3). justice; through to the courts and sentencing.

I doubt this would have happened without the determination of Alex Norris, Shadow Policing Minister and support of Yvette Cooper as Shadow Home Secretary who lead and backed calls for this including at Labour Conference.

The sewage pollution campaign is now mainstream and awareness of what’s been happening is growing all the time.

That England’s largest lake, Windermere is used to dump raw human sewage by United Utilities is symbolic of the treatment of the country by the Tory governmental they’ve taken our money in £billions of dividend payments instead of investing it to make the country better.

With that abuse is the risk to jobs and livelihoods for the huge tourist industry based around it and other lakes in the Lake District. The same is true of our shores at Blackpool and Fleetwood too.

But what draw me to this outrage was closer to home when it became clear that brooks, rivers and even open spaces in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton were routinely being used to dump raw human sewage directly from peoples homes, when bill payers were paying more and more in good faith to have it treated.

For instance in Royton, a single site near Elk Mill had 40 discharges running for over 354 hours in 2022. Foxdenton Lane, shown in the photo, had 76 discharges running for over 103 hours.

It’s long overdue that time was called on the Wild West of the water industry and the public interest (who pay for it all) was put before shareholders.

It was wonderful to meet with pupils from Oldham Hulme Grammar School both at an assembly and in a question and answer session later, before the Easter break.

We discussed a wide range of issues in politics locally, nationally and around the world; all impressively prepared for.

School visits here and to Parliament itself are one of the best parts of the job, and it was a joy to take part in it.

It was also a good opportunity to meet with the principal Tony Oulten and other staff to talk about the school and its plans ahead for the over 700 pupils who attend.

Thank you all for your time and keep up the good work!